by Toni Aleo
“Shit, I’m sorry, Luce,” he said and she shrugged.
“Eh, that’s my life,” she said with a soulless laugh. “But I did find an office today.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yup,” she said, clearing her throat. “It’s actually your friend Benji’s little guesthouse in the back. He’s gonna let me rent it.”
He nodded, a small grin on his lips. “Good dude, Paxton is.”
“Yeah, he is,” she agreed, looking away as her phone vibrated.
“You know he’s single,” Jayden said, pushing off the wall.
She swallowed hard as she reached for her phone to see the text was from the guy they were speaking of. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, you two would be good together.”
Her brows came together. “How do you know who I would be good with? Don’t you need to shower? Jesus. Leave me alone.”
Jayden laughed as he walked away and she clicked Benji’s text. “Yeah, yeah.”
Letting out a long breath, she read his message, her lips curving.
Benji: Completely and utterly disappointed.
Looking to confirm that Jayden was climbing the stairs, she went back to her phone.
Lucy: Why is that? Are you home?
Benji: Yeah, and my bed is empty. Bullshit.
Lucy: lol. Sorry. Told ya it would be.
Benji: I was hoping you were playing with my mind.
Lucy: Nope.
Benji: Then why are you awake?
Lucy: Working.
Benji: You work too much.
Lucy: Got a daughter to care for.
Benji: True. Has anyone told you you’re a great mom today?
Lucy couldn’t smile any bigger if she tried. Her heart, man, it was going crazy, and her stomach, those butterflies were having a dance party.
Lucy: No, they haven’t.
Benji: Well, let me be the one to say it. Because you are a great mom, Lucy Sinclair.
Lucy: Thanks <3
Lucy: Are you about to go to bed?
Benji: I mean, I don’t have to if you want to come over.
Lucy: I can’t. Angie is in bed.
Benji: I know, but hey, can’t blame me for trying.
She couldn’t and she was a little upset with herself that she really wanted to go over. She just missed him and wanted to see him, but that was so irresponsible. Angie was asleep and she couldn’t leave her. But Jayden and Baylor were there… No, they wanted to have naughty time and enjoy each other. Jayden had just gotten home.
No, just get it out of your head. Work, Lucy.
When a text came through from Benji with a link to YouTube, her brow quirked as his next message followed.
Benji: I’m being ruthless I know, but this is me right now.
Hitting the link, Sam Hunt’s “Come Over” started playing.
Oh, he was dirty.
This was her jam.
She knew it by heart, and as the music played, Sam’s gorgeous voice hitting her straight in the gut, she wrote Benji back.
Lucy: You’re playing dirty, Paxton.
Benji: Yeah. Sorry. I’m dying here. I miss you so fucking much.
And she missed him, but no, she couldn’t.
Lucy: I can’t leave Angie.
Benji: I know. I just want you to suffer with me.
She scoffed at that.
Lucy: I was suffering before the damn video. Jerk. Now I’m dying.
Benji: Good. Wanna meet me behind the bleachers tomorrow?
God, he made her giddy. Grinning so hard, she shook her head.
Lucy: Maybe.
Benji: Yes?
Lucy: Yes.
Letting out a long breath, she smiled as she leaned back in her chair. What was she doing? Really, what in the hell was she doing with him? She was having way too much fun with him. He made her laugh, he made her smile, and shit, he made her feel things. Good things. Slowly he was knocking down her walls—but with the utmost respect. It was amazing and special. But man, it scared her to the core because people like him didn’t work out for her. But then how could she say that when she had never really tried?
And why was she trying now?
She knew the answer right away.
Because he was different.
And she wanted to see him.
So damn bad.
When Jayden came back down the stairs, his sweats hanging loosely at his waist and, of course, no shirt—the guy had never worn clothes when they were younger—he flashed her a grin as he fell into his chair.
Confused, she said, “I thought you were going to be with your wife.”
He turned on the TV. “No, I’m too wound up to sleep.”
“Hence, why you go to bed with your wife,” she said slowly because, Lord knew, if she could get in bed with Benji, they would not be sleeping.
Jayden chuckled as he shook his head. “Nope, Baylor is passed out. And you don’t wake her when she’s sleeping.”
“Such a good husband, you are.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” he said with a laugh before leaning back in his chair.
“So you’re not going to bed?” she asked and then paused. What was she doing?
“Nope, I’ll be up for a while,” he said, looking back at her. “Why? Got somewhere to go?”
She made a face and shook her head. “No, why would I?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I know I’m not the only one who just got home.”
She glared. “Are you insinuating something again?”
He feigned surprise. “Me? Never. Just saying, if you wanted to leave and go see said person we are apparently not mentioning exists, I’ll keep an ear out for Angie.”
Her glare deepened. “I’m a responsible parent. I’m not gonna leave my kid so I can go get some ass, hypothetically speaking, of course. I have no ass to get, obviously.”
He shrugged, a carefree grin on his face. “Of course, but hypothetically speaking, even moms need to get some. Maybe then they wouldn’t bite people’s heads off for suggesting said act?”
“Hypothetically speaking, this is true. But I’m not one of those moms. Hypothetically.”
“You? Bite people’s heads off? Oh no, never. I wouldn’t suggest it,” he said with a grin and she wanted to slap him.
“I don’t like you.”
Turning in his chair to look at her, he grinned. “Well, I love you, and I think you should go see the person who shall not be named,” he said, and then he chuckled. “Tell him I said that. He’ll get a kick out of it.”
He would, but her face was stone as she shrugged.
And that also meant he knew about Benji.
Shit.
Rolling her eyes, she looked down at her computer. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
But she didn’t miss the defeat in his voice as he muttered, “Oh. Well, then tomorrow should be a blast with your ex and your non-sexed self.”
Ugh, she did have to see Rick tomorrow. If he showed.
Shit. Tomorrow was going to suck, minus seeing her baby rock out on the ice.
And Benji. She’d see Benji at the game.
But she wanted to see him now.
Sucking in a breath, she looked at the clock on her computer and then back at Jayden. She really wanted to go, but was that right? Should she leave her child to go get some ass? It sounded so bad when she thought of it like that. She didn’t know what to do.
“Lucy, I can hear you thinking all the way over here. Angie is fine. Go.”
She swallowed hard, and, fuck it, she was going. “I mean, I guess I could go to the store.”
“Yeah, ’cause there is so much you need at two in the morning.”
She stood, reaching for her keys. “I do need stuff for snacks tomorrow.”
“I saw the oranges in the fridge,” he pointed out.
“Oh, yeah, but I mean for us,” she said, reaching for Benji’s coat.
“True, true. Have fun picking out Skittles,” he said with a wink and
she glared.
“I’m seriously going to Walmart,” she said, trying to save face, but Jayden saw right through her.
“Yeah, of course. Good thing they’re twenty-four hours, huh?” She felt her lips turn up and her dimples cut into her skin as Jayden grinned. “Have fun. Tell Benji I said he’s welcome.”
Reaching for the door, she looked over her shoulder at him. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
But even she couldn’t hold in her laughter as she shut the door and hightailed it to the car.
Once in the car, though, she had second thoughts.
She should go.
Should she stay?
She really wanted to go.
But…
You need to do some things that make you happy. Her mom’s voice rang loud and clear in her head, and she was right. Putting the car in reverse, she pulled out of the driveway and headed for Benji’s. She considered calling him, telling him she was coming, but then, she kind of wanted to surprise him.
But what if he had someone there? She couldn’t come, so he got a replacement?
Stop, he isn’t Rick.
Swallowing that absurd thought, she drove faster to Benji’s, nearly bouncing in her seat. She was doing this. She was going to freaking do this.
Stopping at a stoplight, she grabbed her phone, texting him.
Lucy: Are you asleep?
Benji: No, I unfortunately slept on the plane thinking I was coming home to hot, naked butt.
Lucy: That sucks.
Benji: You have no clue. So if I suck at kissing tomorrow, we can blame you.
Lucy: Me?
Benji: You.
Lucy: Rude.
When he sent an emoji smile that had his tongue sticking out, she giggled. When the light turned green, she set her phone down as she hit the gas, taking off in a frenzy. She was ready to see him. Now. Turning into his community, she sang to Sam Hunt, loud and with no cares. She was so excited, so damn happy, and she felt good. A little guilty, but then Jayden was Angie’s family, she was fine. Lucy was doing this for herself. She needed this.
She missed him.
When she turned onto his road, she could see his house and a grin appeared on her face as she slowed to pull into his driveway.
But then she noticed a pair of blue lights flashing on his white house.
Looking behind her, she saw they belonged to a cop car.
That had his spotlight on her car.
“Driver, stay in the car.”
Stunned, she muttered, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
But this was Lucy’s life.
A fucking mess.
When blue lights started to flash in his window, Benji turned in his chair to see that there was, in fact, a cop car in front of his house.
At two in the morning.
Probably some dumbass drinking and driving.
“Idiot,” he said, getting out of his chair to shut his blinds since the lights were distracting as he tried to watch Netflix. He really didn’t think Lucy would be there, but a part of him hoped she would be. Because of that, he was annoyed, and this was not helping. As he reached for the cord to the blinds, he looked out to not only see the cop car, but also a car that looked very much like Lucy’s.
In his driveway.
“What the hell?” he said, moving to the front door and opening it. As he stepped out onto the porch, the cop turned, and sure enough, Lucy was sitting in the car, looking at him with a sheepish expression on her face.
“Sir, return to your house. Nothing to see here.”
Benji scoffed. “You’re in my driveway. Obviously, there is something to see,” he said, coming down from the porch.
“Sir, please stop where you are. I’ll be done in just a minute,” the cop demanded and Benji paused, Lucy slowly shaking her head. Even in the dark, he could see her face was beet red. “Ms. Sinclair, why are you driving over here so late at night? Have you been drinking?”
“No,” she said, frustrated. “My, er, friend, just got home from a trip, and I came to see him.”
The cop looked back at Benji, and he waved. “Hi. I’m the friend.”
Turning his back to Benji, he said, “Now, ma’am, you were speeding through a residential neighborhood.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I was excited to see him and wasn’t paying attention. Please, don’t give me a ticket. I get one more ticket and my license gets suspended and I have a kid, and ugh, I should have never left the house.”
“I agree, ma’am,” the cop said sternly, looking at her paperwork. “But give me a minute. Let me make sure you don’t have any flags on your record.”
As he walked away, he looked back at Benji. “Stay where you are.”
“Yes, sir,” he said as he sputtered with laughter, which did not please the cop at all. When the cop got in his car, Benji shook his head, meeting Lucy’s gaze. “Really?”
“Surprise?” she said with a shrug and he laughed.
“Only you.”
“I know. It’s so bad,” she said before letting out a long breath. “I just wanted to see you.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining, and if you get a ticket, I’ll pay it,” he said with his hands up in the air and she grinned.
“Shut up,” she said as the cop got out of the car and came toward her.
“Ma’am, are you related to Jayden Sinclair?”
Lucy’s face changed, dimples beaming as she cheered internally. “Yes, sir, I am. That’s my little brother, and I love him more than anything and he loves me. I’m his favorite.”
Benji snorted with laughter as the cop nodded. “You’re in luck. He’s my favorite player on the Assassins.”
“Really? He’s one of mine too, but my other favorite is Benji Paxton. He’s standing behind you.”
The cop paused and then turned to look at Benji. “Really?”
Benji nodded. “Yup. How you doing? Can I move?”
The cop smiled as he came over, shaking Benji’s hand. “Yeah, wow, it’s really cool to meet you. Great playing in Minnesota. I watched it in my car tonight.”
Benji grinned. “Awesome. Thanks, man,” he said, slapping the cop on the shoulder and taking in his name. “Listen, Edwards, call up the box office and there’ll be some seats for you come Monday, all right?”
Officer Edwards beamed. “Yeah, thanks, man!”
“No problem. I truly believe in supporting our first responders. I appreciate you keeping the streets safe from thug speeders like my girlfriend.”
Lucy glared and Edwards laughed. “Eh, she wasn’t so bad.”
“I don’t know, maybe you should arrest her to be sure. I can frisk her for you,” he teased, and he was sure he was tiptoeing the line between getting laid and getting killed once she was inside. As he wanted, Edwards laughed and shook his head.
“Nah, she’s good. You guys have a good night. Go Assassins!”
“Thanks, buddy,” Benji said as he walked to the car to open the door for Lucy. After rolling the window up, she stepped out, glaring at him. “Hello, Speedy.”
“I should go home,” she said, but she wasn’t going anywhere. Shutting the door, he reached for her, pulling her to him.
“You’re not going anywhere, you sexy delinquent,” he whispered against her lips before crashing his mouth to hers. Gasping against his mouth, she slid her hands up onto the back of his neck as he hugged her tighter to him, moving his tongue into her mouth.
God, he had missed her.
As she melted against him, their kisses became more urgent. He knew if he didn’t stop while he was ahead, they were going to get arrested for indecent exposure. So reluctantly, he pulled away, kissing her nose.
“Come on, my smooth criminal. Let’s take this inside.”
Rolling her eyes, she smacked his arm as he pulled her down the walkway. “Shut up!”
“Oh, give me a second and you’ll be yelling something else,” he promised and she took in a sharp breath as he helpe
d her up the steps. Once inside, he slammed the door shut, pressing her body into it as he caught her mouth with his. Arching into him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her leg coming up to hook along his hip.
Pulling away, he kissed her jaw as she lengthened her neck, gasping his name. He wanted to take her right there, right then, but first, he found himself asking, “Angie okay?”
“Yeah, Jayden is with her.”
“You told Jayden?” he asked, surprised, between kisses.
“No, somehow he suspected. Any idea how?”
He paused, moving his nose along her jaw. “I’m gonna lie and say no, okay?” he said, pulling back to look at her. Her eyes were dark as stone, full of lust, and fuck, she was beautiful. “Only because I don’t want to fight with you right now.”
Shaking her head, her eyes narrowed. “You told him?”
“Shh, kiss me,” he demanded, taking her mouth with his, and she didn’t protest or stop. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his middle, her mouth meshing with his in a sexy frenzy. She was just as hot as he remembered, if not hotter, and he swore there would never be enough time to truly get his fill of this gorgeous woman. But he was going to try. He was going to try until he couldn’t try anymore.
Lifting her away from the door, he tore his mouth from hers so he could see where he was going. She dropped the jacket she wore, and he stepped over it, heading for the stairs. She held on to him, her lips trailing along his jaw, and then his neck as he climbed the steps to his bedroom. Once there, he laid her down, covering her body with his as he pulled at the T-shirt she wore. Lifting it over her head, he kissed down her breasts, which were held by a very sexy white lace bra.
“Jesus, you’re so hot,” he murmured against her skin, dipping his hand into her sweats, cupping her pussy. Arching into his hand, she cried out, her body vibrating underneath his. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“Less talk, more do,” she demanded, and he chuckled against her goose-bumped skin.
“Maybe I want to talk about my feelings?” he said, pulling up and looking down at her flushed face.
“Feelings?” she asked, out of breath, arching more into his hand.
“Yeah.”
“Well, here’s one: horny. I’m feeling fucking horny, and if you don’t fuck me, I’m gonna get myself off and go home.”
His brow quirked. “I mean, I might be down with that. Except for the going home part. But watching you get yourself off could be very satisfying for me.”