Page 14 of Hush

We can fix that,angel, he thought before he could stop his mind from veering straight into the gutter.Just say the word.“What changed your mind?” Ben asked, almost choking on the words as he tried to suppress his beastly thoughts. Why couldn’t he keep his cool tonight?

Elise sighed. “Caitlin offered to be my date. With Jaden gone, I didn’t really have a reason not to.”

“I’m glad you did,” he said.

Elise stared into her mug, giving him a private moment to study the soft shape of her cheeks and the way her dark eyelashes curved across them. “You didn’t bring a date either,” she teased, meeting his eyes again.

“Nah,” he replied, though hearing it from her stung a little.

“My sister says you’re the most eligible bachelor in the valley,” she said.

Ben shook his head. “Kelly gets way more dates than I do,” he answered.

Elise’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Hmm,” she said. “And why is that?”

Ben resisted the urge to bark some flippant comment. “He doesn’t have the caseload I do.”

“So you’re just busy?”

Ben nodded. “It’s also a small town.”

“Boy, that’s true,” she said. Then, her expression crinkled. “On that note, can I tell you a secret?”

Ben raised an eyebrow. God, she was so gorgeous when her eyes glittered like that.

“My sister made me a profile on a dating site,” she said in a rush.

“Are you interested in dating?” Ben asked.

Her face froze for an instant. “I…don’t know.” She circled the rim of her mug, a lock of her long hair falling forward. Ben imagined brushing it back, his fingers caressing the tender skin behind her ear. “My sister says I’ll never be ready. That I just need to get out there.”

“What doyouthink?” Ben asked.

Her cheeks reddened. “I mean, sure, I’d like to have someone in my life,” she said, meeting his eyes. “But it’s like I’ve lost my way. Does that sound weird?”

Ben shook his head. “How long ago did you and Garrett split?”

“Over a year ago,” she said.

“And you haven’t dated since then?” he asked, unable to stop himself.

Elise cringed. “I know,” she said. “But it was a hard road there for a while. Trying to unravel everything that happened sort of took over my life. I wouldn’t have had much to offer anyone.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Ben said. “Dating isn’t just for when things are perfect in a person’s life.”

Elise took a careful breath that caught halfway in her chest. “Maybe.”

Ben felt a shiver rumble down his spine. “So do you think you’ll hook up with some of those dates?” he asked, then realized how it had sounded. “I mean,” he stammered. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” His stomach clenched at the thought of her venturing out to coffee with some lonely schmuck who wouldn’t take nearly as good a care of her as he would.

Elise laughed, her eyes dancing. “No, I took it down,” she replied.

Ben felt his heart sink. “Why?”

One of her delicate shoulders lifted in a shrug. “You know, it’s weird talking to you about it.”

“Why? Because I’m your son’s doctor?”

That blush again.Fuck.

---