Page 72 of Bear
You okay?
I’ve been better, but I’ll survive.
A few moments go by, like he’s trying to decide how to respond to my misery.
Could you meet us outside Lennon’s room?
Bear is just back from his game.
And we have to fuckin’ talk to her.
She’s holed herself up in there all day.
I wet my lips, my tongue sliding slowly as I process his words. I can’t decide if I’m ticked that he didn’t react more to my response or if it’s just one of those fucking days. We have a lot of shit on our minds. And he’s not wrong. We’ve gotta make sure Lennon can handle what we’re about to ask of her. Duke and Bear had both texted me last night to make sure we were on the same fucking page for tonight. I don’t even want to think about what we’ll do if she won’t go along with everything. I grasp my hair in my fist and tug as my jaw twitches incessantly.
I close my eyes and let out a huffed breath. There’s a tender piece of my heart that wanted more from Duke, but maybe I’m being a fucking needy asshole. Brushing off the hurt, I swallow past the thickness in my throat and tap out a short response.
Agreed. I’m dressed already.
Be right there.
I slip my phone back into my pocket and stride from my bathroom to the door, already able to hear their hushed voices outside in the hall. Taking a deep breath, I join them, tossing them one of my usual smirks. “Imagine seeing you two here.”
Duke is dressed much the same as I am—button-down and dress pants—but he added a black tie. He looks really fucking good, and I have to drag my eyes from him. Bear hasn’t changed yet and is still in joggers and T-shirt, his hair wet from his post-game shower. Both give me odd half-smiles, and I’m positive I know why.
I press my lips together, eyeing them carefully. “What, did you think another instance of my brain tricking me, along with the appearance of my dickhead brother was going to send me to the psych ward?”
“Our concern was warranted, Mason,” Bear grumbles as he scrubs a hand over his face.
I shrug off their apprehension. “Can we just do this?”
“Hang on.” Duke glances from Bear to me. “We ask her to play along, knowing it’s all a load of bullshit. We’re in agreement that’s our best strategy?”
With a roll of my eyes, I knock on her door. “We’re about to find out.” I clear my throat. “Kintsukuroi! We need to talk to you. Can we come in?”
To my surprise, the door opens quickly, a vision in black on the other side with her hair half up and curled in soft waves. Lennon’s applied a tiny bit more makeup than she usually does, the most notable being the bright-pink gloss that’s slicked over her luscious lips. My eyes travel downward, noting the way the dress Duke bought her hugs her body like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and when she turns and heads back into the room, my jaw drops. The dress scoops low on her back, sitting no more than an inch above her ass. She’s…stunning.A beautiful compilation of all her broken pieces.
My eyes feast on her. “I feel like one of those cartoon characters whose eyes turn into hearts and bug out of their heads.” I chuckle. “It’s a good thing you don’t walk around like this all the time.” Blood rushes to places it definitely doesn’t need to right at this moment.
Beside me, Bear runs a hand over his face, shaking his head like he can’t quite believe his eyes. “You look gorgeous, Lennon.”
Her cheeks stain pink at our compliments, then her eyes cast down to the floor.
My gaze trails over to Duke, and I almost laugh at his dumbfounded expression. The poor guy has been rendered speechless.
Finally, he takes a stuttered breath. “Fuck. You look amazing. I wasn’t sure if you’d wear it. Thank you.”
She gives him a slight inclination of her head. Bear moves in closer and collars the back of her neck with his big hand, tugging her close so he can press a kiss to her temple. “Are you okay? After last night, I mean?”
She fidgets for a moment before mumbling, “It was just another embarrassing panic attack. I told you I didn’t need to talk about it.”
My brows dart sharply together.
Bear takes the words right out of my mouth. “But why were you there in the first place?”
Her mouth drops open, and her eyes dart to Duke as she chews on her lip. She looks down at her hands, fisting them, then unclenching.
Oh, fuck. What’s this?
