Page 83 of Every Hidden Truth

“You’re the best boyfriend, and we have gone on a date.” I released his hand as I rounded the nose of my truck. “You took me to breakfast, remember?”

“One time, two months ago!” Ben sulked in his seat, glaring at the dashboard as I guided Mabel out of the parking lot.

“We do lots of stuff together, but if you want to do more date-things, then we can. I have that certificate for the movie theater from Aunt June. We can go to the movies.”

His demeanor lifted. “And I have a gift card to that Mexican restaurant. We could do dinner and a movie?”

“Yeah, that sounds fun.” I let him hold my hand on the gear stick, even though it made it harder to shift.

The rest of the trip passed in silence, and true to his word, Ben followed me back to my house where I parked Mabel in the driveway before hopping into his car.

I’d barely shut the door when he lunged at me, kissing me enthusiastically.

“Oh, that’s why you wanted me to ride with you?” I teased between kisses. “You wanted to make out in your car?”

“I always want to make out with you in my car.”

We spent a good fifteen minutes fogging up the windows before I ordered him to take us to the drive-in. As much as I loved attaching myself to his face, I wanted a blue moon shake.Plus, the others were waiting for us, and I didn’t want to show up with sex hair.

It was fun spending time with Ben’s friends, but I was happy we didn’t stay too long. A little over an hour after we arrived, he bid everyone goodnight, and I let him drag me back to his car. By the time Ben pulled back into my driveway, the clock hovered around midnight, and I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt as I studied the dark windows to my empty house.

“Thanks for coming to my meet.” Ben put his car in Park and faced me with a beaming smile. “I love when you watch me dive.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I love watching you dive.” My entire body buzzed like bumblebees had built a hive in my cardiovascular system, and my stomach twisted with nerves as I said, “Do you wanna come inside?”

Something flickered in the depths of Ben’s baby-blues as the gears turned in his head. “It’s late.”

“Yeah, it is.” I grazed the tip of his nose with mine before repeating my question. “Do you wanna come inside?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his gaze dropped to my mouth. “If I come in, I don’t think I’m gonna wanna leave.”

The crests of his cheeks colored a pretty shade of pink at his confession, and I smiled sinfully. “Then don’t.” I brushed my fingertips over the back of his hand with a significant arch of my brow. “Stay the night.”

After a long stretch of expectant silence, he teased my palm with his index finger. “Like a slumber party?”

I chuckled at his rueful grin and shook my head. “Not exactly. Unless you just want a slumber party, which is fine.”

“Or?” he prompted.

My neck heated as I leaned over the center console, my lips hovering over his. “Or you could stay the night with me in my bed, and we could have sex.”

His eyes widened, his whole face splotching with red as his breath puffed over my mouth in short bursts. “Oh, that kind of slumber party,” he rasped.

“Stop saying slumber party.” I slid our lips together briefly. “It’s not sexy.”

“Sorry.”

I opened my mouth to tell him not to apologize, but I never got the chance as the trill of a phone rang through the air. Ben jolted, blinking away the stars in his eyes as he patted his pockets. I leaned back in my seat as he checked his screen.

“Shit, sorry. Um, it’s Aunt June.”

“It’s fine. Take the call.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door. “I gotta… pee, but I’ll leave the door unlocked, if you wanna come inside.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, I exited the car and wrapped my coat tighter around myself. When I reached the steps to the porch, I glanced over my shoulder where Ben sat in his idling car, phone to his ear as he watched every move I made.

I smiled and unlocked the door, shutting it behind me as I took a deep breath.

My body flooded with nervous energy, and I abandoned the door and sprinted up the stairs. I didn’t know how much time I had, but there were things I needed to take care of before Ben came inside.

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