Bennett (On the Line Book 2) (16 page)

I’d totally be that dad. My dad had been hands-on, and I wanted to be the same way.

“Hey,” Charlotte said, unbuttoning her coat as she approached me. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, and I couldn’t resist standing up to kiss her.

“Hey,” I said. “How are you?”

“Pretty good. I’m gonna go check in.”

I sat back down and looked over at the kid next to me. He’d switched nostrils but was still staring at me.

We got called back before Charlotte was able to sit down by me. A nurse checked her weight and blood pressure, and then we were left alone to wait for the doctor.

“Ever done it in a doctor’s office?” I asked her, grinning.

“No, but I could use the stress relief right now.”

“What’s going on?”

She sighed deeply. “Just my mom. Michael cheated on her and went on a trip with his mistress. She’s agonizing over whether to leave him.”

“Why?”

“Exactly.” Charlotte waved her hands in the air for effect. “It’s a miracle I ended up with any sense of self-worth, because she has none. She says she’s worried about finding another man at her age. And when I tell her she doesn’t need a man, she looks at me like I just grew a second head.”

I was about to respond when she switched subjects.

“And then . . .
then
she had the nerve to tell me I needed to lock things down with you before I get much bigger with this pregnancy. Yeah, I have to wear elastic pants now. You think I don’t know I’m showing? And that I’ll end up waddling before this is over?”

“You’ll still be hot, babe.”

She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Don’t patronize me.”

“I’m not.”

“Why does she think I need to lock you down? Like I can’t handle things without a big, strong man to do the heavy lifting?”

“Char—”

The door to the room opened and Dr. Lansing stepped in.

“How are we, Charlotte?” he asked, glancing down at his clipboard.

“We’re pretty good.”

We listened to the baby’s heartbeat, and he talked to Charlotte about her diet and how she was feeling. It was a quick appointment, and Charlotte hustled toward the parking lot as soon as it was over. It was snowing, and she practically dove into her car.

“You in a hurry?” I asked, leaning down next to the open driver’s side door to look at her.

“Kind of.”

“You going back to work?”

It was 4:30 in the afternoon, which seemed late to go back in to a job that ended at five.

“No, I’m going to the grocery store.”

“Let me drive you. The roads may be slick.”

She gave me a look. “You think I can’t drive on slick roads?”

“Come on, Char. Let a big, strong man handle this.” I winked at her. “I just want to spend a little more time with you. I miss you.”

“Okay. Just make it snappy.”

I arched my brows at her, amused. “You hungry?”

“I want some chocolate peanut clusters. I’ve been fantasizing about them since I woke up this morning.”

I offered a hand and she took it, getting out of her car. Once I’d helped her into my car and cleaned the snow off of it, I drove us to the nearest grocery store.

“I feel really weird lately,” she said as I parked the car. “Maybe it’s just the stress of my mom’s visit, I don’t know. I started crying over a commercial on TV last night. Full sobbing.”

“Maybe it’s your hormones.”

She gave me a sharp look. “Let’s just get the peanut clusters.”

“Okay. I wish I could make you dinner, but I guess that won’t work.”

“I wish you could, too. I’d much rather spend my evening with you than my mom.”

We went into the store and she headed straight for the candy aisle. I followed, hands in my pockets, not wanting to block the way between her and her peanut clusters.

“What the actual
fuck
?” she whispered as she stared at an empty spot on a shelf. “Where are they?”

The tag on the shelf indicated that if the store had peanut clusters, they’d be here. Charlotte looked at me, her eyes glistening with tears.

“All I wanted was peanut clusters.”

“Chocolate-covered peanuts?” I suggested, grabbing a bag from another shelf.

“No,” she said miserably. “It needs to be the clusters.”

“I’ll find someone who works here. Maybe they’ve got some in the back.”

“Would you?”

I found a pimply kid in a green apron, but he told me they were, in fact, all out of peanut clusters. Charlotte was crestfallen when I told her.

“So we’ll try another store,” I said.

“Do you think I’m hormonal?”

Well, damn. There was no right answer to that question.

“I think if you want peanut clusters, I’m gonna make sure you get some,” I said, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“You always make me feel . . .” She shook her head, considering. “Calmer. Warmer. Steadier. I could really fall for you, Bennett . . . if I let myself.”

I was frozen. I wanted to say something sweet and right, but all I could think about was Kelly saying something similar to me five years ago.

“You’re the calm in my storm, Bennett.”

But I hadn’t been. When she needed a steady presence most, I’d failed her.

“You okay?” Charlotte asked, her brow furrowed with concern. “Did I just freak you out?”

I cleared my throat. “No. Let’s get going to another store.”

“Sure.”

We found the peanut clusters at the next store and I drove Charlotte back to her car. I gave her a quick kiss, still shaken from thinking about Kelly. Then I followed her home, and once I made sure she got there okay, went home and lost myself in a video game with Liam. Some things were best left buried.

Charlotte

“Why hasn’t Christopher been back?” my mom asked. “You two didn’t have a fight, did you?”

“No. He’s just been busy.”

“Why don’t you invite him over for dinner tonight? I’ll help you make chicken marsala. It’s true what they say about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach, you know.”

I glanced up at her from the magazine I was reading in my recliner. It was Saturday, and my hopes of a relaxing day had been short-lived.

“I don’t cook,” I said. “No reason to make him think I’m someone I’m not.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “That’s not what I’m suggesting. Just show him your best side until you’ve got a ring on your finger. Then you can ease away from cooking a bit.”

“A ring?”

“He’s a catch, Charlotte.”

I cocked my head at her in surprise. “How do you know? You met him once for like ten minutes.”

She held up five fingers, folding them down as she went through her list. “Good job. Very attractive. Clearly likes you. Intelligent. Has all his hair.”

“What?” I set the magazine down in my lap. “The fact that he likes me is not a redeeming quality. You act like no man would want to be with me.”

“I’m just saying, if a man like him is interested, sink those claws in, honey.”

Ugh.
I needed a break from her before I said something I’d regret.

“Actually, I’m staying over at his place tonight,” I said.

“Oh,
really
?” She smiled broadly. “That’s wonderful.”

“Yeah. I should get my stuff ready and go.”

“Well, I’ll hold the fort down here. Maybe James and I can play Monopoly.”

I took out my phone and texted Bennett.

Me: Is there any way you can get rid of Liam tonight? I’d really like to spend the night with you.

Bennett: Done. I’ll have him taken hostage if I have to.

Me: You’re the best. See you at 6?

Bennett: See you then.

I packed a bag of things and went clothes shopping at a maternity store. It was a relief to buy some clothes that would actually fit me. Then I drank a hot chocolate at the bookstore and picked up the few Christmas presents I needed. By the time I got to Bennett’s at six, my mood was much improved.

“Hey,” he said when he opened the door. I threw myself into his arms.

“Hi,” I said, kissing him.

He pressed a foot to the door and closed it, then reached out to lock the dead bolt, all without breaking the kiss.

“You’re good,” I murmured against his lips.

“I’m ready to tell Liam, but not because he caught us in bed.”

“Will he be back tonight?”

“Nope, but the dead bolt’s just in case. I got in touch with Keri. We’ve got until tomorrow afternoon.”

“But will she tell him?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she does. She doesn’t know it’s you who’s here.”

I stepped back to take off my coat. “It smells good in here.”

“I’m making manicotti.”

“Sounds delicious.”

Bennett approached me and put his hands on my belly. Our eyes locked, and the reverence I saw in his melted me and then quickly heated me from head to toe.

“I miss you so much when we’re not together.” He leaned his forehead against mine.

“Me too. So we’re telling Liam Friday night, right?”

He sighed softly. “He’s going to a holiday party with Keri, now. I hadn’t asked him yet, and then he told me about it.”

“Okay. Another night, then.”

“I’m going home for Christmas Day. I wish you could come with me.”

I ran a hand up his neck and into his thick hair. “Me too. But I can’t ditch my family on Christmas.”

“I know.”

A beeping timer sounded in his kitchen, and he broke our embrace to go turn it off. I followed him into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. An open magazine grabbed my attention.

The Twenty Hottest Men on Ice: #14, Bennett Morse

Whoa. There was a photo of Bennett in the locker room, sweaty and shirtless. He held on to a hockey stick and smiled the smile that had melted my panties the first time I saw him.

I scanned the Q&A next to the photo as he sprinkled mozzarella cheese over the pasta he’d made.

Q: What drew you to play hockey?

A: My dad was a youth coach. I learned to skate when I was four, and I never wanted to do anything else.

Q: Is there a special woman in your life?

A: Yes, there is.

Q: Details! Who is she and how’d she get lucky enough to steal your heart?

A: Sorry, that’s too private. Let’s just say, I’m the lucky one.

My heart pounded erratically with excitement.

“All set,” Bennett said, looking at me over his shoulder.

“Did you mean me?” I asked, looking down at the magazine and then up at him. “Am I the special woman?”

One corner of his mouth crooked up in a smile. “Of course you are, Char.”

I looked down at the picture again and licked my lips. “You’ll need to keep that warm in the oven.”

“How come?”

“Because we’re going into the bedroom now.”

Bennett

I
led Charlotte into my bedroom and closed the door behind us. She backed me against the door, her blue eyes bright as they met mine. When she licked her lips, I wrapped my hands around her hips and brought my mouth down on hers.

The taste and feel of her were becoming achingly familiar to me. Her soft moans and sweet curves were what I fantasized about when I jerked off to get relief from constantly wanting her.