She had no problem picturing it. Damien in his underwear, looking sexy and rumpled and giving Ben that cool, I’m in charge stare that he had perfected. “And instead of waking me, you told him to stop back later?”

“Well…” Damien’s fingers drummed on the table. He had trouble sitting still, the way he always did. A part of his body was always moving. He didn’t look as though he’d been up all night expending energy instead of conserving it in sleep. “Maybe you should talk to Ben about what he said.”

Oh, that sounded promising. And distracting. And infuriating. Given that she’d come to realize she didn’t know Ben at all or what he might say, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had said to Damien. And she wanted to know. “You can just tell me. I promise I won’t kill the messenger.”

“He said he was relieved that you were seeing someone.”

No, she couldn’t have predicted that. “Oh, really? And why is that, I wonder?”

Damien’s blue eyes were unreadable. “Because he said he’s not really all that interested in being a father the third time over, but he was reluctant to leave you on your own. He felt if I was serious about you—which I am—that he could bow out of the situation and leave you in, ah, good hands.”

Mandy felt as if she’d been dealt a good swift kick to the shins. “Oh, did he now?” Her voice wavered and she blinked hard to dispense tears that had risen without warning. Damn, why should it matter? But it hurt. It bloody well hurt to hear Ben talk so callously about her. As if she was a baton to pass off from one runner to another. Here you go, thanks, chum, your turn now.

Damien reached for her hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you all this here. I just wanted to tell you he’d stopped by so you could call him.”

“You’re not the one who needs to apologize.” Damn, was she really such a poor judge of character that she’d never seen that kind of weakness in Ben? And what did that say about her feelings for Damien? What was she misinterpreting or choosing not to see there?

Knowing she was about to cry for real and embarrass the hell out of herself, she stood up. Damien got to his feet, too, startled.

“I’m just going to the rest room. I need a second. I’ll be right back.” She bent over and grabbed her purse. “And if my miso chicken isn’t here when I get back, I’m storming that kitchen for it myself.”

Then she bolted before he could stop her.

Damien stared after Mandy, her skirt twitching around her legs as she walked quickly toward the rest rooms.