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My cheeks burned as the triplets’ gazes zeroed in on me.

“Yeah, I agree with Connor. You shouldn’t date until you’ve toughened up a bit. Thomas will need to teach you self defense like he did all of us because although you’re tall, I wouldn’t sayyou have the muscles or technique to get out of a dangerous situation,” Landon said.

There were more footsteps and when Sam and Thomas came around the corner, my heart leapt in my chest, especially when they sat down behind us, close together.

“What are we talking about?” Sam asked.

“Ollie, and why he shouldn’t date? Well, at least until he can learn how to defend himself. Thomas can teach him.”

“Sure, anytime you want to, Ollie,” Thomas said.

“Thank you.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea, Landon. Maybe we’ll bring whoever he dates around for Charlie and Lucy’s take before we get that PI to do a background check on him. You can never be too cautious.”

Another reason I loved the Blake family. Instead of reverting to not being able to tell the triplets apart, they’d each observed their brothers until each of them learned their distinct personalities. And the commentary did not embarrass me about my lack of a love life because I knew it came from a place of caring. I planned on it being a private conversation, but since they all felt the same way, I’d give up on the idea of dating for the time being.

When I asked it, I figured my question would get Connor to stop treating me like a fragile flower in need of protection or… his. The touching, our late night talks, and the hope wavering in my heart that his jealousy and his resolve to stick close to me might mean something more than casual friendship put me in a dangerous place with the prospect of getting my heart broken.

“So we all agree that we safeguard Ollie until he’s ready to take care of himself?” Connor demanded.

I huffed out a laugh. “I’m not naïve and I understand not everyone has the best intentions, but I can’t be afraid to find my future someone. He might be out there, waiting for me.”

“Um, based on the statistics, there is no such thing as true love and finding someone out there who is compatible with you and you with them is a hit-or-miss proposition. You’re better off finding a friend with benefits type of situation and not getting your emotions involved at all,” Emilia said.

She placed herself next to Landon, pushing Connor further down the couch, and I breathed out when the heat of his gaze moved away from me. Omi glided into the room wearing tights and a pink and purple tie dye shirt that matched her calm aura and plopped next to Linus, who she wrapped up in a hug. Then Valentina came with all the snacks for movie night. I stood and helped her distribute them, but as she took the seat I was in, Connor snagged me around the waist and pulled me next to him and I cut off the groan bubbling up in my throat.

“You guys chastise me for sleeping around with people who know the score and you’re telling Ollie, our innocent, naïve Ollie, to trust a stranger enough to be a fuck buddy?”

The room erupted in chaos at Connor’s harsh words, and I ducked down and covered my ears with my hands. I’d been in the room during these discussions, but I wasn’t a fan of loud voices. Enthusiasm and protectiveness radiated from the Blake family. As much as I integrated into their lives, something in my chest cut off my breath as it tightened in anxiety the louder they became.

In the melee, Connor reached for my wrist and pulled me to my feet as we walked toward the back of the room and out a side door I hadn’t realized was there. We took a set of steps up a narrow corridor and when he opened the second door; we emerged in the hallway right by the stairs up to the bedrooms.

“That’s cool, just like the movieClue,” I murmured. “Are there other hidden passages, like from a den to your basement torture chamber? Do you have a dungeon in your house?”

Rather than answering, he pulled me upstairs and into his room; the door clicking shut behind him. Intrigued, I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d whisked me away from the movie, and I studied him for a long moment. It appeared his hands were shaking as he gritted his teeth.

“You know they mean well,” I said.

“It’s not them.”

His statement was terse, before he began pacing back and forth, going into thinking mode. When there was something on Connor’s mind, he worked through it by pacing and talking to himself until he figured it out or asked for advice to clarify his actions. Knowing it would take a while, I walked over to the huge oak bookshelves and scanned the spines of the books.

I settled into the armchair near his bed and absorbed myself in a Betty White biography while Connor worked out whatever was bothering him. He’d open up when he was ready, but for the time being, I was in limbo.

Half way through the book, I blinked up to find Connor standing with his hands on his hips, staring at my mouth as if held the answers to all his questions.

“What?”

“You know I would never lead you on, right?” Connor asked.

“I’m not worried about you sending me mixed messages, if that’s what you’re thinking. Although, admittedly, I have a crush on you. I’m trying to work through it and while it dinged my heart a bit to hear, I’m glad I understand I had no shot with you. But in a way, it was good to find out early on when I was getting to know you instead of later when I’d confuse my feelings of friendship with more. When I grew up, there wasn’t a lot of exposure to gay culture, except online, but how realistic is that? People invent a persona and very little of what they show is the real them. I’ll get over it, and maybe someday be brave enough to find someone of my own.”

“Well… shit.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair, messing it up and making him even sexier than any man had a right to be.

“Aren’t you going to ask me?—”

“Connor, if you want to give me insight on what has you tied up in knots tonight, I’ll be happy to listen. But as a friend, I think you’re stressing over nothing. I’m not hurt. And in time, I’ll get over you. But dwelling on it won’t help either of us. Look how much my world has opened up since I’ve been here. And although I never thought it would happen, I even think Sam likes me a bit.”