I rested against the passenger window of Ben’s car as Monroe flashed before my eyes while we sped away from Hamilton’s. The past twenty minutes had been insane. After clawing as much comfort as I could out of Ben’s arms, he’d entwined his fingers with mine, and we moved through Hamilton’s at a rapid pace. Thank god I had years of experience wearing heels, because there was no way I could keep up with him if I wasn’t a seasoned heel wearer. He had the front exit in sight, and nothing or no one was going to stop him. He refused to stop to speak to Austin, and I couldn’t tell Missy I was okay or answer Shelley’s questioning gaze as we passed her. All I could do was give Andy a brief wave as he stared at us from across the room. I’d have to call him to explain why a random man was dragging me out of the bar like a caveman.

But I had no complaints.

I just wanted to get away from the lingering presence of Edward O’Leary.

And Ben offered me that.

I twisted in the seat and looked back at Ben when the sound of his phone ringing saturated the car. His profile was tense, and his jaw ticked as he waited for whoever he was calling to answer. Even when he was clearly pissed off, he looked good.

“Hey.” Austin’s calm voice sounded through the car after two rings. “What’s happening?”

“You’re on loudspeaker,” Ben said, talking for the first time since we left Hamilton’s. “You got Missy?”

At the sound of Missy’s name, my hand shot out and grabbed Ben’s thigh. His eyes dropped to my hand and then met my gaze. I didn’t take away my hand, I just squeezed it tighter, silently encouraging him to find out what was happening.

“Yeah, she’s sitting beside me, eating a slice of pizza and giving me a rundown of the latest episode of some reality shit she watches. Apparently, it’s imperative that I know who is giving who fuckin’ blow jobs,” Austin groaned, sounding less than impressed. “How are you doing, Sasha?”

I looked at Ben briefly, my hand still on his thigh, and took a deep breath. “Well, my cheek hurts like a mother, I was kissed again by Edward ‘creepfest’ O’Leary, who I do not want to be kissed by, I’m still nauseated at the fact he’s spreading lies that I’m having sex with him, and let me tell you, I would never allow my vagina anywhere near him. Oh, and its Missy’s birthday, and my plans of dancing the night away with her have been foiled. Besides all of that, I’m sunshine and freaking kittens.”

I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes. I could rant with the best of them.

“Fuck, Hunt, now I know what you mean about the sass.” He laughed, and I was not amused. “Sasha, babe, how about Hunt and I take you girls out when we have a weekend off and you can dance your little ass off?”

My eyes shot open and I looked at Ben. “Will you dance?”

He fired me a smirk. “Sweetheart, do I look like I dance?”

He didn’t seem like the kind of man who would dance to Beyoncé with me.

“Austin, will you dance with me?” I asked, and I had to admit there was a little flirty undertone to my voice.

His response was immediate. “If you were asking, fuck yeah I would.”

“You got moves?”

“Oh, I have some serious moves, both on and off the dance floor.”

“Hart, you wanna stop flirting with the woman sitting in my fucking car?”

Ben’s reaction caused the butterflies to flutter a little.

“Did I just hear something about going out dancing?” Missy’s voice filtered through the air, and I squeezed Ben’s thigh tighter.

“Are you okay?” I shot out quickly. I hadn’t spoken to her since I left Hamilton’s, so knowing she was with Austin and sounding like her normal self relaxed the worry storming within me.

“I’m having pizza with the second hottest guy in Monroe, and I’m gossiping about my fave TV show. I am very okay.”

Stupidly, I asked, “The second? Who’s the hottest?”

“Sash.” she laughed. “Look at the man sitting beside you.”

Like magnets, my eyes were drawn to Ben. Even in the dull glow offered by the streetlights we passed, his rugged sexiness and inviting lips were on full display. It was as if sex appeal swam through his veins instead of blood, and I swear every time I looked at him, I found another thing that got my attention. Every time he spoke, something else intrigued me.

I shook my head, amused. “Uh, Missy, you’re on loud speaker.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “Hey, Ben, I hope you’re going to take care of my girl.”

“Miss, you just became my second favorite woman in Monroe.” Ben chuckled, before shooting what could only be described as a heated look my way. His second. I didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what he had just insinuated.

“Good choice. I’ve got to go. I think I’ve pissed off Austin by saying he’s the second hottest guy in Monroe, so I need to go and charm him again with my reality TV knowledge.”

“Hunt, you owe me big for this,” Austin grunted. “Really fucking big.”

“Rock my girl’s world tonight, Ben! Sash, enjoy your night. It’s time to break the drought.”

She did not just say that.

* * *

Five minutes later, Ben pulled off the main road and started driving up the mountain, toward the lookout, and again silence had fallen within the car.

“Ben, what’s going on?” I asked, hesitantly, after he stopped the car and switched off the engine.

He opened his door and slid out, closing the door behind him, and then I watched him stalk toward the edge of the lookout with the most beautiful view of Monroe, both during the day and at night. I remained in the car, my eyes locked on him, as he stood with his arms folded over his chest, looking like he was lost in thought.

“Damn it,” I whispered to myself as I unbuckled, opened the door, and climbed out of the passenger seat. Slowly, I made my way to him and gently placed my hand on his back. He flinched under my touch, but I refused to move my hand.

In the light from the full moon above us, I held my breath as he turned to face me. His eyes roamed over my face and zoned in on my cheek, then his jaw tensed. Gently, he cupped my face and began softly running his thumb over my throbbing cheek.

“When I find out who did this, there will be fucking hell to pay,” he hissed, and his tone was anything but gentle.

“I’m okay,” I whispered, leaning into his hand.

“Well, I’m not.”

I sighed. “Ben, it’s my cheek.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly my point.”

I stared at him in the moonlight as frustration raged inside of me. My cheek throbbed like a mother. I was majorly pissed off that O’Leary was once again making himself known in my life, and now I had Ben being all alpha male and moody. I did not have the time or the patience to deal with this right now, and I shouldn’t have to deal with it.

“Can you just take me home?” I ground out.

I stepped away from him and stormed back to the car. All I wanted was to go home, shower, put ice on my cheek, then crawl into bed and hope I slept forever. Tonight was complete shit.

“I’m an asshole,” he said from behind me. “I’m just pissed that—”

I looked over my shoulder and his eyes met mine. “Can we just go?” I interrupted.

“Come here, Sasha,” he murmured in a tone that caused my feet to move toward him before I could decide whether I wanted to or not. When I reached him, his arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me toward him. He lowered his voice when he asked, “Now, are you sure you are okay?”

“I think so. I’m a little freaked out though.”

He grabbed my chin gently and lifted my face so I had no choice but to look him in the eye. My hesitation was palpable. But what looked back at me knocked the air out of my lungs. The intensity of his gaze made me feel like he was staring inside my soul, stealing all of my locked away secrets and reveling in my wildest fantasies. Like my truth was everything he needed. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want this man to give me everything he offered at this moment under the stars. I had nothing to offer him in return. I didn’t trust myself to believe that I had anything to offer anyone. What could a woman with a fragile heart, broken promises, and major abandonment issues offer anyone? This was my life, and I’d spent years getting to the place I was at now. I could not let anyone take that away from me.

“What are you thinking?” I whispered as the air began to crackle around us.

“I don’t want him to be the last memory of a kiss you have,” he murmured as his lips inched closer to mine. “I want to erase him and give you a brand new memory.”

I grabbed hold of the side of his shirt and tugged him closer, then I took a risk, I’d wanted to take since I met him. “Please erase him.”

His mouth crashed onto mine and it felt like a billion white lights sparked to life behind my eyes. My whimpers tumbled down his throat as his lips began to own mine. I clutched his shirt for dear life as our mouths fused together and I lost the ability to think and breathe. He tasted of beer, comfort, and the best kind of crazy, and under the moonlight blanketing Monroe, I didn’t ever want this kiss to end. With every swipe of his tongue and nibble of his teeth, he erased every horrific memory of O’Leary’s lips tainting mine. His lips cleansed me. His mouth enthralled me. His arms protected me. I gasped against his kiss at the sensation of his fist gripping my hair and tugging roughly. I didn’t feel any pain, it was only pleasure that pulsated through my body. This was insane. Completely and utterly insane. But I didn’t want the insanity to end. For once, I wanted it to wrap itself around my body and bring perfect chaos into my life. I’d welcome it into my life as long as the chaos was attached to the man currently kissing me within an inch of my life.

Our lips parted as we each took desperate breaths, but his hold on me didn’t lesson. “Even sweeter than I could have imagined.”

“You erased him,” I whispered, offering him a small smile. “But was that the only reason you kissed me?”

I sucked in a breath as he gave me a knee-trembling smile, and then he completely rocked my world.

“Sweetheart, I’ve wanted to kiss you since I was nineteen.”