Page 22 of An Indecent Longing

If he didn’t fucking love his cousin, he’d be pounding Ben’s head into the wall right now.

“Ian.”

With a concerted effort, Ian turned away from the door and met Ben’s gaze head-on.

His cousin’s gaze narrowed. “I’ll take her home.”

His jaw clenched at the thought. “What happened to Blank?” Ian kept his voice low. “She wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“He was shot. Dorrie took him back to her office, patched him up then came here. I don’t think she wanted to be alone so I asked her back here for a drink. I haven’t touched her.”

Some part of Ian’s brain registered the fact that he wouldn’t have been as upset at that as Ben might think.

Maybe that was his mind’s way of coping with a situation he knew was unwinnable. Or maybe he’d been spending too much time with Adam and Tristan. And Max and Jesse.

Both pairs of men had a relationship with a single female. And so far, they were making it work. Before he’d seen them in action, Ian would’ve said they were crazy to even try.

Now…

Staring at his cousin, he wondered—

No.

“Does she know we live together?”

Ben couldn’t quite stop his grimace from forming. “Not exactly.”

“Which means no.” Ian took a deep breath. “Jesus, Ben—”

“Before you say another word,” Ben held up one hand, “can you honestly tell me you don’t want her here? That you’re not so fucking turned on by seeing her in your bed that you don’t want to tell me to go away so you can join her?”

Fuck, yes.

Ian’s jaw set. “It’s complicated.”

Ben’s eyes rolled. “Everything’s fucking complicated, man. But I’ve never seen you react like this to another woman. And you didn’t see her in her office. If I hadn’t brought her home, she’d be in some bar, alone and drinking herself under the table. I figured you wouldn’t want that. Or was I wrong?”

No, he wasn’t wrong. “You should’ve taken her home.”

“She’s a grown woman. She was going out whether I wanted to take her home or not. Should I have just left her alone?” Ben crossed his arms. “She was fucking shaking and she was gonna head straight to a bar for a drink. Should I have just dropped her off at home and left?”

The thought of anyone else touching her made him want to put his fist through the wall. Yes, he was being totally irrational but at this moment, he didn’t care.

“No, but… Christ.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead. “It’s complicated.”

Ben’s eyebrows rose. “Then explain it to me. I think I’m smart enough to understand.”

Frustration made Ian’s teeth grind. “Don’t even go there. I don’t think you’re stupid. I never thought you were stupid.”

An old mistake Ian had once made, an off-the-cuff remark about Ben not going to college that Ben was never going to forget.

“Then tell me what the hell’s going on with you and this girl.”

“Nothing’s going on. Not a damn thing because I can’t let it.”

“Why?”

Ian shook his head. If he told Ben…

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