Page 46 of What I Should Have Known

“Nothing,” he muttered and ran a hand over his chin. “And also you have paint on your face and neck that you should probably clean off before going back to camp.”

I furrowed my brows, confused by his sudden shift. “Don’t change the subject like that. Besides, where are you going?”

He sighed. “Back home. Like you said, I shouldn’t be here.”

Slapping a hand around his wrist, I jerked him toward me, but he didn’t budge. “Whatever you’re really going home for, can’t it wait? Until tomorrow morning at least.”

Bernie tipped his head. “I’m surprised you want me to stay, considering…”

“Considering we just made out and overheard something we clearly were not meant to hear, and the fact that if my father finds out you’re in the military, you’re gonna get your ass beat?” I explained, throwing my hands on my hips.

“Yeah, considering all that fucking shit,” he replied.

“Well, too bad. You’re staying.”

He smiled, inciting a warmth through my body once more. Yes, I wanted to know what Wyatt was talking about. I wanted to know who those three guys were, and it seemed Bernie desired the same thing. But I wanted him here more than I wanted those answers. At least right now. While the buzzing excitement from what had occurred between us was fresh, he needed to stay.

“I really have no idea what the hell that was,” I whispered, and Bernie raised his brows but said nothing—clearly holding back whatever he thought of the situation. “Anyway,” I continued, brushing a bit of dust off my shirt. “I’m going to go wash this stuff off my skin, and then head back to camp. Butyouget to come up with an excuse as to why both of us were gone at the same time and for a while.” I offered him a haughty grin and puffed my chest out, recognizing he didn’t want to continue talking about what we’d witnessed. Something about the look on his face told me we’d readdress the subject once he knew more.

He was clearly a rather smart individual, and while impulsive, he was also very driven and calculative. And passionate.

His eyes darted down to my breasts, something I hadn’t intentionally meant to accentuate, and he licked his lips. “You gonna let me put Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter on them things and lick it off, or nah?”

My mouth fell open as I wrapped my arms around my chest. “You are—” I swallowed stiffly as he smirked.

“You got that hint.”

“Just hush. No man has ever seen me naked, and I certainly won’t be letting you be the first.”

His smirk fell from his face as his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “What? Wait, are you saying…” He stepped away from me. “If no man has ever seen you naked, then you’ve…” He shook his head and pinched his brows together. “You’re a fucking virgin.”

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I bit down on my bottom lip. “This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to tell you…but yeah…” I muttered under my breath. I’d done it now.

“Kat, while you missing all of my hints makes way more sense now, I need you to tell me what to think about that information,” he slowly replied. He shifted backward an inch.

I shrugged my shoulders up to my ears, not really sure what he was getting at. Nor had I thought far enough ahead as to how I’d hoped he’d react to this information. Especially since I wasn’t a virgin because I was holding onto it for any certain reason; the opportunity had simply never presented itself.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied and wrapped my arms around my body.

He closed his eyes. “Like, are you waiting for marriage? Waiting for…something? Or… Just what?”

“Is this you asking me if I’m going to eventually fuck you, or if we have to fall in love first or something like that?” I asked.

He nodded. And then quickly shook his head. Confusion twisted his features as he opened and closed his mouth like a snapping turtle.

“Look, I haven’t exactly had many suitors, considering the fact that news around this damn town gets around fast, so Wyatt has been my only option for like three, almost four years now. Before that, I wasn’t exactly in a hurry. So I don’t know. Neither. Maybe both? Maybe just…” I explained, or at least tried to as my voice trailed off.

Bernie ran a hand over his brows and looked over my head. “My mom fucking warned me,” he muttered under his breath.

“Warned you about what?”

“About the fact that I shouldn’t…”

“Shouldn’t what? Pursue me ’cause you’ve had a lot of sexual experiences and I’ve had none?” I questioned, and he tipped his head back and forth.

“I mean, she didn’t use those exact words, but yeah, in hindsight that’s what she meant.”

I pursed my lips. “Doesn’t mean you’re any good at sex.”

---