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

by Brenda Jackson

  When Parker released her mouth, she asked in a low, seductive voice, “Do you want to act on it some more, Parker?”

  He nodded, then asked a question of his own. “How long do you think we should keep this up?”

  She shrugged. “I guess until we get it right. But then we’ll have no choice but to end things after next week.”

  He lifted a brow. “Why?”

  “Monica will be back. We won’t have the house to ourselves.”

  Did she think that would make a difference? Yes, she probably did. That meant he only had a little more than a week to convince her they belonged together. “In that case…”

  Then he swept her into his arms and headed up the stairs. “This time, we’re making love in your bed.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Monica

  MONICA HAD BEEN STANDING on the balcony looking out over the ocean when she heard the sound behind her and only turned her head a fraction before smiling. “I was wondering if you’d forgotten me.”

  The man she had spent the last nineteen straight days with was walking toward her with two glasses of wine. It was hard to believe the cruise was almost over. The ship was now headed back to Sydney where they would disembark tomorrow morning. He would return to Atlanta and she would catch a flight to St. Paul.

  Her days of idyllic bliss were about to come to an end. She had finished her review days ago, and the article had already been sent to her boss. That had allowed her to use the rest of her time giving Landon her undivided attention. And she’d enjoyed every minute of it.

  “I could never forget you, Monica.”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said teasing, refusing to admit the thought made a pain settle around her heart. Her heart? Why on earth would she feel anything there of all places? Mr. Perkins hadn’t exactly been a role model to his children—especially the ones he’d never bothered to claim. But then, she couldn’t place the blame of her disinterest in settling down solely at her biological father’s feet. She had goals and dreams and didn’t plan to let them get waylaid.

  “No, actually, I don’t,” he said, handing her one of the glasses. “You know I could never forget you, Monica.”

  “You better not,” she said grinning up at him. She knew she would never forget him. Taking a sip of her wine she glanced over the rim of her glass at him, remembering the days and nights they had spent together. By the second week, a lot of the people on the cruise had paired off and it seemed that each of those bold women had snagged a guy. But Monica wasn’t interested in any guy. She had the guy of guys, the best one of all. The one who had filled her days with fun and adventure, and then at night, had taught her things in the bedroom that still made her blush just thinking about them.

  Kennedy had been right about older men. There was a confidence in them that younger men lacked. Thanks to Landon, she felt surer of herself—more aware of herself—than she had when she boarded the ship weeks ago. He had been a gentleman and had treated her with the utmost respect, even in the bedroom. Especially in the bedroom.

  She lowered her glass. “And I won’t forget you either, Landon. You are the best.” And she really meant it. She knew all good things had to come to an end and their affair would too. But they still had tonight, and she intended to make it the best night ever.

  “I’m reminding you again that if you ever return to St. Paul, you’ll remember to use that rain check for us to get together for that drink.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment and the heat from his eyes stirred her insides. “If I come to St. Paul, I hope to get something else even more important.”

  Monica knew he was suggesting that he would want a booty call when he came to town. Considering how good the sex had been between them, she could definitely see that happening. “Anytime, Landon. You have definitely earned a place in my bed.”

  Unlike the smile she had expected, she saw frown lines appear around his eyes. “What about your life, Monica? Have I earned a place in your life?”

  Now she was the one frowning, because she wasn’t exactly sure just what he was asking. “My life? Why would you want a place in my life?”

  “I would think that would be obvious.”

  Well, it wasn’t. Evidently seeing the look of confusion in her features, he added, “I’ve fallen in love with you, Monica.”

  She stared at him, not believing what he was saying. Her head started to spin, and she placed her wine glass on the table before she dropped it. He stared back at her, frowning as he watched her reaction to his words. Why? Why would he say something like that to her? She shook her head. “No. You can’t love me. It wasn’t that kind of party, Landon. It was only about sex.”

  Now he was the one shaking his head. “It was never only about sex, Monica. At least not for me. I knew I had fallen in love with you just days after I ran into you on this ship.”

  “Days? That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Maybe love works like that for some people, but not for me. It was just sex. Why are you trying to make it something more?”

  She watched as he placed his wine glass beside hers, then crossed his arms over his chest in a stance that would have been sexy as sin if the subject matter hadn’t been so darn serious. Had he hit his head somewhere? Had someone spiked his drink? They’d eaten dinner together but had chosen different entrees. Had someone messed with his food? Added some crazy sauce to it or something?

  They stared each other down for a moment and then putting his hands by his side, he closed the distance between them. “Because for me it was more. Every time we shared a bed, we made love Monica, not just had sex. I was trying to give you a chance to get used to the idea.”

  Get used to the idea? Now she really thought he was in La-La Land. “I never led you to believe it was more than what it was, Landon. Why are you trying to ruin our last night together? I told you my goals. There’s no room for a man in my life for another seven to eight years. And I won’t be rushed into anything I’m not ready for. The last thing I want is to be seriously involved with a man. I told you that.”

  “I was hoping I could get you to change your mind.”

  “You can’t. Sorry.”

  “I don’t want you to be sorry, Monica. I want you to give us a chance.”

  Now he was making her mad. Why couldn’t he accept things the way they were? “You know what I think, Landon? I think this was the first time you really enjoyed yourself since your fiancée died, and you’ve mentally made me her replacement. Well, I’m not. Go find another substitute because I refuse to be her.”

  Anger appeared on his face. “That’s not only unfair but it’s cruel, Monica. Not once have I ever made you feel like I wanted you to take Simone’s place. I fell in love with you for who you are.”

  Placing her hands on her hips, she said, “The problem is, you don’t know who I am, Landon. I told you in the beginning what I wanted and what I didn’t. I’m not looking for love yet. I am not ready.”

  “And you think you can control your emotions like that?”

  “I intend to. You are a great guy and I owe you a lot, but I refuse to allow you to try and make me feel something I don’t. I can’t love you, Landon.”

  “You can’t or you won’t?”

  “Doesn’t matter. They both mean the same.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment, but just stood there, staring at her. Finally, he said, “In that case, I wish you a happy life, Monica.” Then he turned and walked off the balcony.

  Monica held her breath until she heard her cabin door close shut. Then she finally allowed the tears to flow.

  Landon’s hand balled into a fist at his side as he paced his cabin. How could Monica think he’d used her as a substitute for Simone? Simone’s name had rarely come up in their conversations, and it had definitely been Monica he’d been thinking of each and every time they’d made love. He knew what she was doing. He’d seen it enough as a cop. She had been looking for an excuse as to why they could n
ot be together. And she’d decided to hone in on his former fiancée.

  He forced himself to remain still for a moment. But that didn’t stop every cell in his body from vibrating in anger. For the past three weeks, he had courted her the way a man should court a woman—a woman he’d fallen in love with. They had spent their days together as well as their nights. He had shared more about himself with her than he’d told anyone, and she had told him about her days at work and about her dreams. They’d become close, really close. At least he’d thought they had.

  He’d obviously been wrong to assume that all those days they’d spent together, meant something to her. He’d actually thought she was falling in love with him, the way he was falling for her, but he’d been wrong. Monica Bennett had certainly set him straight on that.

  Did she not know she could still reach her dreams with him? He wasn’t asking her to give anything up. He figured it would be the perfect set-up, since she intended to return to Atlanta to attend Atlanta Clark when she began working on her PhD. And it wasn’t like he’d asked her to marry him next week. He’d merely told her he wanted to be part of her life. That what had started out as a cruise fling now meant more to him. Why couldn’t it have meant more to her, too?

  His cell phone went off and he knew who it was—Zoe. She’d pretty much had left him alone on the cruise and he had appreciated that. Since tonight was the last night, he figured she was calling for details, and the first thing she would want to know would be if he’d met anyone. He couldn’t tell her that he’d fallen in love…with a woman who didn’t want him.

  Knowing that if he didn’t answer, she would only call again later when he needed to start packing, he clicked on the phone. “What do you want, Zoe?”

  There was a slight hesitation. “Am I interrupting anything?”

  Did she honestly think he would tell her if she was? “Nope. I’m just starting to pack,” he said, dropping down on the loveseat in his room. This was certainly not how he envisioned his last night on the cruise.

  “Did you enjoy your twenty-one days’ vacation?”

  He couldn’t lie. “I enjoyed it immensely.”

  “And did you meet someone?”

  “I met a lot of people, Zoe.”

  “Anybody you plan to invite to Christmas dinner?”

  Her question reminded him that Christmas was next week. “Not a single person. Look, Zoe, I need to go.”

  “Are you okay? You sound strange.”

  No, he wasn’t okay. In fact, he was too damn old for this BS. He refused to let a woman like Monica, who was probably too young for him anyway, mess with his mind. She’d broken his heart to the point he felt it crumbling in his chest, but he refused to let her break him down every other way as well.

  “Landon?”

  The last thing he needed was for his sister to start digging into his business. Nor did he want her worrying about him. “I’m fine.”

  And just in case she got any ideas, he added, “It will be a long flight. Once I get back to Atlanta, I plan to rest up for a few days, so don’t make any plans to visit, Zoe.”

  “Oh, alright. Have a safe flight home, Landon.”

  “Thanks.” He then clicked off the phone.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Sebrina

  SEBRINA COULDN’T BELIEVE HER affair with Parker was about to come to an end. Word had spread around the hospital that they were housemates, but so far, no one linked them together as a couple, although they’d gone out together to the movies, dinner, a concert and that jazz club she’d told him about. He thought of them as dates, but she told him she still preferred thinking of them as outings.

  Only Kennedy and Victoria knew that she and Parker shared a bed. And they made love every chance they got. She loved the times he would hold her in his arms after making love to her. They spent a lot of time out of the bedroom, too, talking, and getting to know each other. He already knew a lot about her mother’s family from Rae’jean, but she’d shared stories with him about her father’s people. He knew she would be spending Christmas with both sets of parents. And, of course, Monica would be returning home in a couple of days. That meant she and Parker had little time left to share. Monica’s ship would return to Sydney tomorrow, and then it would be another day before she made it back to the States.

  Glancing at the clock, she knew Parker was off work now and heading for home. Home. With them having the house all to themselves, it sometimes seemed as if they were a couple. She had taken the next two nights off so she could spend that time with him, though she hadn’t told him yet. That way, he’d be surprised when she didn’t have to get ready for work as usual around ten. And she’d discovered that he liked surprises.

  She had even prepared dinner. Now he would see that she could cook more than breakfast stuff, although she wasn’t a big fan of doing so. However, she would admit to enjoying those times she had shared the cooking with Parker. She’d thought of meeting him at the door when he arrived, like she had done a few times before. But today, she would stay right where she was, in his bed.

  Normally, he would check in here for her first. If she wasn’t here, then he would immediately take the stairs to her bedroom where he’d usually find her sleeping. But she would know the exact moment he would place a kiss on her cheek before leaving her room to either start dinner or relax after a day at the hospital.

  Then around an hour before she was to get ready for work, he would slide into bed beside her and give her something to help her get through the night. More than once, she’d been tempted curl up and go back to sleep from a combination of exhaustion and pleasure. They weren’t always off on the same days, so on those mornings when he went to work, she made sure he left with a huge smile on his face.

  Her ears suddenly perked up when she heard the sound of his car pulling into the garage. Since he would come through the kitchen, would he get suspicious when he saw she’d prepared dinner? Hopefully, he would assume she had prepared a meal before going to bed and that she would still be heading into work later tonight. She loved it when they got to share the bed the entire night.

  She shifted her body to face the door so she could see him the moment he entered the room. Her heart began beating faster when she heard footsteps outside the bedroom door. When he finally entered, she pretended to be asleep, but through slit eyelids, she watched him undress before he eased into bed beside her. Then he kissed her awake.

  She returned his kiss, loving his taste and the way his tongue took possession of hers. Finally, he released her mouth and rained kisses around her lips. “You aren’t fooling me, you know.”

  “Umm, about what?” She was helpless to do anything but lie there and enjoy the attention.

  “Pretending to be asleep.”

  “And how did you know I was pretending?”

  “Your scent lets me know you are ready for me.”

  She could believe that. That’s one thing she enjoyed about being with Parker. He encouraged her to tell him what she liked, in explicit terms. And he’d do the same.

  “You don’t deny it?” he asked.

  She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m not denying anything. I love watching you strip naked.”

  “Baby, you don’t have to pretend to be asleep to watch me strip. I’ll shed my clothes for you anytime.”

  And then he was kissing her again as he moved over her. There was no need to remove her clothes since he knew she was already naked.

  “We only have two nights to be together like this, Parker,” she said, when he released her mouth. “I’m going to miss having you all to myself when Monica gets back.”

  He didn’t say anything, but just leaned in and greedily took her mouth yet again.

  Parker glanced across the dinner table at Sebrina and grinned. “You’ve been holding back, Sebrina. This meal is delicious.”

  He loved how she beamed at his compliment. Her smile was what had captivated him from the first time he’d seen her, and it st
ill did. Every time she showed those gorgeous dimples, he was a goner. He had dimples and she had dimples. That meant that more than likely, their babies would have dimples.

  Babies? Yes, his inner self responded. This is the woman you want to marry and be the mother of your babies. You love her, so naturally you’d think of a future with her.

  “I would never hold anything back from you, Parker,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “I told you early on that I could cook, I just don’t have a lot of time to do it, nor do I love it the way you do. You couldn’t be Idella Bennett’s grand or great-grand without knowing how to do a lot more than boil water.”

  “I believe it,” he said, licking his lips. “I love getting those free meals at Rae’jean and Ryan’s place. She can throw down, but this food proves you can, too.”

  He took another bite of the baked chicken—it was melt-in-your-mouth good. Their eyes met, and already, they were getting aroused all over again. And they had already spent more than an hour in bed. She had finally admitted that she’d taken the next two days off work. He was happy about that, but he saw no reason for them to end their affair just because her sister was returning.

  That was what he needed to talk to her about but wanted to choose the right time. He knew how she felt about ending things but hoped she would see things his way after their talk. “How is Mr. Fletcher doing, Sebrina?”

  Usually they didn’t talk about work, but he knew she was deeply concerned about one of her patients. She’d told him that Nathaniel Fletcher had a serious heart problem and had taken a turn for the worst a few days ago. He didn’t want to have surgery before the holidays, because the man believed they would be his last. However, if they didn’t do something soon, he wouldn’t make it to the holidays. And even if he did have the surgery, there was only a fifty-fifty chance he’d survive.

  When she placed her fork down, he knew whatever she had to tell him was serious. “He needs to have that surgery, Parker. I know he’s looking forward to Christmas, but he might not last that long.”