Page 103 of Dearest Protector

“I-it’s late,” she stammered. “Go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night, Ben.”

“Sleep tight, sweetheart,” I drawled. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Don’t be afraid to tell me anything. The ball is in your court. It has been since the day you decided to forgive me for holding back on the truth.”

I was disappointed when she disconnected without another word, but I was relieved that she was apparently willing to take another step forward in our relationship.

Maybe I’d managed to wait beyond Ian’s predicted forty-eight hours without the sexual portion of my relationship with Ariel, but my patience was razor thin.

The only reason I hadn’t broken yet was because Ariel was way too important to me to lose my shit now.

I was willing to go through hell if that meant that I’d get all ofherwhen the torture was finally over.

Wide awake and with a dick hard enough to cut diamonds, I got up, pulled on a pair of sweatpants, and went to the kitchen for something to drink.

Chapter 27

Ariel

“The ball is in my court. The ball is in my court,” I chanted as I walked up to Ben’s door.

The moment I’d disconnected from that call with Ben, I’d decided that I couldn’t wait anymore.

I wasn’t that frightened woman I used to be who was afraid of speaking her mind.

So here I was, sweltering in the bathrobe I’d yanked on over my sleep shorts and tank, standing in front of Ben’s front door.

God, he’s probably going to think I’m a lunatic.

Wasn’t I the one who had just told him that he needed to get some sleep?

Don’t chicken out. Don’t chicken out.

I’d probably known exactly what I wanted since the day he’d picked me up to go to Ian and Katie’s house for dinner, but now, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind about Ben and me.

The man would die before he’d ever hurt me again.

Hadn’t he already proved that in a million different ways?

I had gotten my shit together, and my life almost perfect except for one very big element of it.

There was one gigantic, gaping hole in that almost perfect life right now, and that missing piece was Ben Blackwood.

Maybe I didn’t need him to survive anymore, but I needed him to feel like a whole person.

I hadn’t recognized that connection at the very first instant I’d seen him in person like Ben had, but I’d sensed it.

I’d just been way too screwed up to even imagine that I could end up with a man like him someday.

I’d texted Ben’s security guys and asked them to bring me over to his place within minutes of ending our call.

It had taken me all of five minutes to get here, but during that brief period of time, I’d had a few second thoughts about this whole idea.

“I’ll just tell him and leave. At least I can get that off my chest, too,” I said under my breath as I finally pushed the doorbell.

Certainly, he was still awake, right?

I mean, it had only been a matter of minutes since I talked to him.

The door swung open, and my mouth went dry.

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