Hotshot (The Bennett Brothers 1)

He grins at my hesitation and nods. “When we get back, we’ll move your things to my room. I want you in my bed tonight.”

I pause, my heart coming to a screeching halt… then thundering at his statement. “You do?”

He frowns, his eyes crinkling as he tightens his hold on my hand. “Last night, I had you asleep on me until I forced myself to carry you to your room. It sucked watching you sleep in that bed, knowing how you felt lying on top of me. Today, when you napped, I got the full experience of having you in my arms as you slept and woke up. I’m not going to miss it again. If you’d rather we sleep in your bed, that’s fine, as long as we’re together.”

“Either bed is fine with me,” I agree without hesitation.

“If we don’t leave now, we’ll never leave.”

“Well, I don’t want to miss the chance to see you in action. I’m already pretty convinced you’re incredible, but the thought of seeing you show this Joe guy how lucky he will be to have you isn’t something I’m willing to miss.”

His lips twitch at my statement. He gives a low chuckle and leads me out the door to the elevator, and like last night, he never lets me go.

I scrounge through my suitcase and huff, my nerves on edge. After all my packing preparations, there isn’t one sexy thing to wear to bed. Clothes are scattered across the bed, the floor, and even the recliner as I look again trying to find something to wear.

“Bizzy, you okay?” Shaw’s voice gets closer, and I know he’s milliseconds from coming in.

“Yes,” I squeak and grab the same pajama set I wore last night. At least he’s already seen this.

“What’s taking you so long?” His warm hands caress my shoulders as his lips brush along my neck.

“I was looking for something.”

“Want to tell me what?” he teases. “By the looks of this room, you must have been searching hard.”

I twist in his arms and swallow my groan when I come face to face with his defined, tan, bare chest. Even though I ran my hands along every inch this afternoon, I’m still stunned by it.

“I thought I’d brought a different pair of pajamas, but I didn’t,” I semi tell the truth.

“Biz, look at me.”

I raise my eyes to his and see his face filled with concern. “You okay?”

“Of course, why?”

“If you want to sleep in here, if I pushed too hard, I’ll back off.”

“No!” I practically scream. “It’s not that. I was just hoping I had something sexier to wear to bed,” I admit, heat spreading up my neck.

“Sexy, huh?”

My chest grows tight and my nipples start to tingle. His hands glide up my arms until they’re cupping my head and his fingers fist in my hair.

“I think you may have missed the part about you being the sexy one. You could wear an old, ragged, ripped t-shirt, and I’d think you were the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.”

“How do you do that?” I whisper, my body doing a full shiver. “You make me feel like I’ve never felt before.

“Because I mean it. Every word.”

I back away and hurry to the bathroom. It takes me twice as long to get ready for bed because I’m a nervous wreck. I wish like hell I’d brought my phone in with me so I could call Claire for a little advice. She’d know what to say to calm me down.

I try to think of exactly what she’d tell me and picture her scolding me.

“Lizbeth Hastings, shake out of it and get yourself together! This is Crenshaw Bennett, the man you’ve been in love with for years. The same man waiting for you in his bed while you pitter around in this bathroom.”

I don’t even give myself another look before exiting the bathroom and heading to his room. He’s watching the door and gives me a crooked grin when I enter, going straight to his side.

“I had plans when I woke up this morning, but in my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I’d have you in my bed this soon.” He pulls me down and kisses me softly.