Page 9 of In Just a Year
Esther’s heart leaped as their eyes locked.
Ben had the telltale Klonimus features, an angled jawline, a bright perfect smile, wide shoulders tapering to a taught bottom, and fashionably short dark hazel hair. But there was something uniquely “Ben” about him, the golden sparkle in his dark eyes as if he’d just returned from an adventure, the slight curl on the top of his head sometimes fell onto his forehead and begged to be caressed, and lush lips ... oh dear, he caught her ogling him and grinned, his eyes falling on her mouth. He knew her too well.
Esther pulled the last ribbon from her hair, twirled the untamed mess around itself and draped her hair over her shoulder. She grew self-conscious under his watchful gaze, but she had to fix her hair even if he watched her do it
“They have so much energy, I can’t keep up anymore,” she confided. “Everyone sends me to play with the children, but I’m no longer one of them. The adults don’t realize it, but I’m more a governess nowadays.”
Ben nodded as his gaze fell to her chest, but he remained quiet. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his dark eyes blackened.
“It’s so hot in here.” Esther fanned herself.
Their little hiding spot behind the puppet theatre’s façade was cozy and secluded, granting a moment of privacy. A quiet moment was precious for anyone with a large family such as the Klonimuses or the Solomons, so why did she feel such heat rising to her head?
“Oh well, as long as they don’t know where I am, I’ll stay here.” Esther plopped back on the pillows and folded her hands over her belly. She shut her eyes and inhaled deeply to enjoy a moment when no little kid was chasing her.
A weight shifted atop the pillows, and she opened her eyes.
Closer than ever, Ben was hovering above her. “I don’t see you as a child, Esther. I haven’t for a long time.” His voice broke.
For a moment, Esther thought he was leaning even closer, but he paused and looked at her with molten eyes. Esther didn’t know what to do. Her heart was beating so fast it nearly jumped out of her ribcage. How often had she wished for Ben to lean close to her. She’d dreamed it, pictured every possible angle of his head, and yet nothing had prepared her for the thundering in her chest that threatened to overwhelm her.
A plethora of scents, refreshing lemon and apple with something that reminded her of the sap of a pine on a rainy autumn day enveloped her. His breath brushed softly against her face. He propped himself up effortlessly on his muscular arms. A fire lit in his eyes that Esther hadn’t seen before as if he were fighting the fiercest tiger. It was the same old Ben, the boy she’d put on Purim plays with, had snowball fights, and sneaked rugelach from Chawa’s kitchen, but at the same time, he seemed to be someone new. All grown up. And now she knew he saw her as a child no more.
She held his gaze, trying to process his change.
He pressed his mouth onto hers.
Esther held her breath as a wave of heat washed over her. She closed her eyes, tuning into the soft heat from his lush lips. They were softer than she’d expected, although she wasn’t sure what she’d expected at all.
And then the moment was over.
Ben got up.
Esther lay still, unable to process what had occurred.
Ben had kissed her.
Ben.
The same Ben? The one she’d dreamed of a thousand times? The Ben she’d missed when he was in Edinburgh for his studies? The Ben who … who… where was he?
Where did Ben go?
CHAPTER5
Ben couldn’t believe what he’d done. A million regrets flooded his mind as he stomped out of the nursery, his breathing loud in his ears. He had to escape before he’d do even worse than he already had.
That hadn’t been a peck on the cheek.
He’d kissed Esther.
He’d taken advantage of her. Of Esther! The girl who trusted him so much that she hid in the puppet theatre without worrying about being compromised. The Rabbi’s daughter.
His heart pounded and muscles tensed, but he was … he was … excited with a sense of mischief. It was taboo. He should have never done it.
But it had felt phenomenal.
This was a new low, even for him. He wasn’t the youngest Klonimus, but today, he’d proven to be the stupidest and the most selfish. Couldn’t he control himself? What was he, a wild animal?
