Page 34 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

He had my hands pinned to the wall above my head before I could finish. My pulse slammed into overdrive.

“I hate when you do this.”

He didn’t let go, so I stomped on his foot. He grunted but didn’t release me. Instead, he bent down so his face was level with mine.

“Do you know how much I want to headbutt you right now?” I said.

“Do you know how much I want to kiss you?”

Heart pounding, I turned my head away and closed my eyes. Did I want Bennett to kiss me? No, I knew where it would lead. But I wasn’t afraid of it, which made the reason for my racing pulse confusing.

“Why me? Haven’t I been tortured enough?”

“How have you been tortured, Wrenly?”

I kept my mouth shut.

His lips brushed the skin just below my ear. My eyes popped open, and fear finally bloomed.

He trailed his nose along my skin, inhaling deeply.

“I think I’m the one being tortured, Wrenly. When you smell like fear…because of me…” A shuddering exhale escaped him. “Let’s make a deal. One I think you’ll like.”

“Doubt it,” I said, fighting not to give in to the need to try to tug my hands free.

“If you can overcome your fear of me by the end of the summer, I won’t move to Coalwell with you.”

“What does overcoming my fear mean? Let you have sex with me?” I asked, unable to keep my scorn from my tone.

“No, not sex. It’s as simple as it sounds. Be around me without being afraid. Any other emotion is fine except fear.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m the one person you’ll never need to fear.”

My heart gave an unsteady thump, and I finally turned my head to meet his gaze. “You’re the person I need to fear most.”

That smile ghosted his lips again. “Looks like we’re going to be roommates for a long time.”

“It’s an unfair deal. What if you threaten to hit me? Of course, I’m going to be afraid.”

He shook his head. “I would never do that. But you’re right. We should be specific. You need to do three things without being afraid. Hold my hand. Hug me. Kiss me.”

“I’m not kissing you.”

“Okay. Let me know what day we’re moving.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. That’s the fear talking. If you don’t see me as a potential mate, the three conditions we set won’t be a big deal. But I think you’re afraid I might be right, which is why this bet scares you.”

“No deal. I’m the one taking all the risk.”

“I promise you I’m taking a bigger risk. What do you think watching you leave again will do to me?”

I studied his blown-out pupils and felt the trembling in his hands. Everything Grandma said ran through my head again.

“The entire time I’m at Coalwell, you’ll stay away?”

His mask slipped, and I saw the desperation in his gaze even as he nodded.

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

“That’s the whole point of this deal, isn’t it? Let me show you that you can trust me, Wrenly.”

“You can start by letting go of my hands.”

“Figure out a way to make me.” He didn’t say it like a threat, but as a plea.

I lightly twisted my hand in his hold and was able to move it, but when I tried to tug it free, he wouldn’t let go. His mask slipped back into place as I studied him, trying to figure out what he wanted from me. Then I realized he’d already said it.

My gaze dipped to his mouth. A rush of panic zipped through me, and I looked away. He didn’t move or say anything as I continued to test his hold carefully.

“I’m afraid you’ll take anything I do as a yes,” I admitted.

“I’ll only take a yes as a yes, Wrenly. Anything else is still a no.” He dipped his head to my neck, breathing in my scent, then added, “I’m not a fool. I know exactly what you’ll do if I mark you before you’re willing to accept me.”

His words teased my ears and made my pulse race faster. I twisted my hands again. This time, I turned them so our hands were palm to palm, and I threaded my fingers through his.

He made a pained sound and dropped his forehead to my shoulder.

It felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. I was so afraid that if I could have, I would have pushed him and run.

He straightened away from me and brought one of my hands to his mouth. His lips brushed my knuckles as he watched me.

“You’re brave, baby, but you’re not fearless. Not yet. Go. You can try again tomorrow.”

The second he released me, I bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. I heard him behind me, keeping up step for step, which spurred me to run faster. Reaching my room, I slammed the door in his face and slowly backed away from it.

“Next time, don’t run up the stairs,” he said roughly. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself trying to get away from me.”

* * *

Their quiet laughter and whispers filled the room. The weight of the blanket pinned me to the bed as they put their weight into it. My nose was being crushed, and I couldn’t breathe through my mouth.

“Know your place, Wrenly,” one of them whispered.

Then they poured the water. I thrashed against the weight holding me as the wet blanket blocked what little air I’d been wheezing in.

A corner lifted. I struck out with my fist.

“Wrenly! It’s me!”

Bennett’s hoarse rasp brought me out of the dream, and I immediately stopped fighting against him. He released his hold on my wrists.

The bed moved, and a light clicked on.

His hair was wild, and he was holding his throat. Again. The shorts he wore rode low on his hips, showing the long, muscled line of his torso.

He’d been sleeping next to me? Like that?

“Get out, Bennett.”

Ignoring me, he sat on the edge of the bed, facing me and rubbing his throat.

“That’s the second time,” he said.

I could tell it hurt him to talk.

“You’re pretty accurate.”

“Why are you in here?” I demanded.

He swallowed with difficulty and tried to clear his throat.

“You sleep better when I’m with you.”

“Oh, really? Your throat says otherwise.”

“You don’t usually do that unless I startle you.”

“Get out, Bennett.”

“I will if you tell me what the dream was about.”

“Let me throat punch you again, and I’ll think about it.”

The crazy fool lifted his chin, exposing his throat to me. Instead of answering his challenge, which would probably end with me pinned to a wall, I threw back my blanket and got out of bed.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“The bathroom. Do you want to come with?”

He wasn’t stupid and stayed where he was.

I closed the door and ran water to splash on my face as the memory faded. Why had I dreamed that tonight? Probably because Bennett’s stupid bet was making me feel trapped and helpless again.

I splashed more water on my face, used the toilet, then returned to bed, where he was blatantly reclining, waiting for me.

“Get out, or I’m not going to try anything tomorrow,” I said.

“Try something now, and I’ll leave.”

“Another throat punch?”

He smiled, my threats clearly amusing him. “I was thinking an apology hug.”

“If you want to apologize for sleeping in my bed without permission, a hug isn’t the way to go.”

“What would work?”

“Leaving.”

He laughed. A real chuckle with his disarming smile, and I almost smiled back. Instead, I got into bed and lay facing away from him.

“Does this mean I can stay?” he asked.

“Do I have a choice?”

“You do. You can kick me out with one small hug.”

“Stay on your side of the bed, or I’ll throat punch you again.”

I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep.

It took a long time.

* * *

The next time I opened my eyes, it was light out, and I was using Bennett as a body pillow. I’d never woken up more comfortably in my life, and it took a few seconds to realize why it was so wrong. Once I did, I scrambled out of bed like I’d just discovered a spider in it.

“That counts as a hug,” I said, staring at him wide-eyed as he calmly watched me with his hands behind his head.

“Sorry, baby, but that doesn’t count. The second you were conscious, fear took over.”

“Whatever.”

“Do you want to go for a run before or after breakfast?”

Damn him. I’d planned on escaping for the day and meeting up with Sophia, but he just had to dangle a carrot I knew I couldn’t refuse.

“Before, but I need an apple or something.”

“All right. I’ll get dressed and meet you by the door in ten minutes.”

He started to get out of bed, and I hurriedly shut myself in my closet to get ready.

Ten minutes later, I jogged downstairs and found him waiting by the door with an apple and a water bottle for me.

“Thanks,” I said, reaching for the apple.

His fingers brushed mine as he handed it over. A jolt ran through me, and I quickly reached for the door with my free hand.

He placed his hand on the surface, shutting it and using his body to cage me in, facing the door.

“I can hear the way your pulse races when you touch me. I can smell your confusion and panic. Help me understand why.”

“As soon as I figure it out, I’ll let you know,” I said.

His exhale teased the back of my neck.

“Are we going to go for a run, or would you like to spend the rest of the day asking yourself ‘What went wrong?’ while holding an ice pack on your big boy parts?”

His chuckle sent a shiver down my spine.

“I think you need a run.” He had me out of the way and the door open a second later. “After you.”

I munched on my apple as I did my warm-up walk down the driveway.

“Do you mind if we run in the community today?” Bennett asked. “I need to fix some mailboxes.”

I couldn’t stop my grin and nodded, loving Grandma even more just then because Bennett was having to do clean-up for her.

Despite having to stop frequently to right Grandma’s wrongs, Bennett didn’t slow me down. Occasionally, I would run ahead, but never out of sight. It was enjoyable…until I spotted Storm running toward us in her shorts and sports bra.

“This is a new twist on a pack run, but I’ll take it,” she said, turning so she ran alongside Bennett.

“Are you here to trip Wrenly again?” Bennett asked. The low rumble that accompanied those words would have been funny before, but it wasn’t now that I knew why he was defending me.

“I told you, I thought she saw me and would dodge. Like your brothers have never tried tripping each other.”

She wasn’t wrong. I’d watched them mess around with each other like that on countless occasions.

“Wrenly isn’t my brothers. She’s human and doesn’t dodge like us. You know that.”

“Which is why I’m here.” She looked at me around Bennett. “I’m sorry I tripped you, Wrenly. I promise not to do it again. Maybe we could go running together sometime?”

“That’s about as tempting as waiting in line at the ‘We Care, We Share’ needle recycling center.”

Bennett tripped. Storm stopped to comfort him. I kept running.

They both caught up to me again while Storm was still making little soothing sounds as if Bennett’s stumble had somehow hurt him—it hadn’t.

“What kind of school did you go to?” she asked, scowling at me.

“A shitty one.”

“Obviously. Your attitude is worse than when you left.”

I stopped running. Bennett did the same.

“I’m heading back. There are still three more mailboxes down this way that need fixing.”

“They can wait.” He looked at Storm. “You should go home.”

Instead of getting rid of them, they both followed me, and I had to listen to her attempts to reel Bennett into a date.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Storm asked. “Maybe I could come over.”

“I’m busy.”

“What about next weekend? I heard you’re representing the Wulf family at the annual charity auction. I could be your date.”

“Wrenly’s my date.”

“Wrenly has plans,” I said.

“Furniture shopping for the apartment?” he asked.

I glared at him, and his pupils dilated. Was he angry, or was he thinking about living with me? My pulse tripped, and I lost my glare.

Storm witnessed our little exchange and silently snarled at me behind Bennett’s back.

“You’re both annoying,” I said, speeding up to a jog. “Go away.”

“See?” Storm said. “Wrenly doesn’t want to go. I do.”

“Wrenly made a bet with me. If she wants to win, she’ll need to go,” Bennett said.

I wished Storm would trip him .