Chapter Four #3
Taylor had managed to surprise Ben. He thought it was good because Ben leaned against him harder. Maybe not looking at Taylor while he was telling his story would make it easier for him.
“Anyway, Jimmy approached me. He was there with friends, too, but he said that he wasn’t having fun. I don’t know if it was a lie. At this point, I worry that anything he told me was a lie.”
That didn’t sound good. Whatever Jimmy had done, Taylor was already resisting the urge to go out there and hunt him down.
“We started talking,” Ben continued. “By the end of the evening, I’d given him my number. He was charming and handsome. He was saying all the right things.” He snorted. “He always did in the beginning.”
“What happened?”
“We’re not there yet in the story.”
“Take your time.”
“He called me the next day, and we started talking on the phone and texting. He was so nice. Meeting him felt like a miracle, and I didn’t want it to stop.
We went on dates, and at one point, I thought he was it.
He wasn’t my mate, obviously, but I thought that he was as close to that as I could get.
There was no guarantee I’d meet my mate, but Jimmy loved me. ”
All of that sounded great. Taylor was jealous because he was supposed to be the one with Ben, but they hadn’t known each other then. Besides, he knew the story didn’t have a happy ending.
“Things started to change,” Ben said. “He got more possessive. I never liked going out much, but I had friends, and we would often meet for coffee or visit museums and other stuff. Jimmy didn’t like that.
He didn’t want me going out after dark or with people he didn’t approve of, and of course, he didn’t approve of any of my friends.
He thought all of them had hidden reasons to spend time with me.
He started getting mean. He told me that the only reason my friends spent time with me was that they wanted to get in my pants.
It was ridiculous, and I didn’t believe him.
I clung to our relationship for a while, but it was obvious that it wouldn’t be going anywhere, not with the way Jimmy was behaving. ”
Taylor could see where this was going, and he didn’t like it. He wanted to stop it, but it had happened in the past. Ben had already gone through this. Jimmy wouldn’t know what hit him if Taylor ever found him.
“But you know how it is,” Ben said as he tilted his head up slightly. “Every time he did something horrible, he apologized and promised he’d never do it again.”
Taylor kissed Ben’s forehead. He wanted his mate to feel safe and protected. Ben was thinking of things he probably wished he’d never have to think about again, and it was because Taylor had asked him to.
Ben cuddled even closer, something Taylor hadn’t thought possible. It felt right, though. Ben belonged in his arms.
“I’d had enough,” Ben said, going back to his story. “I’d had enough of walking on eggshells and checking my behavior in case it made him explode. I’d had enough of staying away from my friends.” He shook his head. “Although I guess that Jimmy won in this case, too.”
“You’ll see your friends again,” Taylor promised. “In fact, we can call them as soon as you’re done telling me about Jimmy.”
Taylor had been curious about Ben’s family and why Ben hadn’t contacted them.
Initially, he’d thought that Ben was lost in the woods, which was a possibility, but he still could’ve found a way to get to a phone to call them.
No, it felt like he’d purposefully stayed away from them, and Taylor wanted to know why.
“Maybe we can do that,” Ben agreed. “Anyway, I decided I wanted to break up with him. I suspect he knew that. He invited me for dinner at his house, and I decided it would be easier to tell him there than in a public place. In hindsight, it was stupid, but he never physically hurt me. I wouldn’t have stayed if he had.
I got there, and we had dinner. I waited until we were done to tell him, and that’s when things went sideways. ”
It was taking everything Taylor had for him not to react. He could too easily imagine what happened that day. He didn’t even need Ben’s words.
“He didn’t hurt me,” Ben said. “But he grabbed me and dragged me to the basement. I tried to resist when I realized what he was doing, but he had a gun. In fact, he had many guns and other weapons that I’d never seen before, all of them stashed there.
That’s where he locked me up. He chained me to the wall.
He swore he wasn’t going to hurt me, and he didn’t.
He brought me food, and there was a bathroom down there.
He kept talking to me and making all these plans about what we’d do in the future. ”
Ben fell silent. He was almost done, and Taylor wanted to know how he’d ended up in Green Hill. He didn’t ask, though. Ben would tell him when he felt ready to.
“And then one day, he didn’t come back. He always brought me food three times a day, but that day, he only brought me breakfast. He said he had something to do for work and left the house, and that was the last time I saw him.
I was chained to the wall, so I couldn’t escape.
I don’t know how long I was stuck in there, but I thought I was going to starve to death. I think I almost did.”
“But you didn’t. You were strong, and you escaped.”
“I did.”
And now, he was in Taylor’s arms. He was safe, and Taylor would make sure that Jimmy could never hurt him again.
* * * *
BEN HADN’T WANTED TO talk about Jimmy, but he couldn’t deny that he felt better now that he had. Even though he knew that wasn’t the case, he felt like Taylor made everything easier. He wouldn’t have wanted to talk about Jimmy to anyone else.
He would have to. This was only the first step, but he needed to be honest with Gal, too.
The alpha welcomed him into the pride, possibly putting his people in danger.
He deserved to know what had happened and what was hiding in Ben’s past. Ben hoped never to see Jimmy again, and he didn’t think his ex-boyfriend could find him here, but there was always a chance that he was wrong, no matter how much he hated it.
But for now, he was safe and happy. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy. He might not have wanted to talk about what had happened to him, but doing so had left him feeling lighter.
He tilted his head to tell Taylor that, but he didn’t get the opportunity. Taylor was watching him in a way that made Ben shiver. He told himself not to move when Taylor did. He waited, needing to know what Taylor was about to do.
He wasn’t disappointed.
Taylor pressed their lips together. It was just for a few seconds before he leaned back, but it was enough.
It left Ben breathless and wanting more.
He wasn’t sure he could ask for more, considering what he knew about Taylor, so he told himself to wait.
Whatever Taylor wanted, Ben would give him.
He’d even told him about Jimmy when it was the last thing he wanted.
“Was that okay?” Taylor asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ben nodded. It had been more than okay, but he wasn’t sure he had the words to say it. Right now, he felt like he’d never learned to speak. That was how stupid being kissed by Taylor made him feel.
Taylor didn’t seem to mind. His lips curled into a smile, and he leaned forward to kiss Ben again. This time, it lasted longer, and it gave Ben the opportunity to kiss him back.
This was what Ben had wanted since he’d first smelled Taylor.
It wasn’t even the kiss, although that was part of it.
It was feeling safe. It was feeling the affection in every move Taylor made.
Taylor hadn’t told Ben that he cared about him, but he didn’t need to—although Ben would be happy to hear it.
Ben could feel it. It was in the way Taylor had taken care of him these few days and in the way he cradled Ben’s face and slowly kissed him as if trying not to spook him.
It was in how he’d soothed Ben while Ben had been talking about his ex.
He’d given Ben a chance, even though he hadn’t thought anything could happen between them.
He’d been confused and shocked, and it would’ve been so much easier for him to tell Ben to fuck off.
Instead, he’d stuck around, even after he’d found out that he was Ben’s mate.
If Ben had to guess, Taylor wasn’t planning on going anywhere.
Good.
He looped his arms around Taylor’s neck and tried to pull himself closer. Taylor chuckled and slowed down the kiss, which wasn’t what Ben had been trying to do. It felt like Taylor was teasing Ben, which was definitely possible, but not something Ben knew how to deal with.
“We’ll have time to do this later,” Taylor murmured. “But you need to talk to Gal.”
Ben shook his head. “What I need to do is kiss you again.”
“You will.”
Ben scowled. He didn’t understand how he’d gone from being afraid to kissing Taylor to being annoyed at him. “Just not now, right?” he asked.
Taylor grinned. “Think about how much sweeter it’s going to be after you’ve done the hard part.”
Ben sighed. Taylor wasn’t wrong. As little as he wanted to talk about Jimmy again, he had to. He might as well get it out of the way now, right? Besides, if it meant he could come home to Taylor and kiss him again—and maybe do more if both of them were ready for it—he was willing to go right away.
Uh. Maybe Taylor knew what he was doing.
“Fine. Let’s go talk to Gal.”
Taylor kissed the tip of Ben’s nose before leaning back. Ben had to let go of him, but thankfully, he didn’t go far. He got up from the couch and held out his hand, waiting for Ben to take it.
Ben did just that. He allowed his mate to pull him to his feet, resisted the temptation to bury his face against Taylor’s chest, and allowed Taylor to guide him out of the room.
It wasn’t that late in the evening, so the house wasn’t silent yet.
Ben could hear people talking in one of the living rooms they walked past, and a child laughing in the distance.
It warmed his heart. These people had welcomed him even when they hadn’t known him.
They hadn’t pushed when he’d kept them at a distance, even though he knew they had to be curious.
They were giving him time to get used to the pride and the people who lived there, and they understood that he was afraid.
They didn’t even know that he was Taylor’s mate, yet they’d made him feel welcome in a way he hadn’t expected.
He was still scared sometimes, but he could admit that these people were good people.
They wouldn’t kick him out, and they wouldn’t hand him over to Jimmy, even if he were to find him.
For the first time since Ben had met Jimmy, he was safe.
It was hard to believe, but it was the truth.
They didn’t go to Gal’s office like Ben had expected. Instead, they stuck to the back hallways until Taylor stopped in front of a closed door. He didn’t hesitate to knock, then to open when a voice called for him to come in.
It wasn’t Gal. If Ben had to guess, this was Gal’s mate. It was the only explanation for how comfortable the man looked in Gal’s personal space. The room smelled strongly of the alpha, but not only of him.
“Ben, this is Liam, our alpha mate,” Taylor explained, confirming Ben’s suspicion.
Liam looked young, with warm brown eyes and dark blond hair. He wasn’t the kind of man Ben would have imagined the alpha with, but maybe that was why Fate had selected him. He had to be what Gal needed.
“Liam, this is my mate, Ben,” Taylor continued, startling Ben. He hadn’t expected Taylor to be so open about their bond, considering he hadn’t even told most of his friends.
Liam didn’t look surprised, and he probably wasn’t. Gal would have told him, if anything so he knew what was happening within the pride. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he told Ben. “Gal is in the bathroom, but he’s almost done with his shower. Why don’t you sit down?”
Ben nodded. He was tempted to leave, but this was the right thing to do. Besides, the promise of what would happen once they were done here meant that he had to get through this. Once he did, he’d be allowed to go home and spend the night however he wanted.
He doubted that Taylor was ready for more than a few kisses, but that was okay.
He wasn’t sure he was ready for more, either.
As much as he wanted Taylor, he was also afraid.
The last time he’d wanted someone, he’d ended up locked in a basement.
Ben knew Taylor wouldn’t do that, if anything, because he lived with the pride and wouldn’t be allowed to, but he was still a bit wary.
They needed to get to know each other first.
But kisses were good. Kisses were very good.
The sound of a door opening made him look up. Gal stepped out of the bedroom, still toweling his hair dry. Liam’s attention turned to him instantly, and he smiled as if the sun had just appeared. The sight made Ben wonder if that was how he and Taylor would be eventually.
He wanted that. He might have told himself that he was done with relationships after what had happened with Jimmy, but it had been a lie. Maybe it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t met his mate, but Taylor wasn’t just a guy. Ben could trust him.
“Someone’s here to talk to you,” Liam said. “Ben, do you want me to stick around, or do you want me to leave?”
Ben wasn’t eager to talk to so many people at once, but he couldn’t kick Liam out of his apartment. “You can stay. You’re going to find out about this anyway.”
Liam grinned. “You’re right. I will”
Ben sucked in a breath. “I want to tell you what happened to me.”