Chapter 20 Benson
Benson
He was up before the others the following morning. I’m always up at six. Always. Even if he went back to sleep, his internal clock still woke him up at six am EST every damn day. Or at night, if he were abroad.
So, that didn’t surprise him. But what knocked his socks off was his desire to get up, stretch, and start making coffee and breakfast in his kitchen. By then it was seven, and the first hint of sunrise tickled his living room windows.
Look at me, making them breakfast. He focused on Eden, who was a consistent presence at his breakfast table.
Soon, he wouldn’t mind having her stay as long as she wanted, even if he had to go to work.
The few times she stayed the night when he had to be up in the morning, she also got up and received a ride home, where she presumably went back to bed.
Maybe even one day, he would be comfortable letting her have a key to his place.
But Eden wasn’t the only one lounging in his bed.
Benson had been half knocked out from exhaustion before he had the wherewithal to kick Liam out of his bed.
Out of all the guys… Benson never made a habit of letting men stay the night, no matter how much his girlfriend might have liked them, but Liam was different.
To the point that Benson almost dropped his bread all over the kitchen floor while trying to make toast.
Of all the guys…
No, he wouldn’t dwell on it. Several of his friends warned that this happened sometimes.
“You think a guy is out for good, then there he is three, five, seven years later, ready to ruin your life again.” Benson never thought that would be him.
His lifestyle was conservative compared to other men who were into the same things as him.
It has to be. His job, having shared custody of his daughter, and even his own personality demanded it.
It had to be Liam. It had to be.
I should have moved.
He knew exactly how Eden liked her eggs by now. Unfortunately, he also knew how Liam liked his eggs. But until either one of them was up, he wouldn’t bother cooking for anyone but himself.
“Hey, sexy.”
All right, he’d get out the carton of eggs again. Because Eden called him sexy at 7:30 in the morning.
She came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his bare chest and hooking her thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants, which he had thrown on when he got out of bed. Benson was still in front of the stove, the toast popping up and eggs crackling in a frying pan.
Eden pressed her cheek against his back. Benson put one hand on hers and used the other to cook his eggs. “Surprised you’re still alive,” he quipped. “After last night.”
She purred against his skin, hair falling between her face and his back as she slightly pulled away and yawned. “I slept like a rock. So did you, based on the snoring.”
“I don’t snore.”
“You liar.”
They had this conversation five times already, but Benson kept indulging because it was fun.
I know I snore. Sydney had made sure he knew, but two sleep studies later, he still wasn’t diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Somehow. Then his ex complained about his snoring, and it just became a thing Benson had to deal with every time someone slept over.
“Hungry?” he asked.
She snapped his waistband again. Benson hated to admit it, but just the thought of her grabbing him first thing in the morning got him going.
A little. Just enough that he could still hide it while a thrill leaped through him.
“I’d say I’m famished, but after last night, I don’t know if I can eat again. ”
Eden kissed his back before unwrapping her arms and revealing that she was dressed in an old band T-shirt she kept at his place. Her standing on her tiptoes to get a clean glass for some water also revealed that she didn’t believe in underwear first thing in the morning. God bless her.
“What?” she asked, closing the cupboard as she lowered to the soles of her feet.
“Your ass was sculpted by God.”
She flashed him a sleepy smile. “Well, I was told that you love ass.”
He didn’t comment on that. It was better to let her giggle about it than to correct what she had heard another man say last night.
Benson was about to plate his eggs and start Eden’s when someone else sauntered out of the back bedroom like he owned the damn place. Before Liam could say anything, Benson dropped his spatula against his stove and turned to his other guest.
“Are you wearing my shirt?”
Liam leaned against the kitchen wall, hair disheveled and definitely wearing one of Benson’s oversized running shirts. “I have nothing else to wear.” He lifted one hand in the saddest apology ever. “Don’t worry. I left your tight beach shirts alone in their drawer.”
I need to burn everything and move. Of course, Liam knew where Benson kept shirts that would fit him. Usually, a guest asked first!
“Heeeey.” To add insult to injury, Eden wandered over and hugged Liam, who remained leaning against the kitchen as he planted several very heavy kisses on Benson’s girlfriend. “Good morning, beautiful,” Eden teased between kisses.
Benson heard the whole thing over the cracking of four more eggs – they would get both of theirs scrambled, and they would like it.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” Liam said with a romantic growl that made Benson grunt. “Yes, good morning to you, too, darling!” Liam then called to him, while both arms wrapped around Eden – and his hands landed on her ass!
“I just want you two to know,” Eden said, still clinging to Liam while fluttering her lashes at the back of Benson’s head, “that last night was one of the best things ever. You guys are making me the happiest girl in the world.”
“Well, I like hearing that.” Liam twirled her where she stood, Eden landing against him with laughter on her lips. Benson shoved eggs around the pan while more toast popped up. “Maybe we should stay in all day and keep you happy. Especially if Ben’s cooking.”
“He does make a good breakfast…”
“While everyone else is wearing his clothes,” Benson muttered. Even if Liam ripped off that shirt right now, Benson would still have to toss it in the washer to get the smell of another man out of it.
He plated everyone’s food while the last round of toast went into the toaster.
Eden helped herself to both finished plates to take to the dining table.
Liam hovered nearby, neither looking at her nor at Benson.
Not my business. He focused on tossing some utensils onto the table.
He figured the three of them had things to discuss after breakfast.
Suddenly, someone was behind him.
“You need to tell her,” Liam ominously said. “Or I will.”
Benson wagged the spatula at him. “Your toast is almost ready.”
“Ben.”
Was that exhaustion in his voice? Benson didn’t give a shit. “If you think this is lasting long enough to be relevant enough to her, you’re out of your mind.”
“She deserves to know.”
Benson was about to send him a testy “deserves to know what?” when Eden approached and asked, “What should I know?”
“Nothing, angel,” Benson was too quick to say.
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 with my woman.”
“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.”