Page 5 of Accidental Attraction

“I can’t believe you like that one,” I said playfully to Lennon, nodding to Blake, who was currently putting Grayson in a headlock.

“Well, you are marrying that one,” Lennon replied, pointing at Liam, who was standing there staring at the two grown men about to wrestle. He seemed to be saying something to them under his breath, but I knew it was nothing to get them to stop.

“Sadly, you are right.”

“Both of your men are such dorks,” Julie butted in, shaking her head at them.

“Hey, yours is currently getting manhandled by Blake,” Lennon pointed out.

“Wait, you like Grayson?” I asked, turning to her. I could actually see the two of them as a cute couple. Plus, it would make sense for her to like one of Liam’s friends, same with Lennon.

“No, it’s not a big deal. I just think he’s hot,” Julie said, but from the way she was looking over at Grayson, I knew it wasn’t just a crush. She felt something deeper for him. Next to me, Lennon rolled her eyes.

“We better break them up before they ruin their clothes,” I commented, to which they both nodded. “Hey, guys, stop!” I yelled, but I wasn’t heard over Lennon, who marched right up to all three and hollered.

“Hey, dickheads, cut it out. We want to finish this!” She was practically yelling in Blake and Grayson’s ears, making them stop and pull away from one another. “Good boys.” She stood on her toes to pat their heads like dogs. I grinned at her, shaking my head slightly before going to stand by Liam. While all this was going down, Lilly, Adam, and Brian were sitting on a bench in the shade, talking quietly and looking over at us every once in a while. Don’t even ask me why they were even here.

“Everyone!” Leo raised his voice at us. “Only a few more pictures. The first one, let’s try all the bridesmaids standing a little in front of groomsmen but to the side, holding the shirt like you are ripping it open, revealing the hero shirts underneath. While you are doing that, look at the camera. You can smile if you want, but men look down at your shirts.” We all nodded before going to our respective men. Of course it was no surprise Lennon was with Blake, and Julie with Grayson.

“Make sure not to really rip my shirt because you want to see my body,” Liam whispered down at me as I gripped the top of his shirt open.

“Please, like I’d like to see your saggy man breasts,” I said, smiling sweetly back at him before turning toward the camera. I kept my face straight, staring into the camera as Liam kept his head down, like he was told. The way he was acting with me today caught me so off guard, but I liked it when he was so carefree and funny. He was actually being nice to me and making sarcastic comments. If he would act like this the rest of the time, there would be no trouble with our deal. But a small part of me wanted him to stay cold and mean, because I knew if he continued to act like this around me, I would have no trouble in falling for him. That was something I couldn’t do.

“Great! Now, bridesmaids, you guys come over here, and groomsmen, hold your own shirts open and look down at them. Bride and groom, I want you to look at the camera while the bride holds open the shirt, and, groom, hands in your pockets. I want your faces straight,” Leo instructed. We were all in position when Leonardo yelled “No!” at Blake and Grayson, making them move closer to us. After a few tries he must have been satisfied with it and stopped.

For the next ten minutes, Leonardo had me with just my bridesmaids and Liam with just his groomsmen. I didn’t know how many pictures we had taken, but my mouth was starting to hurt from smiling, and my feet from my heels. Everyone around us was starting to become antsy and tired, so when Leonardo finally exclaimed that he was done, we all breathed a sigh of relief. As I trudged back to the house, my stomach growled and my throat was dry.

The moment we were back inside the cool house, Liam’s mom went to the kitchen to make some lemonade and a few snacks. I offered to help, but of course it was all turned down. Liam and his father led Leonardo to the door and thanked him while he said the pictures would be done by tomorrow if we wanted to come by and pick them out. As soon as the door closed behind him, Blake let out a huge, “Thank God.” Leonardo was definitely different than anyone I had ever met.

We all sat in the living room, gabbing together for the next few hours. I learned more about Grayson, that he was Liam and Blake’s old college roommate and that he worked in the IT department of Liam’s work, making sure things were going well at all the hotels they owned. I watched as Lennon and Blake argued back and forth about stupid things but never getting really mad at each other. I could tell Blake liked her but wasn’t going to admit it anytime soon. Same went with Grayson and Julie. Grayson seemed oblivious to Julie flirting with him or her side glances. I talked with Brian some more, feeling so relaxed around him even though he flirted with me more half the time. For a man his age, he was definitely smooth with the ladies.

The whole time I spent at Liam’s family home, I laughed and smiled more than I ever had in my life. I felt at home with them, and with all the loud conversations happening around me, I never felt more a part of something. There was something about all these people that made me drop the barriers I had built around myself after my mother left me. For the first time in a long time, I was letting go and allowing myself to be happy. I knew that in a year’s time, Liam’s parents and sister would probably hate me, because none of this was real and I lied to their faces. I knew that after this year I would go back to being someone with no family and no money, but I didn’t care about that at the moment. I ignored the fact that Liam would probably be back to himself later, telling me our kiss was a mistake, and relished in the way he was acting now and how I wanted to kiss him again. I pushed it all to the back of my mind and enjoyed every second of finally feeling like I was part of a family.

***

Liam

If you told me two days ago that I would want to kiss Jenna, I would have laughed in your face. But now, sitting in my parents’ living room after having an amazing day, all I wanted to do was grab her and kiss her, despite everyone in the room. Watching her laugh with my friends and family, looking so carefree, made my heart almost ache. Everyone seemed to love her, Brian more than anyone, and seeing the way she acted with them made me want her even more.

She was a totally different girl than I first thought when I found her. I’d originally thought she was some stuck up daddy’s girl who was working at a strip club just to piss her dad off. But no, she wasn’t that at all. She worked two awful jobs just so she could pay her bills, she had no parents, and her mother fucking abandoned her. The moment I brought her into my house, I wanted to end the deal because I didn’t want to deal with her. But after her talking back to me on more than one occasion, and seeing her with Sky last night, something inside of me shifted. Instead of wanting to push her away, I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to know what made her tick: what she liked, what she didn’t, what her childhood was like, any future dreams. Just the thought of that scared me, actually. Liam Stanford falling for a girl was unheard of. But something about Jenna made me want to know more about her.

When I had walked through the door earlier, I had a plan for what I was going to do today, but all that went out the window the moment I saw her standing there, in a beautiful simple dress that hugged her body. Her skin looked tan, and her blonde hair was in curls down her back. The dress was simple, but she made it look better almost like she walked out of a magazine. Seeing her standing there, almost comfortable, I could tell she didn’t know she was beautiful. She was oblivious to how she looked. Hell, if it hadn’t been for that kid Garrett telling our secret, I would have fired him anyways for how he had been staring at Jenna. The way he looked at her body that night made me want to punch his face so he couldn’t look at her again. At least I had no worries around Blake, since he was too in love with Lennon to notice anyone else, and Grayson knew she was off limits.

After seeing her looking almost vulnerable this afternoon, I made an unconscious decision to try and act different around her. I was going to use today as the start. While that stupid Italian photographer took our pictures, I couldn’t help but like the feel of Jenna’s body pressed against mine. She was so little against my big frame, but she somehow fit perfectly against me. I was silently yelling at Leonardo to put us in a pose to kiss. Last night’s almost-kiss had run through my mind all night. I regretted the decision to go to my room after helping with Sky and not stay around. I wanted nothing more than Jenna’s soft-looking lips on mine.

She had been so close to me last night, and the look in her green eyes as she stared at me had me wanting to press my lips against hers. I would have if there hadn’t been a knock on the door. The moment she pulled away, I became aware of all the naughty thoughts running through my mind. I couldn’t help but think of her lying beneath me as I kissed along her neck. There was something so enticing to Jenna that made me want her more than any other woman I have ever wanted.

As Jenna’s face was an inch from mine, I stared into her green eyes, watching as it seemed she was having an internal battle. If she hadn’t kissed me, I would have kissed her, honestly. The moment her lips met mine, everything about not falling for her disappeared. Her lips were just as soft as I thought, and her soft little moan was hotter than anything I had ever heard. I didn’t want the kiss to stop, and when it did, I had to catch my breath. She stared at me with doe eyes, making me feel like putty in her hands. I barely heard what Leonardo was saying, and clearly Jenna wasn’t listening either. Surprising both her and me, I laid a soft kiss to her lips before grabbing her hand and taking her inside.

The rest of the afternoon I kept the need to kiss her at bay, but it was hard as she was pressed against me during the photos. And now, seeing her laughing with my family, the need was stronger. Jenna was making me feel things I hadn’t felt in years, and what scared me was that I liked it. I liked how she talked back to me, how she did the opposite of what I instructed her to do. Jenna Howard, what are you doing to me?

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