Bittersweet Junction

by Ivy Sinclair

  Ben stood, tapping Julia’s shoulder. “Mike couldn’t get away from work, and he doesn’t want to be late for the meeting with the pastor. He called and asked me to go pick up your aunt, but then I realized I didn’t know what she looked like. Do you mind if I steal Julia? I’m sure your aunt would want to see a friendly face.”

  Julia was on her feet seconds later. “I’m sure Clary doesn’t mind, right?” She looked at her sister hopefully.

  Ben’s assessment had been correct. Julia was ready to escape.

  “That’s awfully kind of you,” Sarah said. Her smile stretched too tight across her face. She turned to Ben. “We’re still on for three though, right?”

  “You bet,” Ben said. He slipped his hand under Julia’s elbow. “Don’t worry, Clary. Everything is still on schedule!” They didn’t wait for Clary’s verbal approval.

  As soon as they were out the front door, Julia wilted. “Thank you, Ben. I felt like I was suffocating in there.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, escorting her to the Jeep. He enjoyed watching her backside as she hitched up to get inside. He joined her inside and cast a quick glance around before pulling her close to him.

  “Ben,” she said, putting her hands against his chest. “We’re in public.”

  “Guess you’d better kiss me quick then,” he said. She didn’t resist when he brought his head down and dusted her lips with his. “I missed you.”

  Julia sighed softly as Ben ran his hand down her hip and along her thigh. “I missed you too,” she said.

  He nipped at her mouth until it opened and he slipped his tongue inside. She tasted like mangos and raspberries. He sucked on her tongue, and felt her hands grip his shoulders tightly. He could feel the press of her chest against his, and it took everything he had to pull away from her. Her eyes were cloudy with desire.

  “Let’s make a stop along the way,” he said. He felt his heart beat faster at her slow nod.

  Ben knew exactly the place to go. Aunt Bev might have to wait a few extra minutes.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Surely she bordered on the edge of insanity. She needed to talk to Ben but at the first opportunity she found herself lip locked with him instead. Julia decided she needed to make a list of all of her questions before they got to their destination. Based on Ben’s insinuation, they were stopping somewhere on the way to the airport, and he had a plan in mind. If his plan aligned with what she figured he was thinking, a delicious kind of trouble was afoot.

  When Ben turned off the highway into the entrance to Mead Lake, Julia couldn’t suppress her chuckle. “Unfinished business?” she asked.

  Ben didn’t look at her, but she saw the half smirk on his face. “You have no idea.”

  Julia did, but she didn’t argue. She saw a few scattered cars in the parking lot. Not surprisingly, on a sunny Friday afternoon people were sneaking out of work early to get out on the lake. Ben cut the engine and jumped out of the Jeep as if he were on a mission.

  She wondered what he was planning. Ben circled the Jeep and helped her out. Then he took her hand. “Let’s work off that lunch,” he said with a lazy smile.

  “I’m not wearing the right attire for a hike,” she said, gesturing at her clothes.

  “We won’t be going far,” he winked.

  Tugging at his hand, she stopped him. There was a part of her that didn’t want to interrupt his plans. All morning long she wanted nothing more than to see him and be alone with him again. Her thoughts turned naughty in an instant, but she needed to understand what was going on first.

  “Ben, we should talk,” she said.

  Ben stepped closer to her. With only inches separating them, she found herself looking up into his dark blue eyes. She took a step back, but he followed as if he were hunting her. Her butt hit the grill of his Jeep. Ben reached out on either side of her placing his hands on the hood of the Jeep. He leaned forward until his mouth was an inch away from her ear.

  “Yes, Jules?” he whispered. “What do you want to talk about?”

  The hair on the back of her neck rose, and she felt a wave of desire sweep through her. Her knees were weak as she felt his lips barely touch the skin at the crook of her neck. His warm breath caressed her skin and sent tiny prickles of pleasure racing down the back of her neck. It was obvious now what he had in mind and Julia didn’t know if she could resist his advances. Not when her body tingled with the desire that he had awakened inside of her. But a question overshadowed that desire. A question that would surely sour the mood and give both of them pause depending on the answer.

  “Are you sleeping with Sarah West?” The words spilled from her mouth before she could catch them. If she didn’t ask then, she might chicken out. The deeper she fell into the pit of passion with Ben, the more unwilling she’d be to rock the boat. Julia didn’t want to be a one-night stand. It frustrated her that she hadn’t required an answer to that question before she and Ben slept together, but things happened so fast. Now that they had, she needed to know.

  Ben pushed back from her then; his expression guarded. “What did she say to you?”

  Typical Ben, she thought. “I’m asking you a question. It’s not a hard one.”

  “What kind of guy do you think I am, Jules? Do you think that I would sleep with you both at the same time?” Ben asked.

  “Well, that would probably be every guy’s fantasy,” she said, deliberately acting dense.

  “What do you think?” Ben crossed his arms and took another step back.

  “If I knew what to think, I wouldn’t be asking you the question,” Julia said. A gurgle of anger appeared in her chest. She didn’t understand why Ben was being so difficult. They hadn’t seen each other in five years, and apparently everyone in town thought that he and Sarah were the next couple to walk down the aisle. She didn’t think it was an unreasonable question. “Especially since we didn’t use any protection last night.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. Ben’s mouth set in a straight line, and by the way the corners of his mouth stretched across his face, she could see he was furious. Then she kicked herself for thinking that way. If he got mad, so be it. She had a right to know.

  “Fair point, Julia,” Ben said.

  Julia managed to keep her face still at the sound of her full name. That was never a good sign.

  “Since we’re comparing notes, I’ll probably need a run down on your sexual history as well.”

  Julia’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack,” he said. It was something they said as kids, and it was as corny now as it was then, but Julia knew that the childish words hid something else. Hurt. Ben hid his emotions behind deflection and debate. It used to be that when he was with her, he would let his guard down. It was more evidence that times had changed.

  She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. Her inclination was to get loud and maybe even belligerent. She felt like the wronged party, and she still wasn’t sure that she wasn’t, but an argument would get them nowhere. She needed him to open up to her again. In order to do that, she couldn’t act defensive.

  “Okay,” she said instead of the words that she wanted to say.

  “Okay?” Ben said warily. His arms fell to his sides. That was good.

  Julia stepped forward slowly and took one of his hands in both of hers. “I wanted to talk because it feels to me like we are moving really fast. I’m not complaining, but we didn’t give ourselves time to talk about some important things. Things like other people or other relationships. I’d like to do that now before anything else happens between us. I hope you can understand that.”

  It was as if all the tension drained from Ben’s body. He slouched forward and then his fingers wrapped around hers. It was a simple, sweet gesture, and Julia felt like she was back in high school again, but instead of maneuvering her way around Mike’s emotions, she was tiptoeing around Ben’s. But she found that she didn’t mind. It felt strange and
right all at the same time.

  “You’re right,” he said.

  She reached up and brushed a lock of his hair out of his eyes. “I want to trust that this isn’t the fulfillment of some high school fantasy of yours.”

  Ben’s eyes widened. His other hand came up and settled on her hip. Standing close to him in the warm sunlight made her feel giddy and free. Without a drop of alcohol in her body, she felt drunk. Ben was intense and withdrawn, but he had always been that way. It didn’t mean that he didn’t feel something too. She just had to pull the information out of him carefully and without scaring him away.

  “I get it,” he said. His fingers squeezed her hip gently. “I won’t hide anything from you, ever. You first though. Everybody in town thinks they know everything about me and my life. You are the one who is the mystery.”

  “Me?” Julia paused. She was ready to dismiss his request. She wanted to talk about Sarah, but then she looked up at Ben and saw something. Wariness. Uncertainty. A half erected wall that was ready to roll back up at the slightest hint of rejection. It was the shadow of the shy boy she met when she was five.

  Pushing Ben gently on the chest, she pointed at a nearby park bench. The minute it took them to walk to it was what she needed to gather her thoughts. This could be lynchpin in something entirely brand new for her. She didn’t want to screw it up.

  Ben settled next to her and stretched his arm out behind her. He stared out at the lake clearly waiting for her to continue. Ben’s patience seemed to be endless. Julia was proud of herself for not giving away her own feelings yet. Patience wasn’t her strong suit. She rushed headlong into everything she had ever done.

  “So,” she started. “What do you want to know about me?”

  “Everything,” Ben said slowly. “But first, who is Nate Anderson?”

  That was the last thing that Julia expected him to ask. “Nate is my business partner. I met him in my programming class freshman year of college.”

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  Now Julia was curious. “No. We went on a few dates not long after we met, but I wasn’t interested in a steady relationship because my studies were more important. He didn’t hold it against me that I didn’t want to date him. He’s been a friend ever since and starting the consulting firm was his idea.”

  Ben nodded. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” It was Julia’s turn to be suspicious. “Why are you asking me about Nate? Why would you even think that?”

  “It doesn’t matter if there’s nothing going on, does it?” Ben asked. His arm slipped down to graze her shoulders. “You can’t blame a guy for asking about the competition. What are we doing here, Jules?”

  “I could ask you the same question,” Julia said. She kept her hands in her lap and stared forward. “Before we address that though, I think you owe me an answer to my question.”

  Ben sighed, and there was a long pause. “I slept with Sarah. Once. It hasn’t happened again, but not for her lack of trying.”

  “Oh,” Julia said, her heart sinking into her stomach. She thought that she was prepared for whatever Ben told her. Now she wasn’t so certain. The idea of Ben and Sarah touching, of them kissing and tussling in his bed, made her sick.

  “Jules.” Ben turned her chin toward him. “It didn’t mean anything. It was a mistake. If anything, it convinced me that I have no interest in dating Sarah.”

  “But you’ll sleep with her,” Julia said woodenly.

  “She’s been after me for months. Every time I turn around, she’s there. She goes out of her way to do things she thinks will make me happy. I’ve watched her help Clary with every little insane detail with the wedding with a smile on her face. She volunteers at the children’s hospital. Everybody around me loves her. For one brief moment in time, I gave in. I’m not proud of that fact, but I can’t change it.”

  He dropped his hand and waited.

  “So if she’s so perfect, why don’t you want to date her?” Julia asked. She hated hearing him say anything nice about Sarah. To her, Sarah would forever be the snarky cheerleader who looked down her nose at her and ruined her prom night.

  “She’s not you.”

  Three simple words that made her heart feel like bursting. She didn’t think. Julia was tired of thinking. She wanted to be happy again. For the first time in five years, she felt alive, and it was because of Ben. Tossing her arms around his neck, she pressed his lips against hers.

  His hungry tongue met hers, and his groan sent tingles down her spine. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and he pulled her into his lap. She straddled him and pressed herself against him. She didn’t care if anyone saw them. His hands dug into her hair and pulled her head backwards to allow him access to her neck. His teeth nipped at the sensitive skin of her neck.

  She raked her nails across his shoulder blades. She couldn’t help herself from rubbing against him, and she delighted in listening to him moan against her neck.

  “You keep doing that, and I’m not going to be able to control myself,” Ben growled.

  “Control is for sissies,” she whispered. She yelped when Ben’s hands gripped her backside and stood with her in his arms. “Ben!” Her legs wrapped around his waist. His mouth closed around hers possessively, and all thoughts flew out of her mind.

  The vibration in Ben’s pocket was a jolt of reality. Julia unlocked her legs from around his waist, and she slid to the ground. Ben didn’t stop his onslaught of her lips until the phone was against his ear.

  “What,” he said. His voice was gruff with passion. He looked at his watch and closed his eyes. “Yea, we’re almost there. Later.”

  “Aunt Bev?” Julia said, suddenly remembering that they were supposed to be doing something else.

  “Her flight got in early,” Ben said.

  “Too bad,” she said wistfully.

  “You’re staying at my place tonight,” Ben said.

  “I am? You have the bachelor party tonight, remember?”

  “I’ll give you the key, and I promise that you’ll enjoy your wake up call,” Ben said wickedly.

  Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she didn’t trust her decision making abilities. “I’ll let you know later.”

  She tried to move around him, but Ben blocked her way. “Why can’t you let me know now?”

  “Because you’re a bit too persuasive for your own good. I’m not sure I’m ready to let the whole town know what’s going between us. Plus we both have a wedding tomorrow that we need to be wide awake for.”

  Ben groaned. “I don’t like it when you are the voice of reason.”

  Julia put her arms around his waist. “I didn’t say no to tomorrow night though.”

  Ben kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “Promises, promises,” Julia said laughing.

  Then she scooted around him. As they drove away, she turned to look at the lake through the back window. Things were changing, and she hoped they were all for the better.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Ben pulled up outside Sarah’s studio and lingered in the Jeep. After dropping Julia and her aunt Bev off at the Bell house, the appointed hour of his meeting with Sarah was upon him. He mentally prepared himself to go into battle. He felt stupid for thinking of it that way. She was just a woman who needed to be firmly told that a relationship wasn’t in the cards for them. So far, he had been wishy washy on the topic because of the pressure he felt to consider his options. With Julia’s arrival fate presented a new option, and Ben wasn’t going to pass that one up.

  He knew that Julia wasn’t happy about his involvement with Sarah, and so the sooner he cut the ties the better. He wanted a clean slate. He and Julia both deserved that chance. He took a deep breath and then stepped out into the sunshine.

  Sarah’s studio was located in a large barn that sat about a hundred feet back from her house. Like Ben, she decided to forgo living in the main hub of Benton Hill and so she chose a place on the town’s bo
undary. The difference was that Sarah had family money that allowed her to buy a much larger property. He often wondered what she did tooling around the renovated farmhouse by herself.

  The door to the barn slid open, revealing Sarah in a bright orange sundress that perfectly set off her tan, toned limbs. With her hair caught up in a sloppy ponytail and cowboy boots on her feet, she could easily be mistaken for a country girl. Ben wasn’t fooled. It was all a carefully curated illusion. Sarah West was a blue-blooded debutante through and through. He still wondered why she wanted him.

  Ben nodded his head in greeting and Sarah waved to him as he approached her. As he drew closer, he was reminded again how tall she was. In her boots, her eyes were almost even with his. She leaned in to give him a hug, but Ben offered her an awkward handshake instead. He needed to keep the entire situation strictly platonic.

  “Get Aunt Bev all situated?” she asked. He could tell that his physical outmaneuver confused her.

  “Yep. She’s an interesting lady,” Ben said. Bev was almost ten years older than Jack, but Ben would have guessed they were the same age. During the entire ride back to the Bell house, Julia’s astute aunt quizzed the both of them about their respective love lives. She not so subtlety suggested that they hook up. His ears still burned from some of her more racy comments. Somehow he and Julia managed to fend her off with minimal commentary and vague responses, but it had him wondering again why they were bothering to hide that there was something going on between them.

  “Clary said they haven’t been able to coerce her back to Benton Hill since her mother’s funeral. Apparently Bev has quite the active social life in Florida,” Sarah said.

  I’ll bet, Ben thought. He imagined a line of elderly gentlemen waiting to knock on Aunt Bev’s door, and the idea brought a small smile to his lips. Too late, he saw that Sarah thought the smile was for her.

  She took his elbow and pulled him into the barn. “You have to see what I set-up for Clary and Mike’s pictures. I hope they like it. Do you want some iced tea?”

  Once someone stepped inside the barn, it was easy to forget that you were inside a structure that used to be used for animals. Sarah gutted the inside and set-up several different areas that she used for different kinds of shoots. Behind the barn, she had several outside areas set-up that were popular backdrops for local high school students needing senior pictures. In just a few years time, Sarah built up a tidy little business. He had to hand it to her. When Sarah set her mind to something, she usually accomplished it.