had someone like Jordan in his corner. Jordan…unerringly, his thoughts homed in on the name. What was he doing now? Was he with some other guy? Maybe it was something to do with his landlady. She seemed to be important to Jordan. He could call and check…
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
Adam cuffed him behind the ear, bringing Bennett back from the edge. He was here with his brother and their friends. Jordan wasn’t. He’d chosen not to be. Bennett needed to leave him in the past, where he belonged.
“Sorry.”
He played his hand, but since he’d been woolgathering instead of strategizing, it was a bad play and he groaned. The man wasn’t even around and he was still managing to fuck with Bennett’s concentration. Not surprisingly, he lost the next game, and bowed out after losing another. Retreating to the kitchen, he pulled the fixings to make brownies — he’d still gone ahead and bought them — and then went back into the living room to ask,
“Anybody here up for some brownies?”
“Thanks. I could eat brownies,” Chandler said with a grin. “And so will Ry.”
Back in the kitchen, he quickly whipped up the batter and put it in the oven. Twenty-five minutes after that, he was pulling it out, setting it to stand on the kitchen table and searching for what else he could add to the dessert.
“Hey, where are the brownies? I can smell them from here,” Adam’s voice called from the living room.
Bennett chuckled at his brother. Adam was notorious for his sweet tooth.
“It’s gotta cool a little bit before I cut it so it doesn’t fall apart. You know this, bro,” he hollered back.
“Hurry up! We’re not gonna be here all night, you know!”
Sassy bugger! Bennett found chocolate ice cream in the freezer, and as he served a heaping scoop into four bowls, his mind went immediately back to his date a week earlier with Jordan. That meal had ended with brownies and chocolate ice cream, as well. He wished Jordan had been able to make it, though he knew he’d have a harder time controlling himself if the sexy man were here with the others.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride! He pushed the useless wishing aside and served up four large pieces of the treat, leaning each piece against the scoop of ice cream. Adding a teaspoon to each bowl, He put them all on a tray and went back to his friends, handing each one a bowl. Bennett helped Ry situate himself so his dessert wouldn’t interfere with his listening.
By the time Chandler called their driver Jeff, Bennett could feel himself dragging. He was almost as tired as Adam was, though he knew nothing he did could compare to working in the ER of a busy hospital. Once the dessert had disappeared, everyone got ready to leave. Adam went first; he had to relieve his baby-sitter.
“I’ll call you tomorrow when I wake. See if you wanna do anything.”
“Sweet dreams, bro,” Bennett replied, giving Adam a hard squeeze. “Tomorrow. Kiss Nova for me.”
“You have to give me the secret ingredient in that brownie recipe,” Chandler said as he returned from helping Ry to the bathroom.
Bennett grinned. Chandler was very handy in the kitchen and he knew the recipe wouldn’t sit idly on his phone once he got it.
“No problem. Thanks for coming to hang out.”
“It was good, Ben,” Ry said, reaching to hug his friend. “Next time at our place?”
“Sure thing.”
“Oh, and by the way,” Chandler added as Ry answered his phone, “don’t think we’ve forgotten that you were supposed to be making a phone call. Did you even try to talk to him?”
Bennett heaved a sigh. He had really hoped he wouldn’t have to make his report quite so soon after the date. He was still feeling raw from the chemistry that had burned like the hottest flames between them only a week ago. Maybe if he gave a half-truth they’d leave it alone.
“Yeah, I called.” He knew that his answer wouldn’t be enough for Chandler or Ry, but he had to try.
“And? Don’t keep us in the dark!”
"Who’s keeping who in the dark?” Ry cocked his head in inquiry, his phone call done.
“Your boy here is being all coy about his conversation with my bestie,” Chandler said in a singsong voice, clearly intent on teasing Bennett.
Ry grinned even as Bennett rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing to tell. We went on a date and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Why do I get the feeling that