They weren't together? Tria went over there because she was worried? I'm relieved and shocked.
"I'm staying, so get the hell over it," Dane adds with his beautiful grin.
"I'll be back later, unless Maverick is coming," Tria says with a sneer.
I bite back a grin, since Maverick and she aren't exactly as close as she and Dane.
"Keys are on the table," Dane says while walking toward the bed, keeping his eyes on me.
Damn. I really need to brush my teeth, fix my hair, and take a shower. I spent the majority of the night hurling.
Tria leaves, carrying a small smile as Dane crashes to the bed beside me. He flops back and stares at the ceiling, and I start praying his towel falls apart. I'm pathetic.
"It felt like old times last night. You. Me. Sleeping in the same bed, and then me waking up with a damn painful hard-on."
My eyes almost pop out of my head, and I strangle on air, which prompts his laughter. I know my cheeks have to be sizzling right now.
"Don't act so bashful, Rain. It's not like you never noticed it. And though you avoided discussing it... ever... you have seen every inch of my body. Don't make this weird."
"Weird?" I chuckle nervously, feeling like a thirteen-year-old-girl blushing because a guy said hard-on. I'm such an idiot around him. I write sex scenes for fuck's sake. This shouldn't be embarrassing.
"Weird," he repeats, winking at me. "We used to touch, snuggle, and kiss on each other like it wasn't a big deal. And we were kids. Granted, you never woke me up by stroking my—"
"Okay, Okay," I interrupt, feeling the fever attack my cheeks again, and making his laughter return.
Little by little his laughter tapers off, and I risk a glance at him to see him studying me. After what feels like forever, he seems to decide against whatever he was going to say, and instead asks, "What happened between you and Kode?"
I really wanted to avoid this conversation. I can lie, but he'll know it if I do.
"He wanted more. I don't see him as more. I didn't know he felt that way, or I wouldn't have... I don't know. Everything will be different now. The way it was with..."
My voice trails off. I can't say what I want to. I refuse to bring up that terrible letter and the heartbreak I endured. But I want to tell him I understand it now. He handled it like a total jerk, but I understand why he freaked out. You just don't know what to say, and you know the friendship is ruined no matter what.
I've blamed him for destroying us for all these years, but it was really me. I wanted more, and I stole the fun and innocence of our friendship. I'm the one who broke us.
He lets out a heavy breath and drops his head back. "We were kids, Rain. Neither of us knew what we wanted. We were just too young to maturely deal with the situation. We threw away an incredible friendship because we couldn't talk it through."
So he admits that much. Finally.
He's right, though. We were both too immature. I threw a letter in his car, and he starting icing me out, keeping the conversations too casual and never addressing it.
I can't believe he's talking to me right now. Right here. Are we finally going to just move on from this and be semi-friends again?
***
DANE
I won't lie and say that doesn't hurt. I mean, she basically just said she knew I was in love with her, and then insinuated it ruined our friendship. She's being honest, finally. I'm not going to crumble, because I want her to be honest. Instead, I'll play it off; make it no big deal.
Besides, we both did react poorly. She ran off without so much as a word, got colder and colder after she distanced herself from me, and I stubbornly refused to go after her and force her to talk it through with me.
My pride was hurt. I was hurt. But I should have still gone after her, and she should have tried to talk to me as well.
After holding her all night, waking up with her hand on my cock, and then seeing her hungry gaze on my body when I walked out in a towel, I've decided I have to have her in some way. She trusted me with her body once. She can trust me again. Who knows? Maybe we can start from there. I shouldn't want the torture that comes with this path, but I'm no more over Rain Noles today than I was six years ago.
"Sorry," she says after a minute. "I shouldn't have ever... I'm sorry. I get it now. Seeing Kode so hurt... I hate knowing I did that to him. I understand why... I just wish we had handled things differently as well."
I force a small smile, and then I turn to face her, letting my hand come down to caress her cheek. Damn, she feels so good. I'd give anything to kiss her.