Page 15 of Falling for the Forbidden
“You’re his little girl, Lauren. He wants to protect you.”
“I don’t need protecting from you.”
“You sure about that?”
Chapter Five
Something changedwith Ben after he saw my dad. He shut himself down like he’s too scared to show me who he really is. I hate the idea that I could have given him any indication that he can’t be himself with me.
The pub he brought me to is one I’ve not been to before. It looks like an old London boozer from the outside, but inside it’s modern and bright, and the food is out of this world. It’s nowhere near what I pictured when Ben mentioned dinner. I may have decided against suggesting it was a date, but that’s very much what it feels like—aside from his weirdness where our parents are concerned.
“I guess we should get back,” I say regretfully once he’s insisted on paying the bill.
“Do we have to?”
“Why do you hate it so much?”
“You like living there?”
“Uh…” I try to come up with something diplomatic, but my silence must say it all.
“Exactly.”
“Why don’t you move out? You must earn good money from the business. You don’t need to stay.”
“I have my reasons.” Raising my eyebrows, I wait for him to continue. “Not today,” he says, standing from his chair and holding his hand out for me.
Sparks shoot up my arm the second our skin connects, and his eyes flash to mine. He felt it, too.
Together, we walk out of the pub and towards his car. “Do you mind if we just drive for a bit? I’m not ready for this to end yet.”
“Of course.” The sadness in his voice ensures I’ll do whatever he wants. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
“Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to know.”
“But—”
“Lauren, please. Don’t.”
“Okay, okay. But I’m here, if you need me.” Reaching my hand out, I hesitate a few inches from him. Sensing what I’m going to do, he threads our fingers together and places our joined hands on his lap.
He blows out a long breath, and when he glances over at me, I see some of his earlier tension has vanished. It’s as if looking into my eyes calms him somehow.
“Thank you,” he whispers before turning back to the road.
“For what?”
“This. Everything. For just being here.”
I lose track of the direction we go in, and it’s not long until I’ve no clue where we are. Ben seems to know, though, and eventually he pulls the car to a stop in a deserted car park.
“Wow,” I breathe, taking in the bright lights of the city in the distance.
“I spend a lot of time here.”
“And there I was, thinking you were out getting drunk every night.”
“Oh, I do that, too,” he chuckles.
