Page 10 of New Neighbor

“Ninth and tenth grade mathematics.

Mac cringed. “Oooff… amathteacher?”

“I am,” Benji said with a grin. “Even worse… it’s Algebra. I do have a trig class this year coming up.”

“Do your students love or hate you?”

Benji shrugged. “A little of both. Math isn’t a favorite subject of many, so I have to work hard to win their hearts and minds.”

“I know math isn’t my favorite. College Algebra after being out of the classroom for nearly a decade wasn’t fun.”

“How many years?”

“I graduated twelve years ago and enlisted a few days before graduation. Did two tours… did some of my classes while serving,” Mac answered. “Took me two years once I was stateside again. And of course, I’ll need to work on my Masters along the way, too. After I get settled into what the hell I’m doing first.”

“I know we don’t teach the same thing, but if there’s ever anything I can help with… I’m there to lend a hand. I don’t have a ton of experience, but whatever I can do.”

Mac turned and grinned. “I’ll most definitely abuse that offer, especially now that I know you’re on my team.”

Abuse me all you want.

“So tell me about these guys I’m about to meet.”

“Jesse is the ringleader, so to speak. He likes being in charge… but we pretty much let him. He was the one who planned tonight. The reason he planned it is our friends Clay and Adam are mad at one another and Jesse thinks wrangling them into a room together is smart.”

“You don’t?”

Benji shook his head. “I figure it’s better to let them cool off. They’ll get past things, in time.”

“Good advice. Jesse didn’t want to listen?”

“Jesse likes meddling. He sees it as helping.” Benji said. “And lastly, we have Hayden… and to be honest, he’s the one who likely shouldn’t be there.”

“Because?”

Benji shrugged. “He’s been going at it pretty hard as of late. Too much alcohol and too many women. I’m a little worried about him.”

“Ah,” Mac said. “Been there.”

The drink or the women?Benji turned to stare at Mac’s profile. “Tonight going to be okay for you?”

“Yeah,” Mac said. “We’ve all had moments where we got a little too wild in our past. I left mine behind in my twenties.”

“You act like that wassooofar away,” Benji chided.

“I’m a ripe old man of thirty-four now.” He turned his head and met Benji’s stare. “Ready to lay low and relax.”

“Hell, I guess I’m old, too. Because that sounds great.”

Mac smiled, holding Benji’s stare.

Heat flooded his body… that look held a little too long. Could he really be confusing the signals? It didn’t feel like it.

It grew a little harder to breathe…

Mac looked away, brushing those big hands down his thighs. Benji couldn’t help but stare at them, imagining those hands running downhisbody. He tingled all over, thinking of being flesh to flesh with Mac.

The Lyft pulled into the parking lot. Before Benji could pay, Mac had money out and paid for their trip.

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