THE BENNETTS' CHRISTMAS (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 6)

by Brenda Jackson

  He’d been satisfied with that reasoning, until Monica had come to stand by him, and their hands had touched. He had felt something sizzle through him. Monica Bennett might be young, but she had the ability to zap his libido into gear. But it hadn’t been just his body she had affected. For a moment, he had felt some sort of emotional connection to her as well. Of course, that was totally absurd. He didn’t know the woman.

  A part of Landon wished he’d been able to spend some time with her at the bar, to discover if there was more to the strange connection between them. But he’d been working a case, and that had to come first. What they had shared was likely just a chance encounter—one with possibilities, but that would likely end up nowhere. Then he remembered he had her business card. And if he ever came this way again, he would definitely look her up for drinks as she had suggested.

  Standing, he stretched, then went inside to get into bed. When he finally dozed off to sleep, it wasn’t Simone who flitted through his dreams, the way she usually did, but another woman.

  Monica Bennett.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Eight Months Later

  “I WISH I COULD go on that cruise with you, Monica.”

  Monica glanced across the dinner table at her sister and smiled. “I wish you could, too, Bree. You’ve been working too many hours at the hospital and need a break.”

  Sebrina was a heart specialist at St. Paul General and worked the night shift. Lately she’d been putting in a lot of overtime and had been called in on many of her nights off. They saw each other in passing each morning—Sebrina was usually coming in from work when Monica was on her way out—but they did make a point of sharing dinner as often as they could. A few days ago, they had all been together with their family to celebrate Thanksgiving in Atlanta, but now it was back to the daily grind.

  Shortly after graduating from college with a master’s degree in journalism, Monica had landed a job at the St. Paul’s Star Tribune newspaper. Last month, she’d transferred departments, going from being a fashion critic with the Tribune to becoming a travel reporter. This would be her first assignment and she was excited. A new cruise line was doing a twenty-one-day voyage from Sydney to various ports in Australia and surrounding islands. Although it would be a working cruise, she was sure there would be plenty of time for her to enjoy herself. In Australia, December was the first month of summer, while here in St. Paul, the winter was in full swing. She’d definitely welcome the warmer temperatures.

  And to make this assignment even more interesting, this was a singles’ cruise. Monica figured there would likely be more women than men onboard, and those men would have their pick of companions. And there would probably be a few players on the cruise as well, guys who just wanted to have a good time, with as many women as possible, for the duration of the trip.

  She had no use for those kinds of men. They reminded her too much of her father, retired Atlanta Fire Chief, Lorenzo Perkins.

  Taye, Monica and Sebrina’s mom, had become pregnant with Sebrina when she was seventeen and in her first semester at college. Although Gary Stevens’s wealthy parents had forbidden their son to marry Taye, they’d adored their granddaughter and Sebrina had spent every summer with her father and his family in New Jersey.

  Three years later, Taye got pregnant again, this time with Monica. For years, Taye would not tell anyone—not even her parents—the identity of Monica’s father. Finally, after years of asking, Taye had finally told Monica the truth about her parentage when she’d turned fourteen.

  Lorenzo Perkins had been a rookie fireman when he’d met Taye. At the time, she had been a single mother with a two-year-old. Taye had believed him when he’d told her that he was single and shared an apartment with another fireman. She hadn’t found out he was a married man until she had become pregnant with Monica.

  When Taye told him about the baby, he suggested she get an abortion. If she decided to keep the child, it would be all hers. He didn’t want anything to do with a kid.

  Taye didn’t get an abortion, and Mr. Perkins kept his word. Although they lived in the same city, she could count the number of times she’d seen her father on one hand. However, she had met his other three kids—Hansen, Pratt and Kelly. Only one of them—another daughter, Kelly—had been born during his marriage. Mr. Perkins’s wife had had the sense to divorce him once she’d found out about his affair with Taye—especially since Monica and Kelly had been born just two days apart.

  Although Monica didn’t care about her father, she enjoyed a rather close relationship with her siblings. The one thing the four of them had in common was their belief that their father was a scumbag. He had not earned any of his children’s respect.

  “I got a call from Kennedy yesterday. She wanted to know if we were interested in taking on another roommate,” Sebrina said, interrupting Monica’s thoughts.

  Growing up in Atlanta, Monica and Sebrina had always been close to their two cousins, Kennedy and Victoria. Although the four of them had gone to different universities, after college they had moved with Kennedy to St. Paul, and had taken up residence in the house Kennedy had received as a graduation gift from her father. It was the same home Kennedy had grown up in for the first thirteen years of her life.

  Monica, Sebrina, Victoria and Kennedy had been housemates for years. Then Kennedy and Victoria got married in double weddings, six months ago in June. Kennedy still lived in St. Paul with her husband Haddison Wolf, but Victoria had moved to Los Angeles after marrying Cortez Masters.

  Monica took a sip of her iced tea and asked, “Is it someone Kennedy knows?”

  “No. It’s someone Rae’jean knows.”

  Monica nodded. Rae’jean was one of their older cousins, and they both adored her. When Sebrina had become a heart specialist, she’d been following in Rae’jean’s footsteps.

  “Do you remember Grady Fitzgerald, that guy Rae’jean was engaged to marry when we were just kids?” Sebrina asked.

  “Of course, I remember. Who could forget? The family was all up-in-arms about it. It would have been the first interracial marriage in the Bennett family. Why?”

  “His nephew will be transferring to St. Paul General as a neurosurgeon and needs a place to stay.”

  “Nephew? We’re talking about a guy?”

  “Yes. Kennedy wanted to know how we felt about that. We’ve never had a guy living here with us.”

  “How old is he?” Monica asked.

  “Thirty-four.”

  “Umm, is he good looking?”

  Sebrina laughed. “I didn’t ask her. She just wanted to know if we would be okay with it.”

  Monica shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t have a problem with it. In fact, it might be good to have a man around.”

  “I thought so, too. Especially during the night, when I’m working and you’re here alone.”

  Monica rolled her eyes. “Will you stop being such a worrywart. I’m quite capable of looking after myself. I lock the doors and turn on the alarm and then I’m good.”

  “So, you’d be okay with him moving in?”

  “Sure. We can give him Kennedy’s old room, the master suite. It’s downstairs with its own private bath. That way he won’t have to come upstairs or even deal with us unless he joins us in the kitchen, living room or dining room.”

  The house, which had been Kennedy’s parents’ first home, was huge and sat on two acres of land. There were five bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as a four-car garage. It had been perfect for the four of them, and Monica could see no reason why it wouldn’t be for three, even if the third person was a guy. Especially someone who was a friend of Rae’jean’s. Their cousin wouldn’t suggest that just anyone move in with them. And they trusted her judgement.

  “Okay, I’ll let Kennedy know,” Sebrina said.

  “Great. It’ll be fun.”

  Hours later, once Monica had finished packing, she turned to her sister. “I’m going to miss you, Bree. Don’t let that hospital work you too hard while I’m
gone.”

  Sebrina grinned as she leaned against Monica’s bedroom door. “And try not to get too wild, even if you are surrounded by hot guys on that singles’ cruise.”

  “Please…” Monica said, rolling her eyes. “I told you—I don’t need a man. As far as I’m concerned, sex is overrated.”

  Though she was twenty-six, Monica had only been with two guys. Back in college, there had been Dusty. It had been her first time and he’d known it. Still, he hadn’t even tried to be gentle with her. Not only had it been an extremely disappointing experience, but a very painful one.

  It had been years before she’d decided to try it again. And then she’d settled on a one-night stand. Halpern Carrolton had been a drummer. Her cousin Brandy had hired Halpern’s band as part of the entertainment for her husband Grey’s birthday party last year. The moment Halpern had winked at her, Monica had been a goner. She couldn’t wait to hook up with him later.

  It had been a huge mistake. Although Halpern had been gentle with her, unlike Dusty, and the lovemaking hadn’t been painful, it had been all about him. He’d acted as if the only reason she was there that night was to please him, the selfish bastard. He’d never considered her needs or did anything to make it a satisfying experience for her as well.

  Two disappointments had been enough, and she wasn’t anxious to try a third. As far as she was concerned, either something was seriously wrong with her or everyone was lying about how great sex could be. Her sisters and cousins had tried to tell her she’d simply had bad luck in finding bed partners. She just hadn’t slept with the right guy yet—the one who would rock her world. That might be true, but she’d never felt any of the sexual chemistry and physical attraction they’d told her she would feel. And it was starting to worry her.

  But then...Monica couldn’t help remembering the guy she had met eight months ago at Zang Nightclub—Landon Chestnut. She still chuckled when she thought about the way he’d put Dusty in his place. And when he’d taken her hand, she had felt a jolt of sexual energy hit her, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. He’d been handsome, older and had a body that would put much younger men to shame.

  She would admit to thinking about Landon a lot since then, and had hoped that whatever business had brought him to St. Paul that night might have brought him back again. So far it hadn’t. But then, maybe it had, and he hadn’t bothered looking her up.

  “Don’t be surprised if we have a new roomie when you get back, Monica.”

  For some reason, Monica sensed that her sister wasn’t all that thrilled with the idea, but didn’t want to be the one to object. Still, it was Kennedy’s house—she ultimately had the final say. “You’ll have plenty of time to break him in before I get back.”

  Sebrina frowned. “Break him in?”

  “You know, get him used to the way we do things. I won’t be back from the cruise until a week before Christmas. So put him to work. For example, I expect the tree to be decorated when I come back.” She grinned.

  Sebrina didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. “I can do that myself.”

  “But why? Let him help you, Bree. That way he’ll learn what to expect, now that he’s living with the Bennetts. You know Christmas is a big deal to us. He’ll either fit in with the family, or we’ll send him running for the hills.”

  “He won’t be here that long, in any case.”

  Monica glanced up from folding her blouses. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s only here for a year, working under the head of our neurology department. He was accepted into this once-in-a-lifetime mentorship program, where upon completion, his medical future will be pretty much set. In fact, I’ve heard that he’s being groomed to take over as chief of staff at a hospital in Florida in a few years.”

  “Wow, must be nice.”

  “I’m sure it is. I have to hand it to him, he’s already achieved a lot in his medical career. St. Paul General will be fortunate to have him for a year.”

  Monica nodded. “You never did say what his name was.”

  “His name is Parker. Parker Stanhope.”

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this, Zoe,” Landon said, glancing across the room at his sister who’d shown up at his house to see him off. If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t be going anyplace and wondered if it was too late to change his mind.

  “Don’t even think about it, Land,” she said as if reading his thoughts. “It’s my birthday gift to you. Besides, the cruise will do you good. Just think…twenty-one days away from all those investigations to sleep, read, relax and do whatever else you want to do. The most important thing is that you’ll have some time for yourself. You work too hard. And I worry about you.”

  He knew why she felt that way. He hadn’t gone on what could be considered a real vacation trip in over six years. “It’s usually better for me that way, Zoe.”

  “I know, but Simone would have wanted you to live your life.”

  He glanced over at his sister, tempted to ask her how in the hell she would know what Simone would have wanted. But Zoe did know. She and Simone had been extremely close. After the first time he had brought Simone home from college one spring break, she had become a regular visitor to the Chestnut home. After all, she had been the only girl for him, and he never went far without her.

  He’d been three years older than Simone, so he’d taken a job with the Atlanta Police Department while he waited for her to finish school. Then, after graduation, she had worked in her chosen profession as a social worker for a year while they’d planned their wedding.

  A wedding that never happened.

  “Land?”

  He blinked and turned to look at his sister. “Yes?”

  “I know it still hurts. I lost her, too.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  “I could have been in that car with them that night, you know.”

  Yes, he knew that, too. Simone was to bring Zoe home from the bachelorette party that night. However, at the last minute, his mother had thought of something she’d needed Zoe to do, and his sister had ridden home with their mother instead.

  Landon crossed the room to give his sister a huge hug like she needed...like he needed. He knew she and his parents were just trying to look out for him. Simone would have wanted him to go on with his life—a life without her. But just the thought of that made him feel ill. Still, he couldn’t go on living the way he was.

  And that was the crux of his problem. He wasn’t living. He was existing. He dated women, but that was physical, not emotional. He was upfront with the women he went out with, right from the beginning. He was not looking for anyone to share his heart, just his bed.

  “I will be alright, Zoe. We both will.”

  “But I worry about you so much, Land. You rarely smile. I just want you to be happy.”

  Funny she should say that—the guys at Peachtree often said the same thing. They called him a class A workaholic.”

  Releasing Zoe, he turned back to the luggage on his bed to finish packing. “So, tell me about this twenty-one-day cruise. That’s a long damn time to be out on the water.”

  Zoe chuckled and he was glad their moments of melancholy had passed. “You won’t be at sea the entire time. The ship docks at a lot of ports, where you can get off and take in the sights. And just think. When you return, it will be less than a week before Christmas.”

  “Why didn’t I get a brochure outlining the places I’ll be visiting?”

  “I didn’t give you one? Oops. I meant to.”

  He glanced over at Zoe. For some reason that “oops” didn’t sound sincere. He forced the thought from his mind. For once, he would stop being such a suspicious bastard about everything.

  “Maybe you’ll meet someone you like on this cruise, Land.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve met a lot of women I like, Zoe.” But he knew what she was saying.

  “Yeah, right. I bet there hasn’t been one woman you’ve thought about longer than it took for her t
o leave your bedroom.”

  Now that’s where his sister was wrong. There was one woman. Sure, he’d dreamed about having Monica Bennett in his bed, but he’d also thought about her while he did other things—like during his morning workout, or when he went for a run, or when he sat down to eat. He would even admit to daydreaming about her in the office when he should have been focusing on an assignment. Her business card was worn and tattered from him pulling it out of his wallet and looking at it so much. More than once, he’d thought of giving her a call, just to hear her voice. According to her business card, she was a reporter for the newspaper in St. Paul.

  “Land?”

  He glanced over at Zoe. “Sorry. My mind went to something else for a moment.”

  “Probably something work-related. Don’t worry—the guys can handle things while you’re gone.”

  That’s what they’d told him. Duan, Chevis, Antron and Brett had appeared all too eager to see him take off work for a month. He figured with him gone, they’d have a chance at all those extra hours of overtime.

  “I’m sure they will. I admit I could use some R&R.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Zoe said, her bubbly attitude back.

  He chuckled. “Thanks, kiddo, for looking after your oldest brother.”

  “Hey, you’re my only brother, and I just want you to enjoy your birthday and be happy.”

  Happy... That was a word he hadn’t used to describe himself in a long time. And the way things were going, he doubted he ever would be again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  MONICA GLANCED AROUND HER cabin. Impressive. She’d been told that it was one of the six largest suites on the ship, and this was where she would reside for twenty-one days, compliments of the owner of the cruise line. No doubt he wanted a good review.