Claimed by my Unexpected Protector

Chapter Seven

Eralia’s POV

I avoid Benny’s piercing gaze as he glares at me openly, I can’t stop shivering, the heat from the vehicle is painful against my ice cold fingers, but I need the warmth. My clothes are soaked, my coat providing practically no protection from the rain as I walked the last half an hour in the rain.

‘Eralia, why the hell are you walking in this?’ Benny demands after a few minutes of silence.

‘I . . I missed my bus’ I mumble, not wanting to tell this man that actually, my mother stole my bus money this morning leaving me with no choice but to walk.

‘Why didn’t you ring someone to give you a lift?’ Benny growls, moving through the rain as I huddle a little closer to the vents in front of me, my fingers finally starting to thaw.

‘I . . I . .’ my voice trails off, how do you explain that you didn’t have anyone to call, that you don’t really have any friends, and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter as I have a pre paid cell which has no credit purely so Liberty can ring me if she needs to. I can’t afford a contract phone, I can barely afford the house phone which is more important as far as I’m concerned so my siblings can get hold of me if they need me.

Benny mutters something under his breath as the robotic female voice coming from his car display tells him to turn left.

I’m still shivering uncontrollably, my coat is like paper, I haven’t had a new one in five years, and that came from a thrift store. Every spare penny I have goes toward my siblings and their basic needs. They may wear thrifted clothes, but they are always clean and without holes.

Without looking over at me, Benny’s hand moves to the temperature dial, turning it to full, and I have to swallow the groan of appreciation as the heat bathes my skin.

We travel in silence, the rain beating down around us as Benny navigates the streets toward main street and the bakery. I sneak a peek over at him, taking in the handsome profile that I’ve secretly admired more than once. My gaze slides over his t-shirt that still clings to his body, damp from the rain, along his muscular arms to the long fingers that grip the wheel.

I’m always a little tongue tied when he comes into the bakery, he’s so handsome and he’s always kind to me, taking the time to chat for a few minutes when he orders his treat for the day. Usually, a chocolate éclair or slice of pecan pie that I’ve realised must be his favourites.

He’s the complete opposite of me, open and friendly, with no issue when talking to people whereas I can barely string a sentence together when strangers talk to me outside of asking what they would like to buy.

Benny’s finger’s flex against the steering wheel, strong digits that look like they have the power to protect as well as the softness to make a girl feel cared for.

‘Are you warm enough?’ Benny’s gruff voice startles me as my gaze rips up to his face, thanking my stars that he’s still looking at the road ahead and hasn’t realised I was staring at him.

‘Um, yes, thank you’ I manage to reply.

‘I have a blanket on the back seat if you need it’ he rumbles, ‘just grab it.’

I shake my head quickly, ‘no, I’m fine, honestly’ I mumble, inching back reluctantly from the heat source as though to show how not freezing cold I am.

It takes another forty minutes before we pull up outside of the bakery, Benny cutting the engine and turning to face me, raising his hand as he leans slightly toward me, my body stiffening as I wonder what he’s doing.

His face stops inches from mine before retracting, his hand coming into view again which now holds an umbrella that I realise he was reaching for in the back seat.

‘Here’ he tells me, ‘take this to keep you dry.’

I immediately shake my head, ‘no, it’s fine! The bakery is right there, I can run for it.’

I try to push the umbrella back toward him, but the security specialist growls roughly, frowning at me.

‘Take the umbrella Eralia’ he orders gruffly, ‘I have a spare, you can keep it in case you get caught out by the weather again.’

He stares at me until, reluctantly, I reach out and wrap my fingers around the waterproof material, Benny nodding curtly as he lets go of the handle.

‘Thank you for the ride’ I mumble as I pull on the door handle, the wind ripping the door from my fingers and wrenching it open wide as I gasp.

‘Be quick, it looks like it’s only going to get worse out here’ Benny replies, nodding his head toward the bakery that is illuminated, people already coming and going.

The sight of the customers battling the weather for their baked goods, reminds me that I’m late, though not as much than if Benny hadn’t picked me up, I’m going to have to apologise profusely to Mackenzie and offer to make up the time, maybe I can just work through my lunch break as I’m going to need to walk back to the school for my siblings.

I groan inwardly at the reminder that I have no bus fare to get home, even with working through lunch, I’m also going to have to ask to leave early again just so I can get to the elementary school in time for pick up.

I step out into the rain, battling to get the umbrella up as the bitter cold seeps through to my skin once more.

A door open and closes, footsteps rounding the hood before the umbrella is taken from my hands and I’m urged back inside again. Folding into the seat, I look up to find Benny, facing into the wind as he forces it open before holding it upward and beckoning me to slide underneath.

‘Hold it facing the wind’ he calls out, ‘or it will turn inside out.’

I nod, taking the handle and doing as he says, stepping around the still open door and hurrying toward the entrance of the bakery.

When I reach the steps, I scramble up them and open the door before turning around to let the umbrella down again and shake it off. Glancing up, I just catch Benny as he shuts the passenger door of his truck, his clothes plastered to his body, sculping every muscle of his torso and legs. I swallow thickly as he heads around the truck once more and climbs inside, his piercing gaze finding me for a second a he mouths for me to go inside before the engine flares to life and he backs out of the space, pulling away, heading, I assume to work.

Shaking off the umbrella as best I can, I back into the bakery, the sweet scent of baked goods and the warmth of the heating system hitting me at the same time.