CHAPTER 12 BOWER #3
“Um…thank you,” I say, my voice going dry for some reason.
“Anytime,” he says and then moves past me and heads toward my mattress on the floor.
I quickly shut the bathroom door and set my clothes down, taking a deep breath.
What the hell was that?
He unzipped my dress and my body is acting like he just licked every inch of my skin.
I take a few more deep breaths, steadying myself before I get ready for bed, taking care of my makeup and making sure to spend some extra time scrubbing my face and applying my lotion so I can gather myself.
Once I’m ready, I turn off the light and head into the bedroom, where Bennett has lost his shirt. I spot it folded neatly next to the mattress…along with his sweatpants.
Oh God, why does that make things…different?
I don’t know. It just does. Then again, he probably doesn’t want to sleep in bulky sweatpants. I don’t blame him.
“Figured this is the side that was open, given your things were on the other.”
“Yup, you guessed correctly,” I say as I feel my nerves humming, which is so weird, because this kind of stuff has never bothered me before. I’m usually unfazed about everything, and yet, Bennett in my bed, in nothing but his underwear, has my mind whirling and my body buzzing.
Which needs to stop.
This is not a big deal.
This is just two friends seeking comfort. Or perhaps one friend seeking comfort from another friend.
Either way, get your life together, Bower.
I move to my side of the bed, slip under the covers—with help from Bennett, of course, because that’s the kind of guy he is—and then I turn off the light and face him.
“My bed isn’t as comfortable as yours.”
“Well, you could have stayed at my place, but you forced me to follow you.”
“I didn’t force you.”
He scoffs. “As if I was going to let you be alone after that look you had in your eyes. Nah, not what I do.”
“Because you’re a good guy. Your sister would be proud, although not sure how she’d feel about this.”
“I think she’d be grateful that I was taking care of you.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think she’d like that you’re taking care of me in your boxers.”
“Boxer briefs.”
I roll my eyes. “As if it matters.”
“It does. Boxer briefs are far more attractive than boxers. Boxers are…clunky. There is one guy on my team who wears them and every time I see him in them, I wonder if he’s okay.”
“Really? Who?”
He shakes his head. “Can’t tell you. That’s locker room confidentiality.”
“Oh, sure, so if I asked you who has the biggest penis on the team, you wouldn’t say that either.”
“That I can answer, because it’s me.”
I laugh…louder than what I think he was expecting, because in the moonlight, I can see the irritation in his brow.
“That’s what any guy would say.”
“Yeah, but I’m not just any guy, and I’m telling the truth.”
“Have you measured your penis next to others?”
“We have to,” he answers. “At the beginning of the season, we all line up naked and we measure dick size. It determines the batting order.”
I pause for a moment because I know nothing about baseball, absolutely nothing, but that doesn’t seem like it would be real.
“You’re lying.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I know,” I say, turning away from him and grabbing my phone. I shoot a text to Gabby.
Bower: For baseball, do all the guys measure the size of their dicks at the beginning of the season to determine the batting order?
“Texted your sister.”
He smirks. “I look forward to her answer.”
“As do I,” I say just as my phone buzzes.
Gabby: Where on earth did you hear that from? Your romance books? No, Bower, that’s not what they do. Dick size has nothing to do with earning your position in the lineup. Are you losing it?
I gasp as I turn the phone toward Bennett, who starts laughing.
I push at his chest. “Great, my friend thinks I’m losing it.”
“She thinks you’re losing it every day.”
He takes my phone from me, leans over, his bare chest pressing against me as he plugs my phone back in, and then lies back down, still facing me.
“You can’t say things like that, because if I don’t fact-check, then I could say some pretty dumb shit on the streets, and is that what you want?”
“I think no matter what, if you’re uncertain about something, you should fact-check it.”
“Excuse me for believing the baseball player.”
He chuckles. “Not a smart move.”
“Clearly,” I huff as his hand falls to my hip, catching me off guard. He pulls me in closer to him and then to my utter freaking surprise, he leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Night, Bower.”
My…my breath catches in my lungs from the feel of his lips on my skin, from the warmth of his body so close, wrapping me up into what feels like a comforting blanket that I never want to leave.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Good night, Bennett.”
Then he closes his eyes, but keeps his hand on my hip, holding me close enough that if I wanted to, I could lean forward and press my head to his chest, but not too close that he’s forcing me to be with him.
A comfortable distance that has my mind screaming with questions.
Questions I don’t think I should be answering.