The Promise (The 'Burg #5)(184)
My Benny.
So wise.
That was a much better idea.
So I didn’t cry.
I shifted up and kissed him.
Ben shifted us on the couch so he was on top and kissed me back.
Then he banged me.
After that, Ben held me close and I snoozed off my pancakes while he watched the game.
* * * * *
Later, we made dinner together and watched movie.
And later, before heading to bed, I stood in the bathroom, wearing my nightie, and stared at myself in the mirror.
I saw what I always saw, but it was different.
It was a person who inspired love and loyalty and protection. It was a person who got this because she gave it back. It was the person I’d always been but never seen.
She was beautiful.
My eyes shifted from my reflection to watch Benny, wearing nothing but light blue pajama bottoms, approach me.
He watched me in the mirror as he made his approach but lost sight of me when he fitted his front to my back and wrapped his arms around my middle, burying his face in my neck.
“You okay?” he asked the skin of my neck.
I slid my hands over his arms and held him there, answering, “Yeah.”
He gave me a squeeze and murmured, “Come to bed.”
One more promise that day for Benny to fulfill.
“Okay, baby,” I whispered.
It was then that I got to experience the second best part of the day. Or it might be tied for first. Making love with and then going to sleep beside Benny Bianchi. Hearing his deep and easy voice saying good-night to me. Making me fall into a peaceful sleep, knowing that tomorrow, I’d wake up to Benny and all the amazing promises he would keep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The Promise
“You don’t leave your office all day,” Ben ordered as he drove me to work the next morning, telling me something we’d already gone over, him being bossy all the while I got ready for work. “I’ll be in the lobby at noon to take you to lunch. You don’t work late. I’ll be at the front door waitin’ for you at five. I’ll keep in touch with Stark. They don’t put the nails in the coffin, tomorrow we do the same thing.”
“Okay, Benny,” I replied, knowing he needed me to be docile and not give him lip, seeing as he’d woken up agitated. And giving me a hard, rough quickie hadn’t taken the edge off that. I knew that when he took his gun with him and put it in the glove compartment before we took off so he could get me to work.
“Nose down, you work. Don’t even look at Bierman if you don’t have to,” Ben went on like I didn’t speak.
“Okay, baby.”
Benny fell silent.
I looked his way.
“You doin’ okay?” I asked quietly.
He glanced at me, then back at the road before he muttered, “Woke up with a shit feeling.”
Fabulous.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I assured him, hoping I was right.
He didn’t respond quickly and when he did, he only said, “Yeah.” But I could tell he didn’t mean it.
I said no more. Just reached out and gave his thigh a squeeze. When I would have pulled away, he nabbed my hand, laced his fingers through mine, and held it to his thigh.
Finally, I had a good life and it would be selfish to wish for more, but it wouldn’t suck if I could ride to work every day with Benny Bianchi holding my hand.
Both of us were in our own heads the rest of the way, staying silent until Ben pulled up to the front of Wyler Pharmaceuticals. He let me go to put his truck into park.
I turned to him to see he was already turned to me.
He beat me to the punch when he said, “Love you, Frankie.”
I smiled at him, leaned his way, and touched my mouth to his before I pulled back half an inch and replied, “Love you back, Benny.”
His return smile didn’t reach his eyes so I lifted my hand and touched his face before I said, “See you at lunch.”
“Yeah.”
“Have fun with Gus.”
He shook his head, but the smile started leaking into his eyes when he replied, “Will do.”
“You gonna call Cal?” I asked, thinking spending time with Cal, who was back from his honeymoon, would be a good way to keep his mind off things.
“No. If he knows I’m here, he’ll wonder why this visit is extended and he’ll worry. We can tell him what went down after it’s done.”
I nodded, experiencing more awesomeness from Benny that he didn’t want to worry Cal, who was not the type of man to worry. He was the type of man to take action instead of worrying and Stark had this covered. New-daddy, new-husband Cal didn’t need to get involved.
“Later,” I said.
“Have a good day, baby,” Ben replied.
I gave him another smile, dropped my hand from his face, grabbed my computer bag, and exited his truck.
I waved at Benny before I entered the building and saw that he and his truck didn’t move, not even an inch to glide forward in preparation for leaving. I knew he wouldn’t go until I got inside.
My Benny.
I went inside and direct to the elevators, smiling at the receptionist on my way. At the elevators, I looked outside to see Benny’s truck sliding away.
The elevator binged I walked into it with three other people, though, I figured it was only me who took a deep breath before I did.