Page 45 of Dearest Protector

Until I could be more than a broken prima ballerina, I’d suck at being a girlfriend, especially to someone like Ben Blackwood.

“All I really want is to be with you, Ben,” I said honestly. “I don’t want anything else. Just…be with me.”

I couldn’t ask him to wait for me until I could put all of the pieces of myself back together again, but I secretly hoped that he would.

“I’m not going anywhere, Ariel,” he replied hoarsely as his arms tightened around me. “In fact, I’m hoping that after you recover from your surgery, you’ll quit this gig as my assistant so you have more time to work on your business. Maybe you still don’t believe it, but this career is going to fly for you. And I’ll be here to help financially and emotionally until it does. Let me help you find your new dream.”

I blinked back the tears that were forming in my eyes.

I was enormously torn.

God, yes, I wanted to pursue my fine arts photography. It was my heart’s desire now, and I needed more time to make a full-time income, but the moneywascoming in. I was starting to believe I could actually make it my next career.

All because of Ben.

Still, I hated to take advantage of Ben’s generosity in order to make my new career fly.

If my work is ever going to support me, I might have to agree to let him help me for a little while.

Really, I wouldn’t need to take a handout from him monetarily. I was used to living on a budget, and if things continued like they were now with my business, I could easily survive. All I’d really need was the use of his condo.

He’d always been willing to give me his emotional support.

And God, I reallyneededto feel like a whole person again.

Really, wasn’t he already assisting me by giving me this job in the first place?

Maybe I had helped him make his house more like a home, and lightened his load, but my position wasn’t something critical to him.

I could still help him out as much as possible while I was building my own business, right?

“Only if you agree to let me keep helping you out,” I said, my mind made up.

He frowned. “Helping me out how…exactly?”

I could tell he wasn’t crazy about my idea, but Ben was a fixer, and right now all he wanted to do was help me get through my surgery.

Well, that’s just too bad, Mr. Blackwood, because the only way I’ll agree to this uneven proposal is if you let me do something for you.

“Cooking dinner. Bringing you lunch sometimes. Making sure you’re taken care of personally, too,” I insisted. “You don’t need to pay me to do those things, but I’ll probably need the condo for a while if that’s okay with you. Your business is a lot more brutal than mine right now, and you never stop to do anything that’s good for you.”

“I’ll consider it after you can get around while you’re staying with me,” he mused. “The condo will be there for as long as you need it. But you’re not lifting a damn finger until you’re on your feet again physically.”

My eyes widened as I asked, “Staying with you?”

He lifted a brow. “Surely you didn’t think I was going to let you stay alone in your condo after your surgery. You won’t even be able to bear weight on your foot or drive for two weeks, Ariel. After that, you still have to be extremely careful. I’ve already informed Ian that he’s on his own at the office for a while. I’m taking some time off to take care of you after your surgery. I’ll work remotely if necessary, but I’m not going into the headquarters. The whole idea is to have someone with you in case something happens while you’re laid up.”

My mouth dropped open, and I simply stared at him in astonishment.

“That’s completely non-negotiable, Ariel,” he added in a no-nonsense voice. “You cannot be by yourself at your condo after your surgery.”

“I’ll have crutches. I can get around, Ben,” I argued, still flabbergasted that he’d actually planned on taking time off and putting up with a helpless houseguest.

“Not happening,” he said in a graveled voice. “You’re staying here where I know that you’re okay. I even have a damn elevator. And you can do your post-surgery physical therapy in my home gym. I already set it up.”

“You’re absolutely insane,” I told him.

Maybe I should be pissed that he’d made all of my recovery plans for me already, but it felt so good to have someone care about me that much that I really wasn’t angry.

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