Settled into some semblance of a normal life, Henley Linden tries to catch up to everyone else her age. Between dating millionaire Bennett Calloway, working as his assistant, finishing her degree, and trying to figure out what she wants to do with h...
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Henley
"Your hands really are delicate, aren't they?" I asked as I flipped Bennett's hand in mine, inspecting it as we sat at my kitchen table.
Bennett frowned, looking down at it as well. The knuckles on his right hand were swollen, a mottle of purple and blue forming on the skin above them. "Knuckles aren't designed for hard, sudden impacts."
I gently rubbed my thumb over one. Bennett didn't flinch, so I figured it wasn't too sore, but still... I chewed on my bottom lip, glancing toward the front door. It shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't have been injured because of me. What if it had been worse? Now the stalker would know for sure Bennett was close to me. Would he try to approach Bennett at work, now?
Bennett turned his injured hand, holding mine instead now. "It's fine, Henley. It doesn't hurt. Don't look like that."
"Like what?"
"Like the world is ending and it's all your fault."
I sighed. "But, it— mmph." I blinked at Bennett as he pressed his free hand over my mouth, silencing me.
"Henley," he said, his expression serious. "We already had this conversation. If you keep looking like that, I won't leave you alone. I won't even go to work. Do you want to jeopardize my company?
I couldn't really take him seriously with his hand pressed to my mouth. I smiled a little, and he must have felt it under his hand because his brows furrowed. I pulled his hand away. "That sounds manipulative."
He paused. "You're right. I take that back."
"I think saying please might work, though."
"Please don't look like that," he said.
I nodded. "Okay." Using my pointer fingers, I pushed up the corners of my lips into the fat of my cheeks, forcing myself to smile. "How's this?" I said stiffly, my lips being in an unnatural position making it hard to talk.
He stared at me for a moment then snorted, quickly covering his mouth with his hand. "It's something," he said after coughing once.
I pulled my fingers away from my face. "Something ugly?"
"Never," he answered immediately.
"You're lying."
"I've never thought of you as anything but beautiful."
"Then how come you made me get a haircut on our first date?" I asked teasingly.
"You just had some split ends... that were also beautiful," he answered cautiously, watching my face. "Although, I should have never made you do that."
