Page 70 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

It was easy to say but hard to do. Scrolling through columns of numbers with my non-dominant hand was frustrating and made it hard to concentrate on what I was seeing. However, I had no problem dwelling on what happened behind Bennett’s door, which remained firmly shut until five.

Just as I was turning off my computer, he walked out with my bag of clothes in one hand. The other he extended for me. He was almost vibrating with his caged energy.

“Do you feel like fast food tonight?” he asked.

He didn’t sound like himself either.

When I glanced at Miranda, she kept her head down as if she were still working.

“Wrenly? Do you need to eat?”

His voice had gotten rougher, and when I looked at him, his pupils were fully expanded.

If I didn’t turn around his mood, we’d never make it out of the parking lot. What had he done the whole afternoon? Sit in his office and think about making out with me? Probably.

“What kind of dumb question is that? Of course I need to eat. And no, I don’t want fast food. I want pizza. And ice cream. And I’m tired of these stitches, and I want to go for a run!”

The anger and frustration I’d managed to churn up snapped him out of his haze. I watched his pupils slowly return to normal as he gently took my hand. His show of concern made it easy for me to turn on my sad face and a wobbly bottom lip.

“And I want to watch a movie with gas station snacks.”

“Okay. Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll stop for pizza and ice cream on the way home.”

I nodded and let him lead me away from Miranda.

When I glanced back at her, she was silently applauding. I winked, then turned around and focused on being frustrated, sad, hungry Wrenly, who needed pampering and not a make-out session in the parking garage.

We made it all the way home before his eyes started flipping out. It was my own fault. I’d moaned while eating the pizza, but it’d been too good not to make some kind of noise in appreciation.

Bennett didn’t say anything as he held my gaze.

My enjoyment faded. After swallowing, I set aside the rest of my piece with a sigh.

“You at least waited until we were home and I had something to eat. Have at me.” I spread my arms and closed my eyes without leaving my seat.

“What movie do you want to watch?” he said after a few seconds of silence.

I cracked an eye open to frown at him.

“Are you toying with me, or are you going to wait until I’m excited to watch something, then rip the rug out from under me?”

“No. The less I take, the more you give. The more restrained I am, the more you want to provoke me,” he said, using my words. “I really want you to provoke me, Wrenly.”

I had no control over the slow smile his words produced, and I saw what my reaction to his words did to him.

“We’re just feeding off of each other now,” I said.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Play your games, baby. As long as they’re with me, I’m okay with it.”

“Does that mean you knew I was distracting you back at the office when I demanded pizza and a movie?”

“When you want something…” he exhaled heavily and gave up the pretext of eating. “You’re always distracting, Wrenly. But when you look at me with sad eyes and ask for something, nothing else exists in this world but you and getting you what you want.”

I stuck my bottom lip out.

“I need my bankbook. Please, Bennett. Pretty, pretty please.” My tone had enough syrup in it to top a sundae. But apparently, Bennett really liked me sweet.

His pupils opened wide before he swept a hand over his face as if hoping that would help dilute my effect on him.

I waited until he glanced at me again to bat my lashes innocently and beg a little harder with my lower lip. His chair fell backward, and he was gone, only to return a second later with a credit card.

“This is yours.”

“I don’t want your credit card.”

“It’s not mine, and it’s not a credit card. It’s your bank card. The pin is your birthday.”

Curious, I took it from him and then used my phone to check the balance. I didn’t believe what I was seeing.

“One…two…three…” I looked up at him. “How do I have over nine million dollars in my bank account, Bennett? I just started working a few weeks ago. Please tell me that’s not what this is all from.”

His gaze searched my upturned face before he caught the back of my head with a hand and bent down, setting his forehead against mine.

“Will you still watch a movie with me even if you don’t like the answer?”

“Now, I have to know. Spill it, Bennett.”

“Promise first.”

I pulled back enough to meet his gaze. He let me see his concern and his need.

“I can do better than just a promise to watch a movie. Let me finish eating, then we’ll go to that couch, and while I’m sitting on your lap, you can tell me about the money. And after, we’ll watch a movie together.”

Fine tremors started to race through his arms. I felt it in his fingers at the back of my head.

“With you still sitting on my lap?”

“That depends. Are you going to sit down and finish eating?”

He slowly straightened away from me and, after a measured look, returned to his chair, which he had to pick up. Not trusting his patience, I ate quickly. He stopped eating when I did, and we took everything to the kitchen together.

“I’ll clean up later,” he said, picking me up when I would have started rinsing the plates.

He carried me to the couch and sat with me in his lap. Why did sitting like this feel like I was home more than actually being home? Exhaling contentedly, I snuggled in a little more and looked up at him expectantly.

Instead of giving me an explanation, he kissed me. The brief brush of his lips was there and gone before I would have liked. The precedent of previous kisses had obviously left me expecting more, which was the only reason I could come up with for my immediate scowl.

He slowly smiled in response.

“I opened the account for you once I turned eighteen. I was still at school and doing everything I could to distract myself from being without you.”

“Like helping your brother from another mother with his sheds?”

He made a pained face. “You’re mean when you don’t get what you want.”

I shrugged. “What were you doing to distract yourself?”

“Challenges. From anyone dumb enough to issue one. Konni would encourage our classmates to bet. I made some money that I needed to hide or I’d have to explain to Mom and Dad what I was doing.

” A smile ghosted his lips. “Putting it in your account was a way to get away with it if I ever got caught.

Then, when I started to see the amount grow, the reason for adding to it changed.

“Everything I have is yours. No questions. No arguments. But I wanted you to have something that was just yours, too.”

I looked down at the number again, touched by what he’d done, but also worried.

“It’s not all from fighting, is it?”

“No. I’ve made money on investments too.”

He dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine again. “I can smell your relief.”

“Yeah, well, I was starting to worry my potential mate was an idiot who likes fighting. First school. Then bullying people in the office, including women and his brothers. Add to that mess the fact that he’s his best friend's primary contact for shedding season, and it’s not looking good for you.”

“You won’t ever let me forget that, will you?”

I grinned at him. “No. Not any time soon. So when it comes to his bits, do you assist with that too?”

His hand covered my mouth, and he looked me in the eyes, his gaze pleading with me.

“I’ll double the amount in that account by the end of the year if you don’t talk about Konni’s shedding until then.”

My tongue flicked against Bennett's palm. His pupils dilated as his expression turned tortured.

“Triple,” he pleaded.

I pulled his hand away from my mouth.

“You can go to sleep with me every night, and I’ll kiss you every morning if you let me bring it up as much as I want.”

He flipped us and had my back against the couch with my hands pinned near my head.

“Yes.” The rough word was little more than a drawn-out growl.

I knew I was walking a fine line again, but my attraction to Bennet made it so damn hard to resist provoking him, especially when he was on edge like this.

“And if you tell me in detail how you help him with the shed, I might consider reenacting it with you.”

Bennett’s heated expression turned shocked then worried and disturbed.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

“No deal to the second part,” he said.

“And the first part?”

His hesitation to agree had me tilting my head to steal a quick kiss.

When he didn’t respond, I kissed his chin.

His gaze said I was on my way to convincing him, but not quite there yet.

So I kissed my way down his neck until I found the spot I’d marked earlier.

I kissed the area gently, tracing it with my tongue, then scraping it with my teeth.

By the time I finished, he was shaking like a purse pooch who got into mommy’s magic dust.

“Say yes, Bennett,” I said between nips.

“Make me.”

Those two words made my insides go hot and cold in anticipation. I wasn’t the type to back down from anything. I plotted. I waited for the right time, maybe. But I never backed down when things got hard. And they were getting hard. I had no doubt about that.

And he was giving me permission to keep pushing at his control.

“Switch spots with me.”

He flipped us again, and my hands were free to smooth over his chest as I leaned in to nuzzle his neck like he had mine. His shaking grew more pronounced with each passing second.

His hands settled on my hips, locking me in place just a few inches above his hips. It was a clear indication that he was on the verge of breaking. If I pushed down, I doubted he’d resist much. But would I be able to handle the fallout?

I debated a safer way to push him over the edge.

“Where should I mark you next?” I asked against his throat. “Here? Or…” The fingers of my good hand plucked open one of the buttons on his shirt, and I slipped my hand inside to tease his chest. “Should I kiss you here tomorrow morning when there’s no shirt in the way?

“Yes,” he said. "To the first part. To the kisses in the morning.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to make you say yes to the second part?”

I made the mistake of lifting my head and looking at him. The look in his eyes was one of desperation and determination.

“Make me yours, Wrenly, and I’ll do anything you want.”