Page 69 of Every Hidden Truth

“Are you gonna stop pouting now?” Ben asked as he threw a casual arm around my shoulders.

I continued to choke.

Since it was my birthday, I choseCoralineas our next movie. Ben and I shared the rest of my ice cream cake, and when it wasgone, he held my hand as we watched. He slouched lower in the couch, and when the Beldam transformed into her spider-self, he squeezed my hand hard.

“Are you scared?” I whispered.

Ben glared at me. “It’s creepy. How is this a kid’s movie?”

“Do you want to watchUpafter?” I teased, and he flipped me off.

Before Ben left for the night, he pulled me aside as he shrugged on his coat. “Oh, Aunt June wanted me to invite you both for Christmas dinner. Unless you had other plans?”

I glanced at Dad, half-asleep on his La-Z-Boy. “No, we usually just spend Christmas here.”

“Well, she loves entertaining, and she always makes a feast.” He finagled his fuzzy hat onto his head. “You should come.”

“Okay. I’m pretty sure Dad won’t mind.”

“Cool.”

As Dad snored softly, I slipped my bare feet into my boots and grabbed my coat, intent on walking Ben to his car.

Snow swirled around my face as we trudged through the gathering banks, and I hooked my arm around his to keep me stable. Leaning against the driver’s door, Ben widened his legs so I could stand between them, his hands finding my hips. I snuggled into him, seeking warmth from the winter chill.

He pecked my forehead. “I’m sorry if your dad and I ruined your birthday.”

Our breath fogged between us as I flicked the zipper of his coat. “You didn’t. It’s just, Dad talks about her like she lost a valiant battle with cancer or something. But she didn’t; she just left.” I swallowed thickly, eyes closing as Ben glided his lips over my brow. “He still loves her, but he shouldn’t.”

“We can’t help who we love, Si. My mom loved my father, even when he hurt us.”

“That’s not love. Love shouldn’t be toxic.”

With a finger under my chin, he lifted my face. “Sometimes, it is. It doesn’t make it any less love, at least to those feeling it.”

I traced his jaw, watching the shadows play behind his eyes. “That’s sad.”

“That’s life.”

When we kissed, it was stained in sorrow, and I drank in the melancholy tainting his lips. He held me close, his fingers under my coat digging into my back. I massaged his scalp as I darted my tongue into his mouth, only to retreat and repeat. As our tongues parried, he clung to me, his desire for me hardening against my thigh.

“So, uh, how roomy is your backseat?” I mused between kisses, and he chuckled.

“Not roomy enough for what you’re thinking.” He gasped when I sucked on his Adam’s apple.

I hummed. “Damn. I was hoping for a birthday orgasm.”

His husky chuckle sent shivers down my spine, and I scraped his skin with my teeth. “Well, if you come for Christmas, we can sneak into my room and have a private party.”

“Just the two of us?”

He grinned wickedly. “Yeah, just the two of us.”

“V.I.P. I like the sound of that.”

With one last sound kiss, he practically shoved me away with a lukewarm complaint about lacking self-control. He straightened himself in his jeans before crawling into his car, and I laughed at his discomfort.

Standing in the driveway, I waved goodbye, blowing him a kiss as he drove away and disappeared around the corner.

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