I wait until her body relaxes. She almost falls into my arms, exhausted. I grab her in my arms bridal-style, and her head falls onto my shoulder. I carry her to the bed and gently place her on the sheets.
She keeps quiet, her eyes half closed as she looks up at me. I help her take off her blouse and skirt, looking at her tender body, curvy in all the right places and at the same time so small next to mine.
"Aren’t you going to...continue?" she asks with surprise when she realizes that I'm not taking my clothes off.
"No, princess, not today," I say quietly, covering her with a comforter and leaning over to kiss her forehead, "and I can't take off your underwear because, in that case, I won't be able to stop."
"Then don't." The words slip out of her mouth, and she bites her tongue.
I know she wants it; I can feel how much she needs me, maybe even as much as I want to be inside her, but I can't, not today. She's not ready yet, and I don't want to scare her.
"You deserve an unforgettable first-time experience, princess," I say with a smile, and she smiles back at me. "I can't let that happen so abruptly."
I can't believe I'm doing this. I've wanted this girl for a thousand years, and now that I can finally have her, I’m pulling back.
"Good night, princess," I say and get up.
"Won't you stay?" she asks, and I look at her again.
I'm not sure I'll be able to handle lying next to Mia wearing only her underwear. I wouldn't be able to sleep.
"I'll be right back," I blurt out suddenly. "I need to handle this...thing."
I'm not sure if she understands that I'm talking about my erection, but I leave the room as soon as I say it.
And when I return after jerking off in the shower for the whole thirty seconds it takes to get off (yeah, that's a speed record), I return to the room a couple of minutes later and find Mia peacefully snoring.
I lie down next to her and wrapped my arms around her.
And only then do I realize that I haven't been this happy in a very long time.
CHAPTER TEN
MIA
I wake up with an ache; my muscles are sore as if from working out. I don’t immediately remember where I am and that I'm in Diana's home without my friends.
And that's when I remember what happened yesterday, and my cheeks instantly get hot from the memory.
"Good morning, princess," a low husky voice whispers, and I shudder.
He's still here; Ben is still lying in my bed. He was here the whole night.
Holy shit.
Only now, I feel his arms wrapped around me. I got so used to him through the night that I didn't even notice that he was there.
It wasn't a dream. Everything that happened yesterday was real. I can't believe it.
I pull the sheets higher to hide my face.
"No way you're going to hide your sweet little face from me." Ben pulls down the sheets and takes my chin between his fingers, turning my head to make me look at him.
"I'm sure I'm all red like a tomato right now," I say with a smile and finally dare to look at him.
Ben smiles at me with that wide charming smile that melts my insides. His eyes are glittering with anticipation, and he looks at me as if thinking about all those incredibly inappropriate things he did to me last night.
I feel my cheeks go from flushed to burning.