AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Where did he get off saying that to Benji? He was a good guy, wasn’t he? Benji was the last person who’d ever do anything to hurt me. Eli didn’t need to go all protective psycho caveman on his ass.
No matter how insanely hot it was.
Nope. I was thinking with my pussy again.
Wildly inappropriate—his words and my reaction to them.
“We’ll be back later,” I said, grabbing Benji’s arm and tugging him away. I felt Eli’s eyes on me until we made it to Benji’s car.
“Your dad’s kinda intense,” he laughed as he opened my door.
“He’s not my dad.” I slid into the passenger seat. “He’s my brother-in-law.” Benji gave me a weird look before shutting the door and rounding the car. He effortlessly slid into his seat.
“Seems weird for your brother-in-law to have that reaction to you going on a date,” he said as he turned the music on. I tried to practice any of the million breathing exercises I’d learned in yoga training, but nothing helped.
“He’s just overprotective,” I mumbled, folding my arms over my chest. I glared out the passenger window, finding Eli still standing in the open doorway, staring at us. Then Benji took off down the road, and Eli was gone.
Benji’s hand slid onto my bare knee and I stiffened, my head slowly swiveling back toward him. He kept one hand on the steering wheel as he leaned toward me, his eyes on the road.
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” he said softly, his thumb stroking my skin.
“Thanks for inviting me.” He flashed me a grin before turning his attention back to the road, his dark hair swinging by his ears. I sat stiffly under his hand the entire silent drive to the theater.
It wasn’t that Benji made me uncomfortable. But there was just something wrong about this whole thing. This date. His hand on me. Everything.
I knew it had something to do with the man I’d just left at home, but I couldn’t really do anything about it, could I?
I let out a long breath and forced myself to focus all my attention and horny energy on Benji. He’d do. He was cute enough, and kind enough, funny enough, and hopefully hung enough, to get the job done.
God. I was awful. Truly, an awful human being. But it is what it is, right? The man I wanted was totally off limits, and the man beside me, albeit a ridiculously young man without a beard or personality like Eli’s, was not off limits. I could make it work.
11
reagan
“I had a reallygood time with you tonight,” Benji said, turning toward me. We stood on the stoop outside the door, the moon the only source of light we had.
“I did too.” I smiled up at him, my hand still clutched tightly in his.
It wasn’t a lie, either. I really did have a good time with him. He was funny and made a simple date like going to the movies seem special. Most of the night, he was more entertaining than the movie.
After the movie, we didn't want the night to end, so we went to a little twenty-four-hour diner, thankfully not owned by my mother, and shared a sundae. Now, we were standing outside Eli’s front door, and I wasn’t ready to say goodnight.
At the beginning of the night, I hadn’t wanted to even be here. I’d thought it was a mistake and tried to think of an excuse to just go home. But then he’d dragged me from the horror movie we were watching and snuck us into the action movie next door. And when I told him I wasn’t into it, he snuck us into the next theater, then the next. He would’ve kept going if I’d let him.
“Maybe we can do this again sometime?” he asked, his smile soft as he gazed down at me. I tucked my hair behind my ear, my heart fluttering in my chest as I nodded.
“I’d really love that.”
Awkward silence stretched between us. It seemed neither of us knew how to say goodbye. I should just slip inside before he thinks I was expecting something more. But I couldn’t seem to make myself move.
“My hours at the diner are insane for the next few days,” he explained. “But after that. Next week?” He sounded so hopeful it made my chest tighten.
“It’s a date.”
He gave me a tentative smile, hesitating before lowering his mouth to my cheek. My eyes closed as he let his lips linger for just a moment too long. I didn’t push him away, though. Not even when his hand landed on my waist and gently tugged me toward him.
Before things could move any further, I stepped back, putting space between us as I reached for the door.
