Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)(119)

“Okay?”

“What do you want to do? You pick, we’ll do. Movie, dinner, more sex—I’m down for whatever you want.”

She beamed up at him. “Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Even dancing?”

He cringed since he wasn’t much of a dancer, but he nodded. “Even dancing.”

She bubbled with laughter. “But you’d much rather get a root canal.”

He shrugged, chuckling. “Eh, maybe not that far, but I would go to Walmart instead.”

She giggled, leaning into him. “Okay, well, how about we order some Chinese food for dinner and binge-watch Game of Thrones? Since I haven’t seen it and it’s apparently your favorite thing in the whole wide world.”

Yeah, he would marry her tomorrow. “Well, maybe not my favorite thing, but, yes, that sounds like the best night ever.”

She grinned. “Thought so. But if it’s not, then what is your favorite?”

He gave her an expectant look and cupped her face. “You.”

She shook her head, her face deepening with color as she pushed him away. “Come on, you’ve got my heart going crazy.”

“Good, get used to it,” he said, rolling off the bed and heading toward the bathroom. “Shower?”

“Yes,” she said, climbing off the bed and following behind him. When he stopped, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his back. “I like the way you make me feel,” she whispered against his hot skin.

With a grin pulling at his lips, he covered her hands with his. “And how is that?”

“Happy.”

Closing his eyes, he let his head drift back, resting against hers. He may have made her heart go crazy, but she made his race. That’s all he wanted. He wanted to make her happy, to make her smile, to make her feel good. He knew she was still worried about Angie, about the potential custody battle. What she didn’t realize was that his love for her and Angie roared louder than any demons in her life.

More than Rick.

And nothing could ever stop it.





When Lucy woke the following morning, the first thing she saw was Benji, sleeping soundly beside her. He was naked, the blanket only covering a little as he lay sprawled out in the bed. His lashes were kissing his cheeks, his hair in disarray, his breaths deep and strong. Marks from their lovemaking were on his chest where she had bitten and scratched him the night before. They made her blush as she drank him in, but then, she was also proud of them.

He was hers.

The night before had been almost like magic. She’d worn his shirt and boxers while they ate and binge-watched Game of Thrones. She wanted to say she loved it, but truth be told, she couldn’t even pay attention. Between her hot boyfriend and the fact she had no clue what was going on, she missed a lot. But she would rewatch it later since her mind just hadn’t been into it. She didn’t want to go anywhere; she just wanted to chill with him.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Angie. Her stomach hurt with worry, but at the same time, her heart was full of happiness from her night with Benji. She almost felt guilty. Did that make her a bad mother? It couldn’t, because if she’d honestly believed Angie was in harm’s way, she would have gone over there. Benji was just so great. Every laugh, every touch, every locked gaze, it was like a fairy tale. And if she felt that good while also distracted, then no telling how it would be when everything was right in the world. When it was just her, Angie, and Benji.

A family.

What?

A family?

Fuck, she was falling for him.

Hard.

And it scared her because she had no clue what was going to happen with Rick. But a part of her didn’t care because she prayed and hoped that Benji was true to his words and he would be there for her. Stand with her. Somehow she had come to lean on him. Depend on him.

And that had never happened before.

She wouldn’t let that scare her. She thought about how he fought to be clean, to be healthy, and to be ready for love one day. How River cleaned up just for her mother. How Jude, Jayden, and Jace did everything they could to be good men for the women they loved. Love was such a beautiful thing, and she had the chance to have it. She actually didn’t hate it any longer. Didn’t reject it. No, she wanted it, and for once, she felt like this was her chance. She couldn’t sabotage that, she just couldn’t. She had to let it happen.

She had to think of herself, like Benji had told her so many times.

And to do that, she had to have Angie and Benji.

Reaching out, she traced his jaw, his lips, and then his nose, causing him to twitch and make faces. Smiling, she pressed her body to his, kissing him underneath his jaw as his arms came around her, squeezing her close to him. “I don’t like being woken up,” he muttered against her lips and she smiled.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I hate it.”

“Well, excuse me,” she muttered back and he squeezed her, her breasts pressing into his chest. Moving her fingers through his hair, she closed her eyes as she traced her lips along his. As she hooked a leg over his hip, he captured her lips with his and exhaled loudly.

“Okay, maybe it isn’t so bad,” he muttered before rolling onto her. “At least, I’m waking up to you.”

Grinning up at him, she ran her fingers over his cheeks as his lips pressed to hers. Leaning his head to hers, his body pressed into hers as he whispered against her lips, “Did you sleep well?”