Page 77 of Let's Call a Truce
I sucked in desperate breaths, focusing on the feel of the hand he ran up and down my back.
“What’s going on?” I recognized Asia’s voice, even when I couldn’t communicate yet.
“Panic attack,” Ben said. “I’m taking her into her room. Distract everyone for us.”
He swept me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom, placing me carefully on the bed. After closing and locking the door, he curled up behind me, clutching me to him as the tremors faded from my body.
Our breathing synced, his calm presence helping me find myself again. I twisted in his arms, still locked around me, so I faced him.
“Thank you,” I murmured into his chest, both touched by his support and embarrassed that I needed it.
He tilted my chin so I met his eyes. “You don’t need to thank me for that. But I’d like it if you talked to me. What happened, baby?”
I sucked in a shuddering breath. “The blood, I guess? I don’t know. You were there with blood all down your arm and I couldn’t… I just…” The shivers came back in full force, strong enough to shake the bed along with me.
Ben ran his fingers through my hair, pressing a hard kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “Don’t apologize.Ishould apologize. You got hurt, and instead of helping you, I lost my shit.”
He lifted a hand, a kitchen towel hastily wrapped around it. “It’s superficial. Just a cut at the base of my thumb. Lots of blood, but no real damage.”
“This time.” My voice broke on the words.
“Look at me, Juliana.” He waited for me to meet his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, okay?”
My breath hitched at his half smile, which was too quickly becoming vital to my existence. But another beautiful man made me those same promises once. I was offered forever but given the worst heartbreak imaginable. “You don’t know that.”
His eyes softened, and he pressed another kiss to my forehead. “You’re right. I won’t ask you not to be scared, but I will ask you to choose me anyway. Be scared with me.”
It sounded so simple when he put it like that. As I put myself back together, prepared to put on a show for our guests, I wondered why it didn’t feel so simple.
Our routine fell into place while we waited for my promotion—and with it, the freedom to come clean about our relationship. We ate lunch together almost every weekday, either in the break room with Asia or at a new restaurant. I learned he was a complete foodie, and he requested I let him treat me to lunch once a week so he could show me his favorite places. Besides Niran’s restaurant, he never let us go to the same place twice. I realized, as he led me to another hole-in-the-wall with five-star food, I couldn’t imagine my life without him, and not just because I had never eaten so well in all my thirty-five years.
May had given way to June, and between managing our kids’ hectic summer schedules, keeping the internship program together, and our regular jobs, we hardly had a moment alone. Our daily lunches dropped off as I was forced to shovel my lunch in atmy desk to keep up. The interns had already been with KMG for a month, and the activities we planned for them were the only time we could find to be together. I was happy to be around Ben, but others were always with us, and I wasn’t ready to make our relationship public at work.
Each week I hosted a session with our interns on a different professional-development topic. This week was all about the basics of interviewing. These presentations were quickly becoming my favorite part of my job. The students’ enthusiasm made me feel like I was making a difference. Ben always joined to give more insight into the architecture field, and playing off each other made the presentations even more exciting.
I had just settled back into my office when my phone rang. “Ms. Ryan. I need to see you in my office as soon as possible.”
I stifled a laugh at Ben’s ominous tone. “Is everything alright, Mr. Thomas?”
“I’ll explain the issue in person. Make your way up to my office.”
“We talked about this. I only respond well when I hear ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’”
“Please make your way up to my office, and I’ll use all those words you love.”
“Give me ten minutes and I’ll be there.”
I scanned my new emails for any fires so I could rush out the door, eager to get to Ben to take advantage of the few minutes we had. I slipped into his office, making sure the door latched and locked behind me. He stood from his desk, making his way to me in a few long strides. His hands were on my waist in a second, pulling me up so I could wrap my legs around him as we devoured each other.
“God, I’ve missed you.” He let his forehead drop to mine. “The past couple weeks have sucked.”
My daily schedule was packed, and I had to stay late several nights a week to go through the CRO training with Christina.We were going into second-round interviews for my replacement, but until we hired someone, I was doing multiple jobs.
I placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I know, but it’ll be over soon.”
“Sitting in the intern presentation was torture. Watching you work is so sexy.” He trailed light kisses down my neck. “You’re passionate and confident and have them eating out of the palm of your hand. All I can think about is taking you right against that damn podium.”
