Page 10 of Defining their Destiny

Was she just that used to him being around that she rarely even looked at him any longer? His hair needed combed again. Maybe even cut. It was mostly warm dark brown, with hints of the red that every Tyler had. It was long and shaggy now, with a tiny bit of curl.

His shoulders were roped with beautiful muscles.

She could sit there andlookat him all day. No denying that.

It was when he decided to meddle in her life that she had the biggest problems with the man. Hard to forget that.

Junie had her bag and keys now. Ben took that for the signal to close his laptop and shove it into his bag. “I’ll walk you to your truck, then come back in and stay with Dusty until she locks up.”

His cousin didn’t protest. She’d never come out and say it, but Junie was afraid of the dark now. Especially when she was at the diner. After what had happened before. It had probably taken a whole lot of guts to even come back to the diner as quickly as she had after Junie had been abducted from the back door.

Well, Dusty could understand that. She’d never be able to drive in the snow without remembering what had happened toherever again. She used to love when it snowed. How beautiful and pure it would be. Now? Not so much. Probably never again.

She was rememberingagain when a hot hand landed on her shoulder. “You ready to go?”

Dusty yelped and turned.

Ben was right there. Staring down at her from eyes so blue a woman could forget to breathe just looking into them. Well, most women. Dusty was immune to Tyler-blue eyes completely. “You scared me!”

“Sorry. I wasn’t exactly quiet.” His fingers trailed down her arm and wrapped around her elbow. “You okay?”

“That tickled.” Dusty shivered at the heat of his touch. His eyes darkened.

Her breath caught as the scent of him surrounded her.

He smelled like warm spice and coffee. And man. Her palm was pressed against one of the most defined male chests she’d ever felt before. Not that she’d gone around feeling lots of random men’s chests, but wow.

Ben wasripped.

No denying that.

Thiswas her best friend’s once scrawny, pimply-faced older brother? He’d had acne until he was twenty. This was not the Ben Tyler from Dusty’s memories. And to her shock and, yes, a little bit of horror, Dusty wanted to curl up right there against that chest and just let Ben surround her with himself.

So she could forget the nightmares haunting her now.

* * *

Ben wantedto just scoop her up and carry her off. Back to his lair. Where he would claim her as his own and never let her go. Keep her forever. Justhis.Like he’d heard his brother say about his own soon-to-be-wife just two days ago.

Gil was always teasing Sage about being a caveman where she was concerned. Ben suspected he knew what his brother meant about that sexy woman his brother adored. Sage would get a soft look in those big brown eyes and her cheeks would turn red and she’d just watch Gil, like she was waiting, hoping for something.

Ben wasn’t stupid. He had a good idea of what usually happened after she looked at his brother in that particular way. They were so beautiful together.

Maybe Ben didn’t have a romantic bone in his body, but he loved how much his brother loved his fiancée. And how obvious it was that Sage felt the same in return. Same for his sister Nikki and that dork husband of hers, Hunter. Hunter adored Nikki—just as much as Gil adored his Sage.

The way it was supposed to be.

Dusty was looking up at him. She was beautiful. He could see some man adoringhersome day, too. But it would have to be the right kind of man. The special kind. She deserved that much and more, this beautiful woman in front of him.

Dusty was one of the most phenomenal women Ben had ever known.

Ben wanted to touch her all over. Before he could stop himself, he slipped his hand up to cup her cheek. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across the soft pink lips. Like he’d done dozens of times before.

Well, normally he kissed her forehead.

Never her soft, perfect, beautiful mouth.

Yes. Cherry Coke. Just like he’d suspected.

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