Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery 2)

“Yes, but only because I have class tomorrow. What have you been up to?”

“I was hoping you’d ask. Because I totally made out with Paul last night. It was awesome!”

Olivia laughed. “I thought you made out with Paul last week.”

“No, we kissed last week. Granted, it was for a long time, but this was waaaay more than that. Like, making out on the couch until half our clothes were off. Oh, my God, I feel like a teenager again, with the notable exception that I actually had an orgasm.”

“You naughty little witch,” Olivia said, echoing exactly what Gwen had said to her a few weeks ago.

“Hell, yes,” Gwen growled. “I plan on being even naughtier tonight when I let him have his way with me.”

“Or vice versa.”

“Semantics,” Gwen insisted. “However you say it, I am finally going to get laid.”

Olivia’s cheeks already hurt from smiling too hard. “I’m so glad you two hit it off. Do you really like him? Not just physically?”

“He’s just…a regular guy. He’s a real person.”

“I think most of the faculty are actual people, you know.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t read their email.”

“And you do?” Olivia asked.

“Ugh. Some of them make me sort it for them. Some of them even make me print it out. I know way too much. Speaking of…”

Uh-oh. Back to the real world. “What?”

“There’s a rumor going around. I’m only going to tell you because I don’t want you to hear it from someone else. But it might not be true.”

“Just tell me,” Olivia said, bracing herself for the worst. Her mind was already turning, figuring out what she’d do if she lost her job or—

“People are saying Victor’s girlfriend is pregnant.”

“Oh.” Olivia frowned. “Is that gossip-worthy? That a man knocked up his girlfriend?”

Gwen was quiet for a minute. “My God, you already knew.”

“Yes,” Olivia admitted. “I did.”

“So it’s true?”

Olivia sighed. “Why is everyone talking about it?”

“Well, the rumor came from the dean’s office, as far as I can tell. There’s maybe some question about when he started seeing her.”

“Ah.” Here it was. Exactly what Victor had feared. He wouldn’t be fired for it. He was tenured and Allison was a grown woman, not some starry-eyed undergrad. But it would hurt his reputation and his ever-important campaign for department chair.

“I wanted to tell you so it wouldn’t be a blow. Especially after our talk about having children. I’m so sorry, Olivia. This must be really hard to take.”

Olivia took the phone out to the balcony and leaned against the railing. The sun slanted past the roof now, and it felt like golden fire on her arms. “I was shocked, but that’s it. I’ve been thinking about this. Poking at my feelings a little. And I’m so glad I didn’t have kids with him. So thankful. And…I’m not even sure I wanted to. I think it was just one more thing to hold against him. One more thing to call unfair. I’d given up a lot and it was easy to say I gave that up, too.”

“Screw him,” Gwen muttered. “He deserves to be blamed.”

“He does. But I own a lot of it, too. And I’m doing great, aren’t I?”

“Damn right you are.”