Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

open and then widen as she sees Ren. “All right,” Tim says. “Got it!”
I step closer and set my head on Ren’s bicep. It’s like a pillow. If a pillow
was solid muscle carved out of stone. Still, he smells spicy and clean, like the
soap he used while showering this morning. I brushed my teeth extra long so I
could watch the top half of his body not hidden by the steam, muscles bunching
and flexing as he washed himself.
“She likes him,” Mia says smugly. “And look at his face. Ren’s got baby
fever, too.”
I roll my eyes. But when I look back at him, Ren’s gaze meets mine, the
smallest smile tipping his lips.
A smile that’s not bright as sunbeams or wide as the ocean. Not the smile for
fans or grandmas or passersby. A small, knowing smile.
For me.
“OKAY.” REN PARKS THE VAN AND BLOWS AIR FROM HIS CHEEKS IN A SLOW,
steady stream. “I’m not going to lie, my family’s weird and overwhelming. I’m
one of the rowdy ones, and I still find us too intense sometimes. So, if you just
need somewhere quiet to slip away, I’ll show you my old room, and you can
take whatever time you need. That’s the nice thing about my family, they won’t
be remotely insulted if you tell them to their face that you need a break from
them. Willa’s done it dozens of times—”
I clasp his hand, curling my fingers around his. “It’s okay, Ren. I know I can
tell you if it’s too much. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Ren laughs uneasily. “Yeah. Right. Okay.”
“Hey.” Cupping his face in my hands, I give him a slow, thorough kiss.
When we break apart, he sighs, dropping his forehead to mine.
“Thanks,” he whispers. “I needed that.”
I reach for one more kiss. “Me, too.”
Rounding the car, he opens my door as always, then offers his arm.
There’s a slight hill from where he parked, and he’s glaring at it. “They
should have left me a space up front.”
“Why?”
Ren throws up a hand. “For you. So that you don’t have to walk all this way.
Here, I’ll carry you—”
“Okay, Zenzero. Time-out.”
Ren spins, hands on his hips, and if he weren’t so preciously worked up, I’d