His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 144

After dinner, Soren drove her home. Once the car was parked, he unbuckled his seatbelt and said, “I’ll walk you up.”

As soon as they opened the door, Lumina stepped inside first—and immediately caught sight of a man’s bare back on the living room couch, pinning a girl beneath him.

The image hit her like a needle to the eye. Lumina nearly cried out in shock.

An instant later, a large, warm hand slipped over her eyes from behind.

Lumina instinctively stepped backward, her back pressing against Soren’s chest. In the darkness behind his palm, she could hear the steady, heavy beat of his heart.

A flurry of scrambling sounds followed, then Nadia’s panicked voice: “Lumina! I thought you went out for dinner—why are you back so early?”

“Come on, hurry up, get dressed!” she hissed.

Keegan, nearly naked, yanked on his jeans, tossed a sweater over Nadia’s shoulders, and the two of them, red-faced and flustered, scurried back into the bedroom.

Only then did Soren release his hand from Lumina’s eyes.

He looked utterly unruffled, as if he hadn’t just witnessed a live sex scene in the middle of the living room. “You actually live in a place like this?”

Lumina felt her face flush with embarrassment. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and glanced at the rumpled, chaotic couch. Smoothing the cushions, she invited him to sit. “They’re just young and in love. A little thrill-seeking is normal, I guess.”

He gave a noncommittal sound, settled into the chair, and took the coffee she handed him, sipping it slowly.

Soren considered for a moment before saying, “If you’d like, I could help you rent another place. Something closer to me, and you wouldn’t have to share.”

Lumina hesitated with her glass of water midway to her lips. She looked up at him, her gaze thoughtful.

He set the coffee cup down gently, voice calm. “It’s just a suggestion. Having another man in the apartment can be… inconvenient.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Lumina replied, slipping off her shawl and rubbing her sore shoulders. “Nadia and I get along fine. Besides, my situation right now doesn’t exactly allow for a higher rent.”

Soren picked up a magazine from the table and flipped through it idly, murmuring his agreement.

He didn’t linger much longer; they arranged a time to see the doctor, and then he got ready to leave.

Nadia just giggled, “Won’t happen again, promise.”

She followed Lumina into the bathroom, watching as Lumina bent over the vanity to take off her makeup. “So, what’s Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome’s name? What does he do? Maybe we could all have dinner together sometime?”

“He’s just a friend, kiddo. What are you, the census bureau? If you’re so curious, why didn’t you ask him yourself?”

Nadia pouted, “Come on, he walked in and saw my bra—how was I supposed to say anything after that?”

“So, you do know how to be embarrassed,” Lumina teased, tapping her finger to Nadia’s forehead before closing the bathroom door. “And let me remind you—again—be careful, okay? You’re still in college. You really don’t want to end up pregnant.”

“That won’t happen, don’t worry. We’re always careful,” Nadia said, looping her arm through Lumina’s and swinging it. “But what about you, Lumina? Does Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome know you’re pregnant?”

Lumina tossed her makeup wipe in the trash, washed her face, and replied vaguely, “He does. In fact, he offered to take me to see a respected OB-GYN tomorrow afternoon.”

Nadia’s expression turned a bit complicated, something unreadable flashing through her clear eyes. “Wow, your knight in shining armor is really generous. He’s okay with the woman he likes having another man’s child?”

She lowered her voice and muttered, “Let’s hope he doesn’t have his eye on your baby.”