Page 38 of Bear
I touch my fingers to my cheeks, feeling the flames rising under my skin. That was so bad. Am I attracted to Duke? Of course. He’s fucking hot with his cut jaw and piercing blue eyes. He smells delicious, and his body is muscular in all the right places.
He’s watched me with both Mason and Bear, and he’s kissed me as if it were punishment. Guilt seeps through my veins. I liked all of it. But most of all, I liked the way he called mebaby. And also that he thought to bring me that damn cinnamon lollipop at fight night. There’s not a moment I’ve spent with Duke that isn’t emblazoned in my memory. I can’t get him out of my head. I’ve never been able to.
I blow out a breath. But he’s my stepbrother. I have to face facts that last night was his wake-up call, and I can’t imagine he’ll ever be okay with anything more happening between us. But in each other’s arms, for several heart-pounding moments, we’d let go, forgotten who we were, and holy fuck, it’d been hot. His touch…
My eyes slam shut. I can’t think about it, not if I want my panties to remain dry. It’s really too bad he’d flipped out on me and reverted to the asshole I’ve come to know and… hate?
Setting that aside, Mason and Duke as a twosome is definitely on my mind. I can’t decide whether they’d surprised me or not with the revelation that they’re into each other. That day Mason drew on me up in the attic, there’d been a moment while I’d watched them rolling around fighting that I’d thought,Whoa. This is kinda hot.But it hadn’t actually clicked in my mind why I’d thought they were emitting inferno levels of heat. Had I been ogling two hot guys? Or two hot guys…together?It’s hard to say, honestly, and then I’d gotten so caught up in the fact that they were hurting each other, and I was sitting there naked and degraded. What a mess that’d been.
Come to think of it, I’d wondered why it’d seemed like they’d forgotten me the moment they started fighting. I’m going to bet all the Twizzlers in Brendan’s candy jar that I’ve finally figured it out—the push and pull ofwill we, won’t wehas got to be an all-consuming thing in their heads. I hope they know—both of them—that it doesn’t affect how I think of them or even how I feel about either one of them.
I shake my head a bit. I wish there was a straight path forward, but there’s not. Not for how to survive this house or Duke, Bear, and Mason. I’m inextricably entwined with all three, and I don’t know if there is any getting myself out unscathed. There’s so much more to each of them that I want to uncover, so many facets of what we could be to explore. But everything is in a constant state of turmoil, leaving me to feel like I’m falling through air without a safety net. It feels dangerous. Exhilarating. There’s no stopping the bastards of Bainbridge Hall from barreling toward me like a fiercely deadly thunderstorm. Mason—he’s the crashing thunder roaring furiously through my head, a raging chaotic promise. The pelting rain is Bear, soaking into my very skin, like he has always belonged there inside me. And Duke’s the sizzling, electrifying lightning zipping through my veins and setting me on fire. They’re a force to be reckoned with. And I think they’re coming for my heart.
As I hurry into the kitchen, I find Bear at the stovetop again, this time flipping pancakes. My face infuses with a surge of heat as my stomach rumbles, a strange combination for sure.
Looking around the dining and kitchen areas, I survey the few brothers who are already chowing down on their breakfasts and decide I don’t have the energy to deal with any of these people, especially not Arik, with whom I’ll have to share a table. Maybe I can convince Bear to let me wait elsewhere.
I step up next to him and murmur, “Morning.” Giving another glance over my shoulder, I see both Arik and Brendan’s eyes are fully on us. Arik’s watching from the table in here and Brendan from over his coffee mug in the dining room. If there’s one thing I’ve decided I really hate around here, it’s that some of these asshats seem to be waiting for me to do something wrong like it’s their new hobby.
Bear’s mouth curves. “Morning, Lennon.” Before I can say anything else, he frowns, then lifts his hand, letting the pad of his thumb slide gently under my eye. “Exhausted, huh? Are you okay to go to class?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll be done by lunchtime and come home. Wait.” I glance around. “Is Duke going? Mason?” It’s just registered that they aren’t anywhere in sight.
“Duke, doubtful. Mason said he’d be down soon.”
I wrinkle my nose, nodding. “I guess you guys will tell me who will be there to walk with me between classes?”
“Yeah, definitely. Mason and I will handle it. You want to eat before we go?”
My lips twist as I inhale the scent of his seriously delicious-smelling pancakes. “Can I take one with me? I’ll roll it up and eat it. I—” I pause, then fidget in place. Trying again, I add, “I was kind of hoping you’d open the door for me so I can sit on the steps and wait for you. Get some fresh air.”
He leans in, gripping the back of my neck, sending a jolt of warmth right down my spine.
“They’re watching.”
Bear raises a brow at my concern but shifts so he’s blocking me from everyone else’s view but his. “Does that help? I have zero fucks to give any of them after some of the behavior around here lately.” His lips press against my forehead just before he speaks in a low voice meant only for me. “You’re not going to take off after last night, are you, Little Gazelle?”
I’m sure he’s speaking of more than just our encounter, but I blink at his gruff tone, my already-pink cheeks turning blaze red, as he makes me recall how he’d told me to take Daddy’s cock like a good little girl last night. If it was his intention to fluster me, he was successful… and he knows it. His lips twitch with blatant amusement.
Two can play at this game. I catch my bottom lip briefly between my teeth and flutter my eyelashes at him. “No,Gideon.I’m not running anywhere.Daddysaid no.”
His hazel eyes twinkle, and with a satisfied grunt, he breathes out, “Good girl.”
A grin spreads across my face as my heart flips in my chest. My shoulders lift a fraction before dropping. “I could use a few minutes to myself, and I don’t wanna sit with these yahoos to eat my breakfast, anyway, if that’s okay.”
Satisfied with my answer, he snags a paper towel from the holder and picks up a pancake off the stack before handing it to me. “You sure you don’t want to sit down and eat it with butter and syrup?”
“Yep. I just want to go outside.”
Bear glances over toward the dining room. Raising his voice, he asks, “Hey, Warren? Would you mind letting Lennon out the front door?”
Warren gives Bear a quizzical look but nods anyway. “Sure. No problem.” He gets up from the table with his coffee mug in hand and shoots me a smile.
“Thanks, man. Extra pancakes for you.” Bear turns back to me and chucks me under the chin. “See you in a little bit. You’ve got about twenty minutes.”
“Yep. Sounds good. Thank you.”
Warren salutes Bear like some goofy soldier addressing a superior as he passes by on his way to the foyer. “Be right back.”
