Cinderella's Sweet-Talking Marine Read online

  “I’m not trying to make her life more difficult, I’m trying to make it easier.”

  “By offering her money?”

  “That’s right.”

  Latesha rolled her eyes. “And what do you want from her in return?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m serious. I promised Ellie’s brother that I’d look out for her. I have some extra money that I don’t need, and I want her to have it. Why is that so hard to believe?”

  “People don’t give money to strangers without there being a hitch. Without strings attached.”

  “No strings. I just want to help Ellie. Can you help me do that?”

  Latesha eyed him suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you’re a friend of hers, right?”

  Latesha nodded. “So?”

  “So maybe you could help me figure out how to convince her that she should accept my offer.”

  “Don’t try and charm her, because that won’t work. Her ex-husband was a smooth-talking charmer.”

  “Did you know him?”

  Latesha shook her head. “I’ve just heard about him. Believe me, if I’d met him, I would have kicked his…butt. Walking out on his daughter that way.” She shook her head. “Amy is such a little sweetheart. She deserves better.”

  “I totally agree.”

  “Then you’d better be good at proving that you really are better and not just another smooth-talking charmer. How about a burger to go with that beer?”

  “Make it a cheeseburger with extra fries and you’ve got a deal.”

  “Just one more thing. I don’t care if you are a Marine. You hurt Ellie or that little girl of hers and you’ll have me to deal with. And Earl over there.” She nodded toward the bartender, who was watching their interchange with interest. “Earl will not take kindly to anyone upsetting Ellie. Understood?”

  Ben nodded. “Understood. Loud and clear. Earl already warned me, by the way.”

  “He did?”

  Ben nodded, noticing the way that Latesha was staring at the burly bartender with unabashed interest. “Thanks for telling me that.”

  “No problem. Thank you for being such a loyal friend to Ellie. I’m glad that she has such loyal friends to help protect her.”

  As she walked away he could have sworn he heard Latesha mutter, “If this keeps up, we’re gonna have to rename you Mr. Too Good To Be True.”

  “You look like a guy who could use some help.” A woman dressed in black pants and a purple shirt told Ben as he stared at the rows of movies in Vinnie’s Video.

  “It’s that obvious, huh?”

  “It is to me.”

  “I don’t have any kids so I’m not sure what videos are good for a five-year-old.”

  “You don’t have any kids,” she immediately repeated. “Does that mean you’re not married?”

  He was startled by her question. “That’s right.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

  He eyed her warily. “Uh, I’m just looking for a video that a five-year-old girl would like.”

  “Amy, you mean. I work with Ellie over at Al’s Place. My name is Cyn. And you’re Ben, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Latesha told me you talked to her. Here, Amy hasn’t seen this one yet.” She pulled a video off the shelf. “It just came out two days ago. I hear you’ve already been warned not to hurt Ellie, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So it might be redundant for me to repeat that warning, but hey, I’m gonna do it anyway.”

  “Is there anyone else in this town who’s going to threaten to do me bodily harm if I hurt Ellie?” Ben demanded in exasperation.

  “I could probably round up a few,” Cyn cheerfully replied. “You’ve already met Frenchie, Ellie’s next door neighbor and Amy’s baby-sitter right? Trust me, you really don’t want to get on her bad side. She’s half-Cuban, you know. Or maybe her husband was Cuban. Anyway, she lived in Paris, France, for a while. What I’m saying here is that Frenchie has international experience on derriere kicking, if you follow my drift. She’s not your typical grandmotherly type, as you may have noticed.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to hurt Ellie? Or that she needs protecting from me?”

  “I believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, don’t you?”

  “I just want to help Ellie.” He was getting tired of having to repeat that fact to everyone.

  “And that’s a good thing.” Cyn patted him on the arm. “Nothing worth having comes easily, remember that. Here, Ellie hasn’t seen this video.” She handed him the latest release starring Sandra Bullock. “It’s a chick flick, but you’ll just have to grit your teeth and manage.”

  “I’m a Marine. I can handle a chick flick.”

  Cyn just smiled. “We’ll see about that.”

  Ben fully expected the guy at Uncle Pete’s Pizza to also warn him against hurting Ellie, but the older man just gave him the total for his bill and then handed him his order. The short drive to Ellie’s ensured that the pizza was still warm when he arrived. He was greeted at the door by Amy.

  “He’s here, he’s here!” The little girl was just about jumping up and down with glee.

  “You must be really hungry,” Ben noted with a grin. It was rewarding to have someone finally be glad to see him for a change. “Do you like pizza?”

  Amy nodded then took him by his free hand and tugged him inside. “Tell me more about Lady Blush.”

  “She likes pizza. And she’s almost as pretty as your mom.”

  “I hope you remember where your story left off,” Ellie said. “Because I’ll warn you Amy has a very good memory.”

  Ben wondered if Ellie had a good memory too. He knew he did. That must be why he vividly recalled every instance that he’d touched her. She looked incredibly sexy in jeans and a pink T-shirt. Not fancy clothing, but Ellie didn’t need to be fancy to get him all hot and bothered.

  “Ben!” He was distracted by Amy, who’d just seen the picture on the video. “Is that our video?”

  He nodded.

  She grinned from ear to ear.

  The kid was so easy to please. He just wished he could do more. Wishing is not a course of action for a Marine. He would make sure that he did do more.

  Unfortunately he hadn’t decided how ninety minutes later when the video was over and Ellie announced it was Amy’s bedtime. Amy returned a few minutes later, wearing blue pajamas with grinning cats on them.

  “Okay, tell me my story now, Ben.” The little girl grabbed him by the hand and tugged him down the hall to her room.

  “Did you brush your teeth?” Ellie asked her daughter as she got into bed.

  “Does Lady Blush brush her teeth?” Amy asked Ben.

  He nodded. “All the time.”

  Amy shoved back the bedcovers and got out of bed.

  “Hey, where are you going?”

  “To get my toothbrush so I can brush my teeth all the time.”

  The look Ellie shot him said See? I warned you. Kids take things literally.

  “I didn’t mean she brushes her teeth all the time.”

  Amy frowned. “That’s what you said.”

  “I know. That was a mistake. What I meant is that she brushes her teeth two or three times a day.”

  “Okay then.” Amy jumped back in bed. “Start the story now, please.”

  “Once upon a time in the land of Wonder…”

  “You left out many years ago,” Amy reminded him.

  “Oh right. Once upon a time, many years ago, in the land of Wonder an evil lord ruled the kingdom. When we last saw Sir Badlord he’d just snatched Lady Blush from her father Sir Guy at Nice Castle. Sir Goodknight has deployed on the mission to save her. Now, Badlord’s castle was on a high hill with good sight lines to any possible attackers. He and his men decided on a night assault. They approached from the rear while planning a diversionary action at the front of the cas
tle.”

  “What’s divinary mean?” Amy stumbled over the unfamiliar word.

  “Diversionary is something that’s supposed to confuse the enemy, to make Sir Badlord look out the front of his castle and not out the back. Anyway, the plan was for Sir Rock to start playing music. Sir Rock was the minstrel of the Knights of the Black Stone and he had the only electric lute in the realm. He’d crank it up, go to full distortion and lash out with a mean rendition of Queen’s classic “We Are the Champions,” a real crowd pleaser.”

  Amy stared at Ellie. “Mommy, why are you laughing?”

  “Because I think Sir Rock is funny.”

  “How come?”

  “He just is.”

  Ben continued. “While Sir Rock was belting out his music, the plan was for Sir Goodknight, or GK as he was known to his buddies, and the rest of his rescue team to scale the rear wall of Badlord’s castle, surprise Badlord’s men and rescue Lady Blush. Just past midnight, they assembled to start their mission. The wall team, led by Sir…uh…Sir Vine, was ready with grappling gear, ropes and ladders.”

  “Mommy, you’re laughing again.”

  “Sorry.” Ellie tried to look repentant.

  “Sir Rock and his band were ready to rock and roll. GK put on his knight or K.N.I.G.H.T-vision goggles, the ones that let him see bad guys in the dark. Then he gave the signal for the mission to begin. Everything was going exactly according to plan. They got inside while all the guards were rocking to the music. GK hurried down to the dungeon. He unlocked the heavy door, opened it, only to find that the room was empty. Lady Blush was gone!”

  Amy’s big brown eyes got even bigger. “Where’d she go?”

  “GK didn’t know. He had to gather new intelligence.”

  “Maybe Lady Blush went home.”

  “I doubt it. But I’ll tell you more about their adventures next time.”

  “I want to know now.”

  “It’s past lights-out time,” Ellie said.

  “Will Lady Blush be okay?” Amy asked.

  “I’m sure she will be. Right, Ben?” Her look warned him that she’d better be right or his head would be on a platter.

  Ben nodded. “Right. Absolutely.”

  “What if she’s not?” Amy said. “What if her daddy Sir Guy just leaves her lost? What if he doesn’t work to find her?”

  “He will and so will Sir Goodknight.” Ben’s voice was firm.

  “What if her daddy thinks she’s a bad girl and doesn’t want her anymore?”

  Ellie’s heart ached at the thought that Amy was talking about herself and her own absent father. She took her daughter in her arms and hugged her reassuringly. “That would never happen. Because Lady Blush is almost as good a girl as you are, sweetie. And you know how many people love you tons. I do, and so does Frenchie and Cyn and Latesha.”

  “And daddy?”

  “Your daddy loves you, too. He’s just not good at remembering to say so. But he gave you Raboo to remind you.” She handed Amy the well-worn stuffed yellow rabbit. It was one of the very few gifts Perry had given his daughter, a remnant from the first two years of her life when he’d acted the proud papa when it suited him to do so.

  “Raboo is ’lellow,” Amy sleepily informed Ben. “You can kiss him good night.” She held the toy out to Ben.

  As Ellie watched Ben awkwardly kiss Raboo, a little piece of her heart was lost. She tucked the covers around Amy and handed her the kitten blanket she nuzzled every night. “Now go to sleep.”

  “See you later, alligator.”

  “In a while, crocodile.” The silly good-night rhyme was one of the few things Ellie remembered about her mother so she’d included it in her daughter’s nightly ritual.

  Once she and Ben were in the living room, he tugged her down on the couch with him. His original plan had been to play the chick flick video that Cyn had suggested, but he could tell that Ellie was too distracted for that at the moment. “You’ve gone all tense. It was that comment Amy made about her dad, wasn’t it?”

  Ellie nodded.

  “Come here.” He turned her so that she was in front of him. “You need to relax.” He gently rubbed her shoulders. The pink T-shirt she wore was soft beneath his hands. She’d gathered her hair into a ponytail that swished as she moved her head.

  Ellie turned to face him without realizing how close she was to him. Only a heartbeat away.

  Then, even that tiny distance disappeared as Ben lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.

  Chapter Four

  Ellie’s eyes closed, focusing all her attention on Ben’s kiss. His approach wasn’t that of a conquering hero or a marauding warrior. Instead he temptingly, rhythmically brushed his lips back and forth against her mouth, coaxing her lips to relax, to part, and finally to cling.

  His fingers trailed along her cheek, curving to cup her chin and remaining there as he deepened the kiss. He tasted and tested each corner of her mouth and the lush softness in between. He made her feel as if she were the sole reason he lived and breathed.

  Ellie was shaken by how right this felt, by how perfectly his lips conformed to hers. His hands on her shoulders communicated both strength and tenderness as he pulled her closer into his embrace. His touch inflamed her. He seemed to instinctively know how to bring her pleasure, when to slow down, when to move forward. Logical thought was overwhelmed by an avalanche of physical pleasure.

  Ben undid her hairclip, freeing her hair to tumble over her shoulders. He tunneled his hand beneath the silken mass to brush his fingertips against her nape. His other hand slid beneath the hem of her T-shirt to cup the small of her back, feathering his thumb along her spine.

  Things intensified rapidly from there, blossoming into a hungry exchange of darting tongues and sultry caresses. His husky murmurs of excitement spurred her on. Pressed tightly against him, she felt the hardening contours of his body.

  Sensual hunger prowled through her body. They were erotically in sync in a way that she’d never experienced before. He inspired a response that she could neither understand nor control.

  It wasn’t until he lowered her to the couch and they were both horizontal that the reality of her position struck her. And as it did so, she panicked, rolling away, out from beneath his sexy body and all the temptation it had aroused. She quickly stood, needing to regain control, to be on her own two feet again.

  Her mouth still throbbed from his sensual kisses and the desire to return to his embrace remained. But it was overpowered by the fear of what had almost occurred. She’d only known this man a few days. The unexpected intensity of her response floored her. She wasn’t the type to go all weak at the knees over a hunky guy. Not since Perry.

  Was this history repeating itself? Was she in danger of making a fool of herself over another good-looking charmer who’d say whatever she wanted to hear to get what he wanted?

  She took several steps back as he sat up.

  “You’d better go.” Her voice sounded rusty.

  “Ellie…”

  Even the husky way he said her name was powerful, but she couldn’t afford to be weak. She needed to keep her focus on her daughter. “This isn’t going to work.”

  “What isn’t?”

  “This situation. I think it would be best if you didn’t come by again.”

  “Do you really think that’s what would be best for Amy?”

  He scored a major hit on her Achilles’ heel. Her daughter had clearly fallen for Ben. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Kissing you?”

  “All of it. Telling Amy bedtime stories. Bringing us pizza.”

  “I want to get to know you better and for you and Amy to get to know me.”

  “Why?”

  He couldn’t tell her the real reason, that guilt drove him, tortured him, kept him awake at night. “I’ve already told you why.”

  “Because you promised my brother you’d look out for us. And I’ve already told you that’s not necessary.”

  “Look, let’
s just take things one day at a time, okay? Amy seems happy to see me, to listen to my stories.”

  He was right. Amy was more than happy; she was blossoming under his attention. She clearly loved spending time with him, and he was incredibly good with her. Ellie hated to upset her daughter, who had already had so many disappointments in her young life.

  “All right. We’ll take things one day at a time. But no more kissing.”

  “You didn’t enjoy it?”

  “That’s irrelevant. The bottom line is that I’m not looking for any more complications in my life.”

  “Understood.” Ben wasn’t exactly hoping to mess up his life any further either. But the first touch of her lips against his had created enough voltage to light up the entire eastern seaboard. He’d never anticipated his growing attraction to his friend’s sister. His deceased friend’s sister.

  Had John lived, he would have patted Ben on the shoulder, claimed he’d done the matchmaking himself, and then demanded to know Ben’s intentions. And all the while he’d have had that slightly lopsided grin on his face.

  But John wasn’t alive. And a good part of that was Ben’s fault. He should have done a much better job at protecting his friend.

  It was too late for that now. But it wasn’t too late to fulfill his friend’s final dying wish. Whatever it took, Ben planned on looking after Ellie and her daughter.

  “Ben’s here, Ben’s here!”

  Ellie had heard her daughter shout those words a number of times over the following week. One rainy day he’d brought a picnic lunch they’d shared on the living room floor, another morning he’d shown up with hot cinnamon rolls and a kite to fly in the park.

  She had to give him credit. He hadn’t made any further moves on her. Not that he’d been entirely at fault for what had happened Sunday night. She’d responded to his kiss like a character out of Sex and the City. Not that she had cable, but Cyn did and had filled Ellie in on the show’s details.

  “Ben’s here, Ben’s here!” Amy repeated.

  Ben couldn’t help it, he got a kick out of Amy’s excitement at seeing him. He could only wish that Ellie were equally pleased.