Chapter 6 #3
Her body tenses and tightens around my fingers. Fuck, she’s close. Damn, that was fast. Maybe she’s been having similar thoughts.
Sloane whimpers at the loss when I pull my fingers from her, and I chuckle softly.
“Take this off,” I say, tugging on the waistband of her underwear.
She maneuvers the fabric over her hips and ass, letting it slide down her legs.
I sink to my knees, the tile floor cold against my burning skin, and the white lacy garment falls between my legs.
“Bennett, what are you—” Her words get stuck in her throat when I tug her to the end of the sink and spread her legs apart. Blue eyes stare down at me, and I smile, maintaining that eye contact.
“Hey!” A booming voice calls from outside with a bang on the door.
Sloane jumps, tearing her gaze from mine to look up. She zips her thighs together immediately, pushing the hem of her dress down.
Damn it, Brody.
“Wolf, I suggest the two of you get the fuck out of there if you don’t want your mom finding out.”
I groan. “Fuck off, Brody.”
“Your funeral,” he says, and I imagine him rolling his eyes with a soft chuckle as he walks away.
Rae and the others will be waiting a few feet away, or maybe it’s just him and Brooks, coming to warn me that I only have a few minutes to get out of here before I become the talk of the party and the town.
She takes a deep breath, her eyes fluttering open to meet mine again as I stand.
“We have to go,” I say, and she steps down from the counter without a word.
Sloane bends down to grab her underwear, but I’m already stuffing them in my front pocket. “Souvenir?” she asks, but when I don’t answer, she continues. “You do that with all of your fan conquests?”
I scoff. “Fan conquests? Sloane, I don’t have conquests, and I don’t sleep with fans. Unlike a lot of the guys, that isn’t my MO. You are the first fan I’ve ever even looked twice at. Then again, you’re not really a fan, are you?” I ask, opening the door.
“I’m the first…You’re joking, right?”
The question leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Is she serious? I find it a tad insulting that she assumes I’m some massive playboy who stumbles into bed with a new fan every other night. I shake my head. “No.”
“Bennett—”
“I’ll give you a few minutes,” I say, letting the door close between us.
Savannah makes a slow approach from my right, practically swimming in one of her husband’s hoodies.
She offers me a fresh beer and settles back into the chair next to me, taking a long drag of her own.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, the only sound coming from the movie projected on the screen in front of us.
The party officially ended about twenty minutes ago, and while most of the guests have left, a few stragglers are lingering.
Thankfully, Mom didn’t notice my absence at the fireworks, but Dad…
Well, the smirk on his lips when I found him standing with Brody and Brooks told me he had an idea of what I’d been up to.
Without a word, he gave me a quick pat on the back, chuckling to himself, then made a break for the bar, no doubt hoping to beat the crowd for one final nightcap.
“I’ve missed this,” I say, taking a sip of my beer. “Hanging out with you, with Brooks. I haven’t really seen you since New Year’s at the farm.”
New Year’s at Willow Pond Farm has been one of our longtime traditions. After celebrating Christmas with our families, we all meet at her family farm down in Celestia, Texas, and ring in the new year together.
“I know.” She sighs, pulling her legs up to her chest. “John just booked another movie.”
“What’s that mean for Savvy Skye?”
“Nothing. I’m staying on the road, and we’ll make it work. We always do.”
“Savannah—”
“She seems nice.” She cuts me off, and I look over, but she refuses to meet my stare.
She doesn’t want to talk about that, because while Savannah is extremely supportive of everything her husband wants to do and is happy for him, she hates not having him on the road.
“Sloane. She seems nice,” she says again, as if I didn’t know who she was talking about the first time.
Savannah’s face is pulled into a tight smile when she finally looks my way.
“Seems to like you, too. You know her from town, right?”
“It’s her, Sav,” I say.
“What do you mean?”
“Her, the girl from Phoenix.” This is the first time I’ve told any of them the truth.
Honestly, I could hardly believe it myself.
When I woke up this morning, I thought maybe I had dreamed the whole thing.
What were the chances I’d run into her only a few days after my conversation with my friends at NextGen?
Even though I saw Sloane’s text messages on my phone this morning, I still didn’t believe it, not until I saw her standing there with my own eyes.
“You’re fucking with me.” Savannah sits straight up.
I shake my head and bring the bottle to my lips again, taking a slow drink.
“Bennett…I don’t mean to sound like a downer, but tell me you don’t think that’s a little weird.
We were talking about her, what…a week ago?
Not to mention, she asks a lot of questions.
Did you notice she kept asking about Amos on the boat earlier? ”
Yes.
“No,” I lie, and shrug. “She’s from Boston. People come out for the Fourth all the time. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Bennett—”
“Sloane and I are just…friends, Sav. That’s it.”
“Friends who sneak into the bathroom together while everyone else is watching the fireworks.” The knowing look on her face makes me blush.
Okay, so maybe we weren’t as inconspicuous as I thought.
“Look, all I’m saying is be careful. She’s a journalist—one that is clearly wanting to make a name for herself—and getting on the inside with someone in EWE…
that could make someone’s entire career. ”