Chapter Four #3
Bennett left and I put the chair back under the door handle just like he said.
I had no idea what Ryder was up to these days, but according to my sister, he was still hanging around Crescent River in all the same haunts we used to frequent when we were looking for drugs.
Clara suspected he was dealing now too. I couldn’t imagine him being a very good dealer, since his first inclination any time he had heroin in his hands was to shoot up himself.
I paced the room, wondering what could have possibly brought Ryder here.
He’s bought from a few dealers in Mirror Lake before, maybe he’s in town looking for them.
Or maybe he’s looking for me.
My stomach clenched. If he was looking for me, it was for nothing good. I couldn’t imagine he was here to calmly suggest we break our bond and live separate lives, though that was certainly a fantasy I was happy to entertain while I waited, nervously chewing on my fingernails.
A knock at the door startled me and I gasped, pressing my hand to my chest.
“Felix, it’s me,” Bennett said.
“Who exactly?” I asked as a smile spread across my face.
“Don’t pretend you can’t sense me, handsome. I know you can. He’s gone.”
I walked over to the door and moved the chair, the whole time wondering how it was possible that he was right.
I could feel him on the other side of that door.
Not just an alpha presence, but something distinctly Bennett.
I didn’t think that was possible between non-mates.
I opened the door and he stepped into the room.
“Did you even know what he looked like?” I asked.
“No, but Oakley clocked him after you got spooked. She said he was asking for you. She told him that she’d never heard of you.”
“Shit, so he is looking for me.”
“It would appear that way.” Bennett stepped closer and his hand twitched at his side.
I sensed his desire to touch me and calm me.
I reached out my hand for him, letting him know it was okay, and he pulled me against his chest. I sank into his arms, still unclear as to why this felt so natural between us.
A few weeks of flirting didn’t add up to this level of intimacy.
“Is there a chance he’s looking for you for something altruistic? ”
I huffed a laugh. “Ryder doesn’t have an altruistic bone in his body. He either wants to drag me back down the path of addiction with him, or he heard I’m back in town and wants to see if I’m up for a good fuck.”
Bennett’s arms tensed around me.
“I’m not,” I said quickly.
“Not my place to dictate what you do,” he said, taking a step back.
“I like that you care if I fuck him,” I said, smiling. “I like that I’m not the only one having uncontrollable reactions at the thought of you being interested in anyone else.”
“I’m interested in no one else, and I care very much if you fuck him,” Bennett said, brushing a lock of dark hair off my forehead. “Do you feel ready to go back out there?”
“Yeah, I think so. Thank you,” I said, stepping out of his reach before I did something stupid like make out with him in a break room while I was supposed to be working.
“No need to thank me. I got to imagine what it would be like to kiss you,” Bennett said, turning his charm right back on. “It was great, by the way. Fireworks, the whole deal.”
“You relentless alpha,” I said, shaking my head as I walked toward the door. “How about you sleep on all of the information I just gave you tonight and see how you feel about a date when you wake up in the morning.”
He shrugged. “I’ll sleep on it if it’ll make you feel better, but I won’t change my mind.
You can anticipate seeing me again tomorrow evening.
” He put his hand on the small of my back and guided me through the door ahead of him.
The protective energy coming off him was oddly soothing, and I stepped a little closer.
The quick glance he gave me told me he noticed, but he said nothing.
I resumed my bartending duties, freeing a frazzled looking Oakley, whose long, straight hair was now wet.
I don’t even want to know how that happened.
She sat down next to Bennett, and they hung out for a while. The glimpses that I got of them chatting easily and laughing gave me the impression that they were close, and I felt pulled to hear about their relationship. I wanted to know more about the people Bennett loved.
As the night progressed, the chatter in the room died down and people started to clear out, Oakley among them.
I glanced at Bennett, who was still sitting on his barstool as the last couple walked out the front door.
I finished my final cleaning tasks for the night and walked over to the door to lock it before making eye contact with him.
“You’re planning to walk me to my car tonight, aren’t you?” I asked.
“It’s not optional.”
“I didn’t think it was,” I said. “Let me grab my stuff.”
I walked to the break room and muttered under my breath, “Fucking alphas.”
“I can hear you,” he called after me. “We fucking alphas have great hearing.”
“Oh, I know!” I called back, smiling to myself the whole time as I gathered my things.