Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Bennett
T he extra bacon at breakfast was a mistake. I can admit that now. The stress of hiding under the bed while my obsession’s obsession pulls her heartstrings didn’t exactly help matters.
“Bennett?” Maverick says, his eyes wide enough to give him the peripheral vision of Sid the Sloth. “Why the fuck are you under her bed? And why . . . ? Fuck, did you shit yourself?”
“No, asshole. That’s how men fart. I’m sorry it doesn’t smell like daisies and goddamn sunshine. Now pull me out from under here. My leg’s asleep.”
He turns to look at Cat, like he needs her permission to offer me any assistance. When she nods, he turns back to me with a puzzled look and reaches for my outstretched hand. Thank god the queen was feeling magnanimous today.
Once I’m out from beneath the bed, I flop back into my spot on top of it. Because it is my spot, and I’ll be damned if the pretty boy sits there ever again.
He looks between me and Cat, then licks his lips. “Would either of you like to explain what is happening right now? I mean”—he turns to Cat—“shouldn’t you be clawing his eyes out for sneaking into your room?”
“I didn’t sneak in. She left the door unlocked.”
“Bennett!” Cat squeals. “What the fuck?”
I shrug. “The cat’s out of the bag, sweetheart. Or should I say . . . kitten ?”
Maverick wobbles on his feet. “I feel like I’m in an alternate dimension.”
Cat grips his hand and leads him to the bed to sit, and I want to beat Maverick’s face in for allowing her skin to touch his. I rein in my anger, though, and remind myself that I’m about to solidify her as mine.
“We’re fucking,” I say.
With a groan, Cat covers her reddening face.
Maverick blinks, then chokes on his spit. “Come again?”
“I mean, if you insist.” I reach for my fly.
Before I can reveal myself, Cat rushes over in a flurry of waving hands. She smacks my fingers away from my zipper and glares down at me. “Can you fucking grow up for five seconds? Please? This is serious!”
“Everything okay in there?” a female voice calls from outside the door.
I open my mouth to say we’re fine, but Cat slams her palm over my lips.
“Yep, everything is great!” she shouts.
The carpet outside the door rustles as the woman shifts her weight. “Are you sure? I heard a male voice. That asshole isn’t in there bothering you, is he?”
“Oh! It’s just Maverick!” Cat shouts, her hand still clamped over my mouth. “He was just . . . coming to pick me up to take me bow hunting, but now I can’t go because my cat’s missing.”
“Could I come in?” the woman asks. Kindra wouldn’t ask to come in, and Rosie can’t. The few other females aren’t this familiar with Cat, so it has to be Eve.
“Um, just a minute!” Cat rips her hand from my mouth and looks around the room. “Bennett, you have to hide again,” she whispers.
Rolling my eyes, I get off the bed and head into the bathroom.
“What if she has to pee?” Maverick whispers.
I keep walking. Not my fucking problem. If it were up to me, we’d just tell everyone and be done with it.
The door clicks shut behind me, followed by the sound of Cat opening the door to her room to let Eve inside. I hate that I can’t see what’s going on out there. Specifically, what Maverick’s hands are doing. If he touches her, he’ll have a few less fingers come tomorrow.
Cat goes into her spiel about how she can’t practice with Maverick because her cat is missing, and Maverick backs her up, which surprises me. I never pegged him as the type to go along with shenanigans. Well, not right off the bat, anyway. With enough coercion, I suppose anyone could be convinced to do anything.
“Your cat is missing?” Eve asks. After a pause, she continues. “Did anyone else bring a cat? Because I swore I heard some yowling coming from the room next to yours.”
“You don’t say . . .” Cat says, and I don’t need to see her face to know she’s pissed. I’ll have to make this up to her. “Well, with the mystery of the missing cat solved, I guess I can go after all, Maverick. Why don’t you go down and get the sleigh set up for us?”
“Oh, uh . . . I already pulled out the snowmobile,” Maverick says.
Cat sighs. “But don’t you think the sleigh would be a touch more romantic?”
I grip my jeans in tightening fists to stop myself from flinging the door open. She’s pissed about the cat , I tell myself. She’s just doing this to tick me off.
“Romantic, huh?” Eve says. “I take it you two have found your spark?”
“Something like that,” Maverick says.
“Well, I won’t keep you guys from your date . I just wanted to lay eyes on my girl and make sure she’s safe. As long as you’re around, I don’t think we have to worry about Benson.”
“Bennett,” Maverick and Cat say in unison.
“Right. What’s that guy’s deal, anyway?” Eve says with a laugh. “I get that hot guys are notorious for being complete shitbags, but he takes the cake. At least you picked a winner with Maverick.”
“Oh, well, we’re just friends, so?—”
“Honey, don’t give me that,” Eve says. “The man already knows you have hearts in your eyes, so there’s no need to play coy.”
If I squeeze my fists any tighter, I’ll break my fucking fingers.
“Well, I’ll get going,” Eve finally says. “Remember to use protection.”
Oh, they’re gonna need protection, all right. Protection from my fucking rage if they think they’re actually going through with this “date.”
The door to Cat’s room opens and closes.
“Coast is clear,” Maverick calls from the bedroom.
I open the bathroom door. “There is no way in hell you’re taking her out,” I say as I step into Maverick.
“I don’t have a fucking choice now,” he says as he takes a step back. “Don’t get pissed at me. None of this was my idea, remember?”
“Then make it a fucking choice. Either she goes bow hunting with me, or she doesn’t go at all.”
Cat clears her throat and steps between us. “Excuse the fiddling fuck out of me, but I’m capable of making my own decisions, or have you both forgotten?”
We turn to look at her, both our mouths opening with a rebuttal, but she holds up a hand.
“Shut up. Just shut the fuck up, both of you.” She pins me in place with a glare. “Where is my fucking cat?”
“He’s in my room.” I look down at the carpet. I’ve only felt this sort of shame once before, and it was when my mom caught me beating off to the Food Network.
Look, in my defense, food porn is a thing.
“It’s common knowledge that I had a crush on you,” Cat says to Maverick. “I want to apologize if I made you uncomfortable. But if you ever offer yourself to a woman as a pity date again, I will cut off the entirety of your manhood and let Chef Maurice do something incredible with it.”
Maverick swallows hard, and his throat clicks. “Uh, got it.”
“Now, I’m going to get my poor cat from Bennett’s room, and then I’m going to go bow hunting with Bennett. Are we all clear?”
Feeling triumphant, I smile, but Maverick quickly wipes the grin off my face.
“There’s just one problem with that plan,” he says. He mentions the cameras down at the shooting range and explains that someone is always monitoring them.
And Kindra is currently holed up in the surveillance room with popcorn and wine.
“She really wanted this for you,” Maverick adds.
Cat sighs and sits on the edge of the bed. “Why does this have to be so complicated?”
Maverick goes to sit beside her, but then he notices my clenching fists and opts to stand in front of her. “It doesn’t have to be. Why don’t you just tell everyone? Yeah, they’ll be shocked at first, but?—”
“Shocked? You think they’ll be shocked? I wish that’s all I could expect.”
“She’s scared everyone will give us hell,” I say. “I thought she was being ridiculous at first, but you’ve seen the way everyone tries to keep us apart.”
Maverick runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, but you’re a dick, dude. We all care about Cat, and we just don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Wait!” Cat shouts, and we turn to look at her. “I have an idea.”