Just One Thing (The Alexanders 6)

“That’s the best medicine in the world right there. You were made for me, Katie.”

He lifted his hips and she cried out. His eyes glittered with triumph before he did it again. She caught his rhythm and soon, they were rocking against each other in rolling waves of pleasure and Katie thought she’d die from it.

His hand clenched on her hip. “I love you, Katie. I know you think it’s too soon but I need you to know how I feel.”

His eyes searched hers and Katie couldn’t deny him. Despite knowing that it was too soon and that this whole thing was probably crazy, she could never deny him anything. So she gave him the words.

“I love you, too.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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Late Monday afternoon, Katie went about her work watering the soil samples all while trying to keep the huge, cheesy grin off her face. She glanced over her shoulder at Bennett, who was nose deep in his tablet. When he looked up and caught her eyes, he smiled. A private, intimate smile that made her blush from her head to her toes.

Oh, the things that man could make her feel.

This weekend had been perfect. After making love Friday night, they'd fallen into an exhausted sleep. She'd fussed over him the next morning, making breakfast they could share in bed. Then they'd wasted the day away watching Netflix and cuddling. Bennett was a fan of British comedies and Katie loved murder mysteries so they'd alternated shows. It had been fun to see what kind of television he enjoyed. That night, Katie read to him until he fell asleep with his head pillowed in her lap.

Katie sighed. She’d looked down at him in that moment and wished that could be her real life. Going to sleep with him each night, sharing their stories about what happened when they weren’t together, venting when they had a bad day. It had been hard to go home on Sunday, even though she’d missed her boys. He said he loved her and she believed he meant it. But Bennett didn’t have a lot of experience with how fickle and strange love could be. It burned so bright in the beginning and if you’d never been that close to the flame before, you couldn’t imagine that it would ever go out. But Katie knew from experience that no flame could

burn forever.

Eventually, their intense passion would cool and all the things he found cute about her now would become annoyances. He didn’t mind the differences in their education when things were shiny and new but what would happen a year from now? Would he get frustrated if she couldn’t understand his new research or if he couldn’t get her input on some scientific breakthrough? There was no way to know for sure but Bennett seemed determined that it wouldn’t matter.

She was surely going to get her heart broken but she couldn’t help loving him back.

The rest of the day sped by until it was time for her to go pick up the kids. The butterflies she’d been ignoring all afternoon flared brightly. They’d decided that it was time for Bennett to spend a little time with them so she was going to pick them up and bring them back here for the rest of the afternoon. Katie was unreasonably nervous about it.

“So you’re going to go get them and then come right back?” Bennett looked just as nervous as she felt.

“Yes. Grady mentioned that one of the barn cats had kittens so I figured we could show them.”

Bennett nodded. “Also when my mother heard the kids were coming over, she said she would bring us dinner.” He smiled sheepishly. “I think she’s afraid that I was going to attempt to cook for you.”

Katie tried to suppress a smile. As talented as Bennett was at keeping chemical formulations in his mind, he couldn’t seem to focus on a recipe long enough not to burn everything he tried to make. She’d seen that for herself this weekend when he tried to “help” her make breakfast. It was actually kind of reassuring to see that he wasn’t great at everything he attempted.

“That was really nice of her. She’s always been so sweet to us.”

“You know my mother is going to start dropping the marriage hints pretty heavily now that she knows we’re seeing each other. You should prepare yourself.”

Bennett turned back to his work as if he hadn’t just dropped a huge conversational bomb on her. Marriage talk? What?

Katie put a hand to her throat. She seriously doubted if Julia was enthused that Bennett was dating a divorcée who already had two kids, let alone with the idea of marriage.

“I doubt we need to worry about that,” she muttered. “I didn’t even know you told her that we were dating. I figured she was just being nice since I’m an employee.”

Bennett looked up from his work. “Are you kidding? This is the happiest my mom has been with me in ages. She’s practically salivating at the idea of gaining two new grandkids at once.”

Longing rose up in Katie so swiftly she almost choked on it. What was it like to be a part of a family that accepted you so completely that they’d welcome two new step-grandkids with the same excitement as their own flesh and blood?

Don’s parents were nice enough but distant. It was something that Don had complained about when they were first married. His father was a surgeon also and he’d always said he wanted to be a more present father than his own had been. She’d truly thought he would be but after the divorce, the time between his calls and visits to the kids got longer and longer. She hated having to see their disappointment every time he didn’t show up for something at school or forgot to visit.

Not that she would tell Bennett any of that. If their relationship was going to have a chance, his interest in the kids would have to develop naturally. She didn’t want him to feel obligated to spend time with them before he was ready just because they were so hungry for a male role model.

“Your family is the best,” she said finally. “Well, I’ll be back.”

Katie didn’t look at him again as she grabbed her purse and jacket and left. The whole way home she thought about what he’d said. He hadn’t seemed at all alarmed at the idea of Julia’s marriage agenda. She smiled softly.