Page 112 of Stealing Sunshine

I pinch a chunk of her black hair between my fingers and tuck it behind her ear to distract myself from the swell of emotion in my chest.

“I’m happy that you trusted me enough to bring me here. Every piece of you that I discover only draws me closer, and I like getting closer to you, Bryce.”

“You’ll know more about me than anyone else does if I’m not careful,” she breathes out before starting the gun back up and continuing to outline the tattoo.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“Only if you learned it all and decided to leave afterward.”

It’s the most honest and vulnerable thing I’ve ever heard her say.

“I don’t see that happening.”

She sneaks a look at me from the corner of her eye and jerks her chin in brief acknowledgement. It’s not acceptance or a sign that she believes me, but I’d never expect her to take my word for something so heavy.

“What was it like growing up in such a full house?” she asks, leaning further over my thigh.

“Loud,” I blurt out. Her laugh is instant. “But in a comforting way. If it was quiet, you were alone. I think the lack of loneliness is the biggest benefit of a big family. If you’re upset and need to speak to someone about an issue, you have your pick of therapist. But it can also be a bad thing. If you need time alone, it’s harder to get it when you have a handful of people worried and knocking on your bedroom door to try and help.

“It took me a while to get used to the silence that came after Giana and Josette left home. First, I was excited because Gi hadalways had the biggest bedroom of all of us, and I beat Johnny in rock, paper, scissors for it. But I quickly realized that she was actuallygone, and the girl who was always the first to offer advice or a shoulder to cry on wasn’t here anymore. Johnny is the best brother in the entire world, but he isn’t my sister.”

Bryce has listened to every word I’ve said, nodding along and humming from time to time. Her genuine interest in my life means everything to me.

“You mentioned that your moms were supportive when you came out. Was everyone else?”

I flex my toes in my sneakers and relax the muscles in my leg that I didn’t realize I’d been tensing. “They were. What about you? If your parents accepted you, did your stick-up-the-ass, rich relatives?”

“They don’t know what my sexuality is.”

My mouth gapes wide. “What?”

“They don’t deserve to know. Not to mention that they wouldn’t give a shit anyway. They’d probably crinkle their noses and tell me I’m wrong, then pretend I never told them in the first place.”

“What happens if you get married to a woman one day? Would you not invite them?”

She wipes my thigh and twists to stare up at me, expression completely open. I lean forward, drawn close by the honesty in her gaze and continued strokes of her fingers across my sensitive flesh.

“WhenI marry a woman, there won’t be a single person in attendance who doesn’t deserve to be there. Sharing blood and DNA doesn’t give anyone access to my most important moments. Those are sacred, and I won’t have them tarnished by unwelcomed faces who were invited solely out of obligation,” she swears. To who, I’m not sure.

My stomach swoops. Something about her declaration touches parts of myself that I never knew existed. It unlocks a mountain of hidden desires.

“I’ve never met someone more headstrong than you.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It’s an incredible thing,” I correct her.

She furrows her brows and wets her lips. “You’re making it very hard to go slow.”

“When I mentioned slow, I didn’t mean tortoise speed,” I tease lightly.

“Are you saying you want to go faster?”

I take a deep breath and drop a bucket into my well of confidence. “We’re here alone, and I’m in my panties. If you shifted an inch to the left and watched as I spread my legs, you’d see that they’re damp. They have been since you kissed me outside.”

Her eyes drift shut as she sets the gun on the table. “Christ, Daisy. I don’t know what it is about you that has me second-guessing myself all the fucking time.”

“Yeah, you need to stop that.”

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