Page 106 of Loved By The Bad Boy

Our house.

My room.

We have our own house!

I touch Ben’s side of the bed. Still warm. I hear it again, the sounds of metal hitting metal. I grab his shirt and button it halfway. The bathroom is my next stop. I finish my business and splash water on my face.

On tiptoes, I navigate to the kitchen. The door is open. Ben doesn’t hear me come in. I doubt he can hear anything over the music playing in his ears. He is cute, cooking and dancing. Closing the distance, I slide my arms around his waist from behind.

The aroma is stronger. I can enjoy these delicacies after having him for breakfast. Ben unplugs the earbuds and gives me a side kiss. “You’re awake.” He turns fully to give me a proper kiss. I let his tongue slide into my mouth. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be, so I could serve you in bed.”

My arms fall to my sides. “It’s not too late.”

Ben laughs, but he doesn’t say more. I skip to the room and duck under the cover. I don’t know how many minutes pass before a knock sounds from behind the door. Ben’s head sticks into the room. He flashes me a sexy grin and walks in with a tray. What is perfection? Ben and breakfast.

Acting comes easy. I stretch my arms and yawn, playing the role of a lady rousing from her sleep. He drops the tray on the drawer and pulls me up for a kiss on my hair, forehead, and nose.

I pout. I want a kiss on my lips.

“Good morning, princess. How was your night?”

“Benny.” My lips pucker, and his thumb plays on my cheek. “Kiss. Kiss your princess.”

Ben’s head draws back to reveal his handsome face, then he claims my lips. I’m lifted off the bed and onto his lap. Kissing him is rejuvenating. I don’t want to stop, but he does. He pecks my lips.

“Your food, babe. You can call my parents after eating.” I shift so I’m not straddling him but still seated on his lap. I pull his lip between my teeth and let go with a pop. I’m so proud of this guy. Grateful he has moved past everything and sees Josef as his parent, not a random man married to his mom. Ben bops my nose, and I grin harder. “Gracie… why are you smiling at me like that?”

I squeeze him tight. “Because I love you, and you’re the best boyfriend in the world.”

“You’re the best girlfriend in the world, too. Now it’s time to eat,” Ben says against my lips. He sweeps his hair off his forehead. I switch positions to the bed and cross my legs. He places the tray between us, and steam from the mugs rises to the air. Ben glares at me when I try to dip a finger into the mug, and I offer him a contrite smile. “There’s enough sugar. I know what you like.”

I give him a thumbs up, and Ben adds with a smile, “There is also enough cream.” I am not a big fan of coffee, but when I take it, sugar and cream are compulsory. Ben scoops scrambled eggs onto my toast. I open my mouth for him to feed me. He watches me chew and offers me the mug. I know he wants me to say something, but I keep silent a little longer. His eyes narrow, and my grin widens. “This is not enough to judge my cooking skills. This is not the best of my cooking.”

“It’s good, Benny.” I take his hand and suck on his fingertip without breaking eye contact. His throat bobs, and he licks his lips. “Very delicious. I love it.” He resumes feeding me while we converse over the littlest and most silly things. The topic returns to food. If cooking is involved, the crown goes to Mom, and I’ve never minded. “I don’t cook much at home, but I bake often.”

“I can’t bake to save a life,” Ben says. He sips from his mug, his eyebrows drawn together over pensive eyes. We are quiet until the plate is empty. “Alright. I’ll cook and you will bake. Deal?”

“Deal.” He winks, and my cheeks flush. I don’t know what our schedules will look like, but we will be fine. “But I’ll cook sometimes. I can teach you how to bake if you like. It’s not so hard.”

“Okay.” An emotion shadows his face. He puts the tray out of sight and edges closer to me. Our knees are touching. I suck in air through my teeth as his thumbs run over my nipples poking my shirt. His lips part and close without a word. Anxiety thickens the air between us. “Gracie, I…”

A phone rings. My phone. I stifle a groan and snatch my phone from the drawer. Mom. My annoyance disappears. Her voice pulls at my heartstrings, and I giggle when she asks about Ben and our night. She doesn’t have to worry about grandbabies yet. I am also not ready for them.

The call goes on for a little longer than I expect. I lean on the headboard for support while Ben grabs his phone and begins texting. I poke his jaw, and he shows me his phone. There’s a text from Maria asking why I haven’t been answering her calls. I didn’t even know she called me today.

Mom senses I’m getting distracted and calls me out. Dad says something in the background. His wife giggles the way I do when Ben is being naughty and ends the call. My mind wanders to places it shouldn’t, and my cheeks burn. They haven’t had the house to themselves in forever. I’m always with them. I shake my head to rid those silly thoughts. They can do whatever they want.

Ben is on a phone call when I sidle up to him. I seize that opportunity to text Maria. If I call her, I will hear a handful, and I’m not ready. My message hints at what we spent most of the night doing. I end it with an apology and a promise to call back later. Her reply comes in immediately.

Drama Queen:Did you do IT? I was calling to prep you for God’s sake and you didn’t pick up. Was it good? Was it painful? Was he gentle? Tell me EVERYTHING. In details. I want to hear it.

Drama Queen:Don’t even think about lying.

Drama Queen:Is Ben there? He’s there, right? That’s why you can’t call back.

Drama Queen:Why are you not freaking out?

Drama Queen:Call me THERESA GRACE MOWER. I NEED to HEAR it. A text won’t be good enough. You better call me when you can or I’ll tell the world you betrayed your best friend.

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