Page 21

October

I ’m not sure when the change happened, but last night my husband-to-be decided to be a perfect rule-following gentleman after he walked me to my room and left me there aching and needy as hell.

I’ve come to the conclusion that edging me like that and depriving me of the pleasure he is no doubt capable of giving me was his punishment for bringing up other men.

Little does he know, he left me so thoroughly corrupted all those years ago that no man or toy has been able to do the trick since.

I’m interrupted from my packing when my phone buzzes with an incoming call. I glance at it and smile when I see Gemma’s name scroll across the screen.

“Hey, Gems—” I greet her but she cuts me off.

“Don’t ‘Gems’ me, are you freaking engaged?”

My stomach sinks at the accusation in her tone. Shit, this is not how I wanted to tell her.

“Yes—” I start again but she interrupts once more.

“When did you and Bennett have time to get engaged? On the plane to Chicago? I don’t understand.”

“No, not on the plane. He-he proposed the other night at our house before your guitar lesson,” I tell her .

“So you got engaged at our house and didn’t tell me? I can understand waiting to tell Gunner, but you didn’t want to tell me?” The hurt in her voice cuts me like a knife.

“We were going to tell you together tomorrow when we got back.”

“Yeah, and instead, I find out at school in journalism class because Grandma published an engagement announcement in the freaking newspaper.”

“She what?!” I shout, unable to compose myself.

“Yeah, and now there are about a dozen online articles claiming to break the news that Minnesota’s captain is engaged to the team owner’s granddaughter. Some of the stuff they’re saying about you is awful, I don’t get how people can be so cruel.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

This isn’t good. Not only did we not get the chance to tell Gemma and Gunner about the engagement, but I know for a fact Jackson is the only one in Bennett’s family who knows.

Well, knew. His father is probably going to flip a lid when he’s briefed by his press secretary that his oldest son is not only seeing someone, but he’s engaged to her.

“Don’t read them, Gems. I’m not going to. People will always have an opinion, and honestly, they can think whatever they want, but we know the truth,” I tell her.

“But, I didn’t. I didn’t know the truth and I still don’t. Why didn’t you trust me to know? I wouldn’t have told anyone.”

My heart sinks as her words register. “Gemma, I trust you implicitly. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to tell you myself in person. This is the last way I wanted you to find out.”

Her sniffles on the other line have me spiraling. “I know. I’m sorry, I was just surprised.”

“Don’t ever apologize for how you’re feeling, Gems. Look, I’ll be home really late tonight because we’re flying back after the game. I wasn’t planning to get you guys from Grandma’s until the morning for school, but how about I come tonight instead?”

“Really?” she questions.

“Really,” I promise.

“Will Bennett be with you?” she asks and my forehead wrinkles in confusion.

“No. Why would Bennett be with me so late, Gems?”

“Oh, are you waiting until you’re married to move in together? I just figured most engaged couples move in together at some point, don’t they?”

Shoot, she’s not wrong.

“Um, we haven’t quite figured out the timeline for when that will happen,” I tell her truthfully, though I don’t tell her it’s because we’ve yet to discuss the fine details of our arrangement, including living accommodations.

“Well if Bennett doesn’t want to move into our house, would we get a new one or would we move in with him?”

“We just got Gunner settled in at his new school, and we live pretty close to your school, so I would say we likely wouldn’t be moving out of our house,” I explain.

“Okay, I don’t care either way. It’s just that I finally got my room set up how I wanted.”

“I know, and I love how you’ve transformed the space.”

“Thanks, Scar. Lunch is almost done, so I’ve got to go. We’ll see you later tonight, right?” she asks.

“Tonight,” I assure her. “I love you, Gems. Tell Gunner I love him too, please.”

“Will do. Love you too, sis. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure Gunner doesn’t hear about your big news until you tell him. ”

“I’m not sure what I did to get such an amazing sister. Thank you,” I tell her before she tells me goodbye and hangs up.

Tossing my phone on the bed, I drop my head back and curse at the ceiling before letting out a defeated sigh.

I’m not sure why my grandmother thought it was a good idea to publish an engagement announcement before she had talked to the two of us.

I hesitantly pick up my phone from the bed and search my name online. Grimacing at the dozens of article headlines that come up, I don’t give in to the temptation to read them. Instead, I pull up my contacts and call Bennett.

“Miss me already, Red?” he asks when he picks up.

“As if. Considering the way you left me last night, you’re lucky I’m even speaking to you,” I reply with an air of disdain.

“I believe I warned you,” Bennett tuts in response.

“Right, well I thought the punishment would be something served with a side of pleasure like it had been in the past. My mistake.”

“Jesus, I’m just getting back from morning skate,” he tells me in a hushed voice.

“And that matters why?” I ask in a tone as innocent as I can muster behind the cheeky smile spreading across my face.

“You know why,” he growls, and my panties dampen from the deep bass of his voice alone.

“Do share, darling,” I taunt.

“Because I very clearly remember the way your body responded to said pleasure, sweetheart ,” he hisses in reply. “And that is not the image I want to recall while I’m in front of all the guys.”

Got him! I smile like the cat that ate the canary.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Benny Boy, I won’t mention the time you turned the creamy skin of my ass red as a punishment for bringing up the men who came before you. Literally—” I cut myself off with a peel of laughter I can’t contain.

When I’ve finally got some semblance of control a few minutes later, he asks, “Are you sure this is how you wanna play things, Scar?”

My laughter subsides, quickly shifting into sheer desire at the promise in his question. I had been laughing so hard, I’d honestly thought he’d hung up.

Before I can respond, someone knocks—more like pounds—on my door.

“Hang on a minute, someone’s at my door,” I tell him.

“You’d better get that,” he says and then hangs up.

Shit, why’d he hang up? I hadn’t got around to telling him the reason I’d called him in the first place.

When I open the door, my eyes widen at the sight of a heaving Bennett bracing himself with both arms reaching up to where he has a death grip on the top of the doorframe.

“Bennett—” I start but am cut off when he lifts me with one arm around my waist, and slams the door shut with his other. My legs wrap around his waist on instinct, and when my clit rubs against his thick erection, I have to bite back a moan that threatens to escape.

“Now do you see what you’ve done to me, Red?” he asks as he braces me against the wall of my hotel room and grinds his length against my aching core, still holding me up with only one arm under my ass and the other bracketing my head.

My pebbled nipples brush against his still-heaving chest, and I feel as though I could combust right here right now with clothing between us and not so much as a kiss.

His gaze is intense—his eyes wild with desire—as he stares into my eyes. When he peers at my mouth and frees my bottom lip from my teeth with this thumb, I can’t help the whimper that slips free .

“Tell me to stop, Little Red.”

I stay silent, which only makes his body tremble against mine in response.

“Remind me of our rules. Tell me this is a bad idea. That I don’t know what’s good for me—good for us.”

Screw any rule I put in place saying this was wrong. I don’t utter a single word, the only sounds escaping me are my ragged breaths. His eyes search mine for hesitation, which he won’t find. I want this. God, do I want this. Him. Here. Now.

“Fuck it,” he rushes out before claiming my mouth in a kiss so intoxicating, it leaves me heady at the feel of his plush lips fighting for dominance against mine.

Bennett kisses me and it feels like my life has been at a standstill all this time up until the moment I could feel his lips on mine again.

He kisses me with such ferocity and hunger, it feels like he’ll never be sated.

And I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get enough of him either now that I’ve tasted him once again.

It’s been so long since a man kissed me, though I’ve never been kissed like this. It’s possessive. Claiming . Bennett isn’t just kissing me—he’s altering my brain chemistry.

We kiss in a clash of lips, teeth, and tongues until we’re both gasping for breath. Bennett moves across the room and lays me on my bed before standing to his full height at the edge of the bed.

“I should go,” he says as he sinks to his knees.

I shake my head in response, unable to form even a simple “no.”

His hands glide up my thighs until his fingers rest just inside the waistband of my satin sleep shorts that are doing nothing to hide the mess he’s making of me.

“I really should walk out that door right now,” he brings his forehead to rest against my lower stomach, almost as if he’s about to beg me for mercy. If he does, there’s no chance I’ll willingly give it. I’ve never been so turned on in my life.

“Tell me to leave,” he pleads and I shake my head fervently in silent reply. “Is this what you want?” he asks.

I nod my head but he shakes his head at me. “Words, Scar.”

“Yes. Yes, of course, this is what I want. Now stop torturing the both of us and fuck your fiancée,” I demand.

“But what about the no-touch rule?” he questions.

“Fuck the rules,” I pant, desperate to feel his touch anywhere and everywhere.