I dashed toward it.
“There’s nothing in there for them to get into!” he called after me.
“They’ll find something! It’s their superpower!”
I skidded to a stop just inside the room. A fire danced in the fireplace, safely tucked behind a large metal screen. Sprawled out in front of it, on thick blankets that looked like they had been set there just for them, were the dogs, both chewing on a piece of rawhide.
“I grabbed a couple of treats from Jack when I told him they were coming over, and he suggested the makeshift dog beds,” Ben said from just behind me.
I nearly jumped when he started speaking. For a big guy, he sure did move quietly. Or maybe my panicked pulse had masked the sound of his footfalls. “That was…really thoughtful.”
He stepped next to me and shrugged one massive shoulder. “Well, you were doing me a favor, coming over here. I wanted you and them to feel welcome.”
Why did he have to be so nice?
My hormones.
Help.
I nodded for a second like an idiot before remembering my manners. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. This is kind of a nice scene, with them snuggled down and the fire going. It would make for a cozy selfie to send to my parents.”
Some might say romantic, but I’d be damned if I was going to point that out right now.
“Sure,” I said. “This is perfect if you want to include them in it. In most of the pictures I take of them, they show up as black and white blurs. The only time they’re still is when they’re eating or sleeping.” Or shitting, but again, not sayingthat.
Behind the dogs was a comfortable looking leather sofa, with end tables on either side. We set our coffee down on the nearest one and then positioned ourselves so that we were visible in the camera frame, with the dogs and the fire in the background. Even with Ben’s freakishly long arms, we still ended up smooshed together to get the shot. I was excruciatingly aware of the heat radiating off of his big body, of the swell of his bicep where it pressed against my arm.
“Smile,” he said, and then took the picture.
I looked kind of manic in it. My eyes were too wide. All of my teeth were visible. If he wanted to keep his parents from worrying, I was afraid seeing the face I was making next to their son would have the opposite effect. Maybe I’d get lucky, and they’d be so distracted by the beauty of my dogs that they wouldn’t notice the creeper in the frame.
He pulled the phone down and sent the image off.
Not five seconds later, the unmistakable ring of a FaceTime call filled the room.
Ben sighed. “Seriously, Mom?” He lifted his eyes to mine. “I’m sorry about this in advance.”
I had just enough time to freak out before he picked up.
Chapter 6: Ben
Ella, it turned out, wasn’t great at keeping her emotions from showing on her face. Her eyes flashed wide in what looked like panic as I answered the call. But shit, it was too late now. This was going to be bad enough as it was. If I answered only to hang up on my mother, I would never,everhear the end of it.
“Hi, Mom.” I said. “What an unexpected surprise that you immediately called me.”
“Show me the girl,” she said. “That picture could have been taken with some rando eight months ago.”
“I need to pose with a newspaper to show you the date like this is some sort of hostage situation?” Hell, it was beginning to feel like one.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Ella’s eyebrows climbing up her forehead like they were almost surprised right off her face. Great, she hadn’t been here ten minutes, and my mom was about to scare her off.
Or maybe I was. My temper was starting to show, and being around a large, strange, angry man wasn’t something a lot of women were comfortable with, for good reason.
I hit the mute button. “Sorry,” I told her. “My mom drives me crazy sometimes.”
She immediately seemed to relax. “Oh, I fully understand. Do you want me to go?”
