Page 56 of The Rules

The ice pack bit into her skin and she flinched. But Ben didn't relent, his hand steady as he cradled her forearm, the other pressing the compress lightly against the darkening marks.

His touch was careful. Like she might break if he pushed any harder. Like he hadn’t expected to see her cracked open like this.

"You should press charges," he said, his voice low and precise, leaving no room for argument.

A short, strained laugh escaped Kath's lips. "That's very lawyerly of you."

But he didn't smile, not even a twitch of amusement crossing his features. "This isn't a joke Blondie."

No, it wasn't. The tension hummed between them, thick and charged, making it clear this went beyond club protocol or legal obligations. This was personal now.

He leaned back, eyes locked on hers—intense. Unwavering. "I can make sure he never touches another woman again."

Her breath hitched. The words should have offered comfort—but instead, they bristled with danger dressed as concern. Like something she could want too badly if she allowed herself.

Drawing in a long, slow breath, she forced her voice to remain steady, controlled. "You know that's not how this works."

There it was again—a flicker beneath the skin, tight and dangerous. "Enlighten me."

Katherine lifted her chin, locking eyes with him in quiet defiance. "It would require... details."

She didn't need to specify what kind. Names. Her name. His. The one she couldn't afford to give him.

Her smirk was soft, careful as she met his intense gaze.

"And I like our little mystery, Mr. S."

Ben went still, his eyes sharpening with focus. "Do you?"

There was just the smallest hesitation, a fraction of a second delay before she responded. Not long enough for him to call her on it, but long enough for him to know something was off.

He shifted his hand slightly, the brush of his thumb over the inside of her wrist sending her pulse jumping. "If I wanted to know..."

Her voice came out thinner than she intended. "Then that would be breaking the rules."

Ben exhaled through his nose, the sound carrying a hint of frustration. "You and your fucking rules."

She smiled—tight, humorless. "They exist for a reason."

His gaze narrowed, studying her intently. "And what reason is that?"

Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken truths. Then, quiet and matter-of-fact, she answered, "Because if I break them, I'm the one who gets sued."

Ben flinched - just slightly, but enough to show her he understood. Enough to reveal that he hated the reality of her situation, that maybe he hadn't fully grasped how trapped she was within her own system until that moment.

Eventually, he let go. "Fine."

Kath exhaled, the weight between her shoulder blades dissolving as the tension between them began to recede. Something dark and mischievous unfurled at the corner of her mouth, a provocative half-smile she couldn't quite contain.

"Good boy."

The taunt escaped her before wisdom could intervene—a reckless attempt to lighten the atmosphere. The instant the syllables left her lips, she recognized her error.

Benjamin went motionless. Not rigid with anger, but utterly still—the primal stillness of something ancient and lethal awakening from slumber. When he spoke, his voice carried a blade's edge she'd never heard him wield before.

"Don't ever fucking say that again."

Katherine faltered, momentarily stunned by the raw intensity coiling beneath his words. Then, defying all better judgment, laughter bubbled up from her chest—not mockery, but genuine surprise at how swiftly the climate between them had transformed, and at the deadly seriousness etched into his features.