~Sabrina~
“There will be no more kissing.”
I’m staring at myself in the mirror. I have sleepy eyes, my face is clean of makeup, and my hair is up in a bun with a headband in place to keep the flyaways off my face while we ride.
I’m giving myself a stern talking-to.
“No kissing.” I point my finger at my mirror image. “Yes, he’s hot, and his hands are crazy amazing, and it would probably be the best sex of your life.”
I frown.
“No one said anything about sex. Now you’re taking it too far, Rina. Keep your hands and lips to yourself and just work on getting ready for this role. That’s the job. Doing Ben is not the job here.”
I narrow my eyes at myself and then nod once in satisfaction.
That’s been decided.
Ben suggested I wear layers, and I followed orders. I’m in workout pants and a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over that. I have a scarf to put around my neck if I need it. It’s winter in Seattle, which means it could be seventy or thirty.
You never know.
But I do know that it’s cooler by the water. Though the fresh air will feel good.
I’ve just finished eating a bowl of cantaloupe when the doorbell rings.
It’s six on the dot. He’s right on time.
“Always punctual,” I murmur as I unlock and open the front door. “Good mor—”
He sweeps in, pulls me against him, and plants those lips on mine. I loop my arms around his neck and let him have his way with me.
Because I’m a red-blooded woman, and Ben is hot as hell.
Hot. As. Hell.
My stern bathroom conversation goes right down the toilet as he pushes the door closed with his foot and spins me around to pin me against it.
His hands skim down my sides, then move back up again to frame my face as he thoroughly explores my mouth.
I was still half-asleep when he arrived. I’m fully alert now.
He’s breathing hard when he pulls away, and his blue eyes are on fire as he stares down at me.
“Good morning,” he says.
“Hi.”
“I couldn’t help myself.”
“Not complaining.” I feel the smile slowly spreading over my face. “I gave myself a pep talk earlier, explaining that we weren’t going to do that again.”
“Sorry, I didn’t get the memo.”
I swallow hard as he backs away.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind. Is it hot in here?”
He laughs and points at my sweatshirt. “You’re dressed for cold weather.”
“Right. Yeah. Okay, so we’re going on a bike ride?”
“Yes. If we don’t, I’ll exercise you in other ways, and I don’t think we’re quite there yet.”
“Given that I talked myself out of kissing you again this morning, I have to agree.”
“You can always say no. No harm, no foul. I mean, I’ll be a little disappointed because I’m having a hard time keeping my hands to myself, but you’re in charge here.”
I nod, satisfied with that statement. “Understood. So far, I’m not saying no.”
“Great. Let’s go for a ride, shall we?”
I raise a brow at the double entendre, and he shakes his head. “Seriously, let’s get out of here.”
He leads me down the sidewalk to the back of his SUV where he has two bikes on a rack. He unlatches them and sets their tires on the ground.
“We’re going to ride for about fifteen miles today.”
My head whips around in surprise. “Wow.”
“If you get to a point where you think you’ve reached your max, just say so, and we’ll turn back. But remember, we have to get back here, so if we’re five miles in, we have to come back five miles.”
“Right.” I nod and accept the helmet he holds out for me. “I’m usually good for a ten-mile ride. Let’s see how fifteen goes.”
“Speak up if it’s too far, but this is meant to be a workout.”
I nod again and slip my hands into the riding gloves he also brought for me. Ben thought of everything today.
“If you enjoy this, I’ll leave the bikes and gear here in the garage, and we’ll make this a regular part of your weekly routine.”
“Cool.”
We hop on the bikes and set off. I follow closely behind him, getting a feel for the equipment. The seat is a little narrow, so my ass will likely hurt tomorrow.
I’ll order a new saddle later today.
But aside from a sore ass, the ride is beautiful. It’s a cool day, but there’s no sign of snow, just moisture from the ocean as we ride along the mostly empty paths and roads.
Leaving so early in the morning has its benefits.
I don’t even monitor my smartwatch to see how far we’ve gone. My legs feel strong, probably from all of the work he put me through over the past week, and my lungs love the brisk air. Before long, we’ve circled back toward the house and ride into the driveway.
“That was so fun.” I grin as I swing my leg over the bike and reach for the water bottle secured to the bar under the seat. “The fifteen miles flew by.”
“We went twenty,” he says, surprising me.
“Seriously?”
“Yes, ma’am. And you killed it, even when we took those hills through downtown.”
“Those burned, I’m not gonna lie. But then we get to go downhill, and it makes up for it. I’ll go open the garage.”
I hurry through the house to press the button for the big door and help Ben stow our gear. I definitely want this to be a regular thing—weather permitting.
“Let’s go in and stretch you out.”
“Yeah, I’m stiffening up. Why don’t you ever have to stretch?”
“I do.” He leads me into the living room where we have a mat set up on the floor from earlier in the week, and we both start stretching out. When it’s time for my legs, I lie on my back, and he kneels between them, pushing my knees up to my chest and then to the side.
This time, his hand slides down the inside of my thigh, and he rubs gently. “How do you feel here?”
“Tight.”
“Hmm.” He leans in and kisses my cheek lightly. And just like that, the whole mood shifts.
And I’m not mad about it.
Those magical hands of his start to roam, and my fingers dive into his hair as he kisses me senseless.
He’s just pressed his still-clothed hardness against my core when his phone rings.
He tips his forehead against mine. “Damn it.”
“You should probably answer that.”
“Damn it,” he says again as he backs away and digs his phone out of his pocket. “It’s the gym. This is Ben.”
His eyes are on mine as he listens to the voice on the other end of the call.
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
He clicks off and sighs.
“Emergency?” I ask as I sit up.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. You’re welcome to come with me and do your weights earlier than planned, or you can just meet me there later.”
“I’ll meet you,” I reply. “I have some calls to make. I’m getting this new venture underway today and I have some questions I need answered.”
“So quickly?” he asks.
“I’m like a pit bull. Once I dig my teeth in, I don’t let go. I’m excited to get started on it. You go ahead and take care of things, and I’ll meet you there in a few hours.”
He nods, and we both stand, but before I can turn away, he cups my cheek and kisses my forehead.
“I’ll see you soon.”
He walks away, already focused on whatever’s going on at the gym. When the door closes behind him, I fan my face.
Ben is damn sexy. I’m totally going to kiss him every chance I get.
And I’m not sorry.
* * * *
“This cart is full,” Ben says later that evening. We’re at a local wholesale store, and I’m loading up on the goods. Ben eyes the flat cart I’m toting around. “And that’s half-full.”
“It’ll be fine,” I assure him. “I need more diapers, wipes, and formula.”
I’m glad I took him up on his offer to join me tonight. This is a lot of stuff to lug around, and Ben has muscles for days.
When we’re as loaded down as we can be, we check out. Several thousand dollars later, we make our way out to his SUV.
“This won’t fit,” he points out.
“Didn’t you ever play Tetris when you were a kid?” I ask as I point to the big stuff first. “This will totally fit. It’ll just take some effort.”
Thirty minutes later, with a very full vehicle, we pull into my driveway.
“Now we have to haul all of this inside.” I frown. “That’s always the worst part. Shopping is the fun part.”
“Go in,” he says as we climb out of the SUV. “I’ll bring it in. You just tell me where you want it all.”
“You don’t have to—”
Before I can finish, four other vehicles pull up behind us, and on the street, and we watch as Nic and Matt get out of one, while Luke and Nat and two other couples get out of the others.
“If I’m hosting a party, I’m very poorly prepared,” I say as Nic approaches us.
“No, we’re here to drop stuff off.” Nic grins and points to the others. “I told the girls about your plan, and we all want to help. This is Jules and Nate McKenna. Jules is Matt’s sister. And this is Matt’s brother Caleb, and his wife, Brynna. You know Nat and Luke.”
“Hi, everyone,” I say, wave, and then eye their cars. “They’re all full.”
“Yep,” Jules agrees. “We could have brought more, but we Tetrised this as much as we could.”
“See?” I turn to Ben. “Tetris.”
“Why don’t you ladies go in and decide where you want this stuff,” Nate suggests. “We’ll bring everything inside.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brynna says. “Lead the way, Rina.”
I’m dumbfounded, and I’m pretty much never speechless. I’ve never known people to just jump in and help a stranger like this.
“Where should we put the stuff?” Jules asks, looking around.
“Are you okay, Rina?” Natalie asks.
“You did not have to do this.” I shake my head, completely overwhelmed. “I didn’t expect you to spend your money and buy a bunch of stuff for charity.”
“Women, babies and kids,” Jules says. “That’s all you had to say. Plus, it’s a tax write-off. Now, where would you like it all?”
I blow out a breath and look around, formulating a plan in my head. “Okay, let’s do baby stuff in the dining room. Feminine hygiene in the upstairs guest room. Snacks and other miscellaneous things in the living room.”
“Got it,” Luke says as he walks through carrying four boxes of diapers. He stacks them neatly in the dining room and then walks back outside for another load. Occasionally one of the guys passes something off to us to take and organize.
Within thirty minutes, all five SUVs are unloaded, and all of the items are in the house.
I watch as Nate carries a baby bassinet into the dining room, and I lean over to Nic. “Is it just me, or is that dude incredibly sexy carrying that?”
“Nate’s incredibly hot doing anything.” She smirks.
The man in question must have heard us because he glances our way and offers us a wink.
Well, okay, then.
“You all went above and beyond,” I say as we finish up. “I mean, you even bought furniture. Bassinets, bouncy seat thingies, four brand new breast pumps.”
I shake my head in wonder.
“We can do more.” Natalie pulls me in for a hug. “I think it’s awesome that you get to do this every day. We’ll get some of the girls together and come over soon to organize and get it ready to deliver. And we can help with that, too.”
“Don’t make me cry,” I plead as I pull back and glance around at the nine people standing with me. “Your family is wonderful.”
“It’s just what the Montgomerys do,” Luke says. “They help, and they will suck you in as one of their own. You’ve been warned.”
I laugh. “I would offer you all something to eat, or a drink, but I don’t have anything here to give you.”
“We have to go.” Jules waves me off. “We all have kids at home who have probably burned our houses down by now. Have a good night. We’ll see you soon.”
“Thank you.” I follow as they make their way toward the door. “Sincerely, thank you.”
Caleb, the one who’s been the quietest since they all arrived, turns back to me. “Thank you. I have daughters. It makes me happy to know women like you are looking out for them.”
He nods and follows the others, and I have to close the door before I dissolve into a puddle of tears.
Ben’s hands are on my shoulders, so I turn and wrap my arms around his waist, needing a hug.
“Well, that completely overwhelmed me,” I say with a sniffle.
“Yeah. They do that.”