Page 75 of Exposed

“No, I’m not. I’m just too tired to talk about it now, okay? I just am.”

“Fine.” Anthony turned over, facing away from her. “You and Bennie let me know when you want to talk about it.”

“Anthony, really?”

“I’m going back to sleep.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Bennie slipped into bed in the darkness, stretching out in the center of the mattress and breathing a relieved sigh. She remembered reading about the pleasures of the unshared bed and sometimes she felt that to her core. Sometimes it was good to have a whole bed to yourself. Like when you had worked all night on somebody else’s case and secretly worried that an innocent man was about to be arrested for a crime that he didn’t commit.

She reached for the night table for her phone, which was becoming her dirty little nighttime habit. She knew about the articles saying that you shouldn’t check your phone before sleep, but some days it was the only time she could catch up on her email or the national news, and tonight her brain was in overdrive.

She looked at the phone screen, noticing for the first time that she had gotten a text from Declan, and she clicked through.

Call me when you get in, no matter how late. Love you.

Bennie felt herself smile. It was sweet of him. He was a thoughtful guy. She felt a rush of love, remembering that she had had sex earlier. She had almost forgotten. How can youforget that you had sex? This might’ve been the wackiest day she ever spent in her life. She pressed the number to call him back, and Declan answered after one ring.

“Woman, where you been?”

Bennie liked when he called her that, even though it was corny, vaguely sexist, or both. “Did we have sex today? Or was it my imagination?”

Declan chuckled softly. “Wait, was that you? Are you the blonde?”

Bennie laughed too. “What are you doing still up?”

“Thinking about you.”

“Nice things?” Bennie snuggled down in the sheets, liking the sound of it. She didn’t know if this call would lead to phone sex, but there were worse ways to blow off steam. And phone sex was the best of both worlds. You got the sex but didn’t have to share the bed.

“I was thinking you should let Mary go out on her own.”

“Way to kill the mood.”

“Sorry but I’m on fire.”

“So am I.” Bennie chuckled, but Declan didn’t.

“I’ve been thinking about it. What was it like when you went back? Did she need you?”

“I’m not sure that she needed me, but she was happy that I was there to help.”

“How did she do at the Roundhouse by herself?”

“Very well. Great, in fact.”

“That’s my point. She’s a fine lawyer. She has to find it out for herself.”

“I know that, and she will. I’m just helping her.” Bennie didn’t get it. Declan usually didn’t care about office politics. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m bothered.”

“Why?”

“I think she’s too used to turning to you. She’s used to you filling the gap. If she wants to go out on her own, let her go. You’ll be fine.”

“Do we have to talk about this now?”