Page 100 of Loathe Thy Neighbor

“Just Nolan is fine,” he says.

I shake my head at him, and he lifts a questioning brow.

I roll my eyes. “About two weeks ago.” I take another drink of my beer. “But it’s just sex.”

He grins, feeling damn proud of himself, I’m sure. “I fucking knew it.”

“You didn’t know shit.”

“Did too. You usually talk my ear off about this broad, but suddenly you were all clammed up. I’ve known you a long damn time, Dean. When you’re not vocal about what you’re doing, it means you know you shouldn’t be doing it.”

“I shouldn’t be sleeping with her?”

“No, man, you definitely should—you two have danced around it long enough. It’s that friends-with-benefits, just-sex bullshit you’re feeding each other that you know you shouldn’t be doing.”

“Dude, I’m telling you, it’s just—”

“Sex. Oh, I heard you. I just don’t believe you.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because it’s never just sex for you.”

“I’ve had casual sex before,” I argue.

“Sure, but not with anyone you actually give a shit about. There’s a big difference between the two.”

“I—”

Fuck. He has a point.

I’m so tired of him having points.

I’ve known River for a year now. In that time, we’ve been neighbors, enemies, roommates, and now lovers. It’s like once the lines started to blur on what we were, we gave up and jumped in full force.

What we’re doing is dumb, there’s no denying that.

But not doing it doesn’t feel right either.

Because as much as I don’t want to, I like River.

Her.

Not just her body or the way she feels falling apart around me.

Though I don’t want to think about it too much or admit it, I’m going to have a hard time walking away from this when it’s time to go our separate ways.

Nolan grins. “You like her, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t be sleeping with her if I didn’t.”

“You know what I mean.”

I groan, tossing my head back and running a hand through my hair, frustrated with myself.

It’s a way to relieve tension and that’s it. Nothing more.

That’s all it is. All it’s supposed to be.

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