“This wasn’t what I meant.” Ben put his hands around her waist like she was made of china and set her carefully away from him. “It’s great that you can be open about this, and I really appreciate the fact that you consider me worthy, but—”
“You’re not interested.” Silver felt her cheeks heat up. “It’s okay. It was just a stupid idea, and I’m sorry that I even said it out loud.” She paused. “You won’t tell my dad, will you?”
“Hell, no. I don’t have a death wish.”
“Okay, then, can we just forget it?” Silver asked brightly. “And eat our fish and move on?”
She scrambled to her feet. He stayed where he was looking up at her, his brow furrowed, his expression concerned.
“I’m really sorry, Silver.”
“It’s all good.”
She made her way back to the camp, aware that she felt like crying and determined not to let him see her tears. He hadn’t asked her to come on to him, and he’d been very sweet about letting her down. If anyone should be embarrassed, it should be her.
When she reached the camp, the water in the pot had almost burned dry. She hastily took the pan off the heat, aware that she could’ve started a fire, and that Ben would kill her if he knew she’d been so careless. She wiggled out of her now-wet jeans, laid them on a rock to dry, and focused on finding a frying pan and whatever else Ben might need for the fish.
Keeping busy, doing stuff, had always been a way to keep her emotions at bay. When you were in the middle of a big budget movie, no one cared if you were having a bad day. Even if you were a kid, you were paid to turn up and act, and if you didn’t do that you were fired. Maybe if she acted like nothing was wrong, Ben would go along with her, and they could move past this. She hoped so with all her heart.
Chapter Seven
Ben stared at the pile of dead fish until his vision blurred and the blood thumping in his dick subsided. Silver Meadows was a virgin and she wanted him to take care of that for her.... He had a sudden urge to pinch himself just to make sure he wasn’t in the middle of one of his more lurid dreams about Silver smiling at him as he made love with her.
He shivered, suddenly aware that he was half-naked, and that the sun had disappeared behind the clouds. He needed to get back to camp, deal with the fish, and work out how to look Silver in the eye without imagining he had accepted her invitation.
He was an honorable man, the voice of reason in Miller family arguments, and the kind of boyfriend who was invited to his exes’ weddings because he always stayed friends with them. He raised his gaze to the creek. And yet he wanted Silver like he needed to breathe, and the wildness he’d caged deep within himself was howling to get out.
No one would know, his inner demon whispered. You could help her out, have a great week exploring sex, wave good-bye, and never have to see her again. . . .
“I’d know.” Ben spoke the words out loud as if to make sure he heard them.
He wasn’t like that. Since his lost year, he’d never had sex outside a relationship, and he certainly wasn’t about to start now. He liked Silver, he respected her—and she’d asked him if he’d mind having sex with her like he’d be doing her a favor. . . .
Ben shot to his feet, picked up the fish and the blanket, and started back the way he had come. One thing he wasn’t was a coward, and skulking around not doing everything in his power to make his valued client feel okay about what had just happened wasn’t an option.
He walked into the camp and then stopped, his attention riveted to the fire as he slowly inhaled.
“What’s burning?”
Silver sat back on the log, dusting off her hands. “I left a pot of water over the fire. It almost burned dry.”
“That was really stupid. You could’ve burned down the whole camp,” Ben snapped, almost glad to be able to shout about something.
“I know.” She faced him, her expression contrite. “I’m sorry.”
He marched over and checked the pan, which looked a bit scorched on the bottom and was still radiating heat.