Page 102 of Loved By The Bad Boy

“Babe.” My feet move of their own free will. I move to the left, then the right, hoping he will fall into step with me. His lips turn down in a frown. “I don’t want to dance in front of everyone.”

He sounds cute talking like that, and I want to hear him speak that way again. “Just one dance.”

“Tessa, no.”

I stop. Everything fades as Ben bridges the gap. My gaze meets his, and he runs his hand over his hair, starting from the base of his neck. I pry his other hand open and kiss his knuckles softly. He looks torn. I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but the last time he called me that name…

“You just called me Tessa,” I whisper.

“Is that bad?” he asks.

“Yes. No.” I release my breath slowly. “Wait, is it?”

Ben’s face is an open book for me to find my answers. There’s no trace of anger or pain. “I don’t know.”

“What do you know then?” I ask.

“I know you’re not her and will never be like her.”

“Never.”

Ben laughs and plants a kiss on my nose. “But it felt so odd calling you that, though.” We fall in tune with the new song, and his arm locks around my waist. The circle dissolves as people shuffle to find themselves partners for the new song playing. “I’ll stick to calling you Gracie.”

“Yeah?” My fingers brush his shoulder. “I like it too. But Tessa is also good. If you prefer it.”

Ben scowls. “I prefer Gracie, you know that. I just wanted to know how it would feel uttering the name.” Our bodies inch closer, and my head meets his chest. I am locked in his embrace, but our feet don’t stop moving. I wait for him to say more. I can sense he has a few things to get off his chest. “I don’t feel so angry anymore. When I think of Tessa, I see you, not her. And I like it.”

We break away, and I stare into his eyes. They sparkle with love for me. “I like it too,” I say.

“She owned me for too long, even if it was subconsciously. But now, you own me.”

I flatten a hand on his chest, right above his heart. My lips curl in mischief, and his eyes narrow. “Since I own you, can I sell you?” Face straight, Ben squeezes my butt, and we erupt in laughter. Our laughter dies down, and I slide a hand behind his neck. His breath warms my face. At this moment, he is the only one in my world. “You own me too, Benjamin Louis Carter. All of me.”

“Thanks.” Thanks to him, too. He makes being his girlfriend so easy. “I have a surprise for you.”

I pat his pockets and spare a glance at our table. Maybe the surprise is in the car. “Where is it?”

“I’ll show you when we leave this place.”

“Can we go now?”

Ben pouts. “Nope.”

I smack his chest, and he laughs harder. He spins me in a circle, and I catch Mira doing the same to Imani. The only thing as good as making great memories with your boyfriend is sharing those moments with people you care about. They wave, and we wave back. Calum is nowhere to be found.

“Benny? Can we talk about SAS later?” We have avoided it for too long, and I need to prepare.

“Okay.”

“What’s the surprise?” I ask, hoping he will let it slip. His silence speaks volumes. I hit him on his chest again, and his lips pucker in protest. He should have waited for us to leave this place before pricking my curiosity. “Will you at least give me a hint? No? Fine. Is it something I can guess?”

“Maybe.” Lines deepen his forehead, and he draws me in for a quick hug. “I think you’ll like it.”

If it’s coming from him, I’ll love it. We continue dancing for the most part of the evening. Imani switches places with me, leaving me to dance with Mira. She’s a much better dancer than I am.

“Are you coming for the after-party?” she asks.

“Um…” I trail off to find my partner. Ben and Imani are laughing hard at a shared joke. An unusual wave of jealousy coils inside me. I don’t want him laughing with another girl. Mira taps me, and I force a smile to my lips. It’s nothing. “Yeah. No. I don’t think we will be coming.” My cheeks burn with embarrassment when I whisper, “Ben has other plans for us. No after-party.”

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