Santa's Pet (8 page)

~ Brittney ~

Ben and I find my family huddled around a row of plastic chairs. Lacy hands me a Styrofoam cup. “Coffee for you. I can’t have any.”

“How’s he doing?” Ben greets Pappy with that man type of hug, a few slaps on the back. “Is he going to be okay?”

“He’s stable, but they’re checking on the stent he got last week.” Pappy pounds on Ben’s back, no doubt an alpha male show of strength. “I think all the stress did him in. Why’d you attack my granddaughter the way you did?”

“Pappy, stop blaming Ben,” I insert myself between them. “We both panicked and our lawyers got in the way.”

“Wait a minute,” Lacy says. “You two are okay now?”

“He didn’t mean for his lawyer to go that far, and I’m going to call Owen and tell him to leave Ben alone.” I latch onto Ben’s arm to reassure him I’m no longer his enemy. “We both care about Grandpa Powers. Is there anything we can do?”

Lacy shrugs, but her knowing glance makes my face heat. It’s not like that at all. I’m not crushing on Ben, and I’m still pissed at the way the media treated me. I’m just glad he reached out to me to let me know he’s not behind it.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Pappy says to Ben. “He was looking for you when they carted him to the ambulance. I’ll let the nurse know you’re here.”

My father drapes his arms on me and Lacy. “You two girls should be going home, especially you, Lacy.”

“Oh no, I want to be here when Grandpa Powers wakes up,” Lacy says.

“Me too.” I’m not about to be outdone by my sister who thinks she’s the favorite of the grandfathers. Sure, she flirts with them and makes them believe they’re still studs even in their eighties, but I’m the one who listened to all their war stories.

“Ben’s here. That should be enough,” Mother says, stifling a yawn. “Let’s leave him alone. I’m sure he has a lot on his mind.”

Well, if she puts it this way, who am I to insert myself?

“I guess I’m not needed then.” The cup of coffee shakes in my hands and I slump onto one of the body-contoured chairs.

Ben doesn’t say anything to contradict me, so I take a sip of coffee, wondering how I’m going to give him back his jacket without my family making a big deal about it

“You’ll call us if you need anything,” Mom says to Ben as Dad helps Lacy into her coat. “Brittney, ready?”

Slowly, I peel off the leather jacket, missing the way it hugs me even before letting it go. “Thanks.”

“Keep it, at least for tonight.” He presses his hand on mine, not taking the jacket. “It’s windy out there, and I’ll be staying here all night. I’m sure the nurses can lend me a blanket.”

“I’m so worried about Grandpa.” My voice trembles and suddenly, I don’t want to leave Ben’s side. He seems so alone. While I have my family backing me up, it’s just him and his grandfather.

“He’ll be okay.”

“How about you?”

“I’m a big boy.” He shrugs, but he still hasn’t taken those dark melty chocolate eyes off me.

“Did you still want to talk? I mean, I won’t be able to sleep not knowing how he’s doing.”

I’m aware of Lacy whispering to my parents and corralling them. She shoots me a wink and gestures for me to call her, not knowing I don’t have my phone. I can’t take my eyes off Ben, either.

He rubs the back of his neck and swallows. “I might not be good company.”

“You don’t have to be. I’ll wait with you and we don’t have to talk about anything.”

“Sure.” He nods, blinking fast. “I’d like that. I have to call my father and my uncles. Or maybe I should wait until I have more information.”

“It’s late. I agree. Let’s not wake them.”

“Let me know if you get tired, and I’ll drive you home.” He drapes the jacket back on my shoulders.

My grandfather claps a hand on Ben and says, “I better get going then. I’m too old to stay up all night in a foxhole. Besides, I gotta check on Jon’s dog and new bird. I’ll be back in the morning.”

I hug Pappy tight. “Are you two friends again? You should never let anything get between old friends.”

“Aye, you’re right.” He darts a glare at Ben. “Except when it comes to family.”

“Friends have a way of becoming family,” Ben says in a deep gravelly voice, his gaze on me.

Suddenly, his jacket is too hot and I can’t catch my breath. What is he hinting? Or is my imagination working overtime?

I turn away and grab my cooling cup of coffee. No matter what sparks are flying between me and Ben, this will never work. He’s here to help Grandpa Powers, and in a month, he’ll be gone to prepare himself for the football draft.

He mistook me for a stripper type of girl, the ones football players have hanging on their arms, and that’s the only reason he’s even looking at me. He’s right. Lacy’s sexy elf outfit was out of place at a family event, and if I didn’t want men looking at my body, I shouldn’t throw my balloons in their faces either.

I hug the oversized jacket and zip it all the way up to my neck. I want to be liked for my brains and personality. No one is going to see my cleavage again. Ever.

~ Ben ~

Ben checked in with the nurses who told him his grandfather was being prepped for coronary bypass surgery.

“You two should go home,” the nurse said. “The operation will last six hours, so there’s no need to stick around.”

“Thanks,” Ben said to the nurse, who went back to her computer monitor. “Brittney, shall I take you home?”

“Aren’t you staying?”

“I’d feel guilty not staying. But you don’t need to.”

While he didn’t like the thought of leaving for even a minute, he shouldn’t keep Brittney away from her family or her work.

“He’s like a third grandfather to me,” Brittney said. “I always thought I had two grandfathers and a Santa in my family.”

“You’re lucky to spend so much time with him and my grandma before she passed.” Ben walked with Brittney back to the waiting room. He couldn’t help but stifle a yawn.

He still needed to talk to Brittney about what she considered sexual harassment to be. Maybe his lame attempts at flirting had been misconstrued, but he’d certainly never meant to make her feel threatened. If they could work together, they could both get their charges dropped.

“None of these form-fitting chairs are comfortable,” Brittney said with a muted chuckle. “It’s almost like they don’t want anyone hanging around.”

Here she was, trying to make him comfortable when all he’d done was allow his lawyer to drag her name in the mud. What a kind heart she had to volunteer to keep him company when only a few hours ago, she’d probably wanted his head on a stake.

“Do you blame them?” He threaded his fingers through hers, unable to keep from touching her. “Thanks for staying. I gave them my phone number so they can call me. I don’t want to go too far in case I have to come back in a hurry.”

Brittney gulped and trained her large blue eyes on him. “He’ll be okay, won’t he? He has to be.”

Ben squeezed her hand before letting go. “There aren’t any guarantees in life. My mom went into the hospital to have a baby and …”

“I’m so sorry.” Her gaze turned watery, even though she probably didn’t know the details.

“I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. Each of us boys got to pick a name, and she was going to tell us which one she decided on.” Suddenly, it was important to tell someone, anyone, how important his little sister would have been. “She was going to be my little princess. I would have been a big brother. I would have shown her how to throw a ball overhand, or a rock …”

“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry about your window.” Brittney clapped her hands over her chest. “I’ll pay for it.”

“You already are. Staying here with me. Listening to me talk about boring stuff.”

“It’s not boring.” She rested her hands on his forearms. “Being here at the hospital’s bringing it all back. I’m sorry you have to relive everything.”

“Me too.”

Her touch felt so right, gentle and comforting. This was the Brittney he remembered. That summer his older brother, Nash, had fallen from a tree and ended up in a full leg cast. He’d missed the camping trip, the swimming, and horseback riding, but Brittney had stayed back. She spent the rest of the summer sitting and reading books on their porch while Nash strummed on his grandfather’s guitar.

Looking back, Nash had gotten the better end of the deal.

“What was the name you picked out for her?” she whispered, looking up at him.

“Colleen.” His voice came out in a shallow puff. He hadn’t said her name or breathed it out loud since the day he said goodbye to his mother, yelling “Colleen so I can call her Collie,” above his brothers’ choices.

“Colleen Powers. Such a pretty name.”

“Thanks.” A lump lodged in his throat so large, he felt like choking. “Shall we, uh, find somewhere more comfortable to wait?”

They’d been standing in the middle of the waiting room and the events of the day, as well as Ben’s harsh workout, were draining the last bit of energy from his muscles.

“Those butt fitting seats remind me of a bus station.” Brittney pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess they’re easy to clean and keep people to themselves. Shall we sit in my truck? I have to move it from the Emergency entrance.”

“Sorry about the window.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s the least of my problems.”

Ben steered Brittney toward the doorway. He couldn’t help putting his arm around her, but jerked it back when she gave him a questioning stare.

The last few minutes had been almost
intimate
. He’d never bared his feelings to anyone, certainly not to the blended family his father introduced him to after remarrying.

Opening the door, he waited for her to walk through before tucking his hands safely in his pockets and ambling after her to his truck.

The guard standing there waved. “I was just about to give you a ticket. Is everything okay?”

Ben bit back a sarcastic remark. Nothing was okay. His grandfather was having open-heart surgery, and with the way his heart was aching, he might as well be on the table, too.

“Thanks. We’ll move the truck,” Brittney answered for him. “His grandfather’s in surgery right now.”

“Sure, I’ll say a prayer.” The guard backed away.

Ben hadn’t realized he’d left the keys in the truck. He opened the door for Brittney. “Did you want me to take you home?”

“We should both get some rest, shouldn’t we?” She stepped up onto the bench seat.

“I won’t be able to sleep worrying about him, but it isn’t fair for me to to hold you here.”

Her eyes sparkled under the street lamp as she leaned toward him. “A team of reindeer couldn’t drag me away. Let’s park somewhere and wait it out.”

The urge to close the distance, to kiss her, to hold her tight almost swept Ben away. But the moment passed as an ambulance screamed into the parking circle.

Ben shut the door and scolded himself. Now was neither the time nor place to start anything.

His heart kicked inside his ribcage, and a flood of emotions threatened to drown him. Before opening the driver’s side door, he clutched the side of his truck, taking deep breaths. He had to be strong. Grandpa needed him now, more than ever.

As for Brittney, he’d take the friendship she offered, but he had to focus on getting picked by a pro team. Besides, he could never go through the heartache of losing his mother and sister all over again.

If he were to love a woman, he would not survive losing her—not when he knew the true cost of love was …

Grief.

~ Brittney ~

Ben parks his truck inside the hospital parking garage in the middle of a row where it’s relatively dark and away from the exits.

“Is this good enough for you?” he asks. “I figure you might want to nap.”

“You look tired. I drank that coffee.” I lean against the door, trying to get comfortable.

“I have a blanket in the back. You can fold it up and cushion yourself.”

For the first time, I turn to look at the rest of his truck. It’s a regular pickup truck, no extended cab, and the bed is covered by a body-colored camper shell that’s higher at the tailgate side than the front, giving it a wedged look.

“What’s back there?”

“Would you believe a bed?” His voice is flat and careful. “It’s carpeted and has an air mattress.”

“Oh …” I trail off. He’s not trying to get me back there, is he? “I’ll stay here. I’m not tired anyway.”

“Let me get the blanket,” he says, stepping out of the truck.

My heart is pounding too fast and it’s hard to relax, much less sleep. Grandpa Powers is in the operating room fighting for his life, and I’m alone in a parking garage with a man I’m supposed to stay away from. Although right now, I’m not happy about Owen’s prescription—wearing revealing clothes and heavy makeup is only going to make the online shit-storm worse.

Ben returns with the blanket, a soft, fleece one decorated with an orange and black plaid San Francisco Giants design. “Found a pillow, too.”

His voice is gruff and I wonder if I’ve offended him, but I take the pillow and blanket.

“Good night, Ben,” I say, shoving the pillow against the window and closing my eyes.

“Night, Brittney. Let me know if you need something.”

I’m aware of him shifting his weight, trying to get comfortable.

“Ben? Do you want to take the bed?”

“Nah, I couldn’t do that and leave you here with a broken window.”

I open my eyes and peer at his shadow. “Are you being chivalrous?”

He’s leaning against the driver’s door with one hand on the steering wheel and his elbow sticking out over the doorframe where the window used to be. “Somebody might walk by and see you in here. I can’t very well protect you if I’m asleep in the truck bed.”

I sigh, not bothering to hide it. “So, in a nice way, you’re saying I should sleep back there with you?”

“I wouldn’t dare suggest it.” He shakes his head. “You’d claim I was sexually harassing you.”

“Stop it, Ben. I’m not claiming anything. That was my lawyer’s strategy to get them to drop the charges.”

“Except it’ll make me look guilty as sin.” He turns his bulk toward me. “Can we drop all the blame and work together? Maybe we can both get off .”

I can’t help the laughter that slips through my lips. “Repeat that again? We work together and both get off?”

He chuckles softly. “Who’s the one with the dirty mind now?”

“Sorry, but you served that one up nice and easy.” I nudge his arm. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Depends on if it’ll hurt or not.”

“It won’t hurt, I promise.” I scoot closer to him. “Were you flirting with me when you asked me to be your pet?”

“If I said I was, would it be harassment?”

“Only if it was unwanted.”

“Then let me ask you a question.” His breath is warm over my hair, and I realize he’s moved closer. “Did you want me to flirt with you?”

I swallow hard and the truth spills out. “I wanted you to be attracted to me, yes. But not because of my body, because that’s what every man sees first.”

Gulp. What did I just do? Why did I open up to him? Here in the dark, in the middle of a deserted parking garage? I close my eyes and wait, my body tense, ready to fend off his touch, yet hoping against hope he’s different from the rest.

“What if I told you I noticed your awesome overhand throw first?”

“Like when I broke your window?”

“No, when you crumpled up the paperwork and tossed it at that douche-canoe who was following you around.”

“You saw?” My hand moves up his arm to his shoulder, and my insides soften as tingles electrify my skin.

“It’s not many women who can throw like you.” He captures my hand. “Were you a pitcher?”

“How’d you guess? Women’s softball team at Berkeley. What else did you notice?”

Now I’m definitely fishing. I’m lucky it’s so dark, because I’m hot and my lips are moist, and it would be mortifying if he knew how much I want him to kiss me.

“This.” He thumbs my lower lip, tugging it lightly. “But I can’t say what I’d like to do about it.”

“I can.” I slide my hand over his shoulder and move in until his breath is on my lips. “May I kiss you?”

“Only if you’re not feeling harassed.”

“I’m not. You never harassed me. I’ll tell my lawyer to drop it.”

I close my eyes, barely able to hold still. Warmth flows between us, and I can feel his lips moisten.

With a wrenching shudder, he pulls away and steps out of the truck.

Hot tears pierce my eyelids, and I bury my face in the pillow, pulling the blanket over me.

He got what he wanted, and it wasn’t me.

~ Ben ~

Ben circled around his truck, blowing off his frustration. He’d be a fool to fall into her trap. What was he thinking, getting so close to her? Parking in a dark garage?

He hadn’t been able to see that beautiful face of hers, to know without a doubt that she’d truly wanted to kiss him. She could have been testing him. Waiting for him to make a grab.

He didn’t truly know this Brittney, whether she was honest or kind or devious. A pretty face hid a lot of sins, and even though she said she’d drop the lawsuit, what was to say she wouldn’t change her mind?

This was no way to start a pro football career, lose his focus on a woman who dragged his name and reputation into the gutter by dressing so scantily.

He should be praying for his grandfather, begging God to spare him and sending good thoughts for the surgeon. Not wishing he could kiss the living devil out of a woman he’d just met—one who spelled trouble. Deep trouble of the kind he wouldn’t be able to walk away from.

Now that he’d been so close to tasting those lips, it was all he could think about. Her sweet, yet sporty scent had surrounded him, and the way she looked without makeup was both pure and refreshing.

She’d also listened to him talk about his mother and sister, and she seemed to care—about him.

He was doomed. Utterly and irrevocably doomed. And face it. He really, really wanted to kiss her.

Ben strode back to his truck. He was driving her home. No arguments. Grandpa was his grandfather, not hers. Grandpa was all he had, whereas she had two complete sets of grandparents still alive and kicking.

Until his lawyer heard from her lawyer and the lawsuit and rumors were truly squashed, he wasn’t going to risk getting Grandpa upset by showing up with Brittney Reed, the tease who enjoyed getting men hot and desperate before accusing them of harassment.