Page 19 of Jewel in the Rough

He’d been quiet since the trip to the ER.

Something was very wrong.

A barely audible gasp escaped Benny. Together they’d entered through the back of the house and made their way through the rubble to the stairs. The wreckage looked worse in the shadowy dark, ominous and creepy. There was nothing they could do about the windows in the house that night. Teagan sent Benny upstairs and swept up the glass before barricading the front and back doors and tacking plastic over the ground-floor windows—just in case. They probably should have stayed at Ciara’s, but when Teagan suggested it, Benny had silently shaken his head.

When Teagan made his way up to his bedroom, his thigh aching more than usual, he expected to find Benny inside. Which was plain odd because Teagan did not willingly share his personal space. He stood in the doorway for a second, wondering what had happened to him.

Obviously, Benny Brambilla had happened.

Teagan bit his lip. It had felt right to hold Benny earlier. Teagan had wanted to comfort him then, and he wanted to comfort him now. Truth be told, he wanted to do more, but that could wait. He tapped on the door to Ciara’s old room.

“Benny? Can I open the door?”

There was a muffled reply that Teagan assumed was a yes. As he opened the door, his eyes landed on the figure huddled underneath the covers.

“What are you doing?”

“Um, hiding?”

“Do I want to know why?” Teagan moved into the small room.

“I’m embarrassed.”

Benny lay facing away from the door, head underneath the blankets. Teagan gave into the impulse to sit on the edge of the bed. He was taking Benny back to his own room, but he needed to sort a few things out first.

“Why?” Teagan laid his hand on Benny’s shoulder.

“Duh.” He tried to squirm away from Teagan’s touch, but there was nowhere for him to go. “I fainted. I panicked. I nearly got you killed. I shouldn’t even be here, I should have packed up my stuff already and left but…”

“But what?”

“I don’t have anywhere to go. And… I don’t want to go, I like it here. I like the Gurls and…”

Teagan tugged at the blankets until, with a huff, Benny rolled over and, while he didn’t exactly look him in the eye, Teagan could see his expressive face again.

“I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

Now Benny held his gaze. “Look, I know in the heat of the moment you said that stuff about protecting me. But face it, I’m a pain and –”

Teagan gently covered Benny’s mouth with his hand.

“Have I ever indicated I say one thing and mean another?”

Head shake.

“When I tell you now, that I meant it when I said I’d keep you safe, will you believe me?”

Nod. But disbelief lurked in the back of Benny’s eyes.

“So, when I ask if you’ll share my bed for the rest of the night, you understand I’m not asking casually, and,” Benny moved his lips to try and say something, but Teagan didn’t remove his hand, “you’re not going to argue with me about it? We’re only going to get a few hours of sleep and I want you safe in my bed. Gangsters or no gangsters, we need to get up early and take care of the Gurls—even if,” he smiled down at Benny, “you’ve conveniently sliced your hand open so you can get out of chores. The cops will have more questions for us at some point, too.”

And Teagan was going to have to return Tristan’s phone calls. ThatI’m finetext was not enough, he knew. Tristan would keep calling until Teagan answered and he heard every gory detail loud and clear.

Teagan lifted his hand away from Benny’s mouth.

“Really?”

“Really.”

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