Page 32 of Mass Sins

She left with baby Luca, and I went back to the altar to finish up my notes for Sunday.

The second I left to go home, I would call Bennie.

I needed to hear her voice.

Chapter 12

BENNIE

Joska had insistent on picking me up today, but I told him I wanted to drive to his place myself. That way, he wouldn’t have to leave the house later tonight to get me back home.

Besides, whenever I was nervous, driving the extra-long route to get somewhere helped me calm down.

He had called me on facetime last night while I was eating dinner on the couch and watching TV. We ended up talking for a while, and when he started eating his dinner too, it felt like a little date over the phone.

He asked me about my day, and I asked him about his, and we continued the conversation even after we finished eating. We just sat there and talked, and he even gave me a little preview of his house.

When we came to talking about the date, he asked me what time I wanted him to pick me up, but then I told him not to do that, and that I would be there at six-thirty. He tried to change my mind about driving there myself, but I insisted, and he finally gave in.

The drive from my place to his was only about fifteen minutes, but I took the slowest route before finally reaching his house.

He lived in a nice neighborhood which already made me feel safe. Dad said I needed to have a good feeling about my surroundings wherever I went, and I definitely felt good here.

I drove up his driveway and parked my car next to his, and after reaching over to grab my purse and champagne bottle, I got out of the car and took another deep breath before walking up the few steps to his front door.

Before I could ring the bell, the door opened, and Joska was standing there wearing black pants and a black shirt which was unbuttoned at the top. I could see his chest hair, which immediately made my heart race.

Chest hair shouldn’t have made me so excited, but here we were.

I pressed my lips into a thin line as I took in how handsome he looked. He had his black hair combed back, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

Dear God…how dare he be so hot?!

“Hey, beautiful,” he said in his dark yet gentle voice. “You look wonderful, Bennie.”

I blushed, unable not to. He was looking at me with those intense brown eyes, and if I kept looking at him, I would melt right there on his doorstep.

“Thank you, Joska. You look handsome yourself.”

His smile turned into a soft smirk as he reached out his hand to touch my waist. “What did you bring?” he asked, nodding to the bottle in my hands.

“My favorite champagne. I hope you like it too. It’s this super cheap kind, but it tastes amazing.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it. Come in.” He stepped aside so I could walk in, and I was immediately taken aback by how clean and perfect his house was.

It was an open floorplan with large windows toward the back, and the interior design couldn’t have been more fitting.Dark wood with lots of green made the place look inviting, and the dimmed lighting made me feel comfortable and at home.

He had given me a sneak peek last night on the phone, but seeing his place in real life definitely amazed me more. “Wow…it’s so nice here. How long have you lived here?”

“A few years. I had an apartment closer to the church before, but I wanted to move into a house, and move further away from work so I could relax at night,” he said with a chuckle. “I wanted to separate my work and private life, so I moved.”

“Understandable. It would drive me crazy to live close to work.”

Joska took the bottle from me and set it on the kitchen isle before he turned to me again with a smile. He cupped my cheek with one hand and leaned in to kiss the other, his lips lingering against my skin for a while before he leaned back to look at me again. “Thank you for coming tonight. I can’t wait to spend time with you.”

I smiled up at him, resting my hand on his chest. “Me too.”

“I got you something.” I watched him walk down a hallway, and when he came back, he was holding a beautiful bouquet of white and pink peonies. My eyes widened, and I couldn’t stop staring at it.

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