“I never loved someone as much as you.”
“And now?”
“Ben… you kicked me out. You canceled our wedding plans. You blocked me on your phone and went off the grid. What do you think I feel?”
He grunted again. “Complicated.”
“Now, you tell me… do you still have feelings forme?”
“I don’t—”
“Feelings that could get in the way of you being in love with Eden, and giving her everything she deserves… even if I leave the picture?”
“You are—”
“Because I don’t think that—”
“Would you shut the hell up and let me talk? Of course I still care about you!”
“Well, then.” Liam pushed aside his half-empty can. “Guess I now know why you really invited me over before you go to bed.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Oh, no. We’ve only been fucking the same woman – at the same time – while passionately making out in between and even showering together.”
“With Eden. We showered with Eden.”
“Did I ever tell you that’s how we met?” Liam knew this game so well that one would have thought they had slipped into it on purpose. “In the showers. She was on shift before bed, and a very lovely hostess guided me to her after I got in late.”
“Bet you loved every moment of it.”
“Oh, I did. Especially when she told me that she had just been railed by another man at the Black Light party.”
Benson looked like he was about to lunge over the counter.
“That was you, big guy. I got all horny over thoughts of her fuckingyou.”
“You didn’t know it was me at the time.”
“You bet your big, muscular ass I imagined it was you, though.”
“Are you flirting with me?”
It was such an earnest question that Liam laughed. “You’re so hopeless, Ben. You still don’t know the difference between a man flirting with you and seducing you? It’s not subtle!”
“I’m used to men saying,‘Hey, wanna go?’and we go. Sometimes we say nothing.”
“That reminds me of my first time with a certain someone. Someone I had to teach some manners to, by the way!”
“Sorry, not all of us were sucking dick in college.”
“Senior year of high school, but six of one, big guy.”
“You went to high school in North Carolina.”
“Yeah! Lots of guys into gay shit in the Carolinas! Do you know who one of their governors is?”
“I try not to think about it.”
