Page 141 of The Complete Truth Duet
I spread it out on the mattress and then sank to my knees. “I don’t have stars. But I’m here, Cora. We’re here. Me and you.”
She opened her eyes, chin quivering as she attempted a smile. “Penn.”
Soft as a feather, that one syllable swept over me.
“C’mere, Cor.”
The next beat, she was in my arms, her face buried in my neck.
I juggled her into our talking position: me on my back, her head resting on my shoulder, her thigh draped across my hips, her hand resting on my stomach.
And only then did I exhale.
This whole blast from the past was supposed to be for her. But the soft floral scent of her shampoo filled my senses and carried me back to her apartment too. My body sagged, truly relaxing for the first time in weeks.
“Truth or lie?” I murmured against the top of her head.
“I don’t want to play anymore.”
“Fine. Then listen to me play. I told you all that stuff in the kitchen because I thought you wanted me to tell you about the man I used to be. I was trying to be as honest as possible, not leaving anything out. But, clearly, I left out the parts you needed to hear most. The parts where I’ve always been Penn. And I always will be.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “That’s bullshit. Penn wouldn’t ski.”
Yes. That’s what she said.
She was having a nervous breakdown because I liked to ski.
It made me an asshole, but I laughed. “Yeah, he fucking would, Cora. He’d rent a cabin with his best friend, Drew. Get sloshed on whiskey, lose a bet, go down the bunny slope on a sled in nothing but his underwear, and then wake up the next morning to ride the lift to the highest run, hoping to catch an adrenaline high on the way down.”
Her head snapped up like I’d offended her. “Oh my God, Shane wears underwear?”
I laughed again, even when I felt her shooting daggers at me with her eyes. “Shane was twenty-four in that story. His mother lived around the corner and still did his laundry twice a week. Trust me, if you had to listen to my mom talk about the scrotal benefits of men wearing underwear each time she didn’t find any in the hamper, you’d put them on too.”
She peered up at me, no longer mad but rather oddly confused. “There are scrotal benefits to wearing underwear?”
I grinned. “None that I’ve found. Though if you want to spend this time scouring the internet to ensure my cock is in tip-top condition, I’ll be happy to wait.”
Her confusion morphed into a glare. And I fucking loved it.
Because she didn’t look sad anymore.
“Okay, so that was your question, and before you argue, I let you get two. So it’s my turn. Truth or lie: Why do you want to be an accountant?”
“I told you I wasn’t playing.” She sat up, crisscrossing her legs in front of her like a barrier. One I ignored as I scooted over until her knees hit my side.
I draped an arm over her legs and gave her thigh a squeeze. “Yeah, but then you asked a question and I answered, so as stated in the Truth or Lie rulebook, that means you are bound to at least one round of ten questions.”
She looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head, but that was fine by me.
Because she still didn’t look sad.
“There is no Truth or Lie rulebook. I made up the rules. And nowhere does it say asking about scrotal benefits locks you into a round of ten questions.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Wow, you are really obsessed with my cock.”
Her mouth fell open, and it was all I could do not to drag her down and kiss her breathless.
Because not only did she not look sad—her cheeks flashed a sexy pink.
She cut her gaze away. “If you’re trying to prove to me that you’re still Penn, you might want to stop smiling and making jokes and scowl at me a little more.”
“I’ve turned a new leaf. Nothing to scowl about when I’ve got you.”
This time, not only was she not sad.
Her lips actually started to tip up at the corners.
“Oh, was the other side of this leaf covered in cheesy lines?”
I reached up and tugged on the ends of her blond hair. “Maybe. Is it working?”
And then it happened.
She laughed.
And it was so intoxicating that I laughed too.
The joke wasn’t that funny.
It was actually pretty damn stupid. But it was a brief moment of happiness in the middle of a nightmare. I’d embrace it for as long as I could.
She was still laughing when she flopped down beside me onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. “You’re ridiculous.”
Shifting to my side to face her, I propped my head in my hand with an elbow to the bed. “You’re right. I am. And not because I’m Penn or Shane. They’re the same person, Cora. It’s just me. We all have different facets to our personalities.” I dipped low and brushed her lips. “And every single one of mine is in love with you. Cora the grizzly den mother. Cora the soon-to-be accountant. Cora the mother. Cora the chocolate addict. Cora the four-tablespoons-of-beer-and-she’s-drunk. Cora the beautiful. Cora the stressed-out. Cora the sad. Cora the happy. I love absolutely all of them.”
