Page 16 of Falling for the Forbidden
It warms me from the inside out, knowing that I can make him laugh. It’s not something he seems to do very often, and it only makes me want to make him do it more. His bad boy image lessens when he laughs and he looks more his age. “I’ve never brought anyone here before.” His voice suddenly takes on a more sombre tone.
“Thank you for sharing it with me.”
Dropping his hands from the wheel, he reaches over and once again entwines our fingers.
“Things haven’t been easy for me in that house, Lauren. I won’t taint you with the details, but it was my dad’s dream home. He and my granddad build it with their bare hands. Every day, it’s a reminder of everything I’ve lost.”
“I’m so sorry.” Bringing his hand up, I press my lips against his rough knuckles.
“I know I’m not the easiest person to get on with or even to share a house with, but Mum needs me.”
I want to tell him that she’s not his responsibility, that she’s got my dad to do that now, but I know it’s not what he needs to hear. And I’ve spent years keeping an eye out for my mum, so I do understand what he’s saying. “What about what you need? Who supports you?”
He shrugs. My heart breaks for him. I’ve heard stories about how close he was to both his dad and granddad. I can only imagine how their deaths have affected him.
His phone vibrating in his pocket ends our little moment. He lets go of my hand to slide his phone out. Groaning when he looks at the illuminated screen, he cancels the call and throws it down into one of the cup holders between us.
“So…what do you want to do now?” I ask when a tense silence descends around us.
“You want the truth?” Turning his head, he stares at me. The darkness in his eyes is almost a warning and my stomach turns over, although I’m pretty sure it’s only excitement I’m feeling.
“Always,” I whisper eventually.
Reaching over, he takes my cheek in his warm hand and leans forward. I find myself doing the same and, in seconds, our lips are almost touching.
“I shouldn’t have done that the other night. It was wrong—”
“But…” I say, sensing there’s more.
“I can’t stop thinking about it. About you.”
“Me, either,” I admit quietly.
“Fuck, Lauren. We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Says who? As far as I can tell, the only two people who matter are—” My words are cut off when he closes the tiny amount of space between us. His lips part and his tongue finds its way in. His taste explodes in my mouth, my tongue running along his, eager to explore.
His hand cups my other cheek and he tilts my head to the side with his fingers in my hair to deepen the kiss.
I’ve been kissed a couple of times in the past, but never like this. It’s intense. Explosive. Consuming. Everything I previously had in my head vanishes, and the only thing on my mind is getting more of Ben.
Reaching out, I place my hands on his solid chest. I need to feel him. I need more than his lips. Every inch of my body aches for him, for his touch. So, when his hands slide down to my waist and he lifts me, I eagerly help to climb over the centre console until I’m sitting across his lap.
With his large hands around my waist, I settle myself into the kiss, but it’s not long before even feeling him beneath me isn’t enough. My head might not know what I should be doing in this situation, but it seems that my body is fully on board.
Needing more, I lift the hem of his t-shirt and go to run my hands up the taut skin of his stomach. But the second our skin connects, he rips his lips from mine.
“Shit. Fuck, Lauren. What the hell are we doing?” he pants, his eyes wide and his lips swollen.
Pressing his forehead to mine, his breath tickles across my face as I try to get control of my breathing. With his hands still on me and his solid thighs between my legs, it’s not all that easy.
Ben’s phone vibrates in the cup holder once again. After letting out a long breath, he breaks the connection between us and lifts me back into the passenger seat.
“I’m sor—”
“Don’t,” I snap.
“Let’s go home.” The sadness in his voice has me almost jumping back onto his lap. My fingers grip the leather beneath me to make me stay put as Ben starts the car.
