Page 14 of An Indecent Longing

He shrugged. “Guess I’m just an interesting guy. Get to know me a little better and maybe you’ll think so, too.”

She fell silent again but they’d reached his townhouse. Driving around to the alley, he parked in the garage, silently breathing a sigh of relief that Ian’s car wasn’t there already.

Ben had a vague outline of a plan, and it hinged on Ian not being home first. He just hoped like hell that he wasn’t throwing gasoline on an already flammable situation. And if he was… He’d figure something out. He always did.

They fell silent again as she followed him through the small backyard and into the house. He almost expected her to balk at the back door, but she walked straight through when he opened it.

“Let’s go into the living room.” He didn’t wait for her to follow, just led her through the kitchen and dining room to the front of the house. “What can I get you to drink?”

She didn’t answer right away. She’d stopped in the middle of the room, taking everything in with those sharp eyes.

He wondered what she thought of the bare, sky-blue walls. He and Ian had never gotten around to decorating. Mainly because they didn’t really care if there were pictures on the wall or not.

Hell, it’d taken them three months to settle on a color to paint the walls, mainly because it’d been pretty much an afterthought. He couldn’t imagine trying to pick out artwork.

If it’d been up to Ian, the walls would be floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. And they probably would be eventually. They just hadn’t gotten around to installing them yet.

So far, they’d done nothing more than fix the holes in the walls, make sure the plumbing worked, and pull up the carpets so they could install hardwood flooring.

And since Ian had a thing about strangers being in their home, they’d done all the work themselves.

“Do you live alone?”

“No. I live with my cousin. We’ve got scotch, bourbon, rum, tequila… We’ve got pretty much anything. What can I get you?”

“I’ll have bourbon on the rocks.”

“Good choice. My cousin stocks the bar and he’s a bourbon drinker so you’re in luck.”

Ben walked to the vintage Art Deco bar Ian had found in some secondhand store in England and had paid some ungodly amount to have shipped over here. But Ben loved the damn thing, scars and all. It gave the room character.

“How long have you lived here?”

Glancing over his shoulder, he found she’d taken another few steps into the room.

“We moved in about two years ago, have been working on the place ever since. Still have a lot to do. What about you? Where do you live?”

“I have an apartment in Rittenhouse Square. It’s…nice.”

Ben huffed out a laugh. “I’m sure it’s a lot more than nice.”

When he turned, he found her grimacing, her nose wrinkled in a way that made his blood flow a little hotter.

Damn, better watch that. He hadn’t brought her home to hit on her. He’d brought her home for Ian.

And if Ian doesn’t see the light, all bets are off.

“It’s a place to sleep. I don’t really spend a lot of time there.”

He held out her drink. “Where do you spend most of your time?”

Their fingers barely brushed as she took the glass from his hand. Didn’t matter. He still felt desire spark along his nerves.

Maybe they could share her.

The thought didn’t shock Ben as much as it might have a year ago. Not since they’d been working with Adam and Tristan. Their relationship with their partner, Katrina, worked. Their office manager, Mary Alice, also had an unconventional relationship with Max Burdanov and Jesse Kanatawa.

So what would Ian think if Ben suggested they share her? Would Ian even consider it?

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