Page 33 of Feels Like Love
He laughed, so I decided to turn the tables on him. “What about you? Would you ever do it?”
“Pose in my underwear?” He laughed. “Maybe only if I was really desperate for money.”
“What about your underwear and a lab coat?” I asked, thinking of how commanding and professional he looked when he was at his clinic. How sexy he was, conveying both an air of authority but also calm. He burst out laughing this time, which prompted me to say, “Oh, come on!” I pushed his shoulder. “Harper’s had stranger requests.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. I’m just saying—she does all sorts of things to get a great shot. Sometimes she’ll rip up a plain white T-shirt to make it look sexy. Or other times, she’ll have them use a prop. The end results are amazing.”
“Is it always women?” he asked.
“Not always. We’ve had one guy, and a few couples.”
“How does she…you know, focus, while they’re getting it on?”
“They’re not ‘getting it on,’ Bennett.” I rolled my eyes. “I mean, yes, they’re in very intimate positions. But I’m sure Harper’s focused on getting the best shot, not taking mental images for her spank bank.”
“You did not just use the words ‘spank bank.’”
I shrugged. What was it about Bennett that made me shed my inhibitions?
Maybe because I knew I didn’t have a snow cone’s chance in hell with him. He was so out of my league, out of my zip code, out of my orbit, it wasn’t even funny. A man like Bennett… He was smart and funny, kind, generous. He was good with animals and children. He was sexy as hell. And one day he would make some woman very happy. I envied his future wife, whoever she was.
“Okay,” he said. “I think we’ve had enough coaching for one evening.”
I pouted. “But we didn’t evendoanything. I still don’t know how to flirt or sext or anything.”
“We completely revamped your profile. That’s a good start.” He spun the computer toward me.
“Does that mean I can have my pastry now?” I walked my fingers toward the box.
“Hm. Seeing as I did all the heavy lifting, I think I’m the one who should get the pastry. Consider it a signing bonus.”
“I thought you said you were blackmailed. You can’t have a signing bonus if you’re blackmailed. And I had a crappy evening.”
“It wasn’t all crappy,” he said, standing, stretching.
When he reached toward the ceiling, a sliver of his toned stomach peeked out from beneath his shirt. I blinked a few times, distracted by the trail of hair that led beneath his jeans.
“You’re right.” I stood, feeling a sudden urge to move. “I always enjoy hanging out with you.”
“Because I’m awesome.”
I elbowed him, but then I said, “Yeah. You are pretty awesome.”
“Which is why I should get the pastry.” He opened the box and pulled it out. Like the others, it was absurdly gorgeous.
An éclair, perfectly shaped. No doubt filled with something “scrummy,” as former GBBO judge Mary Berry would say. Then topped with a cheerful yellow cream, strawberries that had been sliced with precision, and what looked to be passion fruit coulis.
He held it up to his mouth, and my own watered. Though, this time, I wasn’t sure it was entirely due to the pastry but rather the man holding it.
“Bennett,” I warned when he licked his lips. He was just being annoying now. Taunting me like my brother would. “Don’t do it.Don’t—”
He took a bite and moaned with pleasure, really playing it up. Suddenly, my body’s reaction to him was anything but sisterly. My annoyance was at an all-time high for an entirely different reason.
Liam hated the idea of me dating. The only thing he would abhor even more was if I dated one of his best friends. I’d never felt a pull toward Tristan. Besides, he was happily married to Tessa. They were the golden couple. High school sweethearts. Do-gooders.
Asher had only recently moved back. And while I would’ve dated him for the pastries alone, I didn’t think I could handle his brooding. He’d always been intense, but especially so since returning from LA a few months back. I could only guess at the reason.
