Page 73 of Stroke of Fate

He’s been throwing questions at her for most of the drive. I’m happy they’re getting along so well, but I figured they’d be fast friends. Because, really, what’s not to love about her?

“It was my great-grandmother’s name,” Bear explains, her patience never wavering with each question.

“Did Levi tell you how confused we were when we found your box outside his door?”

I feel her eyes drift to me before twisting in her seat to glance back at Mack. “Huh, and here I thought there was only one perpetrator.”

I bark out a laugh. “Mack was the mastermind behind the whole thing.”

“It’s true,” Mack says, backing me up. “Levi needed to be talked into it. But hey, it brought you two together, didn’t it?”

A weird rush of emotion flows through me when I think about Bear and me together likethat. More than what we are now.

Next to me, Bear shifts, her attention falling back on me, and my eyes meet hers briefly. A ghost of a smile touches her lips.

“I guess it did.” She answers Mack’s question, but her eyes never leave mine.

Reaching over, I take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I spend the rest of the car ride listening to Mack and Bear go back and forth. He tells her more about the swim team and the shit we get up to, and every time she laughs, I’m reminded ofwhy it’s the best sound. I pipe up occasionally, but I’m content to focus on the dark road, listening to their running commentary.

“You should come to our competition next weekend,” I tell Bear, pulling into a grassy parking spot.

“Hell yes,” Mack says. “It’ll be nice to have some home supporter in the crowd.”

“What do you mean, home support?” Bear asks, unbuckling her seat belt.

“Nothing. Just that it’ll be nice to have you there,” I say quickly, shooting Mack a warning look in the rearview mirror. One Bear doesn’t notice, thanks to the dim lighting in the car.

Mack raises a brow, the question obvious.You’re not telling her?

I give a subtle shake of my head.No.

Now isn’t the best time to mention that the competition’s in my hometown, or that if she agrees to come, she’ll most likely meet my mom.

It’s not like I’m not keeping it from her. But I don’t want to spring it on her and risk scaring her off. Or make her feel pressured to answer a certain way because Mack is here. I’ll talk to Bear about it privately, and if she decides not to come, I’ll understand.

“Okay, as long as I can swap some shifts around at work, I’ll try to be there.” She flashes me a tentative smile that hits me right in the chest before slipping out the door.

I quickly follow her as we walk down the well-worn path leading toward the blaring music, drifting voices, and scattered fire pits. The red and orange flames of a few are already visible from here.

“Mack seems nice,” Bear says as we follow the crowd of people who seem to have appeared out of nowhere.

“He’s a good guy,” I say, watching him chat with someone up ahead. “Thanks for putting up with his questions.”

“Did you tell him to do that? Payback for all the questions I asked you today?” She laughs, bumping my shoulder.

“No, but if every Q&A ended the way it did earlier, you can ask me all the questions you want,” I reply in a low tone.

My dick is happily jerking at the memory of us on the couch. My fingers on her,inher.

I swear I’ve been walking around with perpetual blue balls since yesterday. I wish we could ditch tonight. Drive back home and pick up where we left off.

Like she read my mind, Bear stops, and I halt my steps. She clasps her delicate fingers around mine as she steps closer. My gaze drops to her mouth before finding her eyes.

The heat of her gaze burns like a thousand fires. Even under the crappy lighting provided by the lanterns someone placed along the path, I can see how wide her pupils have grown.

“Maybe if we leave now, no one will notice we weren’t here for long.” Her tone is sultry, the underlining meaning in her words loud and fucking clear.

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