Page 5 of Feels Like Love
I held out my cone for her, and she took a lick. I watched her tongue in fascination, drooling at the way she lapped at the cream.
“Oh wow. That’s amazing. Can you hold this?” She held out her cone, and I took it, completely distracted.
At least until she took my cone from me, making me realize she’d tricked me into swapping flavors. “What do you think you’re doing?” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Oh, come on, Bennett. You know you really wanted the salted caramel.”
“Oh, no.” I leaned forward, grabbing formyice cream. “We’re not trading now. If you wanted horchata, you should’ve ordered it.”
“Please? Can’t you give me this? Just tonight? It was my first date in months, and I got stood up.”
Andthere it was. The conversation I’d been hoping to avoid.
“He must have had a good reason,” I said. “Because I can’t imagine any man standing up a woman like you.”
The fact that Lucas had chickened out so easily when confronted by Liam told me he wasn’t the right guy for Wren. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as we turned down one of the tree-covered walkways and found an empty bench to sit on.
She said nothing more, but she seemed to relax. I didn’t mention the ice cream, and she dropped the date. Instead, we talked about books and River. It felt as real as any date I’d been on. Though a lot more relaxed.
When I moved to throw away the trash, she placed her hand on my forearm, and I froze. Her touch was searing, and I was momentarily at a loss for words. Her hand on my skin. The glow from the streetlight illuminating her features. Our breaths filling the air. I wanted to kiss her.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” I smiled and headed for the trash can.
When I returned, she stood and said, “I should probably get going.”
“Where’d you park?”
“A few blocks over.” She hooked her thumb in the direction of Bibliolater.
“I’ll walk with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
I butted her shoulder with mine. “I want to. Besides, Liam would kill me if I ever let anything happen to you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes he gets a little carried away with the protective-older-brother act.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah, well. It’s only because he cares about you. Even if he can be a bit psycho at times.” I was specifically thinking of tonight with Lucas, though I’d never tell Wren that.
“Right?” Her eyes grew wide. “Thank you! Gah. For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to remind you that you’re not my brother.”
I chuckled, mostly to hide the fact that the thoughts I had toward Wren were definitely not appropriate for a brother.
“Come on.” I held out my arm for her. Any excuse to touch her. “Let’s go.”
She slid her arm through mine but rolled her eyes all the same. “Will anyone in this town ever see me as anything other than Liam’s little sister?”
“Highly unlikely,” I joked. Did she really have no idea how I felt about her? I did my best to hide it, but still… “At least you know he loves you.”
When we reached Larkspur, she paused out front. “Thanks, but you don’t have to walk me to my car.”
“Wren, I’m walking you to your car.”
She rolled her eyes. “So bossy.”
I laughed to myself as she muttered, “Fine. Geez.” It only made me want to throw her over my shoulder and haul her home.
