Page 36 of Strip Bare

“Really? And at Cocoa & Rum with me, were you comfortable then?”

I shook my head, turning to leave. We weren’t going to have this conversation. Not now, not ever. For all intents and purposes, he was sticking to our agreement. Just sex. But what I was struggling with was how easy he made it look. How was I supposed to look at him and act like I didn't know how he sounded with my name on his lips as he came? Or know intimately the taste of him on my tongue?

“Leo,” he growled and I stopped in my tracks.

“I’m sure I was just as comfortable as the other people who’ve been inside that closet with you,” I bit out and was annoyed when he laughed, a low sound that made my body respond despite myself. I stalked for the door before he could say another word and ignored him as he called after me, just closed the front door quietly as I left. I didn't have a place in mind, I just needed to get away.

I stood at the entrance to the park on the opposite side of the street and looked down at my phone, debating before I decided to hell with it and hit call.

"Leo?" Harley said and I breathed out, trying to tell myself this wasn't a mistake. That Harley was what I needed, not Kit.

"Hey," I said tonelessly and then cleared my throat. "I'm sorry about last night. Are you free right now? We could grab a coffee?"

God, I was rusty at this. When was the last time I'd asked someone out? Or even cared to?

"I wish I could but I'm actually busy right now. I'll see you tomorrow morning though, yeah?"

"Right. No worries, see you then."

I held the phone to my forehead for a second after I hung up, struggling to work out what I was feeling. Definitely relief. Annoyance. But I wasn’t sure if I was more mad at Kit or myself. I’d ruined us single-handedly. How had we even got to this point?

"Leo?"

I jumped and turned to find Bryn, Kit's sister standing behind me. "Oh, hey. You going to see Kit?"

She nodded but scanned my face with eyes so much like her brother's it hurt my heart a little. "Yeah I was. But are you okay?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Bryn nodded toward the park and then took my arm in hers when I didn't make a move towards it. "You guys messed things up, huh."

I grimaced. "I don't know what we did, but there's no undoing it."

"Do you love him?"

I looked at her in surprise before nodding slowly and she smacked me on the arm.

"You're both such idiots. Maybe you don't need to undo anything—have you thought about that?"

"Bryn, he doesn't want—"

"No, Leo! He does want. And so do you! So why are you fighting it so hard?"

I bit my lip before admitting, "I'm scared."

She let the admission settle into the air between us, the sounds of dogs barking and insects chirping replacing any words we might have said before she nodded. "So is he. You have to make a choice."

"Okay," I said hesitantly, tilting my head to watch a cloud drift past so I didn't have to meet her eyes.

"You need to decide if you're going to be the strong one, the brave one, and tell him what you want."

"I don’t know if—"

"Or," she said, cutting me off with a sharp look, "you can let him go. It's not fair to either of you to keep torturing yourselves like this. Either tell him what you want, or let him walk away. You can't have both."

"I don't want to lose him," I whispered and was surprised she'd heard me when one long, pale arm draped itself across my shoulders.

"Then you know what you need to do."

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