He waved me off. “The yacht doesn’t matter. It’s Carrot becoming Kat’s stepdad I care about.”
“Ben…” I stood up and rounded the coffee table. “Is that why you’re getting all red?”
He touched his cheek. “I’m not red.”
“Okay.” He was most definitely red. “He’s not going to be her stepdad.”
He continued like he hadn’t even heard me. “Does she even know how to swim? I don’t think she should be going on a yacht. It’s not safe.”
“I thought it wasn’t about a yacht.”
“It isn’t.” He shook his head, then charged toward me, stopping a foot away. “I don’t think you should go out with him.”
I tipped my head back to meet his stormy gaze. “It’s just lunch. That’s all. And we won’t be alone.”
I could have put him out of his misery and explained how things were, but this side of Ben was so fascinating, I wanted to see where this would go.
“Mazzy,” he sighed. “Don’t go out with him.”
“Why not?” I pressed.
His jaw was so tight, it rippled. “I don’t want other men around Kat. I don’t want her to have a stepdad. I can’t stand the idea of sharing her with another guy. It makes me sick.”
“I get that, and I’m in no rush to meet someone. But I can’t promise I’ll be alone forever. That’s not fair to me. Someday, I’ll date someone, and so will you. We’ll have to deal with it.” Even though the idea of another woman around Katty made me just as sick.
He shook his head with vehemence. “No.”
“No, what?”
“To all of it.” He stepped into my space, slipping his hand around the side of my neck. “No other men. No other women.”
My heart bounced like it was made of rubber. “So we’ll be alone forever?”
He shook his head, his gaze intent on me. “Try again, baby.”
I raised my hand to his chest, pressing against him to give me room to breathe. Of course, he was an unmovable giant, but he didn’t come any closer.
“Say what you mean, Ben. I don’t want to keep guessing.”
His eyes were melted chocolate, so warm and soft, it would have been easy to sink into them. “You want to date? I volunteer. Date me. Meetmefor lunch. Let me pick you up and drive you places.I’llopen the door for you. Date me, Mazz.”
A flutter of excitement shot through my limbs, making my fingertips tingle. But the last few years, I’d wised up and learned not to follow those spikes of thrill. Besides, Ben was acting on incorrect information. Once he understood what was really going on, he might sing a different tune.
“If this is about Garrett, I’m not going out with him on a date. His girlfriend is a single mom, and we’re all going to meet for lunch. He thinks we’d be good friends. You don’t have to worry about Katty on a yacht, okay?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not okay. And forget Carrot. He has nothing to do with this. This is you and me.”
“Okay…” I really didn’t know what to say. My heart was thudding so fast in my ears, I couldn’t think. “I understand notwanting to bring other people around Katty, and we can talk about it, but this isn’t necessary.”
His thumb stroked the corner of my jaw, and he leaned, brushing his forehead along mine. “Tryagain, baby.”
I let out an impatient huff. “Say what you want, Ben. Not just what you want me to do.”
“Was I not clear? I want to date you.”
“Because you don’t want me dating anyone else.”
His sigh was warm against my skin. “Have you always been a bad listener, or do you pull out all the stops with me to drive me crazy?”
