Page 173 of Call the Shots
“I can be a dick. I get it.”
“That’s not what?—”
“I’m like a good time, not a long time.”
“No, you’re so easy to—to—” My ears burned bright red, and Bear studied the blush. Something new crossed his face. I floundered and he cut the distance between us.
“What were you saying?” He tilted his head. “June?”
I tried to inch away but Bear placed a hand on my waist, drawing me to the boards again. My heart hammered in my throat. “I was with Xavier for six years. His neighbors know me, his mom’s Bunco night knows me, his grandfather has my name in his will, this would be messy?—”
“Do you have feelings for me?” he asked suddenly.
I froze.
Say no.
Lie, June. LIE.
The longer the awkward silence stretched, the more pleased Bear was, his smile growing by the second.
“It’s complicated,” I managed.
Oh my god.Why couldn’t I lie?! I’d lied to Bear before, this wasn’t new! But the feelings inside were. This was out of my control.
“That’s a perfect answer,” he breathed out.
“We’re friends, Bear.”
The rumble in his chest was so low, it sounded like a purr. “You like me, I like you.”
“It’s more complicated than that.” There was a hitch in my breath while he trailed his fingers up my side. “Do you know what an eating disorder is? It’s wasted time. I think about the hours I spent obsessing over diet plans and how I looked—the time I could’ve spent living my life.”
“You think something between us would be a waste of time?”
“I’d be wasting yours,” I admitted quietly. “I’m not mentally in the best shape. I’m trying, I’m picking up the pieces, but I wouldn’t be good for you.”
“I don’t believe that.”
I ignored him and skipped to a better topic. “I want to help you with your mental block.”
He frowned. “Mental block?”
“I know girls who would be like a clean slate for you.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Once you figure out you can sleep with someone else, that’s the end of—of?—”
Of what? What do I call this?
I swallowed. “I’ll refresh your dating profiles.”
“I deleted those.”
“What? Why?”
“You fucked me on the rug, gave me Forty, and I knew I wouldn’t get that anywhere else.”
