Bennett (On the Line Book 2) (10 page)

Bennett

S
pit flew against my face as Kevin Walker grunted and slammed into me. Fucking overeager rookie. It was practice, not the Olympics.

He wanted to establish himself as an asset to the team; I’d felt that way too when I first made the team. But I wasn’t having this.

I shoved my way out from under him and slammed my stick against his as we fought for the puck. He rammed me again, kneeing me close to the balls.

“Watch yourself,” I warned.

He grinned, seemingly amused.

“You want some fuckin’ street hockey?” I challenged, giving him a hard shove.

“Someone’s feeling threatened.”

I laughed humorlessly and threw my stick to the ice. “Come on, motherfucker.”

Orion was looking at something on his clipboard and hadn’t seen us yet. Even if he did, he believed in letting teammates settle things on the ice.

Killian slid to a stop next to us, his skates throwing snow. He met my eyes in a silent question.

“Come on,” I said to Walker. “You want some?”

He glanced from side to side before hooking his stick around the puck. I grabbed his yellow practice shirt and pulled him back before he could escape.

“No dirty shit at practice,” I said. “Play on your line and don’t start shit with mine.”

“Let’s go, boys!” Orion yelled.

Killian handed me my stick. I turned to restart the drill and felt Walker’s weight barreling into me. I hit the half-wall in front of the bench and flipped over it.

“Oh, shit,” Walker said. He jumped over the wall and bent down next to me. “I’m sorry. That was an accident, I swear. I slipped.”

My head had bounced off the bench, knocking the wind out of me. I shook away the dizziness and got up, glaring at him.

“It was an accident, man,” Killian said. “Dumbass wasn’t paying attention.”

“I’m in the mood for a fight,” I said to Walker. “Don’t give me any more reasons to start one with you.”

He just nodded and skated off. Liam came over and slid to a fast stop.

“What’s his fuckin’ issue?” he asked. “He looks like he’s about to puke.”

“He’s just nervous,” Killian said. “Back to work, guys.”

I grabbed my water from the bench and liberally squirted my face, trying to forget about the dull ache I now had in the back of my head from the fall.

I was pent up, and a fight would help release some of my tension. I hadn’t gotten laid in three damned months. My closest shot with Charlotte since our one night together had been ruined by her stupid fucking roommate, and I’d ended up playing board games with the two of them until she’d gone to bed and I’d left. Then I’d had to leave early the next morning for a road trip. And finally, today, I’d get to see her again. We were meeting for lunch.

As soon as practice was over, I took my phone from my locker and checked it. We’d had a long one, and I’d missed a text from Charlotte at 8:45.

Charlotte: Can you maybe pick me up for lunch? My car wouldn’t start this morning and I had to take a cab to work.

I dried off my sweaty palms on a towel and sat down on the bench to write back.

Me: Yeah, sure. Want me to have a look at the car too?

She didn’t write back right away, so I took a shower. When I got out and dried off, she’d written back.

Charlotte: Are you good with cars?

Me: Decent. My dad worked his way through college as a mechanic.

Charlotte: Then yes, please.

Me: Pick you up at noon?

Charlotte: Yes. See you soon.

She was waiting for me outside the courthouse when I pulled up, and we went to a downtown deli for soup and sandwiches. Charlotte talked about her morning at work as she pulled small bites from her grilled cheese sandwich and slowly ate them.

“It was the first time a defendant has hit on me
during
a court proceeding,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“He said that during the hearing? That you two should find a quiet place to get to know each other better?”

“Yeah, and then he
leered
at me.”

“Leered?”

“He totally leered.”

I squinted skeptically. “I’m not visualizing this. What’d the leer look like?”

She lowered her brows and did a half smolder, half pout. I busted out laughing.

“That’s what he looked like,” she said, smiling. “And his attorney was trying to make him stop.”

“So what happened next?”

She shrugged. “We went into a side room and I blew him.”

“Funny shit, Holloway,” I said, jealousy rising inside me even though I knew she was kidding.

“The judge jailed him for contempt,” she said. “Don’t worry, my purity remains intact.”

“As intact as a pregnant woman’s purity can be,” I said, winking.

She laughed and dropped a bite of her sandwich into her soup, stirring it in slowly. “True. But I’ve been pure since the night we conceived our little nugget.”

I exhaled deeply. “Me too.”

“Really?” She looked taken aback.

“Really.”

“Well, damn. Look at us. I’m guessing your chances of scoring are better than mine.”

I shrugged and met her eyes across the table. “I’ve been hoping we could score at the same time, if you know what I mean.”

Her cheeks pinked as she looked down at her food. “The other night, I thought . . . I mean, I was starting to . . .”

“Me too. James is not only an annoying dipshit, he’s also a cockblocker.”

She sighed softly. “Maybe next time. I’ll be at your game Friday night.”

I felt a surge of pride at the thought of her watching me play from the stands.

“I told Liam I’m coming to see him, and he set up tickets for me,” she said. “Through . . . Keri?”

“Yeah. Our team’s PR person. He’s got the hots for her.”

“I figured it would be easier if he got me the tickets so he doesn’t look into how I got them and find out it was you. I’m so not ready for him to know you’re the baby’s father.”

“As long as you’re there, that’s all I care about.”

She rested her hand on the table, and I felt an urge to reach across and hold it.

“My friend Tara is coming to the game with me.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to get back. I’ve got a hearing at 1:15.”

I nodded and reached for my coat. “I’ll take care of your car. Let me know when you need a ride home from work and I’ll come get you.”

“Okay. I’ll call if I need a ride. Riley lives five minutes from me, so if we’re leaving at the same time, I’ll just catch one from him.”

Her ex? I didn’t like the thought. That guy wanted back in her pants.

“I’ll pick you up, Charlotte.”

“It’s really not necessary.”

“Yeah, but I want to.”

“Okay.”

I dropped her off, got her car keys, and drove to her place, where her car was parked in the lot of her building. It was an easy fix, just a new battery. Her serpentine belt was shot, so I replaced it too. I lingered a little longer than I had to in her driver’s seat when I tested the new battery, the old-school rap music playing in her car and package of peanut M&M’s in her cup holder making me feel a twinge of desire for her.

The more I found out about Charlotte, the more I liked her. Behind that gorgeous face was a woman who was quirky and had a tendency to shoot from the hip. I’d fantasized about women before getting them into bed before, but this was the first time I was fantasizing about a woman I’d already had. It wasn’t just because we were having a kid together; Charlotte had captured my attention from our very first night together, and she most definitely still had it.

Charlotte

“Your brother’s hot,” my friend Tara said, ogling his photo on the giant screen above the arena’s ice rink. “Does he like redheads?”

“Usually, but he texted me earlier that he’s sort of seeing someone.”

“How sort of?”

“I didn’t ask.”

I scanned the rink and found the “Morse” sweater I’d been searching for, my pulse pounding at the sight of him. His broad back was turned to me until he collided with another player. He pushed away and took off down the ice in pursuit of the puck.

“Damn, he’s hot too,” Tara said, pointing at the screen. “It’s like a smorgasbord up in here.”

“I told Liam we’d go out with him after, so you’ll get a better look at the guys then.”

“Nice. And I have a built-in designated driver in my pregnant friend.”

I didn’t tell her I’d ridden with her in hopes of getting a ride home from Bennett. But if she needed me to drive her home tonight, I would.

Liam yelled in the face of a player from the opposing team and shoved him. The crowd rumbled to life as they started fighting, each one holding the other’s sweater as they punched each other.

My brother ended up in the penalty box, but my attention was focused on Bennett. As soon as the lines changed and he slid over the half-wall, he looked over at where Tara and I were sitting.

I felt his eyes on me, my skin tingling as sure as if he’d touched me.

“You’ve been so mysterious about the father of the baby,” Tara said. “It’s definitely not Riley?”

“Definitely not,” I said, forcing myself to turn away from Bennett and look at her.

Tara was a friend I’d met at a yoga class, and she knew I was pregnant, but that was all. I’d just told her we were coming to watch my brother’s game and left out the part about Bennett.

The Flyers’ first line was fast and strong. It made me proud that Bennett and Liam were on the powerhouse line, scoring two of the team’s three goals.

But at the end of the game, the other team scraped out a 4–3 win. Bennett’s expression was somber, his shoulders slumped forward in defeat on the bench.

“Will the guys be in a bad mood since they lost such a close game?” Tara whispered to me.

I shrugged. “Liam takes all losses hard, but I don’t know if the other guys are as intense as he is.”

Liam had texted me the name of a pub nearby where he wanted to meet up after the game. Tara and I went there and ordered some nachos while we waited. She had one loaded up with meat, cheese, and sour cream, halfway to her mouth, when she paused.

“Jesus, they wear suits?” she muttered. “I think my panties just melted.”

Bennett and Liam were walking toward us, Liam in a light gray suit and Bennett in a dark one. I made sure to at least glance at my brother before my eyes settled on Bennett.

Damn, did he look good. The suit fitted his wide, muscular frame just right. He wore a white dress shirt and blue tie and his hair was fresh-from-the-shower damp.

“Charlie,” Liam said, grinning. His look was also on point, a dark blue dress shirt bringing out the blue of his eyes and his blond hair combed back neatly. “How the hell are you, baby sis?”

I slid down from my stool at our tall table and he hugged me tightly. Even though we lived in the same city, I’d missed seeing my brother in person.

“It’s good to see you,” he said. When he pulled back from the hug, he wrapped an arm around Bennett’s shoulder.

“This is Bennett, my roommate.”

“And mentor,” Bennett cut in, smiling his cute, crooked smile.

“Like hell.” Liam gave Bennett a serious look. “This is my sister, Charlotte. Don’t get within two feet of her, or I’ll use your ball sac as a practice puck.”

I saw the flash of nervousness in Bennett’s eyes as he nodded.

“Noted,” he said.

“My brother’s being overly dramatic,” I said.

Liam considered for a second. “No, not really.”

“Guys, this is my friend, Tara,” I said, eager to change the subject.

“Tara,” Liam said, reaching out to shake her hand. “You single?”

“Yes. Yes, I most definitely am,” she said, taking a step closer to Liam.

Liam clapped Bennett on the back. “My boy here’s in the midst of a long dry spell. I’m just sayin’.”

“Aw, fuck you, man,” Bennett muttered.

“Seriously, he swears he’s not seeing anyone, but I’m starting to think he might be playin’ for the other team,” Liam said as several made-up women in low-cut tops and high heels approached.

“Bennett?” one of the women said, nuzzling against Bennett’s chest. “I’ve witnessed his, um . . . excitement for women, Liam. Several times in one night, in fact.”

I felt my cheeks flushing. Of course, I wasn’t the first woman Bennett had picked up in a bar for sex. Technically, we picked each other up, but still . . . knowing I was just one of many bothered me. Not just knowing it, but seeing another of his conquests grazing her hand across his junk.

“Ah . . . you guys find a table already?” Bennett asked, stepping to the side.

“Yeah, we’re right here. Only four chairs, though.”

Take a hint, whores
.

“We’ll pull up some chairs,” said the puck bunny who’d been hanging on Bennett.

Bennett came close to me and my heart kicked up speed from his closeness. He put a hand on my back.

“Can I get you anything, Charlotte?” he asked.

“Don’t touch her,” Liam said, his gaze going straight to Bennett’s hand. Bennett dropped it with an eye roll.

“I’m good,” I said. “But hungry. Maybe we can order some food.”

“Are you one of those pregnant women who eats nonstop?” Liam asked.

I gave him a sharp look. “You did
not
just say that.”