Page 61 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

Bennett was quiet as he drove us into the city.

Not a moody quiet, just quiet. He’d been attentive and helpful this morning as I got ready, going so far as to brush my hair and pull it back into a ponytail.

I’d pretended not to notice the way his fingers had brushed my neck before he’d stepped away.

Just like I was pretending not to notice his nervous energy.

He didn’t need to say he was worried. I already knew it. What I didn’t know was if he’d let his fear that something might happen stop me from spending the day with Mom.

How was today any different than when I’d gone shopping with Miranda? Was it really just because of the stitches, or was there something else going on?

He pulled into his usual spot in the parking garage and cut the engine. But instead of getting out, he turned to me.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“When Dad and I were fighting, why did you run? You would have been safer if you had stayed close to us.”

The direction of his thoughts and the curious concern with which he’d asked surprised me.

“I knew I couldn’t stay,” I said honestly.

“They would have used me to distract you to hurt you, which would have distracted Dad. No matter what I chose, I was going to be hurt. By leaving, I ensured you would fight harder to win faster to get to me. Your focus kept you safe. And you being safe kept Dad and his position in the pack safe so that I wouldn’t be killed on the spot. ”

“Is that why you said you’d get hurt Saturday before we even went there? You were sure that was going to happen and still went?”

I gave a half-hearted shrug. “Once you know a person’s personality and their goals, it’s not too hard to anticipate their next move.”

He closed his eyes for a second.

“Hey, it’s fine,” I said, noticing his tremble.

“What do you see happening next?”

“Well, either you calm down so we can walk into work, or you turn into the Furminator and wreck the inside of your beautiful car and possibly me if I don’t get out the door fast enough. I’m leaning toward the former by a ninety-to-ten percent probability.”

He stopped shaking and opened his eyes to shake his head at me.

“I meant with the pack.”

I thought about it for a second. “If Storm doesn’t already know Miranda, she’ll find a way to casually meet with her to gauge whether she has a chance at winning a challenge. If Storm doesn’t think she has a chance, she’ll possibly team up with Milena and Olivia if they know each other.”

“They do,” Bennett said. “And after watching Miranda fight, I don’t think Storm would win.”

“Then she’ll find another way to get rid of me.

” I went quiet, considering what I knew of Storm and how badly she wanted Bennett.

“She’ll try to use someone else to do her dirty work.

She won’t risk alienating you. Having a chance to mate with you is the whole reason she wants me gone.

She might try getting Milena and Olivia to help her.

They might agree since they already openly challenged me.

That they wouldn’t back off when Dad threatened to leave the pack proves they want me out more than they want you as a mate. ”

“What should we do about them?”

I grinned. “Let them try.”

He closed his eyes again and dropped his head back against the headrest. “You’re not making it easy to let go.”

I leaned toward him until my mouth was close to his ear.

“I know.”

His hand was on the back of my head, and his mouth was on mine before I even saw him move. The kiss was sweet and hungry at the same time. My heart flipped at the need he conveyed with each questioning swipe of his tongue, and I found myself kissing him back with equal intensity for the first time.

He moaned into my mouth a second before he released me and gripped the steering wheel.

“Baby, can you open the door without hurting yourself?” The words were rough and strained.

Without saying anything, I got out of the car and leaned against my closed door. I wasn’t waiting for him. I was waiting for my legs to stop shaking.

What the hell were you thinking, Wrenly?

I hadn’t been. I’d gotten caught up in the moment and the kiss. By the moon, how could I like it so much? No, not like it. How could I like him so much?

With a heavy sigh, I rubbed my face with my good hand to shake the feeling of the kiss.

Don’t fuck this up now, Wrenly. He said he’d let you go. Do you think he’ll keep his word if you’re suddenly actively kissing him? Idiot.

I pushed away from the car and started walking toward the elevator.

His door slammed as I reached it. I waited for him, knowing he’d only act out if I tried to avoid him. He reached around me to press the call button and threaded his fingers through mine.

“I want to pull away,” I admitted. “I’m terrified showing you any affection will change your mind about letting me go.”

“It won’t,” he said, his hold on my hand tightening.

“If it does, neither of us will survive the fallout, Bennett.” I turned my head to meet his gaze so he could see my seriousness. “I will do anything and everything to live the life I want.”

He nodded once, his gaze shifting to my mouth.

“No kissing at work,” I said, facing forward as the elevator opened.

We rode up in silence, and I let go of his hand just as the doors opened to the main lobby. He didn’t fight to keep hold but followed me out to wait for the next elevator. Walt was in line and saw me. Then he saw my arm.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I said with a smile. “Wulf Enterprises isn’t good for my health. But I promise I was this injury-prone before coming here.”

Bennett’s hand brushed my back. It wasn’t firm like a warning but soft like an apology.

“That was what I was thinking,” Walt admitted. “What happened?”

“A knife fight gone wrong,” I said.

One of the office women standing close by heard and snorted.

Walt smiled, misunderstanding the sound for humor, as if I’d been joking.

“Maybe you should take some self-defense classes. It could help with coordination, too,” he said.

I laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”

We got on the same elevator and continued to chat until he got off on his floor. Then it was just Bennett, me, and a bunch of female Wulf pack shifters. I could see the glare of several in the reflection of the steel in front of us.

“How many people would be laid off if headquarters moved to another city?” I asked, looking up at Bennett.

His gaze swept over my face, and the corner of his mouth lifted. The partial smile wasn’t filled with humor but anger.

“Two hundred and three. Unless Miranda decides to relocate with us. Then two hundred and two.”

“Moving headquarters would be expensive,” I said. “I bet we’d need to sell a few subsidiaries to help fund it.”

“More than a few,” he said, catching on. “It doesn’t make sense to own companies in a city we no longer support.”

The doors opened, and he and I got off the elevator, leaving a silent group of women behind. I felt like I was walking through a gauntlet ready to spring when I passed the desks. However, that feeling vanished when we entered the office suite.

A huge chocolate cupcake with an unholy amount of frosting sat on the desk in my spot. Miranda looked up from her place beside my chair and steepled her hands under her chin.

“Please tell me you’re not mad.”

I grinned at her. “I’m not mad, but you might be. I’m going shopping with Mom and Grandma today, and you’re stuck guarding Bennett.”

She pouted. “Can’t I go shopping too?”

“You can take Wrenly out tomorrow if she’s feeling up to it,” Bennett said.

Her expression lit up. “Deal. Go have fun, my little cublet. And if you can’t find anything to buy for yourself, feel free to shop for me.”

I shook my head at her and turned to Bennett.

“No yelling and no making people I like cry.”

“What about the people you don’t like?” Miranda asked behind me.

Bennett’s smile was there and gone as he focused on me.

“Don’t come back with a new injury,” he said softly.

“I make no promises. Life is rough.”

With a wave to both of them, I made my way back to Mom’s office.

The women from the elevator were already spreading word about what we’d said, and the hostility was more subdued as they realized the enormity of what was at stake.

If the Wulfs pulled their support, a lot of families would be hurting.

Was their biased hate worth it? The majority would look at their quality of life and decide it wasn’t.

A few families who decided it was might leave the pack on their own.

I wondered how many females would still try to challenge Miranda in the hopes of getting rid of me.

Mom’s office door was open, and Grandma was sitting in her chair, talking to her. Both looked pretty serious until they saw me.

“How did you sleep last night, my little Wren?” Grandma asked, standing to give me a brief hug.

“Pretty well, actually. My interactive body pillow kept my arm elevated all night.”

Grandma laughed and allowed Mom to steal me for a hug. She breathed in deeply and pulled back to look at me, confusion and hesitation in her expression.

I knew what she was smelling. Bennett’s lust and my interest. And I knew why she wasn’t talking, too. However, what happened this weekend helped repair some of the trust I’d lost in my family due to past mistakes.

“Let’s head out on our shopping day so you can ask me all the questions you want,” I said.

She quickly agreed and held my good arm on the way out.

Since we were already downtown, we stopped at a place for coffee and a chat while we waited for the stores to open. It took some coaxing and reassurances that I wouldn’t get mad for Mom to ask what was on her mind.

“Did you change your mind about Bennett? I could smell him on you. Lust and affection. Not just his but yours too.”

“No, I didn’t change my mind. He changed his. He said I can go to Coalwell and he won’t force me to live with him. He still plans to live in the apartment by himself, in case I need him.”

Mom and Grandma exchanged glances.