Page 89 of Ace My Heart

Instead, he leaned in and brushed his lips timidly against mine. I didn’t fight it. I let it happen. It was soft, sweet. Comforting.

He broke away from me.

“Mel, you know what I said earlier, about trust?” I nodded.

“Well … I want to earn your trust. I want … there’s so much that I want, but … not now. Not while you’re hurting about Ben. I don’t want you to do anything unless you want to.”

I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder. He stroked my hair gently.

“I feel safe when you’re here,” I whispered to him.

“I’m glad I can make you feel that way, Smellie.”

A thumping on the door interrupted us. My heart started hammering in my chest and I looked at Brad in fear.

“Should I go and see who it is?” he asked. I hesitated, then nodded. If it was Ben, he wouldn’t leave of his own accord, and he would probably break the door down. Brad got up and made his way to the door.

Please, God, let it not be Ben. Let it be anyone but Ben!

It wasn’t Ben. It was Joel. He stormed into the lounge room, pushing past Brad and coming to crouch beside me. His eyes strayed to the bruises purpling on my arms.

“What happened?” he growled dangerously. I didn’t want to talk about it, but his tone didn’t leave room for defiance. I relayed as briefly as I could the events of the evening.

“Did he hurt you anywhere else?” I shook my head. Not physically anyway. Joel exhaled a deep breath. Brad hovered in the background.

“How did you know, Joel?” I asked, sitting up to get away from his agonised eyes.

“Ben called me, had a massive spray to me about you. He sounded like he was ready to kill you. I got straight in the car and came here to make sure you were okay.” He turned to Brad. “I should have known that you’d have someone here already,” he added darkly.

I scowled at him. “Hey, Brad was the one who took me over there. I had to dosomething– he seemed to think I was going to shack up with him and start having his babies!”

Joel stood up and glowered down at me. “Why didn’t you callme?”

I glared back at him. “I don’t have to ask your permission foreverything, Joel!”

He turned away from me, his hands on his head, and started pacing the living room.

“This is my fault. This is my fault,” he repeated.

“Um, I think I’ll get going now,” Brad said awkwardly.

“No, you don’t have to leave,” I replied, still glaring at Joel, who continued to pace, head in his hands. What was his deal?

“Actually, I think I do. See you soon, Mel?”

I tried to smile at him, but my face felt tight and uncomfortable. “Yeah, soon Brad.”

He let himself out quietly and I turned to Joel once more.

“What’s all your fault?” I demanded. He stopped pacing and dropped into the chair opposite me, his hands still on his head.

“I should have told you. I had plenty of chances, but I didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what, Joel? Stop talking in riddles and just give it to me straight.”

“Tell you about Ben. About what he’s really like. When he thinks he can get something he wants, he turns on the charm, but as soon as you take it away from him, he completely loses the plot. I was worried that he might … after what happened in Dubai. But I didn’t think he’d really go off the rails, otherwise I would have stepped in.”

He unfolded himself from the chair and came over to sit beside me. He sat so his body was facing mine, turning the full force of his eyes on me.

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