Feels Like Love by Jenna Hartley

Chapter Nineteen

Wren paused at the door and smiled. “What’s all this?”

While she was dropping River off at Aiden’s for the birthday sleepover, I’d been busy with preparations of my own. We had the house all to ourselves, and I planned to make the most of it. I might not be able to take her out for a real date, not that I didn’t want to. I wanted to walk down Main Street, hand in hand, eat at a restaurant together, show everyone in town she belonged with me.

But for now, I’d have to settle for a romantic meal at home for two. “Dinner.”

“Oh no.” She walked closer, inspecting the table with a growing smile. “This is so much more than dinner.”

There were flowers, candles… For a minute, I wondered if I’d gone overboard.

“Bennett Nash, are you trying to woo me?”

“What if I am?” I teased, trying to test the waters.

She’d gone on a second date with Arlo and had plans for a third. She enjoyed chatting with Ben, but she was getting frustrated with him since they still hadn’t met up. As far as I knew, she’d stopped checking for matches on the LoveBirds app and was now focused exclusively on Arlo. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not, but I sensed I was running out of time.

I was getting tired of keeping this secret. Of lying. Not just to my best friend, but to Wren. It was exhausting hiding my feelings from her.

She smirked then said, “Well, I guess I should put on an outfit worthy of this dinner.”

I took in her ripped jeans and tank top, taking my time to drink her in. To let her see my desire for once. It was so nice not to have to hide it from her. “You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Even so, you went to all this effort, and I have a new dress I’ve been wanting to wear.”

“You don’t want to save it for your date with Arlo?” I immediately wished I could take it back. I wanted her to be thinking about me, not Arlo. I wanted her to see how good we could be together for real.

Something passed through her eyes, but I couldn’t decipher it. Then she grinned, back to her normal self. “This will be a good test run, especially since our third date is coming up.” Her tone was laced with meaning, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

Was she saying what I thought she was? Were they really at the point in their relationship where she was ready to sleep with him? She hadn’t even mentioned kissing him, and I was too much of a chickenshit to ask. But we’d been doing a lot of practice, which had to mean something, didn’t it?

“I’ll be back soon. Unless…” She hung back, hand on the counter. “There’s anything I can do to help.”

“Nope.” I forced a smile. Not a damn thing.

I turned back to the stove, needing a moment to collect myself. Wren was gone for longer than I expected, so while the sauce was simmering, I went to change. I stripped out of my T-shirt, swapping it for a button-down with a tie. I applied some cologne and ran my fingers through my hair before swishing mouthwash and spitting it out.

Satisfied with my reflection, I returned to the kitchen. Wren was standing at the counter, pouring two glasses of wine.

I slid up behind her, smoothing my hands over her waist until she was wrapped in my arms. Right where she belonged. Fuck Arlo. Fuck any other man who tries to come near her; she’s mine.

“Hi,” she said, a smile in her voice as she glanced back over her shoulder at me.

“Hey, baby.” I kissed her cheek. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you. Gorgeous is good.”

I nodded, wondering where she was going with this. “Yes. It is.”

“It is, but on a scale of one to fuckable, where does this dress fall?”

I released her, letting my hands linger as I stepped back. She turned to face me, and I scanned her from head to toe. The dress was black with a pattern on it—butterflies, maybe. But I couldn’t take my eyes off her skin. Her legs and thighs that were revealed by the high slit. And the top that dipped so low, it was almost even with the band at her waist. But it was her lips that had me coming back to them—the deep red color that I could so easily picture wrapped around my cock. Especially now that I knew what her mouth looked like when she sucked me off.

She smiled, smoothing her hands up my chest. “Bennett?”

“Hm?” I was so spellbound, I’d forgotten she’d asked me a question.

“You didn’t ask, but on a scale from one to fuckable,” she whispered then pressed up on her toes. “You’re off the charts.”

“Is that so?” I placed my hands on her hips, swaying in the kitchen. “You’re going to have to stop distracting me if you want dinner any time soon.”

“As good as it smells,” she said, “I can think of something I want more.”

“Oh yeah?” I spun her out then back into me.

I clasped her hand in mine, pulling her close as I led her around the kitchen. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. I was exactly where I was supposed to be and with the woman I was meant to spend my life with.

“You’re smooth, Bennett Nash. Has anyone ever told you that?”

I grinned down at her. “And you’re beautiful.” We stilled, and I cupped her cheeks. “God, Wren. You’re so beautiful.” You have no idea.

How beautiful you are.

How in love with you I am.

“Bennett.” She swallowed hard, teasing the scruff along my jawline. “I want you.”

“You have no idea how badly I want you,” I said, our foreheads kissing. My dick hardening. How much I’ve always wanted you.

“Kiss me,” she said, and I kissed her neck, prompting her to sigh. “Take me.” I couldn’t resist dipping lower. “I need you.”

We kissed, and she slid her hand down to cup me over my pants. I closed my eyes. God, how I needed her. How could I possibly resist this—her?

But then what would happen? We’d have sex, and then she’d be ready to sleep with Arlo? And what about Liam? Fuck…Liam. I groaned and pulled back, panting.

“Your first time should be with someone special.” Someone who wasn’t me. No matter how badly I wanted it.

“I’m not a virgin, Bennett.” She rolled her eyes. “And this isn’t my first time.”

Close enough. But I didn’t say that, knowing it would only piss her off or make her feel even more inadequate about her lack of experience.

I closed my eyes, unable to think when she was standing before me. Looking like she was. I should tell her no. I should, but…shouldn’t she be with someone who loved her? Someone who would take care of her? Put her needs first and give her the experience she deserved?

And did I honestly think anyone could do that better than me?

I went over and switched off the stove. When I returned to Wren, she was biting back a grin. A thrill ran through me at what we were about to do, and I pulled her to me, kissing her roughly. Marking her lips, her skin, as mine.

“God, these tits…” I massaged them through the thin material, feeling her nipples harden beneath my hands.

Fuck me.

“No bra?” I grinned. “Someone was feeling naughty tonight.”

I kissed her neck while peeling her dress from her shoulder. One side then the other, revealing her tits to me. She smiled on a sigh, tilting her head back as I massaged her breasts. Teasing the skin, circling the nipples, watching in awe as they puckered. I leaned forward to taste her, nipping at her skin, sucking her breast into my mouth just the way she liked.

I wanted—needed—more. More skin. More touching. More…Wren.

“This needs to come off,” I said, stepping back so I could pull her dress over her head.

With every inch of skin revealed, my desire grew until I wasn’t sure there was any blood left in my head. I wanted to do everything at once. Eat her pussy. Make her come. Have her ride my dick. And if the expression on her face was anything to go by, she was just as eager, her birthmark deepening in color, her breathing shallow.

I groaned and picked her up, kissing her as I carried her down the hall to her room. Her breasts were crushed to my chest, my hands spreading her ass as our mouths and tongues and teeth fought for dominance. My dick was aching, angling toward her as if he couldn’t get close enough, fast enough. I wanted—no, needed—to slow this down. Savor this moment with her.

I set her down before her full-length mirror. She watched us in the reflection, and I wondered if she saw what I did. If she pictured us as a couple, a family. Though, right now, I was imagining all the filthy things I wanted to do with her delicious body. All the ways I wanted to make her come.

She watched as I slid my hand down her stomach. Eyes glued to what I was doing as that same hand dipped below her panties. She leaned her head back against my chest, rocking against my finger as my dick nudged her ass from behind. Oh god. I swallowed. I was going to come just from watching her unravel.

I could see her pleasure building as she rode that edge toward gratification. I used my free hand to play with her tits, tweaking her nipples.

“Come for me, baby,” I said, working her harder, faster.

She was wild, writhing in my arms, but when her eyes locked on mine, something unspoken passed between us. There was no talk of “practice” or technique; it was just the two of us in this moment. It was real. We were as real as the orgasm building inside her. And then she exploded, crying out as she rode my hand. I continued touching her until her spasms had stopped.

“Fuck, that was hot.” I licked my lips.

She turned to me, loosening my tie, her limbs relaxed. I watched as she undressed me, one item at a time. My heart was racing with desire as she stripped me down, and I could tell she was enjoying it just as much as I was.

I’d been with other women, but none that made me feel like Wren. None that made me forget about everything else. None that made me feel the sense of belonging and worth the way she did. I didn’t have to try to impress her or work to earn her affection; she gave it freely.

My shirt was gone, then my pants. She pushed them down my hips along with my boxers until she was kneeling before me. I groaned and reached out for her hair, cradling the strands in my hands. She kissed the tip of my dick, and I ached for more. For her.

When she went to take me into her mouth, I gently pulled on her hair to stop her. She peered up at me with those beguiling baby-blue eyes and those swollen red lips. God, she was tempting.

“Please?” She pouted.

The woman was a goddess. A goddess on her knees, begging me to let her suck my cock. How had I gotten so lucky?

“Wren.” I clenched my fists at my sides. “I…” I swallowed. “I’m so keyed up here. If you do that, I’ll never last.”

“So?” She lifted a shoulder with a sexy little grin. “We have all night.”

“That we do.” I pulled her to a standing position. “But I have other plans for you.”

“Is that so?” She smirked, eyebrow raised. “Tell me, Bennett Nash. What plans do you have for me?”

I picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. She giggled but soon quieted as I climbed over her body. My cock was heavy and hard between my legs, aching to be inside her. My skin tingled from where it brushed against hers. My heart was full of love for this beautiful woman.

“Wren,” I sighed, pressing my lips to her hair.

“Bennett.” She closed her eyes, my name whispered like a prayer. “I don’t know how much more I can take.”

You’re telling me.

I stood. “Let me grab a condom.”

I rushed to my room and returned a moment later with a handful, tearing the foil on one and nearly dropping it before sliding it down on my dick. If I hadn’t been looking at Wren, I would’ve missed the way she eyed me hungrily, mouth slightly agape.

I smirked and joined her on the bed, nerves settling in as reality hit. We were doing this. There was no going back now. Not that I’d want to.

“You nervous?” I asked, straddling her hips and lining myself up with her entrance. I circled her clit a few times, needing her swollen and creamy.

She shook her head, eyes on mine. “I trust you.”

I took a deep breath and pushed forward, sliding into her inch by inch. Watching her expression change like a beautiful sunset. Feeling her body stretch to accommodate mine until I was fully seated.

“You okay?” I asked, bracing myself above her on my arms.

She swallowed hard and nodded quickly. “Wow. So…full.”

I grinned, lowering myself to her lips. “You feel so good.”

I started to move, slowly at first so she could get used to the feeling. She was gripping me so tight. She felt incredible.

We rocked together, our bodies moving in harmony. Our eyes were locked, foreheads pressed together as I drove in and out of her. Perspiration beaded along my forehead from the strain of holding myself back, of trying to keep my orgasm at bay until she’d come.

When she hooked her legs around me, I flipped us so she was on top, straddling me.

“Oh.” She squeaked, feeling me in an entirely different way.

“Move with me,” I said, inching up the bed so my back was resting against the headboard.

“Here.” She grabbed a pillow and placed it behind me, putting her breasts even with my mouth.

Fuck yes. I certainly liked the new position. I took her into my mouth, her tits bouncing in my face as we started to move. I gripped her hips, dragging my nails along her ass, which only seemed to spur her on.

“You like that, baby?” I asked.

“Yes,” she hissed. “Yes, Bennett.”

She leaned forward, teasing the shell of my ear with her tongue. Oh fuck. Oh… I squeezed my eyes shut, overwhelmed by the intensity of it all.

“Too much?” she whispered, her breath tickling my skin.

“No,” I panted. “But if you keep doing that, I’m going to come.”

“Is that a problem?” I could hear the smirk in her voice, like she took it as a challenge.

It wasn’t going to be a challenge to make me come. The challenge was making sure it didn’t happen too soon. Or at least, not before she’d climaxed.

“That feels…so good,” I said on a moan. She slowed her pace, sliding up my cock before slamming down hard. I drew in a shuddering breath. “Fuck. Fuck yes.”

She kept on like that, teasing me, teasing both of us, it seemed. I captured her lips—wet, sloppy kisses that showed just how out of control I was. She cupped my balls, running her free hand down my chest, until I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

I bit her nipple, pinching it hard between my teeth as I took the other in my hand. “Fuck me, Wren. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck…”

“Yes, Bennett,” she cried, her channel clenching around me. I bit her other nipple, and she cried out, arching her back. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Her movements were wild, uncontrolled, and I watched as she came on my cock, riding me like it was her sole purpose in life. My body tensed, my own orgasm coming fast. Ripping through me as I dug my fingers into her hips.

I pushed up into her, hard, short, fast strokes that left me spent. Until I collapsed against the headboard and she fell against me.

“Oh my god,” she said. “That was amazing.”

I chuckled, my limbs loose. “You’re amazing.” I kissed the top of her head where it rested on my chest.

We stayed that way a moment, and when she finally pulled back to look at me, my breath caught. I wanted to do this over and over. Only with her for the rest of my life.

When she yawned and slid off me, I rolled off the bed. “Be right back.”

I went to the bathroom and removed the condom before washing my hands. When I returned to the bedroom, her eyes were closed. She looked so relaxed, so content, and I pulled the blankets up over her.

“Bennett,” she mumbled, reaching out for my hand.

“Yeah, baby.” I knelt beside her, smoothing her hair away from her face.

“Stay.”

I had every intention of doing just that. I climbed into bed beside her and switched off the light before pulling her to me. I breathed her in, falling a little more in love with her. Until finally, I drifted off to sleep.

At some point in the night, I woke to her hand on my cock, stroking me. I was already hard, and I reached between her legs and found her dripping with need. I teased her until she was frantic, begging me to get inside her.

I fumbled on the nightstand for a condom, quickly rolling it on before pulling her on top of me and sliding home. In the dark, my senses were heightened, and I noticed things I hadn’t the first time. The cadence of her breath. The feel of her hair brushing against my skin. The heat of her body, sucking me in. Her heart, holding me close.

She clenched around me, and desire shot through me like a bolt of lightning, racing down my spine. I cupped the back of her neck, bringing her mouth to mine as we panted and kissed and chased our release. Until finally, she collapsed on top of me, both of us sweaty and spent.

She went to the bathroom first, and when I returned, she nuzzled into my chest. Falling asleep in my arms. I closed my eyes, a smile on my lips. My body humming with satisfaction. My heart at peace.

The next time I woke, it was light, and Wren’s ass was pressed against my dick. I was barely awake, but she was already driving me crazy with the way she was wriggling.

“You are a sex fiend,” I teased, reaching around to circle her clit with my fingers.

“Mm.” She arched into me, wrapping her arm around my neck. “That feels good.”

My dick slid between her thighs, some of her wetness coating me as we rocked together. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I slipped on a condom and slid inside her, loving this slower pace. The closeness of our bodies. The intimacy of the moment.

I love you. The words had nearly exploded from my tongue along with my orgasm. I wanted to tell her so badly, but I didn’t want to come on too strong.

Though, considering my cock had just been inside her multiple times, I wasn’t sure there was such a thing as coming on too strong.

I gathered my courage and was on the verge of saying the words, of telling her I wanted to give us a shot—for real—when Wren’s phone rang.

“Ignore it,” I said, kissing her shoulder. She shivered, goose bumps breaking out along her skin.

“Mm.” She moaned. “Tempting, but—” She grabbed the phone and glanced at the screen. “It’s my alarm. I have a shoot this morning.”

She tapped the screen and went to get out of bed.

“What?” I frowned, pulling her closer. Bringing her back to me.

“Yep.” She laughed. “It’s a newborn one.”

“Cancel it.” My tone was gruff, arms wound tight around her.

“I would if I could.” She turned in my arms, tucking her hands beneath her face. “Trust me, I’d much rather stay here in bed with you. Last night was fun.” Her smile was warm, and I felt that heat travel between us.

“And this morning.” I grinned, kissing her neck.

She sighed and tilted her head back to grant me access. “Thanks for the practice session. It was very…educational.”

I searched her face, her eyes. Was that all it was to her? Practice?

She hopped out of bed, but I grabbed her hand before she could go. “Come back here. We’re not done.” I tugged, trying to entice her to stay.

“I have to go, but I’ll see you later.”

“What?” I opened my mouth in mock outrage. “That’s it? No breakfast in bed?”

She stuck her tongue out at me, grabbing her clothes as she headed for the bathroom. “You know where the kitchen is.”

“Yeah. I meant for you. I was going to make you breakfast.”

She smiled and leaned back over the bed, her hair fanning out around us, her scent surrounding me. She pressed her hand to my cheek, her lips to mine. “You’re the best, Bennett.”

I pulled her on top of me, and she laughed. But we quickly melted into a kiss, our bodies moving together. I couldn’t get enough of her. I wasn’t sure I ever would.

When her snooze alarm sounded, we both groaned. “I wish I could stay here all day with you,” she said. “But I can’t be late.”

She rolled off me, and I watched as she walked into the bathroom. When she disappeared into the shower, I threw my arm over my forehead. I am so fucked.