Page 66 of Only You and Me

Well shit. That makes it a little harder to keep pushing against Rachel coming with us.

I watch his face, and he stares back at me, waiting for my response.

On a deep sigh, I give in, more affected by his words than I like to admit. “Fine. But just so you know, I don’t like her.”

A light chuckle escapes from Ben. “Rach is a great person. I think if you give her a chance, you’ll like?—”

“She wants to have sex with you. So, no, I won’t like her.”

Ben’s eyes widen and a huge grin spreads across his face. Then he laughs at me. Actually laughs at me.

“I can promise you she doesn’t want to have sex with me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her wife.”

Why is he so damn sexy with that arrogant smirk he’s wearing at my expense?

“I really have to go.” I lean slightly toward him, planning a quick kiss goodbye until I come back to my senses and remember no one else knows about us. Ben’s eyes light up when it hits him I was coming in for a kiss.

“Okay. Thank you for agreeing to let Rachel come. And, for the record, I wanted to kiss you goodbye, too.”

My cheeks heat and my heart flutters for a few beats at his words. I smile at him. “I’ll see you tonight.”

I turn and walk to the bus, waving Rachel along without even looking at her. I’m still irritated as hell she’s coming, but it’s obviously what Ben needs for him to relax tonight and celebrate his brother along with all their friends.

I practically stomp onto the bus, and the tightness in my jaw tells me I probably look just as annoyed as I feel. I stop a few feet in and gesture to Rachel.

“Everyone, this is Rachel. She’s an off-duty police officer. Because apparently Ben Donley is bossy as shit and thinks we need a protective detail tonight.”

Rachel just nods her head and gives a half wave to everyone before she sits down.

I pull out my phone and type out a snarky text to Ben, telling him that in the future, he needs to talk to me about these kinds of things before he springs them on me as a surprise—an unpleasant one.

He at least has the decency to reply and apologize for that part.

A throat clears near me, and I look up to find Emily eyeing me warily.

“Tri? This is weird. What’s going on? First, you show up at my house with Ben. Now he shows up here with a police escort for us.”

“Yeah, and Finn said there are some additional security measures being taken at the fire station,” Shayna chimes in.

I huff. This isn’t a conversation I want to have yet—hell, maybe ever if we catch the person. I certainly don’t want to have it on a party bus headed out bar hopping. But Rachel’s presence has forced my hand.

“Don’t freak out,” I warn. I don’t continue yet. I need Emily to promise she’ll stay calm first.

“Um, okay. But telling me not to freak out is exactly the kind of thing that makes me think you’re gonna tell me something I should freak out about.”

That’s probably the best I’m getting from her. “It’s nothing, really. Just some weirdo who I must have run into on a call or something and now he’s acting a little obsessed.”

“What? You have a stalker?” Shayna hisses.

I sigh. “I do not have a stalker. More like a secret admirer.”

Rachel snorts from her seat and I shoot her a dirty look, even if it’s directed at the back of her head. It’s the thought that counts.

“Okay, fine. Whoever it is has gotten a bit more… aggressive and explicit in the messages they’ve been sending. So, Ben is working the case and just trying to do one more thing to irritate me, as per usual.” As an afterthought, I look over at Shayna. “No offense. I know he’s your brother.”

“None taken. Both my brothers can be annoying.”

“Hey. One of those brothers is my fiancé,” Annie protests.

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