It really fucking was, so Bryce leaned up and rested in the crook of Nick’s arm, hand back to his muscular chest and the soft hair there. Nick wrapped his arm around Bryce.

“So yeah...it was tough, but I loved her. I thought she loved me just as much. I was determined to prove her family wrong. That I was good enough for Jill. I worked my ass off and built my career so I could give her whatever she wanted.  Worked two jobs sometimes to get as much experience as I could before opening Nick’s. I came home one day and she had her bags packed. Apparently she didn’t appreciate my hard work and she felt neglected. The new man she was with gave her the attention she deserved.”

“Fuck.” Bryce leaned forward and kissed Nick’s chest. He waited for it to feel strange or awkward, the fact that it was muscled flesh and hair there, not breasts, but it didn’t.

Nick tried to sound as though none of it mattered, that it didn’t hurt, but Bryce could tell in the sound of his voice, the softness of it, that it did.

“Apparently he wasn’t the first, either. He’s just the one that lasted. The other was a one-night-stand, she’d said.”

“Christ, did she not see what you’re packing down there. Hell, your come shot alone was pretty fucking spectacular.”

Nick chuckled. “You’re funny.”

“I try to be...” But then, “I’m not trying to make light of your pain. Just wanted to make you laugh.”

“I know,” Nick told him. “Anyway, she called me tonight. Apparently her therapist wants her to speak to people who’ve hurt her in the past. Not quite sure how I made that list, but I did.”

Bryce growled. Nick’s ex sounded like a bitch. That wasn’t the only thing that made him feel violent, though. He heard something in Nick’s voice that set off this wild possessive streak he didn’t know he had. “You still love her.”

“What? No.” Nick shifted beneath him but Bryce didn’t let him move. “I’m not in love with her. If I was, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t work that way, Bryce. That’s something we’re going to have to figure out as well.”

He got what Nick was saying—he didn’t play games in relationships. He wasn’t the kind of man to screw someone and walk away afterward. They had too many things against them, too many things to figure out. It was all adding up. “I hear it. You love her. It’s okay. You spent most of your life with her.”

Nick sighed and Bryce felt his warm breath in his hair. “There might be a part of me that will always love her. I married her. I planned on spending the rest of my life with her. But I’m not in love with her. I fucking hate her most of the time for what she did, but I guess I care, too. We’d made plans together that I’d counted on, that I wanted to live out with her, and it’s almost like realizing a part of my life had been a lie.”

That made sense. A piece of Bryce felt rage and possession because he didn’t want any fucking part of Nick to belong to a woman who would do that to him. But he got it. It made sense with who Nick was. He was loyal, and dependable. Being kind meant something to Nick. Bryce respected his morals.

He figured it was also time for him to share a few truths with Nick as well. “A while back, my doctor discovered I had an aneurysm. They worried it could burst... My mom and Christi never left my side the whole time. It’s how everything started with Christi. It’s part of the reason I don’t want to let my mom down.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Nick’s muscles tensed, hardened as though they turned to stone. “What? How long ago? Holy shit, how could you not have told me?” He tried to pull away from Bryce but the man held onto him, rolled over and lay on him, one of Bryce’s hands on each of his wrists, holding him down.

“This. This reaction right fucking here is the reason you didn’t know. I get it, finding out someone you care about had a major medical scare is hard, but I’m fine. I got lucky and I’m fucking fine. I swear I’ll kick your ass if you start treating me like there’s something wrong with me. Or if you start harassing me about doctors and headaches. Not you. I can’t handle that shit from you.”

Nick had never heard Bryce speak with so much authority. Each word was sharp, a dagger that Bryce threw at him.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Bryce asked.

Nick’s body started to relax. He understood. It still freaked him out, but he understood. “Yeah. Sorry. You threw me for a fucking loop. I didn’t expect that.” Nick couldn’t imagine anything ever being wrong with Bryce. He was too alive for anything to ever try and bring him down.