Page 89 of The Bartender Special

Benny’s face finally heated.

He wasn’t sure what would have happened next—or what he would have wanted to happen—had the sound of laughter not come from behind them.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Carol called out. “We're about to leave, so maybe don't start something you can't finish!”

He might have disliked Carol and her antics, but in that moment, Benny couldn’t help but feel a little bit of gratitude towards the woman…and the irony of the truth behind her teasing.

Starting something with Jack now was dangerous because that meant at some point they’d have to finish it.

And Benny wasn’t sure what that would look like.

Or if he even wanted it to end at all.

SIXTEEN

Benny was hot.

Really hot.

His face, his hands, his body. Every part of him radiated.

The cool sheets on the bed beneath him did nothing to help.

Jack stood at the bedside, peering down at him. His hair had dried messy, but his smirk was on point.

His eyes took a long, leisurely stroll along Benny’s body. It was one of many he’d embarked on in the last few minutes.

This time, he ended it with a head shake and a whistle.

“Hate to say it, sweet cheeks, but looks like you should have let me apply the sunscreen this morning.”

Benny groaned.

He refused to accept total blame for his current state.

“For almost five hours today, I talked to you and you alone,” he shot back. “Did it not occur to you to give me a heads up and warn me that I was getting a little red?”

Jack put his hands up in self-defense.

“To be fair, you're red almost all the time when you’re with me,” he said. “That's, like, your thing.”

“My face is usually red,” Benny rallied. “Not my legs.”

Jack was smart—he didn't say anything else.

He backed up from Benny’s bed and placed his unburnt arms behind his back. His eyes started to roam the room, the only safe option left. Had it been the Benny that existed before the bay, he would have felt a twinge of self-consciousness about Jack being in his childhood bedroom, free to browse as he pleased.

That ship had sailed the moment they’d gotten back into Jack’s truck and realized Benny was no longer the same shade he had been when they’d arrived that morning.

Now Benny didn’t have the mental space to worry, be grumpy, and be in pain. Two was his maximum level at the moment.

Which worked out well when footsteps from the hall preceded Callum whistling from the open doorway.

“Wow. Someone still sucks at applying sunscreen.”

Jack chuckled.

Benny decided to elevate his grumpy level.