His eyes were so sincere, his hold on my hands steady and gentle. He was right. I was misdirecting my anger. He was actually being pretty patient with me, to his credit. I blinked back more tears.
“I hate him so much right now,” I said on a gulp of air.
“I know, honey,” he said, pulling me into a tender embrace. His hand passed over my hair, idly gathering it into a tiny ponytail at the nape of my neck and twirling it around. The fact that he was calling me little pet names behind closed doors struck me.
“I don’t have time to cry. Your mom and aunt are still outside.”
“They’ll be fine. I’ll tell them you had a rough day. And hey, I wanted to help you when I kissed you. I wasn’t trying to be weird.”
I nodded against his chest. “I know. That was really nice, Ben. Thanks for doing that.” My arms circled his waist and I leaned back to look at him. “I want to pay it back. I’ll be your fake girlfriend.”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to. That’s a ridiculous thing to ask.”
“No. It’s not a big deal. You helped me with Cole. I’ll help you. We’ll make it fun.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Jessie. I shouldn’t make it seem like you do.”
“I know,” I said. “I want to.”
He twisted his lips to chew on them. “So you’ll come eat with us? I’ll buy you as many margaritas as you want,” he offered,thumbing over the moisture on my cheeks.
“Can we get queso, too?”
Ben cracked a smile. “Queso, guac, that chorizo and cheese stuff, anything you want, baby.”
“Okay.”
With a kiss on my cheek, he stitched our hands together and walked us out of the bedroom.
Chapter22
Mikey
Jessalyn was a heartbreaker. As in, it broke my heart when I saw the desperation in her eyes getting off the elevator with Cole’s new chick. I was only standing out there to warn her about my mom being there, but I ended up being needed for more. The good news is, I’d been dying to kiss her anyway. That was as good an excuse as any. My years of reading situations and thinking quick on my feet for hockey came in handy.
It was such a relief to finally feel her lips on mine, to taste her, to have her wrapped up in my arms. I’m known for my casual encounters, but I needed her kiss more than I needed to get off with other conquests. It made me realize how empty most of my hookups were. Kissing was just a means to an end with them.
I actually felt something for Jessie. I wanted to keep kissing her until she felt how special she is. I wanted to do other things with her, too, along with plenty of kissing. I wanted to know what shethought about everything under the sun. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to have her tease me and sing along to songs with me. I wanted to hold her hand because I liked how it felt.
What was happening to me?
I couldn’t stop replaying the wildness in her eyes the moment she realized we were actually going to kiss, like it was what she needed, too. The sweet softness of her body pressing into me. Those fucking tits. God.
Well, anyway. I was out to dinner with this powerhouse of a woman and... my mother and her best friend.
Jessie was good-natured fielding Mom and Lori’s endless questions. When Lori asked how we met, we both gazed at each other lovingly. “We were,” I started, and she finished my sentence, “Neighbors.”
I love a girl with a good appetite, and Jessie was absolutely laying into the chips and salsa. Eating her feelings about Cole, I supposed. Or eating her feelings about me. Or both.
Either way, I was happy to see her eating again.
What were her feelings about me? The kiss was a fake, obviously, but damn did it feel real. I can’t deny that I enjoyed it, that I wanted it with every fiber of my being. Maybe I just needed to get laid.
But tonight wasn’t about me. She’d been dealt a serious blow by her ex, and I didn’t need to make it any more about me than I already had. She was cool enough to put up with dinner with my family.
“Jessie, how are you liking Ben’s games?” Mom asked.
“She actually hasn’t been yet, Ma. She doesn’t know a thing about hockey. Can you believe that?”
