Authors: Michelle Major
“I can’t believe my brother raised you to be a traitor,” he said, eyes blazing, although with obvious effort he controlled the pitch of his voice. “We’re family, Abby. Why are you helping her?”
“You’re not my real family,” the girl spat back. “Cory didn’t raise me. He hardly ever saw Zach before Mom died.” She crossed her thin arms over her chest and Chloe noticed her hands were trembling.
“He’s your legal guardian,” Ben argued. “He loves you.”
“I’m helping,” Abby said with a sneer, “because you signed me up for this stupid community-service agreement. I don’t care about this store. I don’t care about you.” Her voice caught on the last word, and Chloe wanted to throw her arms around the girl again.
But when Ben opened his big, gorgeous mouth, she stepped behind Abby and made a slicing motion across her throat. Unbelievably, the man shut up. Chloe placed a hand gently on Abby’s shoulder. “You did great today, sweetie. No matter the reason, I appreciate your help. Why don’t you go see how your brother is doing out front while I talk to Ben?”
The girl gave a sharp nod then hurried out to the front of the shop.
As soon as she was gone, Ben held up a hand. “You don’t have to tell me how badly I screwed that up,” he said on a sigh. “I’m a fucking idiot.”
“No argument there,” Chloe agreed. She pulled out the desk chair and dropped into it. “Come over here. I want to show you something.”
Ben stepped closer then paused. “It’s not your can of pepper spray, is it?”
She flashed him a smile. “Tempting, but no.”
When he was behind her, she scooted a small folding chair closer and patted it. He sat as she clicked the mouse and the screen lit up. “She’s set up accounts for me on all the major social media sites. Look at how she’s updated the store’s website.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Did you know she took a web design class at school last year?”
He shook his head, gaze locked on the screen.
“I wasn’t doing much with online sales, so she’s started to reengineer the functionality of the whole website—how people search, categories, the ability to review toys, my database of contacts. She’s super smart about all this techie stuff, Ben.”
“I had no idea,” he muttered. “I sent her a laptop for Christmas because Cory said she needed one for school, but this is amazing.”
“She’s amazing.”
He looked at her, and Chloe willed away the blush she could feel starting to creep up her neck.
“I’m glad she’s working here even if it’s to stick it to me,” he said, a sad smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I don’t know why I went off like that. It’s just . . .”
“You want the connection with her. With both of them.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I barely know Abby and Zach, and it’s clear I’m not cut out to do any sort of real parenting.”
“You’re here.” She hesitated but couldn’t resist brushing her fingers over the back of his neck. Her husband had taken so much from her, and she’d thought her need for a physical connection had been wiped out for good. But despite his strength, there was an emotional frailty to Ben that made something long buried inside her spark to life once more. She massaged, gratified when a bit of tension eased under her hand. “Give yourself a break.”
“I didn’t get where I am in life by giving myself breaks.”
“Tell me about their mother.”
He looked up at her and she moved her hand away, embarrassed at how affected she was by touching him. Her breath heaved out in shallow pants, and she expected him to comment on it.
Instead he slowly took her hand, pressing their palms together as he spoke. “Chrissy and Cory hooked up a few times. She got pregnant. They were never officially together, and she already had Abby. I guess Abby’s dad was a true one-night stand, so he was never in the picture. Chrissy got clean for a while after Zach was born; then for several years, she wasn’t. Cory had his own problems, so like Abby said, he didn’t see Zach much. But two years ago their mom fell off the wagon and left town. She dumped both kids with Cory, and they got word shortly after that she’d died. She might have had problems, but she was still their mom so it was a terrible blow to both kids. Abby and Zach are devoted to each other, and I don’t think there was ever a question of splitting them up, but I know the thought of it scares Abby to death.”
His honesty was startling, but at the same time, it made her want to be closer to him. His defenses were down, and for the moment, she felt safe with this burly beast of a man and the damage he was trying to undo for his niece and nephew. “That’s an awful thing to have hanging over your head as a kid,” Chloe murmured.
Ben nodded. “Cory talked about adopting her but hasn’t done anything about it. He was in no shape to take care of them. He and my dad had been at odds for a while, so Cory wouldn’t take help from him. I should have done more, but I was too wrapped up in my own life.”
Chloe laced her fingers with his. His hand was warm and callused, and the connection made awareness prick all the way up her arm.
“If you don’t want them here with what’s going on between us, I understand.”
“What’s going on between us?”
She tried to laugh, choked a little instead, and tugged at his hand. “You’re trying to steal my space.”
Ben didn’t let go. “You’re months behind on rent, but that’s not what you were talking about and we both know it.” He dropped her hand and swiveled her desk chair so she was fully facing him. “I want to kiss you,” he whispered, and his soft voice and the wicked intentions it carried made her ache for more. “But only if it’s what you want, too.”
She swayed closer, caught in the intensity of his eyes. After her reaction to him reaching for her in the store and that first night when she’d maced him, he must understand that she wasn’t a good bet. “I don’t think I know how to be with someone like you. I like things ordered, soft and gentle.”
“I can be gentle.”
She almost laughed at that. “Right.”
“Give me a chance to show you, Chloe.” He ran his hand along her arm, higher to her shoulder then to her neck. She knew he was giving her a chance to become accustomed to his touch and found herself melting because of the thoughtfulness behind the gesture. “Tell me you want this.”
As his rough fingers caressed her jaw, she leaned forward with her heart beating double time and whispered, “Yes.”
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut and waited for his mouth to slam into hers, but his lips were featherlight as they brushed first one eyelid then the other. His thumbs skimmed her skin and his mouth followed then finally found hers. They took turns breathing each other in, making her heart quicken. It was the sweetest thing she’d ever experienced with a man, and embarrassment washed over her as a tear tracked down her cheek.
She didn’t break their connection, though. It felt too good. He felt too good. The kisses were languid, as if he had all the time in the world to enjoy her. Heat began to build low in her stomach. Parts of her she’d ignored for years yawned and stretched awake then snapped to attention. She leaned closer, wrapped her hands around the muscles of his biceps to ground herself. He was so strong yet she felt safe with him. The knowledge freed up something inside her that had lain dormant for too long. As she deepened the kiss, he moaned softly—or maybe that was her. Then he pulled away, his eyes searching her face as if looking for an explanation for the fiery attraction that linked them together.
“That was . . .” he started.
She drew in a shaky breath. “Wow.”
One side of his mouth kicked up. “Right. Wow.”
“And a mistake,” she added, because one of them had to acknowledge it.
His eyes clouded over at her words, and she wished she’d left them unsaid.
“Chloe—”
“Don’t.” She held up a hand. “A kiss doesn’t change anything.”
“I disagree.”
“I need to get back out front.” She stood, surprised to find her legs a little shaky. She was pathetically out of practice at being with a man.
Ben circled her waist with his hands, his long fingers pressing into her hips. Didn’t that just make her want to climb into his lap right here and now? Yep. Pathetic.
“I’m going to look at some properties tomorrow,” he said. “Different restaurant spaces. Come with me.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, looking up at her with his eyes full of boyish innocence. She had to remind herself there was nothing innocent about this man. “Maybe you can convince me there’s a better location for my restaurant than here.”
She knew he didn’t believe that but couldn’t let go of the opportunity. “I need to be here in the morning to open.”
“Do you ever take a day off?”
“This is my life,” she answered, shaking her head. “Pick me up after lunch.”
“I’ll pick you up and take you to lunch.”
She would have argued but he seemed both hopeful and unsure. The truth was she did work too much. Her friends had told her that more than once. But other than hanging out with Kendall and Sam, Chloe didn’t have a life outside the store. It had never seemed to matter before now.
When she nodded, he grinned. Releasing her slowly, as if reluctant to let go, he stood. His height allowed him to tower over her, but still she didn’t step back. “You need to apologize to Abby, explain to her why you overreacted.”
“Apology, yes,” he told her. “Explanation, no.”
“She needs both.”
“Those kids need a lot of things I can’t give them.”
“Ben.”
He shut his eyes for a moment. “Fine.”
“Really?” She couldn’t believe he would bend to her will that easily.
“You’re very persuasive.” He reached out and traced the seam of her lips with one finger. “Especially when your mouth is on me.”
“I’ll remember that.”
She smiled when he laughed then turned for the front of the store. Chloe knew she was already in over her head with this man and those kids, but for the first time in forever she welcomed the rush of adrenaline and uncertainty that made her feel alive. Although her attraction to Ben didn’t change her mind about wanting to earn back the lease to the shop, she was more than a little curious to see where the rest would lead.
C
HAPTER SIX
T
his had been a stupid idea, Ben thought as he parked the car in front of the toy store the next day. The nerves dancing through his stomach annoyed the hell out of him. He hadn’t felt nervous with a woman in years. He hadn’t cared enough about any of the casual flings or hookups he’d had for any emotion to play into things.
He’d be smarter to turn around before this went any further. Just an innocent kiss with Chloe had knocked him for a loop. The sweetness of her skin was at total odds with the raging desire her touch had triggered in him. Hell, he’d had to wait a good five minutes before following her out of the back office after their kiss, and the looks the two women working with her had thrown him said they knew exactly why. Of course they did. He hadn’t been the only one affected, and everything Chloe felt was written all over her—from the flush in her cheeks to her swollen lips to the way her body practically hummed with satisfaction. If she had that reaction from kissing, Ben could only imagine what more he could make her feel.
The funny thing was he wasn’t in a hurry to get to the finish line. For so long his life had been in overdrive, from his career to his schedule to his sex life. It had all become a fast-moving blur, and he barely had time to be in one moment before he was onto the next. He wanted to savor Chloe, like he would a perfect meal, enjoying each bite with all of his senses.
Maybe it was because he knew there was a built-in end date for the two of them. The suggestion to look at other properties had been a whim, the only thing he could think of as an excuse to spend more time with her. Of course Michael had been thrilled to set up Ben with the commercial realtor. To his publicist, time was money, and Ben had been wasting both since he’d gotten to Denver.
But he had to open his restaurant in the toy store’s location. He’d made a promise to Cory, and it was more important than ever that he keep it. Even if he still wasn’t any closer to an original concept or ideas for a menu. So many of the best chefs had a style that defined them, their brand, and the food they cooked. Ben hadn’t cooked anything but other people’s recipes since the start of his career. His brand was attitude and anger, neither of which would help him come up with an original concept.
The only food on his mind now was the kind he could convince his nephew to try. Last night he’d felt like he’d won a James Beard Award when Zach had actually eaten the entire burger Ben grilled for dinner. The kid had begged all afternoon for fast food, but Ben refused. Instead he’d gotten organic ground beef from the local meat market then added shredded smoked mozzarella and cardamom into the burger.
Zach had been dubious but, with Abby’s prodding, finally took a bite. To everyone’s surprise, the kid loved it. Paired with homemade slaw, sweet potato fries, and a garlic aioli dipping sauce, the food he cooked for his family was the simplest he’d made in ages. Yet he took more pride in their enjoyment of his creations than in the ratings and status the show had brought him over the past two years. He just wished there was a way he could reconcile what he needed to do with the kids for his brother with supporting Chloe in her attempt to save The Toy Chest.
He opened the door to the toy store and came face-to-face with both Karen and Tamara. Although a few customers milled about, the women gave him their full attention, both staring at him narrow-eyed, hands on hips.
“I didn’t do anything,” he said immediately, raising his hands.
“Keep it that way,” Tamara answered, pointing a fiery-red-tipped finger at him.
“Chloe hasn’t been out with a man since her divorce,” Karen added, flipping her thick braid over one shoulder.
“Her ex-husband . . .” Tamara began, but Karen shook her head.
“That’s not our story to tell,” the older woman said. “But I don’t give a flip about your reputation, Ben Haddox, or this business with the store. You need to take care of her. Promise us that.”
“It’s only lunch,” Ben argued but nodded when the two women continued to glare at him. “She’s safe with me. I promise.”
At that moment he heard Chloe’s laughter ring out and saw her behind the register, smiling at an older man holding a toddler. An unfamiliar emotion sliced across his chest and he rubbed absently at his shirt as he watched her.
“Yeah,” Tamara said, patting him on the shoulder. “He’ll take care of her.”
The two women turned just as Chloe’s gaze crashed into his. She flashed a smile and held up one finger before disappearing into the back of the store. Ben pretended to study an arrangement of remote-controlled cars, not wanting her to think he was impatiently waiting for her. Which he was, of course.
A minute later she was next to him, clutching a purse under her arm. She’d taken off her store apron and her mouth glistened like she’d just put on some sort of gloss. For him. Not that she needed makeup. With her dark curls and creamy skin highlighting wide hazel eyes, she was perfect just as she was.
Without the apron, her curves were easy to appreciate, although her flowing skirt and pale blue button-down were demure to the point of being school-teacherish. She dressed like she was eighty, which didn’t explain his body’s reaction every time he was within ten feet of her.
Nothing about Ben was understated, from his expensive loafers to the flashy watch he wore. He should have taken it down a couple notches for today. Next to Chloe he felt like a pompous show-off. He’d wanted a chance to be seen as something more than his on-screen image, and this afternoon was his chance to prove it.
“What’s wrong?” She smoothed a hand over her shirt. “You’re scowling at me. Am I not dressed right for lunch?”
“You’re perfect,” he told her, forcing himself to relax.
He’d had Michael call one of the trendier downtown restaurants and request a private room for their lunch, but now that seemed like an unnecessary bit of pretension. Was he that far removed from who he used to be that he couldn’t even manage a lunch date without having his publicist involved? Chloe had a store full of people who cared about her, and Ben’s only friend in the world was on his payroll. Somewhere between Vegas and EatTV, Ben had lost himself to the trappings of success. His family didn’t care about his money or fame, and he doubted Chloe would either.
“Are you sure everything’s ok?”
The gentle pressure of Chloe’s hand on his arm brought him back to the present. “Give me a second,” he said and took his phone from his pocket, punching in a text to Michael. As soon as he hit send, relief washed through him. He glanced up, but his smile froze at Chloe’s narrowed eyes. “Sorry. I had to change our lunch plans.”
She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Because of me?”
“Yes.”
She took a step away from him.
“No,” he said quickly. “I have a different place I want to take you.” He put his hand on her back and steered her out into the warm afternoon sunlight.
They hadn’t taken two steps when she stopped and shrugged away from his touch. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s a great idea. A brilliant idea. The best I’ve had in ages.”
Her head tilted as she studied him, and he could still read the uncertainty in her eyes.
“I’d made a reservation,” he said with a sigh and realized not many people in his life expected an explanation for his irrational behavior. They just chalked it up to celebrity quirkiness. But Chloe wanted more, and Ben found himself wanting to give it to her. “To a trendy, expensive restaurant.”
“Where I wouldn’t fit,” she finished, pressing her lips together.
“Where I don’t want to belong,” he corrected. “I want to take you some place that means something to me. I need someone to understand that I’m more than flash and attitude.”
She tilted her head, considering him. It was like she was deciding whether he was worth the effort of pushing past her walls and edges. Ben had never wanted to measure up so much in his life. After a moment, she gave him a shy smile. “I can try to be that someone,” she said and lifted onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Her scent enveloped him, soft citrus that was fresh and clean, just like her.
He tucked her arm into his and led her the half block to his car. She covered her mouth and failed to stifle a giggle. “No flash and attitude?” she choked out, pointing to the black Ferrari.
The car was the first thing he’d bought when he got the EatTV contract. He kept it in Los Angeles but rarely had the chance to drive it due to his travel schedule. He’d had it shipped to Denver right after he moved in a lame attempt to impress Zach. It had worked, of course, because a car with close to six hundred horsepower awarded universal cool points with boys of any age. Ben preferred the headroom and height of the SUV and he felt like a tool driving the expensive sports car through the streets of his dad’s middle-class neighborhood.
But it was a beautiful day and the thought of Chloe on the rich leather seats, well . . .
“We can stop at the house and trade it for the SUV if it makes you uncomfortable.” He hit the unlock button on the key fob and a couple of teenagers who’d been ogling the car from across the street snapped photos with their phones.
“Are you kidding?” Chloe hopped off the sidewalk. “This is amazing.” She ran her hand along the hood of the car toward the front windshield. It was so much like a caress Ben’s body reacted as if she were touching him instead of the carbon-fiber panel. “Can I drive it after lunch?”
Ben never let anyone, not even a valet, get behind the wheel of his baby. “Sure.”
With a happy squeal, she opened the passenger door and climbed in.
Maybe he’d hold on to a little flash and attitude.
He got in and eased into traffic then gunned the engine a little and took a tight turn onto the major thoroughfare leading out of the neighborhood. Chloe threw back her head and laughed, the sound making him grin with pleasure. The Ferrari was a status symbol, and what had been important was what it represented—that he was a success and had risen above the struggles of his childhood. For the first time, driving through Denver’s northwest side, the car made him happy.
Scratch that—Chloe made him happy.
He headed south down Federal Boulevard toward the neighborhood near Mile High. “How long have you been in Denver?”
She shifted in the seat. “Over three years. I visited and ended up moving here a few months later.”
“Visiting from where?”
“Chicago.”
“Did you move by yourself or . . . ?”
She was silent for so long he wasn’t sure she was going to answer. He glanced at her fingers, which were clutching the door handle, her knuckles white.
“I’m only making conversation.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Ben didn’t have a lot of experience with reassuring. “We can talk about the weather if that’s better.”
“My ex-husband had business here,” she said on a rush of breath, “so I came for the first time with him. One morning when he was in meetings, I had a cab drop me off near the site of the old Elitch Gardens.” Ben remembered when the amusement park had been located north of the Highlands neighborhood before moving downtown. “My mom had taken a trip out here as a kid and always talked about coming back to visit. I ended up walking most of the neighborhood and stopped at The Toy Chest. Mr. Butterfield was so nice and welcoming. I felt at home, you know?”
Ben nodded, even as his jaw clenched. The Stan Butterfield he knew was the opposite of welcoming, but he wasn’t going to argue the point now and risk Chloe not finishing her story.
“I fell in love with the energy of the neighborhood and lost track of time. It was almost dark when I made it back to the hotel. My husband wasn’t happy, and I decided at that moment that I was leaving him.”
“Because he hit you?” Ben felt his own fingers tighten around the steering wheel.
“Because I was done letting him hit me.” Chloe’s words were soft, but he heard the steel in her tone.
He reached for her hand. “I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry,” she said, squeezing his fingers. “I don’t want pity from anyone. Shame on me for letting it happen, for staying after the first time.”
“Chloe.”
She shook her head. “I want to keep my past in the past, Ben. But with whatever this is . . .” One corner of her mouth curved. “You need to know going in that I’m a little . . .” She paused, looked out the window. “Broken.”
He turned onto a side street just west of the stadium. The neighborhood was as shabby as he remembered, and Ben knew it like the back of his hand. He drove past houses with groups of kids playing in patchy front yards or running down the sidewalk. His car drew a few whistles and catcalls as he slowed at an intersection. He pulled to the curb and waited until she turned to him. “My dad had some problems with alcohol back in the day, and when he got a good drunk going, he and my mom got into it pretty hard. I tried to stay out of it, but my brother was a year younger and Mom’s favorite. He got knocked around a few times when he got between the two of them.”
Her grip tightened on his hand.
“She took off when I was thirteen,” he said, lifting his gaze to hers. “There were a few rough years in there before Dad got his shit together. Cory blamed him for driving her away, and he never forgave Harry.” He barked out a rough laugh. “I never forgave her for deserting us.”
“She never came back or contacted you?”
He shook his head. “Cory tried to find her for a while, but it’s like she never existed. Dad won’t talk about it, and I just want to forget every shitty thing that happened to us. It’s no accident that I left Denver as soon as I could. I hear you about leaving the past where it belongs. But you need to know that I’m more than a little broken. I’m loud and I’ve got a temper, so I understand if you can’t deal with it. I’d never touch you in anger, Chloe. Not you or any woman.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” There was a hitch in her breath as she whispered the next words, “I’ve just started to trust myself again.” She stared at her fingers, which played with the fabric of the seatbelt, flipping the edge of the nylon back and forth.