Read Online Better with Ben (How to Tame a Heartbreaker Book 3) by Casey McMillin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Casey McMillin
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okay?"
"What do you mean? Do I think someone's gonna try to hurt her?" Ben asked the question as if he was considering it for the first time, but quickly resolved. "No, nobody's gonna try to hurt her."
"I was talking about her being okay in other ways," Molly said. "Hannah told me she had a really bad panic attack after it happened."
Based on how Taylor was acting, Ben wasn't surprised to hear Molly say that. "Does she have your number?" he asked.
Molly was quiet for a second while she considered if it was an appropriate time to joke with him. "I thought she'd have yours after whatever happened in the back room."
He glanced sharply at her. She was smiling, but no doubt wanted the details. "Nothing happened. I just had to use the restroom."
"Bullcrap."
"Okay, if you have to know. I hugged her."
"You hugged her?"
"I hugged her."
Molly was silent, and Ben knew whatever she was conjuring up was probably worse than what actually happened. "I just put my arms around her and I hugged her. I hugged the crap out of her. We didn't say anything. I just held her. If you want to know the truth, I felt like I didn't want to let her go. She felt so vulnerable in my arms that I just wanted to stand there and hold her forever." He didn't add that he wouldn't mind doing other things to her as well.
"Dang, Ben, that was some hug."
He smiled, but didn't take his eyes off the road. "It was some hug," he said.
"Do you like her?" she asked. He'd been expecting the question, but still didn't know how he was going to answer it. He felt something for Taylor, but it was easy to pass the feelings off as general protectiveness and care for a fellow human being. He hated to see her so clearly scared and shaken, and he was just the type of guy who liked to help when he saw a need. "I like her as a person, and more than that, I don't like seeing anyone scared."
"I thought she looked good," Molly said. "I think I'd be in much worse condition if the same thing happened to me." Molly was obviously tricked by Taylor's game face.
"She was really scared," he said. "I could feel her pulse racing when I was holding her."
"Don't you think that could have been from you?"
"Damn, Molly, you're relentless. I told you I just hugged her to help her out—"
"I'm not trying to say that," Molly said defensively. "I'm being serious. She was all rosy-cheeked and smiling when she came from her bedroom and I just assumed you'd been back there talking to her. You can't blame me for thinking you might have been what got her pulse rate up."
"I think it was up before I ever went back there," he said. "Did you say she had your number?"
"Yes, Ben, she has my number."
"What'd they say about the truck?" he asked.
"They said it's fishy that you can afford it and I told them you're a secret agent and couldn't tell them anything or you'd have to kill them."
"Did you really?"
Molly laughed. "Of course not. I did get the point across that you had a job you didn't talk much about."
"Seriously?"
"Yes seriously. You can't expect people to believe you can afford something like this working at All Seasons."
Ben didn't say anymore about Taylor even though she was heavy on his mind. When they got home, he simply said goodnight to Molly and went into his room where he did a hundred pushups and sit-ups, a routine he did four or five times a week. Okay, so it was exactly five times, but Ben liked to pretend he was less rigid than he actually was, so he thought of it as four or five .
Ben couldn't hold the Taylor thoughts at bay. He found it impossible to go very long without thinking of some aspect of her. Her full lips, her dark blue eyes, her smell. He recalled what it felt like to hold her, and wanted to experience it again just to see if it was as nice as he remembered.
Was it just that she was so vulnerable and he liked believing he could comfort her in some way? Was that why holding her felt so good—so natural? Did he get off on protecting her in her weakness?
"What do you mean? Do I think someone's gonna try to hurt her?" Ben asked the question as if he was considering it for the first time, but quickly resolved. "No, nobody's gonna try to hurt her."
"I was talking about her being okay in other ways," Molly said. "Hannah told me she had a really bad panic attack after it happened."
Based on how Taylor was acting, Ben wasn't surprised to hear Molly say that. "Does she have your number?" he asked.
Molly was quiet for a second while she considered if it was an appropriate time to joke with him. "I thought she'd have yours after whatever happened in the back room."
He glanced sharply at her. She was smiling, but no doubt wanted the details. "Nothing happened. I just had to use the restroom."
"Bullcrap."
"Okay, if you have to know. I hugged her."
"You hugged her?"
"I hugged her."
Molly was silent, and Ben knew whatever she was conjuring up was probably worse than what actually happened. "I just put my arms around her and I hugged her. I hugged the crap out of her. We didn't say anything. I just held her. If you want to know the truth, I felt like I didn't want to let her go. She felt so vulnerable in my arms that I just wanted to stand there and hold her forever." He didn't add that he wouldn't mind doing other things to her as well.
"Dang, Ben, that was some hug."
He smiled, but didn't take his eyes off the road. "It was some hug," he said.
"Do you like her?" she asked. He'd been expecting the question, but still didn't know how he was going to answer it. He felt something for Taylor, but it was easy to pass the feelings off as general protectiveness and care for a fellow human being. He hated to see her so clearly scared and shaken, and he was just the type of guy who liked to help when he saw a need. "I like her as a person, and more than that, I don't like seeing anyone scared."
"I thought she looked good," Molly said. "I think I'd be in much worse condition if the same thing happened to me." Molly was obviously tricked by Taylor's game face.
"She was really scared," he said. "I could feel her pulse racing when I was holding her."
"Don't you think that could have been from you?"
"Damn, Molly, you're relentless. I told you I just hugged her to help her out—"
"I'm not trying to say that," Molly said defensively. "I'm being serious. She was all rosy-cheeked and smiling when she came from her bedroom and I just assumed you'd been back there talking to her. You can't blame me for thinking you might have been what got her pulse rate up."
"I think it was up before I ever went back there," he said. "Did you say she had your number?"
"Yes, Ben, she has my number."
"What'd they say about the truck?" he asked.
"They said it's fishy that you can afford it and I told them you're a secret agent and couldn't tell them anything or you'd have to kill them."
"Did you really?"
Molly laughed. "Of course not. I did get the point across that you had a job you didn't talk much about."
"Seriously?"
"Yes seriously. You can't expect people to believe you can afford something like this working at All Seasons."
Ben didn't say anymore about Taylor even though she was heavy on his mind. When they got home, he simply said goodnight to Molly and went into his room where he did a hundred pushups and sit-ups, a routine he did four or five times a week. Okay, so it was exactly five times, but Ben liked to pretend he was less rigid than he actually was, so he thought of it as four or five .
Ben couldn't hold the Taylor thoughts at bay. He found it impossible to go very long without thinking of some aspect of her. Her full lips, her dark blue eyes, her smell. He recalled what it felt like to hold her, and wanted to experience it again just to see if it was as nice as he remembered.
Was it just that she was so vulnerable and he liked believing he could comfort her in some way? Was that why holding her felt so good—so natural? Did he get off on protecting her in her weakness?
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