Page 57 of The Fix Up

She closed her eyes again, giving herself over to the steady hum of his voice, the softness of the blankets, the smooth richness of her dessert.

And the terrifying suspicion she was falling for Ben Langley.

* * *

The next morning,Ben was still warm all over from his night of make-believe snuggling with Holly. Unlike his teen years when his social awkwardness and rapid advancement through school had made imaginary girlfriends the only kind he could get, Holly was all real. Even virtual-cuddling with her felt better than real intimacy with most women had.

But that didn’t detract from the fact that touching her for real had been mind-blowing. Both times. He ached to have his mouth on her again, to feel her writhing beneath his palms and hear those soft gasps of pleasure as he touched and tasted and stroked her.

God, he was losing his mind.

He kept himself busy all morning, working on spreadsheets and sales reports and going over the figures for a new client they were bidding on. Anything to keep his mind off having Holly again.

When his phone rang at eleven and he saw her name on the readout, Ben’s heart nearly surged out of his chest.

“Holly,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Is life vastly improved for you now that you aren’t the only person on the planet never to have seenStar Wars?”

She laughed. “Yes. Losing myStar Warsvirginity to you has been life-changing. I just finished doing my hair in Princess Leia braids.”

“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Now I almost feel guilty for disappointing you when you see me.”

“I’m going to see you?” Ben winced at the giddy note in his own voice, but Holly didn’t seem to notice.

“You are if you accept my proposal. I was thinking about the fact that you still don’t have a bed?—”

“This idea just keeps getting better.”

“Down, boy. Remember when we first met at the furniture store and you were being eaten alive by that sales clerk?”

“Vaguely. Was that when I got kissed by some strange woman I’d never met?”

“Youkissedme, Langley. Which was about the only assertive thing you did.”

“Give me a break. I was jet-lagged.”

“And now you’re not. Plus you’ve been working on being in control and commanding. Wouldn’t it be good practice for you to walk back into that furniture store and try out your new assertiveness in the same environment?”

Ben wasn’t sure he loved the idea itself, but the thought of seeing Holly again was enough to convince him. “How about I pick you up in thirty minutes?”

“Really? You mean you’re up for it?”

“Sure, why not? You’re right, it’ll be good practice. Are you going to require me to beat aggressive saleswomen over the head with lamps, or is it sufficient to politely refuse their advances?”

“I think I’m going to need you to stop short of actual violence.”

“That’s too bad. I was looking forward to kicking some ass.”

Holly laughed. “Say that again a few times and maybe it’ll sound less awkward coming out of your mouth.”

“And this is where, as a gentleman, I politely refrain from twisting your words to remark upon the likelihood of cominginyour mouth.”

“Jesus Christ, Ben.” Her voice sounded more shocked and breathy than offended, but he still wasn’t sure if he should apologize until she spoke again.

“You’ve got a good head start on the assertive vocalization,” she said. “Pick me up in thirty minutes and you can talk dirty to me all the way to the furniture store.”

CHAPTER11

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