Read Online Now and Again by Brenda Rothert - Free Book Online Page B

man with Ben said, extending his hand. He was several inches shorter than Ben, with a pretty face and short, styled dark brown hair. Ben gave Casey a quick glare as Layla shook his hand.
    “This is Layla,” Ben said.
    “Very nice to meet you,” Casey said, smiling.
    “And this is my friend Melanie,” Layla said, looking across the table.
    “Nice to meet you, Ben,” Melanie said. Layla cringed as Ben glanced at her with a raised brow. He’d apparently noticed that Melanie knew who he was without being introduced.
    “So Layla, how do you know Ben?” Casey asked.
    “Why don’t you go get us a table?” Ben said to him with a pointed look. Casey walked away with a small shake of his head, and Ben looked back at Layla.
    “Can we meet up here after work and make plans? Or do you already have something in mind?” he asked.
    “No, meeting up here sounds good,” she said. Their waitress approached with their food and drinks, and Ben moved aside.
    “Hey, Ben,” she said, smiling brightly at him. “I hope you’re sitting in my section.”
    “Uh, we’re wherever Casey sat,” he said, still looking at Layla. “So I’ll see you tonight?”
    “Yes. See you then.”
    “Nice meeting you, Melanie,” he said, smiling over at her.
    “You, too.” Melanie’s gaze followed Ben across the pub until he sat down, when she blew out a breath and looked at Layla.
    “Damn, girl, that man is hot. I see what you mean about him being all man. Did you see the way the women in the next booth were staring at him?”
    “No, were they?” Layla said through a bite of her cheeseburger.
    “You didn’t notice because you were too busy looking at him,” Melanie said. “And he was looking right back at you. What are you gonna do with him tonight? I’d tie him up and ride him til dawn -- just sayin.”
    Layla laughed as she snuck a glance across the pub at Ben, who was talking to Casey. “I don’t know what I’ll do,” she said. “But something tells me I’ll like it.”
     
    Taking a deep breath, Layla walked into O’Malley’s. The work day had been long, and she wondered if being with Ben tonight would wind her down or up.
    She spotted him near the pool tables, laughing with several other men. They all turned toward her as she walked over.
    “Hey, boss,” Ben said, grinning.
    “Hi.” Layla felt a thrill at the way his eyes sparkled when he looked at her.
    “We can eat dinner, go out somewhere new, play some pool … what do you feel like?” he asked.
    “Um … hanging out here sounds good,” she said, sighing.
    “You okay?”
    “I’m good. Just had a crazy day at work.”
    “Let’s eat,” he said, leaning his pool cue against the pub’s brick wall. “We can talk if you want.”
    “Is that what you think you’re in for? Two weeks of talking?” She laughed.
    “If that’s what you want.”
    What do I want? I don’t even know. It’s hard to think straight around him.
    She relayed the details of the draining three hour pretrial conference she’d spent the afternoon in, wishing she’d ordered a hamburger while she watched Ben eating his. It was the third night this week she’d eaten salad for dinner.
    “Let’s play darts,” she said after they finished eating.
    “You play darts?” He raised his brows with surprise.
    “I learned in law school.”
    “Well, this won’t be interesting at all,” he said, smirking. “You don’t seem like the competitive type, and I’m not, either.”
    “Are you saying you play, too?” She smiled up at him.
    “I played a lot of darts when I was stationed overseas. It’s a good way to pass the down time.”
    “What did you do in the Marines?” Layla followed him across the bar to an open dart board. Ben took a long swig of the bottled beer he’d started during dinner before answering.
    “My official duty was explosive ordnance disposal,” he said, setting the empty bottle on a tall table.
    “Wow. Bomb disposal? That sounds dangerous.”
    “It can be.”