Barbie Bitch (Rejects Paradise 3)

What am I going to do? I’m only seventeen. I haven’t even had a chance to live yet. I know Colton will support me but he’s always going to wonder if I did it on purpose, always assuming that I was trying to lock him down. He's going to hate me.

“Holy fuck,” I groan, pacing the bathroom once again with the test in my hand. I glance down at it and double-check the instructions. Maybe I read it wrong. There has to be some kind of mistake.

I can’t be pregnant. I have too much to do. Too much is at stake.

I drop back down onto the toilet seat and tear at the test in my hand. My whole life is going to change. I'm not ready to be someone’s mother. I'm not even ready to be responsible for myself.

Panic surges within me and before I know it, it’s nearly eight in the morning and I’ve spent far too long pacing the bathroom. I have to go and figure this out. I have to talk to Colton. He’ll know what to do.

I grab my phone and tuck the test safely into my hand before rushing out of the bathroom, leaving Colton’s blanket right on the couch. I can come back for it later.

I race down to Colton’s room and as I push through the door, I find him stepping out of the bathroom with the steam from the shower blowing out behind him, making him look like some kind of exotic God. He stands before me with only a towel wrapped around his narrow waist and drops of water slowly trailing down his muscled body.

My mouth instantly waters.

Shit. No wonder I so willingly jumped him without protection. This is how I ended up in this situation in the first place.

“There you are,” he says, giving me a warm smile that hits his eyes in just the right way, leaving them sparking with warmth. “I was starting to worry. Where did you disappear to?”

I gape at him for a moment, my mind too distracted by the test in my hand to be capable of forming a proper response. He steps toward me and I find myself hiding the test behind my back, unsure why I didn't just come right out and tell him. “I, umm … couldn’t sleep,” I tell him. “I was just chilling upstairs.”

His brows pinch together as he walks over to me and snakes his hands around my waist. He pulls me against him, the fresh smell from his shower overwhelming me with need. “You should have told me,” he grumbles, dipping his face into my neck and kissing me there. “I’m sure I could have found something for us to do.”

“I’m sure you could have,” I say with a laugh that sounds fake coming out of my mouth. “But no, you need your rest. It was a big day for you yesterday too and now you need to get dressed and start your day.”

“Get dressed?” he questions. “In all the time I’ve known you, not once have you told me to get dressed. In fact, I was starting to think that perhaps you preferred me with no clothes at all.”

I roll my eyes, this time the laugh so much more real. “You’re an idiot, Carrington,” I tell him. “But you’d be right. I do prefer you without any clothes but if you drop that towel right now, neither of us is going anywhere today and I kinda need to go out this morning.”

“Out?” he questions. “Where to? It’s Friday morning. You have school starting in just over an hour.”

“I know,” I say with a cringe. “I umm … just have to go and see someone.”

His brows furrow as he raises his chin, knowing damn well that I'm being shady. “Do you want me to come?”

I shake my head. “No, that’s fine. You already missed work yesterday. I’ll be fine.”

“Do you need a car?” he questions, choosing to trust me rather than continuing to question me, knowing I’ll be back with answers when I’m ready.

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” he says slowly, releasing his hold on me and walking toward his closet before getting busy picking out today’s business attire. “You can take the Audi. It was serviced over the weekend so it should drive like a dream.”

I give him a small smile and nod, feeling as though not speaking up right now is somehow lying to him. Hell, I don't even know where I’m planning on going. All I know is that I just need to get out and give myself a chance to think. “Thanks,” I tell him with a soft murmur. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know,” he says, finally choosing a suit that would make him look like any woman’s wet dream. He walks out of his closet and leans against the door frame, keeping his eyes trained heavily on mine. “Is everything okay?”