his beard and see if it felt soft or not. To let him see exactly how he affected me, how adored he could be.
“Kills me when you look at me like that,” he murmured.
I just smiled. My tongue was too tangled for any attempt at wit. Thing was, I couldn’t not look at him like that. It just wasn’t in me to be any other way, not with him.
He exhaled hard, staring out the windshield. “I go to that club a couple of times a week to pick up. Place like that? Easy as hell. Pretty much the only reason people go there is to get drunk and get laid.”
“I see.”
“I’m serious.”
“Okay, Ben. You’re not a virgin. Duly noted. Me neither, by the way.”
Dreamy dark eyes pinned me in place, owning me. He licked his lips. Every time he did that my hormones erupted into the song of joy, a full orchestra plus heavenly choir accompanying. The whole shebang. It was ridiculous.
“Fuck, you’re pretty,” he sighed. “Make me wish for all sorts of shit I shouldn’t.”
“Who says you shouldn’t?” I asked, leaning closer.
“Mal. Your sister.”
“This isn’t about them. It’s about you and me.”
“Sweetheart. Liz…” The deep, dirty way he said my name, holy shit. His voice rumbled through me, lighting fires and causing chaos everywhere it went. I’d never be the same.
“Yeah?” I leaned closer, and then closer still, heart thundering and lips at the ready. Never in my life had kissing someone seemed so important. I needed his mouth on mine. His breath and his body, all of him.
Nothing else mattered.
I turned, propping a knee beneath me to help with the height difference. Hesitant but hopeful smile in place, I put my hand on his shoulder, getting closer. Fuck waiting on him to make the first move. Time to go after what I wanted.
“Liz.”
“Yeah?”
That’s when it registered. Ben’s body language was all wrong. The man wasn’t moving into me, wanting me back. I was alone in this.
“You don’t…” Words caught in my dry throat, sticking. I withdrew my hand.
“I can’t.”
“What?”
He stared straight ahead. “You should go in.”
Whatever face I had on, it wasn’t happy. “You want me to go?”
“It’s for the best.”
“It’s for the best,” I parroted, staring perplexed at the dogged shadows on his face.
“I can’t do this, Liz. I can’t do it to the band.”
“And you answer to the band for who you date?”
“We’re not dating.”
I cleared my throat. “No, we’re not dating. But god, we spent hours talking and texting to each other.”
The look he gave me was tortured. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Right.” All of the emotion inside me felt huge, overwhelming. Still my mind worked, turning all of the evidence over, trying to figure out where I’d lost the track. How the fuck I came to be flailing in the woods. “I think you were a little bored, a little lonely maybe, so you played with me.”
With a grimace he turned away.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
Nothing.
At least now I knew where I stood. As if that was any real consolation. I pushed open the passenger’s side door, climbing down.
“Liz—”
I slammed the truck door shut, cold metal stinging the palms of my hands. Done with him. I was so damn done with him. The bitter night air slapped me in the face, waking me right the hell up. How fucking embarrassing. I’d felt so much and been so sure. Went to show you how much I knew.
Nothing.
Not a single fucking thing.
Time to put my heart and hopes back on ice.
CHAPTER THREE
Ben: Hey, how you going?
Ben: You doing okay? Studies all good and everything?
Ben: C’mon, Liz. Talk to me. I’m still your friend.
Ben: So I guess you’ll be at the wedding?
* * *
“He’s not really going to wear one of those white satin Elvis jumpsuits, is he?”
My sister shrugged. “Whatever makes him happy.”
“Yeah, but this is your wedding.”
“ Our wedding¸” she corrected, applying a final coat of lipstick then blotting it
“Kills me when you look at me like that,” he murmured.
I just smiled. My tongue was too tangled for any attempt at wit. Thing was, I couldn’t not look at him like that. It just wasn’t in me to be any other way, not with him.
He exhaled hard, staring out the windshield. “I go to that club a couple of times a week to pick up. Place like that? Easy as hell. Pretty much the only reason people go there is to get drunk and get laid.”
“I see.”
“I’m serious.”
“Okay, Ben. You’re not a virgin. Duly noted. Me neither, by the way.”
Dreamy dark eyes pinned me in place, owning me. He licked his lips. Every time he did that my hormones erupted into the song of joy, a full orchestra plus heavenly choir accompanying. The whole shebang. It was ridiculous.
“Fuck, you’re pretty,” he sighed. “Make me wish for all sorts of shit I shouldn’t.”
“Who says you shouldn’t?” I asked, leaning closer.
“Mal. Your sister.”
“This isn’t about them. It’s about you and me.”
“Sweetheart. Liz…” The deep, dirty way he said my name, holy shit. His voice rumbled through me, lighting fires and causing chaos everywhere it went. I’d never be the same.
“Yeah?” I leaned closer, and then closer still, heart thundering and lips at the ready. Never in my life had kissing someone seemed so important. I needed his mouth on mine. His breath and his body, all of him.
Nothing else mattered.
I turned, propping a knee beneath me to help with the height difference. Hesitant but hopeful smile in place, I put my hand on his shoulder, getting closer. Fuck waiting on him to make the first move. Time to go after what I wanted.
“Liz.”
“Yeah?”
That’s when it registered. Ben’s body language was all wrong. The man wasn’t moving into me, wanting me back. I was alone in this.
“You don’t…” Words caught in my dry throat, sticking. I withdrew my hand.
“I can’t.”
“What?”
He stared straight ahead. “You should go in.”
Whatever face I had on, it wasn’t happy. “You want me to go?”
“It’s for the best.”
“It’s for the best,” I parroted, staring perplexed at the dogged shadows on his face.
“I can’t do this, Liz. I can’t do it to the band.”
“And you answer to the band for who you date?”
“We’re not dating.”
I cleared my throat. “No, we’re not dating. But god, we spent hours talking and texting to each other.”
The look he gave me was tortured. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Right.” All of the emotion inside me felt huge, overwhelming. Still my mind worked, turning all of the evidence over, trying to figure out where I’d lost the track. How the fuck I came to be flailing in the woods. “I think you were a little bored, a little lonely maybe, so you played with me.”
With a grimace he turned away.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
Nothing.
At least now I knew where I stood. As if that was any real consolation. I pushed open the passenger’s side door, climbing down.
“Liz—”
I slammed the truck door shut, cold metal stinging the palms of my hands. Done with him. I was so damn done with him. The bitter night air slapped me in the face, waking me right the hell up. How fucking embarrassing. I’d felt so much and been so sure. Went to show you how much I knew.
Nothing.
Not a single fucking thing.
Time to put my heart and hopes back on ice.
CHAPTER THREE
Ben: Hey, how you going?
Ben: You doing okay? Studies all good and everything?
Ben: C’mon, Liz. Talk to me. I’m still your friend.
Ben: So I guess you’ll be at the wedding?
* * *
“He’s not really going to wear one of those white satin Elvis jumpsuits, is he?”
My sister shrugged. “Whatever makes him happy.”
“Yeah, but this is your wedding.”
“ Our wedding¸” she corrected, applying a final coat of lipstick then blotting it
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