Chapter Eleven
“You have ten seconds to get up,” Bear seethes.
The words cut through the quiet bedroom, dripping with the exact same low, lethal venom he had used on Jason just hours before.
I sit up on the floorboards, pulling my knees to my chest and frowning up at his towering silhouette. “Are you mad at me?” I ask softly, the vulnerability cracking through my voice.
Bear closes his eyes and takes a deep, ragged breath, his broad chest rising and falling. “You’re just a lot of work, Danny.”
The words stung. I shift, my frown deepening. “I’m sorry if I—”
“Don’t apologize,” he snaps, his emerald eyes flashing open.
“Then what the hell do you want me to do?” I snap right back, my own frustration flaring to life.
“I fucking want you to get up and leave me the fuck alone!” he growls, the volume of his voice making the small bedroom feel even smaller.
“No,” I spat, planting my feet and standing up. “We are talking.”
He grits his teeth so hard his jaw looked like granite. “I don’t want to talk.”
“Well, then you’re just going to have to listen,” I counter.
I march over and deliberately position myself right in front of his bedroom door, effectively blocking his exit. Obviously, the man was a walking brick wall and could have easily picked me up and tossed me out of the way, but I stood my ground anyway.
“There are a few answers I need,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “And I know I can’t force them out of you. But if you care about me in any capacity, Bear, you will give them to me.”
He let out a low, warning growl. “What?”
“One: why the hell did you have Adrian beaten up for me? Two: who did this to your face? And three: why are you so incredibly up and down with me? One minute we’re getting along, and the next you’re growling at me like I’m the enemy.”
Bear froze, his focus sharpening. “Who told you?”
“About what?” I sigh.
“The Adrian thing.”
“Your brother,” I say, gesturing to my head. “Didn’t you notice my hair is actually done? I also would’ve liked a head’s up that you have a literal identical twin.”
Bear scoffs, turning his face away. “Big mouth.”
“At least Jay actually talks to me and opens up!” I growl, though a small part of my brain cringed. God, I sound so incredibly whiny right now.
“I don’t need to open up to you,” Bear snaps, his voice dropping into a cold, dismissive register. “You’re just a roommate.”
The word roommate landed like a physical blow. It shouldn’t have hurt as badly as it did, but the sting was sharp enough to bring a fresh wave of heat to my eyes.
“If you really thought of me as just a roommate, then why are you always there?” I demand, stepping away from the door and moving directly into his space. “You had Adrian handled because he ditched me on a date. You demolished Jason because he put his hands on me. And the literal first day we met, you went out of your way to get me bedroom furniture! Roommates don’t do that, Bear.”
“Because I—” Bear cut himself off, letting out a frustrated groan as his hands curled into white-knuckled fists at his sides.
“Finish the sentence,” I growl, taking another step forward until we were standing entirely chest-to-chest. I had to tilt my head all the way back just to meet his gaze.
“Because I care about you,” Bear growls, the confession tearing out of him as if it physically pained him to say it.
A small, triumphant smile breaks across my face, my anger instantly evaporating. “See? Was that really so hard?”
“Very,” he mutters, looking down at me with a dark, intense look.
Reaching up, I gently press the pad of my thumb against his split lip, wiping away a fresh bead of dark blood that was starting to drip. “What happened tonight?” I ask softly.
“Got jumped,” he mutters, his breath warm against my hand. “There were five of them. But I fought them off.”
Jesus. That would have been incredibly hot to see.
Bear’s emerald eyes suddenly widen, his entire face locking up. “What?”
I blink, confusion running through me. “What?”
“You just said it would’ve been hot to see,” he grumbles, his cheeks flushing a faint, dark color beneath his bruises.
My heart did a violent flip. Oh my god. “I... I said that out loud?” I whisper, horrified.
Bear clears his throat, entirely thrown off his guard. “I—can you just fix me up?”
“Sure,” I mumble, my face burning with pure embarrassment.
I turn and walk back to the bathroom, grabbing the first-aid kit from under the sink and wetting a clean washcloth under the warm tap. When I step back into the hallway, Bear had already migrated to the living room, sitting heavily on the edge of the couch.
“We’re doing this out here,” I murmur, walking over and stepping into the narrow space between his propped-open knees.
I lean down, using the damp washcloth to gently wipe away the excess blood from his skin. Up close, I could see the severe, dark purple bruises already forming across his handsome face. His incredibly handsome, rugged, devastatingly sexy face. Standing this close to him, with his scent of laundry detergent and iron clouding my senses, I was experiencing what guys usually referred to as a severe case of blue balls.
Swapping the cloth for an antiseptic wipe, I lightly dab at the jagged cut over his eyebrow, then move down to his split lip.
As the initial panic of his injuries began to fade, the sheer intimacy of the position completely caught up to me. I was standing fully between his thighs, my torso inches from his chest, entirely dominating his personal space.
“Bear?” I whisper.
He just let out a low grunt, his eyes remaining tightly closed against the sting of the alcohol wipe.
“I really like you,” I confess, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
His eyes instantly snap open, his intense emerald gaze locking onto mine with an unblinking, heavy gravity. He didn’t say a single word.
“And I don’t just mean as a person, or a roommate,” I hurry on, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. “I mean it in a way where I want to make—”
Before I could finish the thought, Bear’s large, calloused hand came up, gently but firmly covering my mouth to silence me.
“You can’t,” he murmurs, his voice thick.
“That’s not for you to decide,” I mumble against his palm. His brow furrows in confusion. Reaching up, I carefully peel his heavy fingers away from my lips, keeping my voice soft but resolute. “That’s not for you to decide, Mitchell.”
“Why?” he grunts.
“Because I don’t know!” I murmur, the honesty spilling over. “It’s not like I planned any of this. You just... you care about me, and you’re gorgeous. And don’t even get me started on your laugh. When you laugh, it’s like—”
My rambling was cut off instantly.
Bear surges forward off the cushions, his hands launching up to grip my waist as he leans down and violently crashes his lips against mine.
Holy shit.
Am I actually kissing Bear right now?
The world completely tilts on its axis. I close my eyes, entirely surrendering to the sensation, and wrap my arms tightly around his neck. I part my lips slightly, moving them against his as a soft sigh escapes me. Bear groans into the kiss, his grip tightening instantly as his large hands slid down the small of my back, firmly gripping my ass and pulling me flush against his hard thighs.
He wasn’t just tolerating it—the man was hungry.
When he finally pulls away, he did it slowly, his lips lingering against mine for a fraction of a second. I gasp for air, my chest heaving as I look up at him, completely dazed.
Bear stares down at me, his thumbs brushing against my hips. “I like your hair,” he murmurs, his voice rough.
“Thanks,” I whisper back, my voice coming out breathier than I ever thought possible. “Your brother is... he’s a really good hairdresser.”
He let out a low, familiar hum. “Loud.”
“He is the exact opposite of you,” I agree with a small smile.
Suddenly realizing where his hands were still resting, Bear quickly pulls his fingers off my skin, stepping back and clearing his throat with a rare, wonderfully awkward look on his face. “I’ll... I’ll go make dessert.”
He turns on his heel and walks straight into the kitchen, leaving me standing entirely frozen in the center of the living room. I just stand there, the room spinning, a giddy, ridiculous smile spreading across my face.
Bear kissed me.
He actually initiated it. He kissed me.
I didn’t have to force it, and I didn’t have to chase him. He wanted me. Me!