Page 2 of New Neighbor

Benji lifted his stare from that hand enveloping his to get caught in an amber stare that nearly took his breath away. His lips parted. His eyes widened. He felt a fluttering feeling in his gut.

He’s gorgeous.

“Ahhh… are you going to tell me your name?” Mac asked, frowning.

Benji looked back down, shame filling him as he saw he was still shaking Mac’s hand and hadn’t let go.I don’t wanna let go.

He could feel the heat in that touch. It seeped into him, molecule by molecule. Yet he let go. “Benji. Sorry. N-no. Not Benji. It’s Benjamin… my friends call me Benji… although it sounds like I’m a five-year-old kid… and I’m not… and I hate that nickname, but how do you tell your friends you hate it, you know? So I just let them… I guess…”Stop rambling. You sound like an idiot.He tried to relax, knowing full well he looked anything but relaxed.“Yeah.”

An odd smile crossed Mac’s lips. “How about just Ben? Does that work?”

Benji looked down, knowing his face had to be beet red. “Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Ben works, too.”

“You lived here long, Ben?”

Benji loved the way Mac said his name. “Here?”

“Yeah, here,” Mac said, humor in his tone.

Benji lifted his head and met those golden eyes. His stare drifted to the wide smile and barely remembered the question he’d just been asked.Did he just move a little closer?Oh god, he smells good.“I’ve lived here for a few months.”

“Another newbie to town, hmm?” Mac asked.

“Oh no, no… I went to Emory. Graduated a few years ago… I’ve lived in the area for nearly a decade now,” Benji answered. He looked up and saw a bit of confusion on Mac’s face. “I thought you meant the building… I’ve been here in thebuildingfor a few months.”

“Ah,” Mac said. He grinned and took another half step closer. “I guess I know who to ask about the city, then.”

“Sure, sure,” Benji said, nodding his head. The walls of the hallway seemed to close in around them. All he could see was Mac, big and muscled and gorgeous and smelling amazing and that smile…

The other two guys popped out of the apartment, eyeing Mac.

“Ready for the next load?” one asked.

“Yeah, if you two lazy asses are finally ready,” Mac said, turning away slightly.

Benji’s body grew a little slacker—after he was no longer under the close scrutiny of his new neighbor.

“I had to pee, dude,” one of the other guys said before eyeing Benji. “Who’s your friend?”

“My new neighbor, Benji,” Mac said before turning to eye him. “Excuse me…Ben.”

Benji felt his face flame again. He didn’t care which name Mac used… any of them sounded wonderful coming across the gorgeous man’s lips. Benji lifted a hand to wave a hello at Mac’s friends, trying not to act like a dumbass.

No more than he already had.

“These guys are my friends Tevan and Julio. You’ll likely see them around here from time to time,” Mac said.

“Nice to meet you,” Tevan said.

“Same,” Julio added.

“Nice to meet you guys, too,” Benji answered.

“You headed to the gym?” Tevan asked, pointing at his bag.

“Yeah, I was.”

“You should stay here and help us unload Mac’s U-Haul. All the exercise you’ll need for the weekend,” Tevan said. “Plus Mac’s promised beer and pizza when we’re done.”

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