Page 62 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

“I feel much cleaner now,” Benson said.

Tessa didn’t answer. Maybe he would assume she was exhausted, and he’d leave her alone. He climbed into bed next to her. He kissed her shoulder. That was the last thing she knew before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

She wokeup to Benson sitting up in bed beside her. “Hey, sleepyhead.” He kissed the side of her head. “You about ready to get dressed and go down to dinner?”

She sat up. Her head pounded. She grabbed a water bottle from the bedside table and took a drink. She threw back the covers and went to her suitcase for a dress. She pulled out a sunny yellow dress with tiny white flowers. This dress had a neckline that was off the shoulders, so she grabbed her strapless bra to wear with it. She took the clothing into the bathroom to get dressed. She put on some makeup and inspected her reflection. She looked exhausted. The news that Benson was still in love with Megan weighed heavily on her. She could see it coming through in her face.

Why had she let herself fall for Benson? Now she was in pain. Was this what he’d been going through? Being in love with someone who didn’t love you back?

He’d said he had feelings for her. Was that just part of the act? Did he want to make it easier for her to pretend to be in love with him by acting like he reciprocated her feelings?

Maybe this was all part of keeping his spot on the team. She had no way to know for sure. She came out of the bathroom, and Benson was standing with his back to her, looking out at the mountains in the distance. He was already dressed for dinner.

He spun around to face her. “You look nice.”

“Thank you.”

“Did you get a good nap?”

“I woke up with a headache.”

His eyes softened. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon.”

This was exactly why she’d fallen for him. He was tender and sweet and compassionate. It was too bad his heart was invested elsewhere.

“I’ll be fine. You ready to go eat?”

“Yes. I’m starving.”

The sun was already setting. “It must be almost nine o’clock,” Tessa said.

“It’s about 8:45.”

“How long did I sleep?” Tessa asked.

“About three hours.”

“I must have been exhausted.”

“We’ve been doing a lot of fun things. And you’ve been getting a lot of sun.”

“I know. I’ve picked up a bit of a tan.”

“It looks good on you.”

How could he keep complimenting her like this? Was it part of the act?

“You’ve gotten some sun too,” Tessa said.

“I noticed that earlier.”

“At least you haven’t burned.”

“I’ve been trying to keep the sunscreen on,” Benson said.

They arrived at the restaurant and were shown to a table. This place had a straw roof and brown rattan furniture. They ordered piña coladas and then browsed the menu.

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