Page 78 of Just Another Silly Love Song

I stepped forward and hugged him, squeezing him so tight I was afraid I was cutting off his circulation. “Thank you. That was so . . . so kind.”

He pulled away from the hug, still holding onto my waist, and something smoldering in his eyes. “Finally.”

I arched an eyebrow and stepped back to analyze him. “Finallywhat?”

He opened his mouth and closed it.

“Remember just a minute ago when you told me you don’t beat around the bush?”

Ben blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine.” He looked around to make sure nobody was listening and then leaned closer. “I saw you hugging Debbie and Chris earlier. And . . .” He shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I wanted a hug from you, too. Sounds silly, I know.”

I shook my head. “Not silly. It’s sweet. And a hug is the least I can do considering you got me a raise, plus a free bed.”

“Not just any bed,” Ben said. “You can choose the most expensive bed in the store, if you want.”

I playfully poked him in the chest. “Just don't go bragging to your buddies that you got me into bed.”

He laughed. “Even if it were true, I don’t kiss and tell.” He glanced down at my lips and then cleared his throat. “Maybe we should go check out the dessert bar.” He stepped in front of me and made a move toward the stairs.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “Wait.”

Ben glanced down at my hand on his arm.

“No, I’m not worried about your cooties at the moment, because we need to address something much more important before it gets out of control.”

“This sounds serious.”

“It has the potential to be.”

“Okay . . .” Ben nodded. “I’m all yours.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

He studied me for a moment. “You’ve lost me already.”

I sighed. “Something is happening here between us.”

“I know. And it’s happening alarmingly fast.”

I let go of Ben’s arm and leaned my back against the rail, looking into his eyes. “So . . . what are we going to do about it?”

“That is the million-dollar question.”

“Okay, let’s try this another way. Hi, Dr. Tough Love, thank you for taking my call.”

Ben laughed. “You can’t be serious.”

I ignored him. “I have a problem with a coworker. I’m attracted to him and I’m really not sure what to do.”

He nodded like he was going to play along. “How attracted are you?”

I smiled. “Very, but here lies the problem since we work together. What if things don’t work out? Then it would be so awkward because we would see each other every day.”

“But what if thingsdowork out? Then it would be so amazing because we would get to see each other every day.” He grinned like he was proud of that one, which I had to admit wasn’t bad at all. “Do you think of him often?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think he’s the sexiest man on this ship?”