Page 22 of Savage
Her gaze dropped for a moment and Savage said nothing, just waited. If he demanded her trust, he was no better than the piece of shit who had abused her. He would not be another reason any woman acted like a kicked puppy. Ever.
After a long moment, maybe thirty seconds, she looked back up at him. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I can ask, babe. Now I’ve got a couple of things I want to ask you about, questions from things you said before, then I’ll look at borrowing a vehicle so we can go into town.”
Still sitting sideways on his folded legs she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What do you want to know?”
“You said something earlier that caught my attention, I didn’t question it then because we were where we could be overheard, and I didn’t want you to feel like I was airing your personal business but it’s something I need to know about.”
She frowned and he watched as her eyes flicked back and forth as she tried to remember what had been said and what he might be wanting to know. After a moment he took mercy and just said it.
“You said something along the lines of no one else wanting you because you are pregnant with someone else’s kid. Where did you get that? Cause I assure you it’s in no way true.”
She looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Donna looked away, not down at her lap but across the tent at the wall.
“That’s what Noah used to tell me. While he was, well, you know. That he was going to get me pregnant with his brat, those were his words, then no one else would want me.”
“Oh, babe.” He tightened his arms around her again, just holding her close. At the same time, he wished he had ten minutes with this Noah bastard. He’d give him a few quick lessons about how to treat a woman and manners because it was clear he had none. “He was wrong. So wrong. Well, it might be true for him, but there are a lot of men who find pregnancy sexy.”
“Yeah, because puking, waddling, and stretch marks are so attractive.” Disbelief was clear in her voice.
“I’ll give you that not every part of it is appealing, but the waddling and stretch marks? Way more than you might think. I think it shows a woman’s strength. She created something precious and has the marks to prove it. It’s something I could never do, and it leaves me in awe and wonder at the whole thing.”
“Really?” She tilted her head toward him and let it rest against his chest.
“Yes, really. I told you before, honesty between us, right? I meant it.” He rested his chin on top of her head, his arms still holding her snugly as he got the sense she needed the reassurance. He stopped trying to control his dick’s reaction to having her warm and soft in his lap. Maybe if she didn’t believe his words, she would believe his body’s reactions to her.
After just a couple of minutes, she started shifting in his lap, then turned and looked up at him, eyes wide. Savage could see the nervousness filling them.
“I’m not pushing you for anything. You’re not expected to take care of it. I just stopped fighting it, thinking you might believe my physical reaction more than my words.”
Donna opened her mouth to say something then closed it again and dropped her gaze. She shifted again.
“What was the plan for today?” she asked after a moment.
“Do you want a shower or to change clothes before we go into town?”
“I don’t need a shower, but I’d like to change.”
“Okay, you do that while I go see about a car. If we need to, we can take the bike, but I’d rather not for this. Just in case we need to haul something that won’t fit on the bike.”
She took a deep breath and let it out, then started to move, getting up from his lap and moving to where the backpack he’d gotten for her things when they’d gone shopping the day before. She had remembered the hair dye Beth had mentioned but wasn’t sure if it would be safe. Did pregnant women dye their hair? She’d never paid attention and had no idea. Better safe than sorry, she’d decided. She could dye it later if she wanted.
“I don’t need that much,” she said.
Savage didn’t say anything, just folded his arms across his chest and watched her with one lifted brow until she turned and looked at him.
“I’m not telling you not to get what you want. I’m just saying I don’t need anything more.” She turned back to her bag and continued to dig through and pull items out. “But you’ll spend your money any way you see fit and I can’t stop you, even with common sense.”
“Damn straight.” He pushed himself to his feet and went to see about borrowing the SUV the girls had driven up from Tucson.
20
Hourslater,Donnalayin her sleeping bag, staring up at the stretch of nylon above her head. The sun had set over an hour ago and she was so tired her entire body ached, but her mind wouldn’t quit spinning. They’d gone into town and gotten several things, not the least of which was a pregnancy test.
After leaving the store, as they sat in the car he’d asked if she wanted to take it now, or go back to the ranch to do it. Donna didn’t want to monopolize the bathroom in the bunkhouse, or risk anyone else finding out before she was sure and ready to share, so she’d opted to do it while in town. He’d found a gas station that looked relatively clean, she’d pocketed the test and they’d gone inside.
Donna had asked to use the restroom while Savage had wandered around the place shopping. By the time she’d gotten the results, exited the bathroom and was ready to leave, Savage stood at the register with a stack of snacks, sweets, and a few drinks.