Page 34 of Follow Your Instincts

He took off running before I could reply, and I chased after him, feeling lighter than I had in a long time.

Back at the Center, Steffi consented to Ben staying for a quick breakfast as long as he stayed in the meeting room. I brought him a chocolate chip muffin still warm from the oven, and we ate side by side on the couch with the door open. I felt like I was 15 again, having to keep my bedroom door wide open whenever my boyfriend David came over. I felt as giddy as a teenager, too, giggling with Ben about our park adventure.

“When should I come to pick you up tomorrow? You could just come back with me now, the guys would be thrilled.”

I squinted at him. “Do they really want me to come over, or is that just you?”

“Of course they do, sweetheart. Lucas started cleaning the house last night in preparation, and Soren can’t stop smiling.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close to run his nose along the side of my neck before kissing my cheek.

“Behave or Steffi’s gonna kick you out,” I said, but I didn’t pull away. “Plus, I need a shower.”

“Don’t you dare wash off my scent,” Ben said playfully and leaned back. His arm stayed wrapped around my waist. “Younever answered my question about this weekend.”

“What about Lachlan? Does he want me there?” My face heated at the memory of throwing myself at him the day before, even while a twist of lust shifted inside.

Ben sighed and shifted back so he could meet my gaze. “Lachlan’s his own worst enemy. And he does want to get to know you. He’s just got… baggage,” he said.

“What kind of baggage?” I asked.

“The kind that he needs to tell you about himself,” he said, looking a bit sad. “But yes, he wants to get to know you, too.”

I nodded and smiled. “Then I’m free whenever.”

“How about 9? We can have breakfast together.”

“That sounds great,” I said. He grinned and gave me a quick peck.

“Maggie, you shouldn’t be kissing me, that’s so inappropriate,” he said loudly towards the door before scrambling away from me. I followed him to the front door, scowling.

“Goodbye, Benjamin,” Steffi called from her office.

I gave him a quick hug, surprised at the desire to take him up on his offer to go back to the house with him.You just met, chill out, I thought. “Bye,” I said, my voice more glum than I intended.

“I’ll be thinking of you,” Ben said with a dark gleam in his eye, and brushed his finger across my bottom lip. My scent blossomed.

“Goodbye,Benjamin,” Steffi called again from her office, more sternly.

Chapter 13

Maggie

Soren arrived alone the next morning to pick me up. “Sorry, it’s just me,” he said when I walked out to meet him. “Ben was being such a smug asshole all night, we thought he deserved to be brought down a peg.”

I blushed. “I thought gentlemen didn’t kiss and tell!”

“Ben isn’t a gentleman. But he also just kept bragging that you had called your run a date. Nothing about a kiss,” Soren said. He raised one eyebrow at me and opened the passenger door of the black sedan for me.

“Well, crap,” I said, blushing even harder. I slid into the car and looked up at Soren.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Mostly because I don’t want to hear Ben bragging even more,” he replied.

His sharp grapefruit and hop scent had permeated the interior of the car, and I took a surreptitious sniff of the upholstery before he got into the driver’s seat.

“You okay if we stop and get breakfast on the way home?” he asked. We pulled out onto the road and started towards the bridge that would take us into the city. Even though it was only a 10 mile trip, it would take about 45 minutes to get there.

“Sure, where are we going?”

“Lucas wants bagels from a place we’ll pass on our wayback.”

---