Page 51 of Hold On Me

“And I told you before, I like it when you call me Ben. Or are you just being a brat again?” The playful tone in his voice brings my gaze back to him, his grin diminishing the seriousness of everything and forcing me to relax into the seat.

“I’m always a brat, Ben. I thought you’d gathered that by now.”

His eyes darken and he leans a fraction closer to me, his hands still tracing circles on my thighs. “Maybe I like that, Penelope. Maybe I want to?—”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Elias, but we’re ready to take off and we need you in your seat.” The air steward nervously stands in front of us, and as Ben slowly drags his eyes away from me, I note the disappointment in them before he snaps them to look at the steward.

“Of course.” His tone is clipped and sharp, and I feel so sorry for the guy as he flinches back a little at Ben’s abruptness. I offer a small smile in his direction and he returns it with a nod of his head.

“Penelope.”

My head swivels to the right as Ben’s hand is stretched out toward me. My eyes ping between his hand and his face, and by the third look at his hand, he raises an expectant brow at me and flexes his fingers. I roll my lips to hide my grin and lean over and grip his hand in mine. He breathes out a sigh and relaxes back into his seat, his head turned to watch me as the plane starts to move and I grip his hand tighter.

“Take off and landing are the worst part. But don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

My heart’s racing and my mouth is drier than the desert, but it’s not because we’re hurtling into the sky. It’s because my hand is engulfed by his strong one, his eyes are watching me adoringly, and his words make me feel safer than if I had two feet placed firmly on the ground. I am in so much fluffing trouble, and I don’t seem to care about it at all.

27

BEN

My hand on her lower back as I guide her through the hallway toward our suite in the Aman Hotel, a sense of pride surges through me. I’ve got this beautiful woman with me, and for a short while, she’s all mine. I don’t have to share her with the Bradys or with Hank. I don’t have to worry whether my hand falls lower on her back than it should or if my eyes linger on her mouth too long. I can openly flirt with her, show her how attracted I am to her. And more importantly, I can see exactly where this could go without the weight of the whole town watching us. This trip was definitely one of my better ideas.

I scan the keycard against the panel outside our suite and let her enter before I do. I want to watch her reaction as she opens the doors to our suite and takes in the decadence of the Aman hotel.

I’ve stayed here more times than I can count. It’s become a home away from home for me, and whilst I can appreciate its charm, I’d rather watch her. I’d always rather watch her.

I like the way her brow furrows slightly when she’s thinking. How she purses her beautiful lips before she launches into a rant about spending too much money. The way she scrunchesher nose when she sees something she doesn’t like. And how her smile lights up her whole face when she’s happy.

And I like the idea of giving her things others can’t.

I know her brothers are millionaires and spend time in fancy places like this, butshedoesn’t. She won’t let them treat her to this kind of luxury. She pays her own way and doesn’t want to depend on them for anything, so the fact she’s letting me is definitely inflating my ego.

But I have to try and contain the smugness or she’ll be quick to call me out on it. Even though she’s trusted me with the truth about what happened at the school, and she’s showing me a side to her she doesn’t let her family see, she still won’t tolerate my bullshit. And I like it.

I like it when she calls me a douche for being arrogant, or when she rolls her eyes at me in frustration. It makes me want to swat her arse, but it also makes me happy that we’re in a place where we can be ourselves with each other.

I think she’s getting used to the arrogance too, maybe even likes it a little. She knows I’m a rich son of a bitch, but she also sees me as generous, fun. And sexy as fuck too.

And that’s not arrogance, that’s just being able to read the room. It’s written all over her face every time she secretly checks me out when she thinks I’m not looking. Her eyes linger a little longer than they should when I smile. And her breathing quickens whenever I touch her.

I’m not complaining. The feeling’s completely mutual. I love seeinghersmile, seeing her relaxed enough around me to tease me, and talk to me without being defensive. Ever since I told her about my parents, she’s been considerably more at ease around me. She may have run after our kiss, but the important thing is she came back.

And I don’t know why, but I want to be the person she needs. The one she craves and trusts. I want her to dependon me. There’s just something telling me she needs me. An unknown force pushing me to be everything she needs. It’s a new feeling for me—one I never thought I’d experience, but one I’m not backing away from. I’ve always trusted my gut in life and business. It’s never steered me wrong before, and right now it’s telling me to do this with Penelope.

Holding the door open for her, I dip down in a dramatic bow as she passes over the threshold, relishing in the roll of her eyes and the muttered ‘dick’ that falls from her lips with a grin. I love the playfulness we’ve got now. The animosity is forever on the cusp of her words, and like I said, she’s never afraid to call me out for my ‘arrogance,’ but I'm finding it’s becoming less and less the more time we spend together. Instead of the disdain from our first meetings, a different emotion is peeking through her hard exterior, and I’m here for it.

As she looks over her shoulder, her eyes linger on my mouth, and my fingers itch to reach out and touch her. Her footsteps falter, and for just a second I think she’s going to reach back and take my hand in hers, but she winks and strolls fully into the room. And like all our other recent interactions, I’m following after her, hard and frustrated, but also pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. I wish she’d be the one to initiate a little magic between us, but I guess she’s still a little more guarded.

“Wow, Ben, this place is beautiful.”

Her voice takes me out of my own head and I quickly let the door close behind me and stand next to her. She turns to face me, and as her eyes meet mine, a shiver of excitement hums through my body. I gently tuck her hair behind her ear, my eyes never leaving hers.

“Absolutely stunning.” My words hit their target as a blush creeps over her cheeks and she breaks our gaze and clears her throat.

“So tell me about this hotel.”

She places the small holdall down, kicks her shoes off, and turns on the spot to take in our surroundings. Following her lead, I let my bag hit the deck and toe my shoes off as well. May as well make myself at home.

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