led the way from the living room through the kitchen and out the sliding doors with Clair following behind.
Following behind and unable to keep her eyes off the intriguing juggling act going on behind the rear pockets of his jeans with the rise and fall of a derriere that was easily one of the best she’d ever seen.
Then they reached the cottage and she barely managed to raise her gaze before he caught her, veering around him to open the front door.
“I can take that stuff now,” she said, replacing the toy dog she’d been holding tight to her chest and reaching for the box.
This time Ben gave it over to her and she expected that once he had he would say a simple good-night, turn and go back to the house.
But instead he waited for her to cross the threshold and still he stayed standing just outside the door.
“I haven’t told you how much I appreciate you coming here and helping the way you are,” he said then.
“It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me. And a big help. And not something you had to do. And I want to say thanks.”
Clair suddenly had a flash of memory that had eluded her before that moment. A flash of memory of Ben walking her to her room at the bed-and-breakfast when they’d left the reunion. Of him beginning to say goodnight to her.
But kissing her instead.
And continuing to kiss her all the way into the room.
And despite the fact that the kiss itself wasn’t vivid enough in her mind to recall any details, that flash was enough to stir some of the same feelings she’d had at the time.
Feelings that had made her want him to kiss her.
Feelings that made her want him to kiss her again right at that moment….
Which she didn’t think he had any intention of doing and for a split second she couldn’t remember what, exactly he was doing.
Until she forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying again just as he said, “So, thanks.”
For coming back to Northbridge and helping him with the school—that was what he was doing, he was thanking her.
“You’re welcome,” she finally said, as if her mind hadn’t just drifted backward in time and into dangerous territory.
“Well, welcome or not, I still owe you big for this.”
“No, you really don’t,” she assured him.
But Ben merely smiled so sweetly it erased all the hints of bad boy she’d seen lurking around the edges and said, “I really do.”
For a moment he looked at her very intently and those thoughts of him kissing her flooded right back into her head.
But they still didn’t seem to be in his because then he said, “I’ll let you get some rest,” and took a step backward. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Clair responded, closing the door almost too quickly.
But she couldn’t help it because the image of that other good-night they’d begun to say was still haunting her.
And so was the feeling of wanting him to kiss her.
And that just wouldn’t do.
Not when she wasn’t sure whether she was back in Northbridge to let him know he was going to be a father.
Or back in Northbridge to help with the school and then disappear from his life forever without telling him at all.
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