Page 88 of Pining for Pierce

“You mean, you knew?” I say, leaning away from Pierce, just slightly, unable to disguise my surprise.

“Of course I knew, but it wasn’t my place to say anything, was it?”

“Why not? You could have asked Pierce how he felt about me?”

“How?” Ben says. “What would have happened if I’d asked him and he’d said he didn’t like you in that way? How could I have told you that, knowing how you felt? It would have been horrible for you, and probably made Pierce feel really awkward around you… and maybe me, too. No…” he says. “You had to work it out for yourselves. Or to be more precise, Pierce had to stop being a dick, stop fooling around, and wake up to the beautiful woman who’d always been there for him.”

“That’s almost exactly how it happened,” Pierce says, pulling me close again and kissing the top of my head.

“In which case, I’m pleased for you… both of you. You’re perfect for each other. Although if you ever hurt my little sister, Pierce, you’ll wish you’d never been born.”

Pierce shakes his head. “I won’t hurt her,” he says, staring into my eyes.

“This is just great,” Ben says. It sounds like he’s smiling, and I frown at Pierce, wondering what my brother’s talking about.

“What is?” Pierce asks.

“You guys. You can take the heat off of me and Louise.”

Pierce laughs, and I look up at him. “You knew about Louise?” I ask and he nods.

“Of course. I’ve known about her for a while now.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Ben swore me to secrecy in case your parents found out.”

“And we have secrets from each other, do we?” I say, shaking my head at him.

“No, babe. You know we don’t. But we’ve only been together for a week, and we’ve had other things to think about than your brother’s love life.”

He has a point, but before I can say anything, Ben interrupts us. “I don’t wanna know what you’ve been doing for the last week,” he says.

“Mostly recovering from the accident.”

I look up at Pierce as he’s talking and raise my eyebrows. He smiles, his eyes sparkling with mischief, and he tries not to laugh.

“Oh, yeah… sorry,” Ben says. “But at least you guys have done me a favor. Louise and I can sit back and chill… and enjoy ourselves.”

“Don’t be too sure about that,” I say, bursting his bubble. “Mom and Dad are still gonna want to meet her.”

“I know, but you’re there and we’re here… and besides, Pierce is their blue-eyed boy, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“I’m sure you don’t either. Mom and Dad will love Louise… just like you do.”

He doesn’t reply for a second, but then he coughs again, and says, “Well… I’m sure we’ll see you soon,” which makes Pierce laugh out loud.

We end our call, Ben’s embarrassment getting the better of him, and Pierce turns to me.

“That went well,” he says.

“Why? Were you worried?”

“Not worried, no… but let’s face it, telling your best friend that you’re in love with his sister has the potential for disaster written all over it.”

“Not this time,” I whisper, pushing the throw to one side and kneeling up, straddling him. He reaches beneath the hoodie, grabbing my bare ass, and pulls me close, onto his arousal.

“I’m so relieved it’s the weekend,” he says.

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