Seduced by a Shifter(15)

Ben’s brows, several shades darker than his hair, drew together. “Am I making you nervous?”

“N-no,” Willow lied. “Well. A little. Maybe.”

His frown intensified. “Don’t be afraid of me, Willow. Ever. I would never do anything to hurt you or cause you harm. I need you to believe that.”

Her eyes skitted from his to the doorway. “Yes, well. In the normal scheme of things, trust takes time. However, in my circumstance, I have to rely on the trust someone else I trust has for you, and for all those men I met tonight.”

A long pause. “As I would rather have your trust for a different reason, I’ll just have to earn it.” He lifted a hand to her cheek, ignoring the way she jerked back at the unexpected move. “You look tired.” His thumb, soft as a feather, stroked the bruised shadows under her eyes. “And you have pain in your eyes. I don’t like seeing that.”

Willow could barely breathe and when she did, she took in a lungful of Ben’s spicy scent. Warm, clean, and undeniably male, with a hint of something wonderfully sinful. She licked her dry lips. “A good night’s sleep will take care of the fatigue and those pills, if Kaylie was being truthful about getting them for me, will help ease the pain.”

Ben stepped back, dropping his hand to his side, his smile all genial warmth. “Kaylie’s a good woman. A good friend. She’ll take care of you. We all will.”

Rome re-entered the room then, setting Willow’s suitcase and several large bags on the floor. “I’m going to take a shower and try to warm up. You,” he sent a steely-eyed glare at Ben, “are leaving, and you”—his eyes softened with concern as they lit on Willow—“need to get some sleep.”

Ben shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “You need anything, Will,” he said slowly, disregarding Rome’s attempt to hurry him out the door, “I’m just a shout away.”

Rome slid in front of Willow, blocking her view of Ben. “And I’m a whisper away. Get lost.”

A soft growl, barely discernible, floated in the air. “Don’t try to play the dominate with me, cat. Not even Dean has the ability in this.”

Cat? Willow frowned. Was Ben into ’60s lingo? Or was that the ’50s? And what did the mayor have to do with anything?

“Tonight you will ease off. And if you don’t move forward cautiously, you will lose.”

A thick silence before, “The...situation is difficult.” Ben stated gruffly.

“I understand.” Rome gave no quarter.

Ben scoffed. “You have no idea.”

Finally she had had enough. Moving out from behind Rome she looked over at Ben, only to draw in a quick breath when his intense gaze fixed on her. “What’s going on?”

In the nanosecond it took for Ben’s lashes to close over his eyes, his demeanor changed from frustrated anger to charming rogue. His quick smile only made her more suspicious. “Just guy stuff, sweetheart. You know how men are. Sometimes we act like boys and sometimes,” his eyes flashed to Rome. “We act like animals.”

“Uh-huh.” Men were, in Willow’s opinion, just weird.

Rome remained still, an unmoving statue, his dark brows raised in expectation. “Goodnight, Ben.”

Ben’s hand fisted and he looked at Willow one last time. “Good night, Willow. Sleep well. And remember, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call my name.”

The idea of having Ben at her beck and call gave her a little thrill. The man was built for hot, sweaty sex and Willow briefly, just briefly, wondered how far she could take his open invitation. Heat flushed her cheeks. “Thank you, Ben.”

Ben dropped his chin in a small nod and turned from the room. When he did, it seemed as if something thick and heavy left with him.

Tension, Willow thought. For some reason there was tension between Rome and Ben.

She’d unzipped her coat earlier and now took it off, sitting on the bed as she did so. “Want to tell me what that was all about?” she asked, fiddling with the material on her lap.

Rome’s forehead creased in irritation. “I don’t know about that boy.”

“Boy?” Willow’s eyes widened. “He can’t be much younger than you, Rome.”

“Maybe not, but his interest in you might become a distraction we can’t afford.”

Willow was stunned. Ben was interested in her? Surely not. There was no way a man like Ben could be single. He might not have a ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a slew of girlfriends. While Willow found him highly attractive—as in melt-her-panties attractive—she had no desire to be one of many. What she wanted, what she’d always wanted, was to be special. Cherished. Treasured. Call her a romantic, but she wasn’t willing to lie down and give her body and soul over to just any man. “I doubt he’s interested in that way, Rome.”