Bennett (On the Line Book 2) (12 page)

These were the questions that wore on me during road trips these days. I just stared at the gray ceiling of the bus from my bunk and weighed things.

My phone buzzed with another message from Charlotte.

Charlotte: Where are you going?

Me: Nashville. I’ll be back late tomorrow night.

I sent a second message right after.

Me: Do you worry about things?

Charlotte: Like what things?

Me: Money. And being a good parent in five months.

Charlotte: No. I have money saved that I planned to pay school loans off with. Please don’t worry about money, I’ll be fine. And I’ll do my best as a mom. Always.

I felt a burn in my chest that reached all the way up to my throat as I read her words. Charlotte could do this alone if she had to, and something told me she’d rock it. She was so strong. And her love for our unborn child made me feel a bone-deep yearning for her. We were bound together forever now, and if that was supposed to scare me, it didn’t. It made me feel like a lucky son of a bitch.

Me: I know you will. I miss you, Char.

Charlotte: I miss you, too.

Me: Be with me, Charlotte. All the way. Let’s date.

Charlotte: Where is this coming from?

Me: Are you wondering if it’s my dick or my heart?

Charlotte: I like the bluntness of that assessment, yes.

Me: Well, I could’ve gotten laid easy in the past 3 ½ months but I haven’t.

Charlotte: Not at all?

Me: Not at all. I was trying to get you out of my head the night you came to tell me you were pregnant.

Charlotte: Really?

Me: Really.

Charlotte: Why don’t you ever say things like that in person?

I smiled at my phone. It was so like Charlotte to redirect my attention to avoid answering me.

Me: You know that cartoon, Peanuts?

Charlotte: I do, random subject-changer . . .

Me: I’m Charlie Brown. Pretty cute, lovable guy, right?

Charlotte: Okay, yes. You are.

Me: And Charlie’s a whole-heart kind of guy, don’t you think?

Charlotte: I don’t know him quite that well, but I’ll take your word for it.

Me: You’re Lucy. Holding that football, waiting for me to come kick it. And I want to. I want to kick it bad. But if you pull it away at the last second, I’ll be flat on my back.

Charlotte: I’d love to have you flat on your back right now.

Me: Thanks for the hard-on.

Charlotte: Sorry.

Me: No, really. I knew you had it in you to let your guard down and just have fun with me.

Charlotte: You think I’m the sort of woman who pulls the football away?

Me: I think you’re afraid to find out what it feels like to not pull it away.

A couple minutes passed before she responded.

Charlotte: Sometimes you leave me speechless. No one’s ever done that.

Me: Like that night we met at Cosmos? You had limited speech that night, as I recall. Bennett . . . oh God, yes . . . fuck me hard . . . don’t stop, Bennett . . .

Charlotte: Yes, you’re amazing in bed, is that what you want to hear?

Me: I want pics of you.

Charlotte: Ha! The belly one is the raciest you’ll get.

Me: Come on, baby. I’m dying here. Give me something.

Charlotte: I don’t think I can. I’d look like an idiot.

Me: You’d look fucking hot.

Charlotte: What if Liam saw your phone?

Me: I’d never let that happen. No one but me sees my phone.

Charlotte: Hmm. Maybe if I wasn’t identifiable in the photos.

Me: Such sexy attorney talk, baby.

Charlotte: You knocked up an attorney, what can I say?

I turned over on my side to face the wall. I didn’t like Liam being five feet away from me right now.

Me: I have a counterproposal, counselor.

Charlotte: Is that right?

Me: Leave me a key to your place in your mailbox. When I get home from my road trip tomorrow night, I’ll come over. Around midnight. I’ll make you semi-speechless again.

My dick stiffened in my sweats, and I had to shift my hips to adjust myself. Would she let her guard down and say yes? I wanted her to so fucking badly.

Charlotte: Okay, I’ll send the pics.

I stared at the phone in disbelief.

Me: Are you fucking serious?

Charlotte: No. The key will be in the mailbox.

Me: Funny shit, Lucy.

Charlotte: I’ll be waiting.

Me: I can’t wait to get my hands on you. Watch my game tonight and you’ll see.

Charlotte: What’s that have to do with tomorrow night?

Me: I’ll be a fucking beast tonight. I’m guessing at least a couple penalties. I’m pent up. Gotta get some of it out.

Charlotte: I’ll be watching.

Me: Be ready for me tomorrow night.

Charlotte: Don’t worry about that. I’m ready right now.

Fuck. I was ready, too. But I’d wait. No jerking off between now and tomorrow night. I wanted Charlotte to feel it all, just like I felt it right now. She’d managed to replace my worry with a clawing, burning need for her body.

Charlotte

I read through the list I’d made as I waited for Bennett’s game to start. I was streaming the game on my laptop, which had proved more of a challenge than I’d expected. James had been hogging bandwidth with some game he was playing, and I’d had to agree to do his laundry so he’d get off his computer and let me use the Internet.

I’d think about having to touch his underwear later, because I was in a good mood right now. The list had tipped the scales even further in Bennett’s favor.

Bennett: pros

Sweet

Loyal

Caring

Easy to be with

Highly attractive

Committed to our kid

Intelligent

Sexy as fuck

Amazing in bed

Good at fixing things

Makes me feel good

Bennett: cons

Faces lots of temptation from other women

Try as I might, I couldn’t come up with any other cons. There was only my general hesitation about falling in love and ending up like my mother. Sometimes I wondered if she’d started out with a backbone and lost it in the warm, fuzzy haze of being in love.

She’d taken back men who’d cheated on her, put up with one who stole from her, and begged one on her hands and knees for another chance when he said he wanted to move on. Even as a kid, I’d wondered where my mother’s pride was. She hadn’t
needed
those men. She was working two jobs and raising two kids on her own, which made her a badass in my book.

But some women felt incomplete without a man, and she was one of them. I’d vowed to never be that way. I dated, but never got stupid and overly invested. When I was told I dated like a man, I took it as a compliment.

I heard the sound of the game announcer’s voice, so I turned up the volume on my laptop. He was introducing the Flyers’ first line.

Killian Bosch skated out first, followed by Liam and Bennett. I felt a thrill at seeing Bennett. Something had changed for me after our text convo yesterday. I’d realized it was okay to admit how much I wanted him physically. The glimpse he’d given me of his own vulnerability had opened me up to sharing a little of my own.

Bennett burst out in full force, landing himself in the penalty box for slashing within the first two minutes of the game. As soon as his time was up, he came charging out of the box onto the ice, snow flying up from his skates.

All the muscles and lines of his body were made by this game. He had to be strong to move so fast on the ice. I realized for the first time how hard he must have to work every day to compete at this level, and I felt a new respect for both him and my brother.

After Bennett got his second slashing penalty, his coach yelled at him when his line got back to the bench. I sent him a silent message to stop showboating for my benefit.

The Flyers won the game 4–2. I’d taken a shower after watching it and was getting into bed when my phone dinged on my nightstand. I picked it up, already smiling because I knew it was Bennett.

But it wasn’t.

Liam: I’ve been thinking. I want to meet the father of my niece or nephew.

I cringed and wrote back.

Me: You will, just not right now.

Liam: Is he gone? Something’s up and you need to tell me what it is.

Me: No, he’s not gone.

Liam: Is he married?

Me: No, you asshole. I wouldn’t sleep with a married man.

Liam: WTF is it, Charlie? Tell me.

Me: There’s nothing to tell.

Liam: Then who is he?

Me: That’s my business.

Liam: Do you not know who the father is?

Me: FUCK YOU.

My brother could get me going like no one else. He expected to get his way and could be a pain in the ass when he didn’t. I was ready for a fight when the next text came in.

Bennett: Did u watch?

Oh. I smiled at my phone, pleasantly surprised.

Me: Yes. Great game.

Bennett: I can’t stop thinking about you.

Liam: Since when do we hide shit from each other? You know all my dirty laundry.

Me: You only want to know so you can kick his ass. Grow up.

Bennett: ??

Me: Sorry, that was for Liam. He’s on me to tell him who the father of the baby is.

Bennett: He’s pissed off and looking for a fight. Don’t let him get to you.

Me: You’re still coming tomorrow night, right?

Bennett: We both are, baby. Several times. ;)

Me: I can’t wait.

Bennett: Have to hit the shower. See u tomorrow.

Me: Okay.

I sent Liam the message I’d intended for him. I saw that he read it, but he didn’t respond. That was an accomplishment. Liam usually pushed me until we were at each other’s throats, and he always wanted to get the last word.

But he was my brother, and I loved him dearly. I needed to tell him the truth, but how? I wouldn’t mind him being pissed at me, but it was Bennett who would bear the brunt of Liam’s fury. I wasn’t ready to bring that down on him.

“This is quite the situation we have, kid,” I said softly, rubbing my hand in a slow circle on my belly. “What should I do?”

I took in the silence for a few seconds.

“Nothing?” I said. “I agree. Nothing for now. I’m just going to enjoy my night with your father tomorrow. It could be my last for a while. I mean, I’m hoping not, but if he gets mad, or I get mad, which
occasionally
happens . . .”

I let my mind wander, picturing Bennett’s crooked smile and his brown eyes that could be heart-meltingly sweet or panty-meltingly wicked, depending on the day.

“It’s just a temporary thing,” I said softly. “I don’t need a man to be my forever.
You’re
my forever.”

Bennett

T
he team bus stank like sweaty hockey gear and the egg rolls our goalie Shuck was eating. It was quiet as the end of our road trip approached. Everyone was either asleep or on their phone. For me, it was the latter, because I was too excited about seeing Charlotte to sleep. It didn’t matter that it was after eleven at night and my body was tired. My desire for her was more than just physical.