Page 15 of Love Potion

“Like what?”

“Um, like the guy of my dreams. How would I even find him?”

“Maybe he’ll find you, Jerr.”

“Maybe.” He smiles, shaking his shoulders out. “I guess I should keep an open mind.”

“That’s the spirit.” I reach over to pick up the remote and turn the TV off. “I’m pretty tired. How about a cuddle sesh in bed? Wanna stay over?”

Jerryn’s face lights up. “Really?”

“I think we could both use it tonight.”

He playfully shoves my arm. “Even though you’re just doing it for me, I accept.”

Damn, he really is clueless. For some reason he doesn’t think there’s any way I could be into him, and that’s exactly why I have to play my cards just right. If I blurt it out, he’ll take it as pityor desperation because he has no idea how amazing he is. It’s up to me to show him he’s the guy ofmydreams and has been for twenty freaking years.

He wants a guy who’s doting and patient? I’m all over that. He wants to clone me? I can do even better.

As we get up and head to my bedroom, my heart literally flutters. For once in my dating life, I’m excited. I’ve spent my entire adult life pining for my best friend because I didn’t think I was good enough for him, but I’m a better man now. I’ve got my priorities straight, and I know without a doubt that Jerryn is the one for me. I’ll take as much time as I need to show him the same.

It’s so on.

SEVEN

JERRYN

How the hellam I supposed to find someone to date when cuddling next to my best friend feels this damn good?

I hold in a long, dramatic sigh and instead tuck his arm closer to my chest. I don’t know why he indulges me and my cuddle sessions, but he always has, ever since we were still barely adults in college and I told him how all I really wanted was to be held while I fell asleep. He offered that very night, and even though it was awkward at first, it quickly became my favorite thing.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve slept in his bed or he’s slept in mine, but it’s more than anyone I’ve ever actually been dating. Bane is… the perfect man. Not only is he insanely gorgeous, but he’s sweet and thoughtful and the best friend a guy could ask for.

And he’s pushing me to find love.

On some level I know it’s because he wants me to be happy, but it also confirms what I believe—I’m holding him back. He can’t find love if he’s spending all his nights with me. So just for tonight, I’m going to enjoy this, and tomorrow I’m going to do whatever it takes to get out of his way.

My chest tightens at the mere thought of losing Bane to someone else, but that’s selfish, and I need to step up and trulybe his best friend. I need to look out for his best interests too, not just my own.

“Jerr,” Bane mumbles as his lips brush against the back of my neck. “You’re thinking too much.”

I chuckle softly. “How do you always know when I’m in my head?”

“Twenty years of experience. Something wrong?”

“No.”

“Liar.” He pulls me onto my back so I’m gazing up at him. His big brown eyes search mine with only the soft glow of his sound machine illuminating the darkness between us. “Talk to me.”

“I promise nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking about the stuff we talked about.” Up close like this, I’m reminded of how incredibly gorgeous my bestie is, and how thoughtful.

He reaches over and brushes my hair from my forehead. “Nothing has to be solved tonight. We should get some sleep.”

“Definitely.”

Bane bends and kisses my forehead. Every time he does that, my breath catches in my throat. Maybe I wish he’d kiss me somewhere else, just to see what it feels like, or maybe I wish his soft affection meant more than it does. He knows I need touch, and he provides it under his umbrella of friendship, but I’ve seen how he touches a lover. I’ve watched him kiss men he’s dating and it’s not at all the way he kisses me. In fact, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t find me physically attractive at all. How could he sleep cuddled around me if he did? I might be his perfect match in friendship, but I’m not what he wants romantically.

“You’re still thinking.” He smiles, brushing his fingers over my cheek. “We can talk it out if you need to.”

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