Chapter 8 #2
He didn’t look like he had a big appetite, his body was muscled and toned to the point he looked absolutely delicious in his clothes, whether dress or casual, as she was being treated to tonight.
Even khakis and a black t-shirt that looked as if it had been painted on his sculpted chest was gorgeous.
Victoria liked to think she was a realist, she didn’t believe in fantasies, didn’t indulge in meaningless fairy tales.
The fact that Ben was an attractive man, was a given.
She could admit that and not feel an ounce of guilt.
And before thirty minutes ago, she would’ve firmly believed he was an arrogant egotistical ass most of the time.
Now, however, she was seeing another side of him.
“I wouldn’t say that. I adore my mother and so does my brother. She dotes on both of us, even though we’re adults. My dad just shakes his head at the three of us most of the time. I’d say we just love each other a lot. Kind of like you and your mother.”
She’d watched him talk, watched his lips move over bright white teeth, the muscles in his jaw tick as he took another forkful of food. His eyes were dark, almost black, but still held a warmth she hadn’t considered he possessed.
“My mother and I are very close,” she admitted. Never in her wildest dreams had Victoria thought she’d be sitting in her kitchen talking about family with Ben. “Especially since my dad died.”
“I’m sorry about that,” he told her and she got the sense he knew exactly what happened to her father. Why he would know didn’t make sense, then again nothing about this man was adding up into the neat little column she’d placed him in.
Shaking her head she said something else that surprised her. “Tell me more about your family.”
He took a drink of the iced tea she’d poured for them. “We have a very large family. Some of us are here and some are in Washington, Virginia, Texas, Miami and London. We’re all spread out,” he told her. “Most of us try to get together at least once a year to catch up.”
“Like a family reunion. I’ve never been to one of those before.” And making that statement made her realize she really wanted to.
“Your family doesn’t get together?”
“It’s just me and my mother. She has some family back east, but we rarely hear from them, let alone see them.”
“Family should always keep in touch,” he said earnestly.
“Your family is not like most,” she said reaching out to pick up her glass. She didn’t want to have a drink, just needed something to do with her hands. Resisting the urge to want to touch Ben—on his sculpted biceps, his tone shoulders or even just his hand—was harder than it should’ve been.
“I could take you to a family dinner, if you want. That’ll prepare you for the reunion. We can be a bit overwhelming,” he told her and took another bite of food.
She did take a drink then and looked at him with consideration as she returned her glass to the table. “You’re very presumptuous.”
“Really? I’d call it optimistic,” he said with a smile as he swallowed the last bit of his food.
His skin was the tone of tree bark, but smooth and alluring. His lips were of medium thickness and probably very kissable.
Shaking her head, she resisted closing her eyes to get the visual out of her mind. “No, you presume too much. If you wanted me to go to your family dinner you would’ve asked me and hoped I’d say yes. Instead, you tell me that I’m going like it’s already been settled. Presumptuous.”
He laughed. His head tilted and a deep, full-bodied sound filled her kitchen. She was certain that had never happened before.
“You’ve always been so intense. Every question has an answer, every answer an explanation. Sometimes things just are, Victoria.”
“Not without a reason,” she added shaking her head. “So, what’s your reason for being so presumptuous? You came over here tonight expecting to what, get lucky?”
“Whoa?” His brow raised. “Where did that come from?”
“I’m just getting the small talk out of the way. I mean, you’ve been here for almost forty-five minutes now. You’ve eaten, I’ve eaten, we’re talking. So, what’s next? I have to ask since I know you think you know the next step.”
He shook his head. “I came here to check on you. This dinner was an added bonus and I’ll be sending your mother a bouquet of her favorite flowers tomorrow to thank her.”
“You don’t know her favorite flower,” she said sarcastically.
“Touché, but I was going to ask you before I left. And just for the record, I know your favorite flower.”
“You do not.”
“Gerber daisies,” he said, not bothering to look up at her.
She would never let him know how sweet those two words sounded to her. No man had ever paid that much attention to her. Instead, she asked, “How?”
“No, it’s not a presumption as you would like to think. You have a vase full of colorful Gerber daisies sitting right there. I just made a logical conclusion.”
She looked at said vase, wanted to frown, with disappointment.
Had she really been hoping he’d done research that deeply on her?
Wouldn’t that have been beyond creepy? If so, maybe she was starting to like creepy?
She drummed her fingers on the table, an act that normally annoyed the hell out of her when Roxanne did it at work.
Now, it soothed her nerves that had quickly become frazzled.
“How did you know what they were called? You don’t strike me as the flower kind of guy.”
“I should be calling you presumptuous since you seem to think you know all about me. My mother likes flowers so I make it a point to send her favorites at least once a month. Calling the florist on a monthly basis puts you smack dab in the middle of the flower business.”
“And your mother likes Gerber daisies?”
“No. Tulips. But they’re not in season all year so sometimes I have to switch it up. That’s how I know what Gerber daisies are. She likes them too, said they’re very cheerful.”
“They are and I’m not having sex with you.”
He’d been just finishing the tea and choked just a little.
“No,” he said when he put his glass down. “You’re not. At least not tonight. You’re tired, I’m tired after all this good food and you need time to recuperate.”
“I mean ever, Ben. I’m not sleeping with you ever.”
He waited a beat, seemed to contemplate her words, then nodded. “Okay.”
“Is that it?” she asked and wanted to bite her tongue.
“Yes. That’s it. Thank you for dinner,” he said and stood to walk his plate to the sink. “I can wash these before I go.”
She stood too. “No, thanks. I’ll put them in the dishwasher.”
“Good. I want you to get to bed as soon as possible.” He breezed right by her and was on his way into the kitchen when she finally stood from the dining room table to follow him.
“Are you angry?”
He turned and she bumped right into him since she’d walked fast to catch up with him. “I’m not a child, Victoria. Something else to scratch off your list of misconceptions about me.”
“I didn’t mean to blurt it out. I just meant that this wasn’t going to lead to sex. We’re colleagues, as you told my mother. We’re not…anything else,” she said for lack of a better term.
He reached out a hand, traced a finger along the line of her jaw and Victoria held her breath. He was standing so close, too close. Her heart hammered in her chest and she was so…what? What did his closeness do to her?
“We’re not anything else, yet,” he whispered, then dropped his hand from her face and turned away.
He was out of the kitchen and at the front door before Victoria could get her feet to move again.
“Lock the doors when I leave,” he said when she finally made her way back to the living room. The windows have locks already installed. Keep a dim light on down here when you go up and sleep well,” he told her as he walked out.
She grabbed the door handle and watched him go down the three steps in front of her door. She wanted to say something, to correct him, admonish him, something.
“Goodnight,” was what finally fell from her lips and she felt like biting off her tongue the minute she did.
He stopped, turned back to face her and grinned. “Goodnight, Victoria.”
Closing and locking the door Victoria slowly leaned against it, letting her head drift back as she whispered a word she’d never thought would apply to herself, “Idiot.”