by Toni Aleo
Fuck, who knows?
All he did know was that Lucy may have skipped out on him, but when she was there, in his arms, beneath him, he had been so fucking happy, he could have cried manly tears. He didn’t know what that meant for him. Did he chase after her, demand she give him at least a minute of every one of her days? Or did he just hand her her things and walk away?
Why couldn’t she have just stayed so they could have figured this out together?
He shook his head. He had known she was going to be trouble the moment he saw her, yet he still went after her. Still had to touch his lips to those red-hot lips of hers. Feel her body beneath his and hold her in his arms. He just had to. And now, now he was craving her like he used to crave alcohol. The only problem was his thirst for bitter liquid could never come close to the thirst he had for her at that moment. He was pretty sure no matter how much of Lucy he got, it would never be enough.
And while it scared him to no end to have those kinds of feelings again for someone who wasn’t Ava, it also excited him.
It made him feel alive again.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he curled his toes against the tile of his kitchen floor as he hit Jayden’s contact info.
Jayden answered right away. “Bro, what’s up?”
“Hey, man,” he said, grabbing his shirt into a fist at his ribs, his heart pounding against his chest. “Can you send me your sister’s number? She was here yesterday for a consult on my house and left her bag. Something had happened or whatever, I don’t know. She just rushed out of here without her bag.”
Oh God, he was lying. He hated lying.
“Oh, hell. Yeah, her damn apartment flooded and they are starting work on it today. She’s actually on her way here. She’s gonna stay here till it’s done.”
Oh, no wonder she was so upset. “Oh, that blows. I couldn’t get much out of her.”
Except lots of moans. And sass. Yes, lots of sexy sass.
“Yeah, she’s dealing with a lot right now. But, yeah, I can swing by and grab it for her. Or let her know.”
He squeezed his eyes closed. “I’d really like to talk to her, set up another time, and get her the bag.”
Jayden paused. “Okay, and usually, I wouldn’t care, I’d give you the number. But my sister is insane, and if she didn’t want you to have it—not saying she doesn’t, but just in case—she’d kill me,” he laughed and Benji smiled.
“I got you, man, and I get it, but I really need her number. Remember, you owe me,” he said and he knew that made him a dick, but he was on a mission.
“Oh, low blow, dude! I can’t.”
“She won’t mind,” he said uncertainly, but he had to believe she wouldn’t.
“Ha! You don’t know my sister. She’s psycho about who has her number. I don’t even know her designer number, the one for her business cell phone, to give you.”
“That one is in the bag with a dead battery, anyway,” he said, and Jayden made a sound of irritation.
“Shit. Okay. Well, listen, she’ll be here in a few. I can give her your number,” he said and Benji rolled his eyes.
He wanted to laugh at the hilarity of the situation. “We sound like two fucking high schoolers, you know that?”
Jayden laughed. “We do. But seriously, I don’t like poking the bear, aka my sister.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll come by and drop off the bag and talk to her about my…stuff,” he decided, going to slide his tennis shoes on.
“Um, today? She’s sorta, like, superpissy. I don’t even want to be near her.”
Benji laughed. “It’s fine. I can handle her,” he said confidently.
“Your funeral. Hey, can I get your gamer chair when you die?”
But he wasn’t too sure of himself when he pulled into Jayden’s driveway behind Lucy’s car. Reaching for her bag, he got out of his truck and locked it up before heading for the front door. His heart was jackhammering against his chest and he thought about just leaving the bag and hightailing it out of there, but he stopped himself.
He wanted to see her.
He knocked on the door, and it opened a few seconds later and Angie grinned up at him. “Benji!”
“Hey, Hart, what’s up?” he asked, fist-bumping her before she opened the door enough for him to come in.
“We’re homeless. My grandma is gutting her house, so we’re staying with my uncle and aunt till our apartment is fixed,” she said happily as she shut the door and skipped up beside him. “What are you doing here? You homeless too?”
He laughed. “Nope, came to drop your mom’s bag off. She left it at my house.”
“Aw! She got to come play with you?”
Oh, kid. You have no idea.
Swallowing hard, he smiled. “She’s gonna design my house.”
“Supercool! My mom is the best, isn’t she, Aunt Baylor?”
He looked to the left to see Baylor sitting in a chair, her leg propped up. “She is. Hey, Benji.”
“Hey, didn’t see you there. How are you feeling?”
“Okay, today. Thanks for asking,” she said as Jayden came into the room, scooping Angie up and putting her on his shoulders.
“Hey, BP. Lucy’s in the shower,” Jayden said, but Angie smacked his head.
“She’s been out like for twenty minutes. Mammaaaaaaaaaaa,” she yelled, and Benji met Jayden’s sheepish gaze.
“Told you she was in a shitty mood,” Jayden said simply and Benji grinned. “She told me to lie.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be—” But he didn’t get to finish his sentence because as she came out of the back room, Lucy’s eyes met his and he was rendered speechless. Completely speechless. Her hair was wet, falling down her shoulders onto a white tee that was short in the front but long in the back, showing a bit of her belly. The same belly he had spent most of his time admiring last night. Her jeans were all but painted on and she had no shoes on. She looked exactly like what he imagined he would come back to after a long road trip.
She looked like home.
As his heart went wild, she moved her fingers through her hair, pulling it up into a wet bun. Looking over at Angie, she smiled. “Yeah, baby?”
“Benji is here. He has your bag.”
Still not looking at him, she nodded. “Oh, wow, thanks for bringing that over. You didn’t have to do that.”
He willed her to look at him as she came toward him, reaching for it. But when she didn’t look up, he held it tighter. “It’s no problem. Wanted to check in with you.”
She held the bag, pulled it once, and then pursed her lips. Letting out a sigh, she finally looked up. Just like that, everything stopped.
Did she feel that too?
Swallowing hard, he smiled as she blinked vacantly up at him. “Hey, Lucy.”
“Hey,” she said faintly, sucking in a big breath.
“Everything is in there,” he said, his brows waggling at her, and her face deepened with color.
“Thanks,” she said shyly, looking away as he let go of the bag. She set it on top of the couch and then crossed her arms. Looking around the room at her daughter, her brother, and his wife, she nodded as she cleared her throat. Not meeting his gaze, she tucked her hands into her pockets.
The silence made him nervous and everyone was staring at him, so he blurted out, “I tried to get your number from Jayden, but he told me you’d get mad.”
She blinked at him. “He’s dumb and was dropped on his head a million times as a baby,” she said quickly and Jayden protested.
“I was not!”
“Yes, you were. I dropped you,” she seethed back at him and Benji’s eyes widened.
“You did not!”
“Ask Mom. Why do you think one eye is lazy?” she shot back and he glared.
“Don’t listen to them, Benji. They are always like this,” Baylor said with a laugh and Benji smiled.
“Yeah, she’s always mean,” Jayden spat at her and she glared.
“My grandma says th
at if they didn’t fight, they wouldn’t talk. But I heard Jayden whisper he loved my mom a lot, more than everyone else, to my aunt Baylor,” Angie said sweetly, hugging Jayden tightly.
“I lied,” he protested and Lucy growled at him before turning back to Benji. Her hands were shaking, and the nerves were coming off her in waves. Why was she nervous? Did she think he’d out them?
“Anyway, I’ll get with you about your house later. I think Jayden told you about my current shop status. I should know more tomorrow, and I’ll make sure my assistant gets back with you. So, yeah, bye. Thanks for stopping by and dropping that off. You shouldn’t have.”
Oh, so she was trying to blow him off?
“Jeez, Lucy, he can come in for a drink or something,” Baylor teased and Lucy’s eyes flashed with anger. “Or he can leave,” she laughed and Jayden’s brows rose.
Looking to Benji, he said, “What in the world? He’s my friend, not yours. Wanna come in, bud? I’m getting them settled, but you can sit with Limpy over there until I’m done.”
“I just yelled an expletive at you in my head,” Baylor said and he grinned.
“I do that a lot,” Lucy muttered, and Benji laughed.
These people were crazy.
Grinning at only Lucy, he shook his head. “Actually, I need to talk to your sister.”
Jayden’s brow rose again as he looked around. “Oh, go ahead.”
She paused, looking back at Jayden and then back to Benji, her eyes full of unease. “Why?”
His grin didn’t falter, it actually grew. He swore he couldn’t decide if she was hotter when she was coming on his face or when she was nervous like this. Clearing his throat, he said, “Well, I mean, I guess we can talk here. Totally up to you.”
Her eyes widened and then she pushed him toward the door, pausing to put shoes on. “I’ll be right back.”
“Lucy?” Jayden asked and Baylor laughed.
“Shut up, Jayden,” Lucy shot back before pushing Benji out.
“Are you leaving, Benji?” Angie called, and he paused as Lucy pushed.
“In a few,” he said and her smile dropped.
“Are you leaving with Jayden?”
He nodded sadly. “Yeah, sunshine. But don’t worry, I’ll be there for your game, though. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
She grinned as she climbed off Jayden and ran to give him a hug. “Awesome. Kick some butt and score me a goal.”
His throat was thick with emotion as he hugged her back. How had this little girl wiggled her way into his heart so fast? “Consider it done.”
“Um, wow, I think I got replaced,” Jayden said and Benji grinned at him. “I guess I’m chopped liver now.”
Angie giggled as she ran back to Jayden, tackling him at the thighs, which caused him to fall onto the couch in a heap of laughter. Before Benji could even laugh or say anything, Lucy pushed him outside.
“I love when you put your hands on me,” he teased as she shut the door behind them and then headed past him, down the stairs.
“Oh, Jesus. Hush and come on,” she called back at him as he grinned.
So he followed.
Watching as her ass moved side to side in those sexy jeans, Benji was almost mesmerized before she stopped at the end of the driveway, right behind his truck. Looking back at the house and then to her, he scoffed. “I think we’re far enough away. I doubt anyone will hear us,” he said with an exaggerated wink.
“Oh, hush,” she snapped, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. “So what do you want to talk about?”
He grinned, matching her stance. “You’re so cute when you don’t want to talk about something.”
Looking up at him, she glared. “I can go back inside.”
“But you won’t.”
Her glare deepened. “Get to talkin’, Paxton. I’ve had a shitty day.”
“I heard,” he said then, tucking his hands in his pockets. “How long will you be out of your apartment?”
She shook her head and let out a long breath, her shoulders sagging. “I don’t know. They say Tuesday, but when I went there this morning, it looks so bad. Like the water was seeping through the ceiling of my shop. I don’t know how it got so bad. I called right when I smelled something weird.”
He nodded. “That blows.”
“You have no idea. I love my brother and his wife, I do, but I hate imposing on people.”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “You know you’re more than welcome to come stay at my house. I have room, and I won’t even be there this week. Plus, you can work on it.”
Her face scrunched up as she gave him a suspicious look. He wanted to regret asking her, but he didn’t. He didn’t mean it to get her back in his bed; he really did want to help her, and he understood not wanting to ask her brother for help. They were practically newlyweds. No one wanted to be under the same roof with that.
“I don’t know you. Why would I move myself and my child in with you?”
He scoffed. “You had sex with me, though.”
She balked. “Um… Yeah. So?”
“So you trust me. If you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t let me between—”
“Jesus take the wheel!” she wailed, holding her hands up to stop him, which of course, he smirked at. “Maybe I just wanted sex. Maybe I’m a whore.”
He gave her a dry look, shaking his head. “Even I know that’s isn’t true. You aren’t like that.”
“How do you know?”
He grinned, taking a step toward her. “Because even though I’ve only known you six days, I’ve seen the way you are with your daughter. You’re a great mom. Great moms don’t sleep with random men. They are responsible, they are smart, and it’s okay, Lucy, you can admit you trust me.”
That stunned her, but she recovered quickly. Scoffing, she said, “Please, you were there.”
“Okay. Lucy, do you want another hug? You look like you need another one.”
He moved toward her with his arms out, and she laughed as she pushed him away. “Stay away from me, you and those hugs.”
“Dangerous, huh?”
“Yeah,” she breathed, shaking her head.
“But, hey, it led to a great night,” he said huskily, and her lip quirked as she looked away.
“Doesn’t matter. It was a mistake,” she said quietly.
He couldn’t agree with her if he tried. Last night was not a mistake, but she already knew that. “It was?”
She looked up, her eyes wide and worried, distress all over her beautiful face. He may have been kidding before, but he really did want to hug her. “Benji, I’m so busy, especially now since I have to find a way to run my business out of my brother’s house. I was supposed to hire a new designer this weekend, but that looks like it’s going to shit and I’m a fucking mess. Really. Also, I have a kid—”
“I don’t know what Angie has to do with us.”
“Um, no man wants a chick with a kid or a baby daddy to deal with.”
He snorted. “Your baby daddy is nothing to me.”
“He’s a dick. You don’t want to deal with that or my kid.”
“Again, he doesn’t matter. As a real man, I don’t care that you have a kid or a baby daddy. That baby daddy has no effect on me, and your child is an extension of you. Also, Angie is freaking awesome, just like you,” he said with a wink, but she didn’t look convinced.
“No one says that.”
“Or you haven’t met the right man,” he said, pointing at her.
Exasperated, she threw her hands up. “When did you become a smooth-talker? You’re supposed to be a huge dork.”
He grinned. “I am, with a side of sex god and smooth-talker.”
“Okay, just stop,” she said, holding her hand up and he laughed. “Jesus, Benji. I mean, yeah, last night was so good, but let’s be real,” she said, talking with her hands until she shivered and had to wrap her arms around herself. It was chilly out, and he was sure she had been more concerned with
getting him out the door than getting a coat. At least she’d put on shoes. “It would just be a waste of our time. We are in two different places in our lives, and right now, things are not easy for me.”
He was listening, he was, but she was talking more for herself. Everything she said may be true, but Benji didn’t care. He wanted to try. It was crazy, but he had to do this. Something inside him was begging him to do it.
Shaking out of his coat, he reached around her and put it on her. His body was so close to hers, and even though it was cold, she made him burn from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.
She tried to stop him. “I’m fine—”
But he ignored her, closing the jacket, and then pulling away slowly. Tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans, he met her gaze. “Maybe it hasn’t been easy because you don’t let it. You do this thing, finding every single reason possible not to be happy. Isn’t that exhausting?” When her eyes narrowed, he just grinned at her. “Aw, don’t get mad. I’m just making an observation.”
“An observation you can shove up your ass,” she mumbled, but she didn’t mean it. She was trying not to grin back at him.
“Always so snarky,” he said, tapping her nose, which made her eyes widen.
“What in the world?”
“What? You’re cute.”
She let out a frustrated breath. “Like I said, last night was awesome, I had a blast. But this, whatever you think it is, just isn’t a good idea.”
“I’m not asking for anything. Not yet, at least, and I don’t think us getting to know each other and spending time together would be a waste of anyone’s time, as long as we’re having a good time.”
She shook her head, sucking in a breath, and he smiled. “Benji…”
Taking ahold of her belt loop, he pulled her to him. He couldn’t handle the distance anymore. He had to touch her. Coming to a halt against him, she looked up at him, surprised, as his hands slid underneath his coat to her back. She shivered against his touch and then relaxed. But as soon as she relaxed, she tensed up again, glancing back at the house. But he moved a hand and took hold of her chin, bringing her face up to look at him. “No one can see us.”
