Page 50 of Chasing Love: The Owens
“You think so, huh?” A smirk teases his lips, and damn, that’s sexy. It’s been a long time since butterflies fluttered so hard in my stomach.
“Dad, I’m done,” Wren calls from the kitchen.
Bennett holds up his finger. “Give me one second.” He leaves the room.
This is the perfect time for a getaway. Just text him after and tell him you had to run. Go, Delaney.
They talk in hushed voices, and before I have time to decide on my exit, Bennett appears in the doorway again. “Can I walk you out?”
“That’s not necessary.” I step farther into the house, and he looks at me quizzically until I slide between him and the archway. “Bye, Wren. I’ll tell Leia you said hi, and good luck on the spelling test tomorrow.”
“Bye, Leia’s mom.”
I hesitate. “You can call me Delaney.”
She looks past me at Bennett. He’s way too close behind me. Close enough that I can smell sandalwood permeating from him. He must nod or give her some sort of confirmation because she smiles. “Bye, Delaney.”
I stand straight, and Bennett is right there, causing me to lose my balance, and his hands fall to my hips. “I got you,” he says, his voice soft.
“I have to go to the bathroom.” Wren drops her pencil and runs out of the room. Her little footsteps can be heard climbing the stairs.
Our eyes lock, and for a moment, everything from the past disappears. All I want is to have my lips on his.
“She’s great,” I say.
He holds my stare. “Yeah, she is.”
“You’re a good dad.”
“I try.”
I watch him for a beat. The way he looks toward the stairway Wren just disappeared up. The love and adoration he has for her. The unspoken truth pulses in the silence between us.
“It’s not your mom’s birthday, is it?”
He shakes his head, and mine thumps against the doorframe.
Jeez, Poppy.
“I’m sorry.”
His gaze dips to my mouth for a brief second. “Don’t be. I like that you’re making excuses to see me.” His smirk, that damn slight smile that always drew me to him, transforms his lips.
“Poppy arranged it?—”
“Way to bring me down.”
My chest rises and falls, and my hands itch to run down the front of his chest. To unbutton his plaid shirt painstakingly slowly, one button at a time, teasing us both.
He clears his throat, and when my eyes meet his, my breathing halts. “Sorry. I’ve kept you too long.” His voice is rough as he studies me.
“No. It’s fine.”
That’s the truth. I don’t say how much I wish this were my every day. How my chest aches at the simplicity of his night. Pizza and homework and him a little disheveled and sexy as hell. Leia deserves a man who will give her all the stability and love he will.
The space between us is charged, crackling with energy.
“Boy, this place brings back memories.” I clear my throat and strip my gaze off his in the hopes it cools me down, gives me a moment to remember that I can’t act on my feelings toward Bennett.
