Unstoppable (A Country Roads Novel) (13 page)

She’d gone to the computer lab with her fourth-period class, and the carpets had just been sprayed with something. The second she’d walked in she’d known she was in for it.

Ugh, why did it have to happen today of all days? Not only had she had to cancel her lunch with Bennett, but she’d also thrown up in front of him. And if she remembered correctly, he’d seen her underwear drawer.

Awesome. Just awesome.

But he hadn’t run away. He’d actually taken care of her, and very effectively at that. His hands were magic. She’d known they would be. And now that she’d really experienced them, she wondered what other amazing things they were capable of.

She really hoped she’d get to find out, and soon.

She rolled over and slowly sat up. She was a little light-headed, but at least her head wasn’t spinning anymore and the nausea was blissfully gone. She was actually kind of hungry.

She glanced at her clock to find that it was just after six in the evening. She’d slept for over six hours, but she was still tired and groggy, and so thirsty her tongue was like sandpaper. She grabbed the glass of Gatorade by her bed and drank it slowly, trying to test the waters of her stomach with something easy before she tried actual solids.

When she finished she got up from her bed, still a little unsteady on her feet, and made her way to the door. She hadn’t expected Bennett to stay, so her heart jumped a little bit—okay, a lot—when she stepped out into the hallway and heard a drawer shut. But then she smelled an oh-so-heavenly scent.

Lula Mae’s mac and cheese.

“Bennett?” she called out as she walked into the living room. Her voice was still a little sleep worn.

He ducked beneath the cabinets over the bar so he could see her. “Hey,” he said, smiling at her. “You feeling better? ’Cause you look better.”

She had to still be asleep. This was surely a dream. Bennett Hart was cooking in her kitchen. Cooking her mac and cheese, otherwise known as the food of the gods.

“Yeah, I feel better,” she said as she walked into the kitchen. “You stayed and cooked me dinner?”

“Well, I wanted to make sure you had something to eat in case you were hungry.” He turned to open the oven. The muscles in his back strained at his T-shirt, and his pants pulled tight across his butt as he pulled out a casserole dish filled of golden goodness.

Mel wasn’t sure which had her drooling more.

He put the dish down and pulled off the oven mitt. He tossed it on the counter and then crossed over to her.

“You feel good enough to eat?” He reached out and ran his hands up and down her arms.

“Yeah,” she said softly, looking up into his face.

“What about other things?”

“Hold that thought,” she said, putting her hand over his mouth.

“You okay?” His mouth moved under her hand, and his forehead wrinkled in concern.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just need to go brush my teeth.” She took a step back from him and hurried to the bathroom.

She’d thrown up and then slept for the last six hours. No way was she going to kiss that man before she brushed her teeth.

Absolutely not.

Bennett grinned as he watched Mel scamper off to the bathroom. It didn’t matter that she’d been sick all day. He still found her incredibly beautiful, and way sexy in her T-shirt and tiny little boxers. He was also a pretty big fan of her bed head. He hadn’t thought it was possible for her hair to get any bigger, or any sexier. Boy, had he been wrong.

Bennett continued to make himself busy in the kitchen, grabbing plates and silverware and setting the dinner table.

She came out of the bathroom about five minutes later, looking wide-eyed and refreshed. She definitely looked better than she had earlier. The color was back in her face and the pain was gone from her eyes. The only thing Bennett wasn’t a fan of was that she’d tried to tame her hair by pulling it into a bun at the back of her head.

Well, he’d fix that in a second.

“Do you need help?” she asked, looking around.

“No.” He reached out for her, bringing her to his chest. “Can I kiss you now?”

She only had time to nod once before he put his mouth over hers.

She sighed as her body relaxed into his. She opened her mouth and he took full advantage, dipping his tongue inside and tasting her minty tongue. He reached up and pulled her hair down, and his fingers dove into its gloriousness. He let his fingertips work into her scalp and she moaned, pressing her body closer to his.

And then her stomach made an audible growl.

“Oh,” she said pulling back, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? Being hungry is a good thing after the day you had.”

“Yeah,” she said, giving him a small smile. “The problem is I’m hungry for something besides food, too.”

“Oh really now? Well, we can make out a little bit later.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the table.

“Hmm, that sounds promising.”

He pulled out her chair and helped her sit. Then he took the seat next to her.

“I still can’t believe you did all this.” She looked at the food in front of her.

“I’ve cooked for you before,” Bennett said as he scooped a generous amount of the mac and cheese onto her plate.

“Yes, but you stayed and took care of me,” she said softly.

“I wanted to be here, Mel.”

“You must’ve been bored. What did you do besides slave away making me dinner?” She grabbed two slices of bread and put a piece on each of their plates.

“Well, I put that fan up in the living room.”

“What?” she asked, turning around.

After Bennett had finished reading Mel’s very fascinating list, he’d finished with the drawers and fixed a leak under her sink. Then he’d found a fan in a box in the corner of her living room. Bennett had been at Mel’s house a number of nights, and he’d noticed that whenever the fan was on, it wobbled back and forth and made a very noticeable noise.

The new fan was blessedly quiet.

Mel turned back to him, her mouth slightly hanging open. “Are you kidding me with this stuff?”

“It was no problem,” he said, waving off her words.

“I’m sure for you it wasn’t. That probably took you, what, thirty minutes? It would’ve taken me hours.”

“It was no problem,” he repeated.

“You’ve done a lot for me today. Taking care of me, cooking me dinner, putting up the fan.” She reached across the table and touched his hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, flipping his hand and letting his fingers curl around hers as he squeezed lightly.

She gave him one of her heart-stopping smiles as she squeezed his hand back.

“What else did you do?” She pulled her hand from his and properly dug into her food. “Oh. My. God.” She closed her eyes as she pulled her fork from her mouth and chewed. “This is perfect.” Her eyes slowly drifted open.

“Really? Well, be sure to tell Grace. She didn’t think I’d live up to the mac and cheese standards.”

“Oh you do. Believe me, you
soooo
do.” She took another bite, looking as if she was in heaven.

After dinner, Bennett propped up Mel on the countertop while he cleaned up. He refused to let her help. But she wasn’t going to complain; she got to watch as he moved around her kitchen. As he opened and closed her cabinets, she noticed a few very audible squeaks were missing.

“So what else did you do besides fix my cabinets?” she asked.

He snapped a Tupperware container shut and grinned. “The leak under your sink.”

“Jeez, is there anything you didn’t do for me today?” she asked, amazed.

“I was trying to stay busy, and you have quite a few things that you need done around this place.”

“Well, feel free to help me anytime.”

“Oh, so you approve of the adjustments? You don’t think I’m a shoddy craftsman?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“You appear to know how to use your tools.” The second it was out of her mouth her face turned bright red.

Bennett walked across the kitchen and made a space for himself between Mel’s thighs. “I can assure you I know how to use all of my tools. And I’m pretty good with my hands, too.” The gleam in his eyes led Mel to believe he had something very specific in mind, something that probably had very little to do with squeaky hinges.

“I experienced a little bit of those magic hands earlier. I just wasn’t coherent enough to appreciate them.”

“All in good time.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Mmm-hmm.” He buried his face in her neck. “Do you know how incredible you smell?” he asked as he nipped at her skin gently. “Because on a scale of one to ten you’re about a fifty-nine.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m a freaking mess.”

“No, you’re not.” He began trailing kisses up her jaw until he got to her mouth. He nibbled on her lower lip, pulling it down with his teeth and then soothing it with his tongue. “Melanie,” he whispered against her mouth before he pulled back. “I’m so damn glad I cornered you in that office.”

“Took you long enough.”

Bennett laughed, his eyes lighting up as he reached up with one hand and tunneled his fingers in her curls. “You know, your hair is so damn sexy right now that I barely know what to do with myself.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed you have a bit of a fascination with it,” she said, running her hands up his chest.

“It isn’t a
bit
of a fascination. It’s much, much more.”

“Is that so?” she asked as she wrapped her legs around him. He’d be able to untangle himself if he really wanted to, but he didn’t look even remotely interested in stepping away.

“Yeah,” he drawled out slow and lazy. “There are a lot of things I like about you.”

“Hmmm, such as?”

“Well, there is the matter of these legs of yours.” He traced her knee with his fingertips before he slowly walked them up the top of her thigh. “And then there’s these shorts.”

“What’s so impressive about the shorts?”

Bennett pulled back and looked at her like she was crazy. “All right, woman, let me explain something to you.”

“Woman? You did not seriously just say that. I will have you—”

“I did say it, and—”

“Bennett Hart, you’re going to have to—”

She didn’t get any further than that, as Bennett effectively silenced her with his mouth.

Mel had kissed a few boys in her day, but really, they were nothing compared to Bennett. He took full possession of her mouth. His tongue moved against hers, twisting and pulling and tasting. All the while one of his hands gripped her thigh, his fingertips rubbing just underneath the hem of her shorts. And his other hand hadn’t moved from her hair; it held her to him and made it impossible for her to escape. Not that that was even a possibility in her current state.

No, she wanted to hold this man close to her for as long as possible.

He pulled back, his mouth hovering just above hers. “So, what were you saying?”

“Huh?” she asked, more than a little dazed.

“You said I was going to have to…to what?”

Oh, who the hell cared? She just wanted his mouth back on hers.

“This.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back to her, getting exactly what she wanted.

M
el was supposed to be at the Sleepy Sheep for karaoke on Tuesday nights, but loud music wasn’t going to be good with her head. Bennett had called Harper and Shep earlier that day, and they’d both said they would take care of it.

Just one more thing Bennett had done for her.

After he finished cleaning the kitchen, they spent the evening sitting on her couch and kissing for a good couple of hours, a task that in no way hurt her head.

Bennett had baseball practice on Wednesday night, so there were sadly no hours of making out. This was not the case for Thursday. Bennett made Mel dinner at his place, and they watched the season two finale of
Game of Thrones
. And instead of starting the third season, they got horizontal on his couch, where they stayed until well after midnight.

On Friday afternoon, Mel met up with Grace, Harper, and Paige at Annie Madison’s seamstress shop. The dresses for Grace’s wedding had come in, and all of the girls were getting fitted. When they were finished, they all went to dinner and called it an early night.

Mel was more than a little anxious for Saturday. Bennett was taking her out on an official date. She was going to his game, and then the rest of the day would be a surprise. All he’d told her was to bring her bathing suit.

Mel wasn’t on concession duty, so she was able to sit on the bleachers with everybody else and watch the whole game—especially Bennett.

Really that man should just live in those tight pants. He should get a pair in every color and wear nothing else. However, Mel was pretty partial to him in a nice pair of jeans. Who was she kidding? He looked good in everything, and she was damn sure he’d look good in nothing too.

The Stingrays ended up demolishing the Marlins, 12–3. Bennett had been on a roll. He scored three of those runs, and in the eighth inning he hit a grand slam to add four more.

“You’re my good-luck charm.” He kissed Mel lightly on the mouth before he took her hand and led her to his truck. She’d gotten a ride with Harper so she could just leave directly with Bennett. “The last two games I’ve gotten home runs.”

“I think it’s your pure talent,” she said, as he put their bags in the backseat.

“Nah.” He grinned. “It’s me just trying to impress you. Did it work?”

“I’ll hold out on judgment till the end of the day,” she said before she turned around to get into his truck. His hands were suddenly on her hips, where they lingered for just a second longer than necessary after she was safely seated.

“Looks like I might need to step up my game.” He stepped up and leaned into the cab. His mouth came down on hers, but this time it wasn’t quick. She opened her mouth under his, giving him access to dip his tongue inside and find hers.

Someone wolf-whistled and Bennett pulled back, looking over his shoulder. Mel peeked behind him to find Shep and Tripp standing a couple of yards away and giving the two of them a round of applause.

“You two have fun now,” Shep said with a wink.

And now Mel was blushing. Blushing bad.

Bennett just shook his head before he turned back to make sure Mel was comfortable in the truck. He stepped back and shut her door before he rounded the front and got in on his side.

Before they could go on their date, Bennett needed to take a quick shower because he was all hot and sweaty. Well, hot was a given, because that was always the case. But Mel wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to handle him being naked in the shower. Hot and naked in the shower, with her under the same roof.

“What are you thinking about over there that’s got you so quiet?” he asked, glancing at her. He was wearing sunglasses, but they did nothing to change what she always felt whenever he looked at her.

Can’t lie. Can’t lie. Can. Not. Lie.

“Uhhh,, you know, this and that.”

Like how lathered soap would look dripping down your chest.

“Care to elaborate?” he asked.

“Not particularly.” She fidgeted in her seat and looked back to the road.

“Well, I have a pretty good idea.”

“What?” She looked at him. He was grinning. Full-on, sexy-as-hell, mind-blowing grinning.

What had they been talking about?

“You have that same dreamy, turned-on look you had the other day when I found you in your classroom,” he said.

“What?” she repeated, shocked and embarrassed. “How did you…” She trailed off.

The man did read minds.

Bennett laughed. “Your breathing gets all shallow and your cheeks get red.”

“No it doesn’t, and no they don’t.” She covered her cheeks with her hands. They felt as if they were on fire.

“You know, you do the same thing to me,” he told her.

“Really? Because I don’t see your cheeks getting all red or your breathing changing.”

“Yeah, you have different effects on me.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked, turning and leaning against the door. “So you think about me?”

“Yeah.”

“And what are those thoughts?”

Bennett pulled into his driveway and shut the truck off. He turned and stared at her, his mouth in a crooked grin. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“Oh look at that, we’re at your house.” Mel unbuckled her seat belt and promptly fled from his truck.

Okay, so she was a coward. It was what it was, because she was
not
going to tell him any of her dirty thoughts. Because there were many.
Many.

Bennett grabbed both of their bags and met her at the door. “I’m going to find out sooner or later.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yup,” he said, unlocking the door.

“Well, we’ll just see about that,” she said, narrowing her eyes playfully.

“I guess we will.” He pushed the door and held it open for her.

She walked inside, and a second after the door shut behind her, Bennett’s hands were on her waist. He kissed her neck, just a simple little peck that made her skin tingle.

“Do you need anything before I get in the shower?” he asked.

“I’m good,” she said, shaking her head.

“Come on, you can get changed in my bedroom.” He kissed her neck one last time before he let go and made his way down the hallway.

His bedroom? She was going to be naked in his bedroom?

Mel followed him into a room at the end of the hall.

Bennett’s bedroom was much like the rest of his house: clean and organized. His king-sized bed was on the wall opposite the door. It had a navy blue comforter, and the headboard was made from an antique door that had been painted gray. The nightstands and dresser had been made to match. It was all simple and beautifully made, but of course it would be. She had no doubts that Bennett had made it.

“I won’t take long,” he said, putting her bag down on the end of his bed. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out some clothes. “My underwear drawer is the top left one in case you want to get even with me for seeing all of yours.” He grinned before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Mel couldn’t help but smile as she went over to the bed and unzipped her bag. She pulled out her bathing suit and started to undress.

Yup, it was more than a little strange standing in Bennett’s room sans clothes, and maybe just a little bit thrilling. She had an image of him in the room with her. His hands at the front of her shorts, unbuttoning them and pulling them down her hips.

God, what was wrong with her? She was thinking about sex entirely too much these days. But who could blame her? The man inspired thoughts, and they just happened to be of a sexual nature.

Whatever.

Mel shook her head and forced herself to snap back to reality. She really needed to not think about such things, especially with Bennett in the freaking shower.

Mel grabbed her blue bikini bottoms and shimmied into them before she put on the matching top. She pulled on a pair of yellow water shorts and a white tank top. Then she shoved her clothes in the bag.

As tempted as she was to check out his underwear drawer, she decided to pass. It would’ve just added more fuel to the fire. But she did look around his room. It was clutter free. Surprise, surprise.

There was nothing on the white walls and very few items on the few pieces of furniture in there. Each of his nightstands held a lamp, and the one to the left had an alarm clock.

Mel wondered if he favored the left side of the bed. It would be interesting if he did, because she favored the right. Not that they would be sharing a bed anytime soon.

There were two pictures on his dresser. One was of him and his parents when he was in high school. The other was of him and a group of guys. They were all in fatigues and standing somewhere in the desert.

She knew Bennett had been shot down in Afghanistan and that he’d almost died. She also knew that only he and one other man had survived, that eight of his friends had been killed. She’d never talked to him about it. It was probably too soon in their relationship to ask, but she wanted to know what had happened to him.

She just wanted to know
him
.

Bennett had wanted to surprise Mel with their date. She hadn’t hounded him about what they were doing, which was nice. She could handle not knowing what the plan was. He just hoped she was going to have a good time.

The first stop on the agenda was lunch. The Floppy Flounder was a landmark in Mirabelle. They had the best fish on the Gulf Coast, and their hush puppies were killer. The restaurant was right on the beach, and people would often come in their bathing suits and eat out on the deck.

“I haven’t been here in forever,” Mel said as they made their way up the front steps. “And I’ve been craving it like crazy.”

“Perfect.” He smiled as he opened the door for her.

“Welcome to the Floppy Flounder,” a young girl behind the hostess stand said after they walked in. “Outside or inside?”

Bennett turned to Mel.

“Outside,” she said.

“Outside,” he repeated to the girl.

They followed her through the restaurant and out to the back deck, which overlooked the water. Clouds were forming in the distance. It didn’t look like it was going to get too bad, but if the wind kept blowing in the same direction it was now, those clouds would be heading straight for them. He just hoped the weather would hold out long enough for them to be able to do what he planned.

“Stacey will be your waitress, and she’ll be with you in a moment.” The girl handed them menus before she walked away. The waitress arrived a few minutes later, and got their drink and meal orders quickly, as they’d both already known what they wanted.

“So.” Bennett leaned back and looked at Mel. “I’m finally on an official date with the much-coveted Melanie O’Bryan.”

“Coveted?” she laughed. “Where did you come up with that?”

“You have a couple of admirers.”

“No, I don’t,” she scoffed.

“Really? ’Cause I’ve seen you around the sweaty little man and pretty boy.”

“Who?” Mel asked.

“Stu and Duncan,” Bennett clarified, maybe a tad bit grudgingly. He didn’t like either of those men. He just had a feeling, and maybe that feeling stemmed from the way they looked at Mel, but either way he didn’t like them.

At all.

“You’re kidding, right? They’re just friends.”

“No, I’m not kidding,” he said. “Both of those guys are interested in
way
more than being friends with you.”

“If you say so.” she laughed, sitting back in her seat.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. You’re jealous.”

Jealous?
He wasn’t jealous. Just protective of what was his.

What was his?
Where the hell had that come from?

“I’m not jealous,” he said. “And those guys
are
interested in you.”

“Whatever you say,” Mel said, as their sweet teas were delivered to the table.

“I’m glad you find this amusing.”

“Oh, but it is amusing. I’ve never had a man jealous over me before.”

“You done yet?”

“Not even close. You’re really adorable when you get all jealous.” She reached across the table and took her drink.

“Adorable? I am
not
adorable.”

“In a manly way, of course.”

“I don’t think there is such a thing,” he said, unable to stop himself from smiling. He was getting used to that effect when she was around, and he had a feeling it would always be like that with her.

Lunch was incredible, and it had more to do with the fact that Bennett was sitting across from Mel than with the food she was eating. Though the food was pretty amazing, too. When they finished, they walked back to the truck. Bennett grabbed the cooler and led her down to the dock.

“So I thought we could go Jet Skiing,” he said, coming to a stop in front of a Jet Ski that was bobbing up and down in the water.

“I’ve never been before.”

“I know.”

“How do you know that?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“All right, so don’t get mad.”

“Nothing ever starts off well with those words,” she said, suddenly nervous.

“I found your list.”

“My list?”

Oh, please not
the
list. Oh please, oh please, oh please.

“Yeah, your ‘I Didn’t Kick the Bucket List.’ I believe ‘Go Jet Skiing’ was number twenty-seven.”

“Oh. My. God,” she whispered, mortified. She put her hands up to her flaming cheeks and stared at him in horror.

There were a couple things on that list that involved sex. And even though she’d vowed to be over Bennett when said list was written, he’d been in the back of her mind the whole time. And there were a ton of other ridiculous things on there. Things that proved just how inexperienced she was in multiple aspects of life.

“Hey,” he said, grabbing her elbows and pulling her in close to him. “Don’t be embarrassed. I thought it was pretty awesome, and pretty informative.”

“Oh, I’m sure you found it very informative,” she said, not moving her hands from her face. “When did you see it?”

“On Tuesday.”

“So while I was sleeping, you were snooping?” she asked, not successfully hiding the edge to her voice.