Page 40 of Fall Hard

Bryn giggled too. “Do you think we could catch a fish in the lake?”

“Maybe, but I don't think we could cook it,” I said thoughtfully and then laughed harder when Bryn presented one of Jamie’s lighters like it was the solution to that particular problem.

“It would take forever to cook.” I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and cringed. “Does your mouth feel like… blurgh?” I said, trying to articulate the feeling and Bryn nodded solemnly.

“It really, really does.”

We giggled again and I hadn’t even realized I’d been snacking on the grapes again until I put my hand in the box and found it empty.

I didn’t remember the time passing until suddenly the sun was slinking a little lower in the sky and we had been laid on the ground for a long while, hair stiff and sticking up in all directions after it had dried in the sun.

“How did you know about this place anyway?”

“I just looked it up.”

“What did you search? ‘Prime spots for skinny dipping’?”

Bryn chuckled and I was glad that the tension had faded alongside our high. “I just looked for private lakes and then rented it.”

I shook my head. “You didn’t need to do that. I can pay you back.”

She smiled and shrugged. “You and Jamie can consider it payback for letting me crash with you.”

“Have there been any updates on your new place yet?”

“They think it’ll be ready soon.”

Soon. The word seemed to hang between us. Soon, she would be leaving and everything would change again.

“We’ll have to take it in turns to host TVD viewing sessions,” I said lightly and her instant smile was so bright all I could do was stare.

“I’m sure we can work something out.”

I smiled. “Are you sober enough to drive home?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now. But first, I think I promised you a driving lesson.”

I looked at Jamie’s beat-up car with no shortage of trepidation. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

She grinned at me. “I can handle you, Liv, don’t worry.”

CHAPTERELEVEN

Things between Brynand I were fine. There were only two unspoken rules, we didn’t speak about her moving out and… we didn’t talk about The Kiss.

Sure, we’d kissed before, but not like that. Not like it was everything, likeshewas everything.

So we ignored it.

We’d gotten so good at ignoring it, that when Bryn told me she’d set me up on a date with someone, I could almost pretend I wasn’t hurt.

“You winced, did I press down too hard?”

“What?” I blinked up at her as her warm hands slid further down my calf as she pressed it toward my chest. “No. It’s fine.” It wasnotfine—she’d kissed me, and then set me up on a date after? If that wasn’t confusing, then I didn’t know what was.

Bryn’s hands trailed a path of fire down my legs as she pushed against me and I clenched my hands on the edges of the mat, relieved when the instructor called for us to move on. Except, it didn’t get better. Sure, I no longer had to directly run my hands over her body or vice versa, but now I had to watch her back arch as she stretched, or try and avoid staring at the curve of her ass as she bent with her legs straight into a downward dog.

I tried to focus on my breathing, on picturing each move before I did it just like the instructor said, but all I could think about washerand all the positions I could get her into. Why did we both have to be so damn flexible?

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