So much for showing off her athletic ability.
“It’s sexy.”
“Seriously? I’m disgusting. You said it yourself.”
“No.” Ben’s hair, free from gel, swayed as he tilted his head. “I said you’re a mess. A beautiful mess.”
He bent to her lips, capturing them between his, sipping at her, sighing into her mouth, sending what had become a familiar wave of lust and comfort through her body. Molding herself into him, she lifted her hands to run them through his hair and remembered they were covered in mud.
With their bodies so close to one another, his front had to be a mess as well. Keeping with the playful nature, she grinned into their kiss and threaded her fingers through his ebony locks and brought them along his neck, finally cupping his cheeks.
Opening her eyes, Alexis bit back laughter at the dark streaks across his face.
Realizing what she’d done, Ben pulled back and cast a speculative glint her way. “You evil little…”
“You asked for it.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you asked for it.”
She yelped as he picked her up by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder, her face deliciously close to his bum. Alexis smacked it with all her strength.
“Put me down, you big buffoon.”
“Buffoon?” He cracked up and jogged down the path toward the house.
“Wait! My boot. It’s still in the mud.”
“Hemsworth!” Ben shouted at the dog who’d abandoned the fallen branch he was chewing on to run over to them. “Grab Alexis’s boot. Or do you go by Mommy?” he asked her.
“He knows who I am. Put me down. I can walk.”
From upside down she could see Hemmy gripping the boot in his teeth and toddling after them. If there was one thing a Bernese Mountain dog loved, it was having a job to do.
“I know you can. This is more fun though. Better view.” He patted her backside as she’d done to his a minute before.
“This is embarrassing.”
“There’s no one out here to see.”
When he carried her out of the fields they were greeted by the construction crew taking a break around the work trucks.
“What’dya find out in them woods?” Wade asked.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that’s little Alexis, covered head to toe in shit,” she heard Ty joke.
“Very funny. You will all be fired if a word of this spreads around town.”
“A word of what? That you slipped and fell in the mud and needed that Italian guy from California to come to your rescue and carry you home?” Ben propped her up higher on his shoulder and she ummfed.
“You’re fired too, Italian.”
“I’m not working for you so I don’t know how you’re going to do that.”
She smacked his butt again, regretting it when she heard Wade and Ty’s laughter. When they went back inside, Ben lowered her to the ground. Needing a minute to let the blood rush in the right direction, she closed her eyes and sighed.
“No more sex for you.”
“Sounds like you’re punishing yourself as well.” He kissed her on the lips and she opened her eyes in shock. Alexis’s gaze darted around the parking lot. Her parents could be anywhere. Ty could be peeking out the newly installed windows. “You okay?”
The tenderness in his voice took her by surprise. Ben touched her chin, tilting her face toward him and waited until their eyes met.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped. My intent was not to make you uncomfortable.”
How could she be angry with the man when those eyes spoke of such honesty and integrity?
He was a rotten bastard, and hated himself more and more for dishonesty to Alexis. Not that he outright lied to her, he simply left out a few details from his life in California…like he was going to be a father any day now.
Felicia wasn’t due for a few weeks, but Ben knew babies had their own timetable. His niece came a week early and his nephew came a week late. His window for coming out to see Alexis was short, and he somewhat erred on the side of caution.
Granted, he should have worked his schedule so he’d have more open days once the baby came, but seeing Alexis was more important than a baby he didn’t want.
Ouch. Now he really sounded like an asshole. While he didn’t want a baby, it wasn’t the kid’s fault for being born. Or almost born. It wasn’t Felicia’s fault the condom malfunctioned. It wasn’t his fault she got pregnant, even though she said she was on the pill and they still used a condom.
Life had a funny way of throwing curveballs at you. Ben hadn’t ruled out kids completely. They were okay, his niece and nephew were cool little people. Kids weren’t something he’d planned on having though.
At least, not any time soon.
They required too much. Time. A wife. A commitment. None of which he wanted. But he wouldn’t ignore or dislike his child. He’d seen enough neglect in the shelters and community centers where he volunteered. Husbands neglecting wives, moms neglecting their children. The cycle would continue if there weren’t enough people to love and support each other.
The tricky part would be to make sure his child didn’t feel like an obligation, when in reality that’s exactly what he—or she—was. Ben didn’t want a life with Felicia. He didn’t want to pretend to be a happy unit, only to be destroyed down the road. If their child grew up flip-flopping from Mom to Dad’s house, it would always be the norm, and he—or she—would be semi-ignorant to what should be normal.
In today’s day and age there was no more normal. They’d create their own. He’d had this talk with Felicia a dozen times, yet she continued to try to convince him to live together. They could have separate bedrooms, separate wings of the house, she’d pleaded.
Even after dating only a month, he knew her too well. She’d work her way into his room, and then attempt to guilt him into marriage. Better off keeping the line in the sand clear as mud.
And speaking of, here he had the most beautifully innocent, muddy, mess of a girl in his arms and he’d been lying to her from day one. Alexis deserved to know the truth. To know he’d be a father in a matter of weeks, and then she could decide if she still wanted to continue their affair.
God, he hoped so. In the meantime, he’d cherish every moment with her, soaking up those rare times when she smiled and let out a laugh. They were never fake, never forced. When Alexis lit up, it was from the heart. Pure as crystal ice.
Ben had no idea how long he’d been lost in his thoughts, in his guilt. Hemmy pushed Alexis’s boot into his thigh and he reached for it, thanking the dog and rubbing behind his ears.
“You need a bath, and so does your mama.”
“I wouldn’t need one if you didn’t push me into the mud.”
He snapped his head up and lowered his lashes, giving Alexis his best evil eye. “I did not push you in the mud. You fell.”
“My boot wouldn’t have gotten stuck, and I wouldn’t have twisted my ankle if you weren’t chasing me, so I’d say it’s your fault.”
“You twisted your ankle? Why didn’t you tell me?” He picked her up again, this time cradling her in his arms, concern and worry weaving their way through his chest.
“Stop.” Alexis patted his shoulder. “I might be exaggerating a little about the twisted ankle bit.”
“Don’t try to be tough. You can worsen the injury by putting pressure on it too soon.” He carried her toward his car, not caring about her protests.
“Ben. Seriously. I was kidding. I didn’t hurt myself.”
He stopped and stared into her coffee eyes. Streaks of mud caked her hair, her face, her clothes. Ridding her of the grime and stripping her naked, soaping her body from head to toe sounded like the best day ever.
“You’re thinking about sex.”
“How did you know?”
“Your eyes darkened and your erection is poking my hip. I don’t need my ankle looked at, but I may need a hip replacement if it gets any harder.”
&n
bsp; Ben laughed and set her gently to her feet. “Damn I lo—” He stopped himself. Never, not once in his entire life had those words come close to slipping through his lips with a woman. They flowed easily when he was with his family. He loved his parents and siblings, he showed his love freely and unabashedly with them.
With a woman, though? Never. Was it love he felt for her or the guilt of possibly hurting her, the guilt of keeping a secret?
No, not that either. He’d never felt guilt with a woman. There had never been anything to be guilty about.
Taking her mouth with his, he silenced his words and his thoughts and got lost in all that was Alexis. Feeding off her goodness and warmth, he promised himself he’d tell her about the baby soon.
After tonight. One more day and one more night being lost in her kisses, in her arms, in her world, and then he’d tell her he couldn’t come to Maine anymore.
* * *
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Alexis drummed her fingers against her travel coffee mug and huffed.
“Nope.” Ben glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he drove up Route One.
“Are we going somewhere to eat?”
“Are you hungry?”
“How could I be? My mom stuffed us with meatball subs. I can’t believe you ate two.”
“I’m a growing boy and your mom’s a great cook.” He flipped his blinker on and turned down Cascade Road.
When Alexis had gone inside to shower, he’d toured the function hall again, garnering info from Ty and Wade. It was coming along well, and would be open for spring tourists, the only decision that had yet to be made was flooring.
After tossing around some ideas with Shane over the phone a few weeks ago, he’d had an epiphany, remembering a church fire he’d seen on the news the last time he was out. Seeing the building on his right, he pulled into the parking lot.
“We’re going to church? You know this building has been condemned.”
He knew. He called the town hall earlier and made sure it was safe to poke around. The fire chief would be meeting them in a few minutes.
“Trust me. Come on.” Ben hopped out of the car and rounded the hood, opening Alexis’s door for her. She hadn’t even unbuckled yet, doubt in her eyes, a skeptic’s sneer crinkling her lip.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” He leaned in, unbuckling her, and taking advantage of their positions, kissed her lips, gently sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. Alexis reciprocated, touching him with her tongue, moaning into their kiss.
“I’m addicted to your kisses too,” she mumbled into his mouth.
Had they not been in public…no, that wouldn’t have mattered…had they not been waiting for the fire chief to meet them, they’d be a beautiful mess of naked, intertwined limbs on his backseat.
The sound of tires on the gravel parking lot had them moaning again, this time in disappointment.
“Stop distracting me.” Ben stepped back and offered his hand.
“You started it.” Alexis took his hand and kept their fingers interlocked as they greeted their visitor.
“You must be Martelli?” The chief stepped out of his truck.
“Ben, yes. Thank you, Chief Byron, for meeting us on such short notice. This is Alexis Le Blanc, her family owns Coastal Vines in Crystal Cove.”
“My wife likes your wine. Buying local, you know?”
“Thank you. Please tell her to come by in the spring.”
“Which is why we’re here.” Ben nodded toward the burned building. “You said the fire destroyed the sanctuary and left most of the hall undamaged?”
“It was a shame, this fire. Electrical fire started in the church. There’s some water and smoke damage in the back hall, but yeah, there may be some salvageable wood and windows. It’s still all coming down as soon as the church gets its insurance money. Too bad. Good people here.”
The front of the church was charred, the roof gone, the walls now only about ten feet high. Ben pictured it in its glory before the fire. A century-old church, the center of town, a place of refuge for hundreds.
They walked along the charred ruins to where the building had been somewhat saved. It stretched a good forty feet, the white paint on the siding blistered in some areas, blackened by smoke in others. They followed the chief to the rear door, or what used to be the door.
“Kids these days. Caught a few having parties back here. It’ll be good when she’s torn down. Safer.”
Alexis remained quiet, her hand firmly gripping his, as they stepped into the building. It smelled of smoke and ash and must. Sodden couches, tables and chairs set up for refreshments and socializing in one corner of the room. Broken beer bottles and empty pizza boxes littered the floor.
Ben looked past the rubble and trash and scuffed his toe along the wide wooden planks on the floor. He walked along the perimeter of the room, Alexis in tow, and examined the wood. The planks would need a good sanding, some staining, but would work.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re here?”
“Look at this floor.” He crouched down, tugging her down with him, and ran his free hand along the planks, noting the character, the knots, the grain.
“What about it? It’s a wood floor.”
“We could salvage it. Strip it and lay it in the function hall.”
“In my function hall?”
“Yeah. Ty said you hadn’t settled on flooring yet. New hardwood would look nice, but the rustic wood would create that rural feel you’re going for. You can’t buy wood in this width anymore, not with this character. Well, you can, but it would cost a fortune. And you’d be saving a piece of the Eastcliff. A different town maybe, but still part of your community. It’s a win-win.”
“Seriously?” Those chocolate eyes lifted to his and filled with something he couldn’t identify. She was good at that, masking her feelings, covering up her emotions.
“Or not.”
And then the lines at the corners of her eyes grew deep, her smile grew wide, and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. “You’re amazing. This is fabulous. I love it.” She slipped her hand from his and tackled him in a surprising hug, nearly knocking them to the floor. “You’re ingenious. I never would have thought of this. Thank you.”
His body warmed with pride and joy. Making Alexis happy, bringing a smile to her face was more rewarding than his first big paying client.
“When can we get started? Crowbars? Is that how we do it?” She jumped to her feet in excitement, stopping now and then to examine the floor.
“Pipe down, pipsqueak. Ty said he and his dad could handle it.”
“You talked to Ty about this?”
“And your dad. They all said it was your call. If you approved, they’d come out as soon as they got the all clear from the fire department and church.”
“This is so cool. My parents used to bring us here when we were little. Yeah, we were the Easter and Christmas churchgoers. We’d come for the church fairs and town celebrations too. I love the sense of keeping a piece of the church in our community, even if we weren’t devout members.”
“Your parents said the same thing.”
“I talked with Reverend Carpenter after I got off the phone with you,” Chief Byron interrupted. “It’s been hard on him and his family, as you can imagine. They live down the road and are on their way up here to meet with you. Wanted to thank you for salvaging some of their church in a function hall that would continue to bring the community together.”
An hour later, after talking with the reverend and his wife, calling Ty with the news, and meeting with the building and code inspector, they finally left.
“This is way cool,” Alexis repeated. Her entire demeanor changed into a pumped up teenager, and she had never looked more adorable.
“I like seeing you happy.”
“You’re a genius.”
“I like the hero worship as well.” He turned the rental car on and let it idle while it wa
rmed. “It’s almost four. We never discussed what classified as afternoon and when evening starts.”
She tilted her head in confusion. “Does it matter? Oh.” The giddiness in her face changed and worry set in.
“It doesn’t matter at all. As long as we’re together, I’m happy.” Ben winced at his corny lines. “I have a few more ideas if you’re up for it.”
“I’m up for anything.” Her shoulders relaxed and her eyes softened.
There was a level of insecurity underneath the façade of confidence she liked to portray.
“That’s what I like to hear.” He lowered his gaze to her feet, glad to see she wore her hiking boots. “You brought a hat and gloves, right?”
“It’s March. In Maine. You’d be stupid to leave the house without proper precautions.”
“That’s my girl.”
Ben pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the coast. March may not be prime time to walk along the rocky coast and explore the lighthouses, but his time was limited on the east coast, and he wanted to spend every moment making memories with Alexis.
Their afternoon together, heck, the entire day, had not been what Alexis expected. From their playful banter in the fields and vineyard, to the church, and Ben’s ingenious way to restore the flooring, to their walk along the beach, it was all such simple fun.
Their day had been much like one from a book she’d picked up from the book club last week. Alexis had been hesitant to stop by unannounced, but she’d mustered up the courage and met the Thursday night crew.
As promised, all the women were welcoming. They knew Alexis and she them, but they weren’t what she’d call friends. Friends meant you talked to one another on a regular basis. That you knew more than just the other person’s address.
Jenna Snyder didn’t live too far from her. She seemed like a shy woman with a lot on her mind. Lily Novak wasn’t what Alexis anticipated either. The tall, beautiful blonde spa owner was sweet and real, not artificial like Alexis had expected by her beauty. And there was Mia, Ty’s sister, whom Alexis knew as well, even if they weren’t close. And of course, Hope.
At First Blush (A Well Paired Novel Book 1) Page 21
