Page 27 of Ruined Promises

There are no sparks. When I kissed Ben, there were enough fireworks to light up the darkest night sky. For a moment, I forget that it is Cal I am kissing and not Ben and get lost in the kiss. When he nibbles on my bottom lip, I come back to reality. I slowly pull back to find Cal’s eyes traveling from my eyes to my lips.Oh shit, did he enjoy that kiss? Did we completely fuck up our friendship?

“Relax,” he softly assures me with a wink.

I don’t know how to feel at the moment. For one, my head is spinning from that kiss, and two, I’m trying not to be weirded out that I just shared a kiss with one of my closest friends. I also can’t help but wonder if Brynn knows how fantastic of a kisser Cal is. I am so going to tease her if she doesn’t.

A throat clearing from behind forces me and Cal to spin around and meet Ben glaring at us.

“Lexi.” There is a sense of scolding to his voice, and I can’t tell if it’s from me kissing another man or that I was kissing someone in the open office. Either way, there is a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

“Oh Ben, hi, I’m sorry, this is—”

“Callum Murphy.” Cal reaches out to shake Ben’s hand.Callum? Wow, so formal.

Ben’s eyes move back and forth between Cal and me. Can he read between the lines here?

“Bentley Harrington. I’m Lexi’s boss.”

After what feels like the longest handshake of all time, they release each other’s hands but continue engaging in the staring contest.Is this some sort of male territorial thing?

“Well, Bentley,” Cal begins, knowing that I’ve told him that he doesn’t go by it. It’s hard to hide my smile.

Ben holds up his hand. “You can call me Ben.”

“Okay,Ben. I hope it’s okay that I stopped by to surprise my girl and take her to lunch?” His girl?Oh boy, he is bringing out all the stops on this one. Did he take some acting classes or something?He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his chest, just like I’ve seen him and Brynn do many times.

“Oh, sure, sure. Enjoy yourselves.”

That’s it? I try to hide my disappointment. What was I expecting, though, Ben to just sweep me off my feet Prince Charming style or be a caveman and pull me behind him and beat the shit out of Cal?

“Okay. Let me just grab my purse.” I turn and grab it from my office and turn on my do not disturb message on my phone. When I join the boys, they’re having some sort of weird unspoken conversation with their eyes.

I clear my throat, startling them both.Yeah, because this isn’t awkward or anything.

“Ready?” Cal asks with his hands in his pockets.

“Have a nice lunch,” Ben says, giving a small wave.

Cal reaches for my hand and links our fingers, and his touch feels so different from Ben’s, only further proving how fucked I am. “I’m going to kill you guys. You do realize that, right?”

Cal chuckles as we make our way toward the elevators. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. This was all Hadley and Brynn’s idea. I just went along with it because Brynn promised that I get to pick the movie for the next two months, which means no more romance films.” A look of relief passes over his features, but I see right through the facade. He may not admit it, but since we met, Cal does things that he knows will make Brynn happy, so I would bet my next paycheck that he watches one within the month. “Plus, if I had to guess, I’d say the pain I feel in the back of my head right now is your man burning a hole through me with his look.”

I look back over my shoulder as Cal presses the Down button to find Ben still staring at us. His tense features have softened, and a part of me wants to give him reassurance that I haven’t moved on. But he was the one who set the boundaries.

The elevator dings, announcing its arrival, and Cal places his arm on my lower back, guiding me inside.

As the doors close, I turn to Cal with my pointer finger, poking him in the chest. “You know you’re buying lunch, right?”

He throws his head back in laughter. “Actually, lunch is on Hadley today.” He steps away from me, his back and foot pressed up against the wall. “It was another stipend for getting me to agree,” he admits, holding up Hadley’s bank card.

I shake my head in disbelief. I can’t believe my friends were all behind this ridiculous plan. When this plan backfires in our faces, I hope they will help clean up the mess.

I snatch the card out of his hand. “Well, in that case, I think we should have the best lunch of our lives.”

When the elevator doors open, I extend my hand in front, allowing Cal to go first. “After you, lover boy.”

He nods his head before exiting. Once we are both in the main building lobby, he extends his elbow to me. “Shall we,darling?”

We find a close-by restaurant and enjoy a fabulous lunchon Hadley.

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