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“I am. What should we make?”
“Let’s go out tonight. How does sushi sound?” Ben wanted to take her into town to celebrate her birthday.
“Fabulous. I love sushi, I would eat it every day if I didn’t have to drive so far. Um…what should I wear?”
“Something comfortable. I’d be happy if you wore nothin’ at all, baby, but then I wouldn’t want to leave the house.” Ben snuggled her closer to him. “Thanks for telling me about Scott.”
“I’m still not sure I want to hear about your ex-wife, Ben.”
He needed to tell her about Christine, but more, he needed to tell her about himself, which included the things that led to the demise of their marriage. He didn’t want to keep any secrets from her. He wasn’t proud of the way he’d lived his life back then, but getting beyond it made him a better man. At least he hoped it had.
“Tell you what, let’s leave that story for another day. I want to take you out on a date tonight. And show you off a bit.”
The thought filled Liv with dread. Had Ben dated much? How many other women would they be running into that he’d slept with? Was she just another one of Ben’s conquests? This was all so new to her.
The dates she’d gone on had never been with anyone she cared about. When she had dinner with Ben and the band in Las Vegas, she hadn’t given any thought to other women, it hadn’t mattered then. At that point, Liv considered the thi
ng between them a fling, something that would last a day or two. She no longer saw it that way.
She wished she’d brought something nicer to wear, but she made do with a sleek cashmere sweater, wool pants, and the black boots with the four-inch heels she remembered to throw in at the last minute.
He waited on the deck, leaning on the railing with his back to her. God, he looked hot, even from behind. His jeans, slung effortlessly low, hugged his tight behind and rock-hard thighs. The sweater he wore taut over his broad shoulders made her reconsider the cashmere. She was overly warm already.
Ben turned as Liv walked by the fireplace inside, the light from it casting a warm glow around her. He had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life.
“Look at you,” he said when she came out on the deck. He took her hands in his but stood back, his eyes gazing over her. “Remember when I said I wouldn’t want to leave the house if you wore nothing at all? This counts, too. You are so hot, I want to keep you all to myself.”
“Uh-uh,” she said. “You promised me sushi and I’m holding you to it.”
They stopped first at the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin. It was dimly lit and very romantic.
“Where to begin,” Liv said, studying the menu. “These are the swankiest cocktails I’ve ever seen.”
She decided on the Bee Sting, a mix of tequila, honey, mint and lemon, with a splash of habanera. Ben ordered a Latin Lover—hot cocoa, habanera, and whipped cream, but he asked them to hold the tequila on his.
“I thought you might enjoy this place,” he said. “It seems like a good place to start a date.”
“Is this where you start all your dates?”
Ben pulled her close and nibbled on her earlobe. “You’re the first woman I’ve brought here, Liv, and you’ll be the last. It’s you and me, baby. I thought you knew that by now.”
She turned her head and brushed her mouth across his. Ben cupped the back of her neck, holding her close, and nibbling her bottom lip. “Do you know what you do to me?” he whispered. “You make me crazy with wanting you.”
Liv brought her hand up and stroked the side of his face. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” she whispered in his ear.
“Ben? What are you doing here?” Ben didn’t have to look to know that his ex stood next to their table.
Every muscle in Liv’s body tightened in an instant. She tried to pull her hands away, but he tightened his grip. Before he spoke, he brushed his lips against hers one more time. “Shh,” he whispered.
He kept his eyes fixed on hers, not even blinking. “Liv, this is my ex-wife, Christine.” She tried again to wriggle her hands free from his, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Christine,” he said, eyes not leaving Liv’s, “What brings you out tonight?”
“Drinks with the girls. I didn’t expect to run into you here. Who’s your friend?”
Ben’s gaze remained fixed on Liv’s. Every instinct told him Liv would pull away from him, and he wasn’t going to let her.
“This is Liv,” he said.
