Page 47 of Bad Boy in Her Bed

“As serious as the heart attack I’m probably going to have if I keep pretending I can keep up with you,” he called over his shoulder as he came to a stop, collapsed on the grass, and rolled onto his back.“The only thing I like about running is the lying down part at the end.”

Catching up, she sat beside him, draped her arms over her knees, and did her best to keep her eyes off his bare torso.“Why do it, then?I could have met up with you later.”

He tossed an arm over his eyes, shielding them from the late morning sun.“Again, I like the lying down part.Or the sitting down part.Both are almost euphoric afterwards, like my own version of a runner’s high.”

“So you torture yourself for a few minutes of bliss?”

“Damn right I do,” he replied with a smirk.“Besides, you and I seem to come to terms with each other when we’re running.And when I woke up this morning and discovered you’d already snuck out, I figured you and I had some terms we needed to address.So here I am.Almost dead, but ready to negotiate.”

Reclining back, she tucked her arms under her head and looked up at the marshmallow clouds peppering the sky.“I’m sorry I condemned you without hearing you out.”

He was quiet for a moment.“Condemned?Just a straight line from suspicion to damnation?”

“The numbers fit,” she stated quietly.“At least, they fit if you weren’t you.And I should have taken what I know of you and realized something else may have been at play.”

Lifting his arm from his eyes, he glanced over at her.“Done and forgotten.Don’t beat yourself up over it.All you know about me is what I told you and what the people around here say.It’s not like you were working off an encyclopedia of accurate or complimentary intel.”

“Maybe not, but I do know you aren’t a bad guy.”Exhaling, she turned toward him.“I forgot it in the moment, let my own hang-ups take control, and I’m sorry.”When he responded with little more than a grunt, she leaned over and pushed his forearm completely off his head.“It’s neither done, nor forgotten, Birch.You deserved better.Especially from me.”

Groaning, he pushed himself off the ground and stood, holding his hand out to help her up.“You really take this apology thing and drive it headfirst into awkwardness.Is there anything I can say to make it stop?”

Nodding, she brushed the grass from her clothes with her free hand, refusing to let his go.“Tell me how I can make it up to you.”

His brows furrowed and he stared at the ground for a second before smiling at her with satisfaction.“Keep me company at the Freedom Festival on Sunday.I paid a premium for a tent between the main stage and the kid zone and I want someone around to talk to if no one comes by.Someone who isn’t Grey, because he’ll be on my last nerve before noon.”

“It’s a deal.I’ll even toss in vendor scouting and food hoarding for free.”Staying close to him while they walked up the hill to the parking lot where his truck sat beside her car, she glanced over at a woman eying Birch from a bench.“Can I ask now?”

“Ask what?”

“Why you aren’t wearing a shirt?”

Shrugging, he tugged his keys from the back pocket of his basketball shorts.“I figured if I screwed up the talking thing, this might be distracting enough to buy me another shot at it.”He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it before he opened his door and got into his truck.“I’ll call you later.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Birch slammed thefront door as he stormed into the house, his temper and sense of control on the brink after spending most of his Saturday evening taking videos of the traffic coming in and out of Serpent’s Tongue after he was officially off the clock.

Grey clomped down the stairs two at a time, coming to a swaying halt when he got to the bottom and saw Birch.“Damn.You okay?”

“Fine,” he snarled, going straight to the kitchen and flinging the fridge door open.Deciding nothing would taste as good as a beer, he grabbed a can and popped the cap.He downed half of it before sitting at the table and glaring at the scratches in the finish.

His brother approached him slowly and passed over another beer when the first was drained dry.“Work, women, or engine trouble?”

Refusing to look up, he took a long swig from the second can.“Truck’s fine.”

“I meant your dick engine.”When Birch gave him a death stare, Grey threw up his hands.“Okay.Not the time.What’s going on?Anything I can help with?”

Taking a deep breath, he sat back in his chair and forced the death grip he had on the beer can to relax.“It’s fine.Did your midterm marks get posted online yet?”

“Nope.Not until next Thursday.”

“Heard from River this week?”

Grey shook his head.“Nothing but a text this morning saying he was thinking of flying out in a few weeks.”Taking the empty beer can, he spun it along the table for a minute, the sound filling the quiet room.“So I haven’t seen Jocelyn around in a few days.”

“So I haven’t seen your textbooks out in a few days,” he countered with a growl.His brother’s brows shot up and Birch closed his eyes, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead.“Sorry, Grey.It’s been a long day, I’m stressing tomorrow’s festival, and I’m being a total ass.But fair warning, I’m not going to snap out of it any time soon, so feel free to avoid me for a few hours.”

Rapping his knuckles on the table, Grey leaned over and slapped him on the arm.“My sense of self-preservation is encouraging me to run away from you.”

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