I wince at the thought of my baby sister behind the wheel, and in the dead of winter, no less.
“I’m hoping I can convince her to hold off until she’s eighteen to take her driver’s test.”
He chuckles as he presses the button for the elevator. “Good luck with that. The day I turned sixteen I took my driver’s test and couldn’t wait to get that bit of freedom.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. She’s at the height of her hormonal spiral and some days it feels like I’m doing everything wrong,” I admit to him, shifting my weight in my heels before deciding to forego them altogether. I place my hand on his shoulder for balance, but before I can bend my leg to take off my heels, Bennett lowers to his knees.
Bennett fucking Wilson is on his knees before me.What in the actual hell is going on right now?
With my hand still resting on his shoulder, he looks up at me from his knees. “I’m not a parent, but I think that means you’re doing everything right. From what I’ve seen and heard so far, I’d say you’re doing a hell of a job raising them on your own.”
My cheeks heat from his compliment and the sincerity in his tone.
“And I’m not sure what you’d like my role to be with them, but if we’re doing this, I’d like to be involved,” he tells me as he grabs the back of my ankle, lifting my foot off the ground so he can slip my heel off. Goosebumps erupt on my skin from his heated touch. “You’ll quickly learn that I’m the all-in kind of guy. Once I set my mind on something, there’s no half-assing it on my part.”
I stare into his hazel eyes and try to find the hesitation or unease hidden beneath them, but come up short in my attempts. Instead, Bennett looks genuinely interested in being involved with my siblings.
God, what would that be like? To have someone to share in the good and bad with? To have a partner to lean on when things feel too heavy to fall solely on my shoulders. Gemma and Gunner have never been a burden to me, but I have to admit that raising them on my own the past five years has weighed on me.
I love them immensely, truly I do. They’ve been my entire world. So letting someone in and trusting them to be a part of their lives is no small ask of me. Can I really trust someone I’ve only known such a short time to be around them?
“They’ve already lost so much. I can’t ask you to make that commitment to them. We know the deal, three years and then we part ways. Where will that leave the two of them?”
“I understand where you’re coming from, I do, Scar. But keeping people at arm’s length to avoid hurt may just cause more hurt and loneliness in the long run. I’d like to be a role model to them—a male presence in their lives. I want to be the best partner to you, and being there for them is the only way I can do that.”
He’s not wrong. After experiencing so much loss, I’ve pushed people away and built walls around my heart as barriers to protect myself. It’s only natural that I’d also want to protect Gemma and Gunner, who are an extension of my heart beating outside my chest, from any hurt and pain that I could.
But I’ve also seen how great he has been with them in such a short time. And he’s the one asking me if it’s okay if he’s a role model to them. How can I deny my siblings the opportunity to have someone as special as Bennett in their lives? I shouldn’t. Although I think it’ll take time for me to get there.
Bennett lowers my foot to the ground and I shift my weight as he grabs the back of my other ankle, lifting my foot so he can take off my other heel. When he sets my other foot down, he maintains eye contact with me as he slowly grazes his hand from my ankle to my knee. My breathing becomes stuttered, and when I don’t stop him, instead nodding down at him, his hand continues up my inner thigh at a torturously slow rate until he pauses at my uppermost thigh. If hemoves his fingers mere centimeters, he’ll touch me exactly where my pussy is throbbing with need.
Instead, the elevator doors open and Bennett lowers his hand to gather my heels before turning his back to me in a squat. “Hop on,” he commands.
“What? No. I can’t in this dress.” Even with the slit, I’d probably rip the tight fabric of the skirt if I got on his back for a piggyback ride.
“Fine. Have it your way,” he says as he stands to his full height and faces me again.
“I’m perfectly capable of—” I’m cut off when Bennett scoops me into his arms full-on bridal style and I let out a yelp instead. “What are you doing? Put me down you barbarian!”
“Consider this practice for our wedding night, wifey,” he says with a chuckle, clearly delighted with himself.
“I haven’t signed my life away yet—it’s not too late,” I protest.
“Yes, it is. And do you wanna know why?”
“Sure, I’ll humor you,” I tell him as he steps into the elevator and presses the button for my floor, still refusing to set me down.
“Because you’re wearingmyring on your finger. And it’smeyour needy pussy is weeping for right now,” he rasps, and holy fucking hell, he’s right.
“You’re wrong,” I start and he smirks at my pathetic attempt at a lie.
“Then why did I feel how soaked she is without even touching her?”
She? Her?
“You didn’t,” I try again, but he just shakes his head and lets out a low, menacing chuckle.
“I did, because she remembers. Your tight, aching pussyrememberswhat it’s like to stretch around my thick cock. She’s been deprived for far too long, Scar. It’s a shame we agreed to those rules.”
