A Mess of a Man (Cruel & Beautiful #2)(60)

“Am I doing the right thing?”

We sit on the bed with our backs against the headboard. And I know she’s talking about moving. I tip my head back fighting the need to beg her to stay.

“I love you, Cate. I always will. And I’ll miss the hell out of you, but like I said before, I get it. You just promise me you won’t turn into a stranger on me.”

She leans over and kisses my cheek. “Never that.” Then she places her head on my shoulder.

Finally, I ask. “What about Mercer?”

She sits up. “What about him?”

If the guy hasn’t told her what he’s told me, it’s not my place. Still, I want to gauge how she feels about him.

“I have the feeling he’s interested in making you happy.”

She shakes her head. “He’s just a friend and I like him. But how can I possibly love someone else? And how could you want that for me?”

“I imagine it would be tough to top Drew. But he wanted you to be happy. I want you to be happy”

“I’m not ready,” she admits.

I glance down at her, tucking my finger under her chin so she’s forced to look me in the eye. “To be happy?”

She agrees and the tears begin to pour out of her eyes. I have a hard time keeping my eyes dry as I hold her.

I pull her into my lap and cradle her like she’s mine because tears are my weakness. And I don’t know how to combat them. Plus, I don’t want her to see me holding back my own.

Long after her tears dry and her sobs becomes restful breathing, Jenna comes in.

“I’ve got her, Ben.”

I lay Cate down on the bed. She doesn’t stir which makes me wonder how much sleep she’s been getting. If she’s anything like me, dreams make it hard to rest these days. I’m again assaulted by the realization that I haven’t been around much lately. And that has to change. Cate’s moving and I won’t be able to see her on a whim like I’m so used to.

Jenna adds. “Go find your girl. I like her.”

“I do too.”





My feet are killing me when I get back to the room. I unbuckle the thin straps of my sandals and am kicking them off when I hear the door open. Ben walks in and his downcast eyes tell me all I need to know. I don’t ask him a thing. Instead, I spread my arms wide and he walks directly into my embrace. His body shudders against mine and all I do is stand there and be his rock. Putting myself in his shoes, I can’t imagine how I would feel if I lost Lauren.

At last his body calms. “I’m sorry I was gone so long,” he says.

“No, it’s okay. I was fine and she needed you.”

He stares at me in disbelief.

“What?”

“You.” He shakes his shaggy hair. “Did Drew send me an angel?”

“I’m no angel.” I push the hair back from his face.

“You don’t seem real. And I don’t deserve a gift from above.”

I don’t bother answering him. I kiss him to show him how real I am. There is a partial smile on his face when we break apart.

“This has been the strangest day I can recall.” His towering frame bends over mine, but he eases away from me and I look up at him.

“How so?”

“First there’s you. I was pissed as hell at you because you kept ignoring me and were all over Nick the Dick.”

I sputter out laughing, “Nick the Dick?”

“Yeah. That was my name for him when I thought you two were an item.”

“An item, huh?”

“Okay, I might have imagined that, but it was only my greed for you. I wanted you all to myself.”

His hands reach for my dress and unzip it.

“I wonder why,” I say as I shrug the dress off.

“God, you’re beautiful.”

“I could say the same for you.” I reach for his shirt and unbutton it. “Go on.”

“And then, you came to your senses.” I punch him in his arm which only makes him laugh. “Then there’s crazy Karen. I mean, who called her? She said someone from the office called, but still.” He goes quiet for a second and I wonder about that too. “And Cate drops a bomb on me and tells me she’s moving to DC to get away from all the memories of Drew.”

“You don’t want her to go.”

His head moves side to side and hair spills across his forehead. Before I can help him, his hands are fisted in his hair. “She’s all I have left … of Drew anyway. She’s become my best friend.”

I nod because I can’t help him with that. Cate has to do what she thinks is best. And I don’t know her well enough to offer an opinion.

“Oh, and then there’s Horace.”

“Oh, yeah. He’s a piece of work, isn’t he? And by the way, what picture do you have of me?”

Two pink spots appear on his cheeks.

“Oh my. I hope it’s not anything indecent.”

“No! I would never do that without your consent.” The combination of sheepish and sexy is irresistible on Ben. I walk up to him, grab his face, and kiss him.

“Show me.”

“Huh?”

“The picture.”

“Oh.” He digs in his pants and pulls out his phone. A few seconds later, he hands it to me with the picture pulled up. It was taken that day on his boat.