Page 4 of My Sweet Cherry
“Of course I do.”
When I untied the second skate, I looked at him and shrugged. “Then I’m in.”
“Come on in,” Benny said, opening the apartment door to an empty living room. “My roommate should be gone.”
I looked around the too-quiet-for-there-to-be-someone-here apartment, noting the furniture was nicer than most college kids would have. “You have a nice place.”
“Thank you. Make yourself at home.” He was digging in a closet that muffled his invite but when he pointed vaguely over his shoulder, I assumed he meant I could get comfortable on the leather sofa.Is that real leather?
While I settled in on the couch, pulling the throw blanket from behind me and draping it over my legs, Benny set up the movie. He clicked on the TV, changing the channel away from the fuzz until the blue screen brought calm and quiet. When the blue went away and the movie popped up, he joined me, grabbing the corner of the blanket and pulling it so it covered both of us.
When his hand drifted toward me, my heart started to pound nervously. What if he was expecting something from me that I wasn’t prepared to give him?You need to lighten up.I couldn’t lighten up that way. I gulped.
He rested his arm across my back and over my shoulder, pulling me lightly against him. Just as my nerves started tosettle, the door opened. I jumped, though my heart jumped higher and my stomach did a somersault. Standing in the doorway was the same man from the bar that had seen me choke on a tequila shot and gasp for air like it was my last breath. I wasn’t even sure if he recognized me before my cheeks started to get warmer.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked, closing the door behind him and moving through the room like he didn’t care about the answer.
“We’re just watchingWayne’s World.” Benny nodded at the TV that I had nearly forgotten was playing. “This is Beth. Beth, this is my roommate, Carter.”
The longer his roommate stood there, the more intensely I could feel his stare on me, and the darker I knew my cheeks were turning. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, wishing I could disappear into the cushions.
“Same here.” But the way he looked at me was full of recognition—he knew he recognized me for the same reason I recognized him.
“You wanna stay and watch?” Benny nodded at the TV, interrupting the awkwardly familiar silence.
Please say no. Please say no.
“Sure,” Carter said, sitting in the chair off to the side. “I don’t have anything better to do.”
Benny grabbed the remote, turning up the volume before he pulled me closer to him again and settled into the cushion. “Now where were we?”
The movie I had little to no interest in started to play. Less than a few minutes later, Benny was draping his arm across my shoulders and leaning close enough I could smell the expectation in the warm breath on my neck. It was followed by a gentle kiss on my cheek that only made my blush feel darker.When he kissed me again, I sucked in a deep breath that he took as encouragement.
“I thought you were watching the movie,” Carter said, looking from the corner of his eye at what he must’ve assumed was more than what it was.
“We are.” He clearly wasn’t. Benny was nuzzling his nose against my hairline, and I grew more uncomfortable with each goosebump.
His roommate stood up, and I wished he’d stay. If he stayed, then this probably wouldn’t go any further, and maybe we would actually watch the movie. “I’m beat. I’m crashing.”Damn it.
“Alright, bro. Have a good night.” Benny barely paused while Carter walked away; when he was just barely out of earshot, his lips were back on my neck. “Finally I have you to myself. Now we can really enjoy the movie.”
His hand moved to my leg, sliding slowly from my knee up my thigh until panic overpowered the nerves. “Wait, hold on.” I put my hands on Benny’s chest, pushing him back and earning a confused scowl in return.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll go slow.”
Then he kissed me again, but this time on my cheek while he held the other. When his lips met mine, he held my face to his while I struggled to pull away. Once he let go, I gasped for air that didn’t share his horny insistence. “I said wait!” I fixed my hair, willing my racing heart to stop slamming against my chest. “Please?” I added more quietly.
“What’s wrong?” Benny looked disappointed but not hurt—like I had let him down. “I thought we were having a good time.”
“I was! I mean, I am. I just—” I wasn’t about to tell this man that the furthest I’d ever gone with someone was an awkward kiss or that I was completely positive I had never had an orgasm. “I’m not ready for… more yet. I’m sorry.”
Benny dropped his arm back into his lap and turned his now-grumpier-than-I-had-anticipated attention back to the TV. “That’s okay.” His jaw clenched when he crossed his arms, and the air between us that had been filled a moment earlier with my anxiety was now cold. “We can keep watching.”
“Would you mind taking me home?” I chewed the inside of my cheek to stop the guilt from taking over. Did I ruin the evening? I hadn’t meant to. “I’m just getting kind of tired.” I faked a yawn that I hope looked less forced than it felt.
“Sure.” He smiled, but his eyes didn’t. “Let’s get you home safely.”
Chapter 5
