Page 98 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

“Here.” I pick the bacon off my plate and lay it on Sam’s. “You can have this.”

“Awesome.” His face lights up.

We dig in, and soon, Sam’s moaning in delight, but it makes me clench my thighs. Those are the sounds he makes when we’re in bed. When he’s feasting on me.

Heat creeps up my neck, but quickly ices over as I remember the girl I saw him with. I wonder if he made those sounds with her? It’s a disparaging thought, so I shovel food into my mouth to distract myself. After a few minutes, I catch Sam watching me.

He arches an eyebrow. “Glad to see you recovered from that food poisoning.” He doesn’t even try to hide his sarcasm.

With a grimace, I swallow my mouthful and wipe my mouth with my napkin. I haven’t been fair to Sam. He’s been more kind to me tonight than he ever has been, and I’m holding a grudge over something I have no right to. “About that...”

“It’s okay, Brynn. You don’t have to explain, but also, you can tell me if you don’t want to come over.”

“It’s not that.”

His forehead crinkles. “What is it, then?”

“Ugh,” I groan, raising my gaze to the ceiling. “I saw you today. Walking that girl out of your apartment.”

I watch as understanding dawns on him, followed by more confusion, and finally a grimace. “Brynn, you’ve got the wrong idea.”

“No, don’t feel like you have to explain. You and I aren’t together, so you have every right to be with whoever you want, whenever you want. I just wish you would have been honest with me.”

Sam sighs, sounding amused. “No, Brynn. You seriously have the wrong idea.” He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That girl was my sister.”

“Your sister?”

“Yeah, she was on her way to Denver to meet some friends for a concert and stopped by to visit for lunch. I really didn’t want her to be around when you came over, so I made sure she left by one.”

I feel so strange. A weight lifts off my shoulders, freeing me from this emotional turmoil I’ve been in, but then a pit of guilt forms in my stomach. “Sam, I’m so sorry.”

He waves me off. “No big deal, but were you really that jealous?”

“No.” I bristle. “Maybe.”

Instead of chiding me with laughter like I expect, a satisfied grin spreads across his face. “I told you, Brynn. I’m not seeing anyone else.”

“We’re not seeing each other, though. That’s the thing.” I sip more coffee. “When we made this agreement, there weren’t supposed to be feelings involved.”

“You have feelings for me?” He sounds hopeful.

“No, but I’m getting attached.” I fold my arms, suddenly feeling empty at my next thought. “I don’t think we should do this anymore.”

The light in his eyes dims as his expression falls. “Oh, okay.”

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. You’re right.” He takes a deep breath, running his hands down his thighs. “This arrangement was for nothing more than to make working together more tolerable. If you’re uncomfortable with it, then we should stop.”

I chew on my lower lip. “No hard feelings?”

“None.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Sam nods and takes another few bites of his meal. “But, we still have a presentation to put together for next Friday.”

“You didn’t do it today?”

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