Page 72 of Crimson Promises
I exhaled in relief when Jean picked it up and brought it to the other room. Finally, we finished, and I felt like my arms would never be able to lift anything again. Those books were heavy. After saying my goodbyes to Jean, I punched out. I was in vital need of caffeine, and I still had time before I was supposed to meet Ben. Walking across the main lobby at Canmore, I typedpromittointo the search engine and was about to hit send when that weird cord snapped tight.
Leaning against the wall by the doors, looking all kinds of delicious, was Ben. Our eyes locked, and I finally understood what all those romance novels talked about when they said the world just melted away.
He began walking towards me, making breathing difficult.
A flash of white appeared out of the corner of my eye.
Chelsea stood up, trying to get Ben’s attention. “Welcome to Canmore Library, home of Arch Cape University’s rare and special collections. How can I help you today?”
“Thank you, but I don’t need any help,” he told her, his eyes never leaving mine.
She followed his gaze to where Ben was looking and frowned. “Anything she knows, I can help you with.”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to help me with what I need.”
“And why is that?”
“Are you my girlfriend?”
“N-n-no,” Chelsea sputtered.
“I didn’t think so. It would be best if you kept your assumptions to yourself from now on. It’s offensive and rude.” Ben tapped his hand on her desk and strode past her. He had the biggest lopsided grin on his face.
I slapped my hand to my mouth to keep myself from howling with laughter.
Told off twice in one day. Karma was a beautiful thing.
“Hey baby,” he said as he gripped my neck. He gave me no time to think or overanalyze what he was doing before he kissed me. I thought I was only to get a peck, but he skimmed his tongue along my lip, and I couldn’t help if my arms had a mind of their own as they winded themselves underneath his leather jacket around his waist.
Did last night change things between us?
When he was thoroughly done ravaging my mouth, he pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine. “Is she still looking?” he whispered.
“I’m pretty sure the entire library is watching,” I muttered. A show, that’s all it was to him. A few moments ago, my heart was soaring. Now it felt like it was in free fall, about to splat against the ground.
“It was convincing, that's for sure.”
“One of my best pieces of work.” He slung his arm over my shoulder and guided me towards the exit—the firework finale to our performance.
Fun is all Bennet can be to me. He isn’t the type to stick around.I repeated that in my head like a mantra.
Once outside, away from the audience, Ben took his arm back and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s been a while since I felt a rush like that.”
What about last night, I wanted to scream. Instead, I joined in. “Chelsea’s face was priceless. I wish someone recorded that so I can replay it to her repeatedly whenever I hear her condescending attitude.”
“How you work with someone like that is unbelievable.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s how life is, though. I can’t just pick and choose who I interact with. Friends are one thing, but at work, it’s out of my control.”
“Odd.”
“What do you mean odd? Haven’t you ever had a job?”
He nodded. “Where I come from, things were normally settled through arguing or fighting. At least for those of us who lived in Grotto, the rougher areas of town. We didn’t just let people walk all over us.”
“Now that’s odd. Weren’t you worried about someone pressing charges or hurting someone?”
“Not really, it’s all about asserting power or dominance. If you showed your weak spots, you’d become targets of those more powerful than you.”
