Page 61 of Summer Reading

Well, didn’t that make me feel special? I didn’t know what to say, so I leaned across the console and put my mouth on his, saying with a kiss what I couldn’t say with words.

He didn’t move, letting me take control just like I had let him before. It was intoxicating. I pressed my mouth against his. I heard him swallow. I put my hand on his shoulder, to pull him closer and to steady myself as I deepened the kiss. I liked the shape of his lips and the way they fit mine.

When I parted my lips, encouraging him to do the same, I heard him grunt. The muscles of his shoulder bunched under my fingers, as if he was really trying to rein himself in. That simply wouldn’t do. I slid my tongue into his mouth, seeking the taste of him.

Ben’s control snapped. Ha! He reached for me with both hands and hauled me up against him as much as our seats would permit. His large hand pressed againstmy back while his other hand cradled my head, tilting it just enough to open the kiss wide. Heat and desire began to sizzle inside me, and I shifted restlessly, trying to get even closer.

The piercing honk of a horn sounded, and we both jumped. Ben didn’t let me go but glanced out the window. I turned my head and followed his gaze. A car alarm was blaring and its lights flashing. It was three cars away, and a man was standing beside it, desperately pressing on his key fob while his wife looked exasperated beside him.

“Excellent timing there,” I said. I pressed my forehead into his shoulder, trying to calm my racing heart.

“Yeah,” he agreed. He leaned close and kissed me quick. Then he let me go and turned to start the car. I slumped against my seat, and he glanced at me and winked.

It was a wicked wink that made me blush, but it also reassured me that what I was feeling, this crazy, giddy, attraction, wasn’t one-sided. He was feeling it, too.

We arrived at the house twenty minutes later. It was just getting dark, and the porch light was on. I could see the light on up in Tyler’s room. I wondered if I needed to tell him we were home or if he was too deep into his video games and wouldn’t notice either way. Dilemma.

I climbed out of the car before Ben could reach my door. He took my free hand, as I had the bag with the cheesecake in the other. We walked up the walkway,and I could feel first-date awkwardness hitching a ride with us.

Did I invite him in? What if he thought he was spending the night? That was a no-go. I was not having a man over with my little brother in the house. Too weird, and I was pretty sure Dad and Stephanie would be unhappy.

Still, I wasn’t ready for the night to end, and we had cheesecake. If Ben left, I would probably eat the whole slice myself as a delicious substitute for sex. Which was a terrible choice because the cake would do my already bottom-heavy ass no favors, and the satisfaction would be temporary, ending when the cheesecake was gone, unlike a good orgasm, which could leave me sated until—oh, who was I kidding? If the man made love as well as he kissed, I’d never get enough of him.

“Can I make you some coffee?” I asked. “It would go well with dessert.”

“Sounds great,” he said. “After all, we need to fortify.”

He held up his other hand. It was the book from the beach. Even on the inside my grin felt huge. I’d been hoping he’d remember, but I didn’t want to be pushy. Truly, the man could have read the phone book to me and I would have been ecstatic, but picking up where we left off was so much better.

I let go of his hand and unlocked the front door. Istepped inside and he followed. I closed the door behind us. The blast of music and the thumping sounds of someone stomping on the floor came from above. Tyler was practicing his dance moves. Not exactly the romantic vibe I’d been hoping for.

“We could read on the porch,” Ben suggested.

I nodded. “I’ll make the coffee and bring it out.”

“I’ll help.”

He didn’t help. Instead, he distracted me. He was a solidly built man who took up quite a lot of real estate in our small kitchen, which made maneuvering around him a challenge.

It did not help that his hands seemed to be everywhere when he brushed the hair off my shoulder as he reached around me to grab the coffee out of the cupboard that I indicated, or when he cupped my hip to slide me to the side so he could open the silverware drawer for forks for the cheesecake and spoons for the coffee. When he stood directly behind me to reach over me to the shelf where Stephanie kept the large wooden tray, I inadvertently—I swear—leaned back so that I was pressed against him from thigh to chest.

He dropped the tray and it clattered to the floor. Oops.

Chapter Fifteen

Neither of us moved to pick up the tray. The music and stomping upstairs did not skip a beat. I could feel the heat of Ben at my back, and I pressed the curve of my derriere right where I knew it would get his attention. Honestly, I felt a little crazy, like a cat in heat.

Ben let out a hiss and his big hands landed on my hips. For one delicious second, he pulled me in tight and then pushed my hair to the side, and his lips landed on the curve of my neck. It was my turn to hiss. He let out a low chuckle that rumbled in his chest against my back.

The beep of the coffee maker broke the spell. Ben let me go, and I reluctantly moved away to pour the coffee.

“Do you think there’s something about us that we keep setting off alarms?” he asked.

I laughed and turned to face him. The look in his blue-gray eyes smoldered, and the laughter dried up in my throat.

“I’m pretty sure it’s you,” I said. This time I did fan myself.

“And here I was going to say it’s you,” he said. Hemimicked my hand fanning and I laughed again. I couldn’t remember the last time being with a man had felt so easy.

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