The Inn at Laurel Creek (10 page)

He caressed my stomach with the tips of his fingers, dotting my skin with even more goose bumps from his touch. He lifted his eyes to mine, gave me a slight, sweet smile, and gently pulled the straps of my bra down over my shoulders and lifted it from me. Instinctively I covered myself, but he pulled my arms away.

"Don't," he said. "You're beautiful. Don't hide from me."

"It's not fair that I'm half naked and you're fully dressed," I said.

He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it aside. "Better?"

I nodded, distracted by the ripples on his tanned abs. I slid my fingers down from his chest to his trim waist, feeling each bump and curve, feeling his strength in contrast to the softness of his skin. The sun sent rays through the tree branches above us, making his skin
glow
with warmth. "You have an incredible body. I've wanted to touch you
since the day I met you," I said, trailing my fingers around his chest in tiny circles.

I kissed his neck, breathing in his scent and holding my breath, letting it bury itself inside me. I wanted to keep his smell with me forever.

I dropped my hand to his shorts and tried to unbutton them, but my hands shook again.

Ben chuckled, and grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing my fingers. "You're not good at undressing, are you?"

"Apparently not so much."

He kissed my hand again while his other hand unbuttoned his shorts in one move.

"Wow, you're good."

"More like impatient," he said, his voice deep and soft. "I just want to feel your skin against mine."

"Well then," I said, my voice barely a whisper, "what are you waiting for?"

We made love for hours right there next to the creek, our bodies entwined and our hearts connected. It was exciting and sexy and amazing
and familiar too—like we were meant to be together, and I didn't want it
to stop.

***

Ben lay next to me, twirling my hair between his fingers.

"You're incredible."

"So are you."

"We missed dinner," he said, running a finger down my neck.

"I know," I said, not sorry at all. "Lou's probably mad."

"Are you kidding me? She's probably doing her happy dance, knowing we're together and you know about Bret."

"You're probably right."

He sat up, keeping me covered with the throw from his bag. He grabbed my bra and shirt and handed them to me, then put on his own shirt. "We should get back though. It's dark and there are wild animals out here."

"Are you scared of wild animals, Ben?" I tried to maneuver the throw so I could put on my bra without dropping it, but it didn't
work.
"Because that's not very manly and you don't want to mess up that
manly image I have of you, do you?"

"Do I need to prove to you—again—that I'm a man?"

I pulled my shirt over my head. "I think you're going to have to, but not here. First I need some food and a big glass of that sweet tea Lou makes, but you can start to prove it by protecting me from the
wild animals on the way back to the Inn."

"Deal," he said, a big smile on his face.

***

Lou was frantic when we arrived, and after apologizing repeatedly for worrying her, we walked the walk of shame up to our rooms, with the addition of our tails between our legs for upsetting her.

"That was embarrassing," I said, standing next to my room.

"Lou's a big girl. She'll be fine," Ben said. "She'll have dinner up on
the deck for us as soon as we're finished showering, too." He kissed my forehead. "Do you need help washing your back?" He bobbed his eyebrows up and down.

I opened my door. "So cheesy."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

I closed the door without letting him in, giving him my answer. I was in desperate need of a shower and had to pee so bad I thought I
would burst—not something any woman wants to do in the early
stages of romance.

An hour later I was on the deck waiting for Ben. I'd dressed quickly, wearing just a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts, my usual sleep attire. I wasn't sure if one of us would stay with the other, and I wasn't trying
to be sexy—as if that was possible in a tank top and boxers. I just
wanted
to be comfy. I was equally tired and energized, and my body fought itself when I yawned and fidgeted at the same time. I was nervous but I couldn't quite figure out why. Being with Ben had been
everything I'd
imagined—more, really, and I didn't feel awkward or
uncomfortable,
in fact, just the opposite. I wondered if my nervousness was because of that…because of how comfortable I felt with him…how easy it was to be with him…how much I wanted him. How was this even possible so soon? Did he feel the same? Of course earlier it was
obvious he did, but
I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made more out of the sex than was really there. I stopped myself from going down that road, and instead admired what Lou had done to the deck.

She had dinner waiting, and she had lit dozens of small candles,
placing them along the entire length of the deck railing. Soft music
played in the background and tiny white lights entwined through the
trellis were lit up like stars. It was incredibly sweet and romantic,
maybe
even magical, and I made a mental note to thank her with a special
gift when I got back home.

I sat in the rocking chair, breathing in the smells from the dinner
she'd prepared. I snuck a peek under the tops of the trays and my
mouth watered. Homemade fried chicken, baked macaroni and
cheese,
and corn casserole along with a massive piece of cheesecake made
my stomach growl.

"What's under there?" Ben asked.

"The most amazing looking macaroni and cheese I've ever seen, for starters," I said. "Will you hurry up and sit so I can eat? I'm famished."

"I have that effect on women."

I couldn't argue with that.

"So tell me about your tour," I said as we ate.

And he did. He told me all of the different states and venues—all big and all sold out.

"Are you playing in Atlanta?"

He nodded. "Verizon in Alpharetta. It's my first stop. You'll come, right?"

"Oh God, my friends are going to flip. What am I gonna tell them?"

"Tell them you've got backstage passes to meet Bret Bennett and when they're there, we'll break it to them."

"Do you know how much that will freak them out?" I loved the idea. "They'll pee themselves from the excitement. I'm pretty sure at
least one of them will want to sleep with you."

"Hopefully not the one that pees herself."

I smacked him in the arm. "Funny."

"Maybe have them bring a change of clothes along too, just in
case." He winked at me.

The thought of surprising my friends like that made me so excited—thinking about the expressions on their faces, how they'd react knowing Bret Bennett was mine. I wasn't sure I could keep the secret much longer than another twenty-four hours, let alone a few more weeks. "I'm not sure I can wait that long. I mean, girls talk, Ben.
We tell our friends about our boyfriends, and even though you're Ben Reynolds to me, you're still Bret Bennett and that's a pretty big secret to keep."

"I'm your boyfriend?"

I blushed. "Oh, well you know what I mean."

"No, I don't," he said, leaning toward me and kissing me. "Tell me."

"You said you wanted this to continue after we got back to the city," I said. "So I thought that meant…" I was horribly embarrassed,
heat rushing to my face. "I guess I just assumed…"

"Right," he said. "You assumed right. I'm your boyfriend and you're my girlfriend. I like that. We're a couple, so that means you
can't see anyone else, or think about anyone else."

"Who would I think about?" I asked.

"Matthew?"

"I'm sorry, who?"

Ben's expression changed from flirtatious to serious. "Are you
over him, Carly?"

I stood, pushed the food tray aside and sat on Ben's lap, nuzzling his neck. "I'm over him, Ben. From the moment I saw you, Matthew didn't matter. I don't even care that he's married, in fact, I hope he's
happy."

"Do you think it's possible to fall in love that quickly now?"

I knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if I was in love
with him. I was, but I wasn't sure if he felt the same, and I didn't
want to say the wrong thing. "I'm more open to the idea now."

He leaned down and picked up his guitar. "I want to play you what I wrote for you."

I scooted off of his lap and back to my chair. "Okay." I twisted
my hands together, nervous and excited.

"I played it for my manager this morning, and I've added it to my playlist. It'll be the first encore on the first night of my tour, and
I'd like you to come out on stage with me."

On stage? "I don't know if I can do that. I've never been on stage before. What if I make a fool of myself? Or of you?"

He laughed. "You won't, I promise."

"But I thought you wanted to keep your private life private?"

"You're right, and when I think about it, I don't want to share
you with anyone."

His fingers picked the strings of the guitar, playing a slow, soft melody that reminded me of the few moments just after we'd made
love, wrapped in each other's arms, feeling happy and sated.

Ben's voice was low and smooth, and I could feel the emotion coming from deep inside of him.

"
I hadn't found my way,

Living my life day to day,

Not thinkin' about what I was missing,

No miracles for me,

Until I saw you lying there.

In that moment, I knew I'd never be the same.

So let's not waste time, let's take this leap of faith.

I knew I loved you from the moment I saw you.
"

He didn't finish the song. Instead, he set down his guitar,
grabbed
my hands from across the small table and pulled me over to him
again. "I knew I loved you from the moment I saw you."

"I love you, too."

"So I guess you believe it's possible to fall in love in a short time now?"

"I didn't know."

"Because you'd never experienced it."

"But now I do, and I have to admit, it's amazing."

He leaned his forehead into mine. "Yes, it is."

He kissed me then, a kiss that lasted a long, long time.

"I laughed and I cried...and laughed...and cried...throughout the entire book!  This book was so real (yes even with the heroine seeing her mother's ghost) and the emotion in it will stay with me for a long, long time!"

—
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