Page 61 of The Bartender Special

So far he’d seen Benny in varied emotional states—flustered, anxious, shy, annoyed—but when it came to the physical stuff, he’d only seen what everyone could see.

Nice, trendy, clean clothes.

Boots that matched the put together look.

Hair styled and neat.

But this?

This was Benny.

He wasn't muscled like a bodybuilder, but he wasn’t a leaf in the wind either. Benny De Carlo was toned. And smooth.

His chest would have been a fun ride for a drop of water, rolling free from his defined shoulders to a waist that Jack was sure would fit within his grasp with ease.

There was a softness to him too, though. Some give here and there, where normal living and existing had made their marks with love.

That, somehow, was both understated and incredibly appealing.

And the way he was twisting and turning was making the view even more…

Intriguing.

“Jack!” Benny exclaimed again, in no way understanding the lack of response was due to Jack appreciating the view instead of inspecting it.

Jack laughed. He managed to hear the slight waver in it.

Benny, still panicked, did not.

“You're good, you’re good,” Jack hurried, trying to recover. “It’s gone.”

“Are you sure? Check my hair! Check my hair!”

Like he was magnetic, Benny flew toward him in a sideways skitter. Jack didn't mean to, but he laughed.

It was an unwanted response.

“Jack, I'm serious,” Benny screeched. “Is it in my hair?”

Jack dove into the sea of dark hair and citrus. Not only did it smell good, but it felt good too. Soft and, as he reported, also spider free.

“It’s gone,” Jack tried.

But then Benny did another move Jack had only seen on a TV screen.

He jumped Jack.

Feet off the floor, levitating in the air, and then smack dab against him.

Compact or not, Jack hadn't expected that.

“What the⁠—?”

He managed to keep a hold on the man just as Benny pointed at his discarded shirt.

“Look!”

A confirmed wolf spider scurried to the other side of the garage.