“I didn’t leave you,” I whisper. I reach for him and he jerks back, causing my hand to cut through thin air. He is here but he is so far away. “Benny.”
His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, he tucks his hands into his pockets and bounces on his heels. “It’s okay. Some battles are meant to be fought alone.”
My heart breaks. If I listen closely, I might hear the sound as it shatters completely. “Don’t say that. They didn’t allow me inside because of what I did.”
Ben backs away from me, I match each step with a calm determination. We keep at it till he realises I’m not going to stop. The breeze blows his hair into his eyes. I swipe at the irritating strands and he sighs.
All we do is stare at each other for the next few seconds. “I was scared and you were not there.”
He’s making it sound like I left of my accord. I did fuck up but to hear her try to play the victim made me lose it. From my side view, I glimpse his parents leaning over the car, watching and waiting for us.
There’s no spark in his eyes. I slide my arms around him, leaving less than an inch of space between us.
“Sorry.” He pries my hand from his waist and drops my necklace onto my open palm. It feels like he returned a gift and a fleeting pain cuts through me. He is pushing me away again. I don’t understand why he’s acting like it’s my fault. Okay, maybe it’s my fault. But to be fair, she had it coming. “Benny, don’t be mad at your Gracie. I’m really sorry.”
His silence spurs me to lock him in a tight hug. We are stuck together whether or not he’s mad at me.
“If you don’t talk to me, I’ll not be happy.” His eyes narrow to harsh slits. I blink faster, jutting out my lower lip. “Do you want your Gracie to be sad?”
His head moves left, then right. I offer him a smile that dies off immediately he scowls. At last, he cups my cheeks. “You cannot leave me next time, okay?”
“I swear, I won’t. I’ll control my temper.”
A barely visible smile lifts his lips. “I love you.”
“Of course you love me,” I say, dragging him to the car. “I’m your Gracie.” Laughter trickles out of my lips when Ben spanks me. I keep a straight face and repay the favour by smacking his ass. A few metres from the car, I whisper, “I love you too, Benny.”
Ben doesn’t reply but the smile he sends my way says more than a thousand words. Josef and Maddie get into the car before we join them, I crawl to Ben’s lap without giving him a chance to shoo me away. My eyes meet Josef’s in the rearview mirror, his gaze darts to Ben and he looks back to the road.
Maddie sends us furtive glances. They are worried about Ben, I get it but they are only making him uncomfortable by fussing. Ben slips his hands into mine, I hide my smile by tucking my head into his chest. He hums an unfamiliar tune under his breath while stroking my back and everything is right again.
Sleep claws at me but I try to fight it. The car slows for some seconds, then picks up speed. The next time that happens, I look out of the car and we are at the house. Ben helps me out of the car, he doesn’t let me walk, instead he carries me into his arms.
I catch Maddie whispering something into Josef’s ear before we disappear up the stairs. Maddie wiggles her brows and my cheeks turn the colour of tomatoes.
Ben opens the door and pushes it close with his foot. Kicking off his shoes, he sets me on the bed and jumps in right after me. His lips are on mine in an instant, kissing and kissing me till our breaths are one and the same. My fingers rake his soft hair and he groans into my mouth when I bite his lower lip.
Pulling back, he swipes the back of his palm against his lips. I stick out my tongue at the drops of blood that come off his palm from the tiny cut I gave him.
“Are you a vampire or something?” he jokes. Not at all but I won’t mind being one if it guarantees eternity with him. He lifts his hands for me to take off his shirt, I mimic his position by kneeling on the bed, then I pull off his shirt. I splay my fingers on his firm chest, lowering my hands to his abs. He pushes my hands back to his chest, above his heart. “It was beating so fast back there. I was scared.”
Our eyes meet, he tilts my head and brushes his lips against mine. I should ask for the final verdict, if they reached one today but I don’t. He draws me in for another kiss and I moan against his lips. He kisses me softly, so soft like he’s afraid I will break apart if he goes harder. I palm his face and take charge of the kiss, nibbling his lips, sucking and biting.
Ben tugs on the hem of my shirt and I raise my hands. “Did you lock the door?” I ask.
“I think so,” he says, eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Benny.”
The bed sinks when he shuffles to the door to lock it. I toss my bra to the floor, my jeans and panties follow. Ben returns to claim my lips in a feverish kiss. His hands are everywhere on my body, touching and marking me. One hand palms my belly and I gasp out a moan as the other hand plays with a nipple. He maintains eye contact as his hand descends slowly to my warmth.
My teeth sink into my lip when he finds the right spot, he moves his fingers a little and a satisfied purr leaves my lips. Goosebumps erupt all over my body. We are still kneeling on the bed but I don’t think I can hold myself up for much longer.
“Don’t do that,” Ben says.
I release my lip and he wraps an arm around my waist. My back meets the bed, his face hovers over mine before he takes my lips again. Sparks dance everywhere he touches, moans lodge in my throat but I am unable to voice them out. He slides inside me without notice, my tightness locks his dick in a vice and our combined moans break the quiet.
Our pants, heavy breaths and moans fill the air, he weaves our hands above my head to reduce my wiggling. Each stroke brings me to a new high, unlocking another level of passion I wasn’t aware of. My nails scrape his back and I breathe out his name, locking eyes with him as I near my release.
My legs vibrate violently, I squirm under him, screaming out his name as another wave of pleasure shatters over me. Ben pulls me on top of him. For the next few minutes, I struggle to catch my breath.
Ben wipes the sweat off my brow and flashes me a grin. Too exhausted to do anything, I draw random shapes on his chest till I am able to form coherent thoughts. As the aftereffects wear off, clarity hits.
Something is not right.
The sex was different but in a good way. I bolt out of the bed, nearly tripping over my feet. The insides of my legs are sticky, a mix of his sperm and my wetness rolls down my thighs. Confused, Ben sits up. I pick his boxers from the floor and toss it at his face.
“We didn’t use a condom.” Ben yawns again and stretches his arms. Oh, my God. This boy. Giggles bubble in my throat, I stagger to the bed and he hoists me on his lap. He swats my hair from my forehead, smiling at me like he didn’t understand a word I said. I plant a kiss on his jaw. “I’ll just get the pills.”
“Sorry,” he says. “I forgot.”
Sleep clouds his eyes, he yawns again and I slap a hand over his mouth. His tongue comes in contact with my palm and my face scrunches. He snickers when I retract my hand, yawning like a barbarian to spite me.
The pad of my fingers runs behind his ear, one of his soft spots. “I think I’ll get on the pills.”
“I’m sorry I forgot,” he whispers into my hair.
“It’s okay.” It was so good. I wait till he’s peering up to say, “I like it better without the condom.”
Ben erupts in laughter. His chest rumbles and he accidentally pushes me off his lap. We lie down in our mess, he makes random shapes on my lower back and my breathing slows. It’s my turn to yawn and Ben plugs my nose. “What did they say?” I ask.
We have avoided the topic long enough. Ben shrugs, curling the ends of my hair around his index finger.
“We have to meet again. I hope it’s the last time,” he replies. My gaze doesn’t leave his face, he looks down when he notices me staring and grins broadly. “Thank you, baby.”
“For what?” My legs tangle in the sheet and Ben pulls the cover over us. He pouts. “What did I do?”
“You hit her,” he says with a laugh. “Oh, God. You actually hit her.” He says it like it’s happening all over again and his eyes close like he is imagining it. His laughter is free and happy and it makes me grin. He pecks me. “You are such a babe. My Gracie.”
A pleasant shiver rolls down my back as his fingers trail the gap between my breasts. “Thank you for hitting her. She deserved it.” I agree. He stops me from interrupting him by placing a finger on my lips. “But don’t do it again, okay?” His smile falls a little, I spread his cheeks because I need to see that smile. “I don’t want them to kick you out next time.”
“I won’t,” I murmur. I snuggle closer to him, pressing my body firmly to his. “I love you.”
My eyes close before he can reply and I fall into a sleep where I am beating Theresa to a pulp.