Bend

MIA

Jay Bradshaw. My boyfriend's best friend.

He was never supposed to be anything more—until he was.

When my college boyfriend betrayed me and left, breaking my heart, Jay picked a side. He chose me. He stayed, and for the past six years, he's been my rock, my anchor, my compass…

Now we've grown up, finished school, and have careers. Me as a nurse practitioner; Jay as a doctor. He's been everything I needed, but now I want more. I can't stop thinking about him, and I'm done hiding it.

It's time to find out if he wants me, too.

JAY

A friend. Not a lover. That's who Mia Waters is to me.

I've tried damn hard to make sure our relationship stays that way. I'm the shoulder she leans on, the last one to talk to her before she goes to sleep at night… And after six years, she means more to me than my own family.

The moment I met her, I wanted her. But she belonged to someone else, so I pushed the need down. I didn't take what I wanted. I'm not that guy. Her happiness meant more.

Until now. Until she asks me a question that shatters our unspoken boundaries. "Have you ever thought about having sex with me?" Six years of keeping her at arm's length, and I can feel myself starting to give in and lose control with her.

I can't let it happen. There are reasons I didn't get close. She hasn't let go of her ex-boyfriend, not really. And she has no idea about the lies I've told her.

What if she finds out about me? What if she finds out who I really am?

And what will she do when I leave?