Crush - Kelsie Rae Page 0,22

More of this lust-induced haze he’d woven together in a matter of minutes.

Clearing his throat, Ben gently brushes his thumb along the seam of my lower lip. His eyes pin me in place until another loud knock echoes a second time.

He groans. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

His long legs eat up the distance between the kitchen table and his front door. When he reaches it, he swings it open with a bit more force than necessary. His back goes rigid as soon as he sees the person on the other side, and my brows furrow. With a quick glance, he looks over his shoulder at me, then turns back to the door and says something in a low voice, though I can’t quite make out what it is.

A higher-pitched voice replies, “Company? Who?”

It belongs to a woman, snapping me out of the lust-induced haze from only seconds before.

Why the hell would there be a woman at Ben’s door?

8

Ben

“Not really a good time right now, Krista,” I mutter, keeping my voice low. But a small part of me already knows there’s no way I’ll be able to salvage the night. “I have company.”

“Company? Who?” Like a little cobra, she sways from left to right in an attempt to look past me and into my house but is left unsatisfied.

What’s the saying from grade school? You make a better door than a window? And I’ve never been more grateful.

“How about I call you later?” I offer, standing my ground.

“No offense, Benny Boy, but you never invite people over. Is it a girl? Because you know that if it is––”

“Drop it, Krista,” I growl.

“Why? You’re allowed to move on, Ben. Kate would’ve wanted that.” The sound of her name tightens the razor-sharp barbed wire that I’ve grown accustomed to around the aching organ in my chest. Closing my eyes, I let the excruciating pain ground me, basking in it like a bad sunburn at the beach.

Her dainty hand presses against my bicep before she squeezes it gently. “She would’ve wanted you to be happy––”

Eyes snapping open, I take in the face that matches my dead wife’s. “I’m not moving on. This is just a fuck, okay?”

Krista flinches back for more than one reason. Kate hated it when I swore. The Lord’s name and the F-word were her two least favorites out of them all. Kate was pretty religious. Not in an over-the-top cult way, and definitely not in an I’m-better-than-you way, either. She was simply spiritual and thought someone was looking out for us. Once upon a time, I thought the same thing.

Until the love of my life was ripped out of my arms with our unborn child in her belly. Yeah, moments like that have a funny way of making you question whether or not there’s a God looking out for you.

That same fire that once burned in Kate’s eyes threatens to swallow me whole as Krista lets go of my arm and steps a little closer to me. Her five-foot frame and pixie cut hair is a stark contrast to the girl who’s been occupying all my thoughts lately, but I’m not able to dissect why before my wife’s twin sister pushes past me and saunters into the kitchen area like she owns the place.

“Hi, I’m Krista,” she announces to the eerily silent room. Swaying toward Marcy, she offers her hand. Marcy stares at it like it’s a damn viper before hesitantly taking it.

“M-Marcy. Nice to meet you. I, uh, I didn’t know I was interrupting something. Let me just grab my––”

“You’re not the one rudely interrupting. I am,” Krista consoles with the same warm smile I fell in love with when my wife wore it. “I’m Krista, Ben’s sister-in-law. Sometimes, I like to drop by and check on him. You know, make sure he’s eating something other than turkey sandwiches. Although with the spread I’m seeing on the table, I’m going to go ahead and say he’s doing juuust fine.” She tosses a knowing look at me. “So, how long have you known Ben?”

As soon as Marcy registers the words sister-in-law, she sags into her chair. The relief emanating off her is as potent as the lust from when we first kissed in this same room only a few minutes ago.

“I met Ben a couple months ago.” She glances in my direction, her lips quirking up with a ghost of a smile that acts like a balm to the ache in my chest.

“Was it on a dating app? Please tell me