The good…er…well, there was no good, just a whole lot of bad and ugly.
But she told him, and it felt good. Really good, and of course, that surprised her. Not even her family knew what really happened to cause Rick to beat her to a bloody pulp, only that he had beat her. But now Benji knew. She was worried he would judge her, think she was stupid to stay with Rick for as long as she had. Hell, she thought she was stupid. But he didn’t. His eyes held nothing but concern and tenderness in their gray depths. He didn’t talk; he just listened. He was her rock and it was so refreshing, so perfect. As she lay in his arms, looking into his eyes as her body still vibrated from her orgasm, his fingers moved along her jaw. She was pretty sure she was falling in love with him.
Crap. She was.
Her heart stopped as she wondered if she should let herself fall.
Don’t. It could be a trap. He’ll just leave. Watch.
Maybe he won’t. Maybe he really is saying the truth when he says he won’t go anywhere. That he wants you. Lean on him
No, no man has ever done you right. They all fail you. He will too. Don’t lean. You are the only one who can take care of you and Angie.
But Benji is different. He’s a good man. You deserve a good man. Let him in.
Closing her eyes, she squeezed them shut tightly, wanting the voices to leave. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to go back and forth; she just wanted it to work. To be right. Thankfully, the voices left, or maybe she was done being crazy. When she opened her eyes, Benji was watching her. His eyes were half-lidded and oh so sexy as he eyed her.
“Internal struggle?”
She grinned. “Something like that.”
“Tell me,” he urged, his hands holding her close.
She smiled, nuzzling her nose against his chin, her eyes drifting shut. “Just thinking how great you were about the whole thing with Rick.”
“How else would I be?”
“You could have judged me.”
“That’s stupid. Why would I do that?”
“’Cause I was an idiot.”
“You were young, you didn’t want to fail, that’s understandable. You’re still like that.”
She smiled. “I think of it as driven.”
“Yeah, to the extreme. You’re so worried about failing everyone else that you don’t think about yourself.”
“Well, aren’t you Mr. Know-it-All?” she accused, lifting her head to meet his smiling face.
“You also cover your real feelings with sass. It’s pretty funny to watch.”
She glared. “Are you teasing me?”
“No, just pointing out the obvious.”
“You mean my flaws?”
He scoffed. “Those are not flaws, those are what make you unique, amazing, and beautiful.”
Her lips curved as she slowly nodded. “Well, then.”
He bit the tip of her nose, and her giggles filled the room. Moving her leg up his, she hooked the other one over his hip as his hand slid up her leg, his eyes boring into hers. “Here’s a secret, but don’t read into it. I think you’re starting to let me in a bit.”
She grinned, knowing he was right. “You think?”
“Yeah, I do,” he said with a smug grin, leaning back into the pillows as his hand moved up and down her back. “I like it too.”
“I bet.”
Eyeing her, he shrugged. “Maybe you’ll be ready to move in with me soon?”
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Benji…”
“Come on, you know you want to.”
“I’m not entertaining that right now,” she decided and he laughed, rolling on top of her, falling between her legs before taking her by the ribs. Looking at him with wide eyes, she said, “You tickle me, I’m not in control of what I’ll do. I have broken Jayden’s nose twice. Keep that in mind, Paxton.”
His face twisted in horror. “Twice?”
She nodded. “I don’t like to be tickled.”
“Jeez,” he said, moving his hands up to her bare breasts, his weight welcome against her. “Fine, no tickling. But give me a time frame. What are you thinking?”
“Time frame for what?” she asked, laughing at his expression. He didn’t have his contacts in or his glasses on, so he was squinting. Looking adorably dorkish with his hair falling in his eyes. Reaching for his glasses off the nightstand, she put them on his face, and he smiled.
“Thanks, but give me a date, a time when I can bring it up again. Or I swear, I’ll ask you every day to move in with me.”
“Benjamin, no!”
He paused. “That’s hot, the way you say my full name. You should do that more.”
“Jesus, you’re infuriating!”
“Shh, give me a time frame. A month?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Two months?”
“Benji.”
“Three months?”
“I swear, you are impossible. Why are you rushing this? Just let it ride.”
“’Cause it’s what I do. I rush the goal to score. You are the ultimate goal, and I want to score.”
“You just did,” she said dryly and he laughed.
“Plus, I’m tired of the expiration date you try to throw on us. I want something to look forward to, something we decide is the next stepping stone.”
“Or,” she challenged, “we can just let it happen.”