Page 30 of Extended Bridge (Passionate Beats #2)
He presses a button and the car roars to life.
He plugs an address into the GPS, and we take off down the side road blasting The Light Rail’s latest. My sexy driver joins their lead singer on the vocals.
A crossover between the two bands flits through my mind, but disappears when we take a turn on what feels like two wheels.
Knuckles white on the roll bar, I exclaim, “Whoa!”
“Checking the suspension.” He makes a few more quick turns through empty streets. “Handling too.”
When the color returns to my hand, I relax into the seat. I haven’t seen Bennett this carefree in...forever. He knows the car’s limitations—plus his own. He’s babying his right thigh, probably even more than he needs to. My lips are sealed.
Following several more turns, during which I manage to remove my hand from the roll bar, the GPS announces we’re here. Bennett parks in a secluded spot near a couple of picnic benches, which, given the late hour, aren’t in use .
I blink into the dark woods in front of me. “Where are we?”
“You’re going to love it.” He unbuckles his seatbelt and presses the button to release mine. “Don’t move.”
He rushes around the front of the car and opens my door, offering me his hand to help me stand. All five of his rings kiss my fingers. Once I’m on my feet, he keeps my hand in his. With care, he guides me across the dark lot toward another set of picnic tables facing a ravine. “Have a seat.”
I drop down onto the bench, waiting for an explanation. When none is forthcoming, I say, “They don’t like streetlights around here, do they?”
“There’s a reason for that,” he chuckles. “They want to avoid light pollution.”
“I’ve only heard of light pollution hurting microbes in phosphorescent waters.” When his eyebrows raise, I clarify, “I saw a documentary about a bay in Puerto Rico that has an issue with light.”
“Oh. La Parguera, I presume?”
I squint. “I think that was the name.”
“Let me save you a trip. I enjoyed La Parguera, but the bioluminescent bay on the island of Vieques, off Puerto Rico, is truly enchanting.”
“I’ve forgotten you’re a world traveler.”
“Hazards of being a rock star.” He pulls me closer to his body. “Now, look up.”
We both raise our chins to the inky sky. A minute later, something shoots across. “Oh my God!” I point. “Did you see that?”
“Yup. There’s a meteor shower here tonight. I wanted to experience it with you.” Quiet ensues, as we watch the celestial dance.
“This is beautiful.” I kiss his cheek. “Thanks for bringing me here tonight.”
“I wanted to share this special evening with you.” He kisses my forehead.
I sit up. “The black sports car didn’t hurt either, huh?”
“I asked Jeb to rent the Jaguar.” He glances toward the car. “It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been able to drive somewhere for fun, without being chased by the paps.”
We lapse into silence, remembering my birthday dinner, which ended with a car chase. Back then, his injury was still fresh. “Whether avoiding the media or eating up the open road, if you ever need someone to vouch for your driving skills, I’m your girl.”
He tugs me to his side. “I’d say you’re my girl for all things. I deserve a medal for how patient I am in waiting for you to realize I mean the same to you.”
“Cocky much?”
“You have no idea.” We resume watching the meteor shower. He points to the sky. “Make a wish.”
I close my eyes and wish I’m always able to make him feel as special as he’s making me feel now.
When I blink them open, his green gaze is on me. “Want to know what I wished for?”
My mouth drops open. I issue a husky, “Yes.”
“I wished for you to believe what I feel toward you is real. And it’s never going to go away.”
“Oh, Bennett.” My hand strokes the stubble adorning his cheeks. I pull my body into his. Serenaded by crickets and illuminated by zipping meteors, we kiss.
“I don’t want tonight to end,” he confesses.
“This is pretty darn special,” I admit. The breeze picks up slightly, causing a chill to race through me. I snuggle closer to his warm body.
“You already know my new goal for UC, which you so cleverly set into motion with Luke at dinner tonight. How about you? I know you want to open six more physical therapy clinics in three years. You’re already working on number four. What else is on Jenna Westfield’s horizon?”
“I’ve been so focused on achieving this goal that there hasn’t been room to add another. ”
“Are there any awards you could win? How about hobbies you want to start?” He kisses my lips. “A particular man you want to fu?—”
My fingers stop his mouth from completing his dirty sentence. “I’d like to be recognized for my PT offices. Maybe win a local award for best PT in the Hamptons.”
“I knew you were harboring some professional accolade ambitions in you somewhere.” He plants his chin on top of my head. “Do you have any personal goals?”
I lean back, causing his head to realign. “Do you? Seems to me all of your goals have been UC-driven.” Two can play his game.
He stares into my soul. “Get the woman of my dreams to fall in love with me.”
How can I resist this man? “Well, what are you going to do to make that happen? Standing around and looking all sexy-like fuels lust, not love.”
He smirks. “So you think I’m sexy?”
I shake my head. “That’s what you took from what I said?”
He chuckles, then tips his head upward. “I thought taking her to see a celestial show was a good start.”
My gaze raises to the stars. “Yeah, it might be.”
Another meteor streaks across the sky as if to punctuate Bennett’s last thought.
This man, who appears to the world to only be a cocky rock star, has the softest heart.
His mother—by biology and nothing else—failed in her responsibilities to show him love and protection.
His father might have been well-meaning, but enabled his mother, then died when Bennett was only a teen.
His girlfriend dumped him for his best friend.
As a result, Bennett’s so closed off. Except with me.
To everyone else, he may be the lead singer of UC. To me, he’s... everything .
My acceptance of this truth brings me to my feet. I grab his hand and tug him upright. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”
His eyebrows raise and come together, but he doesn’t question me. Instead, he kisses the top of my head and wraps his arm around me. Following another exhilarating ride, we’re in his hotel room. A space that doesn’t have wheels is more than welcome.
He tosses his shirt onto a nearby chair. “You’re staying with me tonight.”
Not a question. And why should it be? Still, I need to tease him. “Pretty sure of yourself, huh?”
He stalks toward me, stopping when our toes nearly touch. “Yes.”
My breathing picks up at how he devours me with his gaze. He doesn’t move, simply stands in front of me, his body heat warming me from the inside out. I never had any intention of using the key Luke got for me anyway.
I can’t maintain my false bravado. “Alrighty then.” With trembling hands, I lift my shirt over my head.
Bennett grabs my hips and slams our bodies together. His mouth kisses the side of my neck where it meets my shoulder. “Your scent of bourbon and vanilla, topped with Jenna perfection, has been driving me nuts all night.” His lips capture mine.
His own woodsy cologne amps me up. I raise to my tiptoes, sliding my bra covered breasts against his hard chest and entangling my fingers in his silky hair. His hands drop around to my butt and I leap up to wrap my legs around his waist—before remembering why I’m on this tour in the first place.
“Let me down.” I don’t move my legs for fear of aggravating his injury.
He squeezes me. “Not a chance in hell.” He walks across the living room area of the suite, toward the closed door to the bedroom.
I remain pliant in his strong arms, the only logical thing I can do. However, I can’t stop myself from kissing across his square jaw.
When he stops moving, he bends his knees until my feet are flat on the floor. “Now let’s take care of this, shall we?” Before I know what he’s talking about, the sound of my bra unclipping echoes throughout the bedroom. His palms cover my bare breasts. “Perfection.”
The next thing I know, we’re both half naked and horizontal on the hotel’s very luxurious and very large bed. I want to be united with Bennett more than any other person in my life, but the physical therapist in me makes one last gasp. “One more day.”
He growls. “We’ve made it this far, twenty-four more hours won’t kill us. I still have many more ways to make you come undone without being inside you.” He slides my pants down my legs.
God, I love this man.
Everything comes to a screeching halt around me, even though Bennett’s busy laving my nipple.
“Bennett.” My entire body’s wound tighter than one of Coop’s guitar strings.
He lifts his head from my chest. “I’m all yours, Sweetheart.”
This is it. The opening—as it were—I need. I open my mouth.
Someone knocks on the hotel room door.