More than Rick.

And nothing could ever stop it.

When Lucy woke the following morning, the first thing she saw was Benji, sleeping soundly beside her. He was naked, the blanket only covering a little as he lay sprawled out in the bed. His lashes were kissing his cheeks, his hair in disarray, his breaths deep and strong. Marks from their lovemaking were on his chest where she had bitten and scratched him the night before. They made her blush as she drank him in, but then, she was also proud of them.

He was hers.

The night before had been almost like magic. She’d worn his shirt and boxers while they ate and binge-watched Game of Thrones. She wanted to say she loved it, but truth be told, she couldn’t even pay attention. Between her hot boyfriend and the fact she had no clue what was going on, she missed a lot. But she would rewatch it later since her mind just hadn’t been into it. She didn’t want to go anywhere; she just wanted to chill with him.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Angie. Her stomach hurt with worry, but at the same time, her heart was full of happiness from her night with Benji. She almost felt guilty. Did that make her a bad mother? It couldn’t, because if she’d honestly believed Angie was in harm’s way, she would have gone over there. Benji was just so great. Every laugh, every touch, every locked gaze, it was like a fairy tale. And if she felt that good while also distracted, then no telling how it would be when everything was right in the world. When it was just her, Angie, and Benji.

A family.

What?

A family?

Fuck, she was falling for him.

Hard.

And it scared her because she had no clue what was going to happen with Rick. But a part of her didn’t care because she prayed and hoped that Benji was true to his words and he would be there for her. Stand with her. Somehow she had come to lean on him. Depend on him.

And that had never happened before.

She wouldn’t let that scare her. She thought about how he fought to be clean, to be healthy, and to be ready for love one day. How River cleaned up just for her mother. How Jude, Jayden, and Jace did everything they could to be good men for the women they loved. Love was such a beautiful thing, and she had the chance to have it. She actually didn’t hate it any longer. Didn’t reject it. No, she wanted it, and for once, she felt like this was her chance. She couldn’t sabotage that, she just couldn’t. She had to let it happen.

She had to think of herself, like Benji had told her so many times.

And to do that, she had to have Angie and Benji.

Reaching out, she traced his jaw, his lips, and then his nose, causing him to twitch and make faces. Smiling, she pressed her body to his, kissing him underneath his jaw as his arms came around her, squeezing her close to him. “I don’t like being woken up,” he muttered against her lips and she smiled.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I hate it.”

“Well, excuse me,” she muttered back and he squeezed her, her breasts pressing into his chest. Moving her fingers through his hair, she closed her eyes as she traced her lips along his. As she hooked a leg over his hip, he captured her lips with his and exhaled loudly.

“Okay, maybe it isn’t so bad,” he muttered before rolling onto her. “At least, I’m waking up to you.”

Grinning up at him, she ran her fingers over his cheeks as his lips pressed to hers. Leaning his head to hers, his body pressed into hers as he whispered against her lips, “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.”

“Good,” he said, moving his nose against hers. “This could happen all the time.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I can have a key made for you.”

“January,” she said and he wrinkled his face.

“Fine,” he exhaled, nuzzling his nose against her jaw. “When do we meet Rick?”

“In an hour.”

“Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “Nervous.”

“Don’t be. We’ll be together. Nothing will happen.”

She hoped he was right. “Oh, I know. I just worry about Angie.”

“She’s okay and this will go well.”

He sounded so sure, but she wasn’t. Yet, she nodded and said, “Okay.”

Closing his eyes, he nodded his head, his lips resting lightly against hers. “Well, let’s go get ready, make some breakfast, and go face the dick.”

Neither of them moved, though. Meeting her gaze, he smiled as he pressed himself against her. He was deliciously hard, and of course, she wanted him. It killed her that he was leaving the following day, and she wasn’t sure if they’d get a moment free later since she was getting Angie. She also needed to take the edge off. So arching her hips against his, she whispered, “Or, we could pick up breakfast and coffee?

With a half-lidded look, he nodded. “Good idea.”

Smiling against his lips, Lucy closed her eyes and couldn’t agree more.

But neither of them was smiling when they pulled into the parking lot of Walmart. The tension in Benji’s truck was thick, and Lucy was convinced her heart was beating so hard it was going to shatter her eardrums. With his hand in hers, Benji followed her directions, parking in the back where she always did. Rick wasn’t there yet, and that made Lucy’s heart race. They were only two minutes early, but it wasn’t like Rick to be late on drop-off days.

“What if he doesn’t show?” she asked, her heart pounding against her ribs.