Page 138 of His White Moonlight
I opened my eyes and looked up at Bennett, who was leaning over me.
“Are you all right?”he asked, moving so I could sit up.
“Fine.Just some twinges.”
“I called Milo to pick up your car and made reservations for dinner after work.Pizza, but we can change it to anything.”
“What?Why?”
“You drank at lunch.Underage drinking means you’d lose your license.Do you want to risk that?”
Everything he was saying sounded reasonable.But it still felt off.
“Did you make the reservation and arrange for Milo to pick up the car before or after I came back from lunch?”
Frustration flashed in his eyes, and I wanted to strangle him for trying to manipulate me.Again.
“Don’t pretend this is about protecting my interests when it’s about protecting yours.Ass.”I threw my blanket aside and left.My attempt to slam the door was thwarted by his hand stopping it.
“Keep it open,” he said.
I went to the bathroom and didn’t return for an hour.He kept his distance for the rest of the afternoon and didn’t say a word when he left his office and waited by my desk for me to shut down.
He tried talking to me once we were in the car, but I ignored him.At the restaurant, he asked me to order, which I did, then attempted a conversation again.My responding silence wasn’t simply anger.It was a boundary.
I knew that if I gave him what he wanted—my attention—he would continue manipulating my life with increasing frequency until he got what he wanted, regardless of what I wanted.
His frustration grew as we sat at the table, waiting for the pizza.When it arrived, I took a piece and started eating.He asked how it was.I said nothing.
By the time the meal was over, his frustration had disappeared behind his mask.He paid the bill and walked me to the car.
He offered ice cream on the way home.I was so tempted but didn’t say anything.
Once we were home, I went to my room and focused on studying, grateful I’d signed up for the class.
Thursday morning, I woke to Bennett spooning me.His open hand heated my lower belly, where I had cramps, and it felt so good that I didn’t move right away.
“Good morning,” he said after several minutes had passed.
I felt like a raging bitch when I got out of bed without answering him.His hand on my stomach had been nice, but I knew I couldn’t admit that or thank him.
Nine more weeks after this, Wrenly.Stay strong.
He made it easy to stay mad at him after that, though, when I discovered the keys to my car and every other car in the garage missing from the key box.
I turned and held out my hand.
“Give me my keys.”
Instead of surrendering them, he took my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.
“If you can stay like this for five minutes, I will.”
“No.”I pulled my hand free.“That’s part of another deal.Give me the keys because you said the car was mine and no one would take it from me.Plus, I didn’t hit you this morning for sleeping next to me.”
“Why does everything from you need to be part of a deal?”
“Why do you need to take what I’m not willing to give?Why can’t you wait to see if I give it?”I was yelling, and it wasn’t helping the storm brewing in his eyes.He stepped closer to me, his hand capturing the back of my neck.
