The Firefighter's Second Chance_Sweet Contemporary Beach Romance by Elana Johnson

Author:Elana Johnson [Johnson, Elana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AEJ Creative Works
Published: 2018-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Jennie lay with Bennett for a long time. Until the sun started going down and she realized that his stomach was complaining loudly that he hadn’t eaten in a while. He hadn’t said much, and Jennie hadn’t either.

She couldn’t explain why she’d come straight to his house after learning about her mother’s health problems. Only that she knew this quaint home would provide her with the comfort she needed. She’d gone inside only to let Gemma out, and the dog had sensed her distress instantly, staying beside her and giving her an occasional lick when the tears got a little too thick.

She’d almost cried herself out by the time Bennett got home, but she’d had one good sobfest into his chest before exhaustion had finally stemmed the flow of tears.

“Let’s go to dinner,” she said.

“I can order in,” he said. “Or go pick something up.”

“I’m okay.” She pushed herself up enough to look at him. She’d kissed him so many times over the past couple of weeks, but somehow doing it now would feel brand new to her. She leaned over and touched her mouth to his. He let her set the pace, didn’t move his hands to cradle her face and twine his fingers through her hair, as he’d done previously.

She kissed him tenderly, almost with gratitude for simply being there with her. Holding her. Letting her take as much from him as she wanted. She felt tender, soft things for him that seemed like love.

Pulling back, she let her emotions roll through her without censoring them. Fear for the future. Love for her parents—and for Bennett? Worry. Doubt. Hope. Joy.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go out.”

He stroked her hair now. “What do you want? I’m not great in the kitchen, but I can make toast and eggs. Or Dutch pancakes.”

Surprisingly, a giggle escaped Jennie’s lips. “You’ve tried those Dutch pancakes once, Bennett. They spilled over into the oven and then filled the house with smoke.”

“I’ve gotten better at them,” he said, adding a chuckle to the end of his sentence. “Plus, I know how to get rid of smoke now that I’m a firefighter.”

“Everyone knows how to do that.” She gave his torso a playful nudge. “It’s called opening a few windows and blowing a fan.”

“So no to the Dutch pancakes. Grilled cheese sandwiches? Or I can put some hamburgers on the grill. Or I can order pizza.” He stroked his fingers up and down her arm and shifted to look at her. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.” He spoke with such adoration and reverence that Jennie’s heart expanded with love for him.

At the same time, her first instinct was to push him away. Keep him at arm’s length. Put up a wall between them, even if it wasn’t very high. So she swung her legs over the side of the hammock away from him, her back to him now. “Whatever you want,” she said, though she wanted a big plate of Chinese noodles and vegetables from Nod to Noodles down the road a ways.

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