She put her hands on her hips as he brought the last of the food over to the dining table. Liam remained in the kitchen, Eden standing between them. “You two have been so sneaky-sneaky.” Sighing, she excused herself from the room. “I’m going to pee before I eat. You two sort this out before I get back.”
Benson’s eyes lingered on her ass as it poked out of her shirt. He couldn’t help but notice that Liam did the same thing. “Stop it,” Benson said. “I don’t care how you may still feel about me, but let’s not complicate things with Eden.”
“They’re gonna get complicated whether we want them to or not.”
“Why? You don’t seriously think things are going to continue like this, right? Last night…” He lowered his voice, getting right in Liam’s face, “will not be a common occurrence.”
Was that a little smirk on his taunting face? “Sure, man.” Liam lowered his arms. “Whatever you say.”
“Besides,” Benson turned around, bracing himself against the back of a chair while his muscles worked beneath his shoulders. “This can’t go on forever. At some point, she has to choose one of us.”
“Do you really think you could handle it well if she chose me over you?”
“Well, for one thing, I don’t think she will.”
“So, you’re here making me breakfast because…?”
“Because it’s the polite thing to do when you have guests over.”
Liam appeared beside him, leaning his forearms against the table as he folded his hands together and glanced up at Benson.Get out of my shirt.Whoever said this man could go through his clothes? Let alone wear them? Besides, it wasn’t fair. Benson was two sizes larger than Liam. He could wear anything in Benson’s closet. Might not have looked good, but he wouldn’t burst out of them like the Hulk, like the other way around…
“Do you know why I really left town five years ago?”
“Don’t.”
Liam shook his head. “Because I hated the thought of watching you move on with another woman. Or, worse…”
“Don’t.”
“Instead, you’re trying to make off withmywoman.”
“Says the guy who got himself engaged to Libby behind my back.”
Liam stood back up again. “You made it very clear that you weren’t marrying a woman again. She wanted a husband. Why not me?”
“Just…” Benson took a deep breath. “Don’t, all right? Let’s keep the peace today. You want to tell her the truth about us?” He pointed to Liam, who did not flinch. “Fine. But not today. And not without me. She deserves to hear it from me, too.”
“I agree.”
“Good.”
They faced each other in the dining area, Benson attempting to see Liam for who he wastoday, not the man he knew five years ago.He hasn’t aged a day.Same weight. Same musculature. Not a single gray hair or wrinkle. Not like Benson, who had gone from forty to forty-five.Gray hair, wrinkles under my eyes, some weird mole on my ass.The mole, at least, was benign. Because that and colonoscopies were something he had to think about now.
Liam, though… he was forever young. Forever younger than Benson. He’d always be more relatable to whatever woman came between them.He’s the husband material, not me.Sydney had made sure Benson knew that, despite how much Liam once reassured him that wasn’t true.
“But you can’t keep hiding that part of yourself from her,” Liam said as footsteps came down the hallway. “Ask me how I know.”
Benson was prepared to brush him off, but Eden gunned for him, something in her hand.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, shit,” Liam said.
“Angel.” Blood pressure spiking, Benson snatched the pill bottle out of her hand. “Where did you get this?” He knew damn well where she got it.
“Your medicine cabinet.” Her hands were on her hips as she looked at him, not with accusation, but disbelief.No, no. I’m so sorry. I should have said something.Liam stared at Benson over Eden’s head, his arms crossed again, almost in pity.No, no, I’m doing it again. I’m lying to the ones I care about.“I was looking for ibuprofen.”
“You could have asked before going through my prescriptions.” He jerked his head toward a cabinet in his kitchen. “I keep the OTC stuff out here.”