Page 45 of Planning on Happily Ever After

She smiled at him, looking pleased with herself now that she knew how he felt. “I’ve always been a bit of an overachiever.” Holly scooted closer to him and kissed his cheek. “Plus, I read a ton of smutty romance novels. They’re kind of like guidebooks for the inexperienced.”

Ben chuckled at her using her reading as an instruction manual. “Well, remind me to take you shopping at the bookstore next time we go out because that was amazing.” He could feel her smile widen against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm tightly around her, pulling her in to kiss the top of her head before rolling her onto her back, ready to return the favor. “Alright. Your turn.”

Holly barely had time to respond with more than a squeak before Ben was kissing down her chest and pulling one of her nipples into his mouth. She ran her fingers into his hair and griped the back of his head as he paid tribute to her amazing breasts. They were just more than a handful, and he wanted to be able to get his mouth and hands on them as often as he could. Ben continued to lick, suck, and bite at her chest until he felt her writhing beneath him.

Finally taking the hint, he moved down to her center where he used his hands to spread her open and dive in with his tongue, feasting on her. Holly tasted tangy, sweet, and a little bit like spun honey, and he couldn’t get enough. She was the best damn breakfast he’d ever had, and he was already trying to think of ways to get her to spend every night with him so they could wake up like this all the time.

After spearing her hole with his tongue, he pushed it in and out, gathering her sweet nectar before licking his way up to her clit, repeating the action until his face was covered in her scent. The smell made him almost feral, the need to drive his cock into her over and over again was overwhelming, but he cared more about her needs than his own and put that aside for another day. She needed a break, and Ben needed to get her off.

With each pass of his tongue, he felt her body grow more tense, so he moved his way up to her clit and sucked it into his mouth with as much pressure as he could, moving his hands to grip her backside and pulling her closer until he was practically suffocating. Finally, Holly’s body snapped and she came with a shout, Ben licking and sucking her through it until he felt her come again, only letting up when her body went pliant beneath his.

Gripping her chin, Ben slanted his mouth over hers, both of their releases mingling as their mouths moved together. He finally broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers while they both worked to catch their breath, and after a few moments of breathing each other’s air, Ben rolled to the side and draped Holly over his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. As she settled on top of him, her hand rested over his heart. It was the perfect placement for it since his heart belonged to her now, and as they both drifted back to sleep, Ben could only hope that she would keep it as safe as he hoped to keep hers.

***

Two weeks later, Benand Holly were back at his place enjoying lunch on a sunny, Saturday afternoon. They had worked together to make the meal, and the domesticity of it all had been wonderful. Ben hadn’t freaked out once about having her in his space almost every free minute she had since the first night she stayed over. He wondered if her staying with him would make things awkward with her brother, but Henry seemed genuinely happy for the two of them.

They still gamed and ran together, and it was nice to know that everything in his life seemed to be falling into place. Work was good; Kelly’s game had been greenlit, and in three months’ time, Ben would be leading the team to create the game world. Things with his mom had been a little quiet, but Ben figured she was just busy planning her wedding and spending time with Marvin. Worry about their pairing still niggled the back of his brain, but he had tried to focus on what was going well in his life instead of getting caught up in the negative.

The greatest thing that was happening to him was currently sitting on his couch in nothing but a faded Red Sox t-shirt and a pair of cut off shorts, Ben having a difficult time not getting distracted by the sight of the smooth skin of her long legs. He was in nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants and his Yankees ball cap, and he didn’t miss the heated gazes Holly shot his way when she thought he wasn’t looking. At least they were mutually distracted from both the food on their plate and the game on the screen.

Finishing a bite of her club sandwich, Holly moved both of their plates to the coffee table and climbed into his lap, removing his ball cap and tossing it across the room. “What do you think you’re doing, sunshine?”

Her answer came in the form of her kissing up and down his neck, swirling her tongue over the stubbled skin. Ben groaned as she sucked and nibbled, palming her ass firmly and squeezing the cheeks in his hands.

“I’m enjoying the ball game.” Her voice was velvety smooth as she continued to kiss him.

“You’re not even facing the televis—” His words were cut off when Holly reached between his legs and cupped his balls. “Oh, you want some of that ball game, huh?” She nodded as she worked him over and he lowered her back onto the couch, kissing her soundly. The noises from the game faded into the background as he pushed himself between her legs, then he heard his phone ping. “Ignore that,” he murmured against her mouth. Nothing was stopping him front getting more of this woman.

Ben’s phone pinged again and again until he groaned in frustration, and when it finally started to ring, he laid his head on her chest and whimpered. Holly stroked his hair lightly, the scrape of her fingernails only making his cock harder. “You should get it. The only people who call you are me and your mom.”

Ben shook his head against her chest. “I’ll call her back.”

Holly rubbed his back soothingly. “It could be important.” Moving her hands lower, she grabbed his backside, giving one cheek a playful slap. “I’ll make it up to you during the seventh inning stretch.”

Ben leaned up and gave her a peck on the lips. “Deal.” Grabbing his phone, he blew a kiss to Holly as she chuckled and stood up to clear their plates. “Hey, mom. What’s up?” he asked, trying to disguise the fact that he was slightly annoyed with her call.

“Benny?” Her voice was threaded with sorrow and she sniffled. She’d clearly been crying and sounded distressed. Ben’s mind immediately jumped to her being hurt or something equally as bad.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Pushing his worry aside, Ben switched instantly into fix it mode. Holly sat back down next to him, returning the plates to the coffee table so she could grab his hand, her comfort welcome as he knew that he could handle anything as long as she was next to him.

“I’m sorry to bother you. I just thought you should know the wedding isn’t going to happen.” Her voice cracked slightly, the sound breaking his heart.

Ben’s eyes shot to Holly’s, seeing both her concern and her confusion. “What do you mean the wedding isn’t going to happen? It’s only a month away.” Holly’s mouth dropped in surprise and while Ben wasn’t exactly reeling from the news, he could see how she might be.

“We just didn’t fit, Benny. We were too different. My girlfriends from work are taking me to New York for the rest of the weekend to cheer me up. I just thought you should know where I am in case you need me.” Her voice was stronger now, probably her trying to put on a front for him, but Ben knew better.

As many times as this had happened, she always tried to be brave, but he could hear her crying at night and she couldn’t hide her red, puffy eyes the next day. This is why relationships were a bad idea. They never worked, and at least one person always ended up hurt.

Ben sighed and shook his head. “Thanks for letting me know. If you need anything, call me, okay?” He may not love the constant upheaval that her love life caused, but she had always supported him and he would do the same for her.

“I will. Love you, Benny.” His mom must really be broken up if she didn’t even wait to hear hisI love you, too.

Ben tossed his phone on the coffee table and groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, the jittery feeling that had been absent the last few weeks pushing its way up from his stomach until it filled his chest cavity at the same time it felt like someone was pressing against it from the outside. Anxiety squeezed at him like a vise, his breath coming in shallower, quicker bursts that left him feeling lightheaded and slightly nauseous.

Holly’s fingers brushed against his skin. “Is everything okay?” The touch of her hand on his forearm was meant to be soothing, but it had the opposite effect.

Ben felt attacked, needing space from everyone and everything at the moment. He batted her hand away and she leaned back, hurt by his brush off. Seeing her recoil from him confirmed what he had suspected all along. He’d deluded himself into thinking the two of them had a future together, but like his mom and her fiancé, Ben and Holly were just too different.

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