Chapter 31 Ben
BEN
Why the hell had Sarah been giving me so many mediocre romance books to read when she could’ve given me this?
Wow.
I’d been desperate for the bathroom for the past hour, but I simply couldn’t put this book down.
I turned the page, then gasped when I saw that I was already on chapter twenty-three.
This book was amazing.
No wonder it was so well worn and had been highlighted within an inch of its life. Hundreds of readers must have devoured this book and added countless asterisks and comments in the margins before Sarah had bought it.
I was reading Office Delight and I could completely understand why Sarah had said that it was her favourite book.
It was addictive. The chapters were short and snappy, so you couldn’t help but tell yourself you’d only read one more.
But of course, one chapter led to two, then three, and now here I was on the verge of pissing my pants because I had to know what was going to happen next between Virginia and Rocco.
The male main character was a bit of an alpha male arsehole, but once again, for some strange reason I couldn’t stop reading.
Although it had all the tropes that sometimes made everything predictable, don’t ask me how, but this was different.
I didn’t know whether reading Sarah’s copy of this novel without asking was some kind of bookish sin, but if it was, I’d happily accept my punishment.
In my defence, though, it wasn’t my fault.
The novel I’d been reading wasn’t gripping. And Sarah’s book was just sitting there on the table, taunting me. Telling me I needed to read it.
So I picked it up. I only intended to read the first page out of curiosity, and in all honesty, I was expecting to be bored, but before I knew it, I was hooked.
And now here I was. Feeling like I should put it down and pretend I hadn’t read it before Sarah got back and caught me. But at the same time, desperate to keep going.
Fuck it.
I had to carry on. Surely Sarah would be happy that I was finally reading and loving a romance novel, right?
After sprinting to the bathroom, I took the fastest piss of my life, washed my hands, then raced back out to the balcony to continue reading.
I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t hear Sarah come in. It was only when the sweet scent of cherries surrounded me that I knew she was close by.
‘Sorry I left you for so long!’ she said. ‘I was… wait. Are you reading my book?’
My eyes flicked up and for a moment I considered asking her if we could continue this conversation after I’d finished the chapter.
Things were really heating up between Virginia and Rocco, and following a few false starts and interruptions, I got the impression that they were finally about to give in to their urges.
‘Yes,’ I said firmly, meeting her eyes, then swallowing hard.
On the one hand, reading the book had been a good way to distract myself from my growing attraction towards her.
But on the other, if the characters were about to fuck, I was pretty sure that was also going to make me think about the things that I’d want to do with Sarah.
This really was an impossible situation.
‘And?’ she asked, her eyes narrowing before she folded her arms across her chest defensively.
God, I really wished she hadn’t done that.
Don’t look at her breasts.
Don’t look at her…
Who was I kidding? I’d already looked for far longer than was appropriate.
‘And I’ve been trying to work out why the hell you didn’t recommend this to me in the first place. It’s bloody brilliant!’
‘Wait, what?’ She frowned.
‘You heard. I said I love it!’
‘Hold on a sec.’ She pretended to stumble back in shock, then dramatically flopped into the chair. ‘Did you just say… that you loved a romance book?’
‘Yes, I did.’ I sat up straighter. ‘I almost pissed myself because I didn’t want to stop reading and go to the bathroom.’
‘Wow. Miracles do happen!’
‘You still haven’t answered my question. Why didn’t you give me this book in the first place? Especially considering it’s your favourite book of all time?’
‘That’s exactly why I couldn’t give it to you. Because if you ever said anything bad about it, I’d never be able to speak to you again. And let’s face it, at the time that Jess set me this task, I didn’t need any more reasons to hate you.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Obviously I don’t hate you anymore.’
‘Good to know,’ I chuckled. ‘But just for the record, even if I didn’t like this book, you shouldn’t care. Reading is so subjective. The important thing is that you like it. Don’t let other people’s opinions ruin your enjoyment.’
‘You’re right.’ She nodded. ‘So, come on! Tell me, where are you up to? What do you love about it? What do you think of Rocco? What d’you think’s going to happen next?’
‘So many questions!’ I smiled. ‘What time’s the rehearsal dinner?’
‘In about an hour.’
‘And how long do you think you’ll need to get ready?’
‘Hmmm, probably about an hour and a half,’ she laughed. ‘I suppose I better get started.’
‘Good idea.’
‘But do you promise that you’ll tell me everything at dinner? I’m dying to know!’
‘Promise.’
‘Can’t wait!’
Sarah’s face brightened. Warmth filled my chest.
Who knew that telling her I enjoyed her book would make her so excited?
But as she darted back through the patio doors to get ready, the realisation hit me: Sarah was about to get ready.
In a few minutes she’d be naked in the shower just metres away from where I was sitting right now.
Then she’d come into the room.
Probably with just a flimsy towel wrapped around her.
I didn’t know if I could be in the same room without it getting weird.
Or without getting hard.
There was only one solution. I needed to remove myself from the situation.
I jumped up, picked up the book, returned to the room, then sent Sarah a quick text.
Me
Going for a walk. Let me know when you’re dressed and I’ll come back.
Once I’d showered, it wouldn’t take me long to get ready.
The most important thing was that I stayed focused.
I needed to be thinking about how best to make Sarah feel comfortable and confident when she came face to face with her ex.
Not thinking about her sitting on my face and how good Sarah would taste if she did.
These kinds of thoughts about Sarah were becoming increasingly frequent. And increasingly filthy.
Yes. It was definitely time for me to leave the room.
Before I made the mistake of attempting to act on them.