Also, wow, if this was the result of having great sex then I was so never going there again. Not even for mediocre sex. Nothing. I might even rule out masturbation, just in case. You couldn’t be too careful. Random attack sperm could be anywhere, just waiting to get a girl into trouble.
I stumbled to my feet, sweaty hands on the table to steady myself. “I should go.”
“Hey.” A big hand cupped my chin. Lines had appeared between Ben’s brows, beside his mouth. But you could only see the hint of them behind his beard, the implication. The man was not happy, and fair enough. “It’s okay, Liz. We’ll get this sorted—”
“I’m pregnant.”
A pause. “What?”
“I’m pregnant, Ben.”
The ensuing silence echoed in my ears, an endless gray noise like something out of a horror movie.
Ben stood bent over the table, breathing heavy. I guess I’d looked to him for strength, but now he seemed every bit as strung out as me.
“You’re pregnant?” Anne’s voice cut the silence. “Lizzy, look at me.”
I did, though it wasn’t easy. My chin didn’t seem inclined to go in the desired direction, and who could blame it?
“Yes,” I said. “I am.”
She went horribly still.
“I’m sorry.”
“How could you? Oh god.” For a moment she squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. “And why were you telling him?”
“Good question.” Ever so slowly, Mal rose from his seat and started walking down the other side of the table. “Why’d she tell you, Benny?”
“Liz and I need to talk.” Ben’s gaze skipped to Mal, his hand falling from my face. “Man.”
“You didn’t,” said Mal, his voice low and lethal as the tension in the room took an entirely new turn for the worse.
“Calm down.”
“Told you stay away from her. Didn’t I? She’s my girl’s kid sister for Christ’s sake.”
Ben stood tall. “I can explain.”
“Shit,” muttered David.
“No. No, you can’t, Benny. I fucking asked you to leave her alone, bro. You promised me she’d be off-limits.”
Past Ben, David Ferris got to his feet, as did Jimmy at the end of the table. It was all happening so fast.
Ben’s date, Sasha, the burlesque dancer with the blue hair, seemed to finally understand the shit storm she’d unleashed with her most excellent announcement. Perhaps she wasn’t so psychic after all. “We should leave. Ben?”
He didn’t even look at her, his gaze glued to Mal.
“You’re like a brother to me, Benny. One of my closest friends. But she’s my little sister now. Tell me you didn’t go there.”
“Mal, man—”
“Not after you gave me your word. You wouldn’t do that, not to me.”
“Dude, calm down,” said David, moving up to try and get between the two. “Let’s talk about this.”
Ben was almost a head taller than Mal, definitely bigger, stronger. It didn’t matter. With a battle cry, Mal launched himself at the man. They fell together onto the floor, rolling and wrestling, fists flying. It was a mess. I jumped to my feet, mouth hanging open. Someone screamed, a woman. The rich copper scent of blood hit the air and the urge to hurl was almost overwhelming, but there wasn’t time for that.
“No!” I yelled. “Don’t, please.”
I’d done this, so it was up to me to fix it. I got a knee up on the table before hands grasped my arms, holding me back no matter how I fought.
“Mal, no!”
David and Jimmy tore Mal off of Ben, dragging the struggling man back across the room.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Mal hollered, his face a mixture of reds from fury and blood. “Let me go!”
More blood dripped from beneath Ben’s nose, trailing down his chin. But he made no move to stop it. Slowly, the big man got to his feet, and the look on his face tore me in two.
“You said you wouldn’t chase after her.”
“He didn’t,” I shouted, still standing on one foot with a knee on the table and Anne’s hand on my arm. “He didn’t want anything to do with me. I chased after him. It was all me. I’m sorry.”
Silence fell and I was surrounded by stunned faces. And a couple of still-bleeding ones.
“I practically stalked him. He never stood a chance.”
“What?” Mal scowled, one eyelid swelling at an alarming rate.
“It’s my fault, not Ben’s. I’m the one who did it.”
“Liz.” With a heavy sigh, Ben hung his head.
The fingers on my arm gave a small tug. I turned to face my sister.
“Explain this to me.”