Page 77 of Burning Bridges Duet

“He’s done this before?” I ask him,

He nods, head still on my belly. “But he never took it this far,” he says quietly, and I feel my blood boil at the thought of someone hurting Gunner like this.

“You don’t deserve this, Gun. No one deserves to be treated like this.” I run my fingers over his head, and he leans into my touch. “What can I do to help you?” I ask.

“I don’t know, he replies, shaking his head. “I just needed to see you. You make me feel safe.” My heart aches at his words.

“You know I’ll always be here for you, Gun. Always,” I tell him, and he nods, his eyes still closed.

We sit like that for a while, him lying on his stomach, while I stroke him and whisper words of comfort to him. I don’t know how long we sit like that, but eventually, he falls asleep. I don’t want to disturb him, so I just stay there, holding him, listening to the sound of his breathing.

When he finally wakes up, it’s dark outside, and I’ve been sitting there for hours. He looks up at me, and I can see the sadness and pain in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“For what?” I ask, confused.

“For burdening you with all of this, for being weak,” he says.

“You’re not weak, Gun,” I say, shaking my head. “You’re strong for surviving all of this, and you’re never a burden to me. I want to be here for you.”

He gets up and leans in to kiss my cheek. “Thank you, Livy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

We sit there for a while longer, talking about lighter things to distract him and after a long while, he falls back asleep, and I close my eyes too.

When I get up to go home and get ready for the day the next morning, I leave the charcuterie board and Moscato with him.

“I’ll come by in the evening, okay? We can watch a movie or something,” I say, and he smiles at me.

“That sounds nice,” he replies.

I give him one last hug before leaving, feeling grateful for the chance to be there for Gunner for once when he needed me, but hating the reason I had to.

FORTY-TWO

I close my locker and slip on my shoes. I don’t feel like dancing today, since we already did some in class, so I decide to focus on my workout instead. It’s almost comical how all the gymbros who usually smile and say hello to me now avert their gazes. I chuckle to myself. Jaxon, you little shit.

I make my way to the treadmill and start walking to warm up. Suddenly, someone jumps on my treadmill behind me, and I nearly fall because of it. Strong arms circle me, holding me up until I find my rhythm again.

“Slow and steady, baby,” Ryder whispers in my ear. I step out of his hold, turn my head, and flip him off.

“I could have hurt myself,” I tell him, my eyes fixed again to the front.

“No, I’ve got you,” he says, his hands on the treadmill to both sides of me, caging me in from behind. “How’s my baby girl doing?” he asks, continuing his playful flirting.

“I’d be better if I could do my workout in peace,” I reply, acting annoyed but secretly loving his silly advances.

“Nah, Liv, you have four boyfriends now. You better learn how to be around others,” he says with a smirk, and I laugh.

“Last time I checked I had three,” I point out.

“So, you’re in denial too,” he whispers in my ear with a chuckle.

He slams his palm on the stop button, grabs me by the waist, and steps off the treadmill, holding my feet above the ground. Back on the floor, he turns me and kisses me passionately.

“Missed you, baby,” he whispers against my lips, and I swoon. Damn, why does he always have this effect on me?

Turning, Jaxon is standing next to us, arms crossed over his chest. I worry that he’s not handling Ryder’s open affection well, but he surprises me by grabbing my wrist and pulling me into him, kissing my temple.