“What’s up?” I ask, my voice rising. “How about the fact that you’re my best friend but just made me come so hard that I’m not sure if my clit is still attached.”
He chuckles and says, “Trust me, it is. But if you want me to check, I don’t mind going down there again. This time, though, I’d prefer you sit on my face.”
“Breaker,” I shriek before covering my eyes.
“What?” He laughs.
“We don’t say those things to each other or do those things . . .”
“You might not, but I do now.” He lifts from the couch. “Want something to drink?”
I watch him casually move around his apartment, grabbing a cup, filling it with ice, and then pouring a Gatorade into it.
When I don’t answer him, he grabs another cup, fills it with ice, and tops it off with the rest of the Gatorade. Eyes on me, he brings the drink over and offers it to me.
For some reason, my body registers just how close he is, how much taller he is than me, how much more muscular . . .
My internal body temperature spikes all over again.
“Here,” he says softly.
“I didn’t say I wanted a drink.”
“After all the panting you just did in your bedroom, you’re going to want the electrolytes.” He smirks, and I needle him in the stomach, causing him to laugh.
I take the drink from him and follow him into the living room, where I sit on the opposite side of the couch.
“Trying to keep your hands to yourself?” he asks. “I get it.”
“No, I’m trying to keep you away.”
“If that were the case, you wouldn’t have come over here.”
“As if you would have allowed me to stay at my apartment,” I scoff before taking a drink of the lime Gatorade. Ugh, that’s refreshing. I really did pant a lot. My mouth feels dry.
“I would have if that’s what you needed, but clearly, by you being here, you needed . . . me.” He smirks again and sips from his glass.
“Umm, arrogant much?”
“Nah, just telling it like it is.”
“Then tell me this, what the hell are you doing?”
He glances down at himself, taking in his person, and then back at me. “Looks like I’m enjoying a cool drink with my friend. What are you doing?”
“Stop playing around,” I say. “Tell me what’s going on? Are we . . . are we friends with benefits or something? Because that never works out. Trust me.”
“Do you think we’re friends with benefits?” he asks, staying as elusive as ever.
“No. I think we’re friends, and one of us has lost our mind.”
“It’s okay,” he says, winking. “I’m sure you’ll get your head on straight again soon.”
I grind my teeth together. “I was talking about you. You’re the one who’s lost his mind.”
He scratches the side of his head as he says, “Huh, odd. I don’t feel like I have. I feel pretty normal actually.”
“Oh my God, Breaker,” I shout. “You’re starting to make me mad.”
“I can sense that. How can I make you less mad?”
“By telling me what the hell is going on? I mean . . . do you like me or something?” The question sounds so childish coming off my lips that I hate myself for asking.
“I’ve always liked you, Lia,” he answers.
“I mean . . . romantically.”
“Well.” He rubs his jaw with his hand. “Let’s see. I think you’re incredibly hot. You taste like fucking candy. Your tits will forever live in my dreams, and I can’t wait to have your legs wrapped around my head, so take that as you will.” He smiles and then leans toward the coffee table to organize the game.
And I let that sink in.
Not sure I’d ever have thought Breaker would say something like that to me.
Never thought he’d ever touch me the way he has.
But the way he answered me, not actually saying he likes me romantically, more what he likes about me, puts me on edge.
“I’m not just someone you can fuck around with,” I say before I can stop myself.
He pauses and turns so our eyes meet. “You think I’d do that to you?” he asks, his voice growing darker.
“I don’t know, Breaker. It feels like I’m just a toy at the moment.”
He pushes back, then turns his body toward me. “That’s insulting, Lia. Do you really think I’d treat our friendship so cheaply?”
No.
I think he takes our friendship very seriously.
“Then what is it?”
“How about you stop trying to label things and just enjoy? I know what I’m doing.”
“Would be great to let me know what that is.”
He turns back toward the coffee table and shuffles some cards before saying, “Let me worry about it. You just sit back and relax.”
He cuts the conversation off with that.
The rest of the night, we eat Thai food, play Codenames, joke around, and don’t speak about what we’ve done. When it’s time for bed, he walks me back to my apartment, and when I think he’s going to kiss me, he pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head.
When we’re in bed, he knocks on the wall four times, and with an uneasy feeling in my chest, I knock back three.
“Look at this multicolored yarn,” Lottie says. “And it has glitter in it.”
“Oh wow, that’s nice,” I say while the girls show me all the supplies they bought for our first knitting club gathering.
After the whole towel and going down on me situation, I texted the girls and asked them if they wanted to meet up, and luckily, they were free the next day. They think they’re going to learn how to knit, when in fact, I have ulterior motives. I need to figure out what’s going on with Breaker so I know how to approach it. Him.
“I got just plain red,” Myla says, looking defeated. “I didn’t know we were allowed to get a glitter yarn.”
“You live and you learn,” Lottie says with a smirk while Kelsey sits in our circle after stepping out to answer a call.
“Okay, sorry about that. JP thought we were going out to dinner tonight, and I had to remind him that’s tomorrow.”
“Where are you two going?” Myla asks.
“To this new sushi place that he’s been wanting to go to for a while.”
“Is it Nori?” Lottie asks.
“Yes. Did Huxley take you?”
“Last week,” Lottie answers. “It’s so good.” She then turns to me and says, “Are you a big sushi fan?”
“I love it. Breaker and I used to get it all the time in college. There was a place downtown that wasn’t too pricey, but it was amazing.”
“Speaking of Breaker,” Lottie says with a smile. “I heard through the grapevine that he’s been making a move.”
The grapevine being her husband.
“What?” Kelsey says. “JP didn’t say anything to me.”
“That’s shocking,” Lottie says as she leans over and picks up one of the cookies I made for tonight. “He’s a bigger gossip than Hux.”
“I even heard a whispering of something,” Myla said. “But my husband and his brother can’t keep anything to themselves, and Breaker hangs out with Banner enough for there to be a leak between them.” Myla looks up at me. “So, is it true?”
With all eyes on me, I know this is what I wanted, but it doesn’t make it easier, just makes the conversation flow better.
“Uh, yeah, he did.”
The girls all clap and cheer, but it all feels so weird.