“Yes, Ben. I don’t sleep around. I barely date.”
“I know that.”
She could only assume his stubbornness made him blind. “Then you know I risked everything on you.”
His intense gaze didn’t leave her face. “Because you were in danger.”
“No, because I want to be with you, talk to you, sleep with you.” Careful not to hit the bed, she stepped in when Connor moved back. She slid her thigh on the mattress next to his legs and stopped there even though she ached to get closer. “All of it and all the time.”
He picked up her hand and played with her fingers. “All the violence.”
“Goes with your job. I won’t lie. That’s not easy for me. It scares me to death.” When he gave her a pained frown, she rushed to finish her point. “But I also get that you have friends and people who watch out for you and that you’re careful. You don’t take stupid risks.”
Davis cleared his throat. “He’s usually on his game, though he’s not doing so well here.”
“You begged for a date.” She ignored Connor’s laugh and Ben’s scowl. “You were relentless and now you want out? No. I’m not giving you a choice. You wanted me? Well, now I want you back.”
“You do?”
“I might even love you a little, which we’re not going to talk about now, certainly not with company listening in, but the one thing I am not doing is leaving you.” The truth sat out there now and she couldn’t call it back. She didn’t even want to. After everything they’d been through, he deserved to know the truth.
“I like her,” Davis said.
Connor nodded. “She fits in with the other women in the group.”
Davis made a sound like a hum. “And it wouldn’t be bad to have a nurse on staff.”
Ben didn’t even spare them a glance. He kept his attention on her as he slipped his fingers through hers and held on tight. “Both of you get out.”
“Maybe we’re watching out for her,” Connor said.
She didn’t break eye contact either. Couldn’t. “I can handle Ben on my own.”
“Yeah, I think you can.” Connor patted Ben on the shoulder. “We’ll find Joel and Pax and come back later.”
Davis laughed. “Much later.”
Ben barely waited until the door closed behind his friends. “Love?”
She knew he’d grab on to that one word. Other men, no. They’d ignore it and try to work around it. Not Ben. She said love, and excitement flared in his eyes. “A little and it’s just at the beginning stages, so don’t kill it by being a moron.”
He tugged her closer. “Come here.”
“Oh, now you get bossy.” She put her hands on either side of his shoulders. “I’ll tolerate that, since you’ve been shot and stabbed and who knows what else. But as your nurse, I would suggest you be careful.”
“I’m taking my bossiness cues from you.” He tried to lift his head and hissed instead.