Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Bennett
“I gave you a week.” Lexi’s body jerks in surprise when I emerge from the darkness as she steps up to her door. Dropping her keys I bend to grab them and she holds her hand to her chest.
“You scared the hell out of me, Bennett.” Taking the keys she turns toward her door.
But I stop her, placing my hand over hers and turning her to face me.
“I gave you a week,” I repeat and she wrinkles up her forehead and squints her eyes. “You’ve managed to avoid me, dodge my phone calls, and literally took yourself to a fucking movie just so you could ensure we wouldn’t run into one another at Brant’s.”
“I really wanted to see that movie,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Oh yeah,” I challenge her. “What was it called?”
I watch as she does this whole fish out of water thing. Opening her mouth to answer then closing it, only to repeat this move a few times.
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“I’ve been busy,” she tries another route and I laugh.
“You can’t lie, Lex.”
“I also can’t stand here and tell you the truth.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t,” she raises her voice and literally stomps her foot like a toddler. Which triggers me to laugh and her to shove me. “Because it sounds so stupid when I say it in my head, so I know out loud it’s going to be even more ridiculous.”
“Try me.” I hold my hands out to my sides. “I promise I won’t laugh.”
“You can’t lie either, Bennett.”
“So I can’t promise not to smile, but I promise I won’t laugh. Right now Lex you are driving me crazy ignoring me.”
“I hate that Adley is living with you.” She says it in a rush with her eyes closed. “She gets a part of you I don’t and I know it’s innocent. I know that there isn’t ever going to be anything that happens between you both, but I still hate it.”
I stare and she huffs out a frustrated breath.
“See I told you it was dumb.” Throwing her hands up she spins around and goes for the door again. This time I don’t stop her. I wait until she places her key in the lock and I shift forward caging her in. With my arms stretched out, I brace the weight of my body on the frame.
Her hair is pulled up in a clip, so her neck is fully exposed. Brushing my lips over the space beneath her ear, she shivers and I smile against her neck.
“It’s not dumb,” I assure her, adding a soft kiss. “I offered you and Camryn my place, I could have stayed or gone.”
“We aren’t there yet,” she says in a shaking voice.
“Where are we, Lexi?”
I wait, remaining where I am feeling her body tremble against mine. I gave her time, I wanted her to be sure of what comes next.
Suddenly she turns around and looks up at me through her long lashes. “Is it crazy that I don’t want to share you?”
“You aren’t sharing me, sweetheart.”
“I want to be ready Bennett, I want to so badly.”
I continue to wait, watching her face twist into several different emotions. Confusion, fear, worry.
“I can’t fall apart, not now. If I’m doing this with Camryn I have to be focused and I have to be all in. You, us,” she waves between us, “it messes with my head, I mean look at the way I’m acting already. I’m a basket case and we aren’t even together.”
“We’re together,” I state and her brows scrunch up in the cutest way. “I’m just waiting for you to catch up and accept that fact. I’m here, waiting on you, babe. I’m not going anywhere. I’m all yours.”
I cup the side of her face, offering her a kiss.
“Stop ignoring me Lex, it messes with my head,” I say with a smile and I step back.
“We should start dating,” I tell her. “Movies, dancing, dinner, all that stuff.”
“Date?”
“Yes Lex, date,” I say, widening the distance as she continues to stare at me. “Get inside babe, and next time I call, answer your phone. Or I’ll show up here again.”
“That’s not much of a threat.” She offers me her own smile.
“Night, Lexi,” I say as I reach my truck. I’m not sure how she missed it considering its right out front of her place. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“I’m not sure.” She crosses her arms over her chest.
“Wrong answer,” I say, climbing up into my truck and holding the top of my door, peeking over it. “Be ready at seven.”
“What for?”
“Our first date.” I don’t let her deny me as I climb inside and close the door behind me.
Driving home I feel lighter than I have in days.