Page 87 of Badd B*tch

"I dunno,” she shook her hands. "Back to the bear attack."

"I was peeing."

"Always tricky in the woods."

"Especially while wearing a one-piece flight suit. Somehow, the mama bear didn't know I was there. I thought they could, like, smell you from a mile away or something, but I guess not because she got startled. She had cubs with her and came at me. And again, peeing in the woods in a one-piece, which means I was bare ass, and this was a big damn bear. There wasn't a goddamn thing I could do, Tania. She had me dead to rights and was a split fucking second from taking my head off. And here comes Jax with a tree branch. He stood over me, and he fought the bear off."

“No shit," she breathed. "Badass."

“It was the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.”

Her eyes flew wide. "Coming from you, that's high praise indeed." She shook her head. "With a tree branch?"

"And a rock."

"And he got hurt?"

I mimed a paw swiping across my side. "It's bad. He’s gonna have some seriously gnarly scars."

"Was the sucky-sucky before or after the bear?" She clapped a hand over my mouth before I could answer. "Don’t tell me—it was after. Seeing him all torn up like that, you just had to comfort him. And as we both know, nothing comforts a man like having his man meat slobbered on."

I sighed, face in hands. "You really have a way with words, Tania. Not a good way, but a way." I poked her stomach. "Also, I do go down. Just not…frequently, and not for every guy I hook up with or hang out with.”

"Because you don’t think most of the guys you’re with deserve it, and for you, that's a gift."

I frowned at her. "It's not that."

She just arched an eyebrow at me. "Babe."

"What?"

"It is so like that."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you. And you sent me a lot of very interesting letters over the years. I can read between the lines." She lay back down beside me. "All jokes aside, I'm happy for you. If this guy can get you in your feelings enough to go down on him after knowing him for a few days, then he has to be pretty damn remarkable. You wouldn't do that for just anyone, bub, that's all I meant. It's a big deal for you to give that to a guy."

"It is, isn’t it?"

"Yup."

"I wonder why."

She rolled a shoulder. "It's more personal? It's…intimate. There's a certain lack of control to it, and you don't do well with lack of control."

"What is this, Psychoanalyze Tea Time?"

"Yup."

"Don't like it."

She just laughed and kissed my cheek. "I know." She nuzzled me. "And now the really important question: Did he give as generously as he received?"

“Oh god yes," I answered immediately. "And then some. And he shouldn't have—he made himself start bleeding again in the process."

“That's badass too."

"It was foolish and irresponsible."