Page 31 of Pretend to be Mine
Savannah
Ican’t believe what is happening. I can’t believe he came over here and told me that he’s been miserable without me. I’ve certainly been miserable without him. I’ve been driving myself crazy, thinking that I’d lost him. What’s even more unbelievable is that he said he loves me. That makes my heart race with excitement—but it also worries me. He’s been so upfront and honest about his fiancée who he lost. I can’t help but to wonder if he’s over the loss of her, or if this is just a bandage covering the wound.
This past week, I’ve thought a lot about Ben and my feelings for him. I knew I was falling in love with him, and that was a big part of why I didn’t reach out. I thought back to being with James and how horrible I felt when it ended, and I prayed that Ben and I don’t end up like that. I know my trust is a little broken, but I also know that if anyone can win it back, it’s Ben. He’s nothing like James, and it took meeting Ben to truly get over my crappy ex.
We’re now lying in my bed together. His arm is under me, and my head is on his chest as I listen to his heart race. I have a million questions, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. This moment right here is special, and it’s one I know I’ll hold deep in my heart for the rest of my life.
“How’s this going to work with us?” I finally come out and ask. Out of all my questions, this one feels the most important.
“What do you mean?” Ben asks, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
I lift my head so I can look into his blue eyes. “I mean, you’ve always been so honest about your fiancée, but now you say that you love me. How’d you make the change so fast?”
“I do still love her. I think a part of me always will, but that doesn’t mean that I have to stay in the past. She’s never coming back. It’s time for me to move on with my life. It wasn’t like one day I loved her and the next I loved you. Our friendship went deeper than I realized. I loved you before I even realized it. So really, it wasn’t fast. I’m just too dumb to know what I’m feeling until it’s almost too late.”
I smile. “It’s not too late. You’re right on time, actually.”
His hand moves up to cup my cheek and he directs my lips to his. The kiss is soft and slow and leaves my lips tingling with pleasure. He pulls back slightly and looks into my eyes. “You’ve asked me, now it’s time I ask you.”
“Ask me what?” I feel my brows pull together.
“You’ve always been clear about not being in the right place to trust again. How do you feel now?”
Ben’s hands are still cupping my cheeks, so I place mine over his. “You’re not James.”
“No, I’m not.”
I smile. “Even though I’ve been saying I’m not ready to trust again, I didn’t realize that I already trust you. I may have snuck up on you, but you snuck up on me, too. I don’t have toworryabout trusting you, because I already do.”
Ben offers up a sexy grin before pulling my lips back to his. This kiss is deeper, and I feel his erection pushing against my leg. Without asking or being told, I crawl up his body, position him at my entrance, and slide down his hard length. His hands immediately leave my face and fall down to my hips, lightly squeezing.
I don’t break our kiss as I begin moving up and down and grinding my hips against his. His hands tighten on my hips, pushing me to go faster. After several moments, he loses his patience and rolls us over, where he pounds into me until I’m crying his name and completely breathless. Neither of us leave the bedroom the rest of the evening.
* * *
Iwake early in the morning with the alarm going off. I silence it and groan but then remember Ben by my side, and my smile takes over as I roll to his side of the bed. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him.
“Can we call in?” he asks, not opening his eyes yet.
I laugh. “I’m in the process of finalizing four sales and you’re a doctor at a hospital. I’m sure you’re needed today.”
He groans.
I giggle. “But we can go take a shower together, have some coffee, maybe some breakfast, and then meet back up this afternoon to do it all again.”
His grin takes over. “Deal.”
* * *
Ben and I are three months into our relationship and I’ve never been happier. Being with Ben is nothing like being with James. Not only because we love and trust one another, but because Ben and I have a friendship that James and I never had. We’re still adults so we have to get up and go to work every morning, but we text when we can, and he often sends me cute little messages or pictures throughout the day. At night, we meet up at his place or mine. We have dinner together every night, like some old married couple, and we watch whatever game we can find. Now that it’s the middle of fall, and baseball is over, I’m learning more about football than I ever cared to know. But I like the game, and getting to root for the team Ben hates is always fun, especially when we put little wagers on the game.
What I like most of all, though, is how I no longer have to lie to my parents or make up any excuses. They’re coming to town for the first time and instead of having to ask Ben to be my pretend boyfriend, he’s my real boyfriend and will be there to save me from my parents again and again.
I leave work and go straight home to prepare for our dinner. Since my house is small, my parents are staying in a hotel, which is perfect in my eyes. My parents can meet up with us whenever they like, and I still have my house to make as much love to my boyfriend asIlike.
Ben is already dressed in a nice suit when I arrive. I give him a quick kiss before rushing to the bedroom. I let down my hair and it falls in soft curls around my face. Then I pull on a black dress and slide my feet into some cute ankle boots.
“Ready,” I say, rushing back out two minutes later.
