Love & Curses(21)

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, didn’t get any on you did I?”

“Just a bit of, um…gravy?” She dropped the napkins in a nearby trashcan and pointed to his shirt. “But that looks like it’s gonna stain.”

“Yeah, probably.” He gave her a once over, images of her hot and panting beneath him flooding his mind. She’d never called him back. Could she have followed him to the airport, hoping for a second chance? Might be worth hanging around a couple more weeks. “How’s that tat working out for you?”

A taller dude moved in close and wrapped his arm around her. He glared at Ben as though he wanted to punch him. “Everything okay here?”

“Yeah. Fine,” he said. “I was just asking Calista how she liked the tattoo I gave her a while back.”

“Oh, you mean the swallow inked on her left shoulder?” The dude nodded and angled her bare shoulder around, revealing the tribal style bird he’d inked. “We like it fine.” He tugged her against him. “You okay?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Ben just ran into me. Literally.”

“Hmm.” The guy eyed him. “Maybe you should pay better attention in the future. You could hurt someone.”

Ben got the distinct feeling the dude wasn’t talking about bumping into anyone.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” He glanced at Calista again and noticed the shiny ring on her hand accompanied by a golden band. “You’re married?”

Her face burst into a broad grin. Holy shit, there was that killer smile he remembered. “Yes, Andy and I got married yesterday. We’re off to Hawaii for our honeymoon.”

“Huh, congratulations, I suppose.” He shrugged off the odd sensation in his chest. Indigestion, he guessed, except he hadn’t eaten yet. Hunger, yeah, that was it.

“Thanks.” She snuggled closer to the man who held her tight to his side then met his gaze with direct intent. “You know, Ben, I have you to thank for Andy. In a roundabout way, you were pivotal in bringing us together. So, thank you. I truly hope you find someone to love one day. Maybe then you’ll realize the peace you feel in your soul when it’s content.”

He grimaced. “Hey, I’m happy for you and all, but my soul is content just the way it is. You and your man, have a great life. I’ll do the same just as I always have.” He nodded to them and strode off toward his gate.

Yeah, San Antonio never sounded better. Love. What a load of horseshit. He found peace every time he sank his dick balls deep into a woman. Love had nothing to do with it. Never had, never would.

As he stormed down the ramp to his plane, a shiver coursed through him, and the old biddy’s words came from nowhere. “I curse you to roam the world, watching those around you find true love while you continue in your self-absorbed existence.”

“Fucking horseshit!”