Page 26

“Where’d the name Bear come from?” Mack asks from the back seat.

He’s been throwing questions at her for most of the drive. I’m happy they’re getting along so well, but I figured they’d be fast friends. Because, really, what’s not to love about her?

“It was my great-grandmother’s name,” Bear explains, her patience never wavering with each question.

“Did Levi tell you how confused we were when we found your box outside his door?”

I feel her eyes drift to me before twisting in her seat to glance back at Mack. “Huh, and here I thought there was only one perpetrator.”

I bark out a laugh. “Mack was the mastermind behind the whole thing.”

“It’s true,” Mack says, backing me up. “Levi needed to be talked into it. But hey, it brought you two together, didn’t it?”

A weird rush of emotion flows through me when I think about Bear and me together like that . More than what we are now.

Next to me, Bear shifts, her attention falling back on me, and my eyes meet hers briefly. A ghost of a smile touches her lips.

“I guess it did.” She answers Mack’s question, but her eyes never leave mine.

Reaching over, I take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I spend the rest of the car ride listening to Mack and Bear go back and forth.

He tells her more about the swim team and the shit we get up to, and every time she laughs, I’m reminded of why it’s the best sound.

I pipe up occasionally, but I’m content to focus on the dark road, listening to their running commentary.

“You should come to our competition next weekend,” I tell Bear, pulling into a grassy parking spot.

“Hell yes,” Mack says. “It’ll be nice to have some home supporter in the crowd.”

“What do you mean, home support?” Bear asks, unbuckling her seat belt.

“Nothing. Just that it’ll be nice to have you there,” I say quickly, shooting Mack a warning look in the rearview mirror. One Bear doesn’t notice, thanks to the dim lighting in the car.

Mack raises a brow, the question obvious. You’re not telling her?

I give a subtle shake of my head. No.

Now isn’t the best time to mention that the competition’s in my hometown, or that if she agrees to come, she’ll most likely meet my mom.

It’s not like I’m not keeping it from her. But I don’t want to spring it on her and risk scaring her off. Or make her feel pressured to answer a certain way because Mack is here. I’ll talk to Bear about it privately, and if she decides not to come, I’ll understand.

“Okay, as long as I can swap some shifts around at work, I’ll try to be there.” She flashes me a tentative smile that hits me right in the chest before slipping out the door.

I quickly follow her as we walk down the well-worn path leading toward the blaring music, drifting voices, and scattered fire pits. The red and orange flames of a few are already visible from here.

“Mack seems nice,” Bear says as we follow the crowd of people who seem to have appeared out of nowhere.

“He’s a good guy,” I say, watching him chat with someone up ahead. “Thanks for putting up with his questions.”

“Did you tell him to do that? Payback for all the questions I asked you today?” She laughs, bumping my shoulder.

“No, but if every Q&A ended the way it did earlier, you can ask me all the questions you want,” I reply in a low tone.

My dick is happily jerking at the memory of us on the couch. My fingers on her, in her.

I swear I’ve been walking around with perpetual blue balls since yesterday. I wish we could ditch tonight. Drive back home and pick up where we left off.

Like she read my mind, Bear stops, and I halt my steps. She clasps her delicate fingers around mine as she steps closer. My gaze drops to her mouth before finding her eyes.

The heat of her gaze burns like a thousand fires. Even under the crappy lighting provided by the lanterns someone placed along the path, I can see how wide her pupils have grown.

“Maybe if we leave now, no one will notice we weren’t here for long.” Her tone is sultry, the underlining meaning in her words loud and fucking clear.

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” I spin us both back toward the car.

“Bear, is that you?” A female voice calls out, and we both freeze.

I release a low groan.

God, why me?

“Guess we’re busted.” Bear giggles, tugging on my hand.

My feet reluctantly follow as she leads us to her friends.

They take turns hugging before Bear makes introductions.

“Levi, you know Macy.”

“Nice seeing you again,” I say, and Macy shoots me a small smile.

“And this is Elsie,” Bear says, gesturing to her other friend.

“Nice to meet you, Levi. Bear said you brought friends for us.” Elsie wiggles her brows up and down.

“Elsie,” Macy groans.

“What?” Elsie grins. “Bear said he did.”

“I did not say for you specifically,” Bear laughs. “Mack is down by the bonfire, right?” Her eyes turn to me for confirmation.

“Yeah, and Austin and Sam—they’re twins—should be here too,” I tell them.

“Macy is a twin, too!” Elsie chimes in excitedly.

“That’s right, where is your brother?” Bear asks, her gaze drifting in the direction they came from.

Macy shrugs, crossing her arms. “Somewhere around here. He ditched us for his friends.”

“Did anything more happen after the smoothie incident?” Bear asks, tilting her head in Elsie’s direction.

I’m not exactly sure what she means, but the three of them do, launching into conversation. I hang back a few steps, letting the trio walk and talk.

Occasionally, Bear glances over her shoulder, catching my eye, and I offer her a reassuring grin. I’d much rather have her next to me all night, but if it means seeing the happy look on her face as she chats and giggles with her friends, I’ll happily take a back seat.

It doesn’t take long to reach the clearing where the bonfire is. We stop by the area where all the alcohol is in coolers and kegs. Bear says something to her friends before strolling toward me.

She’s kept the denim skirt on but swapped her tank top for a tight, long-sleeved shirt that stops short of her navel, exposing a sliver of golden skin. She seems oblivious to the stares from the guys lingering near the kegs.

Her body is a pulpit, every one of these douchebags would kill to worship, but her eyes are only on me.

Something tightens in my chest, knowing she’s here with me.

“What are you in the mood for?” I ask, digging through the drinks until I find a bottle of water for myself.

“I’ll have water too, please.”

“Not drinking tonight?” I ask, handing Bear a bottle.

“I’m trying to take it a little slower after the last party,” she admits, flushing.

“If I remember correctly, you seemed to have a pretty good time, especially at the end of the night,” I smirk.

“You mean when you left me hanging and walked away?” Despite her casual tone, I detect an undercurrent of hurt.

“You know why I did that, right?” I say, tone even despite the pit in my stomach at the thought that I left her feeling upset.

I need her to understand that it had nothing to do with me not wanting her like that.

Bear takes a slow slip of water, watching me over the rim of the bottle, and I feel like I’m holding my breath as I wait for her response. A slow smile spreads across her lips when she lowers the bottle, and a whoosh of air leaves my lungs.

“Don’t worry, I know.”

She steps closer, her fingers brushing mine, as her gaze drifts over the fire pits scattered throughout the clearing. Groups of people are gathered around them, some sitting in chairs, others standing. Beyond them, music blares from speakers, and a crowd forms, dancing to whatever song is playing.

“I was expecting one big giant bonfire,” Bear muses.

“Fire hazard,” I explain. “According to the rumor mill, it got so out of control one year that the fire department had to be called. The sorority hosting this managed to talk their way into keeping the tradition by compromising with smaller fire pits instead.”

“How is that any less of a fire hazard?”

I shrug. “No idea. Maybe it’s easier to contain or something.”

“And they managed to keep the underage drinking included in the compromise, too.” A soft laugh leaves her, and my lips tug up.

The sound never fails to make me smile.

“Not sure, but somehow, someone always sneaks alcohol in.”

I glance around and notice Macy and Elise have disappeared from their spots. “Where’d your friends go?”

“Dancing,” she says, eyeing me over the rim of the water bottle as she takes another small sip.

There’s something about the way she’s looking at me that makes me uneasy.

“No,” I say, shaking my head as it clicks.

Even from here, the crowd looks intimating, and my palms are already fucking sweaty just thinking about joining them.

“Please.” Bear’s lower lip pops out slightly. “We barely got to dance together at the last party.”

“I don’t dance.” And if I did, I’d need something stronger than water, but that’s not happening since I’m driving.

“Don’t or can’t?” Her brows lift in a challenge, and I try not to take the bait.

“Bear,” I groan.

“Levi,” she taunts back with a groan of her own, and I shake my head.

This girl.

She places her half-empty water bottle on a nearby table and takes mine out of my hands, setting it next to hers before meeting me, chest to chest.

God, I love how tall she is. She barely has to tilt her head to look up at me.

Her hand trails down my pecs, over my stomach muscles, and lands directly on my crotch. To anyone looking over at us, they’d think we were merely in an intimate embrace.

Her hand gives my dick a squeeze over the fabric of my jeans, and I swallow hard.

“Bear,” I warn, my tone low and strained.

“Dance with me, please?” She bats her eyes playfully.

I hold back a groan, my paper-thin resistance wavering

“Fine, one song.”

The moment the words leave my mouth, her eyes light up. And I realize I’ll never be able to deny this girl anything. Wrapped around her goddamn finger, and I’ll happily stay there forever.