“Yeah. I mean, the bruises won’t fade in a couple of days, but it might give the swelling a chance to go down.”
My heart soared, but internally, I told myself not to get excited. He was simply offering me a place to lay low for a few days.“I dunno, dude. I’m almost done with the work, and I don’t want to outstay my welcome-”
“Justsay if you don’t want to, Bug. It’s not a big deal.”He glanced away to look out the windshield, rejection clear in his tone.
“No, I want to,”I insisted, resting my hand on his knee.“But only if you’re sure.”
When he returned his gaze to me, the relief in his dark eyes was evident. A small grin curled his lips.“I’m sure, Bug,”he paused, taking a breath.“I kinda like having you there.”
It took every effort not to launch across the seat and claim his mouth. Somehow, I held back.“Thanks. I appreciatethat. Let me go pack some clothes, and I’ll meet you at yours. I’ll drive my van over as it has the tools I need to finish the work.”
“Okay.”His eyes flickered to my mouth, and I wondered if he was as desperate as I was to press his lips to mine. But he torehis gaze away.“I’ll see you in a bitthen. You good for pizza for dinner?”
I grinned broadly.“I’ll never say no to pizza.”
Saying goodbye, I leaped out of his car and strolled to my house, waving as he drove past me. So much for not getting too excited; exhilaration was pounding through my veins at knowing I would be spending the next few days with Ben.
I planned on making a beeline for my room and avoiding my dad, but of course, fate had other plans. The second the front door closed, he stepped out of the living room, empty coffee cup in hand.
Taking one look at my face, he froze.“Tristan, what the hell happened?”
Panic laced his tone, so I quickly crossed to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.“I’m okay, Dad. It looks worse than it is.”
A flash of anger washed over his face.“It was those boys again, wasn’t it?”
“They’re hardly boys-”
“Christ sake, Tristan,”he snapped.“You can’t keep letting them do this. I-”
“Dad, chill. I’ve been at the precinct this morning. The police took my report and are going to investigate it.”
His body deflated.“Oh. Well…good. Maybe they’ll learn this time.”I hummed my agreement before Dad sighed.“Your mom’s gonna have a meltdown when she sees you, though.”
I followed him into the kitchen, where he started making himself another coffee, waving a cup in my direction and silently asking if I wanted one.“No, thanks. I onlypopped in to grab some stuff. I’m going to stay with a friend for a few days until some of the swelling goes down. I don’t want the girls seeing me like this.”
“Hmm,thatmight be for the best. Holly, in particular, will getveryupset if she knows you were hurt. Who are you staying with?”I didn’t reply. I never lied to my dad, and I didn’t want to start now. Noting my silence, he spun to face me.“Tris?”
I swallowed.“I’m going to stay with Ben.”
His eyes almost popped out of his head.“Ben as in Ben McScroodge? As in my boss?”
“Yeah.”
He stuttered before finding his words.“Oh. Well. I wasn’t expectingthat.”He paused, and I could see the cogs turning in his head as he shuffled from foot to foot.“Is…uh…is something going on with you two?”
“We’re just friends, Dad.”
It wasn’t a lie; we were friends.Justwith added benefits.
“Friends, huh? I’ve known Ben for over ten years, and aside from Jake Morley, who I don’t think was ever a friend, I’ve never known him to want to spend time with anyone, let alone invite them to stay at his house for a few days.”
He raised his brow in suspicion, staring at me as he awaited a response. It was my turn to shift awkwardly. I didn’t want to lie to him, but no way in hell was I going to break Ben’s confidence.
Trying to play cool, I shrugged.“Yeah well, you know how people can’t resist my charm. Besides, he’s not all bad when you get to know him.”
The look on his face told me he wasn’t convinced by my answer, but he didn’t push the subject. He returned to making his coffee, looking over his shoulder as he said,“Can I assume Ben’s recent good mood is down to your budding…friendship?”
I couldn’t help the wave of smugnessthatrolled through me.“He’s been in a good mood?”
