Reese Ryan - The Billionaire's Legacy

There was no reason to stay.

Sloane gulped the rest of her drink, returning the glass to the table with a thud. She stood, bumping into a solid expanse of muscle.

Benji.

He gripped her waist to steady her.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She took what she hoped was a subtle step backward. Just out of his reach, but still close enough to savor his provocative scent.

“It was my bad.” Benji revealed the sheepish smile that had been his trademark as a kid. He rubbed a hand over his dark brush waves.

Sloane couldn’t help smiling, remembering how obsessed Benji had been with perfecting them.

“It was good seeing you again, Benji.” Sloane turned to leave, but he placed his strong hand on her arm.

“You’re not leaving already, are you? I’ve been patiently waiting for a chance to catch up with you. My sister has been monopolizing your time all evening.”

“You know how we are when we get together.” Sloane smiled. “Not much has changed. We’re still basically those same two giggling teenage girls.”

“I’d say a lot has changed.” Benji’s heated gaze drifted down the length of her body, before returning to meet hers.

“I guess you’re right.” Sloane cleared her throat.

Some things certainly had changed.

Benji had always had a crush on her. There was nothing unusual about a little boy having a crush on his older sister’s best friend. Back then, she’d thought it sweet. But Benji Bennett wasn’t a little boy anymore. He was a grown-ass man and a fine one at that.

What she saw in his intense dark brown eyes wasn’t the misguided admiration of a little boy. It was lust, plain and simple. The same feeling that crawled up her spine and made her heart beat faster.

His confident smile indicated that he could sense her attraction to him.

Pull it together, sister. This is little Benji Bennett you’re gawking at here.

Benji had gone to college in Seattle, where he still lived. He’d started his own tech company in his junior year. A company he’d just sold for more than two billion dollars, according to Delia.

Benjamin Bennett was a catch by anyone’s standards—even before you factored in his healthy bank account. But he was her best friend’s little brother. And though he was all grown up now, he was just a kid, compared to her.

Flirting with Benji would start tongues wagging all over Magnolia Lake. Not that she cared what they thought of her. But her mother and grandfather still lived here. So did Delia, for most of the year. If the whole town started talking, it would make things uncomfortable for the people she loved.

Sloane tore her gaze from his and scanned the room. “I’d better go.”

“Don’t go. Please. Just one dance.” Benji held up a finger, his eyes warm and pleading, his smile sexy and sweet. Then he extended his hand. The same one she’d held when she’d helped him across the street on the way to school when he was five.

Sloane looked at him, then glanced around the space as she nibbled her bottom lip, her heart racing. No one was paying attention to them. The other guests were wrapped up in their own conversations and enjoying the open bar, courtesy of the Abbotts, owners of King’s Finest Distillery.

“I guess one dance won’t hurt.” She placed her hand in his much larger one and let him lead her onto the dance floor.

Benji walked to the center of the dance floor and held her in his arms. He swayed to Jeffrey Osborne’s smooth vocals on L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad.”

“God, your parents loved this song. They played it so much that your sister and I hated it. Which is a shame, because it’s a pretty perfect song.”

“It is,” he agreed. “You still working for the record company in Nashville?”

“I am. I love what I do, but I’ve got my eye on a spot on the management team.”

“You’re the most determined girl I’ve ever known.” Benji smiled. “If you’ve set your sights on it, it’s as good as done.”

“Is that a nice way of calling me stubborn?” It was a familiar put-down from the older folks in town.

“No.” His tone was apologetic. “I hated when people said that about you.” He sighed softly. “I liked that you were determined. You wanted to move to Nashville and work in the music industry, and that’s exactly what you did. I’d say your determination has served you well.”

Warmth filled Sloane’s chest. Benji had grown up to be extremely wealthy and incredibly handsome, but at his core, he was the same sweet, thoughtful guy she’d always known. His gift for making her smile was still intact.

“Thanks, Benj. That means a lot.” Sloane was slightly unnerved by his intense gaze. “Which reminds me, I haven’t congratulated you on your big deal.” She was eager to turn the conversation away from her. “I should be asking for your autograph. Never met a billionaire before.”

The muscles of Benji’s back tensed beneath her fingertips and the light in his eyes dimmed. “I’m the same guy I was before I signed the big deal, Sloane. The same guy I’ve always been.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.” She’d only meant to tease him, but she’d struck a nerve instead.

“I know you didn’t.” He sighed. “I’m just a little fed up with people treating me differently. You wouldn’t believe how many obscure business ideas I’ve been pitched tonight.”

She hadn’t considered that there might be a downside to becoming a multibillionaire. But for her, never having to worry about how she’d pay second mortgages on her condo and their family farm would outweigh the disadvantages. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that.”

“Don’t apologize. You’re just about the only unattached woman in the room who doesn’t see me as a golden lottery ticket.” He nodded toward the gaggle of women in the corner of the room, whispering to one another and staring at him. “Not one of them would’ve given me the time of day back then. Their only interest in me was whether I could hook them up with one of my wealthy cousins. Now they’ve been stalking me all night. But you—I had to beg you to dance with me.”

A knot tightened in her stomach. She had a good job and owned a cute little condo that she was slowly renovating in one of the hottest neighborhoods in Nashville. But she was in debt up to her eyeballs. Not because she was a frivolous spender addicted to retail therapy, but because she’d sunk every penny of her savings into helping her mother save their family farm. Then there were the bills that had been piling up since her grandfather’s costly heart surgery.

Her budget was so tight it had practically squealed when she’d purchased the fancy dress she was wearing, despite finding it on the clearance rack at a designer dress shop.

If there was one thing she’d learned from her grandfather, Atticus Ames, it was pride. She’d work three jobs and sell plasma before she’d ask Benji or anyone else in this town for a handout.

“I told you that one day they’d regret ignoring you.” Sloane grinned. She honestly couldn’t have been prouder of Benji if he’d been her own flesh and blood.

“You did.” A soft smile played across his handsome face. “I was an awkward kid trying to figure out my place in life. But you always made me feel that just being me was good enough. You said that everyone else was just slow to catch up. That eventually they’d figure it out. You made me believe it, too.”

Sloane’s heart swelled. She was moved by his confession. “You were a special kid, destined for great things. I always knew that. And look at you... You’ve exceeded my wildest expectations.”

He smiled, looking bashful, yet deliciously handsome. Her heart beat a little faster; she needed to change the subject.

“Evie’s gotten so big, and she looks just like Delia. I’m surprised your parents aren’t urging you to settle down and give them more grandchildren.”

“You know them well.” Benji grinned. “My mother sneaks it into the conversation whenever she can. Don’t get me wrong. Evie’s a cool kid and everything, but 3:00 a.m. feedings and dirty diapers just aren’t for me.”

Sloane understood exactly how Benji felt. The primary reason her ex had filed for divorce was because he was ready to start a family but she wasn’t. Though, truth be told, it was just one of the many reasons their marriage had failed.

“What about you? Are Davis and Evie giving you baby fever, too?” Benji teased.

“Me?” She forced a laugh. “Between rehabbing my condo and being completely focused on my career, I forget to feed myself most days.”

True. Still, holding little Davis, with his chubby little legs and sweet baby scent, made her think for the briefest moment about one day having a baby of her own. A thought she dismissed immediately.

Finally, the song ended.

“Thanks for the dance.” Sloane slipped out of Benji’s embrace, determined to banish the inappropriate thoughts that had commandeered her brain and made her body ache for the warmth and comfort of his strong arms.

Benji lowered their joined hands but didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned down, his lips brushing her ear and his well-trimmed beard gently scraping her neck. “Let’s get out of here.”

It was a bad idea. A really bad idea.

Her cheeks burned. “But it’s your cousin’s wedding.”

He nodded toward Blake, who was dancing with his bride, Savannah, as their infant son slept on his shoulder. The man was in complete bliss.

“I doubt he’ll notice I’m gone. Besides, you’d be rescuing me. If Jeb Dawson tells me one more time about his latest invention—”

“Okay, okay.” Sloane held back a giggle as she glanced around the room. “You need to escape as badly as I do. But there’s no way we’re leaving here together. It’d be on the front page of the newspaper by morning.”

“Valid point.” Benji chuckled. “So meet me at the cabin.”

“The cabin on the lake?” She had so many great memories of weekends spent there with Delia and her family.

“My parents hardly used it after they bought their place in Florida. I bought it from them a few years ago and Cole completely rehabbed it. I’d love for you to see it.”

Just two old friends catching up on each other’s lives. Nothing wrong with that.

She repeated it three times in her head. But there was nothing friendly about the sensations that danced along her spine when he’d held her in his arms and pinned her with that piercing gaze.

“Okay. Maybe we can catch up over a cup of coffee or something.”

“Or something.” The corner of his sensuous mouth curved in a smirk. A shiver ran through her as she wondered, for the briefest moment, how his lips would taste. “Meet you there in half an hour.”

He disappeared into the crowd, leaving her missing his warmth.

* * *

Benji made two more cups of coffee and added creamer to Sloane’s before setting the cup in front of her.

She thanked him and reached for her cup. But her eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of the time, flashing on her fitness watch when she flipped her wrist. “I didn’t realize it was so late. You must be exhausted, and I’m keeping you up.”

“You can’t possibly think I want you to go.” Benji placed his hand on hers. “The last two hours were the best time I’ve had since I’ve been back in town.”

“Me, too.” Sloane smiled. A deep, genuine smile. Then she frowned, a crease forming between her brows as she slipped her hand from beneath his. She stood abruptly, smoothing her dress over her hips. “Which is why I should go.”