Page 72 of Cups of You

“I’m sorry,” he repeated voice low as he stared at their hands. His heart was still beating wildly at the thought that he had almost lost this. “It sounds crazy, but I’m not used to going after what I want. I mean, the café was something I wanted, sure, but it benefitted my family more than it benefitted me. But you…”

A squeeze of his hand had him looking up and when he locked gazes with Amber, he saw safety in her eyes.

“Me?”

“You,” he started again. “You are purely selfish for me.. I want to be with you because you make me feel free.”

“You make me feel annoyed.”

“I—what?” If not for Amber’s smile, her words might have stung. Annoyed? Was it the smiling?

“And no, not about your smile,” she replied voicing his thoughts. “I feel annoyed because as much as I want to say fuck all men after the shit I dealt with in my relationship with Josiah, I can’t because of you.”

Benjamin wanted to smile, but he fought against it just to make sure they were on the same page. “To be clear, this is a good thing, right?”

Amber blew out a breath before reaching up and cupping his cheeks. The warmth of her skin flowed through him until it was all he could feel. He had never understood what touch-starved meant until he had hers and he leaned into her hold as if placing his life literally in her hands.

“Yes, that’s a good thing,” she whispered. He felt her breath wash over him moments before the soft brush of her lips. Lightening, pure sensation coursed through him even with that simple touch. There was passion there, yes, but there was also something else. Something he had been missing.

Acceptance. Understanding.

With an almost silent groan, he leaned in deepening the kiss. Amber parted her lips letting him in and he didn’t hesitate. Benjamin pressed his tongue forward tangling with hers and tracing the ridges on the roof of her mouth. He felt her soft moan and let his hands join the fray gliding over her back and pulling her closer. That must have been the signal she was looking for because before he could think to slow things down, he found himself pushed back and his lap filled with fragrant warmth.

“We should probably slow down,” Amber said when she pulled back to breathe. Benjamin nodded but didn’t stop her from dipping back in to connect their mouths again.

Legs shifted until he felt Amber’s inner thighs on the outside of his own. Her weight was grounding, and he didn’t hesitate to shift his hold to her ass pulling her down to grind against him. Molten heat burst forth from his groin and Benjamin had to fight the urge to thrust his hips.

He wanted it, fuck did he want it. He wanted to lose himself in the ebb and flow of their writhing bodies until they both fell apart. He wanted to know what Amber looked like in the throes of passion until the image of her awash in pleasure was imprinted in his mind. It was hell to know he needed to pull back and if not for the quick bite of pain at his cock scraping the inside of his jeans, he might never have been able to do it.

“God, I want you,” he groaned after ripping his mouth away. He leaned his head back on the couch and tried to calm his still shifting hips. The sound of Amber’s panting breath curled around his ear and Benjamin shivered against his desire to kiss her again. He opened his eyes when she spoke her voice rough and grating on his already razor-thin control.

“But?”

He lifted his head up and almost lost it again. Amber’s already lush lips were spit slick and kiss bruised. Her skin shone lightly with the heat from their bodies and her eyes were half-closed as she gazed at him. If Benjamin were a lesser man, that look would scare him. As it was, it made his cock pulse again.

He swallowed hard. “We should stop and really think about things. Not think about us trying a relationship,” he replied quickly before Amber got the wrong idea. “I think it is clear we both want that.”

“Alright.”

“But we both have things to consider and as much as I hate myself for saying this, I think we should take things slow, at least for tonight.” He watched her then waiting for her to speak.

Amber’s expression didn’t change, but after a moment, she nodded slowly and loosened her grip on his neck.

“Are you going to do that often?”

Benjamin frowned. “Do what?”

“Be right?” Her lips twisted into a smirk. “It’s annoying.”

He chuckled. Relief spread through him and he sank more fully back onto the couch. He loosened his own grip shifting it until he was rubbing her back instead of squeezing her ass. “I promise not to do it too often.”

Amber snorted softly. “Good. I like being the smart one in the relationship.”

“Noted.” He gazed at her eyes sweeping over her as he let it sink in that this was real. They were really doing this. Amber seemed to be feeling the same as her fingers brushed through his hair. Benjamin closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he rode the waves of contentment that settled over him.

“So how many dates until I can get in your pants?”

The question had him choking out a laugh and he shook his head at Amber’s wicked expression. She was going to keep him on his toes it seemed, and he was looking forward to trying to keep up.

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