have.” Kelly lifted her head so she could
look him in the eyes.
“Yeah, you should
have. If we’re going to do this, then we’re both going to have to try and
actually communicate. You know, like couples are supposed to.” He sighed and Kelly couldn’t help but laugh at
the faint look of horror on his handsome face.
“I promise I won’t
tell anyone. It will be our secret.”
“While we’re on
the topic of promises, I want another one out of you.” Ben’s brows wrinkled as
he glowered threateningly. “Promise me you will never, ever drive off with one
of my brothers again and leave me standing at the side of the road.”
Kelly laughed at
that. “What if you go all caveman again?”
“You want to see
caveman? Get into one of my brothers’ cars again without me there to make sure
they behave themselves. I promise when I catch you I will throw you over my
shoulder, carry you back here and spank your pretty little ass pink.”
“You wouldn’t
dare!” she exclaimed, but as Kelly met Ben’s gaze she could see he was dead
serious. The thought sent a tiny thrill down her spine and she wondered if
there was another way she could get him to make good on that promise without
having to drive off with one of his flirtatious siblings.
“I would. I will.
Don’t tempt me.”
“That’s some
apology, caveman.” The storm clouds departed as quickly as they had come, and
his sunny smile returned.
“You want a proper
apology? Turn around and look at the coffee table.”
Kelly turned her
head and blinked. How had she missed this? Roses, tulips, and carnations in a
rainbow of colors covered every inch of the table. Well, almost every inch. A
larger than life, plush stuffy that looked a little bit like Chase took up the
center of the arrangement. Around the puppy’s neck was a bright pink ribbon,
and fastened to that was something metallic, but it was too far away to see
properly.
Kelly turned in
his lap so she could reach the nearest bouquet, wincing when she twisted too
fast and tugged at the butterfly closures holding her cuts together until they
healed. “When did you have time to do this?”
“Right after I got
off the phone with Tag. Do you have any idea how much it sucks getting lectured
by your little brother on your love life? Especially when the little shit was
right and you were wrong?”
She giggled at the
mutinous expression on his face and then hid her smile behind a handful of
sweet smelling petals. “Sorry about that. I was angry and hurt and it all sort
of came tumbling out when he was taking me home.”
“It just had to be
Tag you ran into in the door on your way out,” he grumbled, but the corners of
his eyes crinkled with laughter as he said it.
“If I had known he
drove a gas-guzzling girl magnet, I would have reconsidered.”
Ben’s laughter
echoed around the living room. “Never disparage Tiffany. I swear Tag loves that
car more than any woman he’s ever dated.”
Kelly put the rose
back in its vase and started to reach for the stuffed animal, stopping when her
side protested the movement. “I want to see the rest of my apology present, but
I can’t reach it.”
“I’ll get that.”
Ben lifted her very gently off his lap and set her down on the couch before
moving off of it completely. He knelt on the floor at her feet and snagged the
big stuffed German shepherd puppy out of the sea of flowers.
Chase watched with
idle curiosity from his spot on the rug, his tail thumping against the floor as
she gave the massive toy a hug. “He’s lovely.” She peeked over at Ben and found
him staring at her, an unfathomable look in his hazel eyes. “What?”
“Check around his
neck, baby.” Ben’s voice was thick and he never took his eyes off of her as she
untied the ribbon and finally saw the rest of her present. It was a freshly cut
key.
“What’s this for?”
she asked, surprised by the quaver in her voice.
“This is a key to
my house.” Ben put a hand on her
look him in the eyes.
“Yeah, you should
have. If we’re going to do this, then we’re both going to have to try and
actually communicate. You know, like couples are supposed to.” He sighed and Kelly couldn’t help but laugh at
the faint look of horror on his handsome face.
“I promise I won’t
tell anyone. It will be our secret.”
“While we’re on
the topic of promises, I want another one out of you.” Ben’s brows wrinkled as
he glowered threateningly. “Promise me you will never, ever drive off with one
of my brothers again and leave me standing at the side of the road.”
Kelly laughed at
that. “What if you go all caveman again?”
“You want to see
caveman? Get into one of my brothers’ cars again without me there to make sure
they behave themselves. I promise when I catch you I will throw you over my
shoulder, carry you back here and spank your pretty little ass pink.”
“You wouldn’t
dare!” she exclaimed, but as Kelly met Ben’s gaze she could see he was dead
serious. The thought sent a tiny thrill down her spine and she wondered if
there was another way she could get him to make good on that promise without
having to drive off with one of his flirtatious siblings.
“I would. I will.
Don’t tempt me.”
“That’s some
apology, caveman.” The storm clouds departed as quickly as they had come, and
his sunny smile returned.
“You want a proper
apology? Turn around and look at the coffee table.”
Kelly turned her
head and blinked. How had she missed this? Roses, tulips, and carnations in a
rainbow of colors covered every inch of the table. Well, almost every inch. A
larger than life, plush stuffy that looked a little bit like Chase took up the
center of the arrangement. Around the puppy’s neck was a bright pink ribbon,
and fastened to that was something metallic, but it was too far away to see
properly.
Kelly turned in
his lap so she could reach the nearest bouquet, wincing when she twisted too
fast and tugged at the butterfly closures holding her cuts together until they
healed. “When did you have time to do this?”
“Right after I got
off the phone with Tag. Do you have any idea how much it sucks getting lectured
by your little brother on your love life? Especially when the little shit was
right and you were wrong?”
She giggled at the
mutinous expression on his face and then hid her smile behind a handful of
sweet smelling petals. “Sorry about that. I was angry and hurt and it all sort
of came tumbling out when he was taking me home.”
“It just had to be
Tag you ran into in the door on your way out,” he grumbled, but the corners of
his eyes crinkled with laughter as he said it.
“If I had known he
drove a gas-guzzling girl magnet, I would have reconsidered.”
Ben’s laughter
echoed around the living room. “Never disparage Tiffany. I swear Tag loves that
car more than any woman he’s ever dated.”
Kelly put the rose
back in its vase and started to reach for the stuffed animal, stopping when her
side protested the movement. “I want to see the rest of my apology present, but
I can’t reach it.”
“I’ll get that.”
Ben lifted her very gently off his lap and set her down on the couch before
moving off of it completely. He knelt on the floor at her feet and snagged the
big stuffed German shepherd puppy out of the sea of flowers.
Chase watched with
idle curiosity from his spot on the rug, his tail thumping against the floor as
she gave the massive toy a hug. “He’s lovely.” She peeked over at Ben and found
him staring at her, an unfathomable look in his hazel eyes. “What?”
“Check around his
neck, baby.” Ben’s voice was thick and he never took his eyes off of her as she
untied the ribbon and finally saw the rest of her present. It was a freshly cut
key.
“What’s this for?”
she asked, surprised by the quaver in her voice.
“This is a key to
my house.” Ben put a hand on her
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