The Stillness Of You (13 page)

Or at the very
least I would have tried my damnedest.

But I
wasn’t alone and I knew that Eden was most likely watching us from
one of the windows. With a sigh I let Georgia go, though my hand
slid down her forearm until I settled her small hand in mine.
Without a word we turned and retraced my steps until we found our
way to the back yard.

Eden burst out
of the house—I knew she’d been spying—a giant grin on her face as
she stared down at us from the deck.

“So, Benjamin,
you’ve been keeping a secret from me.”

I didn’t bother
to deny it. “Eden, this is Georgia.”

Georgia tugged
her hand from mine and I didn’t let her go easily—I didn’t want the
connection to end.

“
Hi,”
Georgia said slowly, an adorable blush staining her cheeks. “I’m
sorry about before. I was kind of rude and I thought…” she stumbled
over her words. “Well I just…”

“
You
thought I was a puck bunny?” Eden shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
Her gaze swung to me. “I can see why Ben was so anxious to get back
here. He even blew off our family barbecue and our nana was not
happy about that.”

That was an
understatement, but I’d promised to make it up to Nan, so we were
good.

Eden
glanced my way. “I’m gonna drive into town for the pizza because it
will be quicker than waiting for them to deliver. Can I have your
keys?”

“Sure, they’re
on the table in the front hall.”

Eden
nodded. “Nice to meet you, Georgia.”

She
disappeared inside the house and I looked at the girl beside me.
“So,” I said, my voice low.

A shy,
nervous grin stole her mouth. “So,” she repeated softly.

“You came.”

For a
moment her heart shaped face fell and I took a step forward, my
hand under her chin, tugging her face up to meet mine. “Hey, I
don’t need to know what last week was about. I get that there are
things about you that I don’t know.” I bent forward and slid my
mouth across hers. “Things that you need to figure out, but I’m
happy to take all the time we need.”

“
I
thought,” she said hesitantly, before exhaling her warm breath
against me. “I didn’t think I could do this. You. Me. But I want
to…I want to try and see what happens.”

The girl
was killing me. Staring up at me with those huge blue eyes that
made me feel as if they could see down into the bottom of my soul.
Stumbling over her words. Biting that bottom lip. Where the hell
had she come from? Had I been waiting for her? Was it chance? Or
fate?

Did I really
care?

I held
out my hand. “You want to see the barn? I did a purge and organized
it for you.”

Surprise
knotted her forehead and for a second I thought I had blown it
because she didn’t reach for my hand and she sure as hell didn’t
seem excited.

“What do you
mean?”

I
shrugged, trying to make out that it didn’t really matter if she
wasn’t into my idea, even though it mattered a hell of a lot. “I
just thought…I know how much you liked that barn and well, Matt
explained that you were staying with him because you’re trying to
decide what to do with college and stuff and I just thought…” I
heaved a breath and ran my fingers across the day old stubble on my
chin. “I just thought you might like to use it as a studio. You
know, for your painting.”

Okay, she
was going to think I was an absolute loser. What kind of guy
offered up an art studio to a girl he was just getting to know? For
the first time my idea—the one that had seemed so right when I’d
arrived this morning—kind of sucked and I frowned.

Georgia King
was going to think I was controlling freak.

But then a
smile slowly crept over her face and there went my damn heart
again, racing to the moon. Man, if I could rewind the last five
seconds just to see that happen all over again, I’d be a happy
man.

“
Really?
But, aren’t you going to use it for something? Storage or I don’t
know… a place to practice your slap shots?”

I grabbed
her hand again, my thumb rubbing along the sensitive area above her
wrist. “No,” I said carefully. “I’m good. My slap shots are good.
My aim is always true.”

“Really,” she
whispered.

“Yeah. It’s
kind of crazy but I get paid a lot of money because of it.”

“Uh huh.”

“So, you know,
the barn is all yours if you want it.”

A
heartbeat passed.

Her eyes
darkened and she licked her lips. “I want it,” she said and I knew
she wasn’t talking about the barn.

Another
heartbeat passed.

Holy
hell.

Georgia

“So,
Georgia,”

I glanced
up at Ben’s sister, my mouth full of pizza and my stomach coiled
tight. She seemed nice but a little protective of her brother—which
I got, they were obviously tight—but I wasn’t so sure where she was
headed and I wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation.

“
What’s
your deal?” She took a sip of beer. “Do you go to college? Do you
live nearby?”

Great.

I glanced
at Ben, but he settled back in his deck chair, his dark eyes
intimate as he gazed at me expectantly. I didn’t see a way out of
this unless I wanted to sound like an absolute bitch.

“
Right
now I’m staying in Philly with my brother Matt. I’m kind of
in-between stuff right now. You know, figuring things
out.”

“Oh.” She
seemed a little surprised. “Do you work then?”

My cheeks
flushed as a wave of heat rolled through me. I didn’t need to work,
not with my inheritance, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t want a
job. I’d thought of applying for a part time gig at an art gallery
downtown but I knew as soon as they did their background check I’d
never get hired. Who was going to hire a crazy person? I didn’t
think Oak Run was going to look real good on a resume.

So what was the
point?

“No,” I
answered abruptly.

Eden took
a sip of her beer, pointing to my bottle of water.
“Did you want something a
little stronger to go with your pizza? There’s beer but we’ve also
go vodka.”

“
I don’t
drink.” Shit this was going well.

She
seemed surprised at that one and was silent for a few seconds. “At
all? Like you’re opposed to it?”

Irritated, I
pasted a fake smile on my face and exhaled. “I just don’t
drink.”

“
Seriously, Eden?” Ben sat a little straighter. “We’re not
doing the third degree thing.”

Eden
ignored her brother. “And Matt, he’s one of the coaches for the
Flyers? That’s how you guys met?”

“Yes.”

I darted
another look at Ben, but he was watching me in a way that made my
skin tingle.

“Georgia
paints,” he said suddenly.

Eden’s
eyebrows shot up. “Really? That’s cool.” She leaned back in her
chair and shook her head. “I’m challenged when it comes to that
shit. I can draw stick people and that’s about it.”

Ben snorted.
“You’re challenged when it comes to most shit.”

She
tossed a beer cap at him. “You’re an asshole.” With a giggle she
glanced my way again. “He’s lying. I’m into sports too, track, and
I’m attending USC on a scholarship while studying
medicine.”

Great.
Was the entire Lancaster family filled with over achievers who not
only looked amazing but excelled at everything they did?

My life
of partying and trouble and good times seemed so
lame
compared to these two and I
couldn’t help but think Ben’s interest in me was purely sexual.
What the hell did I have that would keep someone like him
interested beyond getting laid? My level of comfort took another
nosedive and I tried to keep a smile on my face but it didn’t work,
so I stared at my toes instead.

But Eden wasn’t
done. “So are you still in college?”

I forced
the pizza stuck in my throat, down, and shrugged. “I took a year
off but I’m hoping to go back in the fall or maybe next year…” I
finished lamely.
Or maybe never.

“
Oh, wow,
that’s cool that your parents are fine with you taking time, you
know? Our older sister wanted a year off between high school and
college and man,” she glanced at Ben and made a face. “Mom and Dad
were not happy with her plan and eventually wore her
down.”

I didn’t
say anything and silence fell between us. I didn’t want to chat
about college or parents or anything that had to do with me. The
gap between what I was and what they’d both become was as big as
the fucking Grand Canyon. I knew Eden was just curious, but her
direct way of looking at me, made me uncomfortable and I didn’t
know how to tell her to back off without sounding like a
bitch.

“
Okay,
Eden. Are we done with the twenty million questions?” Ben jumped to
his feet and held out is hand to me. “Let me show you the
house.”

I wiped my
hands on my lap and reached for him, grateful for a
distraction.

Except he
was way more than a distraction. He was something to lose myself in
and when his fingers touched mine, when that thread of energy we
shared exploded and rushed across my skin, I think I might have
groaned.

He grinned.

In fact, I’m
sure I did.

Ben
leaned close, his arm sneaking around my waist. “Don’t worry about
Eden. She’s always in my business. She has been since the day we
were born.”

We. Wait
a minute. “You guys are twins?” Of course they were. Why would God
only gift the world with one perfect Lancaster? Why not have two of
them walking the earth?

“
Yep.
Technically she’s older by a few minutes but they don’t really
count.”

I smiled but
didn’t say anything because I totally thought it would count—at
least for Eden.

Ben
guided me into the house—we’d shared pizza on the deck—and it was
beautiful. He gave me a tour of the main floor and I could tell
that he was really into the details of the place. It was a massive
brick colonial that had been modernized—he’d said it was old, built
in the 1930’s. There were a lot of wood floors, exposed brick and a
couple fire places to boot.

It seemed
bigger than it was, mainly because there wasn’t much furniture and
after showing me around the fully finished basement, and spending a
few extra minutes in what was going to be his future man-cave, we
ended back up in the main floor master bedroom.

Ben’s room.

Ben’s awesome
room with the biggest bed I had ever seen.

“
Wow,” I
said turning in a full circle. Again it was pretty much bare,
except for the huge bed, but what an amazing room. It was all dark
wood, rich floors, a fire place and it had high, cathedral ceiling
and half of it was glass. It was amazing.

The half that
was glass reached over his bed. It was insanely cool and from the
grin on Ben’s face I could tell he was really proud of the
place.

“Ben, it’s
amazing.”

“
Yeah,”
he said slowly, taking three steps until he was inches from me. “It
is.”

Anymore
words I had dried up as he bent forward and kissed me.

His lips were
warm, soft and my hands snaked around his neck because if I didn’t
hold onto something I was going to fall.

I tasted
beer and mint—the guy was a stickler for Wrigley’s gum—and when his
tongue slid between my lips I met him head on.

It was a
hungry kiss, one filled with the need to connect, and I groaned
into him when he suckled on my bottom lip, his eyes on me. I
couldn’t look away. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of
chocolate eyes, hard bodies and desire.

He let go
of my lip, his hands sliding down my back until he cupped my ass
and pulled me as close as he could. “God, I’ve thought of this
every day.”

His mouth slid
to my jaw and then he nibbled his way down my neck to that place
beneath my ear. The place that drove me crazy. I shuddered when his
hot breath rolled across my skin and when he began to suckle me,
his lips and mouth pulling on my skin, I closed my eyes and went
limp in his arms.

“Ben,” I
breathed.

“Feel good?” he
whispered, his voice hitting low and intimate in my ear.

“Yes.” I was
awash in sensation and god, it had been so long since I’d felt
alive.

He picked me
up, laid me on the bed and then stood back a few inches, his dark
eyes staring down at me, while he raked his hands through that long
tangle of hair at his nape.

“Georgia,
you’re…”

A day’s
worth of stubble shadowed his jaw and chin and I wanted to run my
fingers across him, taste him again. I wanted to feel
more.

My dress
was bunched high on my thighs and when his gaze rested there
briefly, the ache between them erupted and I squirmed,
needing
more.

“Where’s your
sister?” I asked breathlessly.

“She won’t come
back here if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“
Good,
take your shirt off.” My voice sounded low and throaty and a thrill
shot through me when he reacted instantly and tossed his T-shirt
onto the floor before crawling onto the bed beside me.

This man
was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful.