Lost In You

 

One point. He beat her by one tiny point. Kelly sulked in the corner of the restaurant as Bianca and James—Bianca’s new best friend—chatted beside her. She was smashed against Benjamin, pressing his side from the tip of her shoulder to her feet.

If the night had gone her way, Kelly would have exploited their close proximity to the fullest, touching him in whatever manner she could claim as an accident. She would have… but that stinking point…

“I demand a rematch!” Kelly hissed, glaring at her boss from the corner of her eye. “You distracted me on that last round.”

He grinned. “ I had no idea you were such a sore loser.”

“Rub it in. Go ahead. Have your fun.”

“And how did I distract you?” Benjamin leaned his head close to hers.

She swatted him away. “Like right now. Hovering over my shoulder. Throwing me off my game. You knew what you were doing to me back there.”

“What was I doing to you?” he asked, his eyes sparkling as he tossed a fry into his mouth.

She glared. “Don’t look so smug. We’re going to have that rematch and this time, you can cling to me as much as you like. I won’t be shaken.”

Benjamin rested his chin on his hands and stared at her. “You’re cute when you’re competitive.”

“You’re annoying when you win. What’s your wish anyway?”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Don’t think too long. There’s an expiration date.”

“Nope.” Benjamin shook his head. “An expiration date was never mentioned during the game. You can’t stick one on me without prior notice.”

“Watch me.”

Before they could argue further, Bianca tapped Kelly on the shoulder. “Guys, James is leaving now.”

“Yeah,” the teenager said, rising to his feet and setting his brown cap back on his head. “I’ve got to get home before my mom freaks out.”

“I didn’t realize it was getting so late.” Benjamin glanced at his watch. “Thank you for joining us tonight, James. It was good to meet you.”

“You too, sir. Ma’am.” James did a little head bop toward Kelly. “I enjoyed the game and the food.”

“I’ll walk him out.” Bianca wasn’t asking. She scooted out of her seat and followed the tall, slim boy toward the door marked ‘EXIT’.

“I think that’s the longest I’ve heard James talk tonight,” Benjamin said, sipping his soda.

“He’s a cute kid.”

“Robbing the cradle, Kel?”

“At least he had the sense to lose to me. Unlike other people.”

Benjamin tilted his head toward the ceiling so that she got a good look at his perfect neck. “Are you still on that one point?”

“I’m not going to get off it until I beat you.”

“You can try.”

“Is that a challenge?”

His eyes dipped to her lips. “How about you do your best to distract me next time? I’ll still win, but if it will make you feel better....”

“How kind of you to offer.”

“My father raised a gentleman.”

“Your father?” She arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t the term: my mother raised a gentleman?”

“My mother didn’t raise anybody.” His eyes darkened but the light returned when Bianca rushed to their table.

“Benji!” She bounced on her toes. “It’s open mike night. You should sing a song.”

Kelly’s jaw dropped. “You sing?”

Could the man be any more perfect? Kelly had a serious weakness for guys with musical talents, and handsome singers were high on her hit list.

“Not often.” Benjamin shook his head slightly. “I’m not really in the mood tonight, Bee.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow and I don’t know when I’ll visit you next.” She pouted. “Sing a song for me please?”

Kelly was familiar enough with Benjamin Levy to know that any further objections would be overcome by his love for his little sister. As expected, he gave in five seconds later.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll do one song.”

Kelly scooted out of the booth so that Benjamin could walk off and approach the DJ near the platform at the front. Bianca swung into her seat and squealed, clapping her hands.

“Benji’s voice is going to blow your socks off. It’s like chocolate.”

“Did he like to sing growing up?”

“I’m not sure. When he first came to live with us, he barely spoke a word. Dad insisted that we shouldn’t force him to talk and we tiptoed around him for six months before we heard his voice. We were in church and he sang a song…” she shivered. “Thinking about it still gives me goosebumps.”

“I’m sorry.” Kelly poked a finger in her ear. “Did you say Benjamin came to live with you? Isn’t he your brother?”

“He’s adopted,” Bianca said, blinking up at her. “Didn’t you know? Well, I guess not. Dad tried his best to keep it under wraps.”

“But you guys are so close… and your eyes…”

“We get that a lot.” Bianca nodded. “Dad says that when he looked into Benji’s eyes, he knew he had to take him home. I was only four when he came so I was too young to understand. But we grew up together and I’ve always seen him as my big brother.”

“If you were four, that means Benji was—”

“He was only ten.” She rolled her eyes. “His bio-Mom’s not the best person though. She’s given him a lot of stress since then. Oh, look. He’s getting on stage now.” Bianca waved at her brother.

As the soft pink lights on the stage dusted his hair and illuminated his handsome face, Kelly saw Benjamin with new eyes.

Who would have guessed that he wasn’t related to Bianca by blood? There was no doubt in her mind that Benjamin would die for his little sister and she, in turn, for him.

Beyond the sibling’s connection, however, Kelly was curious about the type of life Benjamin had been living before his father stepped in. She imagined a little boy with crystal clear blue eyes, too afraid to say a word, and her heart bled a little.

“Goodnight,” Benjamin said into the mike, drawing her attention. His deep voice caused an immediate stir in the female population. Women straightened and tossed their hair over their shoulders as he smiled sheepishly. “It’s been a while since I’ve sung this one.”

“That’s okay, honey!” A boisterous woman who had probably enjoyed her champagne a bit too much yelled.

Bianca grinned at Kelly and leaned forward, waiting for her brother to get over his shyness and start singing.

The music began, the crooning saxophone perking everyone’s attention. Kelly recognized the beats of the song immediately. It was a jazz number—the tune Benjamin had played in the car after rescuing her from Marco Fuentes’s wrecking-ball hands. She closed her eyes and swayed as the beauty of Benjamin’s voice washed over her.

“I used to think I knew what love meant

But then I met you

And realized I had it all wrong.”

She bumped shoulders with Bianca and her eyes popped open. Together, the girls shared a special look and continued to enjoy Benjamin’s serenade about love, loss and life.

When he was done, he received a standing ovation. The sound of clapping hands lashed against the walls like waves against a rocky shore.

Benjamin’s most ardent supporter by far was the drunk lady at the front. For a moment there, it seemed she was ready to unsnap her bra and throw it at his head.

Hey, that’s my move lady.

To his credit, Benjamin seemed more eager to get off the stage and away from the limelight then anything. He awkwardly waved and walked stiffly back to his seat, receiving congratulations and air-blown kisses all the way.

“That was awesome, Benji,” Bianca said, giving her brother a high-five. “I was crying.”

“I’m never doing that again,” he said, sliding into the booth and hiding his face with the soda bottle. “Next time I’m forcing you to go up there, Bee. Then maybe you’ll think twice about sending me.”

“You were great. Wasn’t he, Kel?”

“It was magical,” she said. “You have an amazing voice.”

“I keep telling him he should make a CD.” Bianca rolled her eyes. “If I had a voice like that, I’d demand the world listen to me every second of the day.”

“Then the world would grow sick of you,” he said with a tired smile. “I was shaking so much I thought the mike would slip and shatter all over the stage.”

His adorable, self-deprecating expression shifted something in Kelly’s soul. It was more than desire, more than curiosity about his abilities as a lover. It was something… deeper.

Because now he wasn’t just a sexy Adonis who could satisfy her.

Now he was a brother, a son, and a man—one with a painful past and a heart that had grown stronger for it.

Though she would never admit it, Kelly was glad she’d lost the game to Benjamin. He truly deserved all his wishes to come true.