“Of course,” I gesture to the set of armchairs in the corner of my office and follow him to take a seat beside him.
Bennett breaks the silence first. “Did Gemma say if she liked her first few lessons?” he asks softly before dipping his head, playing off as if he’s adjusting the cuff of his dress shirt.
Bashful Bennett is making another rare appearance, and it’s unsettling how much seeing this side of him affects me. He’s come over each night for the past three days to give Gemma lessons, with another planned for tonight. Watching him interact with her and Gunner has quickly become the highlight of my day. I didn’t realize he was so good with kids, and I have to admit seeing that side of him does things to me.
“She said she had a lot of fun and she’s up for the challenge of learning a new instrument. I heard you even helped her put a few chords to one of the songs she’s been working on. Thank you for doing that—she told me she can’t wait to get her own guitar so she can start practicing.”
“No need to thank me. It was fun teaching someone to play the guitar again. I hadn’t done that since my brother and sister were little.”
“How old is your sister? I know Jax is about the same age as me, but do you just have one brother and one sister?”
“Yeah, just the two. Jax is twenty-eight and Walker turns twenty-one early next year, god help us all,” he says, shaking his head and I can’t help but chuckle at the exasperation in his tone.
“Such a stereotypical older brother response,” I tease.
“Yeah, well, if you met her, you’d understand. And I know I don’t have any gray hair, but if I do get any in the next few years, she’ll without a doubt be the cause.”
“Oh, quit it. She can’t be that bad. She made it through the teenage years.”
“Walker is wild at heart, and I love that she’s free-spirited, but I’ve lost countless hours of sleep worrying over her now that she’s out on her own.”
“Is she in college?”
Shaking his head, he answers, “No, much to my protest. She lives in LA—she’s a professional dancer and does some modeling.”
“That’s amazing! What style of dancing?”
“She’s a trained ballerina, but she’s always loved ballroom and contemporary as well. She was just promoted from apprentice to dancer at the Los Angeles Ballet. I’m really proud of her.”
His beaming smile reveals a new layer of himself.
“You’re also the oldest, so I’m sure you know how it is. I want the best for both of them, but I’ll also never stop worrying about them, even when things are going seemingly well.” He lets out a big sigh. “I do sound like an overprotective older brother don’t I?” Bennett chances a quick glance at me, and I fail to hide my bemused smirk.
“I think it’s cute, how much you care for them,” I admit before I can stop myself.
A sly smile spreads across Bennett’s face and I can’t deny the reaction my body has to the devastating sight. My stomach pools with heat, anda dull ache surges to life in my core, causing me to clench the muscles of my thighs and abdomen.
Bennett leans forward in his chair, his large frame suddenly taking up far too much space. “That’s the second time in only a few days you’ve called me cute or pretty. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you actually like me, Little Red.”
My breath hitches hearing him call me that again. “That would be highly inappropriate, not to mention extremely unprofessional,” I murmur as I sit back to create some distance. His tone sounded flirtatious, but that can’t be right.
His answering chuckle is downright sinister. “I said ‘like,’ as opposed to hating me.”
Bennett stands and buttons his suit jacket before turning to face me.
“Oh, I almost forgot to ask, how was the hot date this morning?” he asks as he places his hands in his pockets, the picture of nonchalance.
Well, he’s not fooling me. As much as I’d love to tell him it went amazing, and I’ve got a second date lined up, I’m not going to lie to the man.
“It went about as horribly as it could’ve gone,” I admit.
He frowns for a second before schooling his features. “Wait, really? Why was it so bad?”
“Well, for starters, I showed up about twenty minutes late because morning drop-off was a bit hectic. Gemma forgot to charge her phone last night so I turned around to grab her Dexcom receiver in case the little phone battery she had didn’t last throughout the day. Then, when I explained that to Spence—”
“Spence? What kind of name is that?” he interrupts.
“A name. His name. Now, can I continue or are you going to interrupt me again and then lecture me like my date did this morning?”
