Someone is sitting on the couch.
My heart jumps and I am about to yelp when I turn around and realize it’s Bennett.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, looking around. “How did you get in?”
He winces. “I knocked. No one answered. I tried the door and it was open. You really should lock your door at all times,” he says like he cares.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I answer. I’ll need to remember to tell Jess to be more careful with locking the door.
“We need to talk. I need to explain. You won’t answer my calls,” he says, using his cane to get up.
“There’s a reason for that,” I remind him.
“Look, you have every right to be upset but would you at least . . .”
Jess walks into the hall. “Oh, hi Bennett. Are you joining us for dinner?” she asks him.
My daughter full-out knows we broke up. She saw me pouting all weekend. What on earth is she doing? I eye her, giving her a what the hell look.
She raises her brows at me then looks back to Bennett. “This is Dylan, my boyfriend,” she says to him as Dylan walks up behind her. Traitor.
“Nice to meet you, Dylan,” Bennett says, shaking his hand. “I’m Bennett.”
Dylan shakes his hand, and I drink Bennett in. He’s wearing one of his sweaters that fits snugly to his frame. Maybe he’s so built that they don’t make them that large and that’s why it’s snug. Either way, it shows off his broad shoulders, muscular arms and a narrow waist. I realize he must have been sitting here for a while because his jacket is resting on the side of the couch.
Bennett looks to me. “I’ll leave,” he says.
“You should stay,” Jess says.
My daughter and I will be having some choice words later.
Bennett smirks and Jess smirks. I don’t even know what is going on.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” he says. “How can I help?” He looks to me.
Wonderful, sweet Bennett, always wanting to help. I can’t tell him to leave because I don’t want to make a scene in front of Dylan or my traitorous daughter, for that matter.
“We can set the table,” Jess says to him.
“Okay, sure,” he says. He follows her to the kitchen.
“I’ll check on the chili. It should be about ready,” I say, turning away from Dylan.
I follow my daughter and Bennett to the kitchen. This is one of the times where the age difference between Jess and I seems minimal. I was basically a child raising one.
Bennett asks Jess how school is going. He remembers which subjects she’s taking which surprises me. He asks her how her driving is coming along, and then she asks him if he can take her driving again. It’s like they’ve developed a whole relationship apart from me. I stir the chili in the pot and then I slice up the baguette I bought to eat with the meal.
I pass Jess the plate with the sliced bread and then I pour the chili into a bowl. We all sit at the table and I don’t make eye contact with Bennett. Dylan and Bennett begin to talk, which I guess eases some of the tension in the room.
Bennett asks Dylan where in Australia he’s from. Dylan tells him he heard he was in the navy. My daughter has clearly spoken to her boyfriend about Bennett. He somehow managed to penetrate my life. Why did I have to fall for another man who was going to leave me?
I fork the food on my plate. Bennett’s presence has made me lose my appetite. What could he possibly say to fix all that’s broken between us? Nothing. There is no way he could. He kept me in the dark and strung me along.
“The meal was delicious. Thanks, Ms. Malone,” Dylan says, standing with his plate. Jess takes hers then asks Bennett if he’s done.
“It’s fine. I can take my own plate.” He smiles at her. They have this friendly comradery happening.
“I’ll take it,” Jess insists. She walks over to me and asks me if I’m done and I nod.
It leaves me sitting side by side with Bennett, alone at the table. I can’t look at him. I keep my hands in my lap and twiddle my thumbs. A few seconds later, Jess walks back to the table.
“Dishwasher is loaded. Is it okay if I go back to Dylan’s house to study?” she asks.
Gah! I hope that isn’t code for something else. I hate that he seems like a nice kid.
“Okay.” I nod. She wants me to talk to Bennett. She clearly thinks there is something to talk about. She doesn’t realize that we are totally over.
Jess leaves and I pick up my head. Our gazes lock and my heart sinks. Looks like I just signed myself up for a whole evening of trouble.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Bennett
“Look at me, please,” I beg.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know what you want. We had a good run and it’s over,” she says.
I hate that she can’t look me in the eyes. “We are far from over.”
She looks at me like she doesn’t understand me. “What is it you want from me?”
I want to tell her everything. I want a life with her and her daughter. I want to wake up every morning beside her.
“I made a mistake. I should’ve told you about the job interview. I was in the hospital and I was feeling low on myself. Here I had this beautiful smart woman who was interested in me and I was a cripple without a job. Without options,” I say.
“That’s never what I saw,” she says, and I hate how sad she looks. I hate myself for making her feel this way.
“My whole life got sideswiped in the blink of an eye. I saw myself staying in the military, maybe forever. It was everything to me. Then I felt alone and broken, and I met you. I don’t know what would’ve come of me if I didn’t have you to look forward to. You were the highlight of my day. You made me want to get better. I wanted to become a better man for you but how could I do that without a respectable job?” I say.
“You could’ve told me how you were feeling. You shared so much of your past with me. We shared so much and you kind of left out a super-important detail,” she says.
“I know.” I rub my temple. “I messed up. I was scared of losing you. I thought if we had more time together out of the hospital that . . .”
She snaps to a standing position. “What, Bennett? What did you think? That a little more time and I would fall in love with you only to have you leave me? I’ve been on that roller coaster before. I’m not interested in getting back on.”
I realize that there are things about her deceased husband she hasn’t told me, because the woman standing in front of me looks terrified and broken. “I’m not him. I don’t know exactly what happened with him, but don’t compare us,” I say. “I want you, Avery Malone. I’m falling in love with you.”
She burst into laughter as tears stream down her cheeks. “Are you even listening to yourself? You can’t say those things. You penetrated my life, my bed and my heart, and you were planning on leaving in two weeks. When exactly did you plan on telling me? Or didn’t you? Was I going to get a letter? Or maybe a text message?” she asks, pacing back and forth. Her hurt and anger towards me breaks my heart.
“I was planning on telling you soon. I never planned on leaving you without notice. Jesus, woman.” I shake my head. “I want us to stay together. I knew it would be hard, but I told myself we could have a long-distance relationship—well, at least until Jessy left for college, or I figured maybe you could just move to Virginia Beach with me. It’s great out there, and family-friendly, and you could find a job out there too,” I say, getting carried away with myself. Her jaw is dropped, and she looks at me incredulously.
“Are you listening to yourself?” she huffs and throws her hands up in the air. “You can’t just go and plan my life. I don’t know where my daughter will apply for college or where she’ll get in. You know I need to put Jess first. I . . . I . . .” words seem lost on her tongue. She stalks off to the family room and falls back on the couch.
I’m a fucking idiot.
I use my cane to stand and follow her. “I messed up. I see that
now. I’ve never been in a serious relationship. I’ve never had to care for anyone outside of myself. And, of course, my team on deployments, but that’s different. I never meant to overstep or decide for you. I just can’t see my life without you in it. And that job was a solid offer. I’d do something I’d feel good about and get paid well. There aren’t many options out there for an injured SEAL who still needs a shit-ton of therapy,” I say.
She exhales and it seems like some of her anger deflates too. “If I was so important to you then why didn’t you just share this with me?”
“Because at that point we were hiding our relationship. We only had stolen moments together. I didn’t feel secure that it was enough. That you would choose me,” I admit.
Her brows draw together. Her brown eyes are red from crying and she looks at me with I don’t know what in her expression. Pity? Remorse? I don’t like it.
“Our time together in the hospital was special,” she says.
“And our time together out of the hospital has brought us so much closer. We have shared and been through so much in such a short time. You can’t deny it. We’ve had a chance to see how much we mesh. That we’re really good together,” I say.
She swipes at some fallen tears on her cheek. “But how could I ever trust you? You hid so much from me.”
“I’m sorry. I messed up. I won’t deny it. You can trust me. Give me a chance to prove it to you. If I need to, I’ll tell Jackson and Quinn I won’t take the job. I’ll stay here in Jersey and find what I can,” I say.
She shakes her head. “I don’t want you to take some half-ass job. I want you to feel good about what you’re doing,” she says, and of course my angel is thinking of everyone but herself.
“I don’t want to leave you. I want you in my life. You’re more important to me than some job. If it means I risk losing you then it isn’t worth it,” I say.
“That’s sweet, but I can’t leave. Jess has to finish school here. Our life is here, and her friends are here,” she says. “It seems like we’re at an impasse.”
“With you by my side, nothing is impossible.” I reach for her hand and look into her eyes.
“Bennett, I . . .”
“Kiss me, Avery,” I say breathlessly. My gaze drops to her plump lips.
She moves slowly toward me and my body buzzes with anticipation. I read fear in her eyes and yet she still moves closer to me. Her mouth touches mine, warm and welcoming, and peace washes over me. My hand comes up to touch her cheek as I deepen the kiss. My tongue dives into her mouth like I am claiming what’s mine, and she lets me, taking what I have to give. I drop my cane and it hits the floor, and I use my other arm to wrap around her waist and pull her flush with me. We are both breathing hard. My heartbeat is erratic and all I want to do is take off all her clothes and sink inside her, remind her how it feels when we are connected.
My lips move to her neck as I nip and suck at her delicate skin.
“What are we doing?” she asks.
“Let me show you how I feel about you. You drive me crazy with need. Everything about you draws me in. Your perfect breasts,” I say, grabbing a handful of her breast and kneading it in my hands. “Your soft skin,” I say as I slowly run my fingers down the milky skin of her neck. “Open your eyes. Look at me, Avery. Look me in the eyes and see how broken I’ve been these last few days without you,” I rasp. I drop my hand into the waistband of her sweatpants and rub my finger on her panties between her thighs. Her eyes are open. They look like warm milk chocolate as she stares at me. Her breaths are shallow. I push her panties aside and dip a finger inside her.
Her hands grasp my shoulders and her chest rises and falls. I give her clit a pinch and her eyes fall closed. Her head tilts back and she moans. “I can’t stand. My legs will give out on me.”
“I’ve got you, babe,” I say, taking a few steps forward. I walk her back until her back hits the wall. Then I lift one of her legs and wrap it around my waist. If I wasn’t injured, I would hoist her up so she could wrap her legs around me easily, but I don’t want to aggravate my back injury. Instead, I press myself against her center. I’m so painfully hard right now, but nothing matters to me except her pleasure. I trace her underwear with my fingers and feel her dampness.
“You are so wet for me. I love it,” I hiss against her ear. My finger dips inside her. I pull it out and rub her wetness over her clit. She’s soaked for me.
Avery moans. I can feel her swelling beneath my touch. “I can’t do it. I can’t come like this. It’s too much.”
“Trust me, Avery,” I say, and I dip my finger in and out of her faster. I slip my other hand into her pants and rub her clit with my thumb, and then I give her a soft pinch and she cries out, falling into bliss as I pump my finger into her. Her cries of passion are so freaking sexy that my cock bobs against my jeans, threatening to rip the fabric.
“That’s it, baby. Take it,” I tell her, rubbing her clit in circles. Her whole body is shaking. Her breaths are frantic. Her mouth is open in an O as the sweetest sounds escape her. I pull one hand out of her pants and hold her up as her legs give out. When she comes down from her high, she melts into me, her head resting against my chest.
“That was . . .” She’s speechless. Good.
I want to lift her in my arms and carry her to bed but that still isn’t possible because of my back. I wait for her breathing to even out. The fact that she is trusting me to hold her, to give this to her, means everything. “Let’s go to bed, babe. I need to have more of you,” I say.
She shakes her head.
“No?” I ask, feeling confused.
“I want to stay right here,” she says, and then she drops to her knees. She unbuttons my belt and unzips my zipper. My cock must look like a ferocious beast right now because I am hard as fuck.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say.
She licks some pre-cum off my tip and moans. I hiss. Fuck, that was hot.
“You really don’t though,” I say.
“I want to,” she says, sounding very much like a seductress. She moves me so that my back is to the wall, and then she guides me to her mouth. It feels like my eyes will roll back into my head, but I keep them open and run my hands into her hair, watching how her plump lips wrap around my girth. She takes me in and I feel myself hit the back of her throat, her mouth hollowing. She lifts a hand and grips me, giving a squeeze as she pumps me inside her mouth and with her hand. The simultaneous motion is dizzying.
“I won’t last long,” I grit out.
She pulls back and her tongue licks my crown.
“You’ll be the end of me,” I say, leaning back against the wall. My balls turn heavy as she creates a rhythm of licking my girth and taking me back. I groan and my hips begin to rock in and out of her mouth. She got control of her gag reflex, that’s for darn sure.
“If you don’t want me coming in your mouth, you’ll need to stop now,” I warn her. Fuck, this is the best blow job of my life. Watching her on her knees, knowing this is Avery giving me her trust, has me completely undone.
“Come in my mouth,” she says as she licks a bead of come off my crown. “I need to taste you.”
She picks up pace and my head hits the wall as my eyes shut, and I let her take over. Electricity shoots down my spine as the liquid heat of her warm, wet mouth engulfs me. I shoot into her mouth as my heart hammers and ecstasy overtakes me. I grunt and groan, and she milks my every last drop. I’m fucking ruined. This woman has me wrapped around her finger.
When I come to, she stands and watches me with wide eyes and a big smile.
“Your wish is my command, princess,” I say.
“Very funny.” She laughs.
I wrap my arm around her and pull her to my chest, and we stand like that, hugging. A part of me just wants to keep her wrapped up in my arms forever.
I tilt my chin to look at her. “You okay, babe?”
“I don’t know,” she answers, looking a little solemn.
&
nbsp; “Avery, as long as I have you in my life, we will figure it out. I made a mistake by not sharing with you. And I get that now. I know I can’t expect you to move. I just want to be with you,” I say.
She gives me one of her warm signature smiles. I kiss the top of her head and then I take her hand and guide her to her room.
“Bennett, Jess’s curfew is in an hour. We should just get cleaned up,” she says.
“An hour is all I need. Trust me.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Avery
“You look . . . relaxed,” Cindy says, waggling her brows.
I roll my eyes, staring at the chart in my hands. “Buzz off,” I say, looking at the chart one more time before I go to meet a new patient.
“No way. You aren’t getting off the hook so easy,” she says. “Now spill. How sorry was he? Is he still planning on leaving?”
My lips turn down. “I honestly don’t know. We don’t have a plan. All I know is that we want to be together. He apologized and he’s aware he overstepped and screwed up by not telling me about the job, and he is sorry, and he admitted he was wrong. He was open with me, Cindy, and it felt so good,” I say. Liam had been closed down all the time. He’d screw up one way or another and say sorry, I messed up, and then he would just go and make the same mistake all over. He sure as hell didn’t care to make it up to me in the bedroom or any other way.
“I’m sure it was, girlfriend.” She smirks, giving me a knowing grin.
“Not like that.” I wave my hand at her. It was exactly like that but I’m not up for sharing details.
“Yeah, right, okay,” she concedes. “I’m glad he’s turning out to be a nice guy.”
“Me too. I just hope that we will find a way to make us both happy,” I say. Bennett and I are stuck between a rock and a hard place. There doesn’t seem to be a good answer for us.
“Me too, sweets.” She smiles.
“How is your sister doing? I’m sorry I didn’t ask before. I feel like an awful friend, making everything about me,” I say. Last I remember, Cindy was helping her with a resume.
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