Page 67 of Brace and Chase

“See you later, then,” I tell him simply, then go right back through the front door to my car.

Should I feel bad that I clearly interruptsexy timebetween my best friend and his man?

Maybe, but I don’t.

“I need your help,” I tell Bear urgently before he can start growling at me. On the way over here I rehearsed everything I want to say in a way that won’t clue Bear in to the fact that everything I’m saying is about Charlie, so I launch into my monologue straight away.

It’s the first time since I’ve known Bear that I’m lying to him, because I’m scared that the truth would disappoint him. I never want to let him down.

“You remember I told you about the man I kissed?” I say just as Drew comes into the room. I spare him a smile but decide I can’t stop now because that would mean risking losing my nerve.

“I remember,” Bear says glumly.

“Okay, so I want to kiss him again but I am not sure how to... go about it?” It sounds like a question because it is. And I definitely don’t appreciate his answering snort.

“You grab his face and kiss him like you’d kiss any woman, dude, fuck,” he shouts. “It’s fucking stupid that you thinkkissingwould be different in any way.”

Okay, clearly I didn’t explain myself properly,andmaybe I forgot to tell him this other man has never been the man-kissing type either?

“He is not gay,” I start, as patiently as possible. “I am the first man he has ever kissed. I understand the literalkissing Bear, and I do not appreciate your tone.” I lift my nose in the air and put on my most offended expression.

In truth, I came here because our first kiss was born out of... well, I can’t be sure since I haven’t asked Charlie exactlywhyhe kissed me. But I still hated him when it happened. The second time, what made me kiss him was initially relief.

Relief that I hadn’t been kissed—and liked being kissed—by a man who would say such horrible things. Relief that I could let myself want him, and of coursethatwas short-lived when I realized what a risk it could be to the team.

Right after the relief came the lust and need.

This time... it means more. This next kiss I’ve been imagining is something I donotwant to fuck up.

“Oh,” Bear says, and frowns.

“If I can pipe in?” Drew says, surprising me.

“Of course you may.”

“What if you just talk to him?” I frown at the suggestion. I know it seems like the most logical way to go about this, but...

“How would that conversation even happen?” I cry, letting my desperation show as I walk to the couch and throw myself on it dramatically.

“Easy,” Drew says brightly as he walks over, sits next to me, and pats me on the shoulder. “You meet with him and you say, ‘Hey, I really liked kissing you and I know it’s something new for you as well so I was hoping we could talk about it.’”

It takes me a second to process his words, and then I look at him skeptically.

“That’s it?”

“Yup.” He nods sharply. “Now how about you go dothat, so Bear and I can get back to whatwewere doing, huh?”

TWENTY-THREE

CHARLIE

Sheer panic—thekind that makes you start to sweat instantly—can make you do stupid shit.

Nikolay just lied to me.

I’m pretty sure it’s the first time since he stopped hating me, because I’ve never seen him twist his mouth the way he did when he told me about histraditionwith Bear.

He’d for sure suck at poker.

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