Page 20 of Catching Feelings

Rowan’s head snaps up, her eyes wide with shock. She glances out the kitchen window, then takes my hand and drags me down the hall toward the garage.

Not that she has to drag me—orcoulddrag me. I’ll follow her anywhere.

“Don’t mention him,” she whispers.

“What?”

She looks over her shoulder and moves closer so our chests are almost touching. Hell, if her boobs scrape my front, she’s gonna feel some impressive solid wood poke at her stomach.

“My blind date. Kendall and Riley don’t know about him,” she whispers.

I tap down my jealousy and use her nervous energy as an excuse to lower my face closer to hers. Only a whisper of air separates our lips. Her fault for going all undercover secret agent on me.

“Why don’t you want them to know about him? Is he your...secret lover?” Fuck, that was hard to say, but the pink stain on her cheeks is worth it. Kinda.

“Uh, gross. No.”

Gross? I can live with that. “So why so hush about him?”

She lets out a sigh and her sweet breath coasts across my lips. I drag my tongue across my lower lip, hoping to catch a taste of her.

Her eyes fall shut and dark lashes fan out across her freckled skin. Rowan releases my hand and takes a step away from me. “Don’t tell Riley or Kendall, but I met him online.”

“I don’t like the sound of this. And why can’t they know?”

“It’s not bad.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Yet you’re shitting your pants that your besties will find out.”

Rowan scrunches her nose. “Nice analogy. It’s not that it’s...I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Lay out the facts and I’ll figure out the rest.”

She studies me like she’s trying to determine if I’m trustworthy. I relax my shoulders and soften my scowl.

“They’ve been after me to throw myself into the dating pool now that I’m done with school and my schedule isn’t as hectic. They’re all about setting me up on dates, but I can’t go out with anyone they know. There’d be too much pressure to force myself to like the guy and the only guys they know are, well...” She tips her head down the hallway toward the party happening outside.

Fuck if I’m not offended. I’m about to defend my teammates but the last thing I want her to do is date any of them. Except me, of course. I’m the only one for Rowan, she just hasn’t learned that tidbit of information yet. Nor have her friends.

“Anyway, I signed up for this new dating app. The wife of one of the pediatricians I work for designed it. Friends to Lovers. You don’t upload any pictures or anything and instead, get to know each other and build a friendship. Then, if it’s mutually agreed upon, you go out on a date.”

“Why no pictures?”

“Because people are so concerned about looks that they end up photoshopping, then they don’t live up to the expectations of the other person before they even give each other a chance. With Friends to Lovers, you’re supposed to chat for at least four weeks before meeting.”

“And you talked with this guy for four weeks? What happened on the date, Rowan. Did he try—”

“No.” She shakes her head adamantly. “Nothing like that. We sort of rushed the conversations and met too soon. He works in the financial district and when I mentioned I just graduated and got my nursing degree he made a comment about me being young. I told him I was thirty and he seemed relieved. We messaged each other for a few weeks but the conversation was never...titillating. I convinced myself it was because we were talking online and wanted to meet him.”

Rowan waves her hands through the air as she talks, one of the adorable traits I love about her. Not that Iloveher. I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone before other than Auntie Lynn and Jules, but that’s a different kind of love. Loyal, family, my lifeline.

I guess you could say I love my teammates. We say shit like that when someone is feeling down, or gets injured, or needs cheering up.

But loving a woman? I mean, I love their bodies. I love Rowan’s tits. I love her lips. I love her laugh. But I don’t think I’m programmed to love a woman like Nash Potato gets when Kendall’s around. He’s fucking pussy whipped, and I never thought I’d see the day.

Well, he’s always been wrapped around Paisley Pickle’s finger so I guess I could see how he’d fall for a woman.

Bankes was new to the team when he and Riley started hooking up, so I didn’t know him too well before her. From the stories he’s told, there was never a woman in his life before her.

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