Getting to his feet, Dominic started clearing off their dinner from the table, feeling like an idiot. He refused to meet Gwen’s eyes as he stacked the cartons of cold Chinese food before taking them to the kitchen. He had just made a first-class fool out of himself, and he was embarrassed and okay, a little pissed off about it. Men didn’t handle feelings like that well, and he was no exception. Now thanks to his rant, there was no way she could doubt how taken in he had been by her choice in movies. He knew it was crazy, but he wanted to blame the whole humiliating thing on her. A voice in the rational part of his mind said that she’d encouraged him to go home, but no, he’d been determined to stick it out. It pissed him off even further that he was actually so bent out of shape over such silliness. This sounded more like Gage than him. Heck, he’d said something similar when he’d admitted to watching commercials mainly pertaining to women’s products. At least he’d been watching a lingerie show for perverted reasons, though. Dominic couldn’t claim the same.
When he stomped back into the living room, Gwen was standing there looking at him warily. “Everything okay?” she asked, as she studied his no doubt closed-off expression. He knew then that he needed to go home for the night. If he stayed here, he’d say something he didn’t mean. She didn’t deserve to have her feelings hurt because he was acting like a total jerk. He fucking knew that, but he still couldn’t shake it off. What was wrong with him tonight?
“It’s fine, babe.” He forced himself to answer lightly. “Just a little tired from the trip and lack of sleep last night.” He pulled her tense form against him before saying, “I’m going to stay at my place tonight. I’ll sleep so deeply that I’m likely to snore the bedroom down. Believe me, you don’t want that.” She laughed, but it sounded strained. He pressed a light kiss to her lips before releasing her and going toward the door. When he reached it, he turned, remembering what Gage had said about him showing interest and concern over the possible pregnancy. It was the last thing he wanted to talk about tonight, but he didn’t want her to think that he didn’t care—because he did, more than she knew. “So . . . um how much longer until you know something, about, you know, whether you’re pregnant or not?”
Dominic saw her freeze at his question. Maybe he was mistaken, but she didn’t really look happy or relieved by his question. He was beginning to regret even bringing the subject up, when she finally said, “Probably this week or weekend one way or another.”
Trying to sound like he was halfway knowledgeable, he quoted off Gage’s statement. “Isn’t there some test that tells you early? Maybe you could take one of those. At least then we’d know.” When she bit her trembling lip and her eyes looked like they were watering, Dominic felt a moment’s panic. This wasn’t going at all like he thought it would. To say this hadn’t been his ideal evening was putting it mildly. Feeling ashamed of how he had been acting, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him once again. “Did I say something wrong?” he asked. That was a loaded question because he’d probably said nothing right since he’d arrived.
“No, it’s fine,” she answered hoarsely. “I can pick up a test. I . . . just thought I’d wait to see if I didn’t get my . . . period before I did. But, I know you want to know as soon as possible.”
“Er—sure,” he replied, not knowing what else to say. He hadn’t really wanted nor did he need to know early, but the words were out there now, and he thought it was easier to just let it go rather than dragging something out that she plainly didn’t want to discuss. Shit, it looked like Gage was right. She had been upset with him for not mentioning it sooner. He wanted to tell her that he hadn’t because it didn’t change anything at all for him, but nothing he had said was coming out right tonight. He’d just piss her off or upset her further. One thing you learned how to do well in the military was to know when it was time to retreat and that time had come and gone already. He rubbed her back before kissing her on the forehead. “I’m going to head out now. See you at the office tomorrow?”
Without making eye contact, she nodded her head and opened the door for him. If that wasn’t a sign that she wanted rid of him, he didn’t know what was. “Good night, Dominic,” she said softly and a bit too formally for his peace of mind.
“’Night, babe,” he replied as he stepped into the hallway. She had the door closed before he could turn and see her one last time. You really made a mess out of that, he thought to himself as he walked down the hallway to his apartment. He probably needed to bring more to the table tomorrow than a cup of coffee. A better mood and some groveling were definitely in order.
Spending two tours in the Marines hadn’t allowed for long-term relationships, so in many ways this was all new ground for him. He was under no illusions that this would be the last time he screwed up, but he planned to do his best not to hurt her again. He’d always thought Gage was full of shit since he never stayed with a woman long enough to be qualified to give advice, but it seemed he might have been wrong. He’d no longer disregard his buddy’s advice if it sounded even reasonably coherent. Hell, before he opened his mouth again, maybe he should solicit every piece of guidance that anyone was willing to offer.