Ben followed Johnny into the locker room and fell into a chair. “I’m glad that game is over.”
Johnny didn’t look his way. “Yeah.”
“Happens to the best of us, man.” Ben was trying to cheer up his friend after their tough loss, but he knew there was nothing he could say that would make him feel better about the way he pitched. He was all over the place and the hitting was nonexistent. Not wanting to make him angrier, Ben went to his locker and pulled out his phone. The text from Anna brought a smile to his face, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she was working late tonight. He responded with an, “Okay, see you soon,” and set his phone back down before heading to the shower.
Ben arrived at home and was happy to discover that his housekeeper had gone grocery shopping, filling the fridge and pantry with an assortment of goods. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the mood to cook so he pulled out his phone and ordered a pizza for him and Anna to share. It arrived at the same time as Anna.
“Man, my head is pounding!” she exclaimed before setting her purse on the counter.
“Here, this may help.” Ben poured her a glass of wine. He looked back up to find her smiling at him.
“What?” he asked.
Anna shrugged. “Nothing. Just thinking about how ridiculously adorable you are.”
Ben raised his eyebrows. “Adorable? Am I an eight-year-old boy now?”
She laughed and the sound was like music to his ears. Anna walked around the kitchen counter towards the pizza box and as she passed him, she ran her fingers across his back sending a shiver up and down his spine. Her touch was a simple sentiment and it was electrifying.
“Good call with the pizza. I’m starving.” She took a huge bite from a slice.
He chuckled. “Apparently.”
She gave him a teeth-showing smile full of pizza.
“You are disgusting.” Ben shook his head playfully, hoping she wouldn’t take it the wrong way. She just giggled again and took another bite. She was being cute and he found himself wanting to throw her down and smother her in kisses.
“How was the game?” she asked after swallowing.
Ben ran his hand down the side of his face. “Terrible. We played awful.”
“Yikes. I’m sorry.”
He waved his hand in the air. “It’s all part of the game. You win some, you lose some.”
“True that,” Anna agreed, lifting her wine glass in the air. “I trust your day was still better than mine.”
“That bad?” Ben began eating.
She nodded. “I had another lovely meeting with my client this morning. It was awkward and unannounced.” Anna took a long sip of her wine. “But at least he didn’t have the crazy wife with him.”
“You need to set some boundaries with him. After what his wife said, it seems the man has a crush on you. He’s using your professional relationship to overstep his limitations.”
Anna nodded again, mouth full of the cold beverage. “It’s funny you say that because it’s been my exact thought. I don’t think I can do it, though.”
Ben gave her a quizzical look. “Why? He’s not your boss. You may work for him, but he doesn’t get to control your schedule.”
“I know he doesn’t,” she agreed. “It’s just that Ethan is a powerful man who is used to getting what he wants. And I’ve told you before that I need this job to branch out on my own. I know for a fact that he would be embarrassed and offended if I told him that he couldn’t just show up at my office anymore.”
She paused and Ben waited patiently for her to continue. “Besides that, as my client, he has the right to show up whenever he wants. Ethan knows that I’m not working with anyone else.”
Anna raised her hand to her forehead and pressed her thumb and finger into it. He could see how her client was affecting her and he wished there was something he could do to help. Ben came around the counter and began rubbing her shoulders.
“That feels amazing.” She let out a small moan.
In most cases, the sound would have ricocheted through his entire body and stuck to his groin, except he could see the stress etched into her face.
“Why don’t I draw you a hot bath in that giant tub?”
Anna smirked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m just surprised you know how to do that.”
He shook his head. “It’s not very hard to turn on the water, adjust the temperature and plug the hole.”
She giggled. “Okay, macho man. Draw me a bath.”
Ben poured more wine into her glass. “I’ll be back in five.”
Once he had the tub filled, he poured in some lavender oil he found under the sink, probably left behind by his mother, and turned the jets on. He spun around to exit the bathroom and ran right into Anna.
“Shit, Ben. I’m sorry.”
He caught her shoulders and stabilized her. “You’re ruining the surprise.”
“Why? Is there more than the bath?”
Ben pointed towards the bedroom. “Out.”
She stuck out her bottom lip but listened to his words and left the bathroom. She disappeared from sight and he started lighting candles. When the last one was lit, he turned out the lights and tapped on the screen located on the wall next to the door. He slid his finger down the screen until he found the playlist he was looking for. Instrumental melodies played softly through the speakers.
Ben went in search of Anna and found her lying on the bed. He thought she was asleep until he reached her side and a small smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Are you ready?”
“I can hardly wait.”
He took her by the hand and led her back to the bathroom. The gasp from her beautiful lips was all he needed to know that he’d done it right.
“Ben, when you said that you were going to draw me a bath, I wasn’t expecting to see candles. And is that music I hear, too?”
“I will leave you to it.”
A devilish spark glinted in her eyes. “You don’t want to join me?”
Ben swallowed hard. Of course he wanted to join her, but she needed some time alone.
“Believe me when I say that it would be heaven on earth to join you in that bath, but you’ve had a rough day. Not to mention everything else going on.”
He watched her nod. “So, relax and enjoy.”
Anna wrapped her hands around his neck kissed him. “I’m not sure what I’ve done to receive such kindness from you, but thank you.”
He kissed her on the nose. “You deserve it.”
Ben closed the bathroom door behind him and proceeded to walk back to the kitchen where he ate two more slices of pizza and watched a little TV. A loud sound from outside the window caught his attention and he strained to see out of it, but all he could see was his own reflection.
He went out the front door to do some more investigating and was concerned to find that the motion lights weren’t turning on. He flipped on the porch light and stared into the darkness. It was silent except for the chirping of crickets. Satisfied that there was no one out there, Ben closed the front door and turned out the light.
Thirty minutes had passed since Anna got into the bath, so Ben went back upstairs to check on her. He found her curled up into a ball on the bed, snoring lightly. She was so beautiful, even in sleep. Ben kissed her lightly on the forehead and draped a blanket over her towel covered body. Anna buried herself deeper into the pillow and let out a soft sigh.
He watched her sleep for a few more minutes before it hit him… The strong feelings he knew he was developing for Anna had finally turned into something deeper. And as he stood there watching his beauty sleep, he knew he was in love with her.
* * *
Anna watched Ben slowly peel the shirt from his sweaty body and pull it over his head. He took the back of his hand and wiped the accumulated perspiration from his brow and continued the task at hand. Watching him chop wood was like sex on a stick. Every muscle in his arms tightened when he raised the ax above his head and threatened to burst from his stretched skin. As the ax came down, his stomach tightened revealing his chiseled abs. When he caught her watching him, Ben tossed the ax aside and began walking her way.
The determined look on his face had her squirming in her seat, but it was the seductive way he licked his lips that was her undoing. Once he reached her, he straddled her and cupped her face in his hands, planting a kiss on her lips that was deep and filled with passion. Ben slowly began unbuttoning her blouse and reached his hand into her shirt, caressing one of her breasts with his hand. He reached her nipple and
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
Anna slowly opened her eyes to the offending sound, irritated that it took her away from the delicious dream she was having. The beeping continued and she reached over to nudge Ben, only he wasn’t there. Sitting up, Anna looked around the room and still didn’t see him. She climbed across the bed to press the off button and lay back down, wondering where he had gone to. That was when she realized how naked she was. Thinking back to last night, she remembered laying her head on the pillow with the intention of it only being for a minute, and falling fast asleep. Ben must have covered her up before coming to bed.
It was evident that he had crawled in to bed since his side was no longer made, but she found it odd that he wasn’t there. She hurried to get dressed and made her way downstairs. Anna found him sitting in the kitchen with coffee and the paper.
“You’re up early?” she questioned rather than making a statement.
“Couldn’t sleep. Why are you up? It’s only seven.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Maybe because someone had an alarm set.”
Ben slapped his hand to his forehead. “Damn, Anna. I’m sorry about that.”
Anna poured herself a cup of coffee and sat beside him. “It’s fine. I need to get ready for work, anyway.”
“Actually, that’s one of the things that kept me awake last night.”
“Me going to work?” She was confused.
“Anna,” he started when he set his paper down. “You’re exhausted. That was clear last night. Why don’t you call in sick today? You can stay here while I go to the game.”
“Oh, Ben. I really wish I could, but I have so much work to do. Besides, I took some time off last week.”
Ben set his hand on hers. Even though she slept for ten hours last night, she knew the fatigue still fought its way to the surface.
“Take another day off, Anna. You know you need it. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to snoop through my things and change my answering machine to let people know that I have a girlfriend.”
There it was. The word ‘girlfriend.’ He used it so nonchalantly as if they’ve been together for years. And he said it without even blinking an eye. She was too stunned to even make a comment about it and when she finally found her voice, he was already getting up from the table.
“I hope that silence is you thinking about actually taking a day to yourself.”
Anna took a deep breath. She knew he was right. Life had gotten hectic and her relationship with Ethan had gotten too weird. “If you insist.”
“That’s my girl.” He kissed the top of her head and walked away. “I’m going to take a shower.”
She watched him walk away and sighed. The strut in his step was arrogant, proving how happy he was to be getting his way. Anna giggled. Ben was charming in so many ways. Someone was sending her threatening messages, and for some reason, he stayed by her side and protected her. Granted, the threats could be aimed towards him, but regardless of that or not, he was still doing everything he could to protect her from harm’s way.
His actions made it clear that he cared for her, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she still believed that he was only humoring the relationship to get him through spring training, and until the perpetrator had been caught. Anna hated that she couldn’t accept it.
What if he really does have feelings for me and my mental status screws it up? Or, what if he doesn’t have feelings for me, and I trick myself into thinking he does and wind up with a broken heart? She pondered both ideas while she waited for Ben to get out of the shower.