Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“No, I… I was wondering if… I could ask you a question about… what you talked about earlier.”
This guy was a high schooler, which made me leery. I was glad Bear was here so I wasn’t alone with the kid. “What’s your question?”
“Yeah, so like… how did you get so good at sweeping?” He made a guitar-strumming gesture to go along with his words.
I tilted my head as my brain tried to make sense of his question. I’d thought for sure he was going to ask me about being gay. Or about being the world’s lamest virgin. But he was asking about… a guitar-picking technique?
“Uh. Sweep picking. Well… let’s see…” I tried to think back to how I learned. It seemed a million years ago. “Padge has some YouTube stuff. Search for one I think called solo? I think honestly… slowing the videos down and then just repeating. Start with your left hand first, and then bring in the pick.”
His blush continued as he stammered out a few more polite questions and then thanked me before going into the bathroom.
I took a deep breath and pointed myself back in the direction of the patio door to rejoin everyone by the fire.
Bear did what he always did and followed me silently, remaining in my blind spot so I didn’t even catch sight of him out of the corner of my eye.
When I took my seat again by the fire, my cousins rattled off all the plans they had for taking me into town the next day to see and be seen. I knew I would enjoy seeing everyone and visiting some of my old haunts and some of the newer places that had cropped up with the infusion of investment capital that I’d helped bring in, but right now, I was bone-tired.
“I think I’m going to head in so I’ll be fresh for our big day tomorrow,” I said after a while, standing and wriggling my fingers in a little wave. “See you all in the morning.”
I heard Bear murmur an update to Lou and Boomer into his earpiece as he followed me into the house and up to my room. Thankfully, there was a guest room across the hall from my bedroom that Bear would stay in. Boomer had most likely taken a long nap in it earlier and would stay up while Bear got some sleep and Lou headed to a nearby hotel.
Before I could disappear into my room, Bear handed me a fresh water bottle. “Do you want me to make you some hot lemon water for your throat?”
I blinked up at him. “Oh, ah, no? No, thanks. I just want to go to sleep.”
He started to reach out with his hand but then dropped it by his side. Then he shifted on his feet. “Did you get enough to eat?”
“Bear, I ate enough to sustain a small Viking community. Did you get enough to eat?”
His eyebrows furrowed in an incredibly bearlike, impossibly adorable way that made my heart squeeze. “Of course.”
I wanted to laugh, but I was too tired. “Good night, Bear,” I said softly.
As I turned to close the door to my bedroom, I caught one last glimpse of him watching me.
Always watching me.
I got ready for bed quickly and hoped like hell there would be no more nightmares tonight.
EIGHT
RYAN
Bears are clever and resourceful… and sometimes really sneaky. They’ll move their den locations if they sense a threat and disguise their trails to throw off curious onlookers. For a bear, staying hidden and unpredictable is the best way to ensure that no one can get at the honey that was meant for them and them alone.
—Bear Facts for Insomniacs, Episode 48
Was it terrible for me to wish Zane had another nightmare? I couldn’t deny that I loved it when he needed me, and I especially appreciated any excuse to hold him close.
But thankfully for Zane, the night went smoothly, and Boomer reported that the bonfire crowd had gone to bed shortly after we’d left.
It had taken me a long time to fall asleep because I couldn’t stop replaying the shocking news I’d heard about Zane’s love life. I happened to be able to tell when Zane Hendley was lying—a slight hesitation in the way he spoke, an inability to meet someone’s eyes that usually preceded the words “I’m fine”—and he hadn’t been lying when he’d admitted to being a virgin.
But I also knew that I’d stood outside many a hotel room while he was inside making out with men… and I had racked up the stair workouts to prove it. So, did that mean they’d only done kissing and heavy petting? A few under-the-clothes handies or over-the-clothes dry-humping?
I was desperate to find out more, but it was definitely not a topic I could ask him about.
The idea that Zane had never fully shared his body with another man made something inside of me tip off-center and thump around wildly like a washing machine with a broken belt.