kind of guy, and here I was messing with him, trying to prove some kind of point.
What was wrong with me? Did I need so badly to see what he was made of?
But I was entertaining other thoughts as well. Like maybe Bennett would eventually be open to the
kind of arrangement Rob and I had. Except that I was terrified I could lose myself in a guy like
Bennett—he’d be like a drug I couldn’t get enough of. And that was hazardous to a girl intent on being
in control. Being her own person—which didn’t gel with having any kind of relationship.
Bennett didn’t breathe a word as my fingers raked softly against his thigh. He sucked in a breath
and brushed his hand up and down my back and against the nape of my neck. The fire between my legs
only intensified. I resisted the urge to squirm and moan into his chest.
Once the end credits began rolling, Bennett straightened himself. But I was still against his
shoulder in a feigned state of sleep. When he removed his fingers from my hair, I lamented the loss.
“Avery,” he whispered. “Ready for bed?”
“Mmmm . . .”
He shifted away for a moment before I felt my body being lifted by strong arms. He smelled liked
coconuts and white sandy beaches. My eyes remained closed but I nuzzled into his neck, my lips resting
against his smooth skin. He stifled a groan.
His lips brushed against the top of my head as he carried me to his bed, and a wave of euphoria
pulsed through me. He laid me down facing the wall, the same position I’d slept in last night. I heard his
labored breaths as he stepped out of his jeans and removed his shirt. Then he slid in beside me.
He hesitated for the longest time before finally scooting forward. His hand came around and braced
my stomach, so warm and strong and protective that I couldn’t hold in my gasp.
“Is this okay?” he whispered. I could only nod, my limbs felt so weak. His breathing intensified and I felt his bulge growing against my back. But Bennett said nothing
more and made no other moves. I got the feeling he was trying to hold himself back, and there was no
way I was going to throw myself at him.
It was the single most sensual moment of my life.
We lay there for some tense and aroused minutes before I finally heard his breaths soften into sleep. Eventually, I drifted off as well.
Chapter Six
I slept in Bennett’s bed for the next three nights, in much the same way. I’d head up to his place and
we’d dine on takeout, watch a movie, or listen to music. I helped him unpack most of his boxes and he
directed me where to place his things.
I got a bird’s-eye view of his art. I’d known he was an art major, but seeing his work revealed
another side to him. It was earthy and eclectic and stunning, just like him. It was mostly charcoal
drawings of city life or scenic landscapes that he somehow transformed into ethereal, picturesque, and
peculiar versions of themselves. Like Starry Night meets The Scream.
Then we’d snuggle into bed together, his chest against my back and me aware of how completely
aroused he was. If I had an appendage growing on the outside of my body, he’d have known how
entirely stirred up I was as well. It was completely nerve-racking and overwhelming yet provocative and
comforting all at once.
I had never done any such thing with a guy. And I didn’t know who was more stubborn, me or him.
Neither one of us was willing to make the next move. For him, it may have been because he didn’t want
to become one of my friends with benefits. And for me, it was because there was some small desperate
part of me that didn’t want him to think I was so easy, or easily led—into commitment, that is.
I asked him about the girl he was seeing, but he never answered me, so I assumed he was having
the same problem—no desire to be with anyone else for the moment.
Rob even drunk-dialed me and threatened to show up on my doorstep because he needed it so
badly, he said. Obviously I did, too, like I’d never needed it before in my whole damned life, but it felt
weird to let Rob come over, especially if Bennett accidentally ran into him. I had no earthly idea where either of us stood or how blurred the lines had become.
So I decided I needed to be the bigger person—the person who had an ounce of control and sense
left—and put an end to my sleepovers with Bennett. I needed to sleep in my own damn bed.
So I didn’t go up to his apartment and he didn’t come down to get me and somehow that made me
feel even worse. My chest had an ache I couldn’t shake until I fell into a restless night of sleep. I figured
he got the message I was sending. That I was no longer interested in whatever little game we were
playing.
In the morning I was proud of myself for making it through the night without the help of a man. I
needed to get my life back. I was strong and unattached, and I liked it that way.
Mrs. Jackson noticed a difference the following morning in the activity room. “You look resigned
today. Maybe with a hint of sadness underneath.”
“Nope, you don’t have me pegged today,” I said, laying down my pair of aces. I’d promised her a
quick game of rummy. “I am confident and self-assured.”
“I am woman, hear me roar?” she said, snickering. Her fingers trembled as she balanced her stack
of cards. It was a skill that had become difficult for her, given the numbness in her hands since the
stroke. “Trying to play the independent game with him, huh?”
She was frustrating as hell and always saw right through me and I loved her for it.
I waved to Mrs. Jackson’s daughter, Star, as she strode through the door for a visit. “Oh good. Now
you can complain about how Star and her husband work too much and need more date nights.” I winked
as I exited the table.
That night I tried to have a quickie with Rob—at his place, instead of mine. I had so much pent-up
sexual frustration I didn’t know what to do. Rob had two roommates, and they were a pain in the ass.
Always high as kites in front of the PlayStation. The place was a disaster, and I refused to ever use the
one bathroom they all shared. No way did I want to see nasty public hairs clinging to the wall or yellow
trails of pee on the floor. Men had disgusting habits; that was for sure. One of the many reasons I was better off without one in my life.
After Rob brought me up to his room, he immediately lifted my shirt and began pawing at me. No
erotic foreplay there. Not that I’d ever needed it before.
His hands were rough, his kisses sloppy, and for the first time I asked myself how I’d ever been
with him so many times. It suddenly felt different, and there was definitely no damn fire in my belly.
It might be the first time I’d have to fake it, but I didn’t want to disappoint Rob. We used each other
for just this purpose, and if he needed to get off, then I’d oblige. But damn, I needed it, too. My vibrator
had been a poor substitute for flesh and bones. Or boner, in this case.
An hour later, I was on my way home and less satisfied than I’d been in a good long while.
***
The second night I slept alone in my bed, I told myself things were finally getting back to normal. I
ignored the tightness lodged in my throat that I was missing something—missing someone—and
convinced myself that Bennett was fine with it as well, because he never tried to contact me, either.
I was going to a party with Ella and
Rachel that evening and was excited about being out with my
friends again. But as I got dressed I couldn’t help wondering if Bennett would show up. It was the same
frat house throwing the party as a couple weeks ago, and Bennett had mentioned that the one jock was a
customer of his. Said he had inked two tattoos on his biceps in the past year.
And so I found myself dressing for Bennett as much as for me. Pathetic. I wore my favorite skinny
jeans with a flowing top that I left unbuttoned to the center of my chest. I wore a white cami underneath
that had a built-in bra. It made my small breasts look firm and round.
When we first arrived I begrudgingly admitted to myself that I was disappointed that Bennett
wasn’t there. His friend Nate was, but I refused eye contact with him. It didn’t stop me from drinking
shots of tequila with Rachel and Ella and having a good time.
The music was pumping, the bodies were wall to wall, and the girls and I danced a few songs. I felt myself letting loose and not thinking so hard. We let a couple of guys dance with us, but when one
started getting frisky, I turned him down. Definitely not because of Bennett. I just wanted to ease back
into the game slowly.
We sipped the margaritas that Rachel mixed especially for tonight, and they felt good going down.
She leaned toward me and shouted above the music. “A yummy guy keeps looking over here. If you
don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
I looked up and saw Bennett leaning against the wall, a beer in his hand. He practically knocked the
wind out of me he was so stunning. He lifted his hand in a wave and I smiled back.
“That’s him, isn’t it?” Ella shouted into my ear. “Your neighbor?”
“Yep.” I bit my lip while my heart performed impossible tricks in a jump rope tournament.
“He is smoking hot,” she said, sipping her margarita through a straw.
“Yeah,” I said. “Too bad he doesn’t want to get it on with me.”
“Maybe he does but he’s waiting,” she said, looking over my shoulder and checking him out again.
I rolled my eyes. She was closer to the truth than she knew. Bennett had slept in the same bed with
me and never touched me once. “For what?”
“For you to want him in the same way, asshead.”
I hadn’t told her all the details of our nights; just that we had hung out some more. And that it was
totally innocent.
“Think about it,” she said, all smug.
Oh, I was thinking about it. Every single day.
And I knew what Ella was getting at.
I did want him.
I wanted to get him out of my damn system already.
Rachel headed toward Bennett like she was on a mission, and I felt my stomach bunch up. She kept
her dark hair short, and her face was unbelievably striking—full lips and dramatic green eyes. Guys fell all over themselves to talk to her.
She used her you-are-so-getting-some-tonight smile on Bennett. He was polite and said hello, but
kept his eyes trained on me the entire time. Rachel looked back, shrugged, and mouthed All yours before
she was pulled onto some huge linebacker’s lap.
Ella tugged at my hand. “C’mon, I can’t find Joel, and I need to dance to this one.”
“Okay,” I said, standing up and taking one last glance at Bennett. He had his back turned and was
talking to Nate. Nate said something and they high-fived and chugged back their beers.
We pushed our way to the middle of the writhing bodies and I started swaying my hips in time to
the music. I raised my arms in the air and got lost in the slow and sexy song.
A minute later, I felt warm breath stroke my neck and a strong hand brace my stomach. I knew it
was him without turning around. Those same long fingers had been splayed against my body all week
long. I closed my eyes and savored his skin touching mine.
“I like when you wear your hair down.” He twined his fingers through the ends of my curls and it
sent a shiver ricocheting through my body.
“You haven’t come up,” he breathed against my ear.
“I figured it was time to be a big girl and sleep in my own bed,” I said.
“Understood.” He held on to my waist and swayed along with me. His fingers trailed beneath the
hem of my shirt and a couple of inches upward. I fought to keep my breaths under control.
“I know this is going to sound crazy,” he whispered. “But I kind of missed you.”
He pulled me flush against him and I sucked in a breath. I felt the hard wall of his chest, the strong
and steady thud of his heart at my back. I laced my fingers around his neck and leaned into him.
His fingers blazed a trail along my rib cage and stopped just above my navel. I rocked my hips
back and forth in time with the music and he let out a slow groan.
“Jesus, Avery,” he said. Suddenly he pushed away from me. “I need some air.”
He stormed off the dance floor, leaving me speechless and way too aroused. Ella raised an eyebrow at me.
Why the hell was he resisting so badly?
“That boy’s got it bad for you,” she said. “So what the hell just happened?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, my mood having shifted to ugly. “You okay if I just take off?”
“It’s unlike you to get bent out of shape over a guy,” she said. “I think you’re feeling more than
you’re letting on.”
I just shrugged and stomped off. That was the problem with friends who’d known you forever. Too
perceptive. Especially Miss Psychology Major.
When I got home, I only stopped long enough to pull off my jeans and top before I fell into bed,
tipsy and more than a little frustrated. I had enough drinks in me to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Seven
A sharp knock on my door woke me out of my restless sleep. My heart jammed in my throat. Body taut
as a rope, my eyes immediately stole to my bedroom window, hoping it wasn’t another neighbor alerting
me of a potential break-in. I had managed to get to sleep the last couple of nights without completely
stressing over it, especially after taking an extra kickboxing class that morning.
I did however, move the biggest knife from my kitchen drawer to beneath my mattress. And now
my fingers were reaching for it.
My blinds remained dark, however, the only pinnacle of light from the streetlamp on the corner. I
was safe.
So who the hell was knocking?
I heard his voice before I padded my way to the door. “Avery?”
Bennett stood there, a bit unsteady on his feet.
I folded my arms. “Are you drunk?”
“Maybe a little,” he said, his hand wandering to the back of his neck. “More nervous than
anything.”
I had the power to make this beautiful man nervous?
“What the hell are you nervous about?” I asked, hands on hips.
“That you’re pissed at me.” He leaned forward. “That you won’t let me in so we can talk.”
“I’m not mad. Frustrated, maybe.” I opened the door wider to allow him to pass. I wasn’t sure what
I was doing, but I knew I wanted to see him, talk to him, spend time with him. “Were you hoping to test the coziness of my bed tonight?”
He stretched his gaze across my body, and a shiver bolted through me. “More than anything.”
“Well, good.” I turned and walked away. “Because I’m exhausted, and I need to go back to sleep.”
I marched to my room, and felt him follow closely behind. I slid back into the comfort of my sheets
while
he inspected the photography on my walls and the trinket boxes on my dresser, like he was
memorizing everything.
My heart throbbed in my chest as I watch him unbuckle his belt and then unzip his pants. His gaze
remained locked on mine the entire time, like this striptease was for me, and me alone. So damn sexy.
He took off his jeans, flicking the material down one muscular leg at a time to reveal his blue boxer
briefs. Then he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. The light from my bedside
lamp highlighted his ripped biceps and his lean abdomen. I caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his rib
cage. Swirls of black letters curled along his smooth skin, and I hoped for the chance to examine it more
closely one day.
“So you do sleep on that side,” he said matter-of-factly as he slipped into my bed. “Not just at my
place.”
We lay facing each other. Studying each other. Drinking each other in.
“Bennett,” I said, taking a deep breath. “What happened to that girl you were seeing?”
“Dunno. Haven’t talked in a while,” he said. “Guess I’ve had other things on my mind.”
He reached out and skimmed his fingertips over my shoulder and then up to my jawline, sending a
bolt of electricity through me. Anticipation coiled into a tight ball in my stomach. I couldn’t take it
anymore. I wanted him. I needed him.
I wasn’t sure if I’d ever been more desperate to kiss someone.
Chill bumps broke out on my skin and raced up and down my arms and back.
“Avery?” Bennett stroked my lips with his fingers, and the heat from his touch shot straight through
my stomach and whispered a trail along my thighs. I panted out a breath. “Yeah?”
“I don’t know what this is or what the hell we’re doing,” he said. “But if I don’t kiss you right now,
I might explode.”
His fingers curled over the nape of my neck and into my hair, tugging me nearer.
“God, Bennett.” My voice was breathy and my head rolled back against his fingers.
He whispered soft kisses against my neck, along my jaw, and below my ear. Then he nipped at my
bottom lip, and I fought for air. He slid his thumbs over my cheeks and stared deeply into my eyes, right
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