Page 109 of His White Moonlight
“That’s what this morning’s coffee and my rage are for.”
Without waiting for his answer, I took off running.It felt so good.
Tension slowly melted away as I warmed up, and I realized I felt more relaxed than I had in a while.When I pinpointed why, I frowned.
With Bennett watching, I knew no one would be able to trip me.At least, not like Storm had.And no one would try to chase me, not like the group of guys someone at school had paid.
Having someone who actually had my back was new, and I didn’t hate it.In fact, I wanted that more than anything.Just…not with Bennett.His level of protection came with stifling restrictions, and I’d already had enough of that.
Don’t hate your life, Wrenly.Fight to make it what you want until you love it.
I sped up, letting myself run all out, not caring about sweat or anything else as I lost myself in the one freedom I had.Before it felt like I’d pass out, I slowed to a jog and focused on breathing.
All the endorphins were doing their job when I finally slowed to a walk.I felt good.Really good.
When I finished my lap and approached Bennett, he held out a bottle of water, which he’d already opened for me.Had it been anyone else, I wouldn’t have trusted it.
“Thanks.”I tipped it back, taking two long gulps, and sat next to him to let the breeze finish drying my sweat.
“Why do you run like that?”he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You push yourself to go as fast as you can.Are you training for a race?”
I grinned at the thought.“No.I just like knowing I can outrun anyone chasing me.Anyone human, anyway.”I glanced at him, still riding my high and not thinking clearly.“I know I can’t outrun non-humans.That’d come in handy if I could, though.”
“Do you have a lot of humans and non-humans chasing you?”
“Even one is too many, but it’s enough to learn to run.”
“Who chased you, Wrenly?”
The smooth rumble of his voice set off all my internal warnings, and I choked on the water I was sipping.He patted my back gently, and I coughed longer than necessary to collect my thoughts.
There was no recovering from that slip, and I wasn’t about to admit any past abuse to Bennett.Not in his current state.I didn’t trust his reaction.
“Do you think they have hot dogs?”I asked when I stopped coughing.“I could really go for a hot dog.”
“Do you know how frustrating you are?”
“Yep.”
He removed the hand from my back to run it down his face.
“This is one of those moments when, if you let it go, our afternoon will be much happier,” I said.
He sighed.“Okay.”
Maybe Bennett wasn’t completely impossible to deal with after all.
He got up and ordered from the food truck, and we ate on the way back to the office.No one commented on our late return, but I heard some whispers about my clothes and sweat stains.Bennett silenced those with a warning glare, but they weren’t wrong.I wasn’t upholding any kind of corporate image, and I definitely wasn’t up to the wealthy Wulf family’s standards.
When I got back to my desk, I sent Grandma a text asking her to meet me in the city for dinner; then I started working.Bennett brought me a water not long after and one of the salads I’d ordered.Since I was still hungry, I munched while I worked and waited for the afternoon to pass.
Before quitting time, Miranda showed up at my desk with a retail clothing bag.She glanced at Bennett’s open door and blinds before meeting my gaze.
“Pretty quiet afternoon,” she said.
