“If you say so, but you can’t tell me it’s not nice having a woman look at you without lusting over you.” Axel says.
“Not really.”
“Liar.”
“When’s the wedding?” Damien asks.
“I don’t know. I told her I’d call her tonight to talk about the details. There are some things I need to find out.” Like if she has to call another man to let him down when he finds out he’s no longer her date to the wedding. “In fact it’s getting late. I’m going to go call her before I go to bed. See you two for our work out tomorrow.”
I slap my brothers on the back and grab my phone, ignoring the excitement I’m feeling because I get to talk to Clara again. Just so I don’t feel like a little bitch, I make myself wash my face and get into bed before calling Clara. Or I attempt to call Clara before I realize one tiny problem...I don’t have her phone number.
“Shit.” I throw the comforter off me.
I mutter another shit as I stuff my legs into sweats and throw on a white t-shirt.
“Where you going?” Damien asks as I storm down the hallway.
“To ask Clara for her damn phone number so I can call her.”
“Thatta boy,” Axel says, his hand in the air, waiting for a high-five.
I glare at the offending hand before giving in and slap his hand with mine.
“Proud of you, Benny,” Axel calls out as I close the door shut with a bang.
I race across town.
I bang on her door, more mad at myself at not getting her phone number.
I tap my foot as I wait.
“What are you doing here?” Clara asks, blinking the sleep from her eyes.
“I’m here...” I start to say but stop when I notice what she’s wearing.
Fuck.
She’s wearing the t-shirt I put on her last night when I needed to wash her dress. More specifically, she’s only wearing my shirt. The hem brushes in the middle of her thighs, making her long legs look even longer.
I don’t even remember her taking it home.
“You’re here?” Clara prompts, interrupting my sweep of her body with my eyes. “It’s ok. Honestly. You don’t really have to take me to her wedding.”
“What?” I try to catch up with her mind as mine’s still on her sexy body.
“It’s ok.”
“Clara, stop.”
“No, Ben. I get it. I get you just wanted to get Maureen to shut up. Most people do when she opens her mouth. But now you have buyer’s remorse.” She laughs softly. “I never really expected you to follow through.”
This makes me pause. “Follow through?”
She shrugs. “You don’t look like a follower through-er.”
I crack a smile, even though I hate the fact she thinks so little of me. “A what-er what-er-er?”
Now she cracks a smile. “I’m just saying you’re not the type of guy who dates. I get it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “What makes you think that?”
She raises a brow. “Am I wrong? Do you date?”
I clutch the back of my neck with my hand. “Well, no, but…”
“See, it’s fine.”
“Clara, will you just let me talk?”
“No Ben, no need to explain.” And with her final words she shuts the door in my face.
My blood spikes with adrenaline.
Ben Jamison just had a door shut in his face. Never have I ever had a woman close a door in my face.
Except for this little wildcat, who I’ve only had the honor of seeing naked for half a second before pushing a shirt over her beautiful body, did.
I knock on the door and wait.
“Go away,” Clara says through the door.
“Clara, open the door,” I say, the frustration in my voice pushing through.
“Ben I mean it. Go away.”
“Not until I get what I came here for.”
There’s a thump against the door. I wonder if it’s her head or her hand. “Didn’t you already get what you came for?”
I can’t help but smile.
“What did you think I came here for?” I ask, playing with her a little.
“That you wanted to back out on going with me to Maureen’s wedding.”
“Well, I hate to tell you that you’re wrong.”
“I am?”
“Yep,” I say, unable to hide the enjoyment in my voice.
“What did you come here for then?”
“Can you open the door? I don’t want to admit this outside.”
Clara’s quiet. I wait staring at the door with a smile on my face. The smile still doesn’t vanish when the door creaks open revealing a very wary Clara.
“Hello again,” I whisper.
“What did you forget?” she breathes out.
God, she’s fucking sexy.
“It’s kind of embarrassing.”
Clara’s eyes go wide as they drift down to my sweatpants-clad legs. “Oh.”
“Don’t look at me like that. It has nothing to do with anything in these pants.” Although I wish it did.
“Are you sure? I mean sometimes the steroids can.” She puts her index finger and her thumb together. Way too close together for my liking.