Page 4 of Falling for the Forbidden
“Huh?”
“That hoodie you’re wearing. It’s a guy’s.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“Boyfriend?” he repeats.
“No. It’s…it’s my ex’s,” I stutter. The look he’s giving me makes me nervous.
“Ex?”
“We weren’t a very good match.” His eyebrow lifts and I can’t help more falling from my lips. “He wanted things I…wasn’t ready for.”
“Fuck,” he barks, his features hardening as understanding dawns. I expect him to push me away but he only pulls me tighter against him. My heart thunders in my chest as his eyes continue to bore down into mine. He must be able to feel my body trembling against his, but he doesn’t react.
“Ben?” I ask when the silence continues to stretch between us.
His eyes flick down to my lips when his name falls from them. I’m powerless to stop my tongue running along my bottom lip in anticipation. When he does eventually move, I find myself stumbling across the hallway.
The slam of his door vibrates through the entire house. I feel it in the wall at my back. It’s the only evidence I have that what just happened wasn’t my imagination. My racing heart and quivering body sure point towards it all being real.
He was going to kiss me, I’m sure of it.
Why me, and why now? He’s gone out of his way to avoid me since our parents forced us on each other. He’s been nothing but an arsehole.
After a few seconds of confusion, the sound of another door closing has me moving. I push myself from the wall and make my way back to my room.
* * *
“Lauren? Ben? Are you ready?”Dad hollers up the stairs.
I’ve no idea where we’re going for this meal, but I’m assuming it’s somewhere pretentious to make Dad look good. I’m wearing a pencil skirt and a blouse instead of the jeans and vest I really want to be in.
“Just coming,” I call back before swiping some gloss over my lips and smoothing down my hair.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” Dad says when I get to the bottom step. Seeing him in a suit and Jenny in a floral summer dress makes me think my assumption might be spot on. He’s much less impressed when Ben eventually makes an appearance. “What the fuck is that?” he barks, making both Jenny and I turn towards the stairs.
He’s wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a white V-neck, skin-tight t-shirt. “What?”
“Go and put some decent clothes on.”
“Thesearedecent.”
The two of them stare at each other, a silent argument raging between them.
“Ben, please,” Jenny begs, stepping in before things kick off. “Just go and put a shirt on, at least.”
“This is a fucking joke,” he mutters as he disappears up the stairs. I can’t help but agree with him. This whole ‘let’s be a family’ thing all of a sudden is a bit much. I’m actually surprised he even agreed to it in the first place. He usually avoids any family event at all costs.
The drive towards the restaurant is silent and awkward as fuck as Ben and I sit beside each other in the back. His words from the night before and the feel of his body pressed against mine are still at the forefront of my mind, but now we’re out as afamily, it makes everything I’m still feeling seem very, very wrong.
From the moment we sit down at our table, Dad has his phone out. He’s totally oblivious to the death stares he keeps getting from Jenny.
“So, Lauren, are you looking forward to starting work tomorrow?”
“Uh…yeah, I think so. I’m a little nervous.”
“Aww, no need for that. Everyone’s lovely. Right, Ben?”
