She told me the story, and I tried not to flinch when she said she was an attorney. She seemed more down-to-earth than the other attorneys I’d met while out after games.
“Sounds like you got rid of a real douche,” I said, shrugging.
“You’re right,” she said, then tipped back her glass to finish the drink. “And you know what? I’ve missed hanging out with myself anyway. Like this, right now. I haven’t been to a bar in forever. And here I am, just having a drink, like single girls do.”
I tipped my glass against her empty one.
“I like being unpredictable,” she said, motioning to Molly for another drink.
“Pace yourself,” I advised.
“Hey, what’s your name, random bar guy with nice eyes?”
“Bennett.”
I held her gaze for a few seconds. What was it about her? It wasn’t just her looks, but something else, that made me want to lean over and kiss her right here. I wanted to touch those long, loose curls and taste that Long Island on her lips.
My phone buzzed with a text, and I looked down at the bar where it was sitting.
Liam: Won’t be home tonight. Get a cab, asshat.
I looked over toward the table where he’d been sitting. It was empty. I hadn’t even seen him leave. Not that I cared. I’d be sitting here with Charlotte until she left or fell off the barstool. And from the pink tinge to her cheeks and her exuberant laugh, I was pretty sure I needed to be prepared for the falling.
Not a problem. This gorgeous, spirited woman could fall into my arms anytime she wanted.
Charlotte
I pushed my half-empty, second Long Island Iced Tea back a few inches. My head was swimming, I couldn’t stop smiling, and I was warm.
Or was the warmth from the hot man with nice brown eyes and wide shoulders next to me?
Bennett wasn’t like any other man I’d met at a bar. I could tell from the intensity of his gaze that he liked me, but he wasn’t hitting on me at all. I’d rested a hand on his bicep to brace myself when I felt unsteady a few minutes ago, but he hadn’t touched me back like I’d expected.
Most guys would have seized the opportunity and put a hand on my back or waist. But he just asked if I was okay, his lips quirking slightly.
He had to have a girlfriend. No man was this much of a gentleman. And that was a shame, because I wanted to let go of my Type A-ness tonight and be impulsive.
This handsome, mysterious stranger had made me forget all about Riley. I didn’t know anything significant about him. He liked draft beer, smelled faintly of leather, and was a good listener. But what I knew, I liked.
“You have a girlfriend,” I said, my tone edged with disappointment.
Bennett’s brows shot up. “No. I haven’t been in a relationship since last year.”
I turned my body closer to him, his words sending a warm charge of excitement through my body.
“Really? Not even an on-again, off-again thing? Or an ‘it’s complicated’ thing?”
He smiled as he tipped back his glass and finished the last of his beer. “Nope. Nothing.”
“I think you should come home with me,” I said, my heart racing.
I’d never done this. I was a woman who made pro/con lists and alphabetized my paperback collection. But something about spontaneity felt so right in this moment. Riley had wounded me, and Bennett was the salve I needed.
“I’d love to see you home, but I don’t think your head’s clear enough for anything more tonight,” he said. “Much as it pains me.”
“My head’s fine. I didn’t even finish the second drink.” I pointed at the glass for emphasis.
“Fine, huh?”
“Yep. Feel free to give me a field sobriety test, officer.”
He smiled. “I just might.”
I arched my brows in challenge and slid off my barstool. “You coming?”
“Share a cab?” he asked. “My ride took off already or I’d drive you.”
I was about to answer him when a burly guy at a nearby table got up, still looking at the person he was talking to as he approached the bar. He ran into me with his shoulder, knocking me off-balance.
Bennett steadied me with an arm around my waist.
“Watch it, asshole,” he said to the guy who’d run into me.
The guy turned around, scowling, but then took in Bennett’s tall, muscled form and grunted.
“Yeah, sorry,” he mumbled.
I nestled myself a little closer against Bennett, eager to get him home. The alcohol had squashed my tendencies to analyze and be cautious, and I was loving it. This was what life was like for my girlfriends who lived in the moment. I’d been missing out on so much fun.
When we stepped out the front doors of Cosmos, we got lucky and found a waiting cab. I gave the driver my address and reached for Bennett’s hand. My hand was cold, but instead of commenting, he just covered it with his own and rubbed my hand to warm it up.
We didn’t talk on the ride. I was thinking about my apartment. The dishes were done, the laundry was picked up, and my roommate James was out for the night. Thank God. He would’ve killed the mood for sure.
As soon as the cab cruised to a stop, I reached into my purse for money to pay him. Bennett squeezed my hand.
“I’ve got it. I’ll walk you in.”
My hopes deflated as I realized he was serious.
“Can you wait for me?” he asked the driver.
“Bennett,” I said softly, putting on my best sober face. “Stay. I want you to.”
He sighed, looking conflicted. “You’re sure?”
“Completely. Get out of that car and walk that fine ass into my apartment.”
He smiled as he reached for his wallet, took out some cash, and handed it to the driver.
We walked into my building and I unlocked my front door, closing it behind us. We both slid our coats off, but I made no move to turn on the lights.
“I like you,” I said softly.
“I like you, too.” He reached out and brushed a thumb over my cheekbone.
I grabbed the lapels of his black leather jacket and pulled him toward me, stretching up on my tiptoes. He kissed me then, soft and slow, the taste of beer and smell of leather making my heart pound.
At least, I thought that was it. Maybe it was the alcohol. Something was making me dizzy and warm all over.
Bennett deepened the kiss then, wrapping his hands around my waist. I moaned into his mouth and put my arms around his neck.
“Bedroom,” I said, tugging on his coat.
He stepped closer, forcing my back against the wall. Hot, insistent breath hit my bare neck, making my skin tingle with awareness.
“You’re so beautiful, Charlotte,” he said in my ear. “That long, curly hair is sexy as hell.”
“Oh, God.” I gasped as I felt his sizeable erection against me. “I want you to pull it. Fuck me from behind and pull it.”
I’d just said what? I couldn’t believe the words had come out of my mouth. Normally, I was a compliant sexual partner, figuring sex was more for men than women anyway. But this leather-scented, hard-bodied man was making me want things I’d never wanted. Things that were just for me instead of him.
Did he want to pull my hair? Maybe. But I didn’t care, because I wanted it. I wanted to come, definitely more than once. I wanted him to take me in every possible position. I wanted to get sweaty and exhausted with satisfaction.
“Bedroom,” I said, breathing heavily as I pushed out from against the wall and led the way.
We stood next to the bed in the moonlit room, pulling each other’s clothes off frantically. Bennett’s erection sprang out from his underwear as I pulled them off and I laughed lightly.
“The fuck you laughing at, woman?” he murmured in my ear.
“Oh.” I covered my mouth with my hand. “No, not like that. I just can’t believe the way it sprang out like that. I thought that was just a thing I read about in books.”
“I’m hard as hell, baby
,” he said, cupping my breast in his hand. “Can’t help springing out when I’m like this.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I like it.”
He hummed with amusement. “What, the springing or my cock in general?”
I looked down. Hell yes. That was one large cock. The breakup gods were going all out to get me over the asshole I’d dumped earlier.
“Both.”
He wrapped an arm around my lower back and eased me back onto the bed, his warm body never breaking contact with mine.
I was in a haze of bliss. His mouth and hands worked magic on my skin, waking every nerve in my body. I cried out when I felt his breath between my thighs, both because it felt so good and because I knew I’d come in a few seconds if he did what I thought he was about to.
“Can we . . . ?” I panted, gripping his shoulders. “I mean, can you . . . I want you inside me, Bennett.”
He reached for his jeans on the floor and I tried to get my breathing under control. I’d never felt this way—on fire for a man. I didn’t just want this sex; I needed it.
“Hurry,” I said, moving into a more comfortable position on my back. I fluffed my pillow, lay back on it, and opened my legs, my thighs on the verge of shaking with desire.
Bennett lowered his mouth to one of my nipples and sucked on it. I groaned softly.
“We good?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, reaching for his shoulders again. “Now. I want you now.”
He pushed inside me and we groaned together. I’d never been filled so full.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he said.
“Well, you made me wait about seven hours for this.”
He hummed his amusement as he eased out and then pushed all the way back in with a hard thrust.
“More like half an hour, doll,” he said, lowering his lips to mine.
My mouth was open in a silent “o” of satisfaction.
“Like that,” I managed to say. “Do it like that again.”
He eased out and pounded into me again. I moaned loudly and dug my nails into his shoulders. It felt so good that I never wanted it to end, but within a couple minutes, I couldn’t help coming. Hard. I wrapped my legs around him and screamed as the orgasm pulled me under, the sensation spreading through my entire body.
“Oh my God,” I said, breathless. “That was . . .”
Bennett kissed my lips softly and I felt him smiling. “Yeah.”
He got up to go to the bathroom. I felt myself sliding deeper into the relaxation that had overtaken me. What time was it? Not that it mattered because I had a lot more uninhibited sex ahead of me tonight. After I rested my eyes for a minute.
I woke up feeling groggy, squinting at the sunlight streaming in my window. Whose idea were those white curtains that blocked no light, anyway?
Mine, but it had been a design choice by sober Charlotte. Hungover Charlotte would have gone with room-darkening black.
I sat up and looked at the clock. 8:20. Great. I was late for work. I had no hearings this morning, but still . . . coming in late the morning after Riley had gotten the juvenile job made me look like a slacker who didn’t deserve it.
My eyes flew open as I looked down at my naked body. I grabbed at the covers frantically, pulling them up over my breasts.
Oh, shit. I’d brought a man home last night. A random man. And we’d . . .
Shit, shit, shit. He was probably in my kitchen right now, making coffee or something.
I slid out of bed and ran to my dresser for a shirt. There was a piece of white paper sitting on top of the dresser. I picked it up.
Charlotte,
Had to go to work. Didn’t want to wake you. I had a great time last night. Would love to take you out soon.
Bennett
His phone number was written beneath his name. I just stared at the message, my heart beating like a drum.
I’d waited a year and a half to have sex with the first man I’d slept with. Eight months with the second. Seven months with Riley. And maybe an hour with this guy Bennett, who I was damn lucky had been sane. I’d read cases in law school about murder victims who’d done what I did last night.
I’d been stupid, careless, and impulsive. And my walk of shame would take me to my office, where my bucket was likely full of rainwater and Riley would be taking over his new job.
Hell. It wasn’t my finest hour. But I’d still have to pop some Tylenol and do this thing.
I crumpled up Bennett’s note and tossed it in my bathroom trash can. Someday this lapse in judgment would be a distant memory.
Two months later
Bennett
“Hurry up. I need that big cock in my mouth.”
I arched a brow at the woman next to me on my doorstep. Alayna was hot and her panties had hit the floor as soon as I told her I was on the Flyers. But I kind of wished she’d stop talking.
“I’m gonna suck it like a big, fat lollipop,” she said, grabbing at my crotch. “You want me to suck that lollipop, papi?”
Ugh. What I wanted was for her to shut the fuck up. I turned the door handle and slid to the side until her death grip on my junk loosened.
“Yeah, let’s do this,” I said, slipping off my leather coat. “My roommate’s gone.”
Alayna pouted. “That’s too bad. I would’ve done both of you.”
She kicked off her high heels and pulled her shirt off over her head. Her big tits spilled out of a tight red bra. They filled up my large hands, and I groaned with satisfaction when I realized they were real.
This was just what I needed. A hot, willing woman to get my mind off Charlotte. I’d waited a month for her to call me, not looking twice at another woman the whole time. Hell, I’d even had Liam call my phone one evening so I could make sure it was working.
But nothing. She’d never so much as texted. The second month, I’d decided to put it behind me and move on, but it’d been harder than I’d expected.
I was still thinking about those curls. That laugh. And the way she’d felt in my arms that night. But apparently none of it had meant a thing to her.
“Will you wear your mask thing?” Alayna asked me.
“My mask thing?”
“Yeah, you know . . . the hockey mask.”
I furrowed my brow, confused. “You want me to fuck you with my mask on?”
“Oh, yeah. And maybe you could wear your jersey, too?” She licked her lips.
Fuck this. It was turning into more trouble than it was worth.
“Uh . . . my gear’s all at the rink,” I said.
Her face fell. I was trying to think of a way to get rid of her when someone knocked on my door. When I opened it, my mouth fell open with shock.
“Charlotte?”
It wasn’t just seeing her that surprised the hell out of me, but also the way she looked. Even in the dim glow of the porch light, I could see that something was up. Her arms were wrapped protectively around herself. She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I need to talk to you.”
I blew out a breath, cursing myself for bringing Alayna home. Charlotte would be gone as fast as she’d arrived when she saw her.
“Uh . . . it’s kind of not a great time. Can I—”
“No. Now. Your friend can wait in another room. I won’t stay long.”
So she’d already seen Alayna. I looked over my shoulder and cringed. Alayna was still standing there in her bra.
“You have to go,” I said.
“What?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
She slid her shirt on, stepped back into her heels and picked up the coat she’d thrown on a chair when we walked in. Then she gave me a dirty look and sneered at Charlotte on her way out the door.
Charlotte didn’t even react. She walked in the door and I closed it behind her.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why didn’t you call? It’s been like two months.”
“L
et’s sit down.”
“I’m worried about you.” I flipped a switch and two living room lamps came on. “You look upset.”
“Well, yeah.” She looked down at the floor. “I’m pregnant.”
I just looked at her for a few seconds, dizzy as I processed what she’d said. Then a wave of nausea hit and I had to put a hand on the wall to steady myself.
“Oh. Well, that’s . . .”
I couldn’t even finish the sentence. What was happening? Five minutes ago, my world had been very different than it was right now.
“Awful,” Charlotte finished for me. “I know. I found out a week ago. The doctor pinpointed the conception date to a three-day window, and you’re the only . . . I hadn’t been with my ex for three weeks before you and I . . .”
“Yeah.” I nodded and leaned against the wall. “I wasn’t going to . . . if you know it’s mine, that’s . . . yeah, that’s fine.”
Charlotte’s pale blue eyes flooded with tears. “I’ve been a wreck. I just puke and cry and sleep. I can’t figure out how this happened. Did the condom break? I mean, you would have mentioned that, right?”
The sick sensation rolling in my stomach intensified. “Condom?”
Our eyes locked and my heart felt like it stopped beating.
“Yes.” Charlotte’s tone was icy. “The fucking condom, Bennett. What the hell else would you get from your jeans right before we had sex?”
“A mint.”
Her eyes widened. “A mint?”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she yelled, charging toward me with her arms raised.
“Charlotte.” I held on to her forearms to keep her from scratching my eyes out. “What’s wrong with me? You said we were good. I thought you were on the pill.”
“What? I didn’t say that!”
“You did. When I asked if we were good, you said we were.”
She fought against my hold on her forearms. “Good as in ready, Bennett. Since when is that code for ‘are you on the pill?’”
The circles under her eyes and frantic look on her face touched something inside me. It didn’t matter whose fault it was, she’d obviously been worried and living through hell the last week.
Bennett (On the Line Book 2) Page 2