Page 30 of Dearest Protector

Chapter 7

Ariel

“This condo is adorable,” Katie commented as she finally finished walking the space and plopped down in a chair at the breakfast bar. “You can’t quite see the water, but it’s like a minute walk to the beach.”

I nodded as I slid a glass of wine to her and picked up my own from the kitchen counter. “It’s so different from my old place. I love it here. I just wish I could express that gratitude to Ben. He acts like this perk is no big deal. It’s huge for me.”

It was the first time Katie had actually seen my place. Since she lived on Sanibel Island, we usually met someplace in between. But she’d been determined to see my condo today.

She’d left work in the city and had driven down to the beach right after she’d left the huge Blackwood Technologies laboratory earlier.

I released a long sigh of contentment. There were times over the last few weeks that I felt like I was living an entirely different life than I had been weeks ago, but I also felt like I still couldn’t completely let my guard down.

I tried not to dwell on the negative, but no one knew better than me that bad things happened when you least expected them.

It had felt really good to pay Katie back for the groceries she had paid for right before Ben had stepped into my life.

She’d argued about taking the money, but when I’d told her that it was important to me, she grudgingly accepted.

God, how my life had changed since I’d taken this job with Ben.

It wasn’t just the financial improvements, either.

I felt more alive than I’d felt in a long time, and so much of that was because of how close I was getting to Ben.

My friendship with him had made me realize how alone I’d been before we’d met.

Maybe I hadn’t totally allowed myself to believe things could stay this way, but I was trying hard to make sure I never went back to the dark place I’d existed in not so long ago.

I spent most of my spare time taking photos, and working on my business.

My website was almost ready to go live, and thanks to Ben, I was learning everything I needed to know to be successful.

He’d helped me incorporate, and with all of the other details that had to be handled before I could launch.

Katie shrugged. “To him, giving you this condo as a perkisn’ta big deal, Ariel. It’s one tiny place in a very large portfolio of worldwide real estate investments. He has other places in the area where he can put up new employees or visitors if he needs to. Please tell me you don’t feel guilty about taking him up on this benefit.”

“I do,” I admitted. “I feel guilty about this whole arrangement most of the time.”

“Don’t,” Katie insisted. “You’re doing a lot for him. God, you even drop off lunch for him and Ian every workday, and don’t think I don’t appreciate the fact that you come drop off something for me, too, in the tech lab. Just the fact that you’re getting his house in order has to be valuable to him. It’s an amazing place, but it’s always needed more than to just be furnished.”

Ben’s home was just as spectacular as Ian’s, but Katie was right. “It’s sad that he only used it as a place to sleep,” I commented. “It would be anyone’s dream home. I’m not sure he’s ever gotten into that beautiful pool or hot tub, and I don’t think he’s ever taken the time to notice that all he has to do is take a few steps outside and he’s on the beach. I think the only rooms he used for years was the gym, the living room, his home office, and the master bedroom.”

Katie shot me a speculative glance as she said, “It’s almost spring. Maybe you should teach him how to appreciate that beachfront he owns, the pool, and most especially that hot tub before it gets too warm and humid.”

I snorted. “What do you want me to do to convince him? Take off my clothes, jump in the jacuzzi, and tell him to join me?”

Katie chuckled. “I doubt very much if he’d mind if you did. He does come to the tech lab sometimes. I don’t think he even realizes how much he talks about you, and he looks pretty damn happy with this whole arrangement. It’s obvious that he cares about you, Ariel, andnotjust as a friend. I think you care about him, too.”

I nearly choked on a sip of wine. “I do. But Ben does not want carnal knowledge of my body, Katie. He’s just…a friend.”

Everything had changed since the evening that Ben and I had sworn to be friends.

I no longer guarded my words. Well, unless those words had something to do with the way I wanted to get him naked.

Ben talked to me openly, too, and we had no problem teasing each other mercilessly at times.

Getting to know him as a friend in addition to being his employee had been both easyandcomplicated.