Jolie
Ben inside me this way is everything.
His pale brown gaze drinks me in as he pushes all the way into me, holding himself there for a moment so he can just look at me. I feel like he’s memorizing my face or something. There’s something so powerful about this moment, I can’t even breathe.
He wants me.
He likes me.
Our feelings are mutual!
Weird little me has caught the attention of this cool, super-sexy basketball player.
Not just caught his attention… but caught his feelings too. He really likes me. He actually said that! And now he’s making love to me and showing me that he means it.
The look in his eyes right now…
It’s taking everything in me not to whisper that I love him.
But that’s how I’m feeling.
I love him.
His eyes soften with an intimate smile, and then he starts moving again, inching out of me, then sliding back in. He’s so gentle and sweet, every move a caress. I tip my hips, silently asking for more, and he matches the move, thrusting a little harder and deeper.
My eyes roll back, my body firing with a heightened sense of energy. The way he’s moving over me is magical. This heat is building through my body all over again. It feels different to when he touches me, but still so good. He’s filling me, taking over every part of my body and heart and soul.
And I love it.
Gripping his taut back muscles again, I can feel him getting close. I don’t even know how I know; it’s just an awareness. He’s getting lost inside me, his pace picking up a little more, his breaths hitting my skin in raspy pants, and…
“Ooohhhh.” A groan oozes out between his lips, and then his hips are jerking and thrusting, and he’s deep and—
Oh my gosh, I think he just came.
His hips tip back again and he thrusts forward.
Yep, he’s experiencing climax.
I cling to him, loving the ride as he releases inside me.
His butt cheeks clench, his entire body stiffening as he does one last thrust, then wriggles his arms underneath my shoulders and grips me tight as he pants against my neck.
“That was…” He can’t even find the words, and I have never felt more triumphant.
Biting my bottom lip, I stifle my gleeful giggle, then kiss his shoulder instead.
His breath starts to slow, wafting over my skin—a warm, soft caress.
“Stay with me,” he whispers.
I smile against his skin and promise, “I’m not going anywhere.”
It’s an easy promise to keep, and I spend the night in his bed, falling asleep in blissful wonder after we stayed up way too late, talking about everything from Coach Paxton to Caroline yelling at him. I apologized on behalf of my cousin, but he told me not to worry about it.
“Although…” I bit my lip. “Maybe it’s best if we don’t let her know about… us.” My nose wrinkled. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
He chuckled, his smile beautiful in the lamplight. “I think it’s a safe idea.”
That made me laugh, and I kissed his chin before snuggling against him again.
We fell asleep with his arm secured around my waist, my back tucked against his long torso. I’d never felt safer and more blissful in my life.
I wake on cloud nine, and for just a second, I have that flash of worry that maybe I just dreamed it. But then Ben lets out a sleepy, morning groan, squeezing me back against him before kissing my shoulder.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
I smile. No one’s ever called me that before. Glancing over my shoulder, I try to check that he means it, but I can’t really see him in this dim light.
I have no idea what time it is, but I’m sure I’d usually be asleep.
Reaching behind him, Ben grabs his phone, pulling it around so we can both look at the screen.
5:41a.m.
Yep. I’d most definitely be asleep.
“Did your alarm go?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
“I didn’t even hear it.” I roll over, snuggling against his chest.
“It would have roused you a little.” He kisses the top of my head. “You know, you make cute noises when you sleep.”
“What?” I jolt back, my face bunching. “Like… snoring?”
“No, more like little murmurings. I couldn’t make out anything you were saying, but you sounded happy. At one point, you even laughed.”
Bulging my eyes, I cover my face, absolutely mortified.
“Stop.” Ben chuckles, trying to pull my hand away. “It was adorable.”
“I’m so sorry if I kept you awake.” I wince up at him.
“You didn’t.” He presses a kiss to my lips before I can protest again, and soon I’m pinned beneath him, happily greeting the day with morning sex and a mind-blowing orgasm.
Yeah, I could get used to this.
Ben left right after for his morning run. I snuck out of the house at the same time as him, and he dropped me back at my dorm first, willing to change up his routine to accommodate me. See? He’s the biggest sweetheart in the world.
I’m not really ready to meet all of his roommates yet. I’m kind of not ready for anyone to know about our little lovefest. I don’t want anyone to do anything to destroy it, so the longer we can keep this under wraps, the better.
I practically skipped through my day and met up with Ben after his basketball practice. We had dinner at a little Chinese restaurant that he swore had the best wontons he’d ever tasted.
He was right. They were so good.
We stayed there until closing, talking about anything and everything.
He told me stories from his childhood, and I told him some from mine.
Sounds like he grew up with money, but not in a really ostentatious kind of way.
His parents still made him do all his chores and work for his allowance… although he got to use a riding mower.
“I’ve always wanted to try one of those.” I grinned at him, then pouted. “My dad would never let me mow the lawn. Apparently, it’s not women’s work.”
“Well, that’s a bit of bullshit right there.” Ben snagged a bite of chicken chow mein with his chopsticks. “I’ll let you ride my lawn mower anytime. I actually love cutting grass. There’s something very satisfying about seeing instant results.”
I beamed so brightly over that one, I probably lit up the whole block.
In fact, I’ve probably been powering this entire town with my sunshine energy this week. I can’t get enough of my boyfriend.
Yep, that’s right… Ben Evers is my boyfriend.
My first official one.
And I’m loving it.
Being part of a couple is the best!
He texts me during the day, we study together, we eat together, we sleep together.
I can’t do that every night, but man, do I love sleeping over.
It’s only been twice this week, but I can picture myself doing it a lot this year.
Walking back to my dorm after a blissful morning in Ben’s bed and then a delicious lunch at Eat Your Faves, I hum to myself as I swipe my card.
I really didn’t want to leave him. It’s Sunday, so we could have spent the entire day together, but he promised to help one of his roommates with an assignment, and I stupidly told my cousin that I’d meet up with her after lunch to finally clear the air between us.
I mean, it’s already mostly been cleared through a few texts back and forth, but that’s obviously not enough for her.
I kind of don’t want to have to face her, so I’m pretending that we didn’t have our latest texting conversation.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and she’ll forget too.
Skipping up the stairs, I tell myself off for being deceitful but then try to justify myself. Caroline will freak out if she knows Ben and I are together. It’s awkward for her, but I can’t let that dictate my life.
Ugh. I should probably just tell her and get this all over with.
But I don’t want to burst my blissful little love bubble.
Maybe I should ask Nylah to do something with me, and I can use her as an excuse for “forgetting” my catch-up with Caroline.
We’ve been connecting a little more this week, although I’ve hardly been around, but the one time I did see her, we smiled and said hi.
It was nice. Maybe she doesn’t have to be as intimidating as I think. Maybe we could even become friends.
I’ve never had a friend as cool as her, but… would she want to hang with me?
She said she makes a good friend. I guess that was her indicating that maybe hanging with me would be fun. But she’s only ever spent time with me in small doses. What will she think with bigger chunks? I know I can be too much for some people.
Running up the stairs, I head for our room and am surprised to find her in there. I thought she was out all afternoon.
She’s sifting through her closet, laying out different combinations, and my insides skip with glee. Oh my gosh, is she falling for someone too! We could have that in common! It’s like a way to connect.
I send up a quick thank-you prayer and skip over to her bed, checking out her selection of clothes. Turning to look at her, I put on an eyebrow wiggle and ask, “Hot date?”
She gives me a cryptic grin, holding a shirt up against her body and murmuring, “Babysitting gig.”
What?
I can’t help my confused frown, and she laughs and explains, “Said hottie just might be there, and I want to look irresistible if he happens to spot me.”
“Okay, what?” My expression buckles even more until my eyes pop wide with glee. “Wait, is this a ‘billionaire single dad who falls in love with his young babysitter’ scenario?”
“No.” She shakes her head and starts laughing again. “This isn’t a romance novel.”
“Bummer.” I pretend to pout. “That’s one of my favorite tropes.”
She snickers and gives me a little side-eye. “Didn’t know you were into age-gap romance.”
My cheeks heat with instant color, but I’m not about to go into the fact that I’ve been introduced to a whole new world since meeting Ben. My boyfriend. Ben’s my boyfriend!
Trying to play it cool, I shrug and put on a playful voice. “Just don’t tell my mom. She’d die if she knew I was getting into this spicy stuff. I wasn’t allowed to read anything she hadn’t read when I lived at home.”
Guilt shimmers through me like it always does every time I think about my parents’ reaction to my current lifestyle.
But I’m not willing to stop it. I’m loving life right now. More than I ever have. So that guilt can just shut it.
Easier said than done, but I’ll keep trying. I find the best way to handle it is to simply ignore the fact that it’s lurking in the background.
“I see.” Nylah spins to face me properly, her gaze probing. “So, college is all about experimenting with steamy lit, huh? And maybe an older guy?”
Ugh. I can feel myself blushing again, but… it’s okay to tell her now, right? I’ll just keep things vague.
Besides, it’s impossible to hide my grin, so I’m forced to admit, “He’s a junior.”
“Oh really? So he’s just a baby, then.” She winks at me. “For a second, I thought you were gonna tell me that your tutor was a forty-year-old professor or some silver fox with sexy reading glasses.”
“Reading glasses are so sexy, right?” I blurt before thinking it through, but it’s true. Glasses are super sexy.
“The right pair on the right man? Mmmmm.” Nylah makes this sound of approval that I’m pretty sure only Black women ever make, and I seriously love it.
When she turns to me, I give her a beaming smile.
Wow. This feels like we’re friends or something.
I wonder if I should ask her more about this guy she’s wanting to impress at the babysitting gig. Is he the father? Or a friend of the father? Or—
There’s a sharp knock at the door, and my insides flail when I hear Caroline’s voice. “Hey, JoJo, it’s me!” It’s all chipper and sweet like I haven’t been avoiding her for the past week.
What is she doing here?
Oh crap. I hope she doesn’t try to read my mind. She has no idea about Ben. At least, I don’t think she does.
“Uh… hey, Caroline!” I force a bright, unaffected tone, flashing Nylah a smile as I walk to the door. “’Sup, cuz?”
Caroline crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing as she smirks at me. “I thought we were meeting up after my lunch thing.”
“I know.” I force a smile. “I just got caught up with something, and I forgot to text you. Sorry.”
“What?” Caroline’s bubbly voice takes on a suspicious edge.
I blink, my heart rate accelerating as I try to play dumb. “Um… what?”
She gives me a pointed look. “What did you get caught up with?”
My fingers tighten on the door, like if I grip it hard enough, maybe it’ll save me.
Oh crap.
I’m screwed!
“Hi!” My roommate steps up with a stunning smile. “I’m Nylah.”
I catch her eye, giving her a grateful smile without moving my lips.
“Oh! Hi!” Caroline’s face lights with a grin, and Nylah invites her in, asking about her morning while I take a second to gather myself.
My roommate runs perfect interference, asking Caroline what she should wear to her Tuesday night babysitting gig. It gives me a second to come up with a story about what I got caught up in.
I feel so bad for lying, but I make up a story about having coffee with some new friends I made in class. Shoot, it’s like jumping down a rabbit hole, and I stand there silently begging Caroline not to ask for details.
Thankfully, my cousin’s face goes all mushy, and she pulls me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re starting to find your place here! We’ve all been so worried about you.”
“I’m good, Cinnamon.” I pat her back, relief pulsing through me. “Seriously. It just took me a little minute to find my feet.”
Leaning back, Caroline cups my cheeks and smiles like a mother hen. “Proud of you, my lil’ Joey.” Her eyes seem to flicker with relief, and I wonder if she’s assuming this whole Ben thing is behind us.
Oh boy.
I’m so not looking forward to bursting that bubble, so I make my smile grow, patting Caroline’s arm and stepping back, which is the wrong move because her eyes start to narrow again.
Oh no! Please do not read me right now!
Don’t force the truth out of me!
I keep my smile in place, blinking innocently and conjuring up arguments I can make if things spill. I’ve got the fact that she ignored Ben—dick move!—and that she kept her pregnancy from me in my arsenal. I don’t want to use either of them, but I will if I have to.
“Anyone wanna go for ice cream?” Nylah suggests, and I turn to face her, giving her another grateful smile as my cousin starts to laugh.
“Ice cream is always a good idea.” Wrapping her arm around my shoulders, she gives me a little jiggle. “Ain’t that right, cuz?”
“It surely is, Miss Mason.” I put on a Southern drawl that makes her laugh, and Nylah watches us with a grin.
Thank God she’s coming too.
She can keep my curious cousin distracted, and I can keep my secret romance under wraps for a little longer.