Chapter 4 #5
“I wouldn’t be so sure. I remember it was snowing the last time I... so that means it was either last winter or the one before.”
She tipped her head forward, dropping her chin to her chest as she stared up at him. “Like I said…I’ve got you beat.”
He arched a brow, dangerous curiosity pushing him to ask, “Really? How long?”
She scoffed, then searched his confused stare and laughed. “You do realize...”
He frowned when she didn’t finish her statement. “Realize what?”
Her lips twisted. “You’re not seriously going to make me say it?”
“Wren, I have no freaking clue what you’re trying to tell me, so yeah, using words would help.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. It’s been forever for me.”
“Feels like that sometimes,” he agreed.
“No, Greyson. I’m saying that literally.”
His entire body stilled. No breathing. No blinking. For a moment, he even lost his hearing. “What’s that now?”
“You know my relationship history.”
“Yeah, but...” Dating had nothing to do with sex. Just because Wren never had a long-term boyfriend didn’t mean she didn’t have... “You’ve had...”
“Never.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Okay. But that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“Wren, you’re thirty years old.”
“I know my age, Grey. But thanks for giving me more of a complex than I already have as Hideaway Harbor’s spinster cat lady.”
“You’re not a spinster. Spinsters are old and frumpy.”
“Old like thirty?”
This didn’t make sense, yet it made perfect sense. He stepped back, tripped over a rake handle, and stumbled into the wall. “God damn, Bodhi and his stupid fucking system!”
“Careful!”
He angrily picked up the shovels, rakes, and brooms and shoved them back into the trash can. “I’m building you a wall rack tomorrow.”
“Why are you so angry?”
“Because Bodhi puts shit away in the dumbest places!”
He couldn’t think. She wasn’t actually saying what he thought she was saying. Was she?
“Greyson, what’s with you today?”
“What’s with me? What about you? You don’t normally lie—”
“Who said I was lying?”
“Wren, you honestly expect me to believe you’re a thirty-year-old virgin?”
“Of course not. I lost my virginity years ago when I bought my first vibrator.”
“Jesus, Wren!” His skull practically cracked as a thousand unwanted erotic images burst through his mind. “Don’t tell me stuff like that!”
“Like you don’t masturbate.”
“We’re not discussing this.”
“Except we are. It’s a perfectly natural use of time. It releases endorphins and improves mental wellness. But, to clarify, no, I’ve never actually slept with a man. I assumed you knew.”
“Why would I know that?”
“Because you’re always the one scaring men off.”
“Well, I didn’t know and now I wish I could go back to not knowing.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
He glared at her. “It’s a huge deal.”
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe it was back in the day. But in this century... no one cares who I’m fucking.”
He gave her a stern glare. “I don’t like this side of you.”
Or maybe he did, and that was the problem.
His mind was blown. Was this common knowledge? Did Logan and Soren know? Was she planning on screwing the yogi?
He scowled. Absolutely not. A girl’s first time should be with someone meaningful, not some twerp wearing a bracelet of lava rocks.
“Forget I said anything.” She snicked her tongue against her teeth. “I can see you’re making way too big of a deal out of this. Just pretend I’ve had tons of sex.”
His brain short-circuited.
She scooted off the table. “Ow!”
“What now?”
“Nothing.” She rubbed her ass and winced. “I think I got a splinter.”
They needed to get out of this damn shed. “Let me have a look.”
“No, it’s in my butt cheek.”
“Are you going to be able to get it out?”
“Yes.” Then she twisted but couldn’t see the area where the splinter went through her pants. “Maybe.”
He rolled his eyes. “Turn around.” Before she could object, he spun her to face the work table and pressed a calming hand onto her spine, bending her forward. “Which cheek?”
“The left.”
He lowered her pants and stilled at the sight of emerald lace flossing her plump ass-cheeks. How the hell did he get here?
Keeping it clinical, he cleared his throat. “I see it. Hold still.” He squeezed the skin around the splinter.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
“I have to get it out.”
“Can’t you use a pin or something?”
“It’s almost there.” He pinched the area, loving the way her juicy flesh filled his hand.
“Son of a nutcracker!”
“Got it.” He plucked the shard of wood free and held it up for her to inspect.
She rubbed her butt and frowned. “It’s so tiny.”
When she tried to pull up her pants, he stopped her. “Hand me another alcohol wipe.”
She passed him a packet, and he tore it open, then disinfected the area. “Good as new.”
“Thanks.” She pulled up her pants and blushed.
He tucked that unruly strand of hair behind her ear. “One more injury, and it’s a helmet and a bubble for you.”
She laughed, sounding slightly embarrassed, which was unusual for her. When she finally looked at him, she asked, “Are we okay?”
He nodded, but this couldn’t happen again. Wren was too important to risk losing. After the storm, he’d hit up a local bar and work out his issues elsewhere. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I crossed a line.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m not.”
He did a double-take, and she grinned. That’s when he knew he was in trouble.