Chapter 4 #2
But then again, she usually isn’t dressed like this.
Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve never seen her wear a dress.
Never seen her show off her legs like this.
Not since I was in college, going on lake trips with the rest of the crew.
She would tag along and wear a bikini that I made sure to never, ever study.
This is very different from those days, because she’s filled out since then, grown into her body.
This?
This is new.
And it’s going to be a problem.
I turn around and stare a hole into Wren’s curtain of hair.
She ignores me at first, accepting a glass of cider from the bartender. But when I don’t move, she sighs and finally turns toward me.
“What, you gonna stand there all night?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “I’ll stand wherever I need to if it keeps you from making a terrible mistake. Those guys weren’t interested in hearing about Greek mythology, Wren. They were only checking you out because of that outrageous outfit.”
Her eyes drop to her dress, and she feigns surprise. “What, this old thing? Golly, mister, thank you for saving me from those horrible men.”
The sarcasm isn’t lost on me. A muscle ticks in my jaw.
I swear, ninety-five percent of the time when I’m looking at Wren, I’m glaring at her so hard that she’d be incinerated if I had superpowers.
“Wren, you can’t just dress like that and hang out here. You look like some fucked-up Alice in Wonderland sex doll. I can’t in good conscience…”
She cuts me off. “You’re not my big brother. You’re just some dumb jock who peaked in college and has been chasing that high ever since.”
Her words don’t shake me.
I may just be a poli-sci major, but I graduated with a three point eight from a hard school. I’m not dumb, no matter how often Wren insists otherwise.
I hold out her coat. “Put this on.”
She gives me a flat look and rolls her eyes.
“I’m fine, Ryan. Seriously. Let it go. This isn’t…”
“You can’t just be dressed like that. You know men can see you, right?”
Wren pins me with a stare. “Whatever, Ryan. If you think you’re not gonna dream about me in this dress later, you’ve got another thing coming. I look good.”
She’s right, of course. There’s about zero chance I won’t jerk off to the image of her in that dress later. But that’s not the damn point.
“Whatever, Chirp.” I lift my chin. “Dream on.”
Two younger guys walk up to us, and at first, I assume they’re here to sweet-talk her. I give them the meanest look I can manage.
One of them is clutching a jersey. He takes a step back, eyes wide.
“Oh, sorry, man. I just… you’re Ryan Haart, aren’t you?”
I press my tongue against the inside of my cheek. Shit.
These guys aren’t leering at Jay’s little sister. They’re just hockey fans.
“This really isn’t the best time,” I hedge. “Can we do this later?”
The second guy, shorter and stockier, tries to wedge himself between me and Wren, basically pushing her out of the way to get to the bar. She stumbles back, frowning.
“Hey, watch it,” she snaps.
The guy doesn’t even look at her. He just thrusts a hat and a pen at me. “Sign this for me,” he demands.
Oh, hell no.
Nobody shoves my friends around to get to me.
I growl, “Were you raised in a fucking barn? You just shoved my friend out of the way. That’s disrespectful as hell.”
The two guys exchange awkward looks.
“Sorry, man,” the first one mutters. “We didn’t mean to interrupt…”
“We just wanted to say we’re really big fans,” the second one adds.
“I appreciate you watching my games,” I say, still blocking them. “But right now, I’m talking to her.”
Both of them reflexively glance at Wren. The stockier guy seems to put two and two together.
“Oh, sorry, man. Didn’t mean to intrude on your date.”
Wren lets out a disgusted sound. My eye twitches.
I corral both guys and move them back a few steps. “Have a good night.”
Wren sips her cider and watches them as they go, muttering to each other.
“Sorry about that. You know how fans are,” I say.
She gives me a slight nod. “You were saying?”
I don’t even remember what I was saying, but I do still want her to put the fucking coat on.
I check my watch. It’s almost seven thirty. I promised Ellie I’d swing by her place to help Jake move some furniture. They’re still getting settled, and the place is a maze of boxes.
“I have to leave in a couple minutes to go help my sister with something. I think you should put this coat on, finish that cider, and let me drop you at home.”
“I can get home just fine.” She pauses. Her face reddens slightly.
I hold the coat out again, staring at her. “I’m definitely not letting you walk anywhere in that outfit. You’ll cause a riot.”
“You’re so dramatic,” she groans. “I just got here!”
“We have to be on set early tomorrow.” I have no idea where that comes from, but it at least sounds plausible. Really, I just need to get the girl away from those hockey bros at the bar. And anyone with eyes. “It’s time to get some rest. Beauty sleep, I think they call it.”
“Fine.” Wren bunches her mouth up and narrows her gaze at me. “I’ll go. I’ll only walk with you if it’ll make you stop bugging me about my dress, though.”
“Good.”
She takes the coat from me and slips it on, but she doesn’t bother belting the front.
I’m not thrilled about it, but at least the chances of someone getting a full view of her ass have dropped significantly.
She takes another sip of her drink, then turns to me. “Lead the way.”
I head toward the door, pulling my phone from my pocket. I’ll text Jay to let him know I got Wren home safe.
A tiny part of me feels like an excited golden fucking retriever knowing that I’ll see her tomorrow. Even if I tell myself I’m here for the money. For the exposure. For the brand deals. Now I’m here for something else as well.
As we step outside, I catch her tugging at the hem of her dress when she thinks I’m not looking. Her confident mask slips for just a second, and I see something vulnerable underneath.
If I stop talking, he’ll see it , I imagine her thinking. See that I’m not really this confident. See the way my knees are shaking.
But then she catches me watching and immediately straightens up, chin lifted in defiance.
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I say, looking away.
But it’s not nothing. It’s the realization that Wren Rustin might be even more complicated than I thought.
Great. As if this whole situation wasn’t messy enough already.