19. Jolie
JOLIE
My heart is seriously racing right now. Like, it might actually explode, but I don’t want him to stop. If anything, I kind of want him to unbutton my shirt and feel me up for real.
So tell him that!
“Uh…”
He pulls back as soon as the sound pops out of me. “Is this still okay?”
I nod, nerves getting the better of me.
Tell him!
“Yeah, I just…” I try to catch my breath. “You feel really good.”
“Good.” His voice is a tender caress, so soft and sweet.
My lips quiver into a nervous smile. “I think I want you to take my shirt off and feel me up for real.”
“Are you sure?” His pale brown eyes study me. “You look kind of scared by that idea.”
“I guess I am. No one’s ever touched my bare breasts before. I’ve never been naked that way before.” Heat rises up my neck, and his eyebrows twitch in confusion.
He’s thinking about my horrible date and quickly realizing that my first sexual encounter was basically fully clothed and… I don’t think he likes that.
Clearing his throat, he forces a smile and stands. “Should we move to the bed? Would you be comfortable with that?”
“Yeah. I think so.” I nod, nerves scattering through me like machine-gun fire.
But he’s right. The bed will be more comfortable.
Perching on the end of the massive thing—I don’t think I’ve ever sat on a king-sized bed before—I twist my fingers together and feel like we’re almost starting all over again.
Ben drops to his knees in front of me, and I can’t help brushing my fingers down his cheek.
He’s so tall. So strong. I bet if I run my hand down his arm right now, I’ll feel rock-hard biceps.
I’m sure his arms are delicious. They’re covered by fabric right now, but they probably have those perfect contours. Athletes always have sexy arms.
He smiles at me. “Is it okay if I unbutton your shirt?”
I nod, my throat swelling.
Leaning forward, he kisses me again, like he instinctively knows this will help relax me. It does, and I’m soon sinking into his kisses and barely aware that he’s unbuttoned my blouse. It’s not until he starts slipping it off my shoulders that I come to.
Helping him out, I let the fabric drop behind me, then hold my breath as he skims his fingers between my breasts.
I can’t help a soft shudder. The backs of his knuckles feel magical as they trail lightly down to my belly button, then back up again.
I’m so skinny.
Is he noticing?
What does he think about that?
“Your skin is really smooth,” he murmurs, then bends low to press his lips against my exposed torso.
I close my eyes, this tingle racing through me.
When his large hands nestle on my hips, then slowly start to glide up my back, I’m pretty sure I forget how to breathe for a second.
“Is it okay if I take this off?” He trails his finger across the edge of my bra strap.
“Uh… yes,” I rasp, keeping my eyes closed.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m sure.” At least my body is completely sure. My skin is tingling with anticipation.
With a practiced ease, he unclasps my bra, and goose bumps sweep over my skin. They bubble up as he pulls the straps off my shoulders, then die away just as quickly.
Palming my breasts, he checks my face. I can sense his gaze, so I pop my eyes open and give him a tentative smile.
He returns it with a look so genuine my heart starts to shimmer. “If you want to stop at any point, you just tell me.”
I nod, then lean back, resting my hands on the mattress so he has easier access to my chest. The pads of his fingers brush over my delicate skin, and I tip my head back for a second.
The sensations running through me are all so new.
When he lightly pinches my nipples, I flinch but then feel this warm buzz flashing through my body.
“Did you like that?”
“I think so.” I bite my bottom lip.
“Do you want me to do it again?”
“Okay.”
So he does, and as that flash of heat and pleasure rushes through me again, I can’t help a soft giggle. Wow.
Leaning over me, he hovers his lips near the curve of my breast and whispers, “Can I kiss you?”
“Uh-huh?”
He pauses. “You need to be sure, Jolie. We can stop at any time.”
“I want you to.” My words come out with more authority than I thought I was capable of, but he seems to like that because I think I hear a soft chuckle just before his lips press into my sensitive skin.
No one has ever kissed me there before.
This is all so new!
Staring up at the ceiling in wonder, I part my lips and can’t contain a soft moan when his lips wrap around my left nipple and he gives it a gentle suck.
Oh. My. Word!
My breath evaporates, my mouth dropping open as I soak in this delicate massacre of my breasts. Seriously. That feels… okay… that’s… wow.
“I like it,” I manage… but only just. My voice is all high and breathy, and my heart is racing overtime now.
But in a really good way.
Gripping the duvet beneath me, I let him keep going, kissing and suckling until my stomach is quaking.
He seems to be enjoying this too, although I can’t be sure. He is doing me this huge favor, so who knows? He could be putting on a show for my benefit, or maybe he’s just—
My erratic thoughts cut off as he starts trailing kisses down my body.
His hands, which have been supporting my back, shift around to my front, and the second he reaches for the button of my jeans, I suddenly tense.
And not in a good way.
Slapping my hand over his, I dig my fingers in.
He immediately stops, leaning back to check my face. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.”
He goes still, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studies my expression.
I let out a shaky breath, my stomach convulsing for a hot second.
“You’re not. And that’s fine. We can stop.”
He goes to move, and I snatch his wrist. “But…”
“Jolie,” he whispers, cupping my cheek, his eyes warming with a gentle smile. “We can stop. It’s okay.”
“But I don’t think I came.” I frown, feeling like I’ve let him down somehow.
A soft laugh comes out of him, followed by another tender smile. “You didn’t, but don’t worry about it. You still got to experience something you enjoyed, right?”
I blink, my head starting to bob. “I did. It felt really good. I’m just…” My words trail off as I try to figure out why I’ve gone all stiff when only minutes ago I felt as pliable as dough.
A flash of pain streaks through my memory.
The intrusion.
The sudden stress of having a foreign object thrusting in my most private place.
“Hey.” Ben rests his hand on my thigh. “I’m not going to have sex with you. You don’t have to worry about that. It’s not about that. It’s about you experiencing something you enjoy.”
I suck in a breath and start nodding, wondering if I should just capitulate. I’ve only got this one shot, right?
I mean…
I slowly raise my gaze, using my arm to cover my breasts as I stare into his eyes and wonder what he’s thinking.
He stares right back at me, and I swallow.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “You’re not apologizing. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Picking up my bra, he helps me put it back on, and in spite of his kind words, I still feel like I’ve failed.
When he hands me my shirt, I put it on with a deflated frown, struggling to button it up with my shaky fingers.
Ben’s walked across to the other side of the room, and I’m pretty sure he’s grabbing my bag and will see me out in just a minute.
“You know, I’ve got the room for the night.” He grabs the TV remote. “Want to get room service and watch a movie or something?”
My lips part and I tip my head, trying to figure out if he just said what I think he just said.
He raises his eyebrows, quietly waiting for my reply, and I kind of sputter out a laugh before nodding. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Sweet.” He grabs the dine-in menu and takes a seat on the bed, stretching out his legs and crossing his ankles.
I move up the bed and nestle down beside him against the big mound of pillows.
“What do I owe you for the room?” I quietly ask just before he hands me the menu.
“Nothing.” He smiles.
“But—”
“Nothing,” he repeats, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I cast my gaze down his body, making a quick assessment that I probably subconsciously made when I first met him but is only just soaking in now.
Unlike me, he comes from money.
Maybe not big money, but definitely comfortable wealth.
If he didn’t have a basketball scholarship, his parents could probably still afford to pay for his education outright. My parents have done that, but they started saving before I was born, and my college fund will be gone at the end of my four years here.
Ben, on the other hand, probably has parents who started investing long before he was born. He probably has some trust fund and a big allowance to live off.
These are all assumptions, though, and I should probably ask.
“Is your family rich?” The words pop out of me before I can really think it through.
Seriously, Jolie? A little class, girl.
Ben snickers, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth before he softly murmurs, “We do okay.”
I nod, feeling kind of bad about the room. He’s doing me the favor. But I can’t actually afford to give him much and…
“Please don’t give me anything for the room. I offered to do this with you, and I want to support your quest for an orgasm.”
I can’t help a soft giggle. My gosh, it sounds so ridiculous.
My quest for an orgasm.
I wince, and he laughs at my expression. “Don’t be embarrassed. Once you have one, you’ll totally get why I’m encouraging this. Trust me.”
And I do.
I really do.
He’s a gentleman.
He’s sweet.
And he likes Bridgerton.
Tick, tick, tick, right?
Snuggling back against the pillows, I skim the menu and we decide to share a pizza. He calls room service while I flick through the movie options.
“You choose two, and I’ll pick one.”
I glance at him just as he’s hanging up the phone. “Huh?”
“In my family, the way we pick movies is that whoever goes first picks the number of movies to match the amount of people watching. So when it was all six of us, whoever went first chose six and then the next would choose five, etc. That way everyone feels as though they have a say, and it avoids arguments.”
My lips twitch. “That’s cute. I like it.”
“So, you pick two, and I’ll pick one.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Are you sure? What if you don’t like either option?”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t matter.”
Biting my lips together, I keep scrolling through the options while Ben tucks his hands behind his head and reminds me, “I binge-watch Bridgerton with my sisters. There’s not much I won’t watch, Jolie.”
I laugh and end up settling on Legally Blonde—it’s a classic—and The Judge—because I adore Robert Downey Jr., and Ben might prefer something a little more serious.
Since he’s pre-law, I figure he enjoys legal movies, but I still hold my breath as I wait for his reaction.
“Are these okay?”
“Yeah. Great picks.” He points at the screen. “Let’s go for Legally Blonde.”
I whip around to look at him. “Are you just saying that because of me?”
“No.” His lips rise into a sheepish smile. “I actually love that movie.”
I eye him suspiciously for a second, then burst out laughing. Oh my gosh, he’s serious!
“Three sisters, Jolie. Three sisters.”
With a little giggle, I start the movie.
And that’s how I spend the rest of my evening—eating pepperoni pizza and watching Reese Witherspoon kill it as Elle Woods.
Ben even quotes some of the lines. He must have watched it multiple times, and it makes me like him even more.
This guy is unbelievable.
So not what I expected.
Yet so everything I want right now.
I’m not falling for him… I’m just really, really enjoying his company.
And I want to do this again.
I just hope he’ll be up for it.