Page 52 of Let Me Love You (Excess All Areas 5)

“Favourite song?”

Chaya narrowed her eyes at him. “When you said let’s strip it back to basics, go back to the beginning, I didn’t realise this was what you meant.”

“Song, babe.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Here it goes. Fave classic rock, Rainbow’s “Since You’ve Been Gone”, fave slow dancing song, Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years”, and fave guilty pleasure song is a toss-up between Chumbawamba’s epic “Tub Thumping” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”.

Again, Ben nodded thoughtfully.

“You know all this.”

He nodded again.

“And stop nodding,” Chaya said, unable to stop the laughter.

“I’m active listening. It’s a thing. My favourite song would be Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” followed by Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?”. I have no thoughts on slow dancing songs or guilty pleasures.”

Playfully, she elbowed him. “You are so full of shit. I’ve seen you belt out every word to Toto’s “Africa” and there was your twenty-fifth birthday party where you sang—”

Ben slapped his hand over her mouth. “Don’t even say it.”

“Okay,” she mumbled against his palm.

He moved his hand.

“I mean, it’s not like everyone knows the lyrics to the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself”,” she said.

“I said don’t mention it.”

“Are you talking about Ben’s twenty-fifth?” Matt asked. “Because that was funny.”

“Do you remember all the hand actions?” Alex stood in the middle of the bar and mimicked Ben, sliding a palm down the front of his body, writhing his hips, as he sang the chorus. “Wasn’t it like this?”

“What the heck are you doing?” Zoe asked, looking up at her overly exuberant boyfriend.

Alex flopped back down next to her, the cropped sweater riding up even higher. “Making fun of Ben,” he said and signed, before proceeding to tell Zoe the story in sign only until she was laughing with them. He’d gotten so good at it. Practice and patience.

“I don’t know why you let me get that drunk,” Ben groaned, placing his hand over his face.

“Like I could stop you,” Chaya said, prying his fingers away so she could see his eyes. Dark grey ones studied hers before he moved his hand, cupped her neck, and pulled her lips to his, kissing her tenderly.

“I almost forgot I get to do this,” he said softly.

“You can do it more often if you’d like.”

“Chaya,” he warned. “Dates, first.”

“Fine. Fine.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m serious.”

She kissed him firmly. “I know.”

Two hours later, they all stumbled down the hallway of their New York hotel, pairing off as they made their rooms until only Ben and Chaya were left in the hallway. Ben took both of her hands in his and leaned forward to kiss her.

Lovingly.

Longingly.

---