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“And what happens to Jenny? You heard her. She said it was an accident.”
The way he’s looking at me, I have a feeling he thinks otherwise. “That’s not for me to say. It’s the arson investigator’s job. I’m just repeating the facts. Those facts will determine the insurance outcome, so I want to make sure they do everything right.”
He helps me out of the Jeep, and I wince when my bad leg hits the concrete.
“Here, let me carry you—”
“No way.”Thatcame out way too fast and more forceful than expected. But I’m no dummy. Touching leads to petting. Petting leads to—hot, steamy, sexy things that arenoton the table.For at least the next forty-eight hours.I need to get my head out of the gutter when it comes to Ben. Minus this whole deal he has with Hannah, mixing business with pleasure never works out, and that’s exactly what this is. I need his expertise to help figure out what happened at the house more than I need him to scratch the itch he constantly creates.
“Then are you good to walk—”
“Forty-eight hours.”What?“I mean, of course. I’m an adult. Out of my way.” I push him and bite the inside of my cheek. Dammit, that hurt. I wait ’til he can’t see my facial expression, then wince at the stinging in my hands. I take a few steps but slow down. I have no idea where I’m going. The last time I showed up here, it was in the heat of the moment. I was on autopilot as I barged into his place, told him to pretty much die in front of his friends, and waited a whole whopping five seconds before I let him take my clothes off and bang me into another universe.
“You’re limping. I can carry you.”
“I’m not. Uneven ground. You never answered me. Nothing’s going to happen to Jenny, right? It was an accident.”
Ben catches up to me and thankfully leads the way. Things start to look familiar. Yep. I remember this place. I mean, how can I forget running outside before even slipping my shirt on? It got stuck over my head. I’m pretty sure a neighbor saw a boob before I was able to wrestle it down.
He presses the button for the elevator. “Arson isn’t an accident. Like I said, it’s deliberate and premeditated, where an accident is just that—unplanned and without malice. The question is, will your insurance pingyoufor it?”
I fall over my own two feet. He reaches out and catches me. “Whoa there.”
“Tell me I heard you wrong. Tell me there’s not a chance I’ll lose everything.”
“Hey, relax. I’m not going to let that happen. We’ll figure it out.”
“I have no idea what kind of insurance my father had, if he had any. If they claim arson, canIgo to jail—?”
He cups my cheek. “I won’t let that happen. One step at a time, okay?” His reassuring gaze calms me. I lean into the warmth of his palm. “But, for starters, I’m gonna need you to stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I just offered you ice cream before dinner, and I’m the ice cream.”
I fight not to lick my lips. “I hate ice cream.”
“Good. We shouldn’t have a problem then.” His voice is steady. Almost confident. But his eyes tell a different story. One that says he’s fighting just as hard to keep his hands to himself. That he’s dying to explore my mouth with his tongue. Slide his fingers under my panties. His cock between my slick— “I mean it, Fischer. Not a chance.”
I groan, hating myself for being so transparent. “No need to worry, Wallace. I have never been so turned off by someone in my entire life. This is going to be a cakewalk.”
I hate his laughter. I hate what it does to every single nerve ending in my body. And I hate myself for being so weak.
Thank God the elevator opens, saving me from further scrutiny.
Forty-eight hours. Hands off. I can do this. I just have to remember why I hate Ben Wallace.
Chapter21
Ben
Hands to yourself.
Hands to yourself.
Hands to yourself.
Fuck! I’m going to lose the football. I should have made a different deal with Hannah. Offered to mow her lawn for a year or some shit. I seriously love that fucking football. If I didn’t, I would have handed it off years ago. But keeping my hands to myself is sounding more and more impossible—and Makayla’s been in my apartment for less than ten seconds.
