Page 40 of Bennett (HC Heroes #15)

“Bennett—” Her voice broke on a cry, hips jerking as she climaxed, head thrown back, walls clenching tight around him in waves.

So damn good.

Her breathless cry made him lose what little control he had left. An instant later, he followed her over the edge with a low, guttural sound, burying his face in her neck as he came hard, his pulse hammering, body locked tight to hers.

They stayed tangled together, his hands gripping her hips, hers still clinging to him like she didn’t want him to go anywhere.

He wasn’t leaving…ever. If she’d have him.

Bennett had found a reason to stop roaming. A reason to take a chance. To trust again.

A reason to start living.

Laurel.

For a long minute, neither of them moved.

Then her hand slid lazily up his back and into his hair, and her lips brushed his ear. “That’s one way to take the edge off.”

He huffed a soft laugh against her skin. “You’re dangerous.”

She smiled. “And you’re welcome.”

He kissed the curve of her shoulder, then slowly eased back just enough to look at her. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks still flushed, and her eyes held that lazy sparkle that damn near knocked him out cold.

Warmth spread through his chest. The woman definitely was dangerous. And he was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the planet.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We should probably drink that coffee before it goes cold.”

“Are you trying to ruin the moment?” she teased, legs still locked around his waist.

“No,” he murmured, brushing a kiss over her lips. “Just trying not to get addicted to starting every day like this.”

Laurel grinned, but there was softness in her gaze now. Something deeper. “Doesn’t sound bad to me.”

“True,” he said, still holding her gaze. “It doesn’t.”

Her grin widened. “Good.”

They finally untangled, and he helped her down from the counter, steadying her when her legs wobbled.

She winced. “Perhaps you’re right. Not every morning on the counter. I’m feeling muscles I didn’t know I had.”

A grin tugged hard at his lips. “You’re welcome,” he said, repeating her earlier phrase.

“Hey,” she uttered with a breathless laugh, smacking him playfully on the arm. “I’d complain that you were bold, but I happened to like when you’re bold.”

Bennett chuckled. “Good to know.”

Twenty minutes later, they were showered and dressed and back in the kitchen to finally enjoy some coffee. He handed her a cup, then leaned back against the counter beside her. For a long moment, they drank in silence, the kind that didn’t need to be filled.

But in the back of his mind, the questions still waited.

Theo. Rick Nolan. Fred Hess. Duke.

The storm hadn’t passed.

But for now, she was here. He was here. And that was enough.

Bennett’s phone buzzed on the counter, signaling it was time to let the world back in.

He glanced at the screen—Matthew.

“Vaughn,” he said, hitting speaker and setting the phone on the counter. “Laurel’s here too.”

He wasn’t leaving her out of this. He was already keeping enough from her as it was. The Theo conversation could wait. This couldn’t.

“You’re gonna want to hear this,” Matthew said, no preamble. “Gabe just left ESI. He told us that Rick Nolan finally cracked—gave up a name. Said he was hired by Fred Hess.”

Yes…

This was their first big break. Bennett blew out a breath, trying to keep his enthusiasm under wraps.

“’Bout time we have something going for us,” Laurel said, taking the words from his mouth.

“Yes,” Matthew said. “Brandi fired him a while back for cutting corners and bringing in sketchy subs. Guess he’s still pissed. Looks like Duke’s been using him to stir trouble without getting his hands dirty.”

Bennett muttered a curse under his breath.

Matthew continued, “Gabe’s looping in Brandi now.”

He glanced out the window as a truck rolled by. “Her lead contractor just arrived. I’m going to head down to check out his logs.”

“Copy that,” Matthew said.

He ended the call and turned to Laurel, who was watching him over the rim of her mug.

“This is good news, right?” she asked, a flicker of hope lighting her eyes.

“Yes.” He leaned in, kissed her forehead. “You can enjoy another cup. I need to check something at the site downstairs.”

Laurel shook her head. “You’re not leaving me out of this.”

Five minutes later, they walked to the rear of Winslow Crossing, where Brandi’s crew was already unloading tools. Her general contractor, a sturdy, no-nonsense guy named Joe Everly, looked up from his clipboard as Bennett approached.

“You looking for me or trouble?” Joe asked.

“Just answers,” Bennett replied. “You have yesterday’s site log?”

Joe nodded and handed over the most recent logs. “Brandi said you might come asking.”

Bennett flipped through them quickly, scanning names and crew assignments. Rick Nolan’s showed up for the previous day under a generic electrical subcontractor label, but that wasn’t what he needed.

“Do you have logs from earlier this month?” Bennett asked.

Joe grunted and pulled a binder from the folding table behind him. “We keep the full paper back-ups just in case. Take a look.”

Bennett turned to the second week of the month. The day they’d found the damaged wiring inside Laurel’s apartment and along the east wall. His finger skimmed down the page.

Rick Nolan. 6:54 a.m. Signed in with Interior prep team.

He flipped forward. Another day. The camera glitch and the busted door lock.

Rick Nolan. 7:15 a.m. Electrical walk-through.

Bennett’s jaw clenched. The guy had been here more than once, always under some vague subcontractor label, and always on the days something went wrong.

He flipped back two more weeks, and a different name jumped out.

Bingo.

Fred Hess. 8:03 a.m. Listed as Structural consult.

Bennett narrowed his eyes. “Was Brandi still using Hess at this point?”

Joe looked over his shoulder. “Hell no. She fired him back in February. That’s when I came in.”

Bennett tapped the entry. “Then why is he listed here?”

Joe squinted. “That…shouldn’t be. Not unless someone on-site let him walk through.”

“That happen often?” Laurel asked, firm but not unfriendly.

Joe let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Look, there are a lot of crews coming in and out every day. Demo, finish work, electricians, vendors. Hell, even delivery guys. I try to keep tabs on everyone, but it’s a revolving door sometimes.

If someone let Hess in, it could’ve been brushed off as a consult or supplier walkthrough. Nobody flagged it.”

Bennett looked at him. “So, it wouldn’t take much for someone like Rick Nolan to slip in under the radar either.”

“Not if he had a name to drop and a clipboard in his hand,” Joe said. “Half the guys here wouldn’t know the difference if he said he was checking outlets.”

Bennett’s jaw tightened. “And if Fred Hess was still connected to him—”

“Then he knew exactly where to send him,” Joe finished.

Clenching his jaw to keep his frustration intact, he snapped photos of all the log pages with his phone. “Thanks,” he told the guy before he ushered Laurel toward her storefront.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, once they were alone inside.

He finished emailing the photos to Gabe, then held up his phone. “That this is enough for the sheriff to run with. And if Duke was tied to either of these guys, we’re going to know soon.”

Laurel opened her mouth to reply, but Brandi stepped inside through the back door, her usual planner tucked under one arm.

“Morning!” she called out. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything. I thought I saw you pop in here. Figured we could go over that shelving layout and coffee bar spacing before the drywall guys need final measurements.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Laurel said, already brightening. She looked at Bennett. “You good?”

He nodded, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Yeah. I’ve got a meeting with Mac and the team at ESI. Don’t go anywhere without me. I’ll be just down the street.”

“I won’t,” she said, walking him to the front door, her hand brushing his arm.

“I’ll be back to walk you to work,” he added, unlocking the door.

She smiled. “Okay, my handsome watch dog. Keep me posted.”

He met and held her warm, open gaze. “Always,” he said, giving her one last look before heading out.

He didn’t want to leave her, not with everything still up in the air. But she had plans to build something here. Something good. And if he did his job right, she'd get to do that without looking over her shoulder.

Bennett stepped out into the sunlight, jaw tight, boots hitting the sidewalk with a little more purpose as he made his way toward the ESI building a few blocks over.

Behind him, Laurel was safe—at least for now.

Joe Everly was a big guy. He was also vetted by Mac. The general contractor had offered to keep an eye on Laurel and Brandi when none of the ESI team was around. He shot him a quick text to let him know he was off site.

When he received an “I’ve got them” in return, Bennett shoved his phone back in his pocket and breathed a little easier.

But his gut was still tight, the log entries turning over in his mind like a warning bell he couldn’t silence. Rick Nolan hadn’t just wandered onto that job site. Fred Hess hadn’t just shown up for no reason. And Duke Carver sure as hell wasn’t backing down without making one last play.

Ever vigilant, he surveyed the area while he walked, his jaw clenched against the rising churn in his chest. All clear.

But looks could be deceiving.

No one knew that better than Bennett.