Page 62 of Ruined Promises

Light creeps in through the window, and even with my eyes closed, it is blinding. The worst case of cottonmouth in the history of hangovers is currently taking residence in my mouth. “Hadley, I’m never listening to you again.” I don’t even remember how we got home last night. I groan as I roll over, stretching. When I put my face into the pillow, a familiar scene assaults me, and I realize I’m not in my bed or Hadley’s.

Ben.

I turn over and sit up quickly.I find Ben sitting in a chair with his head resting in his hands. He looks a wreck—just like how I feel.

He finally looks up as if he could sense me staring at him, and his sad eyes meet mine. I swallow thickly. “Do you feel better about yourself,” he asks.

I run my hands through my knotty rat’s nest of hair. “No.” One simple word is all I can manage.How did I get here?

“Lex, you said something last night.” I did? I try to put the piece of last night together.Hadley forcing me off the couch to go out. Shots. Dancing. Ben.

“I don’t get you, Alexis Baker.” The use of my full name stings a little—so formal but also brings an even bitter taste to my mouth, reminding me of Dominic doing the same. “We promised one night. That was it. But then you made your way into my heart, and then you crushed it.”

Tears pool in my eyes. I pull my knees into my chest. “You can have any woman you want out there—don’t waste your time on me. Just like you said, we promised one night.” I hide my face in my hands to hide the tears falling.

Ben is off the chair so fast I worry I might have gotten whiplash as he pulls my hands down and cups my cheeks. He brushes away the fallen tears with his thumbs.

“I don’t want any other woman out there, Lex. I want you. Don’t you get that? You’ve ruined me for anyone else.” He swallows deeply and glances down at the sheets before his glossy eyes meet mine again. The emotional tension in this room is so thick that I am struggling for air. “Lexi Baker, I love you. I love you so much, baby. Please talk to me and tell me what happened to make you walk away from me, away from us. We can fix this. You and me. With your hand in mine”—he links our fingers together—“we can take on the world.” He presses his forehead to mine. I inhale his scent along with the mintiness of his breath.

He loves me? The words are right on the tip of my tongue, screaming at me to say them.Just say it, Lexi, tell Ben you feel the same. Tell him everything.

“Ben.”

He presses his lips against mine in a searing kiss. One just like the night we met, and it burns me alive. His tongue forces its way into my mouth, and I welcome the intrusion, catching it with my own.

He guides me back against the pillows, settling between my legs.

In between kisses, I catch my breath. “Ben,” I manage to get out as his lips trail kisses along my jaw and collarbone.

“Ben. I… I…” He pauses, and his eyes meet mine. I cup his cheeks and pull him to me. “Bentley Michael Harrington, I love you with everything I have and everything I am.”

He pulls me into his lap. “I’ve never heard more perfect words out of your mouth.” He brushes the fallen hairs out of my face. With one last peck, he wraps his arms around me and holds me. I cling to him for dear life, afraid this moment will slip away.

“Lex, I need you to tell me why you walked away.”

I shake my head. “I can’t.”

“Baby, I can’t do this without you. I need you to talk to me.” I chew on the inside of my lip before pulling my lower lip between my teeth. Using his thumb, Ben pulls it free from my grasp. “No matter what it is.” He takes out joined hands and presses kisses along my knuckles. “It’s you and me.”

I nod. It’s time to tell Ben everything. It won’t change anything, though. Sometimes love isn’t enough.

“I was hired right out of college at Maritime. Paul said that even though I didn’t have the work experience, he saw something in me. On my first day, I met someone.”

“Dominic,” Ben says. How does he know? I nod to confirm.

“We fell in love and eventually moved in together.”

Ben listens to my every word and holds me tighter while I explain our downfall.

When he grumbles a few “that motherfucker,” I soothe him, running my hands down his back in small circles.

“But what does he have to do with us now?”

“It seems as though Paul had always planned to leave Dominic the company when he retired one day, that is until he changed his mind after watching his actions that led to our breakup and after. Dominic acted out and when he learned the new buyer was you, he did research. He befriended Asher in a way to get to you. However, better ammunition was put in his path when he discovered that we were dating. He no longer had his eyes set on you, but on me.”

“So, your ex has been hanging out with my brother this whole time.”

I slide off Ben’s lap, needing the space, but he doesn’t let me go far by pulling me to his side and holding my hand, needing to know that I’m not leaving.

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