Page 110 of Bennett

He kissed the curve of her shoulder, then slowly eased back just enough to look at her. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks still flushed, and her eyes held that lazy sparkle that damn near knocked him out cold.

Warmth spread through his chest. The woman definitelywasdangerous. And he was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the planet.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We should probably drink that coffee before it goes cold.”

“Are you trying to ruin the moment?” she teased, legs still locked around his waist.

“No,” he murmured, brushing a kiss over her lips. “Just trying not to get addicted to starting every day like this.”

Laurel grinned, but there was softness in her gaze now. Something deeper. “Doesn’t sound bad to me.”

“True,” he said, still holding her gaze. “It doesn’t.”

Her grin widened. “Good.”

They finally untangled, and he helped her down from the counter, steadying her when her legs wobbled.

She winced. “Perhaps you’re right. Not every morning on the counter. I’m feeling muscles I didn’t know I had.”

A grin tugged hard at his lips. “You’re welcome,” he said, repeating her earlier phrase.

“Hey,” she uttered with a breathless laugh, smacking him playfully on the arm. “I’d complain that you were bold, but I happened to like when you’re bold.”

Bennett chuckled. “Good to know.”

Twenty minutes later, they were showered and dressed and back in the kitchen to finally enjoy some coffee. He handed her a cup, then leaned back against the counter beside her. For a longmoment, they drank in silence, the kind that didn’t need to be filled.

But in the back of his mind, the questions still waited.

Theo. Rick Nolan. Fred Hess. Duke.

The storm hadn’t passed.

But for now, she was here. He was here. And that was enough.

Bennett’s phone buzzed on the counter, signaling it was time to let the world back in.

He glanced at the screen—Matthew.

“Vaughn,” he said, hitting speaker and setting the phone on the counter. “Laurel’s here too.”

He wasn’t leaving her out of this. He was already keeping enough from her as it was. The Theo conversation could wait. This couldn’t.

“You’re gonna want to hear this,” Matthew said, no preamble. “Gabe just left ESI. He told us that Rick Nolan finally cracked—gave up a name. Said he was hired by Fred Hess.”

Yes…

This was their first big break. Bennett blew out a breath, trying to keep his enthusiasm under wraps.

“’Bout time we have something going for us,” Laurel said, taking the words from his mouth.

“Yes,” Matthew said. “Brandi fired him a while back for cutting corners and bringing in sketchy subs. Guess he’s still pissed. Looks like Duke’s been using him to stir trouble without getting his hands dirty.”

Bennett muttered a curse under his breath.

Matthew continued, “Gabe’s looping in Brandi now.”

He glanced out the window as a truck rolled by. “Her lead contractor just arrived. I’m going to head down to check out his logs.”

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