He should have just politely declined the invitation—Benny had given him the opening. But no, she had to mention her brother and inviting him and his wife for a little family excursion with the new beau.
Sweet. Disgustingly so.
And suddenly the thought of Luke being welcomed into the embrace of Benny’s family had been too much and he’d spoken before he’d really considered what he was doing.
“Here you go,” Luke said and passed down Henry’s date’s nachos, followed by a hot dog with the works. The guy had insisted on picking up the tab, of course.
Luke waited for Benny to take her seat before sliding in the one next to hers. He draped his arm around her shoulder, looking far too cozy and content as he leaned over to lay a quick kiss on her mouth.
Yeah. This was complete torture.
Made worse by the fact that seeing Benny all dolled up like that struck a chord with him.
Not that she didn’t look stunning. She did. Gorgeous, even, in a long sleeveless dress, a deep blue color that matched her eyes. But her usual natural makeup palette—a touch of color to those full lips and a swipe or two of mascara—was abandoned for this more airbrushed, magazine-perfect face with carefully sculpted cheekbones and dramatic eyes and lips.
She didn’t look like…Benny. Not the Benny he knew. More like she was dressing up just to appease Luke.
Wasn’t that what he’d been telling her to do from the beginning? To make herself into someone else, someone that Luke would want?
Henry was beginning to question the wisdom of his advice. Of everything.
Why should Benny have to dress up as anything other than who she was when she was so perfectly intriguing and wonderful as she was? Why couldn’t she see that?
“Thanks again for the tickets,” Henry said. “I insist on repaying you. How about joining Lela and me for dinner tonight? My treat.”
What on earth had he just asked? As if this afternoon wasn’t torturous enough, he wanted to add a meal?
“Ah, man. That’s nice of you,” Luke said. “But I actually already made reservations for that new Market Place restaurant. It’s an anniversary of sorts.” He squeezed Benny’s shoulder.
For crying out loud. They had only been seeing each other for two weeks. What on earth could they have to celebrate?
Wait. Had he said Market Place?
“I’ve heard that place is good. Isn’t their specialty…seafood?” Henry asked, looking directly at Benny.
“It is. Brought in fresh daily,” Luke said enthusiastically. “Their sushi is phenomenal. I was there a few weeks ago and have been meaning to take Benny ever since.”
“Do you even like sushi?” Henry asked Benny, having a distinct memory of her gagging when he’d offered her a bite of his California roll he’d picked up last week.
“It’s great,” she said and gave him a piercing look that told him to drop it.
“Uh-huh.”
Luke glanced down at her, not reading the obvious lie she’d just spoken. “Yeah. We had it our first date. She loved it. I’m this close to becoming vegan, but I just can’t give up my sashimi.”
“You going to let me have a bite of that?” Lela asked from Henry’s side, probably not liking her sidelined role in the conversation.
He looked down at the loaded hot dog still in his hand. Without hesitating, the woman leaned over, opening her mouth in a bold way, and took a bite from the end.
A move that any other time probably would have been a welcome and appreciated act by him and any other hot-blooded guy. But right then, it felt just…uncomfortable. He risked a glance past the woman to find—sure enough—Benny watching the entire thing.
She met his gaze and raised her brows as if to say, Really?
Well, it wasn’t like he’d asked the woman to do it, had he?
Lela, however, was now licking the mustard off her top lip, and he forced himself to look away.
And he’d thought coming along to the stupid date had been a bad idea. Asking Lela, a woman that he knew would annoy the hell out of Benny, might have been even worse. Why had he chosen her instead of any other nameless woman he’d gone out with in the past week?