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She lifted her hand for him to shake, but he pulled her in a crushing hug instead, giving her no choice but to awkwardly wrap her hands around him. She sensed Jensen tense next to her, but didn’t say anything as he watched over them with a neutral smile on his face.
“It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s been a while since anyone made Jensen lose his control and it’s so refreshing to see him flustered,” Riley told her with a deeper voice than she expected. There was an earthy smell swirling around him that she found rather calming.
“Nice to meet you too,” Sienna replied. “I heard you two were classmates.”
Jensen’s eyes darted to her, and she gave him a reproachful look for keeping that piece of information away from her. The clenching of his jaw was the only sign that he was uncomfortable.
“Not just that. We’re best friends too,” Riley said happily, seemingly unaware of the tension between them.
“Oh, really? You must be a martyr,” Sienna joked.
Riley laughed, the sound so rich and contagious that Sienna couldn’t hold her lips from forming a smile.
“I’m surprised he told you. He’s always brooding in a corner somewhere, being private and boring.”
“He didn’t,” Sienna said, throwing another dark look at Jensen.
This time Riley noticed it, but his smile didn’t waver. He threw his arm around Sienna’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him, then said in a conspiratorial whisper, loud enough for Jensen to hear, “Ask me whatever you want to know about him. I probably have more stories than anyone else you know, and for a small price of your company, I’ll be willing to share them all.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Jensen barked from behind them, but they both ignored him as Riley escorted them inside.
“I think that you and I will be very good friends,” Sienna told Riley, and hooked her arm around his back, feeling his muscles shift with every step they took.
As Riley led them into the house, Sienna kept on expecting to see something that would point out that they had money, but there was nothing. She thought she was being inconspicuous, but apparently, she was straining her neck so much that it got Riley’s attention.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his brows furrowing.
Sienna’s head snapped back to him. “Yeah. It’s just that…”
She trailed off, at a loss for words. Her eyes met Riley’s and the patient expression on his face gave her the courage she needed to ask.
“It’s just that I expected more,” she said, then hurried to add, “Don’t get me wrong. This is great, but the places I was sent to in these last few weeks all screamed money.”
Jensen narrowed his eyes at her, forcing her to avert her gaze to the ground. She was too embarrassed to look at Riley, who to her surprise laughed. Sienna slowly lifted her head, just in time to see him wiping a stray tear.
“I’m sorry,” he said in between breaths. “You’re even more adorable than Jensen made you out to be.”
“What?” Sienna asked, looking from him to Jensen, whose cheeks turned into a suspicious shade of red.
“I didn’t know that directness and shyness went together, but you sure know how to make it work,” Riley said with a smile.
Sienna narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not shy.”
“I hope not,” Riley replied with a wink that left her stomach tingling.
Jensen cleared his throat, more to get their attention as opposed to anything else. Sienna’s head turned to him as he said, “Riley’s mom wanted him to have a normal childhood. They would sooner invest in charity than buy something useless.”
“Like a new sports car,” Riley said with a certain sadness in his tone, exchanging smiles with Jensen as if they were sharing a memory.
“Where are your parents?” Sienna asked, wanting to get back on track. They had work to do here and she had other things to take care of once she was home.
“My mom’s having a guest lecture at Yale and my dad decided to accompany her. They should be back right on time for breakfast,” Riley explained.
“Breakfast? Tomorrow?” Sienna asked, suppressing a groan at the unnecessary delay.
“Unless you’re calling dinner breakfast, then yes, tomorrow.”
“That’s perfect,” Jensen jumped in before Sienna could say anything stupid. “Thanks, Riley. Would you mind showing us to our room? I’m sure Sienna would like to freshen up a bit.”
