Page 88 of His White Moonlight
“It may have been purposely hurtful, but I think I needed to hear it, whether I deserved it or not.Is that really how you feel?That I don’t want you as my daughter?”
“No, Mom.I know you want me.I promise.”
She breathed deeply then kissed my cheek.I didn’t miss the angry scowl she shot at Bennett as she pulled back.
“It’s not his fault either,” I said.
She made a noncommittal sound and led me into the building.
We didn’t talk about anything on the ride up; she just held my arm like she was afraid I’d vanish.Once we reached our floor, she walked me to my desk, where new earbuds waited next to my computer.
“Thank you, Mom,” I said.
“For you, I’ll do anything, Wrenly.Always.”
I hugged her again and nudged her toward the door.
Her loving gaze swept over me, but hardened when it shifted to Bennett.A low, warning growl emanated from her before she pivoted and left.
“Told you I needed protection,” he said, his fingers brushing mine.
I batted his hand away and pointed toward his office.
“Go work.”
He went after a particularly hard shove, but kept his office door open.
For some reason, though, no one showed up.Not even for the lunch I’d ordered.The receptionist called to say that the food was there, but I had to pick it up myself.I didn’t mind the break.However, when I returned to my desk, my laptop was missing.I wanted to groan.Instead, I went into Bennett’s office.
He was working and didn’t look up as I unpacked our lunch.Grateful he was too busy to join me, I ate quickly and grabbed my laptop.Although I was tempted to leave, I remembered his warning that lunch meant an hour in his office.So, I made myself comfortable by kicking off my sneakers and settling sideways on the couch to work.
When he sat next to me to eat his lunch, I barely noticed.
The distance, silence, and open door gave me a sense of security that I realized was false when his fingers circled my ankle and tugged my foot onto his lap.I jerked my leg back so forcefully, the laptop fell off my lap—thankfully landing on my sneakers—and it felt like I might have lost some skin.
Pulse racing, I pressed back against the couch arm and stared at him, waiting for his next move.
He frowned at me, concern clearly visible.
“Why did you panic?”
“Why do you keep touching me?I don’t like being touched.”
“I thought you didn’t like your face covered.The arm pinning is still debatable.Sometimes you’re okay with it, and sometimes you’re not.”
“I’m never okay with it.”Yet, I remembered the times he’d pinned them above my head, and I hadn’t panicked.That had been before he’d started acting weird with me, though.
“The face thing, too, maybe.Mom hugged you, and you were fine.”
“Mom is Mom,” I said.“She has different rules.”
“True.”
I continued to wait.When he didn’t try anything else, I glanced at the clock in his office and saw lunch was over.
“What time are we meeting Mom and Dad for dinner?”I asked.
“They made reservations at six at the Seventeen-Twenty-One.”
