Chapter 18

Ben.

Finally, after two weeks of us being apart, I managed to get back home. It was only for a short break before I had to go back. Dan had gone over Scarlett’s decision and appeared with Makas to keep her company, so she and Dad could survive at least a day without me.

I was hurrying to Ginger and her mom’s salon to see her before she closed. It was pretty late already, so she might have closed, but I wanted to try and surprise her. If I didn’t find her there, I’d probably just call her so she could come out. I wanted to have a talk with her mother properly before I showed up at her doorstep asking her to lend me her daughter for a night out.

But by the time I got there, it was with disappointment to see that the salon was closed. I parked my car and got out, and stepped up to the door, but I couldn’t see any lights on behind the blinds.

“Damn,” I muttered, feeling regretful.

It only lasted for a moment, though, and I started the walk toward Ginger’s home as I pulled my phone from my pocket to call her. But I’d only walked a few feet when I heard shouting voices, and looked up.

At first, all I could see was a guy harassing a woman. I started to jog forward to interrupt, because I couldn’t just leave it alone. But when I saw who the two people were, I was immediately enraged, and I broke into a sprint. I caught Hunter and forcefully dragged him away from Ginger, the surprise probably the only reason he went so easily. I rounded him to face me, pulled back my fist, and punched him right in the face.

The first punch seemed to stun him, and I didn’t wait for him to get back his senses before I followed with another punch. By then, he’d started to fight back, but with the advantage of my first surprise attack, I managed to beat him up good. When he stopped trying to attack me, I turned my attention to Ginger.

“Let’s go,” I said urgently.

As much as I didn’t feel like I’d done enough, I wouldn’t think of going into a full out fight until you pass out brawl with Hunter with Ginger standing right there. For one thing, we weren’t still in high school where all something like that would get you was some reprimanding and a note in your record. I was banking on the hope that Hunter wouldn’t take legal action if I didn’t rough him up too much, because I could easily go overboard, and even arguing that he was harassing Ginger might not be enough help to get me out of trouble.

With Dad’s bills, I needed every bit of money I could manage to scrunch up. I had to keep my cool, if only for that.

Ginger didn’t hesitate to run to me, and when she took my hand, I rushed her over to my car. I took her to the front passenger side and opened the door for her, waited for her to climb in, then closed it behind her. I quickly rounded to my side and got in.

“Do you want to come to my place?” I asked, internally begging she would say yes, because I couldn’t bear to let her go home in her current state. Looking closely at her, she was shaking, and her eyes glistened a little.

She didn’t give a verbal answer, just nodded, and I decided it was good enough. As I started the car and drove us toward the hotel, I glanced at Hunter one last time, wanting for a moment to forget I was a responsible adult so I could go fuck him up, because he was already on his feet looking lucid.

“He saw us,” Ginger suddenly said.

I glanced over at her, not sure what she meant. “What?”

“That day, when you fucked me against the sink, in the salon. Ben, he was watching us.” Ginger’s tone was a little complicated. She sounded like she was about to cry, at the same time frustrated, and there was a tiny bit of disgust thrown in, too.

The latter, I totally agreed with, and when it sunk in for me, my hands tightened on the wheel and my foot slammed on the brakes so the car came to a complete stop.

“Fuck!” I cursed, slamming a hand on the steering wheel. My heartbeat and breathing were both up, and I leaned my head on my hand, still holding the wheel, to try and calm down. After a beat, I sat back up, deciding there was no point. “I’m gonna go beat him black and blue some more.”

Right after that declaration, I was reaching for my belt and the door at the same time so I could run back. We hadn't gone far yet, and hopefully, he hadn't run. But Ginger caught onto my arm.

“No!” she cried out. I turned to her, ready to argue, but then she went on, “No, don’t leave me, please.”

It wasn’t the reaction I expected, and I frowned at her. “Did he scare you that much?”

Her face twisted. “How disturbed do you have to be to watch two people in such an intimate moment? And that would definitely fucking bother me, Ben. He saw us!”

Her last words were up to screech levels. I could see her unraveling at the seams, and I reached for her, pulling her into a hug. With a rough sound in her throat, she fell into me gladly, clutching back at me as her body shook.

“I’m sorry I was away for so long,” I murmured into her hair, holding her close and breathing her familiar scent in. “I wanted to come back way sooner, but I only just got some time in today, and the drive took so fucking long…”

“You were there for me at just the right time, though,” she countered, her voice quieter, muffled against my shoulder. I could feel her slowly calming down as the trembling in her body decreased. “I’m so happy you came back.”

After a moment, when she was completely relaxed against me, I caught her by the shoulders and pushed her back into her seat.

“Put your seatbelt on,” I instructed as I did the same. I waited until she had it on, then held my hand out for her to take. She gave me a grateful smile that I returned, and I started driving again, slower. It was a bit awkward with her holding my hand, but she willingly accommodated what I needed without releasing me.

“What did he want from you, anyway?” I asked darkly.

She snorted. “The usual, only ten times more creepy and scary about it. Why did I pick you, why not him instead?”

I sighed. “If you and I were permanent, in a way that everybody could tell, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen. I want us to be permanent, Ginger.”

She didn’t have an immediate response to my words, but when I turned to look over at her, she was grinning at me.

“Would you be up for it?” I asked.

“Is that a rhetorical question?” she said, laughing.

I stayed serious, though. “I know things are moving fast between us, even with the two weeks I spent out of town, but is there a need for us to take things slow, anyway? And you do realize that even though we say it, we’re really not?”

“Oh,” she teased, arching an eyebrow.

“We’re already back together, Ginger,” I stated the obvious. “The only thing we haven’t done is seriously talk about it. If we can get that out of the way, I can even talk to your mom, and whatever other problem that’s in our way, we can take care of it. I’m not going to leave you this time, so trust me, okay? Please, Ginger?”

When I glanced over at her again, her expression was serious, too.

“Yes,” her voice matching her expression. “Fucking yes, Ben, I want us to really be together. I missed you the past couple weeks, and I definitely trust you. No more running or hiding from this for the both of us. After tonight, I’m yours, you’re mine, end of story.”

I didn’t expect her decisive little speech, but by the time we made it to the hotel, I was in a much better mood, and I was smiling as I eagerly led Ginger into the hotel and up to my rooms.