Page 38 of Planning on Happily Ever After

That door must have been left ajar just enough for him to turn his career into a type of pseudo therapy for himself, and while that door was cracked open, Holly Baker had slipped inside and fought her way into his heart. Ben was in love with her, and that was such an amazing, exhilarating, frightening thing.

Should I tell her? Does she feel the same way?Now that he had acknowledged these big emotions, they seemed to keep growing and growing until they felt like they’d burst through his chest and make themselves known regardless of what he wanted. This was all unfamiliar territory for him and he hadn’t had any great examples growing up to draw from.What do I do?

“All aboard,” the carousel conductor called out.

“Oh, that’s us.” Holly moved them up the line and hopped onto the carousel, completely unaware of the life-altering epiphany he’d just had. She weaved through the different animals for a moment before finally coming to a stop and slapping her hands down on the head of a unicorn. “Well, it’s no dragon, but it is a magical creature.”

“Are you sure you don’t want that one? You kind of seem like the unicorn type.”

She flipped her long braid over her shoulder. “Oh, I am totally a unicorn person, but this is about you.” Slinging her leg over the animal to their left, she gave the wooden creature a small hug. “Besides, this goat has grand champion written all over him, and we are totally going to leave you and your one horned friend in the dust.”

“You do realize that these things don’t actually race, right?” Smiling, he climbed up onto the brightly painted creature, the same feelings of comfort from his childhood retuning, strengthened by Holly’s good cheer.

“Psh. Don’t bother me with silly things like reality, handsome. For as long as this carousel is moving, I’m living in my imagination,” she quipped, tapping the side of her head.

“I think I’ll join you.” As the ride began to move, Ben reached over and intertwined their fingers together because he couldn’t not be touching her when he felt so much love flowing through his body.

Blue eyes flicked to their joined hands before meeting his, and she smiled warmly at him. “Hey, thanks for sharing your past with me and bringing me here. I know it can be difficult to talk about painful things like that.”

It was hard to share the pain of his past, but he also felt so much lighter now that he had. Some of the pressure that constantly seemed to press down on his chest was gone, and even if it was just for the next few moments, it had been worth it to feel as he did now.

Ben glanced at Holly, hoping that his eyes could communicate just how grateful he was to have her in his life. “It’s not so painful anymore, sunshine.”

A blush spread across her cheeks and Ben wished there was less distance between them so he could kiss her, public displays be damned. It would have to wait, though. “Good,” she replied, her eyes filled with affection. “Now, first one to the finish gets to buy me a churro from the cart I spied over there.”

Ben barked a laugh. “Deal.” He would buy her a million churros if it meant she kept looking at him like that, like he was something incredible and worthy, and even though they were currently spinning in circles, Ben could tell they were actually moving forward toward a very bright future.

***

The afternoon sun dippedlower in the sky, evening approaching as Ben drove back toward Holly’s apartment. He had enjoyed their date immensely and felt lighter than air after having shared a difficult part of his past with the woman he loved. Now all he had to do was tell her how he felt.On the first date? Are you sure that’s wise?The voice of his anxiety rang in his head, and even though they had spent weeks getting to know one another and hanging out, Ben didn’t want to rock the boat when things were so perfect between them.

After parking the car, there was a definite bounce in his step as he moved over to the passenger door to help Holly out. When she put her hand in his as he pulled her up, his arm tingled with excitement, the feeling spreading to the rest of his body as he laced their fingers together and walked them toward her apartment.

Ben wanted to tell her how he felt so badly.Love, love, love.The words repeated in his mind, but they felt trapped, Ben unable to give voice to them, so when they finally got to the door of her place, Ben decided that showing her how he felt was the best he could do for now.

Ben pulled Holly closer to him and used his free hand to cup her cheek. It fit perfectly in his palm and he smoothed his thumb over the warm, smooth skin. Holly smiled shyly as he focused on the feel of her skin and not how disappointed he was in himself. “I had a really great time today.”

Ben untangled their hands and raised his to cup her other cheek. “Me, too.”

His voice was barely above a whisper as he leaned in for a kiss, and mercifully, when their lips met his worries went silent. Holly gripped his forearms as they kissed, her soft supple lips tasting of cinnamon and sugar from the treat they enjoyed at the park. Ben groaned, licking the sweetness off her lips, and when she parted them for him on a small gasp, he moved his tongue in to taste her fully.

Kissing Holly was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. She was pliant beneath him, willing to let him take the lead, but every now and then she would take charge, and those were the moments he lived for. Like when she slowly moved her hands from his forearms and traced the planes of his torso, wrapping them around him and pulling him closer until it felt like their bodies were merged into one. Ben followed her direction, moving his own hands into her hair to tilt her head, deepening the kiss by devouring as much of her as she would let him.

When Holly moaned, Ben thought he would lose control completely. His dick was already painfully pressing against his zipper, begging to break free and plunge into her wet heat. He pulled back to both catch his breath and to calm his arousal, inhaling slowly as he looked at Holly. She looked just as turned on as he did, few strands of hair coming loose from her braid, cheeks and neck flushed, and eyes a color of blue he’d never seen before. They looked like twilight, her pupils twin moons of black. It was quite the juxtaposition from their normally bright color, but she was just as radiant, maybe even more so because her guard was completely down. Ben made it his new mission in life to make her look like this as often as possible.

Holly licked her lips and gazed deeply into his eyes. “Would you...” she glanced at the door behind her, her voice laced with desire. “Would you like to come up?”

The hallelujah chorus broke out in his mind at her query.“I think you already know the answer to that, sunshine.” If he looked half as gone as she did, then there should be no doubt he was a sure thing. Ben’s need for more of Holly was nearing a frenzy, and an upstairs invite was just what he needed.

Despite the brazen way they’d been kissing, Holly’s smile was shy as she led him into the stairwell, taking his hand and leading him upward before stopping at the small landing just outside, turning to him with another bashful smile and opening the door. Ben gazed around the still, quiet apartment and sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Henry wasn’t home. The last thing he wanted was to get caught with his pants down in front of his best friend. Holly tossed her keys, purse, and ball cap on an entry table before moving them over to the couch, lightly pushing him to sit down before she removed the button down she wore over her t-shirt. If this was a strip tease, Ben was here for it, but Holly stopped after the one article of clothing, so Ben tucked the idea away for later.

Looking slightly unsure of herself for a moment, Holly eventually moved to straddle him, her long legs bracketing his as he leaned back on the couch. “Is this, okay?” she asked nervously, taking his arms and wrapping them around her waist.

It was better than okay, it was fucking fantastic, and Ben loved the boldness that was starting to come out of her. Gripping her waist, he shifted her so she was directly on top of his rock hard cock. “It’s a lot more than okay, sunshine.”

Holly shuddered a breath before moving in closer to kiss him. It was more urgent than the one they had shared downstairs, the gentle way they’d explored one another morphing into something far more ravenous. Ben had been starving for her, and now that he was getting more than a small taste, he’d become greedy. Relishing every second, he tightened his grip on her waist and instinctively ground her down on his erection as he bucked up into her, Holly’s answering whimper all he needed to keep repeating the action until his cock was leaking at the tip.

Holly’s hands moved to his chest and she gripped his shirt, twisting the thin material with her fingers as she moved her mouth off of his and kissed a path along his jaw. When she made it to his ear, she sucked the lobe into her mouth and grazed it with her teeth as her fingers wound their way under his shirt. The combined sensation of her wet mouth and warm hands was incredible, and he thrust harder, her hips meeting his at every turn. Their breathing was coming in short and fast, Holly’s fanning across his neck before she licked a stripe up the long column, nibbling at his jaw.

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