Page 49 of Broken By the Bad Boy

“I’ve never missed a class before,” I tell him. His arms move below my breasts without touching them. He rubs his cheek against mine, and a strange but nice sensation travels to every part of me.

“There is always a first time for everything,” Ben says. I squint, and he pouts. He pushes one foot up, folding his leg at the knee so I can rest my head on it. “I’ve missed a lot of classes, babe.”

“Bad student,” I tease.

Ben flexes his muscles. I slap his biceps, and his chest puffs. He is so full of himself. I love it.

“Wrong. Awesome student.” My face contorts in mock horror, and he smirks. “And awesome boyfriend.” I give him a thumbs up. His fingers race down my arm, and my eyes close when his lips press to my temple. “I think the bell for next period just rang,” he whispers against my hair.

“I don’t want to go,” I reply without opening my eyes.

“Bad student.”

We both laugh. Something stirs inside me, and butterflies flutter in my belly. Benny makes me happy. When our laughter quiets down, I push away from him. He observes me in silence as I create more distance between us. I let him wrap a hand around my ankle to comfort both of us.

“Why were you at my house yesterday?” Ben tenses but covers it with a shrug. I rub his hand between mine, and he releases a heavy sigh. “Benny. Please talk to me. Talk to your girlfriend.”

His hands move to my knees. He hoists me on his lap, and my legs bracket his hips.

“I was having a bad day,” he says. Sadness forces bile into my throat. A dark look creeps into his eyes but disappears before I blame myself for it. I should have been there for him. My forehead meets his, and his hand lingers on my waist. “I wanted to see you. Seeing you makes me happy.”

A burst of flame erupts in my belly. Heat crawls up my neck. “Seeing you makes me happy, too. Sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.” He grunts. I kiss him, pushing his lips apart with my tongue. Staring into his eyes, I say, “I won’t do that again. I’ll always answer your calls.”

Mirth dances in his eyes. He drags my bottom lip and nibbles on it. “If you want me to forgive you,” he starts, tapping the tip of my nose twice. “You have to kiss me eight times every day.”

Touching a finger to my lips, I giggle. “Just eight?”

He pouts. “You gave me attitude for eight days.”

“Done,” I answer, and he grins. “Do you want to go out?”

Twenty-Three

Ben hits the radio,and Nicki Minaj’s Chun-Li remix fills the silence. He moves his upper body to the left, then right. I honk twice, push two fingers into my mouth, and whistle. Ben was right. He’s a great dancer, and he’s killing it. His shoulders jerk in rhythm to the beat. He claps and resumes the body movement.

“You are a horrible dancer,” I murmur. He grins, clearly seeing through my lie.

My hands wrap around the steering, guiding the car to a new lane. The ice-cream van comes into view, and my car slows down yards from it. Much to Ben’s annoyance, I shut off the radio, and the music from the ice-cream truck filters into the vehicle. He scowls. I bat my lashes at him like the cutie he says I am.

Ben’s elbow juts outside the car. He twists his body so he has a full view of me. “Is this it?”

He sounds… Disappointed? I mean, I would be too. This is nothing compared to our first date.No, I’m doing it again.I’m overthinking it. Benny doesn’t care where we go as long as we spend time together.

“Yep,” I say, popping the p. “Ice-cream date.”

So many emotions cross his face. I stop trying to decode them and unfasten my seatbelt. Ben gets out of the car before me to open my door. A blush springs to my cheeks, and his mocking laughter earns him a glare. He takes his seat on the hood of the car. Standing between his legs, I stretch out my arms, and the chill air caresses my face.

“Babe.” His hands lock around my waist. He nuzzles my neck, and I shiver as his teeth sink gently into my skin. Emboldened by his public display of affection, I thread my hands into his hair. “Gracie. My Gracie.”

“My Benny.” He laughs against my neck, and the throaty sound washes over me like ice water. I shudder, and my arms lock around him. A car honks, causing me to jump. My eyes narrow at the model of the car. It is the same as Dad’s. He will ground me if he finds out I was here during school hours. “Time’s up.”

“No,” he says. I pry his hands from my waist, and his whines increase. Another person joins the line in front of the white truck. There’s a name on the top that’s not readable from where I am, but the glow on the kid’s face as he takes a swipe of his ice-cream melts my heart. It’s so worth it. “Babe. A little more.”

Reluctantly, I step away from his addictive hug. “Nope.” The sooner we get our ice-cream and return to school, the better. I’ll feel safer there. This rebellious student lifestyle isn’t for me. “You get a kiss if you comply.” And he does. I press a chaste kiss to his lips. “Good boy. Love you.”

“Love you too, but that was not a real kiss.”

“Maybe.” I don’t wait for his response but start for the truck.

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