In the Crease (Assassins Book 11) Read online

  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.”

  As she held his gaze, they both knew what she was used to.

  Running.

  Hiding.

  Shutting everything out.

  “Because unlike everyone and anything else, when it comes to Jensen, he doesn’t back down. He won’t let you go without a fight, even if it kills him.”

  Her heart dropped to her stomach as she tore her gaze away and looked at the floor. She didn’t want to give Vaughn another thought, but she knew that he was right. She knew her faults, she knew who Jensen was, and even so, she knew that, more than likely, she was going to do what everyone had said.

  Hurt him.

  If she didn’t get it together.

  “I have a crazy idea,” Brie said, and Wren looked up, seeing that Vaughn was still standing there.

  “What?”

  “Come out in your sexiest outfit, drive him wild. I bet he won’t be able to resist.”

  Vaughn laughed. Hard. “You don’t know Jenny. He’ll resist.”

  “Bet you he won’t. She’s so hot!”

  “No doubt. But when he knows what he wants, he knows what he wants, and he won’t do it.”

  “Yes, he will! Bet you head.”

  “Shit, bet you butt!”

  Wren snorted as Brie’s eyes darkened. “Fine.”

  Vaughn’s eyes lit up as he came over, holding his hand out. “Shake on it.”

  She glared and then did it as Wren laughed. “No pressure, I guess!”

  Brie looked over at her, her face red as she sputtered with laughter. “My ass is depending on you.”

  That had all three of them laughing, but inside Wren’s head, Vaughn’s words were playing loud and clear.

  He doesn’t need sex to love you. He just does.

  And while she sat there as her two friends sparred back and forth, all she could do was wonder if it was true.

  And if so, how the hell had she never noticed?

  Leaning against his pillows, Jensen scrolled through his Facebook as he waited for Wren to come to bed. She had been at Brie’s house all afternoon, helping with the decoration of the house, and he had missed her. Though, he wasn’t sure the feeling was mutual. Which annoyed him. He tried to distract himself by working out with Dylan at the rink and going shopping with Vaughn, but his mind kept going back to her. She hadn’t even asked if he wanted to do something that day, she just left. He guessed he should be glad she had a friend, but still, he wanted to spend time with her. They could have set up the nursery or even just hung around. He wanted to be with her.

  It was stuff like that that made him worry about their future, and he hated that.

  He did, but what could he do?

  “What did you do today?” she called from the bathroom, and he laid his phone in his lap, looking up to where he could see only her sweet ass from the bathroom. She was leaned into the sink, her panties basically up her ass as she did something to her face. She had so many lotions and shit. He was pretty sure she didn’t know what any of it was, though she did stay in there forever.

  “Went and worked out, hung out with Vaughn. Oh. I bought your plane ticket for next week.”

  “Oh, good, I forgot to ask you about that. We’ll fly right out to Colorado at the end of the week?”

  “Yeah,” he said, looking up at the ceiling. “For the wedding of the summer.”

  “I’m beyond excited.” The sarcasm was so strong in his wife.

  “Have you not talked to Wells?”

  “Nope.”

  That bothered him. “Oh.”

  “Yup, but whatever.”

  It wasn’t whatever, though. He knew it bothered her, but he could sense she didn’t want to talk about it. “What did you do over at Brie’s?”

  “Sat on the couch and then helped her pick out colors for the house. She’s so indecisive, and then Vaughn makes it worse. He’s ridiculous. He wanted to paint the living room mint because he said she looks good in mint. He’s so silly.”

  Jensen smiled. That was his best friend. “Oh, well, you should have just stayed here. We could have set up the nursery.”

  Once he said it, he wasn’t sure how she would take it. But before he could say something to cover up that his feelings were hurt that she left, she peeked her head out, her face covered in some goop. “I didn’t even think about that. You should have said something.”

  He shrugged. “Didn’t want to mess up your plans.”

  “Oh, well, I’d rather have done that.”

  That made him smile. “Then we’ll do it