Strangers with Benefits (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  “He’s doing great and I’m about to feed him dinner now, too.” It wasn’t a total lie, after all he had just snacked on her cunt moments before.

  And she would get up to start a meal for him. “What time will you be ready to come back?”

  “Oh, I have no idea. I guess that depends on you, dear.”

  “Um, well I can be done in an hour depending. Did you want me to meet you then or do you want to wait?”

  That would make the time about five thirty, give or take, but that was better than nothing.

  “You want to talk to Den?”

  “Nah. We’ll be there soon enough.”

  “All right then, see you in a bit.”

  When all was said and done, she had no idea what she was doing. She had practically renovated her life to make a place for Den in it and she wasn’t even certain if they were going anywhere. But there was something between them that wouldn’t let her walk away.

  “So you and Mom, huh?” He grinned and she shook her head.

  “What?”

  “She likes you.”

  “I like them, too. You have awesome parents.”

  “I know I do.” He winked.

  “I’m going to make dinner right fast and then go get your folks. Is there something you want in particular?”

  “No. I’ll eat whatever.”

  Sidonie stood up and walked into the kitchen. She was still naked, but the man had seen so much of her, he might as well call himself her gynecologist.

  Since she was short on time, she made a simple meal of spaghetti and garlic bread she didn’t even have time to eat.

  When she left Den, she wondered what she would do with the space she’d created for him, a little Den shaped hole in her heart. It was a place that no other could fill and she had a feeling she would never look at life the same when he was no longer in hers.

  Once she was back at her place, she could smell the yummy Asian spices from the hallway and wondered how Mrs. McTavish had done it. Sidonie loved Asian food, but had none of the skill needed to cook it, nor did she carry any of the spices.

  “Hey, you guys!” Sidonie called out as she slid her shoes off and carried them with her in one hand.

  “Hey, Mom!” Katie and Mark called out in unison.

  When she came around the corner, she saw everyone was at the dinner table. Although, it looked like the food was finished, and the occupants remained there for a conversation. It looked the same way as it did when she was home and that made her happy, oddly enough.

  The kids jumped up and grabbed her for a big hug. “Dinner smells awesome. What did y’all eat?”

  “Lumpia and pancit!” Katie chimed in.

  “It was awesome, Mom. I want you to make it for us.”

  “I’ll have to ask Mrs. McTavish about that.”

  Mrs. McTavish nodded. “I can do that. It’s not that hard.”

  “I hope not, because I know nothing about cooking Asian food.”

  “Yeah well, I didn’t either and she taught me when I couldn’t boil water.” Mr. McTavish offered. Sidonie smiled and shook her head.

  “So how was your day?” she asked the table.

  She got a varying degree of responses from the kids, all of which meant awesome. The McTavish’s grinned as if they had the best time in their lives.

  “I had a great time.” Mrs. McTavish chuckled. “They didn’t give me a single problem.”

  “Really? Hmmm… I’ll have to check their rooms for pods.”

  Mr. McTavish laughed heartily and wiped his eyes. “I know that feeling.”

  “Stop it! They were perfect, unlike a teenage boy we used to have. Remember the time Dennis got the tractor stuck in the fence because he was trying to do doughnuts in the field?”

  Mr. McTavish laughed until he cried. “Heck yeah. Took me four hours to get it out of the mud.”

  Sidonie chuckled. “He sounds like a handful.”

  “That’s ’cause he was, dear.”

  When all was said and done, she changed into some casual clothing and followed the McTavish’s back to Den’s. She didn’t get out of the car, even though she clamored for the sight of him, for some reason, and she had just left.

  Once she was at home, she wondered what she was going to do with herself.

  The next morning, she woke up and decided to take the kids out for breakfast that morning, and then an afternoon at the beach. Or rather, a second breakfast as her son had stuffed his face with a bowl of cereal within moments of waking.

  When everyone was dressed her phone rang. Sidonie looked at the display and smiled. It was Den. Her heart gave an odd flutter that she tried to tamp back as her children looked at her eagerly.

  “Is it Grandma McTavish?” Katie asked. Sidonie was shocked that her daughter had taken to the other woman so quickly.

  Sidonie shook her head and answered the phone. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

  “All right, but I wish you would make me some waffles.”

  “Well, I’m not making any waffles today. We’re headed out.”

  “Where to?”

  “The Old Country Store.”

  “I’m jealous.”

  She had no idea why she said it. “If you want, you can come with us.”

  She was surprised when he agreed. “Yeah.”

  “If you want, you can ask your parents to come, too.”

  “They would love to.”

  “Do you want me to come and get you?”

  “Nah. I’ll let dad drive us.”

  No sooner than she ended the call, the KatieMark inquisition began.

  “Is he going to come with us?”

  “Do we have to wait? I’m hungry,” her son added for good measure.

  “No. They will meet us there. And no, Mark, we’re leaving now.”

  By the time they made it to the country store and diner, she saw Den’s truck pull in next to SUV. Mr. McTavish climbed out of the front and helped Den get out as Mrs. McTavish watched.

  They were all smiles and Katie bounced eagerly at the sight of Den.

  It was funny, but Sidonie wanted to have the exact same reaction.

  Den hobbled slightly and she knew his hip likely bothered him. But he looked good. His hair was not combed to its usual perfection, but a tangle of curls that haloed him. It wasn’t much longer than he usually kept it, but the extra inch made a big difference.

  He wore his usual tee and jeans, both worn to perfection and clung to his leaner frame lovingly.

  Damn, he looked good enough to eat.

  She walked over and gave him a stingy hug that was in deference to her children.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey back.”

  He winked. “So these are your kids, huh?”

  “Yep. These are my babies.” She looked at them, proud at the sight of them. They looked good and it made her happy to know she had been granted them as a gift from God. “Katie and Mark, this is Dennis McTavish. Den, these are my children, Katie and Mark.”

  He shook their eager hands, and she watched as Mark took stock of the other man.

  It was odd, knowing her children were old enough to understand there was more to the situation than she said. When her children were younger, before she and Charles divorced, she didn’t ever think about when she would resume dating. There was too little time for it in the beginning and after the wounds left by her divorce were healed, she didn’t find any man interesting enough to bother with trying for more.

  She had a few dates, if lunch with interested parties could be called dating. Most of them were not interested after finding out she had children and the few that made it past that were not for her.

  Not that they were bad men, just not for her.

  So she hadn’t really made time to seek anything more. But with Den, she wanted it all. Was it even possible? For some reason, with him, anything seemed possible, within reach.

  Den didn’t do anything inappropriate, didn’t even stare too long at her, but somehow she
was just as aware of him as she was when they were naked. At the thought of naked, Sidonie felt her nipples jut into the minimizer and she was grateful to have on the padded bra for once.

  Somehow, he knew. She could see it just as clearly as she knew her own name.

  When they took a large gathering table at the back of the dining room, she took a chair across from Den’s mom. Den sat down next to her and grinned as he looked over the menu.

  Their table began to fill with pockets of chatter.

  “That country fried steak sounds nice,” Mr. McTavish said as he pulled out a pair of reading glasses.

  “I think I want the French toast,” Katie chimed in.

  “I want the farmer’s breakfast.”

  On and on it went.

  She had to admit, she was so aware of Den she couldn’t even read the menu. She didn’t know what she was going to eat as the waitress asked for drink requests.

  Katie looked over at Den. “So you got hurt at work?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “What happened?”

  Den chuckled. “I don’t know if your mom would like me to tell you the whole story or not.”

  “Mom?” Katie asked.

  “Well, how about we talk about that when we finish eating?”

  Katie shrugged. “Okay. But it’s not like I don’t have access to the internet.”

  Sidonie shook her head. “That’s why I said after breakfast.”

  By the time the ordered their food, her belly was ready to rumble and the drink only made the hunger worse.

  When they placed their orders, Sidonie felt annoyed as she watched the waitress eagerly hover over the table.

  Her irritation must have been visible enough that Den must have noticed as he clasped his good hand on her thigh.

  Instead of annoyance at the peppy girl by the table, she was annoyed at Den for being so attractive. Why did he have to look so dang good anyway? She relaxed after she smelled the delectable food laid out before her.

  Everyone dug in and the table was silent save the delighted sounds that came from everyone’s lips.

  As they finished, her daughter groaned. “Mom, that hit the spot for sure.”

  “Me, too.” Mark grinned delightedly and rubbed his flat belly.

  Den nodded.

  “Do you want separate checks?”

  “No, one is fine.” Den chimed in before Sidonie could get a word out.

  When the check was folded and laid on the table, Den grabbed it as his dad stretched a hand out. “Son, let me get that.”

  “Next time, Dad.”

  “With you, son, there never is a next time.”

  She knew that feeling well when it came to him.

  As everyone wandered around the general store and laughed at odds and ends, Sidonie and Den strolled over to the register. She pulled out her card, but Den nodded. “I’ve got this.”

  “I know, but I wanted to at least pay for the kids.”

  “Sidonie, do you really think I am going to stand here and let you pay for your kids? I know you’re a package deal. I don’t expect that feeding them is cheap, but I don’t think I’ll go bankrupt today. Maybe tomorrow, but not today.”

  She chuckled. “Fine then, have it your way.”

  “I am, thank you very much.”

  Mrs. McTavish decided she wanted a necklace and earring set with shells before they left and Den held the door open for everyone when they exited. When they were all outside, Den took her hand in his.

  “Thank you for letting us butt into your plans.”

  “It was no problem. Katie likes your mom for sure.”

  “Yeah, mom has always wanted a grandkid to spoil. She thinks I haven’t worked hard enough on that yet.”

  “Really? And what did you have to say to that?”

  “I told her I’ve been practicing with you.” He winked and Sidonie chuckled.

  “You better not have.” She hissed and popped him in the good arm.

  “You’re violent. But I like it.”

  Sidonie rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you make me sick.”

  “Liar.” He grinned.

  “Have you taken your meds today?”

  “You’ve met my mom. Do you think she wouldn’t have force fed ’em to me if she had to?”

  “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

  “I know I am.”

  His eyes said he wanted to do some bad things with her and she wanted him to. But she couldn’t do anything more than look at him, so she did just that eagerly.

  “Hey, Mom, you said that I could hear the whole story after breakfast.” Katie looked over at Den, who nodded.

  “Okay, get in the car. It’s starting to get hot out here.”

  “That’s fine.”

  His father and mother got into his truck and Sidonie followed them to Den’s house.

  On the trip there Den told the kids a PG-13 version that was all true but far from gory. It was perfect and she wouldn’t have been able to do better herself. She wondered how he was able to handle children when he had none of his own. He didn’t have any brothers or sisters, either, to be a beloved uncle.

  She didn’t mention it. It was an odd item to check off of the itemized list of the perfect man she had been building in her brain without even knowing it. Somehow, his character added items she didn’t even think would show up in the same person.

  Things like integrity.

  Honor.

  Kindness.

  Sexual prowess.

  A sense of humor.

  And he liked children?

  Somehow, he made her feel as if any other man she met was going to less than satisfactory. As if he had set a bar so high, no other could surpass it.

  Katie nodded at Den’s quick recitation of the facts. “So are you dating our mother?”

  “Katie!” Sidonie called out sternly.

  Den took the opening instead of allowing her to handle it. “If she’ll let me, then yes, I am dating your mother.”

  “You’re not like our dad, are you?” Mark asked and Sidonie just gave up at that moment.

  She wasn’t going to be able to rein their natural curiosity in, not for a long while. They had every right to be curious as they had never met their mother in conjunction with a man.

  Den chuckled. “No, I’m not gay if that’s what you mean.”

  Sidonie wished she could up and die. Just die right here, right now.

  “Yeah. Dad’s cool and all, but he kind of did the wrong thing.”

  “Really, how so?” Den posed back at her son.

  “Well, he told us that he had those feelings for a long time, but he didn’t act on them because he was ashamed of it. I don’t get why he would let shame keep him from what would make him happy. Not to mention Mom. He didn’t tell her, but your wife should be your best friend right?”

  “You’re really smart for your age, you know that?”

  “Yep. That’s why I decided not to get married until I find the perfect woman.”

  “Just so you know, it takes a while for that to happen. At first, you just date a bit and figure out what you like. Then when you meet the person with all of the important things, you can decide if she will be the right one or not.”

  She knew he spoke to Mark, but she could feel his gaze on her with every word that left his lips.

  “How did you meet my mom?” Katie chirped in with her two cents.

  “That’s enough!” Sidonie yelled.

  The silence that emerged was enough to let her know that everyone was surprised by the outburst, even Sidonie.

  “Sorry. But y’all need to leave him alone. He just got out of the hospital and you’re questioning him to death.”

  “Sorry, Mom.”

  “Sorry.”

  Den chuckled. “It’s okay. I keep telling your mother that I’m not an invalid. But she worries about me.”

  “Yeah, she does us the same way.” Mark laughed.

  “I remember when I broke my arm on the fie
ld last year. Mom went crazy.” Mark chuckled.

  “Crazy? Shoot, I thought she was going to take us both out of sports.” Katie huffed.

  “It wasn’t my fault the defensive lineman wanted to bust my head open,” Mark replied.

  That wasn’t her best moment. She really planned on taking him out of the program, but the coach begged her to reconsider. Sidonie didn’t want to be overbearing, but she wanted her children to grow up healthy and if that meant taking them out of some of the more dangerous activities, she would.

  “Well, she was probably worried about you being hurt worse. There are people who have accidents on the field that they don’t walk away from.”

  Thank you, she thought.

  He looked over at her and must have caught her quickly flashed grin as he supplied one of his own.

  When she arrived at Den’s place, Sidonie pulled to the front of the house and let his parent’s park first. Then she pulled in behind them.

  “I’m just going to help him inside right quick okay?” she told the twins in the backseat.

  “Uh, I have to go to the bathroom.” Katie supplied.

  “Is that okay?” She looked at Den.

  “Of course. Sorry in advance for the mess, but Mom decided to reorganize my house and everything is everywhere.”

  Katie shrugged. “I don’t care so long as it works and you have paper.”

  “No paper. You’ll have to use your hand. Sorry,” Den quipped and Sidonie chuckled.

  “Ewww… that’s nasty.” Katie laughed.

  “I know, right?” Den replied with a comical wide eyed look at odds with the tight corners of his lids.

  “Y’all gonna leave me here by myself?” Mark asked with more humor than anything in his tone.

  “God, you two are a nosy bunch. Fine then, everyone get out of the car why dontcha?”

  Shoot, Den’s mother really had moved everything, everywhere. The sofa had been repositioned. There were a new set of curtains hanging in the living room.

  There was even some changes made to the bedroom, but she had to admit they all would help navigation and made everything more cohesive so the flow from one space to another was better.

  “I like it,” Sidonie said.

  “Really? I told him it would be better this way, but he didn’t believe me.” His mom piped in and Sidonie shook her head. It seemed Sidonie wasn’t the only mother with a tendency to hover over her chicks, even when they left the nest.