Page 78 of Bronco

“Last night was amazing, but remember all that talk about being friends, and it making things weird?”

“Are things weird?”

“No, but this isn’t a normal situation.” I wonder for a second if I’m trying to reason with him, or myself.

“Define normal. I know how you feel about relationships, but are you sayin’ we can’t do any of that again, or you don’t want to?”

Of course I want to. I want to scream his orgasms from the rooftops, but I’m not sure the neighbors will appreciate that. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to, but all that stuff about feelings?—”

“We can feel and not get heavy, right?”

“So we’d be friends with benefits,” I reiterate. “You can say it.”

“It’s not that.”

“So what is it then? It isn’t like we’re dating, we skipped that part and jumped into bed.”

“I can take you out on a date. After all, I am your fake boyfriend.”

“Ha-ha. We crossed a line, and it was fantastic, but we need boundaries.”

“Uh, oh this sounds scary.”

“You mean to tell me you’re not gonna play the field in the meantime?”

He frowns. “I haven’t been playin’ the field for a long time. So it would bother you if I did?”

“Well, you know I don’t sleep around.”

“But you’re also not looking for anyone permanent in your life.” It’s not a question.

My mind begins to race and I answer it anyway. “I guess not.”

He opens his mouth, then closes it again. I don’t like how he’s holding back, but I have no room to talk. I held back some pretty big revelations, and I’m not sure I’d be so accommodating if the roles were reversed. We tell each other everything, and now he thinks I held back information. I feel sick about it.

“I don’t wanna overcomplicate things. But I also don’t want another man in your bed. There, I said it.”

I arch a brow. “Well, I just told you I don’t sleep around, and you know that’s true.”

“Right, so we’re a thing?”

“I don’t know what we are.”

Is it just me, or did his shoulders just sag a little? We agreed on one night of amazing sex, and now it’s hard to walk away, for both of us. Maybe I’m overthinking the whole friends with benefits situation?

“Maybe I should be a little more blunt?” he says.

“Maybe you should.”

“Well, this could really work. I don’t wanna fuck anyone else, and all the guys you date are morons.”

“Thanks for reminding me?—”

“At the clubhouse, we can keep up our fake dating charade. It’ll keep Cupcake off my back and those other assholes off yours.”

The words sting, even though they shouldn’t. I don’t want it to be fake, but I’m the one who just said all that stuff about feelings. “Let me get this straight for a second. Are you saying you’re not done with me?”

He smirks. “Oh, Princess, I don’t think I could ever be done with you.”

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