Page 78 of Trouble

Lungs seizing, I snap my gaze up to his face.

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, keeping his focus fixed on me. For the space of half a dozen heartbeats, he doesn’t move, and when he finally does, it’s only to glance at my mouth. Then he’s back to locking eyes with me, his irises dark and swimming with a myriad of emotions.

“So what’ll it be?” he murmurs. His thighs bracket my chair, our bodies so close, the intimacy has to be obvious to anyone who can see us. He slides a hand—the one closest to the bar—from his thigh to mine and drags his thumb back and forth along the denim there. Fuck. The move is simple, discreet, but I feel like he’s stripped me naked and asked me to detail my every desire.

My throat is dry, my tongue too big for my mouth, but I force myself to speak. “What’llwhatbe?”

He leans in close, so close I can smell the clean scent of him, his voice a raspy whisper. “Is this about us or them? Because if you need me to show you that I don’t give a fuck about them, I will. But I’d rather keep this moment just for us.”

Tamping down on the hope bubbling up inside me, I lift my chin. “And what would this moment you keep referring to be?”

Declan’s lip lifts on one side, and he gives me the sexiest smirk I’ve ever seen, all ease and confidence and control. “The moment I first kiss you. I’d rather it be just forus. You, me, and Melina,” he says.

Fuck. The way he’s including her? And how he’s spelling it all out for me? I focus on his lips again, stomach flipping, and replay his words. Could it really be that simple? We just…kiss? And then what?

Fuck, the warning bells are all there: He doesn’t like men. He’s never shown an ounce of interest in me like that. I’ve had this massive crush on him since I was sixteen.

Maybe I should shy away, but there’s not a chance in hell I’ll missout on this opportunity. Standing quickly, I clear my throat. “What are we waiting for? Let’s grab Mel and get the fuck out of here.”

Track 10

GOOD FOR YOU

CHAPTER 33

Declan

Despite my bravadoat the restaurant, the moment we step inside my house, nerves riot inside me. Cade drove Melina back while I waited for the food and then walked back to where I left my truck at the station. As I enter the dining room where I fucked Melina only last night, their low voices go silent.

My stomach lurches, and insecurity grips me. What if Cade has changed his mind? What if he’s not actually attracted to me that way? Being bisexual doesn’t mean he’s attracted to every man he meets.

And I’m his best friend. Maybe he feels like he has to do this because I’m interested and he doesn’t want to turn me down.

Or maybe Melina is uncomfortable. Maybe she was just pretending to find my interest in Cade hot.

In the span of a couple of heartbeats, I spiral. Fuck. I need to get a handle on these thoughts and trust that they’d tell me the truth.

It’s just…I’ve never done this.

And I don’t just mean fooling around with a man. I’ve never done the whole dating thing, period.

My relationships with both Melina and Cade, separate and together, are firsts for me. From what I know aboutthem, neither has ever had a real, healthy relationship either. There’s a good chance that none of us has the experience necessary to guide us through this.

“Your parents loved each other,” I say to Cade.

Fuck. I shouldn’t be surprised that I’m spouting nonsense. This happens every time I get nervous. And when Melina is around, I just start fucking talking.

They blink at me like I’m an idiot. They’re not wrong.

I set the food on the table and fold my arms across my chest. Might as well own my statement. “Well, didn’t they?”

Cade glances at Melina and then looks back to me. “Yeah. They loved each other a lot.”

I nod and take a deep breath. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Melina is facing me, but she furrows her brow and side-eyes Cade.

“He knows what a healthy relationship looks like,” I explain, heading toward the kitchen to grab cutlery.

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