Feels Like Love by Jenna Hartley
Chapter Fourteen
Harper glanced up when I entered the studio. “You look nice.”
I’d just gotten back from a morning shoot, and I dropped my stuff on the table.
“Thanks.” I smiled. “I have a date with Arlo this afternoon.” And I’d just been sexting with Bennett.
I still couldn’t believe I’d sent him a picture of my boobs in my lace bra. I’d never done anything quite so brazen, but he made me feel safe to be reckless. Perhaps because I knew it could never go anywhere.
“Ooh. The hot Aussie?” Harper asked, jolting me from my thoughts.
“Yeah.” I laughed, pushing Bennett and the image he’d sent me from my mind. Or at least trying to. But damn, that picture…his chest and that bulge. He was so freaking sexy.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, and I was grateful she didn’t mention my last disaster of a date. “Because you look amazing.”
“Good,” I said. “I’m feeling good. We’ve been chatting online the past few days, and it’s been really nice.”
“What about that Ben guy?” she asked.
“I don’t know. He seems…shy or something. We chat online every day, but he’s never asked to meet up.”
She arched her brow. “Interesting. Well, at least things are moving forward with Arlo. Hopefully you’ll like him as much in person. Where’s he taking you?”
“We’re meeting at 221b Bakery.”
“Oh, that place looks so fun. I’ve been meaning to take Aiden there.”
I nodded. “Aiden would love it. Though, you do have an amazing pastry chef in your own backyard.”
“True.” She grinned. “I might love Asher’s pastries even more than Enzo’s wine. Don’t tell Enzo I said that, though.”
I laughed. “I won’t.”
“I mean it, Wren. Enzo is passionate about his grapes. If he knew I’d said that, he might not go down on me for a month.”
I laughed, though it was mostly to hide my embarrassment. “Wow. That is serious.”
“You have no idea,” she sighed. “The man has a magical tongue. And fingers, and…”
“Okay. Okay.” I held up my hands. “I think I get the point.”
She regarded me a moment. “Wren, are you…embarrassed?”
“What?” My voice cracked. “No. I’m just not sure I see the allure.”
“Of oral sex?” she asked. When I nodded, she said, “Then you haven’t had the right partner.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I’ve actually never had a man…do that.” I swallowed.
“Oh boy, you are missing out. We really do need to find you a good man. One who doesn’t hesitate to go downtown.”
“Oh god.” I covered my face with my hands. “That was so cheesy.”
“You never know,” she said, ignoring me. “Arlo could be that guy.”
I gulped. Was I ready for that? We were about to go on our first date. If it went well—if we continued dating—he’d expect something physical. Right?
“Anyway.” She waved a hand through the air. “Enough about that. I have a few boudoir shoots lined up, and we had a walk-in this morning asking about weddings.”
“For this summer?”
She nodded. “Her wedding is next month. Her photographer had to pull out because of health reasons.”
“Do you know who it was?” I asked.
“A woman in Cortina. I can’t remember the studio name.”
“That’s terrible,” I said, feeling bad for the photographer. I’d been in her shoes, and I hoped she’d be okay.
“Even so,” I continued. “We are pretty booked already. We could always refer her to someone else, like Kelsey over in Blue River Creek.”
“We could.”
“What do you think?” I asked. “Should we take on any more weddings this summer? Or would we be making ourselves crazy?”
“I’m open, but there’s something else I wanted to run something by you first.”
“What’s that?”
“So, you know Meghan Hart, the romance author?”
I nodded, sitting back in my chair. “Well, I know of her. I don’t know her personally.”
“Right?” Harper laughed. “I don’t think anyone knows her personally. Anyway, she saw some of our work on our Instagram feed, and her assistant reached out to me about taking some images for covers and promotional type stuff.”
“Wow.” I grinned. “That’s so cool.”
“I thought so too. And I know it’s a bit different from our usual services, so I wanted to check first. Little Bird Studios is your baby.”
“Harper, we’re a team. You know that. I mean, is it something you’re interested in? I’m guessing this would be more your department than mine.”
“Nah. For the most part, it wouldn’t be as sexy as a boudoir shoot if that’s what you’re worried about. Well, maybe some of the teaser images would be.”
“How would we price it?”
“I had a few ideas about that. And some of it would depend on how many images she wanted to purchase. But I did some research and talked with Olivia, and it sounds like exclusive images can run anywhere from $150 to $5000.”
“Wow.” I stared at her, mouth agape. “That’s…yeah. That would be awesome.”
“Yeah.” She grinned. “It could be a great way to get some exposure and earn some income. Plus, we could still sell any of the images she didn’t purchase, depending on the terms of the contract.”
“Yeah. That sounds awesome. If you’re willing to take the lead, I’m game.”
“Great. I’ll let her know.” She turned her attention to her keyboard. “I mean, how cool would it be to have our images on a book cover?”
“Totally,” I said. “Oh—” I tapped my pen on the desk. “I thought of an idea for a new service we could offer.”
“What’s that?”
“Online mini courses. We could offer some on photographing your kids with your smartphone. How to take flat lays for entrepreneurs. And even one with selfie tips.”
“That’s a great idea. Jo’s been asking me to show her some tricks for taking better selfies now that she’s trying to be an influencer for some brands.”
“See! Exactly. And once the content’s created, it’s something we could use it over and over.”
“Brilliant.” She high-fived me over the table. “Man, you’re on a roll. What’d you have for breakfast today?”
I laughed. “Bennett made an apple breakfast casserole that’s freaking delicious. It tastes like apple pie, but he swears it’s healthy. If Mr. Muscles says it’s healthy, who am I to question it?” I shrugged.
“Mr. Muscles?” She laughed.
“Well, I could refer to Bennett by River’s nickname for him.”
“What’s that?”
“Butter Butter.”
She shook her head with a laugh. “Butter Butter. Where did that come from?”
“No clue, but River is Butter Bean. You should hear the two of them. Sometimes, I don’t even recognize my life.”
“I think it’s so sweet that Bennett and River get along so well.” She was quiet for a moment then asked, “Is Bennett seeing anyone?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
She lifted a shoulder, her attention directed at her computer. “No reason.”
I glared at Harper. I knew that face. I knew she had something she wanted to say. “Okay. Out with it,” I finally said.
“I just think you guys would be perfect for each other. He’s so good with River. And you’re clearly into him.”
“Am I?” I asked, afraid it was obvious despite my efforts to hide my attraction.
“Come on, Wren. You can talk to me. You know that.”
I nodded. “I do. But can we please not talk about this? Not today,” I sighed. “I’m going out with Arlo, and I’m already trying not to psych myself out after the last date.”
“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll drop it.”
If only I could forget about Bennett as easily, but he was never far from my mind.
* * *
Bennett was sittingon the couch, typing on his phone, when I returned. He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, his hair wet as if he’d just showered. He glanced up and smiled before setting his phone facedown on the coffee table.
“So…?” he asked.
I kicked off my shoes and sank down on the couch next to him. He smelled good—really good. Fresh and clean, with an undercurrent I couldn’t quite discern. All I knew was that I suddenly had the urge to lick him.
“Wren? Arlo? The date?”
“Oh. Right.” I shook my head. What the heck was wrong with me? I licked ice cream, lollipops, not…men. Though the way my body reacted, I certainly wanted to lick him, every single inch of his skin. Just to see if he’d taste as good as he looked.
“I brought pastries.”
“What?” I jumped up from the couch, glancing around for the telltale white bakery box. “Where?”
It didn’t matter that I’d already had an Elementary cupcake at 221b Bakery—chocolate with a surprise chocolate cookie and strawberry inside. I loved Asher’s pastries.
“First, tell me about the date. Then, pastries.”
The bakery had been a hit, and Arlo and I had a great time. I’d loved hearing about his life in Australia before moving to the US. Even just listening to him speak in his accent had been fun.
“I have a better idea. How about we eat the pastries while we talk?” I took a few steps toward the box.
“Nah. Ah. Ah,” he chided. “Sit.”
“Fine.” I plopped back down. “It went well.”
“Any embarrassing moments? Word vomit?” he asked, trying—and failing—to hold back a smile.
“Nope.” I tapped my finger on my thigh, eyeing the pastries. “Looks like your coaching is paying off.”
“This is all you, Wren.”
He said that, though Bennett had been the one who’d suggested a daytime date in a more casual setting. He’d been the one giving me pep talks, giving me the confidence I’d lacked when it came to dating. I’d even gotten two new messages from Ben during the date, and I hadn’t been anxious at all about responding while Arlo went to use the restroom.
“Can I please have my reward now?” And can we please stop talking about this?
“Not yet.” How was he so calm? I could smell their sugary goodness from here. “Tell me something. If it’s going so well, why do you seem on edge?”
“Because…” I gnashed my teeth. “I’m getting hangry. I need that pastry.”
“Mm-hmm.” He held the open box out to me, and I had the hardest time choosing between the hazelnut chocolate and the passion fruit.
Finally, I selected the passion fruit, thinking it might be something Arlo would enjoy. Passion fruit was a thing in Australia, right?
But the thought of Arlo had me tensing up again. The date had gone so well. He’d been funny and sweet. And he actually seemed interested in me. So much so that when we were leaving, he’d leaned in as if to kiss me, and at the last minute, I’d turned my head. Giving him my cheek instead. He’d been cool about it, smiling as he said, “No worries.” But I’d left feeling like a total dork.
“There,” Bennett said, pointing at me. “You’re making that face again.”
“What face?” I frowned, quickly trying to school my features into something more neutral. “I’m not making any face. This—” I pointed to my head, making a circle“—is my face.”
“No. You look like you’re constipated or thinking too hard or something.”
I laughed, my cheeks flooding with heat. “Well, that’s embarrassing.” Though at least I could trust Bennett to be honest. And I’d had enough constipation to last a lifetime.
“Come on, Wren. You can talk to me.”
“I just…” I huffed, pacing, éclair forgotten. My body was agitated. My mind whirling. I’d been thinking about this all afternoon. “I need to practice. Like River and baseball. How can I expect to get any better if I don’t practice?”
“Practice…what, exactly?” Bennett asked, leaning against the counter and sipping some water.
“Kissing. Touching. You know—” I gestured in a circle with my hand “—sex.”
Did I really just say that aloud? There was nothing to do now but to roll with it. Roll with the fact that I’d just propositioned my brother’s best friend.
He coughed a few times. “Okay… I know you’re not a virgin. Unless you had River by artificial insemination.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a virgin, though I could be. We only had sex twice before I got pregnant.”
But I got the feeling Bennett was good at sex. And the best way to level up was to work with someone more experienced than you. While I’d mostly applied that advice to my photography and my business, I assumed that logic still applied in the bedroom.
“Anyway,” I said, wanting to gloss over all that. My lack of experience. My past. “I need to practice. I’m just so bad and anxious and—”
He frowned, water bottle poised near his lips, and it sounded like he said, “I highly doubt you’re bad.”
I had no idea. That was the problem. And I knew that Bennett would be gentle with me, honest. I trusted him completely. What was more—I wanted to experience this with him.
“I need this, Bennett. I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life. But I’m not having much luck so far. And Arlo’s the first guy—”
“Please tell me you’re not asking what I think you are.”
I stood before him. “Please, Bennett. I need your help. You’re…experienced. You know what women want.”
“I thought you were trying to date men,” he deadpanned.
“Ha-ha. Very funny.” I shifted. “Please.”
“Liam would kill me. He’d already kill me if he knew about my…coaching services. But this…” He drew in a shaky breath and looking at the ceiling as if it would give him strength. “I cannot cross that line with you, Wren.”
“We’re friends. I trust you.” I sensed him softening, so I continued. “How else am I supposed to get better? You wouldn’t expect a baseball player to practice hitting without a bat.”
“Yeah, but—” He shook his head. “That’s different. And you’re not playing with my bat.”
I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I’d just put myself out there, and Bennett had shut me down immediately. I understood his reasons; I did. But it felt as if he were rejecting me, not just my idea.
“Wren.” His voice cracked. “It’s not that…” He paused, took a breath. “We can’t.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Please forget I ever mentioned it.”
I turned away and headed down the hall to my room, shoulders slumped. Bennett was right. We couldn’t—shouldn’t—cross that line. It was fine for him to give me advice, but touching was different. I kept telling myself that, but it didn’t lessen my disappointment and embarrassment.
He’s your friend. Your dating coach. Nothing more,I reminded myself for what felt like the millionth time. If only my heart and my body would listen.