I hold her tightly, but I don’t tell her it’s going to be okay.
I don’t make her any promises.
I don’t do any of that.
I just...
Wait.
Chapter Five
Polly
The bear is hugging me.
Oh, he’s not a bear. Not right now.
I know what he is, though.
I know, and I understand, and I remember everything that Alexis told me about him.
She told me he’s rough and tumble, but that inside, there’s more to him than meets the eye, and right now, I really want to know what she meant by that. He’s so...big.
Handsome.
Burly.
Strong.
For the first time in months, I feel safe, and it’s not because he’s a man. It’s because he’s him. She warned me that I would like him a lot. She chuckled, and she said that if anything happened to her, I could shoot my shot.
Again, I didn’t know what she meant by that and I was actually a little hurt, but now I’m not.
Now I know exactly why she said that.
Now I know that there’s nothing I want more than to climb into this man’s bed and spend the entire night exploring his body.
It would be wrong, I know. It would be a terrible idea to make a move on a man like this, at a time like this, in a place like this, but...
“Polly?”
“Huh? What?” I look up at him. I totally didn’t even realize he was talking to me. “What’s up?” I say casually.
“What’s up?” He frowns, raising an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course,” I say, smiling a little too brightly.
“You don’t look all right.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say to someone you just met.”
“It’s the truth. You just lost your friend. Are you okay?”
“I’m...”
I’m not okay.
I’m not going to be okay.