“And where’d you get off to?”

I bit my lip, swallowing the heat from my face at the sound of Katrina’s voice behind me as I turned to close the front door of her house.

I cleared my throat, trying to force the blush from my face as I turned to her.

“Nowhere? Just out for a hike. I left you a—”

“A note, I saw.”

My friend peered at me curiously, raising a brow with a slight grin on her face.

“Nowhere, huh?”

“Yep.”

Katrina grinned slyly at me, wagging her brows.

“‘Nowhere’ make you all glowly like that?”

I swallowed. “I was really just out for a hike.”

She gave me a look, and I could feel resolve shattering. I mean, I wanted so badly to tell my best friend about the incredible day I’d had with two incredible men, but something held me back. Something about it, no matter how amazing it was, still felt, well, sordid.

Dirty.

Hot.

And yet, private.

I laughed nervously. “Katrina, jeez…”

“You totally just got laid!”

My jaw dropped.

“I did not!”

“Yes you did!” She beamed at me, grinning broadly before suddenly her brow shot up.

“Oh my God, with one of the Caine brothers?!”

“What? No!”

I mean, it wasn’t really a lie. I hadn’t slept with “one” of them….right?

“You so did! They came by the house to help with setup for tomorrow, and I sent them up to the falls where you were setting stuff up!” She hooted. “And then you go and disappear on a ‘hike’ for three freaking hours! C’mon, Stella, spill it!”

I shook my head. “You’re imagining things.”

“Which one?! C’mon!”

I blushed furiously. “Kat, drop it, okay?”

Braun stuck his head into the room from the kitchen.

“What’s all this now?”

Katrina giggled. “Stella hooked up with Austin or Dallas.”

I groaned. “C’mon, seriously? What happened to girl-code?”

“So it’s true!” she crowed triumphantly.

Braun growled and shook his head. “Stella, those two…”

His brow furrowed with a scowl.

“Look, I know they’ve got that pretty-boy all-American look, and that they’ve got those charming pretty boy smiles, but there’s more to them than that.”

“I know—”

“I don’t mean that in a good way,” he growled.

I shook my head. “Braun—”

“They’ve got a dark past.”

“They told me,” I said quietly.

Braun’s mouth went tight. “Hmm.”

I frowned. “Hmm what?”

“What’d they tell you?”

“I think it’s probably personal,” I said thinly.

“About their uncle, right? About the company they left behind, their dad dying, all that shit?”

My jaw tightened and I glared at my friends fiancé.

“Look—”

“That’s not the whole story, Stella,” Braun said quietly.

I froze. “What?”

“I’m just saying, watch out for them. Don’t get mixed up with one of those boys.”

I groaned, shooting Katrina a look. “Braun, I’m a big girl, and I can handle myself.”

“They didn’t tell you why their uncle ran them off did they?”

“The company—”

“Why they’re hiding out on this mountain?”

Katrina’s brow furrowed, and she put a hand on my arm as she turned to her fiancé.

“Braun—”

“No,” I said quietly, my heart sinking. “What is it?”

Braun muttered to himself. “Look, I’m not a gossip—”

Katrina snorted a laugh, but I shushed her.

“Tell me,” I said quietly.

“Look, its a rumor.”

“And I want to hear it.”

Braun’s jaw tightened, and he glanced at Katrina before he turned to me.

“When I met them, I used some contacts to look into them. You know, just wanting to know who the fuck these guys were living up on that ridge. Wanting to know your neighbors and all.”

“And?”

He sighed heavily. “Stella—”

“Please tell me,” I whispered hoarsely, my heart sinking.

Braun took a deep breath and shook his head before he finally answered, and when he did, I almost wished he hadn’t.

“It’s not just that their uncle stole their company,” he growled. “Stella, they ran and hid out here because they killed their father.”

* * *

I was numb. I’d brushed off Katrina and Braun with excuses — that “of course” I hadn’t hooked up with one of the Caine brothers. And again, it wasn’t totally a lie, because I hadn’t hooked up with “one” of them.

But outside in the growing darkness of evening, my head spun. My stomach clenched into knots and my heart ached as I whirled, pushing my hands through my hair.

They killed their father.

I didn’t want to believe it, and I hated myself for even dwelling on it, but there it was — this little burning spot tearing a hole through me. After all, they were hiding out on Blackthorn, and they’d even mentioned how they’d gone to so many measures to make sure no one could find them.

…Maybe they were hiding. Maybe — as much as I wanted them, and cared for them, and felt my whole heart swell up even thinking about them — maybe they weren’t who I thought they were.

The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I was wiping them on my arm when my cell went off in my back pocket. I sniffed back the tears, glancing at the unrecognized number illuminating my phone before I answered.

“Yes?”

“Ms. Bourdain?”

I frowned. “Speaking?”

“Hi, my name is Megan, I’m one of Doctor Brody’s after-hours nurses?”

I nodded slowly. Doctor Brody was my fertility specialist, who I’d been seeing for the IVF treatments.

“Listen, I’m sorry to get back to you so late on this, but I wanted to respond to the message you left about going back on birth control.”

“Oh, yeah,” I shook my head. “Yeah I just wanted to let you know, since I’m probably going to hold off on round four of the IVF.”

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Bourdain,” Megan said, genuinely sounding it. “It…well, it can take a while for the treatments to work.”

“I know,” I said glumly. “I just…well, I just need a break from the disappointment.”

“Absolutely, hon,” Megan sighed. “And of course, we’re here for anything you need.”

“Thanks.” I smiled.

“Of course! Oh, and you of course know about the risk period when going back on birth control after IVF, right?”

I frowned, my pulse jumping. “Risk period?”

“Oh, you…” Megan cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry, I thought maybe someone in the office would have told you.”

“Well, I mean, I was scheduled for round four of IVF, I just decided a few days ago that I’d rather hold off, so I went back on the pill.”

“Okay, well,” Megan laughed nervously. “Ms. Bourdain—”

“Stella is fine.”

“Okay, Stella, you can’t just go back on birth control immediately after IVF.”

“Yeah, I mean, I know it means I can’t do the another treatment for a few months, but since—”

“No, Stella,” Megan’s voice grew a little sharper. “I’m not sure you’re understanding me. You can’t go back on the pill because you’re still on fertility drugs. They’re still very much in your system for the next few weeks.”

My heart started to climb into my throat.

“Look, it’s not going to hurt you or anything to take the pill, but it does mean each one you take is basically a placebo.”

“Wait,” I said quietly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying your birth control pills are useless right now, plus,” she laughed nervously. “Well, I know your chances are on the lower side, but they’re the highest they’re ever going to be right now. You’re about as fertile as possible at the moment, Stella. So, use condoms!”

She tittered another laugh, but my stomach dropped through my feet as my whole body went numb.

Oh.

My.

God.

As fertile as possible.

Use condoms.

Slowly, my breath coming in short gasps and my blood pumping like thunder through my ears, I looked down at my belly and slid a hand over it.

Oh holy shit.