Page 59 of Bones

“W-what?” she asked haltingly before the mocking steel came back into her words. “About your wild foursome partners?” Her eyes widened and then dropped to stare at my shoulder as she raised her own in a half-assed shrug. “Outside, I saw?—”

“You saw me with one woman. And it sure as fuck wasn’t in the way you think. How did you know about the others?”

She scowled. “It doesn’t matter. I just know.”

“And so you were going towhat?” I stabbed a finger toward my discarded keys. “Take my truck?” My voice might’ve sounded casual, but the pain and panic shooting through me sure as fuck wasn’t.

“Well, you weren’t in the woods, so I thought you left. But the truck was here, so maybe you were having…funin it. But then… And it wasn’t the cabin I… So I was going…”

“Going to leave?”

Leave me?

She raised a stubborn chin. “I was going to find you. But now you’re back.” Her words were slow and emphasized. “Veryquickly.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Let it go the first time you said it, baby, but you want to keep making jokes”—I closed the last bit of distance so she could feel my hardness against her stomach for a different kind of emphasis—“I got no problem finally bringing you to my bed to show you exactly how long I can last.”

“Finally?” she whispered.

“Fuckingfinally.” I lowered my face toward to her upturned one, and fuck, I wanted to kiss her. “Bed. Table. Right here against the door. I’m game for any of it.”

“But the women?—”

“It wasn’t like that.” My stomach roiled at the thought of touching anyone other than her, but it revolted at the idea of being with Juno—or whatever name my sister went by. “Neverlike that.”

She gave a scoff. “You don’t owe me any explanation. You definitely don’t owe me any lies. I’m just a random woman you found in the woods who’s staying with?—”

“The hell you are. You’remine.”

Breathtaking eyes widened briefly before immediately going into the most attitude filled eye roll I’d ever seen. “Riiiight. Well, that bit of fiction aside, I don’t care what you do in your free time. But the least you could do is not lie to my face like I’m a naive idiot who doesn’t know how you men are. Especially one who looks like…” She raised a hand to gesture to me.

It would’ve soothed the deep stabs she’d made to my pride if it hadn’t been for the continued insults.

She finally speaks, and it’s to call me a lying one-pump chump who can’t keep it in my pants.

“How are us men?” I asked.

“You have biological needs. Wandering eyes. Base urges you can’t control, blah, blah, blah.”

“Who in the hell did you waste time with that filled your head with that bullshit?”

The angry front she put up waned, and loneliness filled her so completely, I had to put my palm to the door before it took me down with her.

“Christ, baby.”

She rallied like she had practice ignoring that ache. Too much practice. “It’s a known fact.”

“No, it’s a pile of lies that small-dicked assholes use to justify being small-dicked assholes.”

She let out a frustrated noise and started to bring her hands to her head before catching herself. “This conversation is giving me whiplash, and it’s all unnecessary. None of this is what matters.”

“You’re right.” Before the pain could settle on her lowered face, I gripped her chin and aimed it back at me to clarify. “It doesn’t matter because the story you’ve built up in your head is bullshit.”

“I know what I?—”

The back of my neck prickled at the abrupt way she cut herself off. “Youwhat?”

“Nothing. Can you give me some space?”

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