Page 75 of Falling for my Brother's Best Friend

He shoots me an expression as if to say, “Yeah, yeah, you were.”

“This is exciting. Do I start now?” I try to push our flirty banter behind us before I really do ask him to smack my ass.

He runs a hand through his hair again. “Sure.”

I wiggle my ass and get comfy on the bed, dipping my fingers into the jar. I pluck out a pink piece of paper. He watches me unfold it, and there in his scratchy handwriting is my task.

Have dinner by yourself out in public.

I drop it,and sourness rumbles in my stomach.

“What did you get?” I hold it out to him, and he nods. “Ah, FYI, that’s probably the one you’ll find the hardest.”

“I’m not sure I can do it.”

A meal alone probably wouldn’t be a big deal to most people. I know that lots of people eat on their own at restaurants. I’ve just never been the kind of person who’s comfortable doing it. I’d feel as though everyone was judging me and wondering why I didn’t have a companion.

“Sure, you can.” He stands and stares at me for a moment. “You got this. You’ve been doing great.”

I slide my legs off the bed, and I’m about to approach him. Hug him and maybe linger there so I can smell him. Anything that doesn’t cross the line but quenches some of my thirst for him.

But the door flies open and a big body jumps on my bed.

I grab the jar at the last second and place it on the floor by my bed.

Denver misses it entirely because he’s self-centered. “I thought I’d find you guys bumping uglies!” He laughs, sitting up to chomp on his piece of pizza.

“Where did you get that pizza?” Liam asks with a scowl.

“It just got delivered. Get it while it’s hot.”

Liam inhales a deep breath and his eyes find mine for a moment. I guess he wasn’t planning on going to bed.

“Jesus, can’t you buy your own fucking pizza?” Liam stomps out of the room.

Denver looks at me. “What’s his problem?”

“You need to grow up and, I don’t know, contribute around here a little bit.”

“Where’s all this coming from?”

I shake my head. “I’m not going to live forever, Denver. One day you’ll have to take care of yourself.”

He stares at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression.

I rerun the words through my head. “I didn’t mean, I just meant—”

Denver sits up on the bed. “Do you want to talk about something?”

For whatever reason, the genuine concern in my brother’s gaze brings a surge of emotions to the surface. A tear almost slips from my eye and I wipe it away, but Denver sees it.

He inches closer. “Talk to me. What’s going on? Did something happen while I was gone? I mean, he’s my best friend and all, but blood first. I’ll kick his ass if I need to.”

But it’s not that. It’s so much more than that.

My head falls into my hands and the tears pile on top of one another. I’m not even sure where it’s all coming from, but I can’t hold in all my worries and fears anymore. They’re overflowing and I want them purged out of me. “No. I’m just so messed up.”

“No, you’re not. I mean, you can be a little crazy about germs and neatness, but there’re people much worse than you.” Denver puts his arm around my shoulders. “Look at me. I’m not perfect.”

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