Page 20 of Just Say When

“Fine,” I huffed, turning back around. “Not that it matters, since you will never have your hands on meagain, but I promise I won’t say his name.” His name wasn’t worth saying, anyway, so no loss there.

The pressure immediately lessened. He rubbed in gentle circles, easing the tension he had put there himself. “There, was that so hard?” he murmured.

“Shut up and do my other side.”

He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

“What’s your deal with him, anyway?” I asked. “I didn’t know you’d ever met before.”

“The deal with who?”

I had the feeling he was testing me. There was a mocking note in his voice. “You know who,” I sassed back pertly. “I’m not allowed to say his name, remember?” When his other hand joined the first, it felt like a reward. “Is it because of Zack?” Zack didn’t ride bulls, but they both competed in the steer wrestling event at rodeos.

“No, he and Zack are good, as far as I know. Zack’s never said anything to the contrary. I fucking hate that guy, is all.”

“Oh.” I didn’t press, mostly because I didn’t care. The man had magic hands. I leaned into his touch and moaned. “Mmm.”

Mrs. Gottlieb, reaching for a can of stewed tomatoes, stared at us with her mouth agape.

“Mind your business, Mrs. Gottlieb,” I said, but my tone lacked its usual snap due to my muscles melting into puddles. It was a lost cause, anyway. Mrs. Gottliebwas a farmer’s wife and president of the Aspen Springs Beautification Society, and she had never minded her own business a day in her life.

“It’s indecent, that’s what it is,” she muttered, hurrying away, eyes averted like she was afraid we might start fornicating right there in the grocery store.

Brax’s chest rumbled with a low laugh. “She has six kids. You’d think she’d know what indecent looked like.”

I moaned again. “Don’t stop.”

There was a pause as his hands spasmed on my skin. “I’m beginning to see her point.”

“Harder,” I said, because I could never resist putting on a show and also because, good golly god, it felt like I had died and gone to heaven when Brax kneaded the knot.

“Behave, hellion,” he warned.

“You know Mrs. Gottlieb is still listening, even if she can’t see us. Might as well make it worth her time.”

“Yeah, but so is my dick and if you keep it up, I’m going to have trouble walking out of here.”

The words stunned me into silence. I didn’t shock easily and had a policy of having the last word, but this wasBrax. Accusingmeof making his dick hard. I couldn’t have been more surprised by a parade of talking elephants.

Braxdespisedme.

Then again, maybe that was the point. After all, he was far from my favorite person, but that never stoppedmy dumb body from reacting to him with inconvenient lust.

“I’ve always said that hate makes people horny,” I said. “Good to know it’s true even for uptight prigs like yourself.”

I heard his sharp inhale, felt the slow release of his breath. I was glad I couldn’t see his face. I had the feeling it might hurt me somehow, and I had been hurt enough by this man who used to be my closest friend.

He squeezed my shoulders, then took his hands away from me altogether. “Pirate’s first show is next weekend. I doubt I’ll make it, but it should be a good time.”

The abrupt change in conversation nearly gave me whiplash. His detached tone was like a door shutting politely but firmly in my face.

And that hurt, too. But it was a hurt I was familiar with.

Our friendship hadn’t ended with a big fight. Everything changed the day he almost died, and I didn’t even realize it in the moment. We still talked. He still gave me a ride home from school when Jack stayed for ROTC. A week into it, I knewsomethingwas wrong, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

Our easy way with each other was just…gone. He didn’t tell me dirty jokes anymore. If I touched him, he moved away. We didn’t laugh or goof off together. Andwhen I tried to talk to him about it, that tone right there was what he gave me. Polite. Distant.

Back then, I got mad. I yelled. And when that didn’t work, I finally understood. Because I had been there before, standing outside a glass wall with the person I loved on the other side, begging him to love me back. I could see him through the glass, but I couldn’t reach him.

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