Page 10 of Delicious
“That’s more than okay.”
He looks around on the bench and pats down his pockets. “Just making sure I’m remembering everything.”
“Well, don’t forget me.”
Mason gives me the biggest smile. “Never.”
Our Métro ride is quiet and tense, in a good way. I want to hold his hand, but I don’t. We eye each other, sitting a few inches apart, not saying anything, but the air between us feels charged.
Finally, the announcer calls his stop, and we walk up the stairs into the late afternoon sunlight.
CHAPTER7
Mason
Ben follows me up the stairs to my flat, and I shiver in anticipation. I glance over my shoulder at him as I unlock the door and smile. He’s just sohandsome. I’ve always been attracted to him.
But it’s more than that. It’s the fact that he’s somehow found his way back into my life. He’s no longer something I lost before I ever had the chance to find it.
Here’s this guy I had a crush on when I was a teenager—a guy I’ve never forgotten about, even though he wasn’t my first crush or my first kiss. And for some reason we’re in the same city—the City of Light. Thishasto mean something.
It’s like I’ve found my lost Moleskine. If I got it back, I’d want to fill it up and record new memories. I wasn’t done with it.
I’m not done with Ben. And this time, maybe we can have more time to figure that out.
We enter my tiny studio. Once I saw this Airbnb, I had to have it, even though it’s expensive and quite old. With its floor-to-ceiling glass-paned doors that open to a balcony showing off a classic view of a cobblestoned street and shops down below, I can’t mistake the fact that I’m in Paris.
When we step inside, I shrug and gesture at the space. “Um, this is my home for now.”
He shoves his hands into his pockets and looks around. “This place is really cool.”
“Thanks?” I’m not sure why it comes out as a question. Perhaps because I don’t feel ownership of it. “I didn’t furnish it, obviously. In fact, I’m pretty sure the last time this place had new furniture was before World War II.”
Ben nods. “I can see that. But this view.” He walks over to the balcony and opens the doors, gesturing at the Haussmann architecture with the gray zinc mansard roofs and wrought iron work. “I really like it when I know where I am. When stores aren’t the same identical, generic, corporate businesses in a strip mall that make it so that you can’t tell if you’re in Indianapolis or Baltimore.”
“I’m the same way. I didn’t want to pick some cheaper place in the suburbs. If I’m in Paris, I want to know it.”
It’s special here, and Paris is feeling extra special because of the company I’m keeping.
Letting him stay at the balcony, I go to my kitchen, which is not much more than a hot plate and a sink. But I can do enough with that. “Want a drink?”
“Water would be great.”
I remember that he just had a bad night, and I don’t want to push him. I pour each of us a glass of water, and we stand awkwardly on the balcony, taking long sips and long looks at the scene below.
Finally, I admit, “I really want to kiss you, but I’m not sure you’re up to it.”
Ben’s face lights up. “I’m good. It was food poisoning. The danger’s passed, and I’m feeling much better.”
I’m about to open my mouth, but he leans over and kisses me before I can.
God, I like this guy. There’s something about him that I’ve always been drawn to—and not only his looks. He seems to have interesting things going on. I want to know more.
But not right now. Our kisses get hungrier, our tongues lashing together and our bodies pressed into each other. I can feel how hard he is, because I am, too, and the way his cock rubs against my zipper is both exquisite and excruciating. My hands roam all over him and end up running through his hair, messing it up.
He walks me back into the apartment, glancing meaningfully at my bed. I smile and tug him along. “Come on, then.”
Ben follows willingly, and I almost laugh with happiness. Instead, I kiss him as I stumble backward. Our kisses are deep and long, and they make my cock harder.
