Page 48 of Bear With Me

“Ohhhh.” She drew out the word as if she’d just had a revelation. “You’re scared.”

“I’m not -”

“Look, just because we didn’t work out doesn’t mean we weren’t a good match. If I was into men, we’d have been golden. The problem was just that I didn’t figure out I was gay until too late. You can’t use our divorce as an excuse to not get together with your fated mate.”

“But…” Yep, he definitely had a headache.

“I’m not saying you have to let him bite you right this second. I’m just saying don’t write it off too quickly. Go on your date. See how it goes. Let yourself relax around him.”

Why did she have to be so reasonable? “I don’t even know how much longer we have here. Once his Gran is recovered, we need to head back to the cabin we rented and sort out our cars and probably both go home. I only took two weeks off work, and the cabin rental...”

“Dennnn,” she whined. “You just told me he’s a freelancer who can work from anywhere. Have him come home with you and put him up in a hotel while you get to know each other. Or just have a long-distance relationship. Visit each other periodically. You don't have to fall in love, get married, and get divorced all before you come home. You have options!”

The truth was, he didn’t want to split off from Bjorn. He wanted to stay in their little bubble. Though…maybe not in Gran’s house. Having a larger bed and some privacy would be nice.

Oh, what was he thinking?

“Dennis?” Myrah ventured when he’d been silent for a little too long.

“Yeah, I’m here. Just…thinking.” He huffed to himself. “I’m getting used to having him around, you know?”

“That’s a good thing, my darling,” she said gently. “I know you’re not used to liking people, but believe it or not, you’re supposed to like the person you marry. It’s why I married you!”

“Not helping, My.”

She scoffed. “You’re also supposed to want to fuck them. That’s where we went wrong, but it sounds like that’s not an issue for you two.”

Did he want to fuck Bjorn? Oh, yeah, he did. He took a moment to contemplate those plush lips, that hairy chest, that tight ass…hnghh.

He must have made a noise, because Myrah laughed. “Dennis, I think you’re going to be fine if you just let yourself unclench a little. Do the date. Stop worrying about doing everything right this second and let yourself sink into the new relationship energy. Enjoy yourself a little! And…maybe fuck him a few times. Just for fun.”

He had to laugh at that. “If I fuck him, he’s never letting me go. This guy is loyal as a hound. Wait, what if I do fuck him and he bites me in the heat of the moment, before I'm ready?”

“You’re borrowing trouble,” she said with a put-upon sigh. “Does he strike you as the type to lose control like that?”

Well, no, he didn’t, but still! “Not really,” he admitted grudgingly. “But I haven’t seen him turned on, either. Maybe he gets super-intense during sex.”

Myrah cooed. “I’m fanning myself, I want you to know. Thank you for that visual, of a bear of a man being that intense during sexytimes.”

Dennis rolled his eyes. “My, you don’t even like men.”

He could almost see the shrug of her shoulders. “Doesn’t mean I can’t admire. Now, I’m starving, so I want to go get some brunch. You wanna talk while I walk there, or are you sufficiently reassured by my reminding you that you have a hot, sweet man on the hook and you should give him a little trust and a lot of sex?”

“Fuck you, seriously.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘my work is done here’,” she sang. “Love you, bye!” And she hung up, leaving Dennis staring at his phone with a wrinkled brow.

This woman, honestly. She was his best friend, but sometimes he truly wanted to strangle her. With a sigh, he pocketed his phone and went back into the house to check on Gran, happy to find her contentedly ensconced on the couch, still watching her reality show on the TV.

“All well?” she asked when he sat down next to her, and he shrugged.

“Fine, I guess.” He didn’t expand, despite her obvious interest; he didn’t want this woman asking questions about who he’d talked to or about what. What the hell would he tell her then?

Gran hummed lightly, but didn’t push. “I think Bjorn’s almost finished with the food.”

“It’s done!” Bjorn called from the kitchen, proving once again that nothing that went on in this house was private. There was no way they’d ever be able to have sex in Gran’s guest room.

Wait, what? Not that he’d been thinking of having sex in Gran’s guest room in the first place…right?