12. Remember When
Gia pulledher mind back to the present as she sat on her bed, lifting memory after memory from the box. They hadn’t been together long, and it wasn’t even an “official” relationship. Yet, somehow, Ben had become the man she measured others against—despite how things had ended.
Gia remembered the day she and Ben had moved unexpectedly from friendship and an unspoken connection to something more. A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she wiped it away quickly. Everything had gone from magical to a complete disaster in such a short time, but Aiden would never be a regret. Although, he was a constant reminder of what she and Ben once had and lost. Gia pulled a grainy, black-and-white ultrasound photo out of the box—the one she had given to Ben before he departed for Brazil, hoping he would change his mind and stay behind—and her mind began to wander again.
“What do you think Brazil will be like?” Gia questioned, sitting beside Ben on her bed as they thumbed through yet another tourist guide on the Amazon region.
“Magical,” Ben said. A smile crossed his face as he glanced up from the book, stopping to take in Gia’s excited expression. During the time they’d been planning their volunteer experience with World Corps, they had become inseparable. It was a friendship, but also something more—and knowing they would share the experience of Brazil did nothing to curb the longing that had begun to stir within.
Without even thinking, Ben reached over, placed his hand atop Gia’s, and gave it a gentle squeeze, catching her eye and smiling as she lifted her head in surprise. She gazed at him quizzically for a moment, then returned his smile. She couldn’t help but acknowledge how cute he looked as he awkwardly inched closer, trying to appear as if he wanted a better look at something in the book she held on her lap.
When they were sitting mere inches from each other, Ben placed a hand on Gia’s face, turning it to look him directly in the eyes. “Gia, do you feel it?” Ben asked, gazing intently at her.
“Feel what?”
“Nothing. Never mind.” Ben’s nervousness caught up to him, and he pulled his hand from Gia’s, shifted his gaze, and began to rise, catching Gia off guard.
“No, no. Ben. I feel it, too,” Gia said, reaching to pull him back. She touched his cheek and gently tugged him toward her until her lips were on his, and all the awkwardness fell away. She pulled away momentarily, saying, “I’ve felt it for a while now.”
“Same,” Ben said, finally outwardly revealing the thoughts circling his mind almost constantly lately. “Gia, you’re amazing. You’re beautiful. We’ve become so close so quickly, and I know it’s crazy, but I think… I think I might be in love with you.”
Gia could feel the warmth enter her face as her cheeks flushed. She was surprised by his words but found she accepted them—and felt the same. She had known it on some level for a while but, unsure of where Ben stood, had been uncertain what to do with those feelings until that moment.
She grabbed his face again, pressing her lips to his, this time more passionately. She pulled back for a moment, only to say, “I love you too, Ben,” then returned to the kiss, gripping his lower lip between hers as he took the guide from her lap and tossed it off the bed, placing one hand where the guide had been.
The kiss grew deeper and more desperate, and Ben wrapped his arms around Gia tightly as their breathing deepened, perfectly in synch. Gia leaned in, pressing against him, lost in the warmth and comfort of his body against hers. That had been the most surprising part of all his for Gia. Ben had become her comfort so quickly. She felt at home in his presence and, now, even more so in his arms.
Their tongues danced in perfect rhythm, breathing new life into the emotions that had developed and intensified over the past several weeks as they shared their hopes and dreams for Brazil. Ben pulled away from Gia’s mouth and gently turned her head to the side, kissing slowly down her ear and onto her neck, causing her to moan softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.
As he kissed lower on her neck, Ben gently pushed Gia downward onto the bed, trailing his kisses down and across her chest as a hand wandered to her breast, cupping it gently. Gia leaned upward to sit up again for a moment, lifting her shirt over her head and tossing it aside, inviting him to continue. Ben reached behind her back and began to fiddle with her bra clasp until Gia reached behind to help, noting how sweet it was that he wasn’t already a bra strap expert.
Ben pulled the garment away from her body, tossed it aside, and began kissing downward until he reached her nipple. He wrapped his lips around it softly, teasing gently with his teeth, eliciting a low moan from Gia.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern written across his face. “Is this okay?”
“More than okay. Don’t stop,” Gia breathed. “Please don’t stop.”
“Gia… you’re perfect,” Ben said quietly before returning to explore her body further.
Gia blushed. She was never great at taking compliments, but she could tell Ben was being sincere. As his mouth traveled across her body to her other breast, his hand trailed downward until it rested on her inner thigh. She could tell he was nervous to go further, but she needed him to be touching her. Still wearing her jeans, she grabbed his hand and positioned it between her legs, raising her hips to move her body against his hand.
“Ben,” Gia said quietly, “I want you.” She traced her fingers down his abdomen, landing on his belt buckle and fiddling with it until she could pull it open.
Ben groaned. “I want you, too. So badly.”
“Then, I’m yours,” Gia said, gazing up at him as she undid the zipper on his jeans and tugged at them, indicating her intent.
“Are you sure?”
“More than anything.”
Ben kicked off his shoes and removed his pants, then reached forward to undo the button and zipper on Gia’s, one hand still resting between her legs. Ben relocated his hand to grip the waistline of her pants and guided them down her legs and off as she wrapped her fingers around his cock. It was bigger than she had expected. For some reason, she hadn’t envisioned the somewhat nerdy Ben being so well-endowed.
Ben groaned. “Gia, you feel so good.” He moved her hand off him and placed it firmly on the bed. “I need to taste you.” Ben kissed his way down Gia’s torso and abdomen, coming to rest between her legs and licking the length of her slit. His tongue found her clit and began sucking and nibbling her most sensitive part, causing Gia to raise her hips in response to the stimulation, pushing his face against her body.
“You taste so fucking good,” Ben said, lifting his head.
“You feel so good, Ben. I want you. I want you inside me. Now.”
“Now?” asked Ben.
“Right now. Immediately.”
“I don’t have a?—”
“I don’t care. Be inside me, Ben. Please?”
Ben let out a growl and placed his legs on either side of Gia, grabbing her head and kissing her passionately.
“Are you?—”
“Ben, please, please, just do it. I want to feel you inside me. I want you in me… now. Right now.”
Hearing that, Ben guided himself inside Gia, pushing slowly to fill her, then gaining speed and intensity as they rocked together. Gia matched his rhythm with her hips, raising them to meet each thrust, wrapping her legs around him tightly to try to bring him even closer to her. She felt like she couldn’t ever be near enough. It wasn’t possible.
She gripped at any body part she could get her hands on, arms, wrists, hands, taking him in, relishing the sensation of her skin against his. Gia was surprised at how muscular Ben was under his clothing. How had she never noticed how incredible his body was?
Ben grabbed Gia’s arms and pinned them behind her, kissing her passionately. Gia’s thighs began to shudder as they rose, and her breathing quickened as Ben increased the speed of his thrusts. “It feels like you’re close, baby. I’m close too,” Ben whispered into her ear, sending her right over the edge. She was big on pet names, and hearing Ben call her “baby” was more than she could handle.
“Ben, fill me. I want you to fill me. Please?” Gia said, knowing she was on the edge. As the words left her lips, her hips rose, and the waves of an intense orgasm swept over her. As her climax hit, a surge of emotions came right along with it. How had this even happened? She clung to Ben as if for dear life as he let out a deep, low-pitched groan—guttural and sexy—and exploded within her, wrapping his arms around her body and holding her close.
They collapsed onto each other, clinging tightly to one another as if trying to hang onto everything that had just happened, afraid that if they moved, it would all disappear—the feelings and the events leading to that moment. A deep fear hung over them that if they were to let go, things would return to the way they had been before.
It wasn’t her first time, but something about the way that Ben seemed to appreciate every inch of her body and her mind made it feel brand new—something about how he cared whether she was “okay.”
“Ben,” Gia stammered. “I do love you.”
“I love you, too.”