Page 103 of Hold On Me

Jenson’s words pierce through my thinning bubble of defence and leave me breathless. I double over as if I’ve been physically hit in the stomach as the air whooshes out of me.

I vaguely hear Jameson call his name, but he ignores it and steps closer to me. “It's the only explanation I have for you standing back and letting a man who loves you lose everything because all he wanted to do was protect you.”

My head snaps up and I lock eyes with him. “What do you mean?” Concern laces my voice and he scoffs in my face.

“Oh, now you care? You walked away, didn't you? You left him to sort everything out alone. He was protecting you. Imagine walking around the corner and seeing the person you love pinned to the wall. Imagine that was your dad. Or Angie. What would you do? Would you stand back and consider your options, or would you do what you needed to protect them?”

His words create a tsunami of emotions in my stomach as I wrestle with them to try and speak. My mouth opens and closesagain, because he’s right. I’d have done the same thing Ben did. I would’ve protected them.

“Right,” he confirms. “I can see it in your eyes. You would’ve done the same damn thing. Except you’d have walked away from it with your family and loved ones by your side. He’s a mess. When I saw him today…” He takes a deep breath and fixes his stare onto me again and I squirm under it. “He’s alone, said he’s about to be penniless, and lose the Spartans. But he’salone. Just like his dad. And you’re acting like you’re shocked?”

He shakes his head in disgust while I try to figure out exactly what he’s talking about. Penniless? That could never happen. Even if I sued him for violating the NDA, that would never deplete the fortune he has. He’d never be left…

“Jenson, do you think he meant penniless because of me? Because I walked away. Because… my name’s Penny.”

He stops pacing and his blue eyes lock onto mine. “But he doesn’t call you Penny. He always calls you Penelope. Or Little One.” Confusion swirls on his face, and before I can respond, he’s shooting a question at me. “So you’re not suing him for breaking the NDA?”

“No. I don’t want his fucking money. I’m not his mom.”

Jenson takes a step closer, leans down, and looks me straight in the eyes. “Do you love him?” Unable to look away, I nod. “Do you want to stick it to the asshole who’s trying to make his life hell? To take everything from him?” I nod my head, my lip between my teeth to stop the tears. “Then I know exactly how you can make this right. Brooks is suing him. And he’s trying to take the Spartans.”

I inhale through my nose and push his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me that at the beginning? That can’t happen. I have to help him.”

He grins and then grabs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said you were like your mom. That was over the top.”

“It’s okay. I was acting like her a little. I shut everyone out because I didn’t want to face the hurt of them leaving, like she did.”

He steps closer to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “We love you, Buttercup. He loves you. Like how I love Angie. It's that kind of love. You gotta give it a chance.”

“I’ve already fucked that up, Jen. But I can help him with Brooks. Just give me thirty minutes.”

He squeezes my shoulder and lets me go, but Jameson stands before me with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. You’re my best friend and my brother, and I should have trusted you to understand. I just—I was so embarrassed. To have Brooks come on to me was one thing, but then when Director Allen tried to get me to sleep with him to save my job, it was too much. Every insecurity I’ve ever had was just too loud. I needed to face those demons myself. I was too embarrassed to share them. And I shouldn’t have been.”

His jaw ticks and I know he’s fighting his anger. “Can I help with him? You’re taking care of Brooks, can I deal with Director Allen?” His words are spoken through gritted teeth and I suppress a shiver at the coldness in his voice.

I take a tentative step closer to him and place my hand on his forearm still folded against his chest. “I don’t want you in trouble like Ben is.”

“If I promise not to use violence, can I help?”

His eyes burn into mine and I nod, unaware of what he’s going to do. But I know he needs me to say yes, so I do. He smiles for the first time since he got here and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“You’re not out of the doghouse yet, by the way.”

“I know. I promise I’ll work my way out, though. I’m sorry.”

He kisses me on the forehead and then pushes me away toward the bedroom. “Go get ready. You have a damsel to save.”

With a small laugh, I rush to the bedroom to gather my evidence and take a shower. Jameson’s right, someone I love needs saving.

54

BEN

They say the first sign of madness is talking to yourself, and I must be completely bonkers as I’ve been asking the same question to my empty office for the past hour.

“Why now?” I ask again for good measure and reread the email from my lawyer.

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