Page 106 of Everlasting Promises

Ben kisses my forehead. “Would you mind waiting here for a minute? I’m just going to walk them out. I need to have a word with them.”

“But, Ben. You can go to dinner. Don’t stay here for me. I can go home. They’re your parents,” I implore him. Goodness only knows when he’ll see them next.

He shakes his head, a look of dejection painting his features. “Only biologically. I can’t say they’ve ever truly been parents. Not in any way that counts.” He kisses me again and my already mangled heart cracks for the man who seems to have missed out on so much. “I won’t be long.”

49

HOPE

My thoughts areerratic as I clear the table and drag on the rubber gloves Ben keeps here for me to wash the dishes. I never imagined his parents would be so cold and rude when he’s so warm. When the kitchen is clean, I wander toward the front window and watch him with them.

They’re obviously unhappy he’s not doing what they want, and I wonder if he normally complies but is choosing not to because of Evan and me. I’d hate for our presence to put a wedge between him and his parents. I know how important it is to have family around. Without the support of my family—and Wyatt’s—Evan and I wouldn’t have survived the last six years. Hell, even before that, they supported us whenever Wyatt was deployed. Which was often.

The slamming of car doors breaks me from my thoughts, and I focus back on what’s happening outside. With his hands on his hips, Ben stands frozen in place as he watches his parents’ SUV disappear down the street. He brings his hands to the back of his head, linking his fingers together as he paces in a circle. Hispain and disappointment surround him like an aura, and I can’t watch him deal with his obvious hurt alone, so I push open the screen door and make my way toward him.

Sliding my hands up over his tense shoulders, I place a kiss to the space between his shoulder blades and feel his muscles relax a little. Slowly, I slide my hands down his strong back, trace his flanks, then wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek and the front of my body to him.

He entangles our fingers together and blows out a long breath, releasing more tension. “I’m sorry.”

I kiss his muscular back again. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

Turning in my embrace, he gently pushes my hair over my shoulders as his eyes trace every inch of my face. “Because you didn’t deserve to have to experience my parents’ toxicity.” He drops his forehead to mine and squeezes his eyes closed. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed.”

I hold him tighter, giving him as much of my support as I can. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. You are not your parents, Ben. In fact, you’re the exact opposite, which makes me love you that much more. The work you’ve had to do tonotbe like them must have been astounding. I can’t believe you’re related to those people.”

He opens his eyes, revealing the gorgeous gray irises that are normally playful, but are now filled with uncertainty. “You love me?”

I stop breathing for a moment and run back over what I said, realizing the words I spoke. I ruminate over them for a moment, then nod my head when I conclude I meant them down to the depths of my soul. Mist forms with my hot breath in the cold air as I release the air trapped in my lungs. “Yeah, I love you,” I declare with a grin.

A gorgeous, all-encompassing smile overtakes his face, and he suddenly lifts me from my feet, making me squeal in surprise. He chuckles as he spins me around, then tugs me in tight. I wrap my legs around his waist and he looks up at me. “You know I’ve loved you and Evan for a couple of months, right?”

The muscle in my chest expands, pumping hard and filling up all the available space. I didn’t need him to tell me.

Iknew.

How could I not?

Nodding, I murmur, “I knew.”

I watch his lips move closer to mine. “Good,” he whispers, his hot breath hitting my skin before his mouth crashes onto mine.

Tightening my hold around his neck, I open eagerly to welcome his kiss. After all, it’s his kisses that brought me back to life. It was his patience and compassion that brought me back into the light after more than six years in the darkness.

I’m glad he wants Evan and me forever, because I never want to leave the sanctuary of his embrace. And I hope, with this kiss, he realizes I love him for the man he is … the man he worked so hard to become.

When the need for oxygen becomes too much, we pull away, but Ben drags his lips down the side of my neck, kissing his way to my pulse, his bristles leaving a raspy trail on my sensitive flesh. I grind down on him, and his groan vibrates deliciously against my throat.

As he turns and takes the first step toward his home, excitement bubbles inside me at the prospect of what will happen once we’re inside. We unexpectedly have the evening to ourselves, and I can’t wait to get started.

His hands grip my ass while I kiss across his jaw to his ear. “I need you inside me. My panties are so wet.”

He groans and hurries his steps, slamming the screen door followed by the front door. “Fuck, Hope. I need to be inside youlike I need my next breath. Probably more,” he pants against my throat.

Pressing my back against the closed front door, our teeth clash as he kisses me savagely. Our heavy breaths mingle and my breasts ache to be free of constraint so I can feel his warm hands on them.

My thoughts and responses solely narrow to Ben and what he’s doing to me … to my body. I scramble to drag his T-shirt up his body, and when he realizes what I’m trying to do, he reaches behind his neck, pulls it clear over his head, and tosses it to the floor.

Immediately, I glide my hands over the smooth expanse of his back, feeling every shift of his firm muscles as he effortlessly holds me in place. The thick ridge behind his zipper feels amazing against my throbbing clit, but I need him inside me as well as all around me.

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