Chapter 4
four
. . .
Bennett
Music is blaring from speakers, voices competing to be heard over it, the sharp crack of pool balls colliding in the corner. The air smells like beer and fried food, and every table is packed with people laughing and shouting answers at trivia screens mounted on the walls.
This is so far outside my comfort zone it's not even funny.
I scan the room, looking for Hannah, and spot her immediately. She's at a table near the back, surrounded by five or six people, her head thrown back in laughter at something one of them just said. Even from here, I can see the way she lights up the entire space around her. God, she's beautiful.
I make my way through the crowd, weaving between tables and dodging a waitress carrying a tray of drinks. When I reach her table, Hannah looks up and her face breaks into the brightest smile I've seen yet.
"Bennett!" She jumps up and throws her arms around me, and I catch her easily, pulling her close. She smells like vanilla and coffee, and I have to resist the urge to bury my face in her hair. "You came!"
"Of course I came." I pull back just enough to look at her. "You invited me."
"I know, but I wasn't sure if this would be your thing." She gestures around the noisy bar. "It's kind of chaotic."
"It's perfect," I lie, because the truth is I'd sit through anything if it meant spending time with her.
She grins and tugs me toward the table. "Everyone, this is Bennett. Bennett, this is everyone."
There's a chorus of hellos and waves. Hannah introduces them one by one, Mara, her coworker from the coffee shop; Marcus, who works at the bookstore down the street; Lily and her girlfriend Sam; and Matt, who works in IT somewhere and apparently went to high school with Hannah.
Matt stands up to shake my hand, and I notice immediately the way his eyes linger on Hannah a beat too long. "Good to meet you, man. Hannah's told us a lot about you."
"Has she?" I glance at Hannah, who's blushing.
"All good things," Mara says with a grin. "Mostly about how you're stupidly hot and way too nice to her."
Hannah groans. "Oh my God, Mara."
"What? It's true."
I laugh despite myself and pull out the chair next to Hannah, settling in. She immediately scoots closer, her knee brushing mine under the table, and the contact sends a jolt straight through me.
The waitress comes by and I order a beer. Hannah already has a drink in front of her, something fruity with a little umbrella, and she's sipping it while Mara tells a story about a customer who tried to pay for coffee with a handful of loose change and a coupon from 1987.
I watch Hannah as she listens, the way she leans forward, completely engaged, the way she laughs at all the right moments. She's so different here than she is when it's just the two of us. Louder. More animated. Completely at ease.
It's mesmerizing.
"Okay, okay," Marcus says, pulling up the trivia app on his phone. "First question. What year did the Titanic sink?"
"1912," Hannah says immediately.
"Damn, you're fast," Matt says, grinning at her. "How do you even know that?"
She shrugs. "I watched the movie like a hundred times when I was a kid. I was obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio."
"Weren't we all," Sam says with a laugh.
The game continues, and I quickly realize that Hannah is ridiculously good at trivia.
She knows random facts about history, pop culture, geography, things I wouldn't even think to guess.
Every time she gets an answer right, she does this little victory dance in her seat, and it's the cutest damn thing I've ever seen.
"Okay, next question," Mara says. "What's the capital of Australia?"
"Canberra," I say before I can stop myself.
Everyone turns to look at me, and Hannah beams. "See? I told you he was smart."
"Law school," I explain. "We had to memorize a lot of useless information."
"Not useless if it wins us trivia," Marcus says, raising his glass.
We keep playing, and I start to relax. The noise fades into the background, and I find myself laughing at their jokes, joining in on the banter. Hannah's friends are warm and welcoming, and it's easy to see why she loves them.
But then Matt leans closer to Hannah, his arm brushing hers as he points at something on her phone. "Hey, you remember that time in high school when we snuck into the football game without tickets?"
Hannah laughs. "Oh my God, yes. We almost got caught by Principal Harris."
"You were so scared," Matt says, grinning. "You made me promise I'd take the blame if we got in trouble."
"Because you were the one who suggested it!"
"Fair point."
I watch the exchange, my jaw tightening. It's innocent enough, just two old friends reminiscing, but something about the way Matt looks at her sets my teeth on edge.
He's not just being friendly.
He's flirting.
And Hannah, oblivious as ever, doesn't even notice.
"Another round?" the waitress asks, stopping by our table.
"Yes, please," Mara says. "And can we get some nachos?"
"Make it two orders," Matt adds. Then he turns to Hannah. "You still love nachos, right?"
"Obviously," Hannah says. "Extra jalape?os."
"I remember." Matt grins, and there's something in his tone that makes my blood heat.
I take a long drink of my beer, trying to ignore the jealousy building in my chest. This is ridiculous. Hannah is here with me. She invited me. There's no reason to feel threatened by some guy she went to high school with.
Except he keeps finding excuses to touch her.
A hand on her shoulder when he laughs at one of her jokes. His knee bumping hers under the table. His fingers brushing her arm when he leans in to whisper something that makes her giggle.
And every time it happens, I have to resist the urge to pull her into my lap and make it very clear that she's mine.
"Okay, final question," Marcus announces. "This one's worth double points. What's the longest river in the world?"
"The Nile," Hannah and I say at the same time.
She looks at me, eyes sparkling. "Jinx."
"Jinx," I echo, smiling despite the tension coiling in my gut.
We win the round, and everyone cheers. Hannah throws her arms around me, laughing, and I hold her close, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"We make a good team," she says, pulling back just enough to look at me.
"Yeah. We do."
Matt clears his throat. "So, Hannah, you doing anything this weekend? There's a new hiking trail that just opened up near the lake. I was thinking of checking it out if you want to come."
Hannah tilts her head, considering. "That sounds fun. I haven't been hiking in forever."
Something snaps inside me.
I slide my arm around Hannah's waist, pulling her closer to my side. She glances at me, surprised, but doesn't pull away.
"She's busy this weekend," I say, my voice calm but firm. "We have plans."
Matt's eyes flicker to my arm, then back to my face. "Oh. I didn't realize you two were?—"
"We are," I say, cutting him off.
Hannah looks up at me, her cheeks flushing. "Bennett.”
"Sorry, man," Matt says, holding up his hands. "I didn't mean to step on any toes."
"No harm done." I keep my tone even, but I don't move my arm.
The table goes quiet for a beat, and then Mara breaks the tension with a laugh. "Well, that was smooth. Ten out of ten for the possessive boyfriend move."
"Mara," Hannah hisses, but she's smiling.
"What? It was hot."
I feel Hannah relax against me, and some of the tension in my chest eases. Matt doesn't try to flirt with her again after that, and the rest of the night passes without incident.
By the time we leave, it's late. Hannah says goodbye to her friends, hugging each of them, and then we walk out to the parking lot together.
"So," she says as we reach my car. "That was interesting."
"What was?"
"You. Getting all jealous."
I unlock the car and open her door. "I wasn't jealous."
She raises an eyebrow. "Bennett."
"Okay. Maybe a little."
She laughs, sliding into the passenger seat. "A little?"
I close her door and walk around to the driver's side, getting in. "He was flirting with you."
"Matt? No, he wasn't."
"Yes, he was."
"He was just being friendly."
I start the engine and pull out of the parking lot. "Hannah, he asked you to go hiking. Alone. That's not friendly. That's a date."
She's quiet for a moment, then says, "I didn't even think about it like that."
"I know. That's what drives me crazy."
"What do you mean?"
I glance at her. "You have no idea how beautiful you are. Or how many guys would kill to be in my position right now."
Her cheeks flush. "Bennett. Come on.”
"I'm serious. You walk into a room and everyone notices. But you don't see it. You just... exist, completely oblivious to the fact that you're the most captivating person there."
She stares at me, her lips parted. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. I just needed you to know."
We drive in silence for a few minutes, the tension between us shifting into something heavier. Something charged.
When I pull up outside her apartment, neither of us moves to get out.
"So," she says finally, her voice teasing. "You were jealous."
I turn to look at her. "Yes. I was jealous."
"Why?"
"Because I don't like the idea of anyone else touching you. Or making you laugh. Or thinking they have a chance with you."
Her breath hitches.
"I know it's irrational. I know we've only been seeing each other for a few days. But I can't help it, Hannah. When I see another guy looking at you the way Matt was looking at you tonight, all I can think about is how much I want to make it clear that you're mine."
She swallows hard. "I'm yours?"
"If you want to be."
She doesn't answer with words. She leans across the console and kisses me.
It's soft at first, tentative, but the second her lips part, something ugly and hungry that has been sitting in my chest all night breaks loose. I fist my hand in her hair and drag her closer, kissing her like I’m trying to erase every place Matt’s eyes touched her.
She makes a small, startled sound that goes straight to my cock.
"Inside," she whispers against my mouth. "Come inside."
I don’t need to be told twice.
We barely make it up the stairs. I’m on her the second the apartment door closes, pinning her against it, one hand locked around her wrist above her head, the other already shoving under her shirt. She gasps when my palm finds bare skin.
"Tell me to stop," I say against her throat, voice rough. "Tell me right now and I will."
"Don't stop."
That’s all I need.
I lift her. Her legs wrap around my waist on instinct, and the second she grinds down against my cock I groan into her mouth. Too many clothes. Too much space. I carry her to the couch because the bedroom is a lifetime away and I can’t wait that long.
I drop her onto the cushions and follow her down, yanking my shirt over my head. Her hands are on me immediately, greedy, tracing the lines of my chest like she’s trying to memorize me. I shove her shirt up and off, then her bra, and for one second I just stare.
Soft. Flushed. Perfect.
Mine.
I lower my mouth to her breast and suck hard enough to make her cry out. Her fingers dig into my hair as I switch to the other side, teeth scraping just enough to leave a mark. I want her marked. I want her walking into that coffee shop tomorrow with proof that someone else already claimed her.
"Please," she gasps. "I need…”
"I know exactly what you need."
I get her jeans open and shove my hand inside. She’s soaked. The second my fingers slide over her I almost lose it. I push two inside her without warning and she arches hard, a broken sound ripping out of her throat.
"Fuck, Bennett,” she gasps.
"This is what he doesn’t get," I say against her mouth, curling my fingers. "This. The way you open up for me. The way you already belong to me."
She comes fast, shaking and gasping my name while I keep working her through it. I don’t stop until she’s trembling and oversensitive, until she’s pushing at my wrist and begging.
When I finally ease my hand free she looks wrecked. Pupils blown. Lips swollen. Perfect.
"Your turn," she whispers, already shoving at my chest.
I let her push me back. She gets my belt open with shaky hands and frees my cock. The second her fingers wrap around me I hiss through my teeth. She’s not gentle. She’s not polite. She strokes me hard and fast, twisting her wrist the way that makes my vision white out.
"Jesus, Hannah.”
"Look at me," she says. When I force my eyes open she’s staring straight at me, cheeks flushed, hair a mess. "You were jealous."
"Fucking furious," I admit, hips punching up into her fist. "He put his hands on you. He looked at you like he still had a shot. I wanted to break his fingers."
Her grip tightens. "I’m yours."
The words detonate something in my chest. I surge up, crush my mouth to hers, and come with a broken groan, spilling over her hand and both our stomachs while she keeps stroking me through every pulse.
We collapse against each other, breathing hard. Sweat-damp. Shaking.
For a long minute neither of us speaks. Then I drag her fully into my lap, one arm locked around her waist, the other sliding up to tip her chin so she has to look at me.
"I meant what I said." My voice is still rough. "You’re mine, Hannah. Not because I’m some possessive asshole who can’t handle another guy looking at you, though I am, but because the second you spilled coffee on me I started rearranging my entire life around the possibility of this. Of you."
Her eyes are soft. A little stunned. "I think I’m okay with that."
"Good." I press my forehead to hers. "Because I’m not letting you go. Not for Matt. Not for anyone."
She smiles against my mouth, small and real, and I feel the last of the night’s ugly jealousy finally burn itself out.
I’m in deeper than I ever intended.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.