Page 55 of Ruined Promises

When I pull into the driveway and see Lexi’s car is still here, I can’t hold back my smile. Will I find her lounging in bed still naked? Or possibly on the couch watching one of those silly shows she watches.Somehow, I have let her convince me watch moreGossip Girl; I find it rather entertaining how spoiled those kids are. And how the hell do they spend all their time drinking underage in a bar? Sometimes I feel like I’m looking into the life that Asher must believe he lives in. Plus, it is a little entertaining that I think Cal looks just like one of the characters.

I pull past her vehicle and into the garage. I hated leaving her this morning, but I needed to get a few things done before I sprung my idea of a few days away to Lexi. Something has been bothering her lately; I can sense it. She hasn’t opened up about it, but I’m also not pushing her to talk. She has a lot on her shoulders at the moment, with the party quickly approaching, so it could very well just be the stress of that. This is a pretty big deal, and if there are a few things I’ve learned about Lexi over the past few months, instead of delegating the work, she likes to do it herself.

I grab my bag when I exit the car and make my way up the stairs to the kitchen. I find Lexi sitting at the island with her head down, staring into the wineglass she’s swirling. When I drop my bag to the floor, she jumps and turns in my direction.

I had hoped that her face would have lit up when she saw me, but there’s something written all over her face. I can tell that something isn’t right, something different. I know how to make this better.Nothing a few days away back at the vineyard we went on our first date can’t fix.

“Oh, Ben, it’s just you.” I narrow my eyes at her. Who else would it be? Was she expecting someone else?

I close the distance between us, and she spins around on the stool. I reach for her and pull her to me, pressing my lips against hers. Her body tenses and shehesitatesfor a split second before kissing me back. After a few minutes, I pull back and stare into her eyes. They are glazed over as if she’s been crying. I cup her cheek, rubbing my thumb alonghercheekbone, and she leans into my touch. I go to ask her what is wrong, but she cuts me off by crashing her lips to mine again, kissing mepassionately. Her moans fill the kitchen when I suck on her bottom lip, bringing it between my teeth and licking the sting away. She grips my shirt in her fist, keeping me to her.Kissing now, talk later. I’ll ask her to open up to me over dinner and tell her of my plans. I hate feeling like there are secrets she is keeping from me. No matter what’s bothering her, I am always here for her.

“I need you,” she whispers against my lips. I need her, too. I lift her in my arms and carry her to the bedroom, never losing contact. While every touch, every moment is meaningful between us, this feels different. A moment frozen in time.

I lay her on the bed and take my place, settling between her thighs. I reach behind my back and pull my shirt overhead as Lexi rakes her nails down my sculpted chest. I love the way she gets lost in her thoughts every time she stares at me.

I kiss her with everything I have and everything I am. She reaches for the button on my jeans and, once undone, slides her hands down to my cock before running her thumb over the tip, smearing the precum leaking out of it.

Once we’re both entirely bare to each other, she wraps her arms underneath my arms, and I slowly slide into her. Her head falls back as I am fully seated in her. I take a moment to catch my breath at the immensity of this moment. I begin to move once our eyes connect. We don’t speak the entire time I slide in and out of her but never lose eye contact either. This is so intimate. This woman consumes my soul—wow, could I sound any more pussy-whipped? Butit’strue. I never thought I could feel about someone the way I feel about her.

After her release, I follow right behind her.

Her eyes are still glassy as I slide out of her, and a slow tear runs down her eyes. I lean down to kiss it away.

I love you.Those three words are on the tip of my tongue, wanting to be screamed, but I don’t want to ruin whatever this moment was.

I don’t even remember falling asleep, but I was content just holding her in my arms that I guess I let sleep overtake me. I think about ordering in from her favorite takeout spot for dinner and maybe finishing the conversation that never happened earlier, first starting with what is on her mind, and hopefully ending withI love you.

I’m thankful I have no other plans for the night other than spending it with Lexi, preferably naked—watching movies, in the hot tub, in the shower, in the kitchen. This will be a stressful week for her leading up to the big event, so the least I can do is take her mind off it and help her relax. I roll over to find the spot next to me cold and empty. I press up on my forearms and look around.

“Lex?”

No response.

I roll back over to get out of bed. I reach for my boxers on the floor when something catches my eyes on the nightstand—a note. Next to the note is the necklace I gave her for her birthday, which also happened to be Valentine’s Day—a heart-shaped amethyst at the center of a sterling silver infinity symbol with diamond accents on each side of the heart. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to buy it for her. I know how important the infinity symbol is to her.

What the hell? I sit up in bed and look around for any sign of her and come up empty. I waste no time opening the note.

Is this what has been bothering her? I find the first thing I can reach, which happens to be the bedside lamp, and throw it against the wall.What the fuck?

I grab my jeans from the floor and quickly dress. I race over to Lexi’s apartment, ignoring all speed limits and stop signs. Luckily, I make it to her place in one piece—physically, at least. On the entire drive over here, I replayed everything in my head: her actions, her words, the way she clung to me as she fell asleep in my arms. She knew she was going to leave me? My eyes are burning with tears I haven’t shed.

My chest gets tighter and tighter, the higher the elevator to her floor.

I rush to her front door and knock profusely. My hand is balled in a fist, getting tighter and tighter with every pound against the door.

“Lexi! Lexi, baby, please open up,” I plead. It feels like an eternity until the door whips open in a hurry.

“Lex—” However, to my disappointment, when the door opens, it’s not Lexi’s emerald eyes I’m met with but Hadley’s blue ones. And for a moment, they look as sad as I feel, but she quickly blinks it away.

“Ben, what are you doing here?”Does she really not know?

“Where’s Lexi?” I look around the apartment behind her for any sign that Lexi is here but come up empty.

“I don’t know. She’s not here. I thought she was at your place.”

I run my hands through my hair as I spin around.She has to be here.Where else would she go?

“Ben, you’re starting to scare me a little.” Hadley steps out into the hallway and closes the door further behind her. I want to push her out of the way and search the apartment, tearing it apart, searching for clues—anything to tell me why?

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