“Ben, I think it would be too confusing for her,” Jenna said as resolutely as she could. She had to leave. But she couldn’t help picturing the three of them lounging in their pajamas, Ben at the stove making pancakes as she and Kate sat at the kitchen table. But before that fantasy could firmly take hold, Jenna remembered the first time she’d awoken to find a man in her mother’s bed.
The night after Aunt Ginny passed away, Jenna found herself in another world. A frightening world. Judith’s world. While her aunt’s home smelled of baked bread and warm stew, her first night with her mother reeked of cigarettes and stale beer. Memories of the acrid scents were still as fresh now as they were years ago.
She’d woken up scared and hungry in a place she didn’t recognize. The ranch-style home Judith rented was large but sparsely furnished. There were no knickknacks or personal touches. This made the few pieces of furniture look like icebergs floating in a swimming pool, filling the space but lacking in warmth.
As she went from room to room searching for her mother, her little feet stepped over abandoned beer bottles and red solo cups partially filled with stale beer and spent cigarettes. She ran her finger through powder dusting the surface of the kitchen counter and formed a perfect J in the feathery-white film.
The last door she opened revealed a master bedroom with a large four-poster bed. Her mother was sprawled on the bed with a man sleeping next to her. His thick arm draped across her naked stomach. The room reeked of liquor and tobacco, but there was something else in the air. Jenna paused as an unfamiliar, sweaty tang taunted her nostrils.
She nearly backed out of the room, unsure of what to do, but her growling stomach pressed her forward.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” she said, taking a few tentative steps toward her sleeping mother.
The occupants of the bed remained silent. Jenna walked a little closer. “Mommy, I’m hungry,” she said again, a bit louder, then recoiled as the man sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Rubbing his bloodshot eyes, he shook his head and beckoned her over. Jenna complied but kept her gaze focused on her mother’s motionless form. A little voice inside her head begged her to run back to her room, but she ignored it and continued toward the bed.
“You’re up early.” His voice was rough.
She smiled as relief flooded her body. Maybe this man would fix her breakfast.
“I’m hungry,” she said, her gaze trained on her bare feet.
The man narrowed his eyes. “You woke me up because you’re fucking hungry?”
The man reached out and grabbed her by the hair, making her shriek and gulp for air. Any semblance of kindness he’d previously exuded had disappeared as he stood and held her head at an unnatural angle. Maintaining his punishing grip, he walked her to the door as she whimpered under his brutal hold. He pushed her out of the room with a violent shove that caused her little body to hit the floor with a harsh thud.
“You bother me again, bitch, and then you’ll really be sorry.”
The bedroom door slammed behind her as she crawled back to her room. There would be no breakfast that day and for many days to come.
Jenna caressed Ben’s cheek. “It’s better if I go,” she said, vowing never to make any child go through even a fraction of what she had endured.
A crestfallen look appeared on his face. Jenna leaned in to try and kiss the worry away when an idea crossed her mind.
“You may want to take a peek out of your window after I leave. You might like what you see.”
He smiled against her lips. “Is that so?”
With one last lingering kiss, Jenna left the warmth of the bed and dressed in the boxer shorts and t-shirt Ben had lent her. She opened the door then felt Ben come up behind her.
“Jenna, this is good. We’re good.”
She was smiling like a schoolgirl. “The window,” she mouthed.
“Wait.” He stood close to her as his hands found her face. “Come with us to Sunday lunch at my parents’ place today. I won’t take no for an answer,” he added, peppering feather-soft kisses on her lips.
“All right,” she sighed, loving the feel of his lips on her skin.
Ben stood at his window and watched as Jenna crossed the yard and entered the carriage house. A light flicked on inside, and the darkness transformed into a golden beacon. Jenna came to the window. She turned away and piled her hair on top of her head in a loose bun to expose the graceful curve of her neck.
She lifted her shirt to reveal the soft lines of her hips, her slim waist, and the smooth expanse of her toned back, and his pulse quickened. Jenna held out the t-shirt, arm extended, and dropped it dramatically to the floor. She turned toward him with her arms wrapped seductively around her body, covering her breasts. But her expression changed when she looked away from his window and out toward the driveway.
No longer playing the part of the temptress, she wrapped her arms around her chest protectively. Ben watched with confusion as Jenna’s body dropped to the floor. He could only see her head through the window, and it was still looking away from the house and down the driveway.
He pulled on his pants. There had to be someone out there. Not just someone out for an early morning jog, but someone who was purposely looking in at her. He ran down the stairs and out the front door to head off the unwelcomed visitor when he heard the sound of squealing tires.
It took him a moment to orient himself toward the sound. He turned and saw brake lights about five blocks down the street. Barefoot and shirtless, he ran down Baneberry Drive toward the Langley Park town center. He had no idea if that was the pervert, but it was the only car on the road this early in the morning. He’d made it a block or so before he heard Jenna calling out from behind.
He stopped, his heart racing, and turned back to look at her. Her cheeks were pink from running, and he gathered her into his arms.
“Who was that, Jenna? Did you get a good look?”
She shook her head against his chest. “I couldn’t tell. He was wearing a hat. But Ben, he wasn’t just standing there. I think he had his hand down his pants. Do you think it was that Hadley kid? I mean, I know he must have been angry when Sam threw him out of Park Tavern, but would he take a grudge this far?”
“I don’t know,” Ben answered somberly. “But when we get home we’re calling the police.”
Heading back toward the house, he wrapped his arm around her. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder as her staggered breathing returned to normal.
Anger surged through his veins.
He was done playing games with Aidan Hadley.
19
“We’ll see you for lunch in a couple of hours,” Kathy said as she and Kate walked down the path to her car. “This little garden helper is going to be in charge of watering all our petunias.”
Kate was beaming as she carried her junior gardener bag. “Bye, Daddy! Don’t forget to bring Jenna to lunch.”
“I won’t,” Ben answered, then mouthed, “Thank you,” to his mother.
He’d called the police station earlier that morning requesting to speak with Officer Stevens but was told his shift didn’t start until nine. A blessing in disguise, this gave Ben time to contact his mother and see if she could pick Kate up early so he and Jenna could speak with Stevens alone.
It was now half past eight, and the house was quiet, too quiet. Even though Jenna was only a stone’s throw away in the carriage house, he wanted her here. Despite pleading with her to stay in the house with him, she was adamant about not wanting Kate to know she had spent the night. He understood she didn’t want to confuse his daughter, but he couldn’t stop his growing need to keep her close.
He was in his study when he heard a gentle knock come from the back of the house and then the French doors opening.
“Ben, it’s me,” Jenna called out.
He found her in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee with her back to him. She was humming, and he watched her skirt sway as she rea
ched for a mug. When he looked at her, it was as if the shattered pieces of his life were coming back together. He wasn’t some mannequin playing the part of father and architect. He was a man, flesh and blood, with real emotions and real desires.
He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed a kiss to her temple, inhaling the lavender scent of her shampoo. Jenna leaned into him, and their eyes met in the window’s reflection.
“Did everything go all right with Kate and your mom?” she asked.
“They just left,” he answered, pressing another kiss behind her ear. “Kate made me promise I wouldn’t forget to bring you to lunch.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Jenna set the mug on the counter then reached up and touched Ben’s cheek.
“What is it?” he asked, still watching her reflection.
“Those dimples,” she said, moving her hand from the back of his neck to his dimpled cheek. “I never forgot your smile.”
He ran his hands down the sides of her body, and she sighed, making him want to take her right there in his kitchen.
The events of the past twenty-four hours had been an emotional roller coaster. But he knew one thing for sure—what they had together was real.
“Ben,” Jenna breathed.
He kissed her neck but kept his gaze locked on their reflection in the window. She arched into him and reached her arms around his neck. Her fingers weaved into his hair. He loved how this position granted him full access to explore her torso and breasts.
“You taste so good,” he whispered and nipped at her earlobe.
Jenna pushed back into him, and his hard length rubbed against her ass. She gasped as he pressed her more firmly into the counter. She moaned when he slid his hands from her hips past her stomach and under her blouse, appreciating the perfect weight of her breasts through the thin lace of her bra.
Ben caught their reflection and watched as Jenna surrendered to his touch. His mind went back to just hours ago when he had her in his bed with his cock buried deep inside her.
Last night he’d made love to Jenna, savoring each delicious inch of her. The fact that there was someone out there watching her and possibly trying to hurt her made his need for her deeper, more primal. She belonged with him, and he wanted to protect her. But this morning, he wasn’t going to be taking anything slow. He lifted her skirt and trailed his fingertips along her smooth thighs.
“I love all these skirts. Do you even own a pair of pants?” he teased as his hand moved across her thigh and inside her panties. She was already wet, and a torrent of lust swept through him.
He pushed one finger, then two into her tight center as the heel of his hand pressed against her sensitive bud. He rocked his hand, listening to her breath catch. Jenna dropped her hands from where they were grabbing fistfuls of his dark hair and braced herself on the counter. He knew she was close.
She called out his name as her core clenched around his fingers, and her body rode wave after wave of her climax.
He caught her gaze in the window’s reflection, and she gave him a sated smile. She reached back and cupped his hard length through his pants while he unfastened his belt. Within seconds, he was buried inside her, taking her from behind.
He gripped her hips. “You feel like heaven.”
Ben moved slowly, savoring the sensation of pushing deep inside her and feeling her body respond and tense as if she never wanted to let him go. Then he pulled out, his cock instantly missing her warmth. It was pure pleasure and excruciating pain.
Jenna craned her neck to look at him. Her eyes were filled with so much of everything he never thought he’d have in his life. He saw his future reflected back at him, and, with one hard thrust, he buried himself deep inside her again.
But it wasn’t enough. He pulled out and deftly turned Jenna to face him. Then he lifted her up to perch on the counter. He needed to look at her, needed to be able to see what was going on in the depths of her brown eyes.
Face to face, they came together, mouths crashing as Jenna twisted and tugged the hair at the nape of his neck sending sharp pulses of desire straight to his cock. He growled and assaulted her neck with wet kisses. Shirts were hastily removed and, unable to wait any longer, Ben pulled her body forward and entered her. His pulsing cock wept with joy to be reunited with her delicious heat. He moved faster and thrust harder. He dug his fingertips into her hips and was on the brink of losing control.
Lost in the sounds of Jenna’s soft moans, he met her gaze. “You are everything.”
Jenna gripped him with her core muscles, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. She met him thrust for thrust, and they went flying over the edge.
A knock at the door brought them back to reality. There was still someone out there targeting Jenna, and they needed to get to the bottom of it.
“I bet that’s Officer Stevens,” he said, dropping a string of soft kisses along her jawline.
“Oh, Ben, first the poor mechanic and now Officer Stevens,” she answered.
He pondered her words. “I think I need to put a ‘Keep Out’ sign on the door. We do keep getting interrupted.”
Jenna swatted his chest. “Could you hand me my…” she pointed to her blouse which was draped over the blender.
“These shirts won’t do,” he said, smiling mischievously as he handed her the garment. “What happened to those wrap dresses? Much better access.”
Jenna shook her head, but a sexy smile graced her lips.
“I wasn’t kidding. I’ve never seen you in pants. You even run in little skirts.”
“Aren’t you the observant one,” Jenna answered as a second knock echoed through the house.
“Be right there,” Ben called out toward the door. He turned to Jenna and held her hands. “Whatever Stevens tells us, we’re in this together. It’s important to me you know that.”
Jenna bit down on her lip. He could tell she was used to handling everything life threw at her on her own.
She let out a breath and met his gaze. “All right.”
“My dispatch said you had a disturbance, someone on your property?” Stevens took out his notepad as Ben gestured for him to take a seat at the kitchen table.
Jenna nodded. “I saw a man standing in the driveway. He was looking at me through the windows.” She glanced up at Ben. He was standing next to her, his hand placed protectively on the back of her chair.
“And you have reason to believe it wasn’t someone out exercising? Maybe a runner who stopped to catch his breath?”
A chill went down her spine. “No, it wasn’t someone out for a morning run. It looked like he may have been touching himself while he was watching me.”
“About what time was this, Ms. Lewis?”
“Early, around five this morning. It was still pretty dark.”
“Can you tell me anything about this man? Build? Height?”
“No, not really,” she answered, releasing a frustrated breath.
Ben sat down in the chair next to her. “Officer, have you been able to speak with Aidan Hadley? He’s the only person that we can think of who could be holding a grudge, real or imagined, against Jenna. There have been too many strange occurrences for this all to be a coincidence.”
“I wanted to speak with you about Mr. Hadley. I haven’t been able to track him down. He has an apartment near the Country Club Plaza, and his roommate hasn’t seen him since the nineteenth of May.”
Jenna met Ben’s gaze, and then she turned to Stevens. “That was just two days after I arrived in Langley Park.”
“That’s right. It was the night we saw him at Park Tavern, and he confronted you,” Ben added.
“Nobody’s seen him or heard from him since then?” Jenna asked, trying to piece it all together.
“Not that I know of, Ms. Lewis, but I was able to speak with his parents a few days ago. They’d been vacationing in Europe for the last two months and had recently returned. They reported that they didn’
t have any contact with their son while they were gone.”
Officer Stevens closed his notepad and folded his hands on the table. “After speaking with his parents, it’s my understanding he’s had issues with drugs and alcohol in the past. He’s disappeared before, and then he resurfaces when he needs money. His parents are going to disable his credit cards. They say that usually brings him home.”
Ben reached into her lap and took her hand in his. “Does he have a history of harassment or violence? We need to know what we’re dealing with here.”
Stevens rubbed his hand across his chin. “His juvenile records are sealed. As an adult, he’s had several arrests for public intoxication, and there was one charge of aggravated assault last year. But in all cases, the charges were dropped.”
“Officer,” Ben broke in, a tinge of anger in his voice. “Is Aidan Hadley related to J. Bonner Hadley?”
“J. Bonner Hadley is Aidan’s father,” Stevens replied, nodding his head almost apologetically.
“Who’s that?” Jenna asked, her gaze shifting from Stevens to Ben.
“He’s one of Kansas City’s most prominent defense attorneys and probably the reason why Aidan Hadley has no record,” Ben said, shaking his head.
“Then what do we do?” Jenna asked, anger replacing any fear in her voice.
“She could file a complaint, right?” Ben asked, looking to Stevens for confirmation. He turned his attention back to her. “He tried to attack you. Sam saw it happen.”
Stevens nodded. “You could. He clearly harassed you, and by putting his hands on you, that is considered assault.”
“But none of that will matter, will it? It sounds like his father would make sure of that,” Jenna said, rubbing a kink in her neck.
“It’s your decision, Ms. Lewis. You’re well within your rights to file a complaint.”
“I think you should, Jenna,” Ben said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“I’ll think about it,” she replied, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice.
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 16
