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She laughed when she saw the worried expression on his face. “Shoot! Don’t take that the way it sounded. What I meant was that last night was good, so good that I don’t see how I could ever top it.”
He smiled as he looked down into her eyes. “Thanks. For a moment there I thought I’d put you off for life.”
She laughed again. “You have, but not in a bad way. If I’m only going to have one one-night stand in my life, I’m glad it was with you.”
“Me too.” Her heart sank when he checked his watch.
She scrambled to her feet. “I should go.”
He got up after her and came and slid both arms around her waist. “I don’t want you to. But I know you have things to do, and I do, too.” He gave her a sad smile and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Would you hate it if …? Would it be a problem …?” He shook his head. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t know what my plans are for tonight – or if I might be able to get out of any plans that have been made for me. If I can, would there be any problem if I came and knocked on your door? I’m not asking you to makeany promises; that wouldn’t be fair since I can’t make any. But if I can get free, and if you happen to be around, if there’s a chance …?”
She grinned at him and nodded happily. “If you do get the chance, come and knock. You’re right; I can’t make any promises, either. But if there is a chance …” She smiled. “I’d love for us to take it.”
He followed her to the door and kissed her one more time before she opened it. She looked into his beautiful blue eyes and wished that this was something different, something more than it was. But what did she know? Perhaps this was as good as it got. Perhaps the best thing about any relationship was only ever the potential that seemed possible in the beginning. If that were the case, then perhaps nights like this were the best things could ever be. All the hopes and idealism remained intact because they were never challenged or put to the test by reality.
She leaned back in and ran her fingers down his cheek. He brushed his thumb over her lips with a sad smile. They were both dragging out the moment, but she knew it had to end.
“Thank you, Lee.”
He caught her hand and kissed her fingertips before letting it go. “Thank you, Lizzie. I hope you have a good day.”
His words reminded her that she needed to get a move on. “You, too.”
~ ~ ~
After he’d showered and dressed, Bentley took a fresh cup of coffee out onto the balcony. He looked around with a rueful smile. He and Lizzie hadn’t made it out here. He could hardly complain about that; afterfuckingher against the door – thatwasn’t a word that he used often, and he had the impression that it wasn’t one Lizzie used either, but still, it was appropriate in the best possible way for last night. Whatever word he used for it, after taking her against the door last night, they’d had fun in the shower, they’d discovered that the dresser really was as sturdy as it looked, and the bed hadn’t been left out – he’d woken in the middle of the night and reached for her. That time might not have been as energetic, but it was no less enthusiastic. He closed his eyes, that time might even have been his favorite; he’d felt close to her.
He shook his head and took a drink of his coffee. He didn’t need to be reliving every detail; he’d only sent himself down that road by realizing that they hadn’t checked the balcony off their list. He couldn’t help but hope that he might remedy that situation tonight. But then again, perhaps it would be better to just let it go. He had no idea what his mom and Russ had planned for this evening. As much as he might want to, it would be rude to cry off early so that he could come back here in the hope that Lizzie might be here, too.
What he should do was just put her out of his mind. It was supposed to be a one-off deal. Supposed to be just one night and then forget her. He could just imagine what Jacob would say if he could see him now. Jacob seemed to have no problem forgetting the women he’d been with, no matter how beautiful they might be. He frowned; it wasn’t that he was having trouble getting Lizzie out of his head just because she was beautiful. No, it was so much more than that. It wasn’t the way she looked – even though that had been what drew him to her in the first place – it was who she was, the person she turned out to be.
He blew out a sigh and checked his watch. He was meeting his mom and Russ at eight-thirty. He had a little bit of time to kill, and he should put it to better use than sitting here thinkingabout a woman he would no doubt never see again. He probably should, but he didn’t seem able to. Thinking about Jacob again made him wonder what had changed for him. For years, probably ten years, now that Bentley thought about it, Jacob had worked his way through a string of beautiful women, but at the beginning of this year, he’d met, fallen in love with, and gotten engaged to Becca.
Now that he thought about it – and he couldn’t figure out why he couldn’tstopthinking about her – Lizzie kind of reminded him of Becca. Lizzie was probably a couple of years older, but she was like Becca in that, although there was no question that she was beautiful, she was beautiful in a much more natural way. She wasn’t all made up and dressed in designer clothes. Not like the kind of women that Jacob used to go for — the kind of women Bentley dated himself, when he dated at all.
He went back inside and grabbed his cell phone off the dresser where it had been charging. All of a sudden, it felt important to ask Jacob what had been so different for him when he met Becca. He needed to know how a girl like that – a third-grade teacher who often referred to herself as a homegrown Kansas kid – had broughttheJacob Jacobs to his knees.
He dialed his friend’s number and waited. While it rang, he stared out at the lake. After the first few rings, he started to second-guess himself. What the hell was he thinking? Jacob might have struck gold with Becca, but they certainly hadn’t started out with a one-night stand. As for himself, one-night stands were all he was looking for. So, what the hell did he think he was playing at?
Just as he was about to stab the button to end the call, Jacob answered.
“Greetings, Mr. DuPont. To what do I owe the honor at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning?”
Bentley had to laugh. “Don’t give me that. We both know that you’re at the office already. Saturday mornings mean peace and quiet and the chance to get more work done with no one around.”
Jacob laughed. “That’s what Saturday mornings used to mean, my friend. Things are different these days.”
“Different how?” Bentley frowned when he heard a female voice in the background. “Well, shit! I’m sorry, I didn’t even think.”
Jacob laughed again. “Not a problem. You’re fine. What can I do for you?”
“No. It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m sorry. It doesn’t matter.”
“Now you really have to tell me. What’s going on, Bentley?”
Bentley blew out a sigh. “I’m not sure I even know. Maybe it’s just a lack of sleep. Maybe I’m overthinking. I just wanted to ask you … No, never mind I don’t need to ask you a damn thing. I’ll let you go. Have a good weekend.”
“Hold on,” said Jacob. “This isn’t like you. Something’s rattled your cage; I can tell. Since you disturbed my lady and me in bed on a Saturday morning, the least you can do is tell me why.”
