Page 28 of Nothing Left to Lose

“Feels like it.”

“You okay?” His eyes met mine for the briefest moment before he looked away. He wasn’t asking if I was feeling okay. He was asking if I was okay with what had happened.

I sat up and took his hand, threading our fingers. “I don’t regret it, if that’s what you’re asking. I have... concerns.”

Now he looked offended. “About? If you’re worried about my sexual health?—”

I scoffed. “No. Not about that. I mean, we probably should discuss it at some point, but... my concern is about us.”

He frowned at our hands. “What about us?”

“I don’t want things to change between us. I mean, I do. I want everything to change, but not you and me. Does that make sense?”

“Not at all.”

I sighed and winced and groaned, all at the same time. “My head hurts and I’m hungry. Should we order something? Pizza? I feel like pizza. Then we can talk.”

He tried to smile. “Is it the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talk? Because if it is, I think we can save ourselves the trouble and just skip it. Pretty sure I won’t survive that. And I know this is all new for you, so if you’d rather just?—”

“What? No, no. Can you let me talk?”

He took his hand away. “Sorry.”

I snatched his hand right back. “Stop it. Look at me, Miller.” I waited until his eyes met mine. “Yes, this is new to me. But you’re not. There’s no one on the planet who knows me like you do.”

Right then, my stomach growled, and he laughed. “Pepperoni with peppers?”

I smiled at him. “See? You know me. And the way you pull my hair when you kiss me...” I shook my head slowly. “Damn. How did you know to do that to me?”

That earned me a smile. “I didn’t.”

“Well, it’s a fucking thing.”

He sighed and studied my eyes for a long moment, searching for the truth, no doubt. I hoped he’d see the sincerity.

“Miller, please. Don’t shut me out. Let’s talk about this. We can put everything on the table and see where we land. I don’t know what it means, but I want to find out.”

His lips twisted in a tormented smile. “I’ll order us that pizza.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

MILLER

He was saying everything right.Every single thing I’d ever wanted to hear, but it scared the hell out of me.

Because if this ended badly, I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

So while I felt like I was being handed the winning lotto numbers, this could cost me everything.

We got cleaned up and dressed and inhaled the first few slices of pizza in silence. It wasn’t awkward, it was just both of us getting everything right in our heads first.

“So,” he began, sitting back on the sofa, sipping his water. “I can think straight now, at least...” Then his gaze darted to mine and he winced. “Straight’s probably not the right word to start off this conversation with.”

I laughed and wiped my hands on a napkin, sitting back like he was. “Wow. You haven’t made a straight joke since I came out to you.”

“I didn’t mean . . . I just . . . I’m trying to choose my words carefully.”

I gave him a smile and a nudge. “Since when have you ever not said exactly what you’re thinking? Just say whatever’s on your mind, Brody.”

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