Page 62 of Loved By The Bad Boy

My head bobs slowly. Mom settles down beside her husband and wraps her arms around his. I’m old enough to make some decisions without consulting them, but I want to keep them in the loop. Plus, it’s their house, their rules. I have to obey them as long as I live here, and I love this place.

Dad’s eyes lower to my stomach. I place my hand on my abdomen. “No babies?”

“Nope.”

“Jesus Christ,” Mom says and runs her hands over her face. “Then why did you start with that?”

“So you guys know there are worse things than going to San Francisco,” I tell my mom. She is still shocked, a bit speechless, as she leans on Dad for mental and emotional support. Dad darts furtive glances at my flat stomach. “I’m not pregnant, I promise. No grandkids for both of you.”

“Thank you for your kindness, dear daughter of mine,” Mom snaps.

Dad laughs, and she glares at him. “What’s happening in San Francisco?”

“Ben is going home to see his brother. I want to go with him. Spring break will be lonely without Ben.”

“But you have been seeing him daily for the past month,” Dad replies. Mom nudges him in the ribs. He pretends not to notice and continues, “You will be fine without seeing Ben for a week.”

I will not be okay. I’ll be a total mess, and that can be avoided by saying yes to this. Mom cannot look me in the eye. I try to stare Dad into submission, but he meets my gaze with equal intensity.

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder, so they say,” he adds.

“You are just going to say no to your favorite daughter, who isn’t pregnant at eighteen?”

Dad scoffs. “You are my only daughter, and teen pregnancy doesn’t look good on anyone.”

“I guess I’ll have to find out,” I murmur.

“Theresa,” they snap.

Laughing so hard, I snort. Lucas has negatively influenced me. That boy is the king of pranks. “I’ll be good, I promise. And you both get the house to yourself. No interruption for a week.”

“Where will you stay?” Dad asks.

“At Josef’s place. Josef is Ben’s stepfather.” I give a quick rundown of Ben’s family history in case he forgot. “They don’t mind. He has enough spare rooms, so you don’t have to worry.”

“You’re lucky you’re my favorite daughter,” he murmurs. Mom laughs and rolls her eyes. I’ll get a lecture from her later. “Be careful, okay? I know you love him, but you must also protect your heart.”

“Is that a yes?”

Twenty-Six

I am exhausted.We both are. We collapse on the bed the minute we enter Ben’s room, panting heavily like we ran a marathon. Maddie came with a driver to pick us up from the airport. Asher was chatting nonstop about his girlfriend and the possibility of having our double date this week.

Ben’s hand seeks mine to interlace our fingers. I stare at the ceiling, too tired to move my neck or acknowledge him with more than a groan. He nudges my side with his elbow. “Hey, baby.”

I blush. He has never called me baby. “Hey.”

His face hovers above mine. I run my fingers through his hair, scattering it all over his forehead.

“Thank you for coming,” he says against my nose.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Ben tugs me into a sitting position. Kissing me slowly as he undresses me, he lifts me to his lap to pepper more open-mouthed kisses on my lips. I help him out of his jacket and shirt so we are both almost naked. He drags the sweatpants down his ass. I’m about to resume kissing him when he bolts to his feet, nearly throwing me off his lap.

“Sorry. We didn’t lock the door,” he whispers, kicking off his pants.

I spank his ass on his way to lock the door. He feigns anger but returns to continue where he left off. He unhooks my bra swiftly, bringing a sly smile to my lips. Where did he learn to do that? Those silly thoughts escape my mind when he kneads my boobs, and everything I said about tiredness doesn’t matter anymore. I wiggle out of my panties, and he rolls it down my ankles.

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