In the Crease
Page 28
He nodded. “I know. I remember when that late winter storm hit that one time and killed them all. You cried for days since you loved them so much, so Dad had us out there replanting brand-new ones.”
She beamed, a little flabbergasted. “You remember that?”
“I remember everything.”
Her heart fluttered as she gazed at the side of his face. They really had known each other their whole lives. She shouldn’t be surprised, but she was. His cheeks were a little red, the hair on his face a little longer than she liked but it was the off-season, so it was expected. His shoulders looked so big in his tank, but all she could stare at was his lips.
Pursing them, he met her gaze. “You look beautiful today.”
She blushed. “Thanks, but—”
“Take the compliment, Wren.”
She snapped her lips shut and grinned. Her stupid heart was in a frenzy as he held her gaze hostage with his. “I wanted you to see what it was like to have me as your husband.”
Her grin grew. “Trying to buy me off with food and flowers? I think I’m supposed to buy you off.”
“You don’t have to,” he said with all seriousness, and her grin stalled.
“Well, then.”
He chuckled as he leaned on his arms, his gaze burning into hers. “It would be good.”
“Maybe, but it’s scary as fuck.”
“Of course it is. I’m asking something of you that you don’t think you want.”
“I don’t think. I know.”
“So you think.” She glared at his total dismissal of what she felt was a valid point, but he just smiled. “But it will be worth it.”
She blinked as her lips started to tremble, her heart in her throat. “I don’t want—”
“If you say you don’t want to hurt me, I’m taking the food back.”
Her eyes widened. “But I’m hungry.”
He smiled. “Then don’t.”
“Fine. I won’t.”
“Because you won’t.”
She eyed him uncertainly. “You don’t know that.”
“I do, and if that’s what’s holding you back, let it go. Because I trust you wouldn’t do that to me. We’ve been very honest with each other, and we’ll continue to do so. The great thing is that we were friends before this.”
She swallowed hard. His logic was sound, and she should just agree with him. It was what she needed, if maybe not what she wanted, but that was beside the point. She was running out of time, and he was offering her the world. She’d be stupid to turn it down. Even if it did scare her to the depths of her soul and made her want to run the other way.
“So you’re fine being the father of a baby that’s not yours, lying to my family and yours, mind you, and going into this with no guarantee that we’ll work.”
“Yes.”
“Just like that. No reservations?”
“None.”
“Jensen.”
“What? It’s you. I’d do anything for you.”
Her heart skipped as she tore her gaze away, shaking her head. “So you want this?”
“I do.”
She scoffed. He was crazy! “Out of all the women in the world, you want to do this with me?”
Looking up, she found him watching her, his eyes trained on hers as the heat gathered all throughout her. Swallowing hard, she watched as he nodded. “All the other women don’t matter.”
His statement was simple but meant so much. As she got lost in his eyes, she almost didn’t know how to respond, but something inside of her was going nuts. Call it her own insecurities, but she just couldn’t believe that. He was a great-looking guy, women loved him, and here he was in her office with food and flowers begging to help her. This was bold and completely out of his wheelhouse. He usually stood back, didn’t say much. But he was saying more than enough now, and it was hitting her right in her gut, leaving her breathless.
“Jensen—”
But his gaze was off to the side, at her computer. “Jesus, you’re still doing these pros and cons lists?”
Her stomach dropped. When she looked to where he was staring with his perfect vision, she saw her computer screen that held her list she had been working on before Tate had come in.
“Well, fuck,” she muttered, and he laughed as he started to move toward her computer at the same time she tried to reach for the mouse.
Knocking it out of her hand, he said, “You’re doing one on me? I gotta see this.”
“Jensen, no,” she groaned, trying to stop him, but he blocked her as he read the items out loud. “You’d block a pregnant woman?”
“Yes! I need to see this.”
“I can’t believe you,” she yelled, but she was laughing as he sat in her seat, with his arm across her chest, holding her back. He was so strong and manly, and he smelled like a woodsy lumberjack.
Yum.
“Let’s see here, I should take a picture and send it to Vaughn and Wells. They’d get a kick out of this.”
“Jensen Monroe, I’ll kill you.” He laughed as she pushed his arm down, crossing her arms over her belly. “I don’t like you right now.”
“Ha, this list is so pro heavy. I’m basically amazing.”
“Okay, Vaughn Johansson.”
He scoffed as he leaned back in the chair, looking up at her. “I love the con of falling in love with me, though. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Says you.”
“Exactly, because that’s what you do when you marry someone and raise a baby with them.”
“I wanted a fake husband, remember?”
“Yeah, nothing fake about me, baby.”
She let out a harsh breath. “I’m about to add annoying to the list.”
He laughed as he shrugged. “We both know I’m not annoying.” She rolled her eyes at that, and he sent her a grin. “And we’ve kissed!”
Her face twisted. “When we were younger and it was a stupid dare. You basically just licked me.”
“I did not! It was meaningful.”
She sputtered with laughter. “It was maybe a second, and you poked your tongue on my lip and then backed away.”
“I did not!”
“You did. It was pathetic.”
She beamed, a little flabbergasted. “You remember that?”
“I remember everything.”
Her heart fluttered as she gazed at the side of his face. They really had known each other their whole lives. She shouldn’t be surprised, but she was. His cheeks were a little red, the hair on his face a little longer than she liked but it was the off-season, so it was expected. His shoulders looked so big in his tank, but all she could stare at was his lips.
Pursing them, he met her gaze. “You look beautiful today.”
She blushed. “Thanks, but—”
“Take the compliment, Wren.”
She snapped her lips shut and grinned. Her stupid heart was in a frenzy as he held her gaze hostage with his. “I wanted you to see what it was like to have me as your husband.”
Her grin grew. “Trying to buy me off with food and flowers? I think I’m supposed to buy you off.”
“You don’t have to,” he said with all seriousness, and her grin stalled.
“Well, then.”
He chuckled as he leaned on his arms, his gaze burning into hers. “It would be good.”
“Maybe, but it’s scary as fuck.”
“Of course it is. I’m asking something of you that you don’t think you want.”
“I don’t think. I know.”
“So you think.” She glared at his total dismissal of what she felt was a valid point, but he just smiled. “But it will be worth it.”
She blinked as her lips started to tremble, her heart in her throat. “I don’t want—”
“If you say you don’t want to hurt me, I’m taking the food back.”
Her eyes widened. “But I’m hungry.”
He smiled. “Then don’t.”
“Fine. I won’t.”
“Because you won’t.”
She eyed him uncertainly. “You don’t know that.”
“I do, and if that’s what’s holding you back, let it go. Because I trust you wouldn’t do that to me. We’ve been very honest with each other, and we’ll continue to do so. The great thing is that we were friends before this.”
She swallowed hard. His logic was sound, and she should just agree with him. It was what she needed, if maybe not what she wanted, but that was beside the point. She was running out of time, and he was offering her the world. She’d be stupid to turn it down. Even if it did scare her to the depths of her soul and made her want to run the other way.
“So you’re fine being the father of a baby that’s not yours, lying to my family and yours, mind you, and going into this with no guarantee that we’ll work.”
“Yes.”
“Just like that. No reservations?”
“None.”
“Jensen.”
“What? It’s you. I’d do anything for you.”
Her heart skipped as she tore her gaze away, shaking her head. “So you want this?”
“I do.”
She scoffed. He was crazy! “Out of all the women in the world, you want to do this with me?”
Looking up, she found him watching her, his eyes trained on hers as the heat gathered all throughout her. Swallowing hard, she watched as he nodded. “All the other women don’t matter.”
His statement was simple but meant so much. As she got lost in his eyes, she almost didn’t know how to respond, but something inside of her was going nuts. Call it her own insecurities, but she just couldn’t believe that. He was a great-looking guy, women loved him, and here he was in her office with food and flowers begging to help her. This was bold and completely out of his wheelhouse. He usually stood back, didn’t say much. But he was saying more than enough now, and it was hitting her right in her gut, leaving her breathless.
“Jensen—”
But his gaze was off to the side, at her computer. “Jesus, you’re still doing these pros and cons lists?”
Her stomach dropped. When she looked to where he was staring with his perfect vision, she saw her computer screen that held her list she had been working on before Tate had come in.
“Well, fuck,” she muttered, and he laughed as he started to move toward her computer at the same time she tried to reach for the mouse.
Knocking it out of her hand, he said, “You’re doing one on me? I gotta see this.”
“Jensen, no,” she groaned, trying to stop him, but he blocked her as he read the items out loud. “You’d block a pregnant woman?”
“Yes! I need to see this.”
“I can’t believe you,” she yelled, but she was laughing as he sat in her seat, with his arm across her chest, holding her back. He was so strong and manly, and he smelled like a woodsy lumberjack.
Yum.
“Let’s see here, I should take a picture and send it to Vaughn and Wells. They’d get a kick out of this.”
“Jensen Monroe, I’ll kill you.” He laughed as she pushed his arm down, crossing her arms over her belly. “I don’t like you right now.”
“Ha, this list is so pro heavy. I’m basically amazing.”
“Okay, Vaughn Johansson.”
He scoffed as he leaned back in the chair, looking up at her. “I love the con of falling in love with me, though. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Says you.”
“Exactly, because that’s what you do when you marry someone and raise a baby with them.”
“I wanted a fake husband, remember?”
“Yeah, nothing fake about me, baby.”
She let out a harsh breath. “I’m about to add annoying to the list.”
He laughed as he shrugged. “We both know I’m not annoying.” She rolled her eyes at that, and he sent her a grin. “And we’ve kissed!”
Her face twisted. “When we were younger and it was a stupid dare. You basically just licked me.”
“I did not! It was meaningful.”
She sputtered with laughter. “It was maybe a second, and you poked your tongue on my lip and then backed away.”
“I did not!”
“You did. It was pathetic.”
