Your Irresistible Love (The Bennett Family 1)

I was expecting this to garner me appreciative nods, but both brothers are suspiciously silent. And the silence stretches. . .

Uh-oh.

“I was a jock,” Logan says seriously.

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Cringing, I glance at Sebastian for a sign that Logan is pulling my leg, but nope. “Seeing as how you are a CFO, my dumb comment doesn’t apply to you.” I smile brightly as I say this, but Logan raises both eyebrows. I spend the rest of the drive trying to get back in his good graces. When we arrive at the Bennett house and get out of the car, I completely put my foot in my mouth.

“Wait a minute, if you were a jock, how come Alice’s better than you?”

In response, Logan narrows his eyes and walks away, just as Pippa comes to greet us. She looks after Logan with raised eyebrows, then shrugs and walks to us.

“I’m not sure Logan will forgive me anytime soon,” I tell Sebastian.

“That’s okay. He needs to have his ego taken down somewhat,” he replies.

“I agree,” Pippa says. “Haven’t met the woman yet who can do it.”

“I should introduce him to Nadine. She has a degree in it.” Also in falling in love with jerks. Except, Logan is not a jerk. On second thought, I should really tell Nadine to come down here.

“Oh, you should totally introduce her to him.” Pippa’s eyes widen.

“What’s this, Pippa?” Sebastian inquires, putting one arm around his sister’s waist and the other around mine. “I thought I was your current matchmaking project.”

“Oh, you two are a done deal.” She gestures between the two of us. I lower my eyes to my feet. Yeah, for one more month, we’re a done deal. Then we’ll have to deal with the aftermath, which will be too much heartbreak. That’s a done deal too. Sebastian’s voice is uneven as he tells me I’ll have to play at least one round with them before I dismiss soccer for good. His grip on my waist tightens as he leads me to the immense garden turned soccer pitch—otherwise also known as the place where Ava Lindt will make a complete ass of herself. There are even two nets.

I try to get out of it, using my dress and sandals as an excuse. Pippa makes the case that she’s played in a dress before, and Alice gives me the extra pair of sneakers she brought just in case.

“I won’t be good at it,” I mutter for Sebastian’s ears only. “I’ve never played ball without hitting myself or other people. . .you have no idea how much I suck.”

Sebastian lifts my jaw, planting a quick kiss on my lips. He moves his mouth to my ear. “You just used ball and suck in one sentence. Do you have any idea what that does to me?”

“Pervert,” I hiss as Alice tells us all to take our positions.

Soccer is a family event for the Bennetts. Save for the twins who are overseas, everyone is here. Thankfully, only one couple and their adorable baby, Adrian, from the cohort of adopted Bennetts are here, so all in all, only a dozen people will experience my humiliation firsthand.

Badly. That’s how much I can suck. In the span of fifteen minutes, I manage to get hit with a ball three times, the last time in the head. I’ve also managed to injure three players. I’ve muttered more apologies in these fifteen minutes than I have in the past year. My right side hurts like a bitch from falling on it, and so does my knee.

“Okay, this is clearly not working,” Sebastian says.

“Really? I thought I was doing an exceptional job,” I snap.

“I have an idea. Why don’t you babysit Adrian, and Jenna can come play?”

I look over to where he’s pointing and nod. Jenna is beyond happy when I tell her she can play in my stead, and I’ll take care of her son. She practically flies to the field, and plays well.

She, like everyone else, has embraced this sport. I turn my attention to the little bundle in my arms. Apparently, he and I are the only ones around unable to competently kick a ball.

“Well, hello, little baby.”

Baby Adrian turns out to be the cutest baby in the world. He doesn’t cry once, and smiles at me the entire time. I hug him to my chest. So this is all the fuss about babies. They smell like sugar and heaven, and they radiate happiness. He plays with my hair for a while, and then falls asleep. I redirect my attention to the field, and discover Alice is a bona fide tomboy. The few times I’ve seen her, she was wearing feminine dresses—and wearing them well, but it’s obvious she’s as comfortable in sneakers, shorts, and a tank top. Even with my limited understanding of the game, I can tell she and Logan are the best on the field. I cannot properly assess Sebastian’s performance, because I’m too preoccupied inspecting how beautifully his muscles contort with effort, but I’m sure he’s great. Not that I’m biased or anything.

After what seems like an eternity, the game is over.

Sebastian walks straight to me, smiling as he gazes down at Adrian. “The two of you seem to be getting along well.”

“There’s not much I have to do. He’s laughed at me the entire time. Look. Oh, he’s adorable.”