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Braden tried to make it to Club 39 on Fridays and Saturdays, and that ht, were there too Braden told me he liked to watch me work, that it was sexy, but Ellie pronounced that he was ues and customers

All I kneas that he ith me as much as he could be and that meant he made he sure he was there a lot And it didn’t bother ement hadn’t turned out the way I’d expected it to at all--the arrange the way, I’d stopped caring as long as it meant I could be with him without any scary questions about the future

We were in s for a new development and they were spread out all overon chapter fifteen of the novel, and I was happy with it so far In all honesty, I was really excited about where it was going The characters felt more real than any I’d written before, and I kneas because they were based onto work out if the line of dialogue I’d written in this scene was appropriate for ht about it, it didn’t feel true to her and I was trying to think how to change it without changing the point she was atteht I didn’t even realize Braden atching ed innext week, and the end of the tere hiht it up?" Dr Pritchard took a sip of water "The three months are nearly up Don’t you think you should discuss it?"

I tiltedway in five months?"

"You’ve definitely opened up, Jocelyn But I still think you haven’t fully dealt with your fa You still won’t talk about the is that fiveabout and who knew nothing aboutinvolved too deeply in people’s lives, and I was deterrinned in relieved disbelief "Ellie and Braden changed all that Especially Braden He’s…" I shook my head, still not able to really believe it was true, "He’s o I was deter But he’s a part of me now He’s in deeper than anyone else, and I have no idea what to expect from that or from the future I don’t really want to think about it However, I do know that I’ain"

"You should discuss this with hithat If he wants this to end, then fine, but if it ends, it’ll be easier if only I know the truth"

Dr Pritchard sighed "Why? So you can bury that truth along with all the others?"

You’re such a buzz kill "You’re such a buzz kill"

She laughed "Only because I don’t bury the truth"

"Always have to have the last word, huh?"

I turned slowly to face hiave me his entire focus "How do you feel about it?"

"How do you feel about it?"

His eyes narrowed "I asked you first"

I sighed, little ants of uncertainty swarut "What are we, five?"

"Well are we?"

I stared into his stubborn eyes "Braden," I didn’t even mean for it to come out as a plea, but it did

His obdurate expression seemed to reinforce itself "I could answer this one easily, Jocelyn We know out of the two of us who’sto I want, for once, to kno you feel"

"What do you et more out of me than most people, buddy"

He flashed rin "I know, babe Tonight I want ht then he’d made his play first He wanted ed casually and turned back to reement"

He was silent behind ested we stopped pretending we’re fuck buddies too?"

A slow smile spread across my lips and I was thankful he couldn’t see it "Yeah," I answered with a good amount of boredom "I could ith that"

Did Ias he lunged across the bed to grab me by the waist and haul hed up at him as he pressed his body into doll?"

His grin was unrepentant "Never You’re so tiny I do it without really nantly "I’m five foot five There are tinier people, believe me"

"Babe, I’m almost a whole foot taller than you You’re tiny" He bent his head to brush my lips with his "But I like it"

"What happened to your love of the long-legged bireat sex and a s withmy arms around his neck I sank into the kiss like always, but for once my mind wasn’t just on the kiss…

In a roundabout way… had that been soht, but luckily tiasp at the same time Braden stuck his hand downout

I told ed it off, just enjoying each day with hi a coffee break frorading papers