He filled the doorway as Tricksie jumped up on the couch, cuddling against both women. “Excuse me. This is Tricksie’s house, not Lucy’s. She doesn’t like my dog, she can leave.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Vaughn wasn’t listening though as he went back to the kitchen, and Tricksie licked Brie’s chin when she turned to look at Wren. “I think you’re thinking too hard.”
“What? No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, like your therapist brain is always in therapy mode, and you’re always trying to figure everything out. Nothing is ever as it appears. There is always something deeper. Maybe just let it happen.”
“Says the person who hasn’t been hurt as much as I have.”
Brie laughed hard at that. “Wren. Please. The guy I thought I would marry before Vaughn left me because, when my mom died, it was too much to handle. He broke me.”
Wren’s heart clenched in her chest. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, it sucked. I get that dudes have been shitty to you. That you’ve had some doozies who have tossed you to the side and threw your confidence in the shitter, but, Wren, you are amazing. You’re funny when you let yourself be. You’re witty and so smart. Plus, you’re gorgeous. I would kill to have your curves and have those lips. And height. I’d love your height.”
Wren laughed, her face hurting from smiling so hard. “You’re insane.”
“You can’t even take a compliment! Say, thank you, Brie, for thinking I’m a sexy, curvy goddess.”
Wren blushed. “Thanks, bestie.”
Brie beamed at that as she leaned into her. “But really, Wren, you’ve got the real deal. I saw it with my own eyes. He looks at you like you’re the queen of his universe.”
Swallowing hard, Wren tangled her fingers together as she shook her head. She didn’t want to admit it since she was embarrassed, but it was Brie, her newfound best friend. In reality, she should feel bad since her other best friend had no clue why they weren’t friends anymore. Jesus, was she a shitty person? Damn it. “Brie.”
Her brows came together as she sat up. “What?”
Looking toward the kitchen, Wren inhaled deeply as she looked back to Brie, leaning in. “We haven’t had sex.”
Brie’s face scrunched up. “What? Ever?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know!”
Brie’s eyes widened. “Not even on your wedding night?”
“No. He won’t touch me. We get to kissing, things are going good, but then he slams on the brakes. It’s driving me fucking crazy. Like, I feel like he isn’t attracted to me.”
Brie shook her head. “He is.”
“Then why hasn’t he hit it?”
“I have—”
“Because he knows that’s all you want.”
Wren’s lips pressed together as Brie’s eyes squeezed shut. At the same time, they both turned back to look at Vaughn, who was standing in the doorway of their kitchen with his shoulder leaning on the wall, a smug smile on his face. “I hear all since this house is empty, and let me just say, Jensen isn’t going to just fuck you to get by. He’s not that guy. He didn’t fuck anyone until he loved them in high school. He’s a do-gooder. You know that.”
Wren’s mouth went dry. “But we’re married.”
“Doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t think you have feelings for him, more than lust, then he isn’t going to touch you. He’s not a douche. Again, you know this.”
“Or he isn’t attracted to me.”
He scoffed. “Wren, really? You’re hot. You have a great ass, and he wants it. I know that.” He then looked seriously at Brie. “You’re way hotter, and I want your ass, twenty-four seven.”
Brie smiled, and Wren was jealous of her complete confidence. “I’m fully aware, babe.”
He winked at her and then looked back to Wren. “He wants you. He’s told me, but he knows how you are. You revert right back to fucking when you start to feel something, to try to protect yourself. It’s sad. Stop it.”
“Wow, please don’t sugarcoat that, Jo.”
“Oh, I won’t.” His eyes held hers. “This is why I didn’t want you to ask him to do this. Because he’s all in, and you’re not. He knows that.”
With that, Vaughn turned and left the room, leaving Wren with her heart in her throat and her lips pressed together. She didn’t want to accept what Vaughn was saying, but she knew deep down it was the truth. Jensen wasn’t that guy. The fuck ’em and leave ’em type. Was that all she wanted? Was that the vibe she was putting off?
“Well.”
Brie exhaled hard. “You know how they all are. They’re so close.”
“I know,” Wren said, shaking her head. “I just feel like it’s me. That he isn’t attracted to me. Though, according to everyone, I’m insane.”
“You are.”
“And I get that he has his morals, and I appreciate them, but sex is my thing. It works for me. It’s how I feel.”
“But it’s not how he works,” Vaughn called from the kitchen. “He doesn’t need sex to love you. He just does.”
Wren’s eyes widened as she met Brie’s gaze, but her new bestie just shrugged. “Told you.”
But it couldn’t be.
Then Vaughn was in the living room again. “And, you don’t need sex to love him. You just need to let yourself do it. Didn’t you tell me that? Didn’t you tell me to stop being caught up in all the shit I had and let myself feel for Brie? I did, and look at us. We’re happy, while you’re sitting on my couch crying that you aren’t getting any from your husband.”
She glared at Vaughn, not liking him one bit before she turned to Brie. “I hate your husband.”
“He’s a special one,” she said, looking up at him. “This is an A and B conversation, C your way out.”
He scoffed. “You just don’t like that I’m speaking the truth.”
“We don’t,” Wren announced, and he grinned.
“Sorry for ya. You hit me with the truth way back when, and now I’m doing the same. Do what I did—don’t do what you’re used to.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Vaughn wasn’t listening though as he went back to the kitchen, and Tricksie licked Brie’s chin when she turned to look at Wren. “I think you’re thinking too hard.”
“What? No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, like your therapist brain is always in therapy mode, and you’re always trying to figure everything out. Nothing is ever as it appears. There is always something deeper. Maybe just let it happen.”
“Says the person who hasn’t been hurt as much as I have.”
Brie laughed hard at that. “Wren. Please. The guy I thought I would marry before Vaughn left me because, when my mom died, it was too much to handle. He broke me.”
Wren’s heart clenched in her chest. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, it sucked. I get that dudes have been shitty to you. That you’ve had some doozies who have tossed you to the side and threw your confidence in the shitter, but, Wren, you are amazing. You’re funny when you let yourself be. You’re witty and so smart. Plus, you’re gorgeous. I would kill to have your curves and have those lips. And height. I’d love your height.”
Wren laughed, her face hurting from smiling so hard. “You’re insane.”
“You can’t even take a compliment! Say, thank you, Brie, for thinking I’m a sexy, curvy goddess.”
Wren blushed. “Thanks, bestie.”
Brie beamed at that as she leaned into her. “But really, Wren, you’ve got the real deal. I saw it with my own eyes. He looks at you like you’re the queen of his universe.”
Swallowing hard, Wren tangled her fingers together as she shook her head. She didn’t want to admit it since she was embarrassed, but it was Brie, her newfound best friend. In reality, she should feel bad since her other best friend had no clue why they weren’t friends anymore. Jesus, was she a shitty person? Damn it. “Brie.”
Her brows came together as she sat up. “What?”
Looking toward the kitchen, Wren inhaled deeply as she looked back to Brie, leaning in. “We haven’t had sex.”
Brie’s face scrunched up. “What? Ever?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know!”
Brie’s eyes widened. “Not even on your wedding night?”
“No. He won’t touch me. We get to kissing, things are going good, but then he slams on the brakes. It’s driving me fucking crazy. Like, I feel like he isn’t attracted to me.”
Brie shook her head. “He is.”
“Then why hasn’t he hit it?”
“I have—”
“Because he knows that’s all you want.”
Wren’s lips pressed together as Brie’s eyes squeezed shut. At the same time, they both turned back to look at Vaughn, who was standing in the doorway of their kitchen with his shoulder leaning on the wall, a smug smile on his face. “I hear all since this house is empty, and let me just say, Jensen isn’t going to just fuck you to get by. He’s not that guy. He didn’t fuck anyone until he loved them in high school. He’s a do-gooder. You know that.”
Wren’s mouth went dry. “But we’re married.”
“Doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t think you have feelings for him, more than lust, then he isn’t going to touch you. He’s not a douche. Again, you know this.”
“Or he isn’t attracted to me.”
He scoffed. “Wren, really? You’re hot. You have a great ass, and he wants it. I know that.” He then looked seriously at Brie. “You’re way hotter, and I want your ass, twenty-four seven.”
Brie smiled, and Wren was jealous of her complete confidence. “I’m fully aware, babe.”
He winked at her and then looked back to Wren. “He wants you. He’s told me, but he knows how you are. You revert right back to fucking when you start to feel something, to try to protect yourself. It’s sad. Stop it.”
“Wow, please don’t sugarcoat that, Jo.”
“Oh, I won’t.” His eyes held hers. “This is why I didn’t want you to ask him to do this. Because he’s all in, and you’re not. He knows that.”
With that, Vaughn turned and left the room, leaving Wren with her heart in her throat and her lips pressed together. She didn’t want to accept what Vaughn was saying, but she knew deep down it was the truth. Jensen wasn’t that guy. The fuck ’em and leave ’em type. Was that all she wanted? Was that the vibe she was putting off?
“Well.”
Brie exhaled hard. “You know how they all are. They’re so close.”
“I know,” Wren said, shaking her head. “I just feel like it’s me. That he isn’t attracted to me. Though, according to everyone, I’m insane.”
“You are.”
“And I get that he has his morals, and I appreciate them, but sex is my thing. It works for me. It’s how I feel.”
“But it’s not how he works,” Vaughn called from the kitchen. “He doesn’t need sex to love you. He just does.”
Wren’s eyes widened as she met Brie’s gaze, but her new bestie just shrugged. “Told you.”
But it couldn’t be.
Then Vaughn was in the living room again. “And, you don’t need sex to love him. You just need to let yourself do it. Didn’t you tell me that? Didn’t you tell me to stop being caught up in all the shit I had and let myself feel for Brie? I did, and look at us. We’re happy, while you’re sitting on my couch crying that you aren’t getting any from your husband.”
She glared at Vaughn, not liking him one bit before she turned to Brie. “I hate your husband.”
“He’s a special one,” she said, looking up at him. “This is an A and B conversation, C your way out.”
He scoffed. “You just don’t like that I’m speaking the truth.”
“We don’t,” Wren announced, and he grinned.
“Sorry for ya. You hit me with the truth way back when, and now I’m doing the same. Do what I did—don’t do what you’re used to.”
