Page 93 of Suck My Puck

I don’t want her to leave. I don’t want her to go live with her parents when they make her feel bad about herself and she clearly doesn’t want to be with them.

Emotion surges up my chest at what I won’t dare say to her.

But it’s the truth, and I can’t deny it.

My feelings for Bella have changed. She’s more thanjust a friend to me. She’s more than just someone I hook up with.

She’s the person whose smile makes my whole day. She’s the person I think about more than anyone. She’s the person I want to spend time with over anyone else.

And the thought of her moving away makes me want to crawl out of my skin.

But I can’t say that to her. She’d probably freak out if I told her that I caught feelings for her. And I wouldn’t blame her. We agreed that this thing between us should stay casual.

My brain races as I scramble for a way to convince her.

For a long moment, she just stares at me, eyes big, like she’s in utter disbelief at my suggestion to move in with me.

“We’re friends, Bella. This is what friends do. Help each other out when one of us is in a jam.”

I’m proud of how easy my tone is, despite how wrong it feels to call her my friend. She’s so much more than that to me.

She’s quiet for a moment as she looks at me. “You really don’t mind?”

I shake my head and smile. “Not at all. You’ve seen how often I’m gone during the season. You’d have the place to yourself a lot of the time.”

“I’ll pay you rent. I can’t pay what you’d normally charge for such a nice unit, but I’ll set money aside and…”

I shake my head, cutting her off. “No way you’re paying me, Bella. I bought my apartment. I’m not making you give me rent for something I already own.”

She starts to protest, but I tell her there’s no chance I’m charging her.

She sighs, pursing her lips, clearly annoyed. I start to smile. She’s really fucking cute when she does that.

“Fine. But this is temporary. Until I can save enough money to find a place in my price range.”

I nod once. “Of course. But you can stay as long as you need.”

I glance down at Maizie, who is sitting on the pavement between us, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she looks up at the both of us. When I lean down to pet her, she starts wagging her tail.

“Look at how happy Maizie is knowing that you’re gonna live with me.”

Bella laughs and leans down to scratch behind her ears. I gently grip her waist and pull her against me, then kiss her slowly.

“We should head back to my place and celebrate you moving in,” I say.

The corner of her mouth quirks up right along with one of her eyebrows. “Wow. Someone’s excited that we’re about to be roomies.”

I grin. “Guilty as charged.”

I walk into my master bathroom and see Bella smearing toothpaste onto my toothbrush. She starts to brush her teeth, stopping when she notices me. We lock eyes in the mirror.

“I accidentally dropped my toothbrush in the toilet bowl, so I have to use yours,” she says.

I chuckle. “You didn’t pack a spare one in one of the dozen boxes in the guest room?” I tease.

Still smiling, she rolls her eyes at me.

I step up to her, rest my hands on her hips, and pull herback against my chest. I press a kiss to the back of her neck, savoring the soft hum she lets out.

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