Page 40 of Break Me
Ten
“I’m not leaving,and I’m sure as hell not going out of the country.” I run my hands through my hair, tugging on the long strands until it hurts, making sure I’m not actually having a nightmare right now. “My mom is dying, Benji. Besides that, I’m not fucking going anywhere with you.”
Not to mention Dumont has been blowing up my phone. After we met last Tuesday, nothing was resolved. We didn’t sleep together, and I went home afterward, but I wasn’t able to tell him I wanted to slow down. I didn’t really need to. He was crying over his fucking wife.
Ex-wife.
“I’m sorry about your mom, but you don’t get a choice,” Benji replies, tossing an empty black bag to me across the dining room table.
I let it fall to the floor and step back. I’m still in the dress I was in last night when he took me here, and I still don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I don’t want any part of it.
“You’re not listening, Benji,” I say, raising my voice. “I’m not leaving with you. I’m going home. You can either take me there, or someone can pick me up, but I am not leaving my fucking mother. She’s dying!”
As soon as the last words leave my mouth, I feel something prick behind my eyes, and I take a deep, shuddering breath. Benji looks up from the three passports he was glancing over on the table in front of him.
His eyes are soft, flecks of emerald green visible in the brown from the sun pouring in at my back. His fingertips graze the table as he holds my gaze.
“I’m sorry, Ava.” He shakes his head and runs a hand through his dark hair, causing it up to stand up on end. It’s messy, disheveled. It looks like he just had sex, even though I know he didn’t. I spent the night here, after all. “You’re right. I’ll take you home.”
Really? That easy?
He must see the surprise in my face because he nods. “When you’re ready.”
“I am ready,” I announce. He had a toothbrush for me, and I tried to look decent, wearing the same shit I had the night before, but I know my appearance isn’t going to improve until I get home.
He blows out a breath. “Okay, I just have to grab my stuff.” He turns to walk down the hall to his bedroom.
“You’re going back?” I call after him, even though I don’t know why. He was about to take me on a private jet up to Toronto. Just because I’m staying here, that’s not going to change his mind.
“Yeah,” he calls back without looking at me, “with you.”
* * *
Dad is out.He rarely ever leaves the house, but I called him on my way and convinced him to get some fresh air. He mumbled something about groceries over the phone and agreed with me. Benji stopped back at the club to get my car, we parked his on campus, and then he rode with me to my parents’ house.
He hid in the back seat, and it’s only thanks to my tinted windows my father didn’t see him when he pulled out the driveway. He barely fit in the back, having to curl into a tight ball.
When I open the door, he glares at me as he slides out, stretching his limbs. He raises his arms overhead, and I see his black t-shirt rise up, exposing his fucking perfect six pack.
I look away but I hear him chuckle as I lead him inside the house.
“I’m going to be with my mom,” I mutter quietly. “You’ve probably got half an hour before my dad comes home. Be in my room when he does.”
I start to climb the stairs, but he clears his throat behind me. I glance down and see his eyes on my ass. When he meets my gaze, he doesn’t look the least bit guilty.
“Where’s your room?”
Good question, I guess.
I jerk my head up to indicate the stairs. “Third room on the left.” And then I leave him down there, pulling out my phone as I do.
He insisted that if I insisted on staying here, he was going to come with me. He told me fuck all about what’s going on, but made it pretty clear he wasn’t letting me out of his sight.
Naturally, I threatened, begged, and pled with him to tell me what the fuck was going on, but he wouldn’t budge.
I even text Riley, but she told me she was sorry she couldn’t say more yet.
I can’t tell my father.
