I waltz into the kitchen just as Ben puts the coffeepot back on the warmer, two full to-go cups sitting in front of him, and my heart warms.
“Here you go,” he says as he hands me one. “I’m not sure what you take in your coffee.” He shrugs one shoulder.
“A little creamer. Hazelnut is my favorite.”
As if he cares.
“I’ll remember that,” he says, flashing me a smile. A heart-stopping, panty-dropping smile.
God, does he even know the power he wields?
“Ready to go?” I ask, backing away from him a few steps, hoping to break the spell.
“Yep, let me grab my wallet and keys,” he says as he walks back down the hallway.
I take a few calming breaths and shake one hand out. I should have gotten up early this morning to do some yoga.
Who am I kidding?
Surely, if he felt the same way I do, he would’ve acted on it.
Right? Right. I try to convince myself.
But even I know this is playing with fire. We’ve only known each other for a few days, and I need a place to stay more than I need a romantic relationship.
“All right, let’s go.” Ben appears in the doorway.
I smile, shaking my thoughts off, determined to start over. I need to focus on baking delicious food and my career, not good looks and an even better ass. No matter how many times I’ve glanced at it when he isn’t looking.
After we climb into his truck, I can feel Ben glancing over at me, but as we pull onto the highway, I pretend not to notice.
“Something wrong?” His deep voice fills the cab of the truck and sends goose bumps skittering across my skin.
“Nope. Why?” I peer over at him.
“Your leg is going about a mile a minute,” he says with a laugh.
I look down to see that my leg is in fact nervously jumping up and down.
“Oh,” I say as I slap a hand down to still my leg. “Sorry. So, tell me about Danger. Does he like people?”
“Yeah, he does. He’ll be your best friend if you feed him, but we have to keep an eye on him and the weight he gains. He can get chunky pretty quickly.”
“Poor Danger. Always having to diet.” I frown and glance over at Ben as he chuckles. I watch his Adam’s apple bob with the sound.
“He’s spoiled. Don’t feel sorry for him.”
I nod and turn my head away to look out the window.
“Hey, um …” Ben says.
I look back, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?” I prompt, curious about what he’s being shy about saying.
“Sorry about last night and telling your secret. I shouldn’t have.” His fingers drum on the steering wheel.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. I already got over it this morning, but it is nice of him to apologize. “I know I need to quit lying to my parents. I almost told my mom on the phone, but she hung up before I could.”
“Why didn’t you call her back?” Ben asks.
I sit there for a moment, tracing my finger around on my leg, stalling.
“Honestly? I’m scared. I have to tell them. I’m just dreading it.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
We sit in silence until Ben pulls into a long driveway, lined with tall trees on either side. We pass a cute mailbox with a tiny windmill on the top of it.
“So, this is where you grew up?”
“Since I was twelve, yeah,” he says with a shrug.
He parks the truck in front of the beautiful white house with a wraparound porch. There are rocking chairs strategically placed on each side of the front door, which is painted a robin-egg blue, and I can imagine myself sitting out here in the mornings with a cup of coffee. I trail my fingers along the stair rail as I walk up the front steps and glance around, taking everything in.
I’ve never seen an antebellum home up close, and to be able to run my hands over it is setting my heart on fire.
The door is thrown open before we even make it to the top of the stairs, and a woman steps out, a smile lighting up her entire face. A small dog runs out behind her, circling us, and I swear he’s smiling. He jumps up, laying his paws on Ben’s leg as he squats to rub his head.
“Hey, Danger. Good boy,” he murmurs, and my heart melts at the sight.
“My Benjamin,” the woman I’m assuming is Ben’s mom says, throwing her arms open.
“Hey, Ma,” he says, standing and walking into her embrace, bending down to wrap his arms around her.
I sink down, whistling for Danger, and smile as he launches himself at me, tongue hanging out.
“This must be your new roommate. You didn’t tell me how pretty she is,” Ben’s mom says as she gives me a once-over and then nudges Ben.
“Uh, yeah. Ma, this is Pepper. Pepper, my mom.” He motions back and forth between us, his face turning a little red.
“Pepper. What a unique name. I love it,” Ben’s mom says as I stand up, Danger still at my feet. She embraces me, smooshing my face against her neck as she heartily pounds on my back. “Please, call me Bet, short for Betty, which is short for Beatrice,” she says with a wink, and I giggle.
Her personality is warm and inviting, and I can’t help but instantly like her. She throws open the front door and ushers us inside, still talking. Now, I get why Ben is so quiet. I’m sure his mom did all the talking for him, growing up. With how much I talk, I realize that might be the pot calling the kettle black on my end, but I think Bet could outtalk even me.
“Now, let me show you around,” Bet says, grabbing my hand in her warm palm and pulling me off to the side. “This here is the foyer, and off to the right is the sitting room, which
