Kane

by Foster, Delaney

  I huffed and dropped my arms to my side. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “No. I don’t. But it’s still the truth.”

  I wanted to believe him. He sounded so desperate, so determined.

  “Bennett, you didn’t see her face. When she told me she’d met someone… I’d never seen Stella so happy. Whatever happened at that wedding… regardless of how you felt about it… she felt something different. And when she left just now, she was hurt. Because of me.” Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. “You should go.”

  “Korie, don’t do this.”

  “This.” I motioned at the air between our bodies. “Us. It can’t happen. Not now.”

  Bennett closed the gap between us, moving forward until he had me backed against the wall. He pinned me in with his hands against the wall on either side of my head. He leaned in so close that his breath kissed my skin. My heart hammered against my ribs.

  “Kisses don’t lie, Korie.” His gaze fell to my mouth. “This. Us. It’s real. When I was inside you, when you came apart in my mouth… and all over my cock, it was better than anything in the whole goddamn world.” His lips brushed the top of my head before he brought his mouth to my neck. “I can still taste you, Korie.”

  I couldn’t do this. I was so close to melting. My whole body trembled with need. All I wanted was to wrap myself up in him and disappear.

  “I felt it. You felt it. Tell me you didn’t, and I’ll walk away.” He kissed just below my ear and pressed his hips into mine, letting me feel the thickness of his erection.

  Oh God.

  “You should go,” I repeated.

  He brought his forehead to mine. His nose grazed the tip of my nose. “Korie…”

  “Bennett. Please.” I needed to do this while I had the strength. No matter what really happened between him and Stella, she thought it was real even if he didn’t. “I can’t do this to Stella. I can’t hurt her.”

  He pulled away and my body immediately mourned the loss of his closeness. “What about hurting me? What about hurting yourself?”

  I closed my eyes tight to keep the tears from falling. “Last night was a mistake. It didn’t mean anything. Please,” I whispered. “Just go.”

  When I opened my eyes, I was alone. Bennett was gone. I slid down the wall and hugged my knees to my chest. And I cried. I cried until my eyes were dry and my chest hurt. I cried until my throat was raw and I finally stopped trembling.

  Maybe if we’d have met another time. Maybe if I’d just told Stella the truth from the start. Maybe things could’ve been different. Letting Bennett walk out that door destroyed me. I felt it all the way to my soul. But letting him stay… that would have killed us all.

  Two weeks later…

  I’d memorized every tenth story window of every building on my block. I knew the Metro stopped at the corner of Congress and Main four times a day, and traffic was always heavier between seven and eight thirty in the morning and three thirty to five thirty every afternoon.

  I stood in front of the window of my corner office with my hands stuffed in my pockets, watching the world go by, but not really watching. I stood here every day, staring out of the same window onto the same street to give my mind something to do other than think of her. That’s how my world felt now. I watched it from a distance. Couples held hands. Businessmen chatted on their cell phones. Cars full of people drove by on their way home to be greeted by smiling faces when they walked through the door after a long day. While I stood here, watching. Alone.

  “Mr. Kane, your three o’clock appointment is here,” my personal assistant called out over the intercom.

  I watched as the light turned and a herd of pedestrians crossed the intersection. I walked across the soft gray carpet to my desk and pressed a button on my phone. “Thank you, Gabby.”

  I’d spent most of the morning crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on ETFs, ETNs, derivatives, and basically everything in a good portfolio. Julian Hayes had just signed a three-year contract with the New York Yankees worth thirty-four million dollars—that’s million… with an “-illion.” And he wanted a meeting with me.

  When a high-profile athlete asks you what to do with thirty-four million dollars, you pull your broken heart out of your ass and create a bulletproof plan he can’t refuse.

  I opened the door to my office and nearly crashed into my sister.

  Gabby trotted up not far behind her. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kane. She ran past before I could stop her.”

  I looked over Jess’ shoulder just in time to see Julian turn the corner. “It’s fine,” I told Gabby. Then I glared at Jess. “Whatever this is, it needs to wait.”

  Jess jumped up and down then threw her arms around my neck. “I got the job, Ben. I’m moving to Florida.”

  Decent-human-being and loyal-big-brother me was happy for my sister. Selfish-heartbroken-scared-of-dying-alone-on-the-toilet me wished somewhere deep down that this was a late April Fool’s joke. But her excitement was contagious, and I caught myself smiling with her. I guess I’d better start liking Florida traffic. Julian walked up behind Jess as she let go of my neck. She took a step back, almost bumping into him.

  His face brightened with a smile when he held his hands up to stop her. “Lucky for Florida.”

  Was he flirting with my sister?

  A pink blush colored Jess’ cheeks. She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and returned his smile. “Thanks.”

  I knew that look. She definitely flirted back with him. I would have to keep an eye on that shit. Professional athlete/millionaire or not, his dick wasn’t going anywhere near my little sister.

  Jess looked back up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Dinner later? To celebrate?”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  She blew me a kiss, and I watched as Julian watched her until she disappeared around the corner. I’m definitely keeping an eye on that. When he turned his attention to me, finally, I opened my office door and stepped out of the way.

  “Ready for me to blow your mind?” I asked him.

  He grinned and stepped inside. I closed the door behind him. I should’ve kicked his ass right here. For all he knew, Jess could’ve been my girlfriend. This dude didn’t know she was my sister and he was all over that like a bad rash. He glanced around the room but his thoughts seemed miles away. I could’ve put him out of his misery and told him she was fair game, but she was my little sister and he was a millionaire athlete… fuck that.

  I turned the settings on the Iron Mike and pulled the batting gloves over my long fingers. The last time I’d released my frustration was when my fist connected with Shane Fredericks’ face right before I’d left Hickory Falls.

  “You don’t get to show up out of nowhere and pretend like you’re good enough for her,” he’d told me as he carried my suitcase to the rental car.

  “Oh, so you know what’s best for her? Is that it?” I’d replied through clenched teeth.

  “I know it’s not guys like you. They show up here, a dime a dozen. But they never last. Korie can spot a loser from a mile away.”

  It might have been the mention of other guys coming to see Korie. Maybe it was simply the fact that those words came from Shane Fredericks’ mouth. But the next thing I knew, blood gushed from his nose and my knuckles were on fire. Maybe I wasn’t good enough for Korie, but he sure as hell wasn’t either.

  Jayce walked up just as I dumped a bucket of balls into the back of the machine.

  “How was Hawaii?” I asked him.

  “I can’t say. We didn’t see much outside of the hotel.”

  I laughed and walked to the far end of the hitting net. “Best part of the wedding is the honeymoon.” I pressed the red button on the wall and the machine began to hum.

  “You’re telling me.”

  The first ball shot out. I swung and missed, not sure why I thought I could hit an eighty-five-mph fastball anyway. But I needed the adrenaline. The next ball came, and I smashed it
to the back of the net.

  Jayce watched as the machine shot out four more pitches. The ping of aluminum hitting leather echoed across the metal building when I knocked another one to the back of the net. “So, when are we gonna talk about it?” Jayce asked.

  I tightened my grip on the bat and stepped closer to the plate. “Talk about what?”

  “Well… you’re two-for-six so far.” Another fastball whipped past. “And from the looks of it, you have a death wish.”

  A swing and a miss. “You questioning my skills?”

  “I’m questioning your sanity.”

  Another swing, and I sent the ball sailing the full ninety feet back to the steel machine. It hit the front of Iron Mike with a thud, and for a minute I worried I’d broken something. “Okay. You win. Go ahead and say it.” I pressed the button on the wall, and the machine went quiet.

  “Say what?”

  “I told you so.” I pulled the gloves off, one finger at a time, and stuffed them into my back pocket.

  Jayce lifted the net and ducked underneath to help me pick up the baseballs. “I knew it.”

  “Yeah. Well, unfortunately not all of us make it to the honeymoon.”

  I told him about Korie and Stella and the shitstorm that happened between us. Playing it back like that brought up feelings I’d tried to bury in a grave right next to my last memories of my parents. Turned out, the grave was shallow, and all it took was the mention of her name to dig it all back up.

  “What if you talked to Stella?”

  I laughed. “Were you even listening?” I held up the net and ducked underneath. “Talking to Stella is what got me into this whole mess.”

  Jayce followed me to the vending machine in the main area of the facility. “I mean… what if you get Stella to explain to Korie that she misread the whole thing? That she was wrong?”

  I slid two dollars in the money slot and waited for my blue Powerade to drop. “I can’t risk it. There’s gotta be another way.”

  “She won’t take your calls. The only friend you have in common is a woman who’s obsessed with you. You live in totally different states, so running into her at Kroger is out of the question.” Jayce walked me to my SUV. “How else are you supposed to get your happily ever after?”

  My happily ever after.

  I patted Jayce on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. I know exactly what I need to do.”

  When I got home, I took a screenshot of the four stars on Korie’s review of my book and shared it to Instagram. I hadn’t posted in weeks. Neither had she. I knew because I looked every morning when I woke up, right after I called her phone. She never answered. I knew she wouldn’t. Sometimes I dialed her number just to hear her voice on the greeting.

  bennett.kane.

  Even in the darkness, we still have the stars. #thankmyluckystars

  The day Bennett left, Alyssa walked into the kitchen and knelt in front of me after I’d made a complete mess of myself. We sat in silence for as long as she could take it before she moved my hands from my face and pretended to straighten an imaginary crown. It’s what we did when one of us had a bad day. It had kind of become our thing. I wanted to lock the doors, go home, and crawl under my covers until my heart withered into a pile of ash and dust. She insisted on pulling me to my feet, making me wash my face, and walk back into the dining room like the earth hadn’t just shattered beneath my feet.

  In the two weeks since that day, I’d read four books, and Alyssa talked me out of throwing my Kindle across the room at the end of every single one of them. I was ready to swear off romance altogether.

  Today, I sat at my usual table in the corner by my reading chair and logged into my blog. The coffee shop was quiet. I hadn’t even pulled open the curtains and let the sunlight in yet. It was just me, my laptop, and the scent of pastries and fresh coffee. I hadn’t posted a review since Bennett’s book. Reading and reviewing had always been my place of solace, and now all it seemed to do was remind me of what I almost had.

  Rie’s review: A Love Remembered

  What ever happened to real-life romance? Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby. The cuts-you-to-the-bone kind of stuff that happens every day, all day. Happily ever after is for Disney and the Hallmark channel. Give me something real to read.

  “Yikes,” Alyssa said. She reached around my shoulder and shut my laptop then walked around the table. She set two ceramic coffee mugs between us. “Maybe you should take a break from reviewing… Just for a little while.”

  The legs of the wooden chair scraped the floor as she pulled it out to take her seat. “Did I ever tell you how I met Jared?” she asked.

  “Oh, we’re doing this?”

  She slid one of the mugs in my direction and brought the other to her lips. “Yes, so buckle up buttercup.” She cooled the liquid with her breath then took a sip. “I’ve watched you mope around long enough.”

  “I have not been moping around,” I interrupted.

  She gave me a pointed glare. “Are you going to let me tell my story or not?”

  I took a sip of my coffee. “Fine. Let’s hear it.”

  She smiled and leaned against the back of her chair. “He was dating Miranda.”

  “Your sister?”

  “That’s the one.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her and set my mug back on the table. “You little homewrecker.”

  Alyssa chuckled. “He was on the front porch when I’d just come home from cheer camp. He was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen. And when he smiled at me… I was done. I knew my sister had a boyfriend, and I was surprised this one had lasted more than a week.” She glanced up at me through long lashes. “Sound like anyone you know?”

  I traced my finger around the rim of my coffee cup. I knew where she was going with this, but it didn’t change anything. “You didn’t see her face, Lyss. Or hear the way she talked about him. Stella has it bad. Whatever happened between them—”

  Alyssa held a hand up in the air. “Let me stop you right there. Between me, you, Stella, Bennett, and every customer in the coffee shop that day… no one believes anything happened between that man and your best friend.”

  Stella did have a flair for the dramatic. But the fact that nothing may have happened didn’t mean she didn’t want something to happen, that he didn’t make her think something could happen. “She met him first,” I explained because… girl code was actually a thing.

  Alyssa finished the last of her coffee then tilted her head to me. “Did she?” she asked. “My point is that I’ve been married to Jared for four of the best years of my life. My sister and I talk on the phone every night. She tells me about the wonderful guy she met and how happy she is… Until she meets the next guy. Then we talk about him.”

  “At least you talk. Stella hasn’t said a word to me since she walked out that day.”

  “Give her time. You two have a history. You’re best friends. No misunderstanding over some guy is going to come between that.”

  Some guy. I laughed to myself. I wished that’s all Bennett was.

  The afternoon breeze cooled the Georgia sun. I walked past George’s barbershop and Iced Dreams. Normally, I went home after the coffee shop closed, but today I was restless. Maybe it was Alyssa’s attempt at a pep talk. Maybe it was that if I sat inside staring at my four walls one more day, I’d end up on a Dateline special with people who wore tinfoil hats and ate glue.

  Shane Fredericks sat on the top step of the gazebo with his acoustic guitar in his lap. The last time I’d walked through the town square was with Bennett. I glanced at the bench we sat on and a lump rose in my throat. So much for time healing all wounds…

  “Hey there, stranger,” Shane called out as I walked by.

  I stopped and sat on the step below him. “Hey there. I’ve always wanted a private show.”

  Shane smiled and strummed a few chords. His face had started to heal, and he almost looked normal again. The bandage was off his nose, and the bruising had gone from purple and black to
a pale blend of yellow and green. Shane came into the coffee shop with his father the day after Bennett left. I wasn’t one-hundred percent sold on Shane’s side of the story about what happened with him and Bennett. I didn’t know Bennett well enough to know if he flew off the handle, but I did know Shane and he had a way of pushing buttons even when he didn’t mean to. My guess was that he’d said the wrong thing at the wrong time and his face paid the price. His usual handsome face looked like roadkill. I owed Mr. Fredericks free chocolate croissants for life.

  He held his palm flat over the strings then narrowed his eyes at me. I wasn’t sure if he was squinting from the sunlight or trying to form a coherent thought. Poor dude probably had brain damage. Wasn’t there some kind of connection between the nose and the brain?

  “You ever wonder about us?” he asked.

  Oh no. He definitely had brain damage. Way to go, Bennett. We officially now had a village idiot.

  “What about us?”

  “You know. Us,” he said as though I should’ve put as much thought into it as he had. “Like… why it hasn’t ever worked out with anyone else.” He shrugged. “For either of us.”

  Because I’m picky and you’re a mama’s boy?

  “I think—” I started.

  Stella walked up from behind the gazebo, cutting off my words. “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey.”

  Shane eyed both of us then dropped his head. “Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath.

  “You got a minute?” Stella asked.

  “We’ll finish this later,” I said to Shane. Then I stood up and silently thanked the heavens above. I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation with Stella, but it was a cakewalk compared to what almost happened with Shane.

  We followed the sidewalk around the courtyard, both of us staring at the flowers around us and neither one ready to face the other yet. I took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. “Stella, I’m—”