Page 97 of Ride With Me

And Benji… Well, Benji felt like mine.

CHAPTER 7

BENJI

Warren was moredangerous than I thought, and in all the ways I’d never considered. I’d assumed when I climbed into his truck that I’d catch a ride for as many miles as I could manage and then strike out on my own.

Even when I’d teased him into fucking me, I’d figured it was just going to be an itch to scratch so I could walk away from him without any regrets.

I never thought he’d look me in the eyes and I’d feel like he was actually seeing me, like he might actually be able to listen to what I had to say and really hear me.

I’d never thought he would make me feel comfortable in my own skin, when I’d never been around another person in my life who made me feel that way.

I’d been riding with him for a little over a week, long enough that he’d dropped off the load he’d been hauling, and we’d had a repeat of that first night in some form or another every night since. I was getting used to the feeling of waking up lying against the warmth of his chest, getting dangerously addicted to the feel of his big body pressing me against cool sheets and making me forget everything but how good it felt to let go.

Yeah, Warren was dangerous. It was honestly just a lucky thing that I loved the feeling of danger, loved the taste of it on my tongue and the little zings of pleasure it sent across my skin.

I wanted more—I wantedallof him—and maybe that was the most dangerous part of all of this. I’d never been with anyone with the intention of having any kind of permanence. I’d always known that love, that someone caring, someone wanting to stay and keep me? That wasn’t something for me, it wasn’t something I deserved. I was flirting with the idea of forever now, and it had the power to kill me in a thousand little ways that no person ever could.

No one until Warren.

Fuck me, it had only been a week. Thinking like that sounded completely crazy, even if I was keeping it all to myself.

As long as I did that, at least he’d never have to know.

“I left my jacket in the room,” I called over my shoulder as I turned from the truck. “Let me go grab it and I’ll meet you at the diner.”

The motel he’d chosen this time was nicer, and it was right across the street from a cozy looking diner that stayed open late.

“Do you want me to come with you?” He’d already started to turn, but I waved him off.

“Don’t worry about it. Grab us a booth so we don’t have to wait. I’m starving.”

His eyes lingered on me for a second, but he nodded.

I watched his figure retreat around the corner before I felt my shoulders slump as my breath came out in a near sigh. This was the first time we’d been apart since I woke up with him straddling me. It wasn’t that it felt bad, or that I wanted to be away from him. I actuallylikedkeeping him close enough that I could see him.

But that was the exact problem. We were practically living on top of each other, and I’d never put myself in a situation whereI’d been so close to a person. It almost felt like I couldn’t breathe, like I couldn’t think…

And I hadn’t had a chance to check my phone without worrying that he’d see whatever message Mitchy might have left me on there. We hadn’t been apart more than the time it took me to take a shower, and that really wasn’t enough time to do everything I needed to do.

But I couldn’t just let the shit from my past hang in the air between us… not when I was starting to realize this was something I wanted.

I wanted Warren to be mine—I wanted to keep him.

So, I had to handle the situation threatening to drag me down.

Something still felt a little off kilter as I stepped back into the motel room and dug my phone out of my jacket, powering it on to the sound of at least a dozen messages coming through.

I waiteduntil Warren was asleep to get up. It was the middle of the day, but the hotel we were staying at was in the middle of nowhere. I wasn’t going to get a better opportunity than this… and the texts I’d read earlier told me that now was my best chance.

It still felt oddlywrongleaving Warren there on the bed, the covers slung low over his waist. I took a second to admire the soft dusting of hair along his chest, then silently backed out of the room.

I’d probably come back—I’dprobablybe able to come back.

I ducked behind the motel and headed toward the abandoned building I’d seen earlier when we’d pulled into the parking lot. It faced a span ofnothingin the distance, andthe broken-out windows seemed like they’d make getting inside easy.

The door was already open, and it made me pause.

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