Chapter 29 Wren
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
WREN
When the show on elephants ends, Dex surfs through the channels until he finds The Bachelorette. I not-so-secretly sort of love this show. It was like a glimpse into dating.
What concerned me most was why Laurie had to choose. Mark, Micah, and Theo all seemed like perfect matches for her. I try to subtly glance at each of my guys, scattered around the couches, as I wonder for the hundredth time if I’ll eventually have to choose.
I should ask.
Yep, you should definitely ask.
But I won’t. How could I? What if the answer was yes, I had to choose. Then what? This way, I could pretend to be utterly oblivious to the fact that three of these four very attractive men had kissed me, and all of them seemed interested in more than friendship.
I do feel relatively inexperienced with this sort of thing, though, so for all I knew, it was normal for friends of the opposite sex to be attracted to each other.
Do friends have sex together sometimes? How complicated would that be?
How would you ever know who’s your friend and who you’re in a relationship with?
For now, I wasn’t going to ask those burning questions. We had more important things to deal with, anyway, like Robert. Just thinking about him makes my hands clench into fists, and my stomach churn.
I can hardly believe he’s responsible for sending my guys to prison.
I feel foolish for never putting it together before.
Why did I never wonder why he had a list of their names?
Thinking back, I was just so caught up with the excitement of having these four intriguing men write to me that I forgot all about the Big Sister program and how I found them.
Now I know the truth, I know I can’t keep running from Robert anymore.
Hopefully, once we get to Ashford Springs, we’ll be able to come up with a plan to get them declared innocent and have Robert arrested for lying…
Or something. I wasn’t actually sure what charges could be laid against him.
It wasn’t like he personally accused them of murders they didn’t commit.
He was just working behind the scenes to set them up. He must have been.
Jagger squeezes my calf, and my eyes move to meet his. He tilts his head in question, and I shake my head, unsure what he’s asking.
“You okay?” he signs.
Signing back, so I can get in more practice, I tell him, “Yes. Just thinking about my brother.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.” He has to sign it twice for me to figure out what he’s saying. I nod and give him a strained smile, but it’s the best I can do with Robert on my mind.
Looking at my hands, I realize there’s a watch on my wrist.
“Hey, where did this come from?”
“It’s your new smartwatch. You can use it to call us,” Sly says as Dex shows me which buttons to press and where each of their numbers is saved.
“This is so cool, thanks!”
“I think it’s time for bed,” Pete says, standing up and rubbing his hands together. “And I got dibs!”
“Dibs on what?” I ask as he rounds the coffee table.
“You!” He scoops me up, and my arms fly around his neck. He beelines for one of the beds and gently lays me down.
“I haven’t brushed my teeth or changed yet,” I tell him as he yanks the blanket down the bed.
“Hmm, okay, good point.” He grabs my hands and pulls me to my feet. “Go get ready, then meet me back here.” He gently swats my ass, making me yelp as I quickly grab my stuff and head to the bathroom. What’s gotten into him? And why was I so excited to go to bed all of a sudden?
When I come back out, ready for bed and dressed in only panties and Pete’s old T-shirt, he takes my place in the bathroom, telling me to get into bed.
I take my time getting settled in the middle of the large bed, pulling the blanket over my legs until Pete strolls from the bathroom wearing nothing but a tight pair of boxers and a grin devilish enough to set my body aflame.
I’ve never seen him this exposed before. He’s leaner than the others, but there’s something really appealing in how agile and toned he is. He might not win a bench press competition against Dex or Jagger, but when it comes to endurance, I have a feeling he’d beat out all of them.
My eyes trail down his ripped chest to admire the cut of his hips and the line that points down in a V toward his boxers. His bulge twitches when I set my eyes on it, and a soft gasp escapes me. I quickly throw myself onto my back, pretending I wasn’t picturing what he might look like under there.
“I don’t mind you looking, angel. In fact… I crave it.” He climbs in beside me, instantly reaching for me and pulling me up against his side.
I stay quiet, still feeling a little embarrassed, but also loving the cuddle. I’ve slept beside him before, but I’ve never been this close to him with so little fabric between us.
If he was upset that I was sitting with Dex earlier, he doesn’t show it. I’m glad since I think cuddling might be my new favorite thing to do. I was supposed to be figuring out who I am, right? Well, I’m pretty sure I’m a cuddler.
“Hey, angel?” Pete asks as my eyes follow the other three moving around the room, putting things away and getting ready for bed.
“Yeah?”
“I got something for you.”
I tilt my head up at him in surprise. “You do?”
“Yeah, consider it a late birthday present.”
His mouth presses into a thin line like he’s not sure about something, and when he doesn’t move, I ask, “Am I supposed to search for it?” I start to lift the blanket that lies across his chest and jokingly ask, “Is it under here?”
I move my eyes down, taking the opportunity to take a peek at his abs. He sucks in a sharp breath, whispering, “There’s definitely a big surprise waiting for you under there.”
“Really—” Before I can finish my question, Pete is yanked from the bed and falls hard on his ass as I bolt upright in surprise.
Sly steps over his groaning body and rests both hands on the bed in front of me, leaning down and narrowing his pretty green eyes at me. I just stare at him with wide eyes, unsure why he’s looking at me like that.
“You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?” His eyes bounce between mine as if looking for something.
I frown, tilting my head in confusion. “You’re the one who yanked him from the bed. What did I do?” He continues to stare at me as Pete gets to his feet and brushes off some imaginary dirt.
“I was just kidding, Sly.” He turns his gaze to me, and his grin returns. “Anyway, angel,” he says, bending down to grab a gift bag I hadn’t seen tucked at the side of the bed. He nudges Sly aside and passes it to me. “This is for you.”
I take the bag and stare down at it as a hundred emotions roll through me. I haven’t had a gift in decades. Robert said they were for babies, so I hadn’t received a single present since before my parents passed away.
“Thank you, Peter.”
I reach in, and my hand finds something soft. I pull it out and smile, instantly hugging it to my chest. “Is it a blue whale?” I ask, pulling it back to take a better look at the stuffed animal.
“Yep.” He drops down on the bed so hard that I bounce from the impact. “There’s something else.”
I reach in and pull out a book about whales. My fingers skim over the cover as he tells me, “That’s from Jagger.”
“Isn’t it Wren’s money that paid for them?
” Sly asks as he picks up the whale and assesses it like he’s never seen a stuffed animal before.
Maybe he hasn’t. Or maybe he thinks it’s childish.
Is it weird for a grown woman to have one?
But Pete gave it to me, so it’s special.
Although… he could give me a potato and I’d still cherish it.
“She doesn’t mind, do you, Wren?” Pete asks, leaning on his elbow as I skim through the book.
“Mind?” I ask as my mind starts to zigzag through my rampant thoughts. I can’t believe they remembered how intrigued I was by the whales.
“That we spent the money on these gifts?”
Shutting the book, I turn my gaze to Pete.
“These are the nicest, most thoughtful presents I’ve ever had.
Well, these and Dex’s flowers from when we first met,” I tell him, tossing a grin over my shoulder in Dex’s direction.
I turn back to Pete to find his face even closer to mine. “Thank you, Peter,” I whisper.
I lick my lips as his gaze turns heated. He reaches up and cups my face as he asks, “How about a little thank you kiss?”
I suck in a sharp breath as my stomach tightens in anticipation. Eagerly, I lean forward until my lips gently caress his. “Give me a break,” Sly mumbles, tossing my whale at Pete’s head, breaking our kiss as he stomps away, shutting himself in the bathroom.
I want to bask in that kiss, as brief as it was, but Sly’s sour mood has me frowning at the closed bathroom door.
“He’s upset,” I say, feeling deflated.
“He’s jealous,” Pete says with a grin. “But fuck him. He’ll get over it. Besides, isn’t there someone else you need to thank?”
He gestures with his chin behind me, and I turn in the bed to find an almost naked Jagger lying there on his back, hands behind his head as he stares at me.
“Holy biscuits!” I exclaim as I take him in.
Dressed like Pete in only a pair of tight boxers, it gives me the chance to check out all of him.
I’d slept on his bare chest a few nights ago, but seeing him like this was something else.
With all his tattoos on display over his huge muscles, he was a work of art.
“You’re drooling, angel,” Pete whispers beside me.
“I am?” I ask, wiping my mouth as my eyes stay glued to Jagger.
He chuckles softly. “I bet he’d love a thank-you kiss, too.”
My eyes shoot up to Jagger’s as I ask, “Really?” He reaches out both hands for me, and I find myself crawling into his grasp. He drags me up the side of his body until my lips are only a few inches away.
His eyes explore my face as he pushes a strand of my hair behind my ears. Then he lifts his hand and signs, “Beautiful.”