Sweet Sizzle: A Red Hot Valentine Story (6 page)

CHAPTER SIX

It’d been two days since Ben careened back into her world, and Rory was no less dazed and confused by the constant turmoil of her feelings for him. He’d kept his word about not pressuring her—for the most part. There were the daily phone calls to the shop. Sweet little reminders that she was in his thoughts, and he couldn’t wait to see her again. Sooner or later she was going to have to give in and let him have her cell number. If for no other reason than to avoid the chance of getting busted by Hailey should she pick up Ben’s call. And that was another hurdle she needed to jump in the not-so-distant future. Coming clean to Hailey. God knows that wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.

“Ooh, it looks like your secret admirer has another present for you today.”

Rory glanced toward Trisha and noticed the girl had paused her front window washing in mid-spritz. A moment later, an FTD delivery person toting a florist box and a stuffed teddy bear walked into the store. Rory signed for both items and prepared to go back to work on cleaning the glass display cases. Trisha was having none of that. The second the door closed behind the FTD dude, Trisha nudged the florist box toward Rory. “Go on. Open it.”

Completely unnecessary. Rory already knew what was inside. But judging from Trisha’s bouncy excitement, there’d be no living with the girl until the darn box was open. Loosening the pink satin ribbon, Rory slid the waxed cardboard free and removed the lid. One dozen stems of exquisitely fragrant purple freesia rested atop the tissue paper. She gathered the blooms and lifted them to her nose, their lovely essence bringing a mist to her eyes. Damn it, Ben didn’t play fair with all this romantic stuff.

A wistful sigh broke from Trisha. “You’re so lucky. Rich couldn’t even be bothered to get me a card for Valentine’s Day, and here your guy is
still
sending you gifts  two days after the holiday.”

“He’s not my guy,” Rory felt inclined to point out—as much for her sake as Trisha’s. She couldn’t afford to start tagging Ben with possessive labels. If she stood any hope of remaining smart about all of this and not doing anything so foolish as falling in love with him again, she had to keep her heart vigilant and her head strong.

“Fine, your secret admirer then.” Trisha rolled her eyes. “Do you have any idea who it is?”

“Nope.” She didn’t like lying to Trisha, but she had no choice. Until she was ready to tell Hailey that Ben was back in the picture, his name had to stay out of it.

Apparently satisfied she’d gleaned all the intel she could out of Rory, Trisha traipsed back to the front window and took up where she’d left off with the Windex. Picking up her own wad of paper towels, Rory resumed her quest of banishing the last traces of fingerprints marking the display case. Approximately five minutes into it, she was distracted by the wolf whistle that shot from Trisha.

“Holy bulging muscles, Batman. Boss, you’ve got to check this guy out. He’s totes a McHottie.”

Rory had no clue what Trisha just said, but it didn’t stop her from tossing aside her paper towel and going to investigate what all the commotion was about. She hauled short next to Trisha and followed the younger girl’s wide-eyed stare to the fine specimen of sheer masculinity crossing the street. Heart skipping a beat, she locked gazes with Bennet. Her tummy performed an embarrassing flip when he flashed her a grin.

Trisha’s focus veered to Rory. “Did you see that? He just smiled at you.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” she said weakly.

Ben picked up his pace and dashed to the sidewalk fronting The Sweet Spot. Five strides of those long legs of his and he reached the entrance. An instant later, he cleared the doorway and swept Rory into his arms. His hungry mouth came down over hers, tongue seeking out hers. She shivered, melting into him with a soft moan. An eternity passed before she remembered Trisha’s presence. Breaking the kiss, she peeked toward the younger woman and caught Trisha’s stunned gape. Rory inwardly groaned. So much for keeping Ben a secret. Licking her lips, she carefully untangled herself from his embrace and awkwardly waved a hand toward her mute employee. “Ben, this is Trisha. Don’t think you two have met before.”

Ben extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Trisha.”

Her shock quickly transforming into a beaming smile, Trisha accepted his handshake. “Likewise.” She slid a shrewd look in Rory’s direction. “Don’t suppose you’re a fan of flowers, Ben?”

He glanced at Rory. “So I take it you got them?”

“Um, yes. Thank you. They’re absolutely beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like them, Ro.” His expression was so earnest, it almost made her want to cry. “I know I said no pressuring—and I swear this isn’t—but I couldn’t go another day without seeing you.”

A dreamy sigh floated from Trisha. Ignoring the girl, Rory rubbed her palms on the waist of her skirt. “I guess I’m okay with that. I was thinking about stopping by the firehouse after closing up shop today.”

“Yeah?” His smile threatened to blind her. “I have tonight off though. That’s one of the reasons I swung by. Kinda hoped you’d be up for having dinner.”

“What time?”

“Around seven? I could pick you up at your place.”

She nervously plucked at the side seam of her skirt. It wasn’t necessarily that she didn’t want Ben to have her address, but she also knew the lack of control she tended to have where he was concerned. If she invited him into her house there’d be a good chance they’d never even make it to dinner. Even worse than that, seeing him in her bed would only lead to her imagining him there permanently.

No, you’re not going down that road again, remember?
Reinforcing her resolve with that thought, she cleared her throat. “Actually, why don’t you just meet me here? It’ll give me a chance to get a little extra work in before calling it a night.”

If Ben was disappointed by her suggestion he did a fantastic job of hiding it. Inclining his head, he back stepped toward the exit. “It’s a date then.”

She wanted to correct his misuse of the term. This was two friends reconnecting over a meal, nothing more. But she couldn’t very well say that with Trisha eagerly listening in. So instead she gave a resigned nod. He awarded her one last hot kiss goodbye before ducking out the door. Turning, she met the wicked sparkle in Trisha’s gaze.

“No idea who that secret admirer is, huh?”

In the current scheme of worries facing her, getting busted by her employee was the least of her problems.

***

The one benefit of staying late at work was she really did kick butt at getting the kitchen in pristine shape. They’d pass the next health inspection with flying colors for sure. The only drawback was now she was a grimy mess. Grimacing at the soot marks marring her forearms, she rolled down her latex gloves and pried the snug material from her fingers. Well, at least she didn’t have to worry about gross nails. She cranked on the faucet and grabbed the scrubber brush and a bar of soap. While she sudsed up she mulled over her options as far as a clothes change went. The skirt was fine, but she definitely couldn’t be seen in public in the sweater. Not unless she wanted everyone assuming she was a chimneysweeper. Maybe she could sneak home before Ben showed up.

A quick glance at the clock killed that idea. He’d be here in less than fifteen minutes. It’d take her that long just to reach her house. Dejection slumped her shoulders. Yeah, it shouldn’t matter that she didn’t exactly look her smashing best. This wasn’t a date, despite Ben calling it such. But it didn’t change the pathetic reality that she wanted to look nice for him. Sighing, she dialed off the faucet and patted her skin dry with one of the flour sack towels. Her cell buzzed, its vibrations sending it skittering across the counter’s metal surface. Snatching the device before it could topple over the side, she punched the Talk button. “Hello?”

“Hey, where are you at?”

Guilt washed over her at the sound of Hailey’s concerned tone. “The store. Why?”

“I was wondering. Just called your house and obviously you weren’t there.”

“The cleaning bug bit me so I decided to stay late.”

“Ambitious of you. I feel bad leaving you holding the bag on everything this week. Good news is the doc has given me the all clear. I’ll be back in business starting tomorrow.”

“That’s awesome, Hail.”
Oh crap.
On one hand, she couldn’t wait to get her best friend next to her in the kitchen again. But there was also the small matter of Ben.
Tell her.
She opened her mouth, but the stubborn words refused to dislodge from her tongue.

“I hate to cut this short, but my mom is stopping by any minute with some soup. And you know how she is if I answer the door in my pajamas. Forget I’ve been on my deathbed for the last few days. That’s no excuse. I mean, the mother fucking Prince of Wales could be strolling by and catch me in my ugly flannels, God forbid!”

Rory chuckled. “Yep, I can see you’re feeling better, you ornery bitch.”

“Got that right, Skankasaurus Rex.”

Grinning at having her best friend back in tiptop shape, Rory bid Hailey goodnight and hung up. Tomorrow she’d handle spilling the beans to Hailey, but for now she’d enjoy the calm before the storm. Leaning her hip against the counter, she proudly surveyed the efforts of all her hard work. The stainless steel practically sparkled. Her focus landed on the table where she and Ben had made love. “No,
fucked
,” she immediately corrected herself. She wouldn’t tack on flowery terms for what they’d shared. It’d been a raw, uninhibited mating. Ten years of pent up lust. Nothing more. Why complicate things by bringing emotions into it?

Uneasiness pinching her between the shoulder blades, she plopped her cell phone into her jacket pocket and shut off the kitchen lights. She trekked to the front of the shop and plunked her purse onto the counter. Her wait proved short-lived. Within three minutes a large silver truck pulled to a stop outside and Bennet climbed out. Her pulse giving a traitorous leap, she watched him smooth a hand over his hair. The gesture was so adorably
him
, it made her heart ache. Dropping his arm, he strode to the shop, his loose, easy gait drawing her attention to the gorgeous physique not entirely hidden beneath his hunter green polo and dress khakis. No wonder Trisha had wolf whistled. Ben was the walking definition of sex-on-a-stick. That thought dragged her depraved mind back to their encounter on the worktable. The temptation of a repeat performance the last thing she needed to obsess on, she snatched her purse and jacket and hurried to the door before he could step inside. Indicating for him to hang tight for a second, she keyed in the alarm code and hit the main light switch, plunging the room into darkness.

Rushing to beat the alarm, she ducked outside and secured the locks. Blowing a wisp of hair out of her eyes, she turned to Ben with a smile. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Looks like you’ve been hard at work.” Grinning, he brushed his thumb over her brow.

“Oh Lord. Don’t tell me I have oven grime all over my face.”

“Is that what it is? I thought maybe you’d spent the day coal mining.”

She groaned. “I look like shit, don’t I?”

“Nope. Even if you were covered head to foot in soot, you’d still be the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Despite knowing that was a mega exaggeration, his claim brought a flush of happiness to her cheeks. Until she remembered her soiled sweater and the otherwise disheveled state of her appearance. “Cleaning that stove probably wasn’t one of my more intelligent decisions.”

“Did you want to go home and change?”

She didn’t have much choice. Yeah, Ben being anywhere near the vicinity of her bedroom was a huge risk, but it was a gamble she must take. “You wouldn’t mind?”

He tossed her a look like that was the craziest inquiry to pass her lips. Sighing, she swung her jacket over her arm and allowed him to escort her to his truck. Thankfully the vehicle wasn’t one of those monsters that required a ladder to reach the seat. Buckling herself in, she discreetly surveyed the interior while Ben moseyed to the driver’s side. He’d always been exceptionally tidy, and judging from the spotless floor mats, that trait was still alive and kicking. The woman who scored him as a husband would certainly luck out in that regard.

Now why in the world did that thought have to bloom in her head? Gloominess swamping her, she folded her hands in her lap and attempted to steer her mind away from the disquieting notion of some faceless woman domesticating Ben. The possibility was always there. Just because she was shying away from a future with him didn’t mean he’d live the rest of his days pining solely for her. Not that she wanted that in the first place. He deserved to be happy and find peace and contentment.

Ben slipped in behind the wheel and gunned the engine before glancing at her. Concern etched his features. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. I just feel bad about making you drive out of your way.” Not a complete lie.

“Don’t sweat it, Ro.” He stretched his arm past the center divider and squeezed her knee. The gesture was one of reassurance, but it didn’t lessen the physical awareness of his touch.

She shivered, goose bumps hop scotching across her skin. If she didn’t stop imagining his hand coasting higher and delving inside her panties, sweating would most definitely become a major issue. Fortunately he saved her that mortifying predicament by returning his focus to the wheel and reversing out of the spot. She gave him the directions to her house and they left the commercial district of Royal Oak behind. The trip to her place sped by, thanks to the light traffic and the comfortable flow of conversation Ben engaged her in. While they chatted about their day she was reminded all over again at how easy he made it to relax and be herself. No awkward silences where they both frantically searched for something to fill the empty spaces. No dreading the closing moment of the night, when she’d be faced with that inevitable decision of whether to see him again—a common dilemma with the majority of her past dates.