He moved his hand along her back and then down the curve of her ass. She shook with a shiver before looking up at him. Gliding her fingers along his jaw and the coarse hair, she whispered, “I like being with you, Benji.”

Turning his head to her, he smiled. “Like? Shit, sweetheart. I love being with you. Highlight of my day—hell, my year.”

Her eyes widened a little bit and then her sweet lips curved as she nuzzled against him. “Well, then.”

“Just saying.”

“So I guess you like me.”

“Like? Yeah, I guess.” She shook against him with a giggle. “Do you like me?”

“Nerd. Yes. Or I wouldn’t be here.”

“Just making sure,” he said simply as her nose moved along his shoulder. “You can be hard to read through all the sass and excuse after excuse.”

“I’m gonna stab you.”

“And threats. Lots of threats.”

She giggled. “If it’s so bad…”

“Please, you’re a teddy bear,” he scoffed. “A prickly one, but a teddy bear.”

“You’re insane.”

“I know.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment and then she looked up at him, digging her chin into his shoulder. “You told Jayden about us?”

He smiled in the hopes it would defuse some of her anger. “I wanted to make sure it was okay for me to proceed with you.”

She eyed him. “And if he would have said no?”

“I would have lost a really good friend,” he said automatically. “’Cause I’m not ending this with you. Whatever this is.”

Her lips quirked as she looked at his neck, drawing in a breath through her nose. “You told the cop I’m your girlfriend.”

“And you said I was your friend,” he reminded her and she looked up at him.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to admit you’re my boyfriend.”

He’d figured that, so he shrugged. “Labels are overrated, anyway—”

“But I want to try,” she admitted and his face broke into a grin. “It’s insanely early and it’s probably dumb. But I agree, we aren’t fuck buddies. You mean more than that, but we really haven’t dug into who we are. And it worries me that you might not want to be my boyfriend when you see all of me.”

He eyed her. “I mean, the same could go for me, babe. So, we can jump in or we can keep skirting the edges.”

She looked away, chewing her lip. “What do you want to do?” she asked then and he reached for her, tipping her face up to his.

“I want to be with you. Everything else will fall into place.”

Her eyes lit up as she leaned into his hand. “That sounds like a plan.”

“I thought so,” he said with a nod. He felt good about where they were. He wanted more, but he understood she had to be comfortable too. He didn’t want to rush them, he didn’t want to burn them out, he wanted this to last.

Kissing her forehead, he nuzzled against her as she whispered, “If I close my eyes, I’ll fall asleep.”

He nodded, his lips dragging against her forehead. “Well, then, we need something else to do.”

“The sex?”

He scoffed. “Not yet.”

She looked up at him just as he looked down at her, and they both smiled. “Bath?”

Her eyes lit up. “Bath!”

Of course, Benji’s gorgeous house would have an even more gorgeous bathroom. Everything was very modern, two vanities that were probably the size of her whole bathroom back at her old apartment. It was crazy and amazing, and she never wanted to leave. The shower was completely glass, with three different showerheads and even a place for someone to sit. It was really nice. But that wasn’t the best part. No, it was the huge garden tub that would probably fit the whole Assassins team in it. All this for one man—it was such a depressing thought.

“Why did you buy this big ol’ house for just you?” she asked as she lowered deeper into the hot water, the spa going, the jets hitting her in the ribs. It felt so good. Even with all the room in the tub, she sat between Benji’s legs, her back to his chest as his hands slid up and down her thighs.

“Well, not only did I love the way it looked, but I also wanted a big house so I could fill it with a family one day.”

She smiled. “I’m pretty sure there aren’t many men like you,” she said, cuddling closer into him. A bath had been a good idea and she wished she didn’t have to leave, but she only had three more hours until she had to head home. She had even set her alarm just to make sure.

“We are a rare breed,” he teased against her ear and she giggled, squirming against his lips. “Women need to pay attention to the dorky, geeky guys.”

“Guess so, but I wouldn’t put you in that category.”

“No?”

“No, you’re too hot.”

He smiled. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, after I decided you weren’t a child molester, I thought you were hot.”

He paused, a little disbelief in his voice as he asked, “You thought I was a child molester?”

“Hey, I was mad. All men were either pedophiles or assholes.”

“Man, damn that Jayden,” he muttered, kissing her jaw. “But, hey, look at you now. I think you knew all along I was okay.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess,” she teased, and when his fingers bit into her thighs as he nibbled on her neck, it caused her to giggle. “I was a bitch. I’m sorry.”