Bennett (On the Line 2)

“Not really. She lives in upstate New York with her third husband. We talk on the phone sometimes, but that’s about it. Liam and I find her high tolerance for bullshit frustrating.”

Bennett finished the bite he was chewing and then pointed at his plate with his fork. “This is really good.”

“Thanks. So who does the cooking at your place, you or Liam?”

“Him. That bastard’s so Type A about the kitchen and dishes that I don’t even touch ’em.”

“Yeah, he did a lot of the cooking and we both did a lot of the cleaning growing up because Mom was working two jobs.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy.” Bennett gave me a serious look. “I’d do anything for him. I’d never deliberately mess with a teammate’s sister, but Liam . . . he’s more like a brother to me. That’s why I deserve the ass-beating I’ll be getting from him.”

“I was the one who messed with you. You didn’t even want to get with me that night.”

Bennett arched his brows and laughed. “Oh, I wanted to. I just wasn’t sure you were in the right state of mind, you know?”

“I was.”

We ate in silence for a minute before I spoke again. “Have you ever not gotten with a woman you wanted?”

The corners of his mouth turned up with amusement. “Sure.”

“Why not?”

“Ah, you know,” he said, shrugging. “I’d find out they were married or involved.”

“Do you and my brother ever share women?” I blurted. “Wait, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. That’s too much grossness.”

“No. I’m not having you wonder about that. Never. I’m not into that.”

“Do you hope we have a boy or a girl?”

He shook his head and laughed. “You’re the most random subject-changer ever.”

“That’s true.”

“I don’t care. Honestly, I’ll be happy with either one. I’m gonna have a little hockey stick in my hand for the baby when it comes out, boy or girl.”

I laughed at the image.

“Will it be okay if I’m in the delivery room with you?” he asked. “Whether you’re seeing someone else or not?”

His brow was creased with worry. I’d gotten lucky with my choice in one-night stands. This was a man who was doing right by our child in every way so far.

“Of course. And I’d never let a man I was dating who wasn’t the father of the kid be in there.” I went to take a bite of food but then put my fork down and continued. “Also, I’m not up for dating right now, so it’s not even an issue. It doesn’t feel right. I just want to concentrate on the baby.”

“Good. Me too.”

We finished dinner and he helped me clear the dishes. I went to the spot where the cake was perched on the kitchen counter and took the lid off. The sweet smell of frosting had my full attention until I felt Bennett’s warm presence behind me.

I could chatter about how good the cake looked and smelled and ask him to grab some plates for us. Or . . .

I turned around slowly and looked up at him. His eyes were locked on mine. My heart was doing its fast-paced dance again, making me a little light-headed. I leaned back against the counter just as Bennett put his palms on it, trapping me in his closeness.

He leaned in and my breath caught in my throat.

“Um . . . I’ve got onion breath,” I whispered.

“So do I,” he said with a half smirk. “It cancels out if we’ve both got it.”