Page 27 of With Us (Next Generation 2)

My heart jumped.

I glanced back at Meadow. She nodded which gave me the push I needed to get off the bed and go to him. She jumped on the bed, leaned against the headboard, and turned on the TV.

“Shade.”

Turning back around, I headed into the bathroom. I walked past Sunny but couldn’t meet his gaze. It wasn’t like I had any intention of saying those words.

When the door shut, my heart jumped.

“What did you tell her?”

I looked at him then.

His dark hair shone from the shower. The scent of soap wafted around us, invading every sense I had.

Sitting on the toilet seat, I rubbed the back of my neck. “I told her that I’ve only been with one man before.”

“Did you tell her more about him?”

I shook my head. “It’s way too soon for that shit and we would need a lot of alcohol too.”

Sunny grunted.

My ex fucked me up. And that was putting it mildly.

“What else did you tell her?”

“That I’m in love with you but she figured it out on her own.” I looked away, hating the guilt that resonated in him because he didn’t feel the same.

“What did she say to that?”

“Nothing.” I rubbed the back of my neck again, trying to ease the ache that had settled on my muscles since the beginning of the night. I wasn’t sure why, but something was changing and fast. Maybe it was because both of us were sick of this shit. We needed more. But I wasn’t sure if that was together or apart and I didn’t know if I wanted to find out.

“She didn’t say anything at all?” Sunny scoffed. “Come on, Shade. Everyone has something to say. Everyone comments about this shit.”

I frowned, meeting his dark stare. “Jaron told us that Meadow isn’t like most people. Or did you forget that. She may be young but there’s something about her. Something we both need.”

“I know.” He huffed. “Fuck. This shit between us is new. I need you to have patience, Shade. You know how I feel about you. But our friendship comes first.”

I stood, closing the distance between us. Before I knew what was happening, I pressed my body up against his.

His dark eyes widened. “Shade.”

“I won’t pressure you,” I said, my voice low. “I promise to God that I won’t pressure you into anything you aren’t ready for. But I won’t hide how I feel about you.”

He searched my face, his jaw ticking. “I’m not gay. I have nothing wrong with people who are but I’m not…”

“Gay.” I brushed a thumb along his jawline. “I know. Neither am I.”

“But you’ve been with a man.” He grabbed onto my hips, pulling me closer.

A shot of electricity rippled down my spine at the contact, but I ignored it. Sunny needed slow.

“You know how that shit ended,” I murmured, glancing down at his mouth. “I’d rather be with you and not fuck you, than go through that again.”

“He hurt you.”

I went to pull away when he tightened his hold on me. “You know he hurt me. I was a kid. Experimenting. I was attracted to you, but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, so I hid my feelings. And then…” I swallowed hard. I couldn’t talk abouthimwithout going back to that dark place in my mind. That place I had hidden from for the past fifteen years. That part of my mind was hell. Even for me.

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