Page 63 of Summer Reading

“I could see that,” Tyler said. His tone was as dry as toast, and Ben snorted.

“Face it, Samantha, we’re busted,” Ben said. He put his hand on my back in a reassuring gesture.

I glanced at him to see if he was mad at the interruption. Instead, he was smiling.Smiling!He turned back to Tyler, looking duly chastened.

“My intentions toward your sister are honorable,” he said. He raised his free hand in the air as if making a pledge. “I promise.”

“This... Tyler... you can’t just...” I sputtered. Truly, I had no words.

“I’ll leave you to say your good nights then,” Tyler said. He looked at me. “You have ten minutes, Sis. Don’t make me come back out here.”

Sis. It was still jarring to hear him call me that, and he took advantage of my surprise and stepped back inside, closing the door behind him.

I stared open-mouthed at the house. When I turned to Ben, I blinked as if I could not believe what had just happened.

“Did my little brother just chaperone me?” I asked.

“Yup,” he said.

He stood up. “Good thing, too.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “It would be awfully easy to get carried away with you.”

And just like that the heat was back. It shimmered in between us like something magical, and I wondered if Tyler was really going to time me. How carried away could we get in ten minutes?

“Better not risk it,” Ben said as if he could read my mind. He pulled me in and enveloped me in a hug that did not assuage the rampaging lust in my heart. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes,” I whispered in his ear. “And bring the book.”

He grinned. “That’s my girl.”

The idea of being his girl made my insides flutter. I leaned up and kissed him, trying not to linger and failing.

“Ahem.” This time the clearing of the throat came from the open window overlooking the porch.

I broke the kiss and pressed my forehead to Ben’s collarbone. Tyler was killing me. Had I been single and living alone, I would definitely invite Ben to stay the night, but I wasn’t. As I walked him to his car, I tried to tell myself this was better. We were taking it slow. If it all blew apart early on, I would have fewer regrets.

Yeah, right. I also might murder my little brother.

The thought caught me off guard. I had a brother. I mean, I’d always known I had a brother, but I’d alwayssidelined him as a pesky younger half brother and had never let him in my life as an active participant. To my surprise, I discovered I kind of appreciated his ham-fisted attempt to look out for me.

“Good night, Samantha.” Ben kissed me once more and then climbed in his car and drove away. I missed him before he reached the end of the street.

I turned and walked back to the house. I locked the door and switched off the porch light. I found Tyler sitting at the kitchen table eating the largest bowl of ice cream I’d ever seen, and it was covered in whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.

“How does that fit into your narrow margin of acceptable foods?” I asked.

“Ice cream is a food group all its own,” he said. He pushed the bowl toward me in an unspoken gesture of sharing.

I took a spoon out of the drawer and sat down next to him. I dug into the mound of gooey deliciousness and popped it into my mouth. We ate silently until the bowl was empty. Tyler took our spoons and the empty bowl and rinsed them out in the sink.

“Are you in love with him?” he asked. His voice cracked in the middle, and he shifted awkwardly on his feet as if he didn’t like asking but felt he had to.

I had no idea what to say.

Chapter Sixteen

“It’s a bit early to know,” I said. I thought about how Ben made me feel when I was with him, and I added, “But I like him an awful lot.”

He nodded. He stared at his shoes. “Are you mad that I interrupted you guys?”

---