by Elle Kennedy
First things first, though. He had a press conference to attend.
Maggie approached the front steps of the Broger Center the next morning and spotted a half dozen reporters milling about, a sight that made her frown. Didn’t these people have lives? Homes to go to, kids to take care of? Fortunately she’d finally showered and changed her clothes, but at this point she’d rather look grimy and gross on television than listen to more accusations from the press.
She hadn’t slept a wink last night, not when she still missed Ben, not when she was swamped with regret about asking him to leave. After lying in bed until one a.m., she’d finally decided enough was enough. She’d reached for the phone, intending to call Ben, only to realize that she didn’t have his damn phone number!
She’d dragged Summer out of bed to help her search the Internet, and though they’d spent hours looking for a contact number, all they got was a fan mail address. And when they’d finally hit pay dirt and learned the name of Ben’s agent, it had been too late to call.
Of course, that meant another sleepless night, which only got worse when she rolled her exhausted body out of bed this morning and heard Gloria’s voice on her answering machine.
Now, seeing all the reporters on the front steps only made her bad mood a hundred times worse.
“Did you know Ben Barrett was donating his inheritance to the community center?” one of the reporters shouted at her approach.
She stopped for a second. What the hell was this guy talking about?
“Maggie,” someone else called. “Were you aware that Ben’s father was a bigamist?”
Huh?
Not bothering to respond, she walked into the center and immediately headed for the main office, her head swimming. How did they find out about Ben’s father? And what on earth did they mean he’d donated his inheritance to the center?
“Maggie, I’m glad you came in!” Gloria chirped when she entered her office.
The expression on the facilitator’s olive-colored face was so jubilant, Maggie’s confusion doubled. She sat in the visitor’s chair and tried to paste on a cheerful expression. Hard, when she was feeling anything but cheerful.
“I take it the reporters are still harassing everyone,” she sighed, avoiding Gloria’s eyes.
The older woman waved a dismissive hand. “They’ll go away sooner or later.”
Maggie’s eyebrows shot to her forehead. Had she somehow been transported to a different planet during the night? A few days ago, Gloria had spoken of the media’s presence as if it were the anti-Christ. This morning, she seemed unperturbed and relaxed about the entire situation.
“One of the reporters outside mentioned Ben donated some money to the center?” she began, feeling a little awkward about her ignorance on the subject.
Gloria’s dark eyes lit up. “Five million dollars is not some money, sweetheart. I’m still overwhelmed by Mr. Barrett’s generosity.”
Five million dollars?
“I must say, I’m very impressed with the man,” Gloria added with a smile. “That he donated half of his recent inheritance to various child service agencies across the country is commendable, but giving the other half to the center? It’s unbelievably generous.”
“I can’t believe he did this,” Maggie murmured. Then a frown reached her lips. Ben’s gift was so incredible that for a moment she’d forgotten about her last encounter with the woman in front of her. “Gloria, Ben’s donation means that the reporters won’t be going away for a while…”
Gloria’s face softened, remorse reflecting in her gaze. “Maggie, I may have overreacted during our last meeting. My biggest concern at the time was what the attention would do to the center, not to mention how the parents would feel. Turns out most of them are thrilled by the free publicity.”
“They are?”
Gloria nodded whole-heartedly. “Many of them feel this will be good for the community, maybe spur the city counselors to take notice of what’s happening outside their offices. And now, thanks to Mr. Barrett’s generosity, we’ll be able to bring about a lot of changes.”
Leaning forward, Gloria rested her palms on the desk, her expression growing excited. “His donation will allow us to completely renovate the center, and we’re planning on building a new playground and an on-site tutoring center for kids with learning problems.”
“What about the shelter?”
“That’s the best part. We’re going to use a portion of the money to build a women’s shelter, in a separate location. More space, more counselors, it’ll be wonderful.”
Maggie was speechless. Well, considering her last meeting with Gloria, she hadn’t expected the woman to be so pleased about the turn of events.
“So you’re okay with the media hanging around?” she asked warily.
“I don’t have much of a choice,” Gloria replied with a dry smile. “With a donation this size, it’s expected. Besides, it really is good publicity, which is something I failed to consider when we spoke last time.”
“I’m glad something good came out of all this,” Maggie finally said.
“Something great, you mean,” Gloria corrected. “I also forgot to mention, we’re going to offer after-school workshops for the kids. Drama, music, art. In fact, we’ve just hired a drama teacher. He’ll be working with the kids all summer.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Gloria rose from her chair. “I’d like you to meet him.”
She furrowed her brows. “You would?”
Catching her mystified expression, Gloria offered a slight smile. “Humor me, will you?”
Still a bit perplexed, Maggie stood up and followed Gloria out of the small office toward the main corridor. Most of the rooms in the Broger Center were miniscule, but they did have a large indoor gymnasium the kids used during the winter and on rainy days, and Gloria led her in the direction of the gym. They paused in front of the splintered double doors.
“And Maggie, I would like to speak to you afterwards about that permanent position,” Gloria added as she reached for the door handle.
Her heart soared. “Really?”
“You’re going to make a great counselor, kiddo.”
Maggie expected Gloria to enter the gym first, but the woman simply opened the door and gestured for her to go in.
“You’re not coming?” she said in surprise.
“Naah.” Gloria gave a small grin. “I already got his autograph.”
His autograph?
Baffled, Maggie walked in, and then stopped in her tracks when she laid eyes on Ben.
Clad in a pair of faded blue jeans, a snug black T-shirt and black combat boots, he stood near one of the long wooden benches in front of the boys’ locker room. “Hey, Red,” he called when he saw her, his deep voice bouncing off the gymnasium walls.
She gulped. God, he looked good. He’d shaved, but his angular face still possessed that hint of bad-boy sexiness, and his perfectly shaped lips looked so damn kissable Maggie shivered. She glanced over her shoulder at Gloria, but the woman had discreetly disappeared, leaving her and Ben alone.
“What are you doing here?” she squeaked.
He crossed the waxed floor with lazy strides, each step he took making her pulse quicken. When he finally stood in front of her, her heart was thudding against her ribs and pounding in her ears.
“I’m going to be teaching a free acting workshop here for the summer,” he replied with a charming smile.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Because I have the summer off. I figured it would be fun.”
“I mean, why here?” she stammered. “I’m sure thousands of people would pay big bucks to learn acting from you.”
“Haven’t you learned by now that I don’t care about money?”
She had no idea how to respond. A hundred questions bit at her tongue but she forced herself not to ask them. Quizzing Ben about his donation or his presence here didn’t matter right now. Not when they had more important things to say. Not
when she had something important to say.
“I’m sorry I asked you to leave,” she finally whispered.
“You had every right to.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. She held her breath, waiting for him to pull her toward him, anticipating his kiss, but it didn’t come. Instead, his features creased with remorse and his hand dropped to his side.
“I made a mess of your life, babe, and I don’t blame you for asking me to go.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I knew I couldn’t try to get you back until I fixed everything.”
“You didn’t mess up my life, Ben.”
“You lost your job.”
“And I got a new one, here at the center.” She stepped closer and pressed her palm to his chest. “And I figured out quite a few things.”
“Like what?”
He covered her hand with his and gently moved it against his heart. She could feel the loud thump-thump of his heartbeat and it brought a smile to her lips, knowing his heart was pounding as hard as hers.
“I figured out it’s okay to allow a few complications into my life, that sometimes complicated is better than being alone. Being lonely.”
“You’re lonely?”
“Ever since you left,” she murmured.
“Me too.”
He gripped her hand and lifted it to his neck, then reached down and encircled her waist. Twining her arms around him, she leaned up on her tip-toes and brushed her lips over his. “I missed you, Ben.”
“I missed you too, Red.”
He covered her mouth with a crushing kiss, one of his trademark rough and greedy kisses that left her absolutely breathless. She pushed her tongue into his mouth, wanting more, needing more.
It was Ben who finally broke the kiss, groaning softly in her ear as his obvious erection poked against her navel. “We’re in the middle of a children’s gymnasium,” he muttered, his warm breath fanning over her forehead.
“Then let’s go somewhere private. I’m sure the Lester Hotel has a few rooms available,” she teased.
Ben shot her his movie star grin. “First we need to get a few things straight.”
“I should’ve known you’d get all demanding on me.”
“I’m making it clear, right here and right now, that I’m not leaving you ever again,” he said in a stern voice. “If you don’t like it, tough.”
“I like it,” she assured him, fighting a smile. “I’m not going anywhere either.”
“Even when the press gets in our faces again?” His cobalt eyes clouded over. “And I do mean when, honey. If you choose to stay with me, you’ll need to get used to the vultures.”
“If being with you means getting my picture taken every now and then, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” She quirked her lips. “Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.”
He tossed out another hurdle. “Even if I force you to take some time off work and join me in Prague when shooting starts for Alan Goodrich’s latest film?”
She gasped. “He gave you a role?”
“Yep. With lines and everything, not just car chases.”
“That’s great.” Her eyes lit up. “I’ve never been to Prague.”
“Well, you can’t stay too long,” he warned. “My mom is anxious to start all the wedding plans.”
Her heart stopped. “Wedding plans?”
“Oh right.” He grinned sheepishly. “I forgot, we’re getting married.”
“That was the worst proposal ever,” she complained.
He squeezed her butt and laughed again. “And there it is, that infamous Maggie honesty.”
“Get used to it, pal, because I don’t sugarcoat anything and you know it.”
“That’s precisely why I love you.”
She slid one hand down his back and gave his butt a squeeze of her own. “I love you too.”
He chuckled arrogantly. “Of course you do. I’m Ben Barrett, remember?”
Epilogue
“Ohhh. Oh God. Oh, Ben…”
“Quit acting like a baby,” Ben ordered as he clutched Maggie’s right hand and squeezed it.
“But it hurts,” she shot back.
Greg, the tattoo artist, a man with the build of a pro wrestler and the buzz cut of a Navy SEAL, cast her an apologetic look. “I’m trying to be gentle.”
He lowered the needle back to her skin and she could swear she heard her tailbone crack. God, this was awful. She wanted to throttle her husband, but it really wasn’t Ben’s fault. It had been her brainchild to get a tattoo to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary.
Husband. Anniversary. It amazed her even thinking the words. Who could have foreseen that one?
“You wanted to do this,” Ben reminded her after she let out another soft whimper of pain.
“You could have tried to stop me.”
He grinned. “Why would I do that? I think you’re going to look hot with a tattoo.”
“Your mother is going to kill me.”
“She’ll get over it.”
Maggie hoped so, because the last thing she wanted to do was upset Miranda Barrett after everything she’d done for them. Ben’s mom had single-handedly planned their entire wedding, which they’d held last winter in Ben’s hometown, Cobb Valley. It had been a small but elegant affair. Maggie had never felt more loved and wanted as she’d walked down the aisle toward Ben, the high-pitched jingles of Summer’s steel drum accompanying her steps.
They’d honeymooned in Prague, a city Maggie had fallen in love with after visiting Ben on his movie set. They were planning on going back when Maggie took advantage of her vacation time from the community center, but she was in no rush. She loved living in Manhattan, with Ben, in their gorgeous brownstone.
Besides, they couldn’t miss the Golden Globes award ceremony, not when Ben was a first-time nominee in the best supporting actor category.
“All done,” Greg announced, patting her lower back with a warm cloth to wipe off the excess ink.
She stood up and craned her head, trying to get a glimpse of her back. Both men chuckled, and Greg finally put her out of her misery and ushered her toward the full-length mirror in the main room of the tattoo shop. She examined the tribal design, the soft lines and curved accents making it more feminine than the one on Ben’s biceps.
“I love it,” she finally announced.
Both men released relieved sighs, which made her realize what a bitch she must have acted like during the hour they’d been here. Too bad. She didn’t care what anyone said, tattoos hurt.
She and Ben thanked and paid the tattoo artist, then slipped into their winter coats and stepped outside onto the icy city sidewalk. Thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body after getting inked, Maggie barely felt the frigid wind as it hit her. She gripped Ben’s hand and shot him a smile.
“I feel like a bad girl, now that I have a tattoo and all,” she said with a grin.
“You feel like a bad girl? Uh-uh, you are one,” he corrected. “Or don’t you remember what you did to me after the Golden Globe nomination brunch, on the flight home last week?”
“That was pretty bad, wasn’t it?”
“Oh yeah.”
They stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the stoplight to change. Maggie wanted to rip off her coat and examine her tattoo again, but she stopped herself. She couldn’t believe how her life had changed for the better during the past year. Sure, the press still hounded them every now and then, and lately it was the former, seeing as Ben was up for an award. But aside from that, everything was incredible. Ben made her breakfast every day before she left for work, and at night, she cooked him dinner, then made up for the awful flavorless meal in the bedroom.
“So my mom called yesterday when you were at work,” Ben mentioned as they crossed the street.
“Yeah, what’d she want?”
“She wanted to know when she’ll be getting a grandchild.”
Maggie nearly slipped on the snow covered sidewal
k under her boots. “What’d you tell her?”
“That we’re working on it.”
“Oh are we?”
“Of course we are.” He flashed a magnetic smile. “Aren’t you looking forward to it, having a tiny little Ben Barrett running around the house?”
She let out a groan. “Oh God. Two Ben Barretts? The world had better watch out.”
“We both know you love me.”
He squeezed her hand and she shivered from the familiar tingles his touch evoked in her body. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I do love you.”
“You guess?” he said with mock insult.
She grinned. “Fine. I know I love you.”
And when they got home, she ushered him into the master bedroom and showed him exactly how much.
About the Author
To learn more about Elle, please visit www.ellekennedy.com. Send an email to Elle at [email protected] or visit her blog, the Sizzling Pens, at http://sizzlingpens.blogspot.com.
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© 2008 Natasha Moore
Roxy Morgan is finally in control of her life. After working in the family diner to put her now ex-husband through law school, she’s getting her own chance at a college education. She doesn’t need any distractions in her life right now, especially men. The strong magnetic pull she feels toward chemistry professor Dr. Daniel Jennings is more than just an annoyance—it’s threatening her GPA. Yet she can’t seem to keep mind on her studies, or her hands off him.
Driven, lonely Daniel has been working to perfect an attraction elixir so he can finally find what’s been missing in his life: Passion. Sassy, outgoing Roxy wasn’t supposed to be part of his experiment. It was purely an accident. Now his elixir has given him an unexpected side effect—he’s fallen in love. But his sense of honor nags him to tell her the truth about the “love potion.”