Page 35 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

After five more minutes of nagging, Storm left in a pout.

“A needle recycling center, huh?” Bennett said, jogging beside me. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”

“Years of pent-up bitterness and frustration,” I said.

“Was the school we’re not allowed to talk about really that bad?”

I shot him a look and didn’t say anything else until we reached the front door.

“I want to meet up with Sophia again today. Am I allowed to take the car, oh smothering potential mate dictator?”

His whole face twitched.

“I think that’s a precursor to an aneurysm.”

“You might be right. Yes, you can take the car into the city. Or if you’d like to catch a ride with me, I can drop you off downtown, and we can meet up after you’re done.”

“Why? So you can stare at me through windows again?”

“No. I’m hoping to meet up with someone too.”

My stomach twisted weirdly.

“Oh. That sounds nice.”

But it didn’t, and I knew he’d scented the lie when his lips curved. Rather than waiting for him to call me out on it, I retreated to my room to shower and get ready. By the time I finished, Sophia confirmed she could meet up with me downtown.

Cautiously excited for my first friend outing ever, I jogged down the stairs. Bennett was waiting at the bottom, watching me with his stoic mask in place.

My pace slowed as I neared him.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Don't what?”

“Don’t stop being happy.”

Unsure of his mood, I simply nodded and walked around him. He followed me out to the garage and opened the door to one of the fancier cars.

I waited until he was sitting to poke the brushed leather seats.

“Whoever you’re meeting must be important,” I said.

“Not as important as you are.”

I made a face and focused on the drive.

When we reached downtown, he dropped me off in front of the high-end clothing shops where I’d agreed to meet Sophia. His hands settled on my shoulders, trapping me on the curb before I could escape.

“Call me when you’re done or if you run into any trouble.” He leaned down until we were eye level and ran a finger over my cheek where the bruise had almost faded to nothing. “Don’t run into any trouble.”

It wasn’t a command as much as it was a plea.

“I’ll do my best to avoid doors, the pavement, and she-bitches.”

He sighed and shook his head.

“I’ll be fine. Go meet up with your important person.”

I twisted out of his hold, but he caught my arm.

“Wait. Take this.”

I looked down at the credit card he was holding out.

“Why?”

“So you can buy whatever you want.”

“I’d rather have the five grand and the bank account I’m owed.”

His expression shifted, showing his frustration.

“Wrenly?”

We both glanced at Sophia, who was watching us with a hint of concern.

“Everything all right?” she asked.

“Yep. It’s fine.” Ignoring the card Bennett was offering, I stepped out of his hold and hurried over to her.

“You sure?”

The sound of the car’s engine as he left drained the tension from my shoulders.

“Absolutely. Ready to window shop?”

“Window shop? Not a chance. Come on.”

She towed me into the closest store, where display cases of luxury fashion jewelry dotted the area along with uniformed jewelers who spoke to a few of the shoppers. The back of one shopper in particular was unmistakably familiar.

“Don’t bother wrapping it,” Lindi said, turning her head right and left as she studied herself in the mirror. “I’ll wear them out.”

Seeing her the second time outside of school wasn’t as startling as the first time. I still knew to watch her closely though.

She handed over her card then turned to watch the other shoppers.

The second her gaze locked with mine, she smiled. The fake-friendly one she always used just before she did something truly evil. I knew her choices for torture would be limited, though. There were cameras everywhere, and I wasn’t alone.

Verbal sparring was my bet. She never came out a winner whenever she tried. At least, not in my opinion. Hers, too, or she wouldn’t have spent so much effort retaliating against me.

I glanced at Sophia, who’d wandered closer to a display case, as Lindi strolled toward me.

“Wrenly, I bet you thought you’d never see me again after graduation.”

“It was definitely a wish that hasn’t come true yet. But there’s a lot of traffic out there, so I’m still holding out hope it won’t happen again.”

“How cute. You still think you’re witty. Can you even afford to be in here?”

She said the last part loudly enough that Sophia heard. When she looked back at Lindi, her face was starting to flush. Whether in embarrassment or anger, I couldn’t be sure.

“Oh look at you flexing with your parents’ money,” I said with a “bless her heart” tone. “I’m sure the people here who have to work for their income are super impressed with your rich-girl entitlement attitude.”

Lindi’s smile grew. “Probably more impressed than with your poor-girl grudgitude.”

The jeweler approached with Lindi’s receipt and a bag that presumably had the earrings she’d worn into the store.

“Well, this has been entertaining, but I have a date with someone actually worth my time. I believe you know him.”

She walked out of the store without a backward glance, putting on her sunglasses with a toss of her hair.

“Who was that?” Sophia asked, coming to stand next to me.

“The queen of mean girls,” I said. “Do you like anything in here?”

“Nah. Let’s keep shopping.”

I nodded and followed her out of the store. Lindi was walking ahead of us on the sidewalk, her stride purposeful and steady.

My phone buzzed.

Bennett: Did you see anything you liked? If you'd like my card, I’m happy to hand it over. Just say the word, and I can be there in five minutes.

Why did my stomach somersault when I read that?

Me: Don’t be a stalker.

“Was it from the guy who dropped you off?” Sophia asked.

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask who he was? He was pretty hot.”

“He’s…complicated.”

“Aren’t they all?”

I grinned and watched Lindi get into the backseat of a Maybach parked in a loading zone.

“Is she for real?” Sophia asked.

“Yep. And if you meet up with her in a dark alley, run the other way.”

“You know some interesting people.”

“Not by choice. Where should we go next?”

Shopping with Sophia was more enjoyable than I thought it would be. We walked down the line of shops on the main street, browsing from the windows for some and going into others. We laughed and talked, and it just felt so normal.

She bought a skirt that looked cute, even if it was insanely overpriced, while I simply looked. I didn’t want to spend the money I’d set aside for clothes. A tiny part of me thought of Bennett’s offer, though.

Close to lunchtime, my stomach started to growl. Sophia laughed and promised that our next stop would be a popular French restaurant with amazing food.

We were halfway through crossing an intersection at a light when I noticed Bennett sitting near the window of the place we were headed. He looked up from his phone, and his gaze locked with mine.

My attention shifted from him to his companion.

Lindi sat across from him, a practiced smile on her face as she spoke.

When I glanced at him again, he was texting. My phone buzzed a second later.

Bennett: How angry are you?

“Hold up, Sophia,” I said when we reached the sidewalk. She paused so I could answer.

Me: Why should I be angry?

After he read the reply, his gaze found mine again. The longer he stared at me, the more I wondered what was going on in his head. Did he honestly think I would be jealous? I was trying to get rid of him.

Lindi glanced over her shoulder to find what had his attention and saw me. Her smile grew, and she started talking faster.

Understanding hit me like a bolt of lightning. Anger and humor clashed.

He was trying to find out more about my time in hell from the queen herself. That was laughable, but also…how dare he?

Me: Use your nose. She’s a habitual liar.

Bennett: Evasive too. My life would be easier if you would just talk to me.

Me: My purpose in life isn’t to make yours easier.

“Hot guy again?” Sophia asked.

“Yep. He’s sitting in the restaurant you want to go to.”

She looked around and spotted him as he sent another message.

Bennett: So I’ve gathered. Did you find anything you want to buy?

“Want to change locations?” she asked.

A brilliant idea made me smile.

“Yes. But first, I want to annoy ‘I have money and you don’t.’ Can you wait out here? I don’t want her to target you because of me.”

Sophia shrugged. “Sure. It’ll give me time to look for somewhere else to eat.”

“Thanks.”

I went inside, trying not to salivate over the delicious smells. When the waiter asked if I had a reservation, I said I was grabbing something from my brother and pointed to Bennett, who was watching me.

He didn’t take his eyes off of me as I weaved my way through the tables to reach theirs.

Lindi, realizing she’d lost his attention, turned to watch my approach. Her fake smile was fully in place.

“Hi, Wrenly.”

I ignored her, encircled Bennett’s impressive bicep with both hands, and stuck out my bottom lip.

“Can I pretty please have your card, Bennett? I want some earrings.”

His pupils exploded wide, and he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket with a trembling hand.

I was playing with fire in so many ways but didn’t care. Lindi had made my life a living hell for too long not to find some way—no matter how minor—to get revenge.

He pulled out a card and handed it to me as his gaze dipped to my mouth.

“Thank you,” I said, plucking it from his fingers. “I’ll buy you a tie and leave it on your bed with the card.”

Without another word, I left.

My phone buzzed before I reached the door.

Bennett: Three ties for the restraint I just exercised.

Me: Color or pattern preferences?

Bennett: The only preference I have is that they’re picked by you.

“Did he really just hand you his credit card?” Sophia asked as she joined me, walking away.

“Yep. I have to buy him three ties with it, but lunch is on him today.”

She grinned with me.

* * *