wanted.
“Shake on it.” Jens reached for her.
She pushed away from the four-wheeler and leaned toward him. Heat ebbed from her, capturing Jens’s length.
“This is my cue to leave,” Holden said.
“Wait!” Laurel wrapped her fingers around Jens’s arm and held him while she spoke to Holden. “We need to clear the air. That’s why I came here.”
“I don’t know if I wanna hear this.” Holden’s defensive posture was back—arms folded, legs thrown wide and head lowered as if ready to charge.
Jens caught Laurel’s gaze and gave her a short nod. Whatever choice she made, he’d have to live with it. If she chose Holden, Jens wouldn’t fight. He wanted her happiness, even if it was with another man.
His chest grew tight.
“I…” Laurel stared at her feet for a long minute. “I didn’t mean to hurt either of you and I’m sorry. The situation got out of control, and I was a coward not to bring it to order before now. But the last thing I want is to get in the middle of your friendship.” She looked from Jens to Holden and back again.
Holden let out a low whistle. “A might too late for that, isn’t it?”
“I hope not,” Jens said.
Suddenly, Holden cut a hand through the air. That vein bulged in his throat again. “What the hell are you asking here? Business aside, am I supposed to be happy that I’ve lost my girl to my best friend? It’s impossible not to feel betrayed.”
“I didn’t know you were seeing her, Holden.”
“Didn’t know… Yeah.”
“Holden, I don’t want hard feelings. We all need to live together. I’m gonna be here at your place often since Jens is helping me with the farming. Especially if I take you up on your offer to fund my farm.”
“Are you taking the offer?” Jens closed the slight gap between Laurel and himself, aware of the tremors racking her. God, he just wanted to pick her up, wrap her legs around his waist and bear her off to bed. He’d never even taken her to bed, and that was a goddamn shame. To do so now would bring Holden into bed with them—his memory and animosity would live between Jens and Laurel.
She may not want Jens anyway. The end of our rope has come.
“What am I supposed to do? Treat you as a friend?” Holden’s acidic tone drew a noise of despair from Laurel’s throat.
“I hope we’ve always been friends.”
“Dammit, you know what I mean!”
“Laurel, what do you want?” Jens hadn’t meant to ask here, to bring it all out into the open between the three of them. He’d wanted to talk to her alone first. Yet they were all in the thick of this emotional tangle. They all needed to find a solution.
She swung her dark gaze to his. He studied the twist of her lips and the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and thought he’d go back to merely existing if she turned him away. Plowing, planting, eating, sleeping. Until he’d met her, his life had been stuck in a rut.
“I… Jens, don’t make me answer that.”
His heart plummeted.
“Dating is not a good idea for me anymore. Not after the mistakes I’ve made. Holden and I had something good—at least I believed that. But when he didn’t stay in touch with me, it hurt. Then you came into the picture, Jens, and I spotted a ray of light. Now everything’s a wreck.”
Jens was losing her. She was slipping away.
She continued to sputter, each agitated word tumbling out with her tears. “I never expected Holden to come back and w-want me still.” She shivered, hands knotted at her sides. “I care about both of you—”
Jens grasped at that length of rope. He latched on to it and held on for dear life. The words burst out of him without thought. “Then you date both of us, Laurel.”
Holden jerked. “What?”
Laurel stared at him, her expression blank with shock. “Jens, what are you talking about?”
As Jens looked at his best friend and the woman he loved, he tried to make sense of the idea that had just popped into his head. It was
“Shake on it.” Jens reached for her.
She pushed away from the four-wheeler and leaned toward him. Heat ebbed from her, capturing Jens’s length.
“This is my cue to leave,” Holden said.
“Wait!” Laurel wrapped her fingers around Jens’s arm and held him while she spoke to Holden. “We need to clear the air. That’s why I came here.”
“I don’t know if I wanna hear this.” Holden’s defensive posture was back—arms folded, legs thrown wide and head lowered as if ready to charge.
Jens caught Laurel’s gaze and gave her a short nod. Whatever choice she made, he’d have to live with it. If she chose Holden, Jens wouldn’t fight. He wanted her happiness, even if it was with another man.
His chest grew tight.
“I…” Laurel stared at her feet for a long minute. “I didn’t mean to hurt either of you and I’m sorry. The situation got out of control, and I was a coward not to bring it to order before now. But the last thing I want is to get in the middle of your friendship.” She looked from Jens to Holden and back again.
Holden let out a low whistle. “A might too late for that, isn’t it?”
“I hope not,” Jens said.
Suddenly, Holden cut a hand through the air. That vein bulged in his throat again. “What the hell are you asking here? Business aside, am I supposed to be happy that I’ve lost my girl to my best friend? It’s impossible not to feel betrayed.”
“I didn’t know you were seeing her, Holden.”
“Didn’t know… Yeah.”
“Holden, I don’t want hard feelings. We all need to live together. I’m gonna be here at your place often since Jens is helping me with the farming. Especially if I take you up on your offer to fund my farm.”
“Are you taking the offer?” Jens closed the slight gap between Laurel and himself, aware of the tremors racking her. God, he just wanted to pick her up, wrap her legs around his waist and bear her off to bed. He’d never even taken her to bed, and that was a goddamn shame. To do so now would bring Holden into bed with them—his memory and animosity would live between Jens and Laurel.
She may not want Jens anyway. The end of our rope has come.
“What am I supposed to do? Treat you as a friend?” Holden’s acidic tone drew a noise of despair from Laurel’s throat.
“I hope we’ve always been friends.”
“Dammit, you know what I mean!”
“Laurel, what do you want?” Jens hadn’t meant to ask here, to bring it all out into the open between the three of them. He’d wanted to talk to her alone first. Yet they were all in the thick of this emotional tangle. They all needed to find a solution.
She swung her dark gaze to his. He studied the twist of her lips and the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and thought he’d go back to merely existing if she turned him away. Plowing, planting, eating, sleeping. Until he’d met her, his life had been stuck in a rut.
“I… Jens, don’t make me answer that.”
His heart plummeted.
“Dating is not a good idea for me anymore. Not after the mistakes I’ve made. Holden and I had something good—at least I believed that. But when he didn’t stay in touch with me, it hurt. Then you came into the picture, Jens, and I spotted a ray of light. Now everything’s a wreck.”
Jens was losing her. She was slipping away.
She continued to sputter, each agitated word tumbling out with her tears. “I never expected Holden to come back and w-want me still.” She shivered, hands knotted at her sides. “I care about both of you—”
Jens grasped at that length of rope. He latched on to it and held on for dear life. The words burst out of him without thought. “Then you date both of us, Laurel.”
Holden jerked. “What?”
Laurel stared at him, her expression blank with shock. “Jens, what are you talking about?”
As Jens looked at his best friend and the woman he loved, he tried to make sense of the idea that had just popped into his head. It was
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