Page 37 of Loved By The Bad Boy

“Are you jealous?”

“Yes,” he replies with utmost sincerity. “I don’t want you to date anybody except me.”

“Hmm.”

“Gracie.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Ben grins. We are careful not to make a sound when he kisses me. He kisses me hard like he’s punishing me, then his kiss turns so soft like he’s asking me to forgive him. We break from the kiss. His thumb brushes my lip, and I laugh. That laughter dies down when someone pokes my feet. In unison, our heads turn to the unwelcomed cutie staring at us from the foot of the bed.

Asher shakes his head. “Ew,” he says and walks away.

“Don’t mind Champ. He really missed you,” Ben says into my shoulder. Smoothening my hair out of my shoulder, he places another kiss on my collarbone. “I really missed you too, Gracie.”

“I missed you too, Benny. Really, really missed you.” I missed being called his Gracie. Ben’s arms encircle my waist, and I whisper into his chest, “I’m sorry I put you in the position to pick.”

Without releasing me, he says, “I’m sorry I let you be in that position, Gracie. I was wrong.”

“Really?” I tease.

Ben’s head rears back. “Really, Gracie. I was wrong. I was so scared when that kid told me you left.” His eyes lock on mine, and a tear rolls down his cheek. “I thought I would never see you again. Please, don’t leave me again. My heart cannot take it. I don’t want to not be in your life.”

It is the same way I feel about him, but I am scared to say the words out loud. Loving someone means giving them so much power over you. Power to hurt you, even if it is not deliberate. He has hurt me once, and I don’t want to be hurt again. I’m not sure I can handle another heartbreak.

“Go to sleep, Benny. We will talk when you wake up.”

“You promise?”

I interlock our pinky fingers together. “Promise.”

But he still puckers his lips for a kiss. I indulge him, and he snuggles closer to me for more. My fingers weave in and out of his bushy hair, and he moans softly. His breathing falls into a steady rhythm, and I kiss his temple. I have a feeling this will be the best sleep he has had in weeks.

“I love you too, Benny,”

A smile tugs at my lips as I watch him sleep. I want to do that for a few more minutes, but I’m struggling to keep awake. My eyelids grow heavier, and I give in to the sleep beckoning on me.

I wake up to the sound of a phone going off. Ben is not on the bed, but his side is warm. I blink to clear the rest of my sleep. My head is foggy, but I jerk fully awake as soon as Ben walks in with a towel hanging around his neck. He’s shirtless and still as hot as ever. My heart jumps at his smile. In a few steps, he’s on the bed. I try to speak, but I already lost my train of thought.

“Hey,” he says, hoisting me on his lap.

“Hey. I think your phone is ringing.”

Instead of setting me down, he carries me, and my legs lock around his waist. Asher is not in the room, but there’s an animation playing on his laptop. Ben lowers himself to the seat, brings me down on his lap, then pauses the animation. His phone stops ringing as soon as he reaches for it.

His screen lights up with missed calls notification, and my hands drop to my knees. Avoiding his gaze, I fiddle with the rope of my robe. The name of the caller brought back all the memories.

“It’s fine,” I hear myself say. “You can pick up. I won’t be mad.”

Ben grabs my jaw gently and forces my gaze to his face. Love shines in his eyes, matching the words that exit his lips. “I’ll call Liv later. She will be fine. Right now, it’s about you and me.”

On another day, his statement would have made me blush, but the wheels in my head spin out of control. Why won’t he call her when I’m here? Is he hiding something? I don’t think I can deal with having her in our relationship again. Are we back to dating? We never officially broke up.

“I think I should go.”

“Gracie. No.” His expression shatters my resolve to leave. I don’t want to break his heart, but I won’t risk hurting myself. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise. Please don’t go. Stay with me.”

“If Olivia hadn’t called, I would still be on my way. My parents don’t know I’m here, Ben.”

---