Page 15 of Tight Ends & Tiaras
Ben’s cheeks turn ruddy. “I wouldn’t say I’ve had much of a track record in college for you to think differently, but I did have a long-term girlfriend in high school.”
I’m instantly jealous of this nameless, faceless woman. “How long were you guys together?”
“Two years. Maybe a little more.” A lost look shadows his expression for a moment before his eyes go hard.
“Wow.” I clear my throat. “Why’d you guys go your separate ways?”
He tells me how Janelle broke up with him out of the blue, started dating this other guy almost immediately and got pregnant. He always suspected that she cheated on him.
Ben’s generally a quiet, solitary kind of man. This is the longest conversation we’ve ever had, so I can’t exactly wrap him in a hug even though I want to.
“Which brings me to last night,” he says. “I don’t know what I thought she had to say after all this time. We hadn’t spoken since high school.”
“Why’d you go? I mean, if she broke your heart, why would you give her the time of day?” It’s obvious he still has feelings for Janelle. But if Cal Winston showed up three years after the fact, I’d slam the door in his face. He is dead to me. No amount of time will change that. I’m all about giving people second chances, but what I saw last night marked the point of no return.
The pink hue in Ben’s cheeks rises, and I chuckle. His expression is so sheepish, I can’t help it. It feels good to laugh even though it makes my head pound.
“I get it.” I roll my eyes. Men are so predictable sometimes. “You wanted to get laid.”
He shrugs, embarrassment making him grin. “Olly and Johnny talked me into it.”
“Shut up. You totally went with your dick in your hand, ready for action.” I snort.
This is good. This is what I need to hear. How jocks will do anything, even face the ex who shredded their hearts, to have sex. I’ve always had some hardcore lust for athletes, but this fascination has never done me any favors. I need to find a nice engineer or accountant to date.
All of a sudden, I understand why Ben’s sister Gabby hated football players when we met. At the time, I thought she was too rigid in wanting to protect herself, but maybe I was the one who was short-sighted. The fact that she and her boyfriend Rider, the number-one draft pick, are now madly in love is the anomaly. I’d do well to remember this.
Ben chuckles. “You don’t hold back, do you, woman?”
“Life’s too short.”
At my statement, he grows somber again and nods, and I immediately regret my words. I know he lost his father when he was little, and then his mom when he was seven. His uncle adopted him, and Gabby went to live with different relatives. From what I’ve heard from his sister, Ben harbors a lot of regret and guilt about the conditions she found herself in while he had it relatively easy with his uncle.
I grab his hand before I think better of it. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive.”
He gives me a gentle squeeze and lets go. “No, you’re right. Life is really damn short sometimes.” He sighs. “But that’s not exactly why I went to see Janelle last night.” It’s his turn to roll his eyes. “You’re gonna laugh when I tell you.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“I’ll admit it was to get laid, but we were together when we were in high school.” His mouth tilts up. “I guess I wanted to show her I’d learned a few things. Because, I mean, how good could it have been for her back then?”
I’m sure he’s a beast in bed. The thought comes unbidden.
All of a sudden, I’m sweating. I shouldn’t be imagining hot, sweaty sex with Ben Rodriguez, but I totally am. I blame the head injury.
I might as well start paying attention to the gossip because it was right about Cal—he’s a dog. And the gossips say Ben is built like a thoroughbred. Everywhere. That he’s sleek and muscled with tons of endurance. That he fucks like a machine and his partners always go home satisfied.
But that’s the thing. There are no overnights, and I’ve never seen Ben with the same woman more than once or twice.
That’s why I fell for Cal’s lies. Because he always told me he was looking for the right woman. Said he was tired of doing casual and he’d absolutely commit if he could find a partner, someone who was his best friend. And that lying asshole had the nerve to pretend I fit the bill.
“Anyway”—Ben coughs—“Janelle was not down to fuck. And after I walked into her motel room, I can say I wasn’t up for that either.”
I don’t make the joke that’s on my lips about being “up.” Inappropriate, Sienna!
He continues. “She, uh, wanted to see me so she could tell me about our daughter. The one she passed off as belonging to another man since we broke up three years ago.”
My mouth drops open.
Holy hell in a handbasket.
