Page 48 of My Heart Still Beats
Way too soon.
Besides, Ben Black is a player. He’s in the tabloids with a new woman on his arm every week.
I can’t get involved with him.
Especially if he has demons.
Perhaps he truly does.
Part of me wants to learn about him—everything that makes him who he is.
But I haven’t conquered my own demons. Adding his to the mix wouldn’t be a good thing.
A tingle flashes through me as his flesh touches mine.
Just the pinky. The pinky that I’ve been thinking about.
I yank my hand away.
He turns to me. “I’m sorry. That was an accident. I got too close.”
“No, it’s… You didn’t do anything wrong. I just…”
“I understand, Tessa.” He pauses. “But I’m not going to deny I’m attracted to you. Very attracted to you.”
His words put me on edge, but they don’t elicit as much fear as I expect them to.
Because I find him very attractive as well. More than I’ve even admitted to myself.
I want to tell him that he’s pretty much the best-looking man I’ve ever laid eyes on. That his broad shoulders make my heart flutter, his full lips make me wonder how they’d feel against mine, and his hypnotic dark eyes make me want to get lost in them and never be found.
The old Tessa would have made a move by now, or she would have coyly encouragedhimto make a move.
“Maybe you weren’t ready to hear that,” Ben says. “I won’t do anything to make you uncomfortable, though. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. I’d love to help you if I could—”
“You’ve already helped me. You took over the planning of both of these parties. Your only responsibility was the bachelor party, but you took on the bachelorette party for me.”
“That wasn’t a big deal. I had Braden’s wallet and an expert party planner at my disposal. It was nothing, really.”
I reach toward him, but I don’t touch him. Yet I feel him—his stubbly jawline, his warm skin. A phantom caress. “No, itwassomething, Ben. It was something I couldn’t handle—or didn’t think I could, anyway—and you took it off my plate.”
“Like I said, it was easy for me. I had everything I needed at my disposal.” Then he cocks his head. “But I’m wondering if perhaps I did you a disfavor.”
I lift my eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing,” he says. “Forget I said it.”
“I can’t forget.” Because I know what he’s thinking.
I can see it in the gorgeous contours of his face.
“You think I was sitting at home doing nothing when I could have been working on the bachelorette party.”
“Well…” he hedges.
“Is that why you offered me a job? Because you didn’t want me dwelling on things any more than I already am, and you’d already taken over the bachelorette party?”
He sighs. “I offered you a job because our company needs good accountants.”
