Page 10 of Every Hidden Truth

His words washed over me like fresh rain, and my brain shut down. All thought processes ceased as we shared one suspended moment.

Then it broke, and I moved.

I didn’t think. I didn’t question. I acted, unable to stop myself from closing the small distance between us. I pressed my lips against his.

They were soft and dry, and I barely stopped the groan of satisfaction from escaping my throat at the contact. I’d waited so long for this. I would’ve waited an eternity for him, but now that we were here, I was overcome with relief and want.

Unfortunately, Ben didn’t seem to share my feelings as he stiffened the moment our mouths met. Reality crashed over me, and I froze in horror.

I jerked away from him with wide eyes. “Oh, fuck. I’m so sorry.”

Here he was telling me about his psycho, abusive father, and I came on to him. He probably just wanted a friend to listen to him, to support him. And instead, I kissed him!

As if he was coming out of a daze, he shook his head and ensnared the hand that I attempted to reclaim from him. “Silas—”

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have—”

Seizing my face, he cut me off as he tugged me back to his mouth. The kiss was surprisingly gentle given the tight coil of his muscles. It was feather-light, more of a teasing touch than an actual kiss, but it was enough to weaken my knees.

He tasted like spearmint, just like I knew he would.

With a sigh, he pressed his mouth to mine harder, kissing me in earnest. It was sweet and lazy, exactly the type of kiss I’d have expected from Ben. My hands fisted in his coat for a moment, but I couldn’t control them. They slid over his sides, then his chest, and he shuddered when I buried my fingers in his beautiful hair.

Far too soon for my taste, we separated, leaving me breathless even though it was the softest kiss I’d ever had. We remained nose-to-nose, breathing each other’s air. His eyes were dark. His chest rose and fell choppily as his forehead met mine.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for that,” he said.

I scowled, wrenching his hair viciously. “Then what the fuck took you so long?”

He smirked and brushed his nose against mine. “You’re kind of skittish, you know? I couldn’t take the chance of being impatient and scaring you off.”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

He rolled his eyes. “You really know what to say to warm a boy’s heart.”

I laughed, and he smiled.

“Besides, I had to be sure you wanted me too.”

I raised an eyebrow and rubbed against him suggestively. “I think it’s safe to say I want you. Or do you need more encouragement?”

Wiggling my obviouswantagainst his thigh, I nipped his bottom lip, and he gasped. “Do you always have to be such a smartass?”

I assumed the question was rhetorical when he smashed our mouths together before I could answer. There was hunger to this kiss, and I met his desperation with my own.

My hands delved into his hair, his strands sifting through my fingers soft as silk. My heart leapt as he moaned into my mouth. One of his hands slid down my spine to my lower back. He pulled me impossibly close as the other hand cupped the back of my neck. He was everywhere, surrounding me with the scent of his spring soap and the taste of spearmint on his lips.

When his grip dropped to my hips, he added just enough pressure to push me backward until my back met the wall. Pinned between his body and the wall, I groaned. His tongue dove into my mouth to tangle with my own.

Much too quickly, his lips left mine, and I whimpered at the loss.

He chuckled darkly and blazed a path down my neck. As he drove me crazy with his mouth, my head fell back against the wall to give him ample room to nibble my pulse point.

I felt him harden against me, and fire raced through my veins. I unzipped his coat, shoving aside the bulky material so I could slip my hands under his shirt. Hot skin met my fingers, and I nearly whimpered.

“Silas,” he panted my name against my neck, and whatever control I’d had until this point snapped.

I spun us, shoving Ben against the wall violently as I smothered his shocked grunt with my lips. My hands lowered to his jeans, my fingers working to unbutton them.

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