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“The one I sent of me and my mom?”
“That would be the one. From what you told me Friday I gathered something bad had happened. But … taking your mom away from you? That’s fucked.”
“That’s King in one word. Fucked. Which is why I want to get to him.”
Ben gets up from the desk and quietly closes his office door. “I don’t talk to anyone around here, but you never know who’s listening.” He comes back, sits on the corner of his desk in front of me. My eyes wander but I snap them back to his face.
“Someone is always listening. Big Brother, nosy people. Sometimes I need the reminder to watch my mouth.”
“Is that so?” Ben asks with a sweet but devilish smirk as he clasps his hands in his lap.
“One hundred percent.” Desire stirs inside of me and I feel myself blush. He might be the first guy to have that effect on me.
“I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
God, he makes me feel like my insides are made of mush. “In all seriousness, I came here to apologize for misleading you, for lying. I had you pegged all wrong.”
“You had your reasons. Someone lied to you, led you down the wrong path. If I knew who did, I’d take care of them myself.” His body tightens and immediately the whole vibe between us changes.
“He’s already been taken care of.”
With a lift of the brow Ben seems both intrigued and impressed. “Do share.”
I exhale, twist my fingers together. “Not right now. Besides, I didn’t come here to take up your whole morning with that drama. I’m sure you have things to do.”
Tossing a look at the spread of papers on his desk, he shrugs. “Not really. I’ve been waiting on a call from another contractor I’m supposed to start a job with and dealing with coding issues. Coffee and donuts are way more fun.”
“Well, I’m glad. We should, I don’t know, make a thing of it every Monday.”
Something flickers across his face and I realize that locking him into doing something on the regular does sound a little relationshippy.
“You’d probably get sick of me. If you haven’t noticed I’m a bit of a bastard.”
“I hadn’t.”
When his head drops I know he’s about to make some sort of pronouncement. I take a sip of coffee, already feeling the disappointment settle into my bones.
“Since we’re being honest I should let you know … I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I’ve just got too damn much on my plate.”
I nod, study his face. Because the look that he’s giving me, I get the feeling there’s more underneath that confession. “What are you looking for then? Because you invited me to your sister’s cookout for a reason. Was it just for a possible hookup?”
He darts his eyes over my face. “I wouldn’t have turned it down. But I wasn’t banking on it either. I’m a bastard but I do have some scruples.”
I stifle an eye roll. So, Ben is a typical guy.
“But,” he adds, scooting down the desk a little, so that he’s right in front of me. “I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t feel something here. I just … can’t commit to it.”
“Because of all that’s on your plate? Or because of what I did?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ben quickly shoots a look in my direction. “My life is a little crazy right now. Not to mention this giant elephant in the room that stands between us.”
I nod. “Well, there’s not much I can do about that. Other than acknowledge the elephant and deal with it.”
I wait for him to respond. To say anything that indicates he’s into me beyond a possible hookup. Despite his crazy life and the elephant. But he’s quiet for a beat too long and it makes me chilly. I stand and cup my coffee to my chest. He’s right in front of me and with him sitting, we’re eye to eye.
“Leaving already? You just got here.”
“Yeah,” I say, laughing softly. “I’m not one to chase a guy down. Especially when I have my own demons to chase. So … I’ll just leave you to it. You know where to find me if you’re interested in pursuing that mutual hunt I mentioned.”
