“I could keep them,” Aubrey said softly. “I could hand one off to you every morning. We’ll make it a habit that we hang out before classes start. We’ll eat breakfast together or something.”
I nodded. That could work. If we were discreet enough, Dominic would never know she was slipping me birth control.
“And on weekends, we’ll see each other. I’ll bring you guys food or something,” she continued. “We’ll make it work.”
“Thank you.” I looked up at her and smiled.
She was a good friend. One of the best. She grinned back and patted my hand.
“Excuse me. I’m the one giving them to you,” Stella called out. “Where’s my thanks?”
“Right here.” I gave her the finger again.
She rolled her eyes. “I still don’t know what Dominic sees in you. You’re so uncultured.”
“Maybe he likes me dirty and unpredictable.”
She grunted. “Whatever. Anyway, it would be better for you to find somewhere to keep them yourself that way if something comes up and you’re not on campus in the morning or something, you’ll still have them. Do you have a secret zipper in your purse?” Stella asked.
I did have a teeny zipper in the inside of my purse that I might be able to slip them in.
“Aside from girl code or whatever you’re labeling it, why are you helping Bianca?” Aubrey asked.
Stella smirked. “I have my reasons.”
“What are they?” I frowned, knowing damn well she had some ulterior motive.
“Well, if he can’t get you pregnant, he might find solace elsewhere. He might realize he needs someone a little more refined and… useful.”
“Someone like you?” I asked dryly.
She grinned. “Maybe. Can’t hurt a girl to try.”
“You really are a slimy, little bitch, aren’t you?”
“The rule of thumb is to go after what you want, even if it might kill you or break your heart,” Stella said, smiling broadly. “And Dominic would certainly kill me if he knew, so let’s just keep this between us. It’ll be beneficial to both of us.”
While I wasn’t in the market to give up my kings, and certainly not my husband, who I was growing rather fond of again, I also wasn’t ready for everything Dominic was forcing on me so soon. So I’d take the double-edged sword with the hopes Dominic wouldn’t leave if I didn’t give him an heir right away.
“By the way, Fallon really was wasted that night, wasn’t he?” She rose to her feet, her eyes twinkling.
“You better not have touched him,” I snarled, standing up.
Her smile trembled, but she quickly righted it. Before she could answer, the door to Dominic’s room swung open. Aubrey snatched the pill packets from me and jumped up, shoving them into her blazer pocket and moving away from me as Dominic stormed into the room.
In one swoop, he had me in his arms, his lips peppering kisses along my face. When he reached my lips, I whimpered, pulling away.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt, mia regina?” He frowned as he spotted my swollen lip and let out a snarl.
“It’s nothing,” I mumbled. “Hail’s elbow caught me when I was trying to move away.” I noted the cut over his brow and frowned. “You’re hurt.”
He shook his head. “I don’t even feel it.” He pressed the ice pack back to my lip. “Keep that there.”
He released me and looked at Aubrey, standing nervously to the side, then to Stella, who was now standing beside Vincent. Levin propped himself against Dominic’s dresser, looking like he was trying to not be noticed.
But I noticed him. I saw the look in his eyes when he stared back at me. The hurt. The fear. It broke my heart. I didn’t know how to fix this mess with us. Could it be fixed?
He was dating Celeste now. Maybe I just needed to let go and let the chips fall where they may. It was my fault, after all.
“Um, I’m, uh, going to go,” Aubrey called out nervously as she skittered to the door. “Bianca, let’s do breakfast tomorrow.”
“OK,” I said, forgiving her for rushing away.
If I’d been in her place, I probably would’ve run too. She opened the door and disappeared moments later, leaving me with the kings and Stella.
“I’ll get something for your eye,” I murmured to Dominic.
He sank into the chair, but instead of letting me go, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to his lap.
“I got something for my eye,” he answered softly in my ear so only I could hear him. He gave me a squeeze, and I relaxed against him, my head fitting into the crook at his neck. He eased the ice pack back to my lip.
“You’ll be happy to know, I broke Tate’s nose, and I’m pretty sure I cracked Drake’s ribs,” Vincent said, moving to sit on the bed, looking like he hadn’t just fought guys rivaling him in size.
Stella followed him and sat entirely too close. I tensed when she reached out and brushed his dark hair out of his eyes.
He swatted at her hand before continuing, “And Levin punched Fallon in the face too hard.”
“I was going for realism,” Levin muttered, glancing at me before quickly turning away.
“He’s never going to heal at this rate. What’s wrong with you, Levin?” Stella demanded.