Page 42 of Losing the Forbidden
“He won’t.” Lauren’s words seem a little too confident for my liking. I know for a fact that if I got her in the right situation, she’d be like putty in my hands once again. The spark between us is too strong for her to deny, and she knows it just as well as I do. It’s about time that this fucker realised it as well and got out of my fucking way.
“I’m serious,” he says, turning his dark stare on me. A weaker man might cower to him, but that’s not who I am. Standing taller, I tip my chin up to him. “You fucking touch her—”
“And you’ll kill me.Yeah, I got that memo thanks. Are we done here? I’ve got a business to run, and I’m sure you’ve got some bricks to move or something.”
“Actually, Joe’s one of our site agents,” Lauren says. “You might want to start being nice to him.”
“Get out of my office,” I growl. I’ve not had enough sleep or caffeine to deal with this right now.
“I’m fucking watching you,” Joe warns.
“I’m real scared,” I mutter as he turns and walks away. I don’t see his reaction because my eyes are locked on Lauren as she tries to contain a smile.
“You need to start fighting your own battles, baby. You don’t need a henchman to do it for you.”
“You and I both know what happens when we fight. I think it’s best we stay out of each other’s way. I’ll be working from home if anyone needs me.” Spinning on her heel, she walks out of the office and, after a very brief chat with Erica, she leaves the building.
“You slept with her again, didn’t you?”
“Sorry, I’m working,” I say over my shoulder, feeling Erica’s eyes burning into the back of my head.
“You need to stop playing games, Ben.”
Spinning on my chair, I find her with her hands on her hips, staring daggers at me.
“What?”
“Lauren’s one of my best friends, and you’re hurting her. You need to stop.”
“I thought I was your friend?”
“You are. But you’re the one doing all of this. Just do as she asks and leave her be. She’s moved on with her life, and you need to do the same.”
“You’re serious?”
“I want nothing more than for both of you to be happy, but at the moment you’re ripping each other apart.”
“We’re meant to be together.”
“Maybe so, but not right now. Just give her some time. Give her some space to breathe.”
“So he can get his claws in even deeper?”
“Just trust her, Ben. Trust that she knows what she’s doing.”
“How can I when she’s been sleeping with me?”
Erica eventually leaves the office, but I only get a few minutes of peace before four others descend on me.
“Here he is!” Dec announces as he swings the door open. “Shit, you look rough, mate.”
“Nice to see you, too.”
“We’ve been waiting at the house for you. We need to head back home.”
Guilt washes through me that I’ve basically abandoned them after they came all this way to try to cheer me up. “Shit, guys. I’m—”
“Don’t even think about it. We came here to support you, not to make you feel guilty for doing your thing,” Liv says, giving me a stern look.
