Page 34 of Feels Like Love
Then there was Bennett. I’d always secretly harbored a crush on him. How could I not? While my brother’s other friends treated me like the annoying little sister, Bennett had been kind, sweet. When we were younger, he’d hung back with me, never making me feel rushed. And as I got older, he helped me with my science homework, always taking an interest in my life. It would’ve been impossiblenotto fall for him.
“Mm. That is good.” He hummed around a bite.
My mouth watered at the sight, and I craved his touch. His mouth. I wanted him to devour me like he did that pastry.
“Jerk.” I turned and headed toward my bedroom so I could change. And so I wouldn’t stand there any longer, drooling over a man who would never be interested in me.
“I was going to share.” When I glanced back over my shoulder, he was holding out the éclair to me, the inside oozing with creaminess. “But if you don’t want any…” He turned it back to himself again, as if to rub it in my face some more.
I marched over to him, and he smirked. For a minute, I didn’t think he was going to share, but then he turned the pastry to me, holding it out for me to take a bite. We had a silent conversation in which I glared. He grinned. Then I responded by planting a hand on my hip, the other extended to take the pastry.
He barked out a laugh. “Right. Like I’m going to trust you not to take it and run.”
Damn.He knew me too well. That had totally been my plan. Take the éclair. Make a run for it. Lock the bedroom door. Ditch the bra. Devour the dessert.
“Ugh. You’re so…infuriating.” I leaned forward and bit off a huge chunk.
Ha! That would show him!
But it was so big and so creamy that I was positive I looked like a chipmunk as I chewed and chewed and finally swallowed.
“Oh. Oh, wow. That is good.” I wiped some of the cream from the corner of my lips then licked my finger. “I think I like that even better than the first one. What do you think?”
Bennett was watching me with a dazed expression. “Mm-hmm. Yes. I like it very much.”
He shook his head, and I turned for my bedroom once more.
“Are you going to bed already?” he asked. Was that disappointment, or did I just want to hear it?
“Just changing. Don’t worry. I’ll be back to harass you some more.” I grinned.
It wasn’t long before I returned to the living room, my silk pajamas swishing with every step. Bennett glanced up, swallowing hard. “What are you wearing?”
I glanced down at my PJs, which were a blush color with blue magnolias printed on them. The pants had me completely covered up, so I assumed he was referring to the silky camisole.
“They’re this crazy thing called pajamas. Though I’m wondering if you know what they are since you never seem to wear any,” I teased. Though, really, I’d given it some thought. More than I should’ve. I only ever saw Bennett in jeans and a T-shirt, workout clothes, scrubs, or business casual attire. And I saw him a lot.
“Ha-ha.” But he didn’t answer me, instead grabbing the remote.
“Did you have fun tonight?” I asked as he navigated the menu on screen.
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s always good to get together with the guys.”
“I think it’s really cool that you’re still so close after all these years.”
“For sure. When my parents moved to Florida to be closer to my sister and her family, I considered joining them.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, but this was home. You know?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I do. Though I can’t say I’ve ever left to gain the kind of perspective you did.”
He turned to face me. “Do you ever wish you had?”
I blew out a breath. “You mean if I hadn’t had River?” And then the slew of health issues following his birth.
“Or even if you had,” he said. “Do you ever wish you could live somewhere else?”
