Page 19 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

Bennett’s dark gaze searched mine as he breathed in. He knew I was angry, but he still nodded.

“Why, Bennett? I graduated. I’m done with that place. What does it matter?”

“I’m trying to understand you.”

“Why? I’ve already told you everything you need to understand, but you’re not listening. What more do I need to say?”

“Why won’t you talk to me about your time there?”

“Because it was hell, Bennett! And I don’t want to revisit it.”

This time, he did look shocked. “Hell?”

Angry, I fisted my hands at my sides.

“Are we taking a nice, quiet walk before dinner or giving up and going home?” I asked.

His frustration with me peeked through as his gaze searched mine.

“We’ll walk,” he said finally.

“Good.” I started walking, my stride long and fast to convey my irritation.

I shouldn’t have let him provoke me into saying what I’d said. What if he went back to Mom and Dad? Would they think that school in general was the problem, and not want me to attend university?

Does it matter what they want anymore? I asked myself.

I’d listened to them for thirteen years. Couldn’t I be just a little selfish and decide for myself what I wanted to do with the next four? It wasn’t like I would cut ties with them when I left. I’d be home at break and for the summer…if they wanted me to.

Unless it was like it was now. Then, there was no point in coming home to be harassed by Bennett.

“We should head back to the restaurant,” he said after we’d lapped the park several times and my steps had slowed.

“Okay.”

He held out his hand to me. I glanced down at it before looking at him.

“I stopped needing to hold hands when I was seven,” I said. “If I remember, you’re the one who pointed out to Aiden and Karter that I was too old to need handholding. Still don’t need it now.”

He fisted his hand and pulled it back to his side.

The walk to the restaurant was silent. Thankfully, we only needed to wait a few more minutes before we were seated.

When the server came to take our order, Bennett looked at me.

“Would you like to order for us?”

“Really?”

He nodded, and I ordered the pizza I wanted.

“The food comes out pretty quickly here,” he said. “Is there anything you want to do after?”

His question ripped me out of my giddy anticipation spiral.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Was he worried I’d still quit? We both knew that wasn’t an option if Mom and Dad didn't want it to be an option. What was his motive then?

“Is this still about how I got out of school? I climbed a wall, okay? Now let it go and give me my bed back.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “I already told you it would take more than how you left school to get your bed back.”

I shrugged. He could keep my bed. Karter’s had been comfortable.

“What was your favorite thing about school?” Bennett asked.

“Leaving it.”

He sniffed, smelled the absolute truth of my words, and his eyebrows lifted.

“It was the best school in the country. The instructors said you excelled at every class.”

“If you want me to stay sitting at this table, I suggest you change the subject,” I said.

His pupils pulsed larger briefly.

“Do you like shorts, pants, or skirts better?”

“Clothes preferences, Bennett? Really?”

“I honestly don’t know what questions to ask you to get to know you better that won’t result in annoying you.”

“Me neither,” I admitted. Then I sighed and added, “I guess I don’t know what I like.

I’ve been told what to wear for so long that I've stopped thinking about my own preferences. Shorts are good for running. Pants are good for cold weather or climbing. Skirts and dresses are probably my least favorite since they aren’t meant to make me feel comfortable; they’re meant to make everyone around me comfortable. ”

He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

Since his tone was curious and his body language was calm, I spoke my mind, not a filtered version that brushed the truth.

“Women are supposed to wear skirts to look good. To be presentable. To appeal to men. But I’m not supposed to appeal to men, am I? So, to me, skirts are the physical representation of all the rules that have stifled my life up to now.

“Giving me a skirt is like telling me to shut up and look pretty because that’s all I’m good for. But not too pretty or I’ll get sent away again.”

He breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, and I got the feeling it wasn’t to test my scent to see if I was telling the truth. He was upset.

“Are you really that disappointed I’m not a fan of skirts?”

“I thought we were giving you everything, Wrenly. Unconditional love. Safety. Anything you wanted.”

I let out a loud “Ha!” that drew the attention of the nearby tables.

“Unconditional love? Are you serious? Because you couldn’t stand me, you were sent away to fucking boarding school, Bennett. And when you graduated, it was my turn to be shipped off somewhere. In what universe does that say unconditional love?”

He swept his hand through his hair, and he looked like he was about to say something when the server appeared with our pizza.

Grateful for the distraction, I reached for a slice.

“Wrenly, I?—”

“Drop it, Bennett. The past is in the past, where it belongs. Dwelling on it won’t change it.

We need to move forward. We’re doing what Mom and Dad wanted and working together.

We’re talking like adults, most of the time.

In a few months, I’ll be out of your hair again, and we can both live our lives the way we want and only have to see each other on the holidays.

“Now dig in, or I’m shoving a piece of this pizza into your mouth myself.”

His jaw tensed—he was going to crack a tooth clenching that hard—and for a moment, he didn’t do anything but stare at me. Then he reached forward and took a piece of pizza.

It was the best damn pizza I had in my life. I hummed along happily with each bite, uncaring if people heard or what Bennett thought.

His temper seemed to fade with each piece I consumed. We’d ordered a large to share, which wasn’t actually that big, and I ate almost half of it. He didn’t say anything when I went for the last piece. He just turned the tray so I could reach it better.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” I said.

He waved for the check.

“Better than the chocolate?” he asked.

“The chocolate was the best sweet I’ve ever had. The pizza is the best savory.”

He smiled—a real, honest-to-moon smile. And for a moment, I saw exactly why all the girls flocked to him. Bennett was devastatingly gorgeous.

I quickly looked away.

“Thanks for dinner,” I said when he paid and stood.

“You’re welcome. If you want, we can come back here tomorrow, or try another place I know.”

“We’ll see how annoyed with you I am tomorrow.”

“Deal.”

We walked back to the car together, and he opened the passenger door for me. It still felt weird, especially after going out to eat with him, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I just got in.

“Do you want to turn on some music?” he asked on the way home.

“Sure.”

He glanced at me as I glanced at him.

“Oh, you mean I should turn it on?”

“I don’t know what kind of music you like.”

“The instructors didn’t tell you?” I asked, mostly teasing.

“They never noticed you listening to any.”

“That’s because I didn’t.” Music masked the sounds of people trying to sneak up on me.

“What about when you run?”

“Just the sound of my surroundings.” Even when I’d left school grounds, I hadn’t let my guard down.

“Then tell me if a song is pass or fail.”

We played that game all the way home, and it was kind of fun.

He laughed a few times when I made a face at a few songs I really didn’t care for, which I found a little disconcerting.

I couldn’t recall Bennett ever laughing before.

But it sounded nice—a slow, deep sound that wrapped around me and begged for attention.

By the end of the ride, I decided that “happy Bennett” was dangerous. I let my guard down around “happy Bennett” and actually answered a few simple questions about school, like which subject I’d liked learning the most and what was my favorite kind of running shoe.

“Thank you for today,” he said when he parked.

“Why? I didn’t do anything.”

His expression closed off again. “You spent time with me without getting mad.”

I wanted to correct him, since I’d actually gotten mad several times, but kept my mouth shut since he’d actually been pretty decent the whole day.

He got out while I stayed in my seat for a moment, thinking back.

Had my guilt about his being sent away to school skewed my view of Bennett?

Had I reacted to him defensively when he’d come home because of it?

I didn’t think so, but that had been years ago, and so much had happened since then that those memories were a little fuzzy.

What I did remember was that he’d always been disapproving and had never accepted me as a sister. The latter still held true.

My door opened, and Bennett stood back so I could get out.

“Thank you,” I said.

I glanced at him twice, debating whether or not I should ask what I wanted to ask and risk creating a rift again.

As we walked through the kitchen, I decided I needed to know the truth.

“Does this mean you see me as your sister now?”

He stopped walking and looked at me.

“No. I will never see you as my sister, Wrenly.”

It didn’t hurt. It’d stopped hurting a long time ago. But it didn’t let me know where I stood, either. He watched me, waiting. For my reaction or for a question I would never ask?

Turning away from him, I went to my room. My bed was still missing—no surprise there—so I sat on the floor with my laptop in my lap and checked my bank balance. That reminded me that I hadn’t filled out any paperwork when starting at Wulf Enterprises. Where, then, would my promised wages go?

I grabbed my phone and sent Mom a message.

Me: When is payday, and will it be a check, or do you need my banking info for auto-deposit?

Mom: Auto-deposit. I've already filled out everything for you.