Page 159 of His White Moonlight
“I’m betting Bennett’s considering wrapping his hands around Lindi’s neck right now, and she’s completely clueless about it.Sucks being human.We don’t have the noses you shifters do to smell other people’s emotions.If we did, I bet she wouldn’t still be talking to him.”
“You’re probably right on all of it, so I’ll pass on betting.”
“That wasn’t the bet.This is—something bad will happen to me before the end of the night.”
I faced Konni and caught his shocked expression.
“Do you think Bennett’s going to hurt you?”
Flashing my most innocent smile, I shook my head.“I already know he’d never intentionally hurt me.”
“But you think he’ll do something that’ll unintentionally hurt you?”
I shrugged.“It’s happened before.So do you want to take the bet?”
“What are we betting?”
“A bigger favor.”
“What’s the favor?”
“I think that’ll depend on how badly I’m hurt.”
He glanced at Bennett again.
“Are you going to hurt yourself, Wrenly?”he asked.“Bennett said you’ve already threatened it.”
“No, I said I hated my life and didn’t want to live it anymore.That wasn’t a threat, and I don’t intend to hurt myself.Ever.”
He leaned back in his chair, considering me in silence as other people joined our table.
“You have a deal,” he said finally.
The woman on his left leaned forward, curiosity in her gaze.
“Deal?What deals are we making?”
Konni artfully deflected the question and steered the conversation.
Bennett joined us again.I glanced at Lindi, who was smirking at me from her table, like she’d gotten one over on me.But there was no win for her when it came to Bennett.If she admitted she’d been the ringleader of my abuse, she was as good as dead.And no matter what she’d said, it would never distract him from learning more about me, like she wanted.
With a smirk of my own, I looked at Bennett.Whatever she’d told him hadn’t been good.He was struggling hard, hiding his tremors with quick, angry movements.
As he sat, I leaned toward him.
“What do you need from me to stay calm?”
His surprised gaze flew to mine.
“You.”
I smiled for everyone who might be watching, like Lindi, and stood.With a hand on his shoulder, I turned around and perched on his knee to whisper in his ear.The position meant I was facing Lindi as I spoke.
“Please note my exceptionally cooperative behavior despite the embarrassment I’m feeling by drawing attention to myself.”And I was drawing attention.Lindi’s gaze narrowed.Nearby, men were chuckling and nudging one another, and women were glancing at me with distaste.
“If we have to leave because you lose control, that’s not me breaking our deal.That’s on you.”
He captured my face when I pulled back from his ear.The brush of his lips against mine was there and gone before I even realized his intent, then he kissed my forehead.
