Page 62 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

“And you’re okay with that?” Grandma asked.

“He said he wouldn’t interfere with my life. That’s all I ever wanted. I didn’t want to distance myself from any of you, but if that’s the only way to get my freedom, then I would. I think he understands that now.”

Mom looked unsure.

“I know. I wasn’t sure he meant it, either.

“Talking to whoever I want without fear of consequences is a freedom I’ve never had. But this morning, I had a conversation with a man in the lobby without Bennett freaking out. That’s never happened before.

“I know he’s possessive and protective and wants to hold me close, but he knows doing that will break any chance he has of ever getting me to agree to him. I’ve already warned him that attraction doesn’t mean affection.

“If he really wants to win me over, he needs my affection. And he’ll never get that when I’m fighting to win every scrap of freedom everyone else is inherently allowed.”

Grandma nodded. “Loving a dictator would be impossible.”

“Exactly,” I said. “And by not interrupting my conversation with a person of the opposite sex this morning, he proved to me that he isn’t interested in being a dictator anymore.”

Mom still looked nervous.

“Just say it, Mom,” I said.

“I’m worried it's not going to last. That this is just his knee-jerk reaction to you being hurt this weekend.”

I considered what she said, then shook my head. “His change isn’t because of my stitches but what happened after. He shifted when we kissed and almost hurt me. I think it scared him to realize that his intensity is what’s driving me away. He’s giving us the space we both need.”

Mom sighed, and Grandma reached out to pat her hand.

“Wrenly’s wiser than she should be. It helps balance out Bennett’s impulsivity when it comes to her.”

Grandma winked at me, and I hid my grin behind a sip of my coffee.

The last thing I was giving Bennett was balance.

* * *

We returned close to the end of the workday. Grandma carried the bags to Bennett’s office suite despite my protest that I could one-arm them.

“I’m old, not dead. I can still carry my granddaughter’s bags. What’s in this one? Bricks?”

I shook my head at her as she continued to stride through the door with the energy of a woman half her age.

Miranda’s gaze lit with anticipation when she saw the bags.

“You bought stuff?” she asked. “It better not be jean shorts. Show me.”

“I didn’t buy anything for myself,” I said.

“This one’s for you from me,” Grandma said, passing Miranda a bag.

“Really?” Miranda opened it and let out a squeal. “This is the one I wanted!”

She pulled out a purse that just looked like a purse to me, but had cost close to five figures, and hugged it to her face.

“Thank you so much,” she said, still making love to the bag with her face.

“You’re welcome,” Grandma said with a laugh. “Thank you for protecting my little Wren.”

Miranda immediately stopped and looked at me, her smile slowly growing. I knew I’d be hearing “my little Wren” from her in the future.

“Be nice, or I won’t give you the gift from Mom,” I said.

She immediately looked contrite and held out her hands. Grandma handed her the second bag. It was a pretty skirt and blouse outfit, but it had cost an insane amount of money, in my opinion.

“I’m wearing this tomorrow,” Miranda said, petting the material.

“You might want this to go with it,” Grandma said, handing Miranda a much smaller bag. “It’s from Wrenly.”

Miranda opened it and stared lovingly at the Zellon earrings I’d picked out for her.

“I promise I will answer every challenge they’ve issued,” Miranda said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Two so far,” Miranda answered without hesitation. “I think they’re going to end like Milena’s, though. Neither has any talent or training.”

“But you do?” I asked.

She didn’t get offended. She laughed. “Yeah. Any parents who want their pups to mate up in rank will train them. I’m better than most.”

Two she-wolves with no talent would only challenge a skilled fighter if they thought they could win, or if they thought the fight wouldn’t happen.

I glanced at Bennett’s closed door. He was watching me through the open blinds, but made no move to come to me.

“I need to talk to Bennett for a minute,” I said.

“Go ahead. I’ll leave the rest of these with Miranda and see you on Friday,” Grandma said.

Nodding, I walked away from the pair and let myself into Bennett’s office.

He stayed seated at his desk as I closed the door.

“It looks like you had a good day,” he said.

“I did. Shopping with Mom and Grandma was fun. I didn’t get to use your card, though.” I held up the card he’d given me that morning and walked over to put it on his desk. “Mom paid for everything.

“How was your day?”

“All right. Miranda kept everyone away. I missed you, though.”

My heart flip-flopped at his words.

“Miranda said there are two challenges so far but that neither has any training. Do you know who they are?”

He nodded.

“Do they stand a chance against her?”

He shook his head. “She’ll be fine.”

“I wasn’t worried about her.” I paused when I realized how it sounded. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, I’m more worried that these challenges are just a distraction. When are they happening?”

“Saturday.”

His phone rang. He glanced at it but returned his full attention to me without answering it.

“Do I need to be there?” I asked.

“There’s nothing in our laws that says you have to be present.”

“Perfect. Once the time for accepting new challenges expires, have Dad announce that I won’t be there.”

His phone rang again. He frowned at it, then at me as he sent it to voicemail.

“Why?” he asked.

“I think the women will withdraw their challenges because whatever they have planned won’t work. Then they’ll have to come up with something else.”

“Like what?”

“That’ll depend on how accessible I am.”

His phone started to ring again.

“Just answer it already,” I said.

A mix of guilt and panic briefly appeared in his expression.

“Is it another woman harassing you?” I asked.

“No. It’s Konni.”

Why the guilt and panic for Konni? I reached across his desk and answered it on speaker.

“Wrenly’s with me,” Bennett said before Konni could speak.

“And that better not change whatever you were about to say,” I said, frowning at Bennett.

“Um…I finished the thing. You need to pay up.”

I looked at Bennett, expecting him to clarify Konni’s vagueness. His gaze held mine, but something in his expression hinted at nervousness, which was a first.

Bennett’s main traits were anger, seriousness, and possessiveness, with rare glimpses of playfulness and humor. Nervousness just wasn’t part of who he was, and his reaction was only making me more curious.

Typically, the only thing that put him on edge was me. So was Konni calling about something that had to do with me, or was it something else?

I tilted my head at Bennett. “Keeping things from me in the past hasn’t worked out well for either of us.”

Walking around the desk, I nudged his chair back. His pupils expanded when I angled away from him and set a hand on his shoulder. A small rumble vibrated from him as I sat on his leg and turned his face toward me.

He swallowed hard as I studied him.

“You better start talking, Bennett,” I said.

“The Shanes reached out to a foreign investor whom I haven’t had contact with, but Konni has,” he said in a rush. “I gave him five minutes to block them and call me back.”

I wasn’t stupid. Nothing about what he just said was the cause of his guilt and nervousness.

I narrowed my eyes at him and looked at the phone.

“What’s he leaving out, Konni?”

“He promised to, um… You explain it to her, you moon-cursed ass. And hurry up. I need you.”

The call disconnected.

“Hurry up…I need you?” I arched a brow at Bennett. “I’m usually pretty accurate at reading situations, but this one has me wondering so many things. Exactly how close were you and Konni at school?”

Bennett flushed.

“It’s not…” He cleared his throat. “Dragons molt every three to five years. It’s uncomfortable for them if they don’t have help.”

“Okay.” I drew out the word. “So Konni’s a dragon. That’s interesting. I’ve seen a lizard molting, and assuming he’s not that small when he shifts, I can see why he’d need help. But why is helping him molt making you so red?” I trailed my finger over his cheek, which grew even redder.

“It’s…he…” Bennett sighed. “Dragons molt in their human form.”

I slowly smiled as my imagination painted a picture for me.

“Can this be a closed topic?” he asked.

Bennett was adorable when he was uncomfortable, and there had to be something wrong with me for enjoying it so much.

“It can be. But what if I can make it worth your while to make it not a closed topic?”

He lost a hint of his embarrassment with a flicker of interest.

“What do you mean?”

“Would you be willing to consider a deal to make this an open topic?”

I watched as he weighed the wisdom of possibly telling me whatever he was hiding and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“You’re just making me want to know even more when you act like this.”

He started to tremble. I stood and went to his door.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m willing to make a deal.”

When I looked back over my shoulder at him, he still looked torn. How big was this secret? Big enough. I knew I’d learn by making offers and watching him weigh them.

“Good. I’ll think of something I’m willing to give and make a proposal tonight. Don’t forget to tell Dad about the announcement.”

With a smile, I left. Miranda was sitting at our desk but with her chair blatantly turned toward Bennett’s office window.

“That looked fun,” she said. “To quote your Grandma, ‘You have him by the pebbles. Keep him unbalanced.’”

“Could you hear us?”

“No. Your Grandma and I were just watching. I’m surprised he didn’t do more when you sat on his lap.”

“He’s afraid of hurting me with this.” I held up my arm.

“Makes sense. When do the stitches come out?”

“I have an appointment next week.”

“What do you think he’ll do then?”

I shrugged. She gave me a speculative look as she shut down her computer and grabbed her bags.

“We’ll talk tomorrow,” she said. “Wear comfortable shoes and bring pain relievers.”

The door opened behind me as she walked away.

Hands settled on my shoulders.

“We can leave early, too,” Bennett said.

“You’re the boss.”

He reached around me to pick up the remaining bag.

“What did you buy?”

“Earrings for Miranda. I don’t know what’s in that bag. Mom got it for you and handed it to Grandma when we got here.”

He looked inside it and stared for so long that I tried looking too, but he closed it and took my good hand, leading me out of the office.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Replacements for what I accidentally wrecked in your closet.”

Aware that everyone was listening, I waited until we were alone in the elevator to ask, “Is that why you asked me not to go into the closet? You wrecked my clothes?”

“And the door.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Not the wrecking part. That I understood. Asking Mom to replace my clothes instead of me. Sure, I didn’t like shopping, but I also didn’t like dressing in the clothes Mom had previously bought me.

Not Mom, I silently corrected myself. Bennett.

“Did you warn her that I don’t like anything fancy?”

“No. I told her not to purchase anything expensive. That it needed to be something you could wear at school to blend in with the other students.”

That didn’t sound so bad. Why had he stared at it so long, then?

Curious, I glanced at the bag that was in his opposite hand.

He shifted it back so his leg blocked my view of the bag.