Letters of Love (Green Division Series Book #3) (15 page)

*****

The moon reflected off of the lake brightly.
 No light was necessary to see find his way down to the waterfront.  Ben picked up his suit jacket from the bench where he left it after the wedding.  Surprisingly it was still where he’d left it hours previous.  Impressive considering it was a public park.  He looked out over the lake.
“Perfect night.”  Aubrey crossed her arms and looked out with him as well.  A trio of loons were in the distance singing loudly.
“Still want to go for a swim?”  Ben hoped.
“It would ruin my dress.”  Aubrey walked closer to the lake.  “I didn’t think to bring my bathing suit to the wedding.”
Who said anything about a bathing suit?  
Ben almost said that aloud, but caught himself.
Aubrey kicked off her flats and waded into the water to her mid-calf.  Ben watched from the water’s edge.
“I love summertime in Maine.  For three months out of the year it’s heavenly.”
“What about the other nine?”  Ben asked.
“I spend the other nine thinking about the upcoming summer.”
“Aaaahhhh!”  Aubrey very ungracefully fell into the water soaking her dress.  She flailed in the water for a moment, then gave up and sank down.
“You have to be the most ungraceful person I’ve ever met.”  Ben laughed from shore.
“Owe, owe...I hurt my ankle.”  She winced.  “I can’t put my weight on it.  It really hurts.”  
Ben pulled his polished wing tips off and his socks and went into the water after her.   

“I’m coming,” he said in rescue mode.
He reached his hands down to her.
Aubrey stood up in the water.
“Your ankle?”
Aubrey smiled then pulled him into the water fully with her.
“That’s what you get for laughing at me,” she said proudly.
“This is a rental.”  Ben spit water out.
Aubrey bit her lip.  “You should have thought of that before you laughed at me.”  She shrugged and headed toward the lake’s bank.
“I’ll get even with you.”  Ben rushed through the water toward her.  She tried to get away but the dress constricted her movement.  Ben caught up to her with ease, grabbed her by the waist, and brought her back into the water with him.
“Not fair, I can’t move fast enough in this dress to run!”  She squirmed in his grip.  He couldn’t see her face but knew it was all smiles.
Ben loosened his grip and held her more intimately.  Aubrey leaned back into his embrace, and rested her arms atop of his.
“Aubrey, I want more than this,” he said seriously.  
Ben felt her inhale deeply.
“We can’t,” she said unconvincingly.
“Why?”  
“It’s too complicated.”
Ben pressed his lips lightly against her bare shoulder.   

“What’s complicated?”  Her words said one thing, but her mannerisms and tone spoke another.
She turned and faced him.  Ben put his arms around her lower back and pulled her back into an embrace where she belonged.
Her eyes focused on his lips.  “Everything...”  
Ben inched his face closer to hers and gave her the opportunity to pull away, but she didn’t.  Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her sweetly.
“Ben—”  Confliction came through in her voice.  She put her hands on his chest and pushed him back slightly. “If we—”  But when she brought her eyes back to his, she stopped protesting. Her hands rose from his chest to the sides of his neck.  
“You’re making it hard for me to say no.”  She waged an internal battle.
“Then say yes.”  Ben playfully kissed her.  She brought her around his neck and returned his kiss.  All the fight had left her body.
I’ll take that as a yes.  
Ben thought to himself.  
Damn.  
She knew how to kiss.  All that pent up frustration from the prior three years was being put to good use.  
Three years...
They stayed consumed in one another kiss lost in time until a vehicle approached.
“That looks like a cop car,” Aubrey said.
A spotlight shone on them and the vehicle stopped at the landing.
“It is a cop car,” Ben said with a hint of amusement.
Aubrey hid her face in his shoulder embarrassed.
“You two, no one is supposed to be in the park after dark.”
“Sorry Kent.”  Ben knew the local officer well.  And would be teased relentlessly by him in the days to follow.
“Ben?”
“Yeah, we’re just taking a midnight dip,” Ben said trying to suppress laughter.
“Hey, sorry for interrupting you guys.  Continue.  I’ll catch up with you later.”  Kent shut off the light, walked back to his car, and headed back toward town.
“Like being teenagers again, caught in the park making out after dark.”  Ben kissed her neck, she’d yet to bring her head back up from hiding.  “He’s gone, you don’t have to play shy anymore.”
Aubrey raised her head.  “I’m freezing.”  Her teeth started to chatter.
“I’ll keep you warm.”  Ben raised an eyebrow.  She shook her head at him.  “I have a blanket in the truck.”  He took her hand and they walked back to the truck together.

*****

Wrapped in a blanket with the heat cranked on high, Aubrey’s head spun from what happened.  They were now on the way back to her house after a thorough make out session in the lake.  What happened to friends?  Why didn’t she say no to him?  Remember, he wasn’t her type.  And once they got back to her house, what would happen then?   Aubrey felt Ben’s hand on her thigh and her thoughts became blurred.  What was her objection?  
They pulled into her drive.
“It was an interesting night.”  Aubrey ascended the front steps, Ben a step behind her, unsure of what the hell she was doing.
“Interesting wouldn’t be my first choice of words.”  Ben stood face to face with her.  “I’d use the adjective amazing.  Thanks for coming with me tonight.”    He rested his hands on her hips.
“You’re welcome.”  She melted in his touch.  Damn him, she didn’t want to react that way to him.  
Ben slowly, almost teasingly, leaned forward and claimed her lips.  He’d awakened needs and urges she’d successfully repressed for far too long.  She wanted to say no, tell him to go home, but she didn’t really want that at all.  

Subconsciously what she wanted was to pull him through the door, push him into her bedroom, and pounce on him.  As Aubrey’s mind raced with impure thoughts, they moved together inside her house.  Step one complete.  They were through the door.  
The damp blanket that covered Aubrey slid down her shoulders to the floor.  
“We should get you out of these cold wet clothes before you get sick.”  Ben’s hands wandered south to her backside and he trailed kisses from her neck to her collarbone.  She’d never shown him her bedroom, but that was the direction he led her.
“Why is it I think you have ulterior motives?”  
“My motives are purely innocent.”  Ben’s words were hardly believable.  He worked at the zipper on the back of her dress.
“Wait—”  She put her hand on her back preventing him from pulling down the zipper.  “I’m not...I don’t think we’re ready for this.”
A silent paused followed her statement.
“Okay.”  Letting go of her back, he took her hands.  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to push you.”
“It’s just...Tiffy and you, you both have been a package deal in my life.  If things become awkward between us, they would be awkward with Tiffy too.  I don’t want that.”
“Tiffy wouldn’t be upset.  That little girl has been pushing to get us together.”
“That’s my point.”
Ben hesitated.  “So what happens now?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t include having sex with you tonight.”
“Can’t blame a man for trying to end that three year streak of yours.”  The corner of Ben’s mouth hitched up.  He tried to make light of the situation between them.
“Oh shit...I told you that when I was drunk.”  
“You may have.”
“This night keeps getting more and more humiliating.  What next?”
“That’s my question for you.”  He kissed her softly.  “What next?”
Aubrey knew he was speaking of their complex relationship.  “I think we should not do what we were about to do.  And pretend this night didn’t happen.”
“I don’t want to pretend.  It did happen and I had an amazing night with you.”
“I did too.  But—”
“Then why do you keep saying ‘but’?”
“Ben—”  Frustrated, she stopped and leaned her head forward on his shoulder.  “I don’t know.”
Why did she look for excuses to close him out?  She needed to move forward.

“There’s more going on here than what you’re telling me.”  Ben said.
“No, it’s nothing.”   She’d use denial and evasion tactics for there was much he didn’t know.

“What is ‘it’?”
 
“You’re worse than a woman with all your questions.”
“Bad habit.  And you’re just as bad at not answering them.”  
“Bad habit,” she mimicked.
Silence hung in the air.  Aubrey sensed Ben was waiting for more from her.  An explanation, or an invitation.

“I should probably get
going.”  Ben loosened his grip. 

She wanted to tell him why she was scared, tell him to stay, but at she didn’t.
  Ben wasn’t Junior Merrill, but she knew he’d have the same reaction.

“
I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Aubrey promised.

“Alright.”  Ben kissed her cheek affectionately and let go of her.  “Good night.” 

Aubrey walked him to the door and closed it behind him. 

“What the hell Aubrey?” 
She said to herself, leaned her back against the door, and expelled a deep breath.

“Uncle Ben, we should go see Aubrey so I can tell her all about my trip.”  Tiffy smiled brightly.  She’d returned from Florida a different girl, her color pale and her appearance gaunt.  At first sight of her, Ben nearly lost it. 

“It’s late, you need to rest.  It’s been a long couple of weeks for you little girl.”  Ben sat beside her on the couch.  “How are you feeling?”

“Okay.  Good enough to go visit Gunny and Trixie.” 

“You are one determined little girl.”  Ben stroked her hair.

“That’s the Anderson in me.”   

“That it is.”

Miley was curled up at Tiffy’s feet sound asleep.  Ben was ready for the pup to be returned home.  She’d been a handful.  A pair of shoes and a decorative pillow fell victim to the young pup.

“It’s bedtime for you two.”  Joanne walked beside the couch.

“It’s a bit early for me to call it a night.”

“Miley and Tiffy.”  Joanne rolled her eyes at him.  “Say goodnight to your wise butt uncle.” 

Tiffy reached up and gave Ben a tight hug.

“Tomorrow we’ll see Aubrey, right?” 

“Maybe.”  Ben hadn’t talked to Aubrey since the wedding.  She didn’t call the following day as promised and he hadn’t followed up either.

“So you’ll call her tonight and tell her we’ll come over?”

Ben narrowed his eyes on her.

“You try to play me like a fiddle.”

“She does that very well.”  Joanne scooted Miley off the couch.  “Come on, bed.”

“Call her.”  Tiffy rose from the couch.

“Night Tiffy.”  Ben kissed the top of her forehead and she padded away.  “Bye Joanne.”

“Night Ben.”

Jack crashed while unpacking their luggage an hour earlier or
Ben would have bid him farewell also.

Ben pulled onto the road and stared at his cell phone.

*****

It was the end of her shift and Aubrey was ready to feel her warm comfy bed.  Freshly changed out of her scrubs, she slung her bag onto her shoulder and walked out of the door.

Clack

Her cell phone slid out of her bag and landed gracefully onto the floor.  She grumbled and picked it up.  It was then she spied a missed call from Ben and a voicemail. 

“Aubrey, its Ben.  It’s Friday night about seven p.m., give me a call when you get this.  I’ll be awake until at least three so don’t worry about calling late.  Thanks.”

Aubrey took a deep breath, it was two a.m.  She didn’t talk to Ben the following day as she promised.  She didn’t know what to say.  She’d left their relationship at an awkward point.  Made further awkward by the fact that she didn’t talk to him the following day. She nervously dialed the phone.

“Hello.”