Feels Like Love by Jenna Hartley

Chapter Three

“We missed you last week,” Tristan said, taking a seat next to me on a bench in Liam’s backyard. “Everything okay?”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Asher snarked from his perch on an overturned bucket, and I lifted a shoulder.

I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Liam since last Friday, and I was afraid he’d hear about my dinner with Wren from someone other than me. It wasn’t like it was a date. Though, it sure as hell felt like one. I wanted it to be one. But it wasn’t. Just two friends out for dinner and some ice cream.

Even so, I was sweating bullets, waiting for Liam to find out. Waiting to see how he’d react. Waiting for him to punch me in the face. Or the balls. I honestly wasn’t sure which he’d go for, but I didn’t particularly want to find out.

It wasn’t the fact that I’d had these thoughts about Wren. That was bad enough. But that I’d almost acted on them. That I’d nearly kissed her…

“Yeah. Where were you?” Liam asked, tipping back his beer. “And why are you fuckers sitting when you’re supposed to be helping me tear down this piece-of-shit old pergola?”

We all stood, begrudgingly. Liam had always been the unofficial leader of our group. As usual, he was directing us on his latest house project.

“I—” I cleared my throat and put on some safety glasses. I’d been trying to figure out the best way to phrase this all week. I could never ever let on just how into his sister I was. He wouldn’t just end our friendship; he’d end me. “I went to pick up some dinner and ran into Wren.”

“Likely waiting for that douchebag,” Liam scoffed and took another pull before setting down his beer and picking up a sledgehammer. Shit.

I pulled at the neck of my shirt. “You mean the douchebag you told to stand her up?”

“It was a test. He failed,” Liam said and started beating the shit out of one of the posts.

“Right.” My stomach soured, and I went over to help Asher remove some debris. “A test.”

Liam had always been protective of Wren. But ever since what had happened with Kade, he’d been hypervigilant. He was so blinded by the past, he couldn’t distinguish a good guy from a bad one. In his mind, any man interested in Wren was a threat.

Tristan glanced between us. “What douchebag?”

“Lucas,” Liam said.

“Lucas, as in Mucus Lucas?” he asked, stepping up next to Liam.

“One and the same.” He shook his head, and Asher laughed.

“Anyway,” I said, knowing I needed to just get this over with and tell him. The longer I didn’t, the more suspicious my silence on the matter would seem. The guiltier I’d feel. “She seemed really bummed, so I asked if I could join her.”

“That was nice of you,” Tristan said.

It had been nice. The meal, the company, just getting to be with her alone. Without her family around, without interruptions from River, or under Liam’s watchful eye. Just the two of us—as if we were an ordinary couple out for the night.

“Good thinking, man.” Liam slapped my shoulder, and my breath left me in a whoosh. “Way to run interference.”

Wow. Okay. I hadn’t been expecting that reaction.

I rubbed a hand over my face, exhaustion seeping into my bones. It had been one hell of a week. I’d had to perform an emergency surgery on a cat who’d swallowed a string. One pet owner had freaked out when her dog had sniffed at a bowl of chocolates. And even though she wasn’t sure the dog had eaten any, she was convinced the dog was dying. Spoiler: the dog was absolutely fine. And then an actual toxicity case that had been concerning in its severity. And the cherry on top? I’d come home from work yesterday to a flooded house.

“Were you able to get an estimate on your house?” Asher asked me, and I could’ve kissed him for changing the subject.

I nodded. “I did. Thanks for sending me his info.”

“No problem. He does a lot of work for Enzo at the winery, and I know he’ll do a good job.”

“Repairs?” Liam asked, shifting to face me. “What repairs?”

“Yesterday, I came home to find that my hot water heater had busted. It flooded the house.”

“Oh shit,” Liam said.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “It’s not good. When I got there, the damage was already done. And thanks to its location, there was a lot of it.”

Liam resumed his task, Asher helping him.

“That happened to Tessa’s parents a few years back,” Tristan said. “They came home from vacation to ruined wood floors.”

“Yeah. This is a lot more than just my floors. Now I’ve got to find a place to stay for the next six weeks while my place is being repaired. I figured if they had to rip out most of the stuff anyway, I might as well have them update the whole thing.”

I’d considered renting a vacation home, but this time of year, most of them were booked. A hotel seemed too impersonal and cold—not to mention, too far away. The closest one was a forty-minute drive. And now I was going to be overseeing the repairs at home in addition to work. Six weeks was a long time to add a commute of that length to my day.

“Where’d you stay last night?” Tristan asked.

“Alpaca Acres.”

“Tessa’s been wanting to try out one of the yurts. How was it?”

“Fun for a night—maybe a weekend. But definitely not comfortable for the next six weeks.”

“I’d offer to let you stay with me, but my place is a constant work in progress,” Liam said.

Liam was a good friend, but there was no way I wanted to stay with him. Been there and done that in college. Our friendship nearly hadn’t survived.

“Sorry.” Asher raised his hands, though we all knew he wasn’t sorry. Not in the slightest. “My rental agreement clearly states no roommates.”

Asher had moved home from LA a few months back. Given up his job as a pastry chef in a three-star Michelin restaurant. We all knew something was going on with him, but he wouldn’t talk to us. So, for now, we just tried to be there for him.

“Trust me,” Tristan said. “You don’t want to stay with us. Maddox has these awful night terrors that wake everyone up.”

“Wow. Thanks a lot, you guys. You’re a bunch of help.”

“What about Wren?” Tristan offered after the pergola had come down with a sickening groan, a big cloud of dirt pluming around it.

“What about her?” I asked quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly, judging by how Asher was looking at me.

“She has an extra room. Right, Liam?”

Liam nodded, and he looked as if he were actually considering it. “Yeah. Yeah. That’s not a bad idea. Let’s call her.” He wiped his forehead off with the hem of his shirt.

Before I could respond, he whipped out his phone and pressed the button to connect the call. “Hey, little bird.”

I couldn’t hear her side of the conversation, but I strained to listen, to catch any hints as to what was going on.

“I wondered if you could do a favor for your favorite brother?” He paused, and then she said something that made him chuckle. “Right?”

Asher and Tristan went inside the house, while I held my breath and waited to see what would happen. Liam explained the situation to Wren, his smile slowly growing larger.

“Awesome. You’re the best.” Silence. “Yep. Yep. Thanks. Love you too. Bye.” He placed the phone on the table. “She’d be happy to have you.”

Wait. What?Am I dreaming?

“So…” Tristan said as he and Asher returned with a tray of pastries.

“Oh, fuck me. Those look good.” Liam reached for one of the colorful pastries topped with berries and cream.

Asher slapped his hand. “You need to cleanse the palate first. And wash your hands.”

Liam rolled his eyes, and I followed him inside so we could wash our hands. He seemed preoccupied, but my mind was reeling. Liam had just asked Wren if I could stay with her. In her house. For six weeks. Or however long it took for the repairs on my house to be finished.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Huh?” He shook his head. “Oh yeah. Work is just a little insane right now.”

“That inspection you just got back from?”

He nodded. “Yeah. The site is pushing back on some Code testing requirements.”

“What’s new?” I muttered as we headed back outside to join the rest of the guys.

Liam and I grabbed a slice of apple from the bowl Tristan had set on the table.

“What did Wren say?” Tristan asked.

Liam crunched on the apple. “As expected, she was totally cool with it.”

“I can’t believe you’re cool with this,” Asher said, voicing my exact thoughts.

Liam shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be? It’s perfect. Bennett’s always been like a big brother to Wren. I have some inspections coming up, and I trust him to watch out for her, scare any guys away. It’s not like he’d ever be stupid enough to try anything with my sister.”

“Mm-hmm,” Asher said into his beer. Fucking stirring the pot. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Liam just brushed his comment aside. “She’s not his type.”

“Blond hair, big—” He stopped talking when Liam cut his eyes to him. “Eyes.”

Liam glared at Asher, his gaze downright lethal, as did I, though for an entirely different reason. “You better not be looking at my sister’s ‘eyes.’”

Liam trusted me. We were friends. And, yes, I’d been looking at his sister’s “eyes”—both the ones on her gorgeous face and the ones he alluded to on her chest. I was a bastard. The worst kind of friend. And I needed to put an end to this. I was supposed to be avoiding Wren, not moving in with her.

“I’m sure I can find somewhere else to crash,” I said. “Maybe Susan would be willing to work out a deal with me to stay in one of the rooms at the main house.” Though I couldn’t say the idea was particularly appealing. She was an interesting woman, but I liked my privacy. And a busy bed-and-breakfast with a nosy host wasn’t that.

“Don’t be silly,” Liam said. “Wren adores you—River too.”

“Great,” Tristan said. “It’s settled. Now can we please stop talking and start tasting?”

We laughed, the tray of pastries taunting us.

“Has everyone had their apple slice?” Asher asked, turning serious. He didn’t mess around when it came to pastries. And Liam didn’t mess around when it came to Wren. I had a feeling the next six weeks were going to be torture.

* * *

I squeezed my eyes shut,trying to block out the sunlight streaming through the domed roof of the yurt like a beam from an alien ship. It was way too fucking bright in here. But at least the bed was comfortable. Maybe I could handle six more weeks. Maybe I didn’t need to torture myself and risk my friendship with Liam by moving in with Wren after all.

But when I squeezed into the shower, getting hit in the ass with the faucet knob every other second, I knew that was a lie. Still, at least my balls were intact. I couldn’t say the same would hold true after sharing a space with Wren for the next…however long. Just thinking about her plump lips and full breasts, that ass, had my cock hardening.

I yanked the faucet to cold. No. No. No. No. No. No.

How on earth was I going to hide the way my body reacted to her? But it wasn’t just that—not just the physical. It was her. Her sweetness and kindness, her sass.

With the cold water pelting my skin, I was motivated to finish rinsing quickly. In record time, I switched off the shower and toweled off. Once I was dressed and my bag packed, I checked out of Alpaca Acres and said goodbye to Larry, Daisy, and Willa the alpacas before heading over to Wren’s.

When I pulled up to the curb, I took a minute to admire her house. I’d been here a few times over the years, usually for a family event or something like River’s birthday party. Rarely ever when it was just the two of us. I knew better than to put myself in those situations. Yet here I was—walking up to her front door, knocking on it, and asking her to let me stay.

She opened the door in a pair of leggings that looked like an explosion of flowers and a black shirt that hung off one shoulder. I homed in on that shoulder, all the smooth, creamy skin. Skin I wanted to taste. Lick.

“Bennett, hey.” She smiled just as footsteps pounded on the wood floor, announcing River’s approach.

“Bennett!” Without warning, he flung himself at me, and I was lucky I caught him. I laughed, trying to find his face through the sea of green tulle.

“River.” I gave him a good squeeze then let him go. “What on earth are you wearing?”

He stood back, turning from side to side with the cutest fucking grin on his face. This kid. He was a ball of energy covered in glitter and wrapped in smiles. The green tutu fluttered when he spun, a matching T-shirt on top. He had a heart-shaped rhinestone stuck to the middle of his forehead and several smaller ones forming lines over his eyebrows. On his head were a pair of glittery heart antennae that wobbled every time he moved. And he never stopped moving.

“Let me guess,” I said, tapping my finger to my lips. “You’re a…caterpillar.”

“No. Silly.” He giggled, rolling his eyes. “I’m a katydid.”

“A who-did-what?” I teased.

“You know.” He held up a hand, his expression saying the answer was completely obvious. “A long-horned grasshopper. We’ve been learning about them at school, and they’re really cool. They have these super green bodies that look almost like leaves to help them blend in.”

“Wow,” I said, standing. “That’s amazing.”

“Yeah. We even have a few in our class. I got to name one of them, and I named him Leafy!”

I smiled, trying my best not to laugh.I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “That’s awesome, Riv.”

Wren opened the door wider. “Let Bennett come in,” she said with a smile.

River skipped inside, jumping over some pillows that were on the floor. “Mom said you’re moving in with us.” He panted, screwed up his face with concentration, then jumped again.

For a minute, I held my breath, bracing myself for him to totally fucking eat it. But he didn’t. He nailed it, complete with a gymnastics, arms-in-the-air finish. I laughed, delighted by his beaming smile and not just a little bit relieved.

When I glanced at Wren, she wasn’t looking at River as I’d expected. She was watching me. And when I smiled, she tilted her head. She finally seemed to relax and returned my smile. I felt as if I’d passed some sort of unspoken test.

“Is it,” River panted, taking a big leap, “true?” Another leap.

“Only if it’s okay with you.”

“Are you kidding?” he squealed, landing next to me on the couch—a ball of green energy. “That. Is. Awesome!” He half yelled, half sang the words, each one louder than the last.

“Come here, kid,” I pulled him into my side, giving him a good hug. “You’re awesome.” He giggled when I tickled him, which only made me do it more.

“Okay. Okay.” He laughed. “Let me go!” As soon as I did, he said, “More! Tickle me more!” Then ran off down the hall.

I shook my head with a laugh. “I’ll be there in a minute. I need to chat with your mom about a few things first.”

“Okay!” he called back.

I turned to Wren. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“I was just about to ask you the same. Because spending time with River for an afternoon is different from living with him. It’s rarely quiet around here, unless he’s sleeping or out of the house.”

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.” I grinned. “But if you’d rather I stay somewhere else…”

“No. No. Don’t even think about it, Bennett.” She stood and grabbed something from the counter. “Here’s a key for you. Please make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, Wren.” I stood and took it from her, our fingers brushing in the process. Our eyes meeting. “And thank you for letting me stay. I really appreciate it.”

She glanced away and cleared her throat. “Don’t mention it. We couldn’t have you staying in Susan’s yurts for the next six weeks, now could we?”

I grimaced, sliding her key onto my ring. “The only thing worse would be one of Ethan’s tiny homes.”

She shuddered. “I know, right? They’re so cute, but—” She shook her head. “I need my space.”

I chuckled. “I’m just going to go grab some stuff from my truck.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.

“Let me help,” she said, slipping on some shoes before calling out, “River, I’m going to help Bennett grab some things from the car. We’ll be right back.”

“Okay, Mom!”

“What do you think he’s doing in there?” I asked as I held open the door for her and followed her down the steps to my truck.

“Probably changing his outfit for the millionth time.” She rolled her eyes, but I could see how proud of him she was. How much she loved him. “We recently had to institute a new rule.”

“Oh yeah?” I clicked the button to unlock the cab. “What is it?”

“Clothes belong in the hamper or in the closet. If they’re on the floor, I assume they’re dirty.”

“Sounds fair to me.” I grabbed a bag out of the back and handed it to her. She peered up at me, her blue eyes locking on mine. She was so fucking beautiful it stole the air from my lungs.

“I’ve got it,” she said, a little breathless, her chest rising and falling.

Look away, Bennett. Look away.

Was it really just last week that I’d resolved to avoid her?

The universe was clearly mocking me.

I followed her back up the sidewalk to her house. Her hips swayed, her leggings wrapping around those luscious hips and, damn…that ass. My dick hardened, and I was grateful for the box covering my crotch. If this was a test, I vowed I would not fail.