19. Ben
BEN
I rest my butt against the edge of the table, my leg bobbing as I check my watch yet again and wait for Mandy to arrive.
She’s running late, and my gut sank when I first read her text.
Okay, yes. I’m a sappy romantic.
But this lake house is bursting with people, including a lot of hot women who the guys are already connecting with.
Yet all I can think about is my girl arriving.
I can’t wait to see her. The last two months have been the best of my life, and before I head back to Nolan, I need to let her know that I’m serious about us.
About keeping this thing going with her.
Sure, we attend different colleges, but that’s okay.
Lennox is not that far.
We can still squeeze in time together.
We can talk on the phone every day.
Video chat, so I can still see her pretty face.
It’s gonna be great. Distance won’t break us. Nothing can.
Yep, I’m thinking it—we’re meant to be.
My insides flutter and I squash my smile, feeling like a teenage girl in some drama series. But I can’t help it.
Mandy’s beautiful and smart and funny. She’s such a go-getter. She knows what she wants. She works hard. She’s going to be a phenomenal lawyer. There are so many things to love about her.
My chest hitches, and I murmur under my breath, “I love her.”
Then I start nodding, because it’s true. I think I’ve known it for a couple of weeks now, but I haven’t stopped to really acknowledge it.
But I do.
I love Mandy Dalton!
A flash of color catches my eye out the window, and I glance up in time to see her red dress.
I know that one. She wore it last week when I took her out to that fancy restaurant.
She’d had a bad day, and I wanted to cheer her up.
It worked. We got tipsy and she got smiley, and then she rode me in the back of my car.
It was fire, and her cries of ecstasy when she came all over my cock were magic.
She kept the dress on, the fabric draping over my bare legs. It’s kind of soft and floaty. I like the way it swishes around her thighs when she walks. Plus, it pushes her boobs up and together, which is so damn sexy.
Jumping for the front door, I pull it open just as she’s approaching.
The second she sees me, her face lights with a smile, and all I can do is step forward and lift her into my arms.
“Oh.” She softly giggles in surprise when I sweep her off her feet.
Her legs wrap around me when I press her back against the outside of the house and take my fill of this intoxicating, gorgeous woman.
I’m so freaking glad she’s mine.
Her hands thread into my hair, her warm tongue lashing against mine as she matches my energy.
We’ll be upstairs in my room soon. I can already feel it.
There’s animalistic heat pulsing between us, and I can’t help grinding my length into her.
She moans into my mouth, pulling back with a breathy whisper. “You’re so hot, baby. And you want me so bad.”
“I do.” I smile against her cheek, nibbling up to her ear and nearly whispering, “I want you because I love you.”
But we haven’t said those words to each other yet, and I want to save them up for when I can look her in the eyes and say it.
I hear footsteps behind me—newcomers to the party—and now is not the time to confess my feelings. I’ll do it after I’ve made slow, searing love to this woman. After I’ve made her come in at least two different ways… maybe even three. I’m going to give her a night she’ll never forget.
She squeezes my middle with her thighs, and I steal a look at her face.
Her smile is bright and golden, and I soak it in. “At least get one drink into me before you strip me naked, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I laugh, placing her down and taking her hand.
She grins at me as I pull her into the chaotic lake house and find her a drink.
Tonight is going to be a good night.
It’s going to be epic!
She came all this way to be with me, and I have to make it count.
After I make her come in all the ways I can, I’m gonna pull her close and tell her just how much she means to me. It’s time for the L-word. I can’t wait to say it, and I can’t wait to hear her say it right back to me.