I was just considering how awful it would be if I actually fell for him when Bryce asked, "What is it?"
I blinked. "What's what?"
"Something's on your mind." His gaze probed mine. "You wanna talk about it?"
Nope. Not a chance.
I was a lot of things, but not pathetic. Or at least, Itriednot to be. And besides, admitting how much I liked him would surely send him running.
Yes, I fully realized that he would be running anyway, if nothing else when his lease ended. But the wayIsaw it, later was better than sooner, especially with us having so much fun.
But therewasa different thing bothering me. And given the nature of the problem, my usual confidants were totally off-limits, so with a sheepish smile, I admitted, "Well, if you want the truth, there is something that I'm alittleworried about."
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
I bit my lip. "Do youreallywant to hear this?"It was a sincere question.Inmyexperience, talking about your problems was a surefire way to send a guy running.
But next to me on the couch, Bryce said, "If I didn't want to hear it, I wouldn't have asked."
He looked surprisingly sincere, and the truth was, if I didn't talk tosomeone, I'd probably explode.
In fact, Ihadbeen exploding quite a bit lately. Even worse, those explosions had been directed at two of the people I valued most – my sister and my cousin.
And yet, here in my own living room, I remained silent.If I spilled my guts to Bryce, would that make it more painful when things finally ended?
Into my silence, he said, "You know, you've got to tell me, right?"
I tried to smile. "Why?"
"Because if you don't, I'll assume you were faking it."
I wasn't following. "Faking what?"
He grinned. "That first orgasm."
I laughed in spite of myself. "Why not the second?"
"Thatone, I felt." He winked. "No fakingthat."
I knew he was teasing me –andtelling me the truth. It was a quality I adored about him, and I mentally added it to the list even as I gave a tentative nod. "Okay. I'll tell you, but only if you're really sure."
Chapter 24
Bryce
On the sofa, Harper turned sideways to face me, pulling up her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Okay, the thing is, my roommates are in trouble."
I frowned. "You mean the ones you're pet-sitting with?"
She nodded. "Yeah, my sister and cousin. And they're bothreallygreat." She gave a half-hearted laugh. "A lot better thanme, that's for sure."
I studied her face. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, I just mean they're really nice, Gwen especially. And if you want the truth, she'stoonice, which means that everyone takes advantage of her." Harper grimaced. "Especially her mom."
"So she's got trouble with her mom?"
"She'salwaysgot trouble with her mom. But that's not the thing worrying me now. It's the fact that she's being too nice to a guy in the neighborhood, and the guy's a total jerk."
