I look up at him, locking eyes, preparing to make some sexy quip, but before I can get a word out, we’re interrupted.
“So, is that the winner?!” Burt bellows as he walks back toward us. “You folks look mighty comfy on that mattress.”
I sit up, brushing my hair out of my face, as Ben scrambles off the bed.
“I think so,” I say, giving Ben a quizzical look.
“Yup. That’s it!” He announces to Burt. “That’s the bed we want to spend our first night as a married couple in.”
I feel my face go flaming hot at Ben’s ridiculous announcement.
“Excellent choice!” Burt replies, totally unfazed. “Let’s get you folks rung up.”
As we walk after Burt toward the register, Ben grabs my hand, intertwining his fingers in mine. Again, I’m surprised by how natural it feels.
“Let’s see about that discount,” he whispers in my ear, his breath tickling my face.
I give a slight nod and grip his hand tighter. This is so silly. We don’tneedthe discount. So why are we putting on this big show? At the same time—I give Ben’s hand an impulsive squeeze—I don’t want to stop.
“So, let’s see we’ve got the mattress, the bedframe… You all want a mattress topper too?” Burt says, punching numbers into the register.
“Uh, I’ll defer to my fiancée on that point.” Ben gives me a confused look before muttering, “What’s a mattress topper?”
“Yes, we’ll take that as well,” I tell Burt, giggling. “It’s just an extra cover that protects the mattress,” I explain to Ben.
“You hang on to that one,” Burt tells Ben. “Lady knows what she’s talking about. She’s a keeper!”
“Don’t I know it! What would I do without you?” Ben says, pulling me close as he talks. We lock eyes and I can see the question on his face as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.
Burt’s preparing to give us our grand total and there’s been no mention of a discount yet. If we want to snag it, we really have to sell our status as the happy, engaged couple. But as I stare into Ben’s eyes, I’m not really thinking about the discount. I’m focused on the feel of his arms wrapped securely around my waist. I bring my arms around his neck, felling his strong shoulders beneath my grip, and inhale the scent of fresh laundry coming from his clean cotton t-shirt. His hair is, as usual, perfectly mussed, and that perpetual five o’clock shadow on his chin looks sexier than ever.
I bite my lip, hesitating for a moment, before deciding to go for it. I push myself up onto my tiptoes, pull him down towards me, and kiss him, hard, on the mouth. I prepare to pull back, but Ben holds me close for just a second longer, bringing one hand to my cheek and stroking it gently as he returns the kiss.
I’m not prepared for how soft his lips feel against mine, or for the warmth that suddenly runs up my whole body. Ben’s hand grips my cheek more firmly now as he deepens the kiss. The feel of his strong hand on my cheek makes me wonder, just for a second, what else he could do with that hand. I’m locked in his embrace, envisioning his hand moving down my back, under my dress… When I hear a low moan that I realize is actually coming from me, I snap back to reality.
My brain reels in confusion as I pull back from him, looking down immediately, afraid to meet his gaze.He’s going to think I’m crazy. But he was thinking the same thing, right?
Before I can totally spiral, Burt pipes up, “You two just can’t keep your hands off each other! What a delight. Let’s get that newlywed discount for you all, then you can enjoy a nice honeymoon after your nuptials.”
“We appreciate that, sir,” Ben says, as we detach from each other and turn back toward Burt. His voice is even and casual, without any hint of being flustered.
Ben takes my hand as we say goodbye to Burt and keeps holding it all the way to the car, even after we’re out of sight of the store. I don’t say anything about it—or the kiss—and neither does he. My brain is buzzing with confused thoughts as I replay our kiss in my mind, over and over again.
Did Ben feel the same shock I did? Was it just me? What if I scared him off? What if he’s regretting it? Maybe he’s thinking about how our parents used to be married. But that was ages ago and they’re split now.
Through the frantic whirl of thoughts in my brain, one stands out above the rest,I want more. I’ve never been kissed like that. A kiss like that, that feels so natural, so good, it can’t be wrong.
Chapter Nine
Benjamin
I’vebeentryingtowrite songs all morning but today, I can’t focus. I keep flashing back to that kiss with Lacy at the bed store in my mind. Even though it was just for show, to get that discount, it stuck with me. When Lacy took charge and brought her arms around my neck, it was super sexy. I’d already been thinking of kissing her. She’d been doing that damn thing where she bites on her lip, making it look all juicy and sexy. But before I could act, she did.
And the kiss itself? Kinda mind-blowing. The feeling of her plump, soft lips on mine, while she pressed her body against me… I’d already known she had some amazing curves, but feeling her soft and supple in my arms, was unreal. Lacy was right about one of the jokes she made in the car—I’ve dated a lot of model types, super skinny. It’s like hugging a lamppost. But Lacy is sweet, and soft, and curvy and…
Ugh! I slam my pencil down in my notebook. I’m never going to get any writing done this way. It doesn’t help that Lacy’s been standoffish ever since we went furniture shopping. I’d be paranoid that the fake kiss crossed a line… Except she’s the one who initiated it. I thought about bringing it up, talking about it, but then I thought that might make itmoreweird! I don’t want to be the guy making some big deal about a fake kiss. In any case, Lacy hasn’t mentioned it. All she talks about now is the house. She keeps going on about how wehaveto get the house finished ‘ASAP,’ and she’s been working double-time, from dawn until dusk, for days. Every single day, breakfast starts off with a strict agenda:
Clean bathrooms: 8:00 to 9:00am