make a scene and he hated how much he wanted to know what had happened. How had this guy managed to get so far under his skin?
“In the kitchen where the beers are, yes.”
Jordan turned away, forcing Bennett to follow him. He was seething with frustration and anger as they entered the very large, very bright kitchen. He stalked over to Jordan, not waiting to ask the question again.
“What was so important you never managed to call back?”
Keeping a tight grip on his emotions was more difficult than he had expected. And standing this close to Jordan again had somehow riled him up enough to make him feel completely reckless. Jordan stood by the coolers, reaching in to remove the cans and placing them on the counter. Bennett waited, not making any effort to help.
“I wasn’t ready.”
He paused, and Bennett watched him process what he was going to say next. He could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
“You asked me if the only reason I kissed you when I hadn’t kissed anyone in a while was that I had stopped hooking up.”
He paused again, and Bennett’s impatience grew. “Yeah, so? Was it?”
Jordan sighed. “No, of course not!”
He sounded a little irritable himself but Bennett didn’t care. “And you’re still not answering me. What’s the deal?”
“Look, I’d rather not have this conversation in the Tuckers’ kitchen. If it’s okay with you, how about we go someplace else to talk, huh?”
Bennett stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide if he thought it would be worth it to postpone the discussion. Running a hand over the back of his neck, he agreed.
“Okay. Where?”
Another long pause while Jordan decided where they’d meet. “I have to get home to walk the dogs. Mrs. Salvietti will already have gone to bed, and I’m not in the mood to clean up after them tonight. Follow me.”
He didn’t wait for Bennett to agree, just gestured to the cooler and said, “Mrs. Tucker needs more beer!” and walked out with what he had in his hands.
Bennett followed him, adrenalin pumping in his veins. He placed the last cans on the table and stepped away, noting how Jordan had gone to stand by Ry and Chandler. Maybe he was telling them he was leaving. Bennett needed to do the same, but he didn’t want anyone to know they were leaving together. Especially not if nothing was resolved by their meeting. He waited until Jordan walked out after saying his goodbyes to the Tuckers, waving a hand in farewell as he did so, before he called him.
“Text me your address. I’ll meet you there.”
His phone buzzed a few seconds later, but he didn’t check it. He spent another fifteen minutes schmoozing and drank another beer, feeling completely reckless, before taking his leave. Adam had just left when he went over to say goodbye to the Tuckers before making his way over to where Ry and Chandler sat.
“I’m heading out now,” he said quietly.
“Why did you wait so long?” Chandler asked.
Bennett turned puzzled eyes to his face. “What?”
Chandler rolled his eyes. “I know you think you’re being slick, Bennett, but we both know you’re going to Jordan. Why didn’t you leave with him?”
Bennett exhaled harshly. “I’d rather not have everyone all up in my damned business,” he snapped, wishing he weren’t overreacting but unable to stop.
Chandler laughed, apparently not offended by his tone. “Go fix things. Ry and I will be waiting for an update.”
Bennett shook his head at the two of them. “You two need a hobby!” he said with a reluctant chuckle.
“We already have one, thank you very much,” Ry retorted.
“Yeah…torment Bennett,” Bennett returned wryly.
They all laughed at that, and some of the tension from his brief encounter with Jordan dissipated. They were pains in his ass but he loved that they understood and had his back.
“I’m off. Talk soon.”
“Oh, count on it,” Ry promised with a grin.
In his car, he checked Jordan’s message and put the address in the map app. The ride to Jordan’s place took almost half an hour. Bennett hoped he’d had enough time to walk the dogs. He didn’t want to wait any longer than he must, to hear what Jordan had been unwilling to say at the Tuckers. And his skin prickled with anticipation at the thought of what else might happen.
The neighborhood in which Jordan lived was quietly middle class, the houses on the higher side of the scale with enough space between them to allow for lawns