Page 93 of His Temptation
A week later I sit in a booth at a restaurant as I wait for Kylie and Ben to show up. I’m slightly nervous at the idea of telling Ben about us. I hope he doesn’t get mad. This is an important step for me and Kylie to take, and it has to go well. He’s too important to her for there to be any other option.
I catch a glimpse of her hair at the front door. She steps forward, and I watch as she scans the room. When her eyes land on me, I raise my hand slightly, and she smiles.
It makes my heart flutter in my chest. Ben trails behind her, looking down at his phone like a typical teenager.
She stops at the booth and slides in opposite me. Ben looks up, and his eyes open wide when he sees me.
“Lincoln,” he says with a rise in his voice. “What are you doing here?”
He takes a wary seat next to his sister. Kylie gives me a knowing smile, which eases some of my nerves.
“I thought I’d join you two for dinner. Is that all right?” I ask as I lean my arms on the table.
He looks over at Kylie, who nods at him to let him know she is okay with it.
“It’s fine with me.” He shrugs, then pulls open the menu.
I chuckle at how he doesn’t try to even consider what my presence means. What would it be like to have such childlike innocence? I don’t think I ever experienced that. My childhoodwas far too cruel. I’m so proud of Kylie for managing to provide Ben with a childhood that hasn’t stolen that from him despite what they had to deal with.
Once we place our order, Kylie shifts in her seat to face Ben. “Hey, buddy. Lincoln and I have something to tell you.”
He looks between the two of us. “What?”
“So, I know it might seem sudden, but Lincoln and I have been dating for a little while.”
He seems oddly calm and unfazed by the news. His eyebrows rise as he considers it. “That’s kind of weird. Isn’t he your boss? If you were dating, why didn’t you know about him being my therapist?”
Kylie tucks her lips in to hide her grin. “Those are good questions. We didn’t talk much about our personal lives for a while. We were just seeing if we liked each other enough to get more serious. He’s the president of the company, so he is technically my boss, but I’m an assistant for another executive now.”
“Hmm. Okay.” He takes a sip of his drink as he lets the news sink in. “You’re rich, aren’t you?” he says as he looks at me.
Kylie gasps. “Ben! You can’t ask someone that. That’s very inappropriate.”
He looks baffled by this. It’s enough to make me bark out a loud laugh.
“It’s fine, Kylie.”
She gives me an apologetic smile. “So, you are okay with this? It doesn’t make you uncomfortable that he’s your therapist and I’m dating him?”
“No. Why would I be uncomfortable with that? He’s cool. Now I get to see him outside of my appointments. Right? Especially since Gretchen comes back soon.”
His words warm my heart. I feel so much pride, knowing that the most important person to the woman I love feels that way about me.
“Yes. You will be seeing a lot more of me.” I wink at Kylie.
Her cheeks blush. I still find it so damn sweet that I can get that reaction out of her so easily.
“And Gretchen will be back soon, which will be good. It’s more important to separate your personal relationships from your therapist.”
“Then it works out that you’re dating him. So, I still get to see him after Gretchen comes back.”
Kylie rubs the top of his head. “I’m glad you feel that way. I wouldn’t ever put you in a situation that made you uncomfortable.”
We switch subjects to his basketball for a while until our pizza gets to our table.
Ben grabs a slice and takes a big bite. “I have one more question.” He looks over at Kylie first. “You may not like the question.”
She looks at him quizzically. “Um … o-kaaay.”
