Bennett (On the Line Book 2)(12)

Nothing.

I rarely got pissed when I wasn’t on the ice, but I was getting there. I was trying, but she didn’t seem to want anything to do with me.

I listened to Orion’s post-game talk, showered, and went back to the bus we traveled on. Since the team lived in these close quarters on road trips, not going out for dinner with the guys was the only way I could get some time to myself.

Instead of texting, I dialed Charlotte’s number.

“Bennett,” she said, sounding surprised. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah. I wanted to hear your voice.”

After a pause, she said, “You did?”

I pictured her in bed, her curls spilling over onto the second pillow I thought of as mine.

“When can I see you?” I asked.

“Why, do we need to talk about something?”

“Yeah, we do.” I climbed up into my bunk and pulled my privacy curtain closed. “Look, I like you. I have to travel a lot, but when I’m home, I want to see you.”

“If you’re concerned I’m not going to let you be part of the baby’s life—”

“It’s not that. I want to see you. We had something. I know we did. And I know things are different than we were expecting, but . . . I still like you.”

“Do you think it was the alcohol? That night, I mean?”

“Not for me. I had two beers that night.”

She sighed. “Bennett, it’s . . . I’ve never done anything like that. Slept with a guy the first night I met him. I wait a long time for that kind of thing.”

“Yeah, well, I like to think you just couldn’t resist me,” I said lightly.

“How often do you have one-night stands?” she asked, unaffected by my charm.

Fuck. I wasn’t going to lie to her, but I was pretty sure the truth wouldn’t go over very well.

“Just the one time since I met you,” I said. “You know, the one you saw at my place. But you know nothing ended up happening with me and her.”

“You’re not sleeping your way through Pensacola?” There was a smile in her tone.

“How do you know I’m in Pensacola?”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“Hey. Tell me,” I said.

“I may have watched your game on the Internet tonight,” she said, sounding embarrassed. “And you may have played a great one.”

My heart swelled. She’d been watching me. It didn’t matter if she’d been in the stands wearing my sweater; she’d been watching. She cared.

“I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon,” I said. “And I really want to take you out for dinner. Don’t say no.”

She breathed a soft sigh of amusement into the phone. “Okay, I won’t.”

“I’ll text you from the road.”

“Okay.”

“Goodnight.”

“’Night.”

I ended the call and opened my privacy curtain, grinning with happiness.

“So that’s what’s got your panties in a wad,” Liam said. He was leaning against a bunk nearby. “I wondered what your f*ckin’ problem’s been lately. Bennett’s got a girlfriend.”

My heart pounded in my chest. He’d been listening? Shit, had I said her name? I doubted it, since he had a shit-eating grin on his face and he didn’t look like he was about to chop my nuts off with an unsharpened knife.

“Fuck off, douche,” I said, glaring at him.

“What’s her name?”

“To you, her name’s Mom,” I said, flipping him off with both hands.

He scoffed. “You can’t piss me off tonight, dude. You just gave me enough fodder to rag on you for the next month.”

“Or you could shut your hole,” I suggested. “I’m leaving to get something to eat anyway.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said. “Oh, please let me, Bennett. Don’t say no.”

He gripped my arm dramatically.

“I f*ckin’ hate you,” I said.

“I don’t care. And I’ll get her name out of you by the end of the night.”

I just shook my head and pushed my phone down farther into my pocket. There was no way he could find out it was his sister I’d just been talking to.





Charlotte

I hadn’t felt pretty in a while. The morning sickness and fatigue meant I usually wore my hair in a bun at work and sometimes even skipped makeup.

But tonight was different. I wore my favorite old jeans, a black V-neck sweater, and tall, black boots. I’d fixed my hair and put on makeup and even a spritz of perfume.

I felt good. I was finally getting past the sickness and feeling excited about the baby I was carrying. And I was going out with Bennett tonight.

It wasn’t a date. At least, I didn’t think so. It was more about us getting to know each other. It meant a lot to me that he wanted that.

“Whoa,” James said when I walked into the living room. “She broke out the hooker boots. Someone’s looking to get some, folks.”

I gave him a dirty look. “These are not hooker boots.”

“Whatevs, roomie. Bet there’ll be a sock on your door tonight.”