Page 26 of Loved By The Bad Boy

Sparks dance on the parts of my body he touches.

My body is under his control.

My lips are under his command.

My heart is with him.

He’s the first one to pull away. Touching his forehead to mine, he smiles. I run my thumb over my swollen lips. I have never been kissed this way before. “Happy anniversary, Gracie Mower.”

Our next kiss is much less intense but still disorienting. I submit to Ben’s will as he kisses me senselessly. This time, I have to pull back to catch my breath and, hopefully, recover my senses.

Calum’s voice slowly registers. He’s still singing. I want to look back, but the moment I try, Ben cups the nape of my neck and places a chaste kiss on his lips. I don’t have the strength to fight, so I continue straddling him. His hand slides into my sweatpants to cup my bare ass. Lord Jesus.

The triumphant grin on Ben’s lips puts a stop to my thoughts. “You don’t like him, Gracie.”

“You can’t… you can’t say that for sure.”

Ben pecks me soundly on my lips to buttress his point, and I don’t push him away. “Yes, I can.”

He cannot. “No.”

“You like me, and I like you too. So please forgive me, and let’s talk.” I don’t want to talk to him, but I don’t say that. He kisses me again but gentler. “I miss you, Gracie. Please don’t end us.”

Twelve

Stupid.

Why did I let myself get carried away by a kiss? I touch my lips again. I have been doing that since I ran away from Ben. My thoughts are a crazy mess. I am mad at him but want to kiss him.

“Why do you keep smiling like that?” Imani asks.

Imani throws an arm around my shoulders and drags me away from the entrance of the pub. The other members of the band are inside discussing their performance. Ben is also there. Maybe he needs as much space as I need from him. I don’t know how I managed to get away from that boy.

Back to her question. Why am I smiling? I know it’s stupid, but I’m smiling because of the kiss.

I really, really liked it. I’ve missed him. I’ve missed kissing him. I’ve missed being held by him.

“Imani?” I say, and she stops. We are outside, and it’s cold.

A blue light hanging from the signboard bearing the pub’s name shines on her forehead. I laugh because she looks funny with the light and her hands akimbo. We didn’t go too far from the pub.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” she answers.

“How did you and Mira meet?”

Her face loses its cool. “Err… in school.” She clears her throat. “Ask me another thing.”

“Okay.” I draw a circle on the floor with my foot. I initially wanted to ask her about Ben, but I don’t know how to word my question. Everyone gets along fine with Ben except Calum. “Okay. What if a boy breaks your heart, and he returns to ask for forgiveness? Will you forgive him?”

Her brows nearly hit her hairline. “I don’t even like boys, Tessa.”

Right. She’s not bi. She’s a lesbian.

“Sorry,” I mutter. She smiles, and I decide to try again. “What if a girl breaks your…”

Imani laughs. “This isn’t really about the gender or me, yeah? It’s about a boy you know, right?” I hate how direct she is. But I nod. “I’m just shocked you’re talking about a boy. You act tough.”

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