Page 44 of Every Hidden Truth

“Okay, I’m done.” I scooted closer, throwing a leg over his lap as I laid a hand on the side of his neck. “Thanks for telling me.”

“You sure it doesn’t bother you? About the girls, I mean.”

Ben was usually so confident and secure, and seeing him unsure was throwing me off balance. But of all the things for him to be self-conscious about, this shouldn’t have been one of them.

“Do you like me?” I asked in lieu of answering him.

He blinked. “Yes. I like you more than I’ve ever liked anyone.”

And didn’t that just punch a hole right through my chest. “Then that’s all that matters.”

This time, when he kissed me, I buried my fingers in his hair and held tight. He shuddered against me, and a fierce power flooded through my veins. I took control of the kiss, slipping my tongue into his mouth, and my God, the way he moaned made me burn.

“Do you like me, Ben?” I asked again, for no other reason than because I wanted to hear his confirmation.

He said, “Yes.”

“Do you want me?” I whispered into his mouth.

He said, “Yes.”

And hell, that was good enough for me.

13

In This Together

As we kissed, Icrawled back into Ben’s lap, straddling his thighs. His hands gripped my hips, fingers digging in deliciously. I tugged on his curls, angling his head so I could kiss him deeper, and he groaned.

The kiss burned through me, setting me alight from the inside out. My nerves sparked, and my skin vibrated. His fingers seared me through the fabric of my shirt until they slipped underneath, meeting skin.

His touch was hesitant, questioning, and I answered by raising my arms so he could work my shirt up and over my head. He dropped it to the couch beside us, then leaned forward so I could drag his shirt off too.

“You’re so fucking hot,” I said as I admired him, running my hands over his chest.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he said, thumbspressingto the peaks of my hip bones.

I kissed him, mapping the expanse of skin—so much glorious skin. My fingers followed the path of his happy trail, thumb brushing the band of his sweats. I could feel him against my thigh, and I rolled my hips.

A strangled sound scraped his throat, and it might have been the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. I ground down against him so I would hear it again, and he didn’t disappoint.

Our chests met, and his hands were everywhere. My back, my waist, my neck. When his palms tentatively molded over my ass, I moaned in encouragement. He gripped me more confidently, and I smiled against his mouth.

“Is this okay?” I gasped as he kissed a trail across my jaw.

I lowered my hand so he couldn’t misunderstand exactly what I was asking, and he barked, “Oh fuck.”

“Ben, is this okay?” I repeated, pulling back enough to make eye contact. I never wanted to do anything he didn’t want me to, but he was already nodding.

“Yeah, Si. Yeah, I—oh shit.”

His breath painted my neck, hot and wet. He trembled in my hold, skin pebbling with goosebumps. He carved crescent marks into my back with his blunt nails, and I loved every second of it.

“You feel good,” I told him.

He said, “Oh my God.”

And, “Please don’t stop.”

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