Page 78 of Rules of Association

Um, yes! I had about a million more questions, but my brain was tripping on the view of his large bicep flexing as he leaned on his arm. How he was once again so close I could smell that enticing mix of sandalwood and butters.

Tripping on the sensation of it, I stayed quiet. Which was happening a lot it seemed.

Con was throwing me off lately. Being all gentle and nice and still somehow being my best friend. It was confusing to me how he could be both. Confusing how I was reacting to it, too. My mind was going down tunnels of thought it shouldn’t. My brain conjuring up images that I did not approve of when I signed the hypothetical best friends contract, and I’m sure Connor hadn’t either.

This very image, the one of him with his arms above his head and his strong body leaning over me like he was a magnet trying to find its match, was committing itself to my memory as we spoke. So instead of pressing him further and prolonging any reason for him to linger so close to me, I simply nodded my head and allowed him to close the door.

Before he did, he reached a hand between us and knocked a knuckle under my chin, affectively shutting the jaw that had apparently been hanging open. The sly smile that tilted his mouth was sexy. The deep words that came out of it sexier, even in their mundanity.

“Good,” he said, before leaving me alone in the back, wordless.

Sliding into the front seat, Con started the engine and pulled off. We drove for a few silent minutes, me just watching the space between us, finding it weird that I was in the back seat and also feeling an unfamiliar tingling in my cheeks from his contact. I was starting to think we wouldn’t say a word the whole drive, but after a while he flicked eyes up at the rearview mirror saying, “Change up.”

Curious, I peeked down into the bags. They were all from decent shops, and there were quite a few of them. If he was offering gifts, I wouldn’t turn them down.

Reaching into the first one, I pulled out little blue gym shorts and a workout top. I frowned, looking up at Con in the rearview. “We’re going to work out?”

“You’re getting warmer, now change already. We’re only a few minutes away.”

“I can’t change with you here. I need to change my bra if we’re going to work out.” Somehow, as I dug through the bags, it didn’t strike me as weird to be talking about my bra with Connor.

Proving my point, Con just shook his head. “I won’t look, and you should have everything you need in there. Shoes are on the seat next to you.”

“You went out and bought all this?” I asked, finding the bra and checking to size the find that he’d surprisingly gotten it correct.

A wry smile pulled at his lips as he navigated the city streets. “Who else would dress you up like a little ginger Smurf?”

“Good point,” I laughed. Biting my lip, I surveyed the small cab area. I may be comfortabletalkingabout bra stuff with Con but showing what was under that bra was an entirely different story. “I still don’t think I can change my bra in here. What if you have to look up? You’ll get an eye full.”

“I said I won’t look,” he grumbled. I still didn’t move. He rolled his eyes. “Turn around and face the back then. I’ll drive slow.”

Good idea.

“Okay,” I said, still finding it weird, but turning around so that my back was to Connor as I tried to set the world record for fastest bra change in a car.

After a moment of my quiet effort, Con spoke again. “I’ve seen them before, you know?”

I had just slipped the little sports bra over my head and pulled it down over my chest when he said it. Whipping around, I looked at him horrified. My hair flying into my face as I turned.

“Seenwhatbefore?”

“You know…” he said and had the nerve to sound sheepish.Him!After he was the one to bring it up. “Them.”

My face burned. Embarrassingly so. Instead of actually breathing, I was doing this weird huffing thing that closely resembled cosplaying a dragon. Dumbstruck by his confession—and depending on the context,furious—I almost shouted. “When? Why?When!”

“Last year. You got really drunk one night and when we got home you just started stripping. Like, as soon as you got in the door.” He chuckled.Chuckled!Like this wasn’t monumental news. “I thought you were just taking a few things off but when I turned around you were fucking stripping! Like,everything.”

“At my place?”

“Yeah.”

“Did I know you were there?”

“I assume so, since we went to the bartogetherand left the bartogether.”

“So! That doesn’t mean—”

“And you were grumbling for me to make you a pizza, but I couldn’t make you jack shit because one, I was trying to zap my brain back to life after seeing your bare ass. And two, you had zero groceries,” he went on.

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