The Promise (The 'Burg #5)(183)

Benny unleashed Gus and then directly slanted onto the couch, reaching for the remote, laying evidence that he was possibly preparing for a delayed pancake coma.

The pancakes were good. And I liked Luke Stark even better when he wasn’t being scary but was instead being casually badass and also friendly.

But for me, I was just glad all this would soon be over and we could turn our minds to better things.

Like picking tile and kitchen towels.

Once I got my shoes off, I wandered to Benny and saw him watching me. That meant he was prepared so I didn’t hesitate in collapsing on top of him.

He braced for impact, took it, and wrapped his arms around me.

I shifted mine so they were on his chest and looked into his eyes. “You liked the look of Stark,” I decreed.

“Not as much as you, but yeah,” he replied, and I tipped my head to the side.

“What do you mean, not as much as me?”

His lips twitched before he said, “Babe, you were practically drooling.”

Uh-oh. Benny caught that.

“Well…” I started, then stopped because I had no clue what to say or why Benny’s lips were twitching and he wasn’t flying into a possessive, Italian hot guy jealous rage.

“He liked the look of you too,” Benny noted.

I felt my brows shoot up. “He did?”

“Oh yeah,” Ben stated.

“How do you know?” I asked, intrigued, even though I knew I shouldn’t be.

Benny weirdly didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“He wanted to be sittin’ at a table with Sal like he wanted someone to pull out all of his teeth. He was puttin’ up with Sal because he caught sight of you and knows you might possibly be in danger. He also knows Sal’s on that so you mean somethin’ to Sal and Sal means somethin’ to you. He didn’t show him a lot of respect, but he showed him more than he normally would and he did that because of you. He thought you are what you are, beautiful and funny. Man like him doesn’t go soft for some hard bitch or just anybody. He goes soft for a beautiful woman who’s funny.”

“But he’s married.”

“He’s married, but he isn’t dead.”

“I think he’s very married,” I informed him.

“Definitely,” Benny agreed. “Man wears that obvious of a wedding band because he’s weak and let his wife pick the rings or because he’s seriously in love with his wife. There’s nothin’ weak about that man.”

This was true.

“Aren’t you…I mean, he was attractive and you caught that I caught that. Aren’t you pissed?”

“Babe, you’re mine, but you aren’t dead either. It’s not like just because you’re bangin’ me you’re not gonna see guys you don’t like to see.”

“That doesn’t upset you?” I asked.

“You gonna bang ’em?” he asked back.

“No,” I replied sharply.

That got me a grin and, “Then why would it upset me?”

“But you didn’t like the idea of me being Cheryl’s wingman.”

“You likin’ the look of a guy who’s very married and doin’ that sittin’ next to me is one thing. You out with one of your girls, my ring not yet on your finger, for any guy to get an eyeful and maybe call up the courage to approach is another.”

“I wouldn’t bang any of them either,” I pointed out.

“You like the idea of some woman approachin’ me when you’re not around?” he asked.

I saw his point so I pressed my lips together.

His eyes dropped to my mouth, and when they came back to mine, they were lit with humor.

I understood that part, but I didn’t trust the earlier part and I told him why.

“So, you’re cool with this so I’ll be cool with you lookin’ at pretty women while you’re with me?”

“I’m not dead, either, babe. And I might see a pretty woman, but even if I do, I’m not doin’ my job if you don’t know down to your gut there’s nothin’ I see that’s as beautiful as what I see in you.”

God.

Benny.

I liked his words so much, I couldn’t stop my head from dropping so my forehead was on his throat, and that was where I kept it in order to deep breathe and not burst into tears.

Ben glided a hand up my spine and curled it around the back of my neck before he murmured into the top of my hair, “See I scored with that.”

“Sometimes your sweet overwhelms me,” I admitted to his throat.

“Challenge accepted.”

I lifted my head and looked at him again. “What?”

He looked into my eyes. “Challenge accepted, findin’ ways to give you a lifetime of just that.”

I could deep breathe for eternity and not stop the tears that wet my eyes at that.

“You just did it again,” I whispered.

He smiled and whispered back, “Good.”

I looked to his smile, then back to his eyes that were warm and tender and beautiful and also smiling and kept whispering, “And again.”

He slid his hand into my hair and replied, “Babe, you feel all I see you feelin’, don’t put it into tears. Kiss me.”