We Were Here: A New Adult Romance Prequel to Geoducks Are for Lovers (Modern Love Stories Book 1)

by Daisy Prescott

  I still felt like a princess. Not because of the harpist, although she played beautifully. No, because the entire evening, Ben focused on me like I was the center of his world.

  It was a pretty incredible world, too.

  As of now, it included crab and harpists.

  And my favorite part, slow, tender kisses I felt everywhere.

  Being courted, as Ben called it, was as similar to modern dating as the horse and buggy were to race cars.

  In other words, we took things slow.

  Very slow.

  The kiss at the car and another equally slow, restrained goodnight kiss following our first date were all the action I got from him. In one sense, it felt like months of flirting and sexual tension had been building up between us. In reality, we’d only gone on one date and spent the evening in the ER, which didn’t count.

  It had been only a week since our date, but my patience had frayed to nothing. We talked all the time, even spending time on the phone when we weren’t together.

  Talk. Talk. Talk. No action.

  I knew he wasn’t above manipulating situations to his greatest advantage. I wouldn’t let him out-maneuver me. We didn’t fight, but we both loved to negotiate everything. It became our own kind of foreplay.

  I spotted him outside the CAB chatting with Selah. Perfect timing.

  After interrupting their conversation, I made my first move. “Selah, what do you think of the traditional dating structure? Girl sits by the phone waiting for boy to call to ask her out?”

  Her green eyes blazed while her mouth twisted into a scowl. “I think it’s bullshit. What is this, the nineteen-fifties? It’s almost the twenty-first century. Women have jobs and birth control. We don’t have to be pregnant and stuck in the house all day taking care of screaming babies, watching soaps about lives we’ll never lead, and wondering where our dreams went while folding some man’s stained tightie-whities . . . unless we want to. Then, more power to you, sister.”

  Ben shot me a confused look. “Why are you riling up Selah?” he whispered as she continued her rant.

  She accidentally slapped his arm when she brought up the suffragettes and the ERA. “I mean, it’s all unbelievable. In my women’s studies seminar—”

  I stopped her before she really blew a gasket. “Okay, thanks for proving my point.”

  She harrumphed and mumbled something about patriarchy.

  Smiling, I made my next move. “Ben, I’d like to ask you out for tomorrow night.”

  “But . . . I’m the guy. I should be—” He stopped himself from going any further. A smile lit up his face and he nodded with realization. I’d outmaneuvered him. Plus, I had a witness to back me up.

  “You’re the guy? What do you mean by that? Because you have tender, delicate genitals hanging outside your body you’re better equipped to make decisions?” Selah’s face began to deepen with color. “Don’t make me go all riot grrrl on you.”

  Ben slowly backed away from her. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me with him, using me as a human shield. “I don’t even know what a riot girl is, but I’m afraid.”

  “You should be, Benton Grant, the second. You and your white patriarchy are falling like Rome.” She jabbed her finger at him. “You’re going down.”

  “I think her women’s studies class on the history of feminism is doing strange things to her brain,” I whispered without shifting my focus. I didn’t want to lose sight of Selah until I knew we were out of range in case she decided to karate chop Ben’s oppressive manhood.

  Selah stomped away, still talking about feminism and riot girls.

  “What was that all about?” he asked once she entered the building.

  “Collateral damage.” My eyes tracked Selah’s departure while I fought a smile of triumph.

  He spun me to face him. “I would’ve said yes to your proposal. You didn’t have to use Selah as a pawn to ask me out.”

  “Would you have? You’ve been acting traditional about everything.”

  “I was going to ask you out for Friday night when we saw each other today. You beat me to it.”

  “You were?”

  Shock flashed across his face. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? Didn’t you like dinner last week?”

  “Of course. It was amazing. I’d never eaten to the sounds of live harp music before.”

  “The harp was a little much, I admit.”

  I pinched the air between my thumb and index finger. “A little.”

  “Did you think I didn’t have fun?” Worry furrowed his brow.

  “No, it’s not that.”

  “What is it?”

  I inhaled and then exhaled all my thoughts into one long sentence. “It’s been a week and I’m impatient. The whole flirting thing started months ago, and you’ve only kissed me twice, not complaining about the kisses because they were very nice, amazing, but there have only been two, yet we’ve known each other for ages, and that’s making me impatient for more.”

  His lips silenced my rambling. Then his tongue found mine and I forgot what I was trying to say. When his hands wrapped around my braid, and gently tugged, angling my head exactly where he wanted it, I couldn’t have told him my own name because I suddenly had no idea what it was.

  Benton Grant had kissed me stupid.

  I rubbed myself against him like a cat, complete with a soft purr deep in my throat. My hands roamed over his shoulders, down his arms, and under his jacket. I needed to touch more of him.

  His thumb brushed my cheek, grounding me and calming my frenzy. He slowed down the kiss, balancing me upright on my feet before releasing me.

  “You should ask me out more often.” He kissed the corner of my mouth.

  I let my focus stay on his mouth a moment before meeting his eyes. “What are you doing right now? My roommate is working until seven. I have the space to myself.”

  “Oh really?” His cocky grin returned.

  I nodded.

  “I’d be happy to accept your invitation.” He held out his elbow for us to link arms.

  “So formal.” I shifted my bag to my other shoulder and accepted his gesture.

  “For some reason, I like being formal and old-fashioned with you.” He gave me a peck on the cheek.

  “You know I asked you back to my room to fool around, right?”

  “Doesn’t mean I respect you any less.” He stopped and pulled me to face him. “In fact, I like your honesty and directness.” A quick kiss to my lips turned into more when I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  Still pressed against him, I whispered, “I’m thinking Jenni needs to find another place to sleep tonight.”

  His eyes widened comically and his eyebrows shot north toward his hair. “Okay. Then why are we still wasting time standing out here?”

  He took off at a jog in the direction of the dorms, towing me behind by the hand until I found my footing and ran ahead of him.

  Before I could make it through the doors, he caught up with me and pinned me to the glass. Laughing, our chests rising and falling, we tried to breathe through our noses as we kissed again. Unfortunately, the need for oxygen won, and I reluctantly pushed him away. Dizziness hit me as the image of him before me blurred.

  “Hold on.” I bent at the waist to catch my breath. Placing my hands on my knees, I inhaled and counted to ten. After the world stopped spinning, my eyes focused again.

  Ben’s jeans were barely constraining his very obvious arousal mere inches from my face.

  “Get a room,” someone yelled. A few yards away on the path, some pimply faced hippie bounced a hacky sack on his foot. In his Grateful Dead tie-dyed shirt, he looked like the ultimate college cliché.

  “Thanks for the sage advice.” Ben waved at him with a sarcastic grin. “Shall we?”

  If kissing him made me stupid and almost pass out, I wasn’t prepared for more. All my confidence disappeared as we climbed the stairs to my room. At my door, I fumbled and dropped my keys, my fingers shaking.

  He pi
cked up my key ring and stuck the right one in the lock, but didn’t turn it.

  “Jo?”

  I met his concerned eyes.

  “We don’t have to do anything. Remember in the ER when I said we could go as fast or slow as you wanted? I meant it. That’s why I haven’t done more than kiss you goodnight. You’re the one in control here.”

  I wasn’t sure if I believed him. “You’re not going to do the classic guy move and shove my hand on your crotch or push my head down to let me know you want a blow job?” I wished I were kidding about those moves. Those were two of my perfect-on-paper high school boyfriend’s favorites.

  “What? No! I wouldn’t force you.” His eyebrows lifted again with shock. “Please tell me no guy has ever done that to you.”

  Pressing my lips together, I nodded.

  “I knew you hadn’t been with the right kind of guy. We’re not all cavemen who don’t have the language skills to ask for what we want. Or even more important, ask what you want.”

  No guy—not the high school boyfriend, not the random guys I’d dated freshman year—had ever asked me what I wanted. If they weren’t completely consumed with their boners, they might have responded to a subtle shift, a hand placed in the right spot, a change in pressure or angle guided by me. Sadly, directions didn’t work for most of them.

  Ben touched my face and traced from my temple to my jaw. “What do you want, Jo?”

  “You. I only want you.” I turned the key in the lock and the door opened.

  “American Girl” ~ Tom Petty

  I FLIPPED ON my desk lamp instead of the awful overhead fluorescent. If I had candles, I would have lit them.

  My palms felt clammy and my heart flew around in my chest. Rubbing my hands on my jeans, I talked myself into calming down.

  I wasn’t a virgin, but I didn’t have a lot of experience. Only my high school boyfriend really. The other semi-sexual encounters had always ended before the full shebang. Literally.

  Ben wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. I swore he sniffed my hair.

  “You always smell like fresh flowers.”

  “I bathe regularly and use perfume?” It came out like a question.

  He chuckled and kissed the little bump on the top of my shoulder. “I wasn’t questioning your hygiene. It’s not perfume. It’s you.”

  He buried his face in my neck. This time I knew he sniffed me. I tilted my head to give him more access. Not knowing what to do with my hands, I held onto his forearms. His front pressed against my back from thighs to shoulders. Everything made contact.

  I shifted and deliberately arched back into him. I’d caught a glimpse outside the building, but I wanted to feel all of him.

  Sensing my goal, he spun me around and backed me up until my calves hit my mattress. I tumbled onto the bed and he followed, rolling onto his side next to me on the twin.

  He ran his fingers through my hair, spreading it out on the pillow. “You’re beautiful.”

  I stared into his eyes, seeing the honesty behind his words. Lifting my hand, I stroked his face. “You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

  “Ever?” His smile lit up his face.

  My hand paused at his jaw. “Okay. Not ever. In person.”

  “Ouch. You wound my delicate male ego.” He held his other hand over his heart. As if my words had stabbed him, he flopped dramatically onto his back. Lying partially across me, his weight pinned my arm beneath him.

  “Sorry, but have you seen River Phoenix? Or John F. Kennedy, Jr.?”

  “Those two are my competition? An actor and a Kennedy heir? Both are liberal democrats.” He faked his disgust well.

  “On looks only. Although if John-John called, I might switch parties.” I poked his side and he shifted, kneeling to keep his weight off of me.

  “You love to rile me up, don’t you?” He nipped my exposed collarbone, finally pressing his hips to mine. Unfortunately, as much as I liked to provoke him, he enjoyed teasing me more. Lifting back on his knees, he straddled my thighs.

  I pretended to pout.

  He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Beautiful. I can’t believe you agreed to go out with me, let alone the fact you’re here with me now.”

  My face heated under his intense stare. I’d never felt as cherished as I did with him. His warm brown eyes held emotion we hadn’t spoken out loud or dared to hint at.

  Afraid of what might come out of my mouth if I spoke, I pulled him down to me, kissing him.

  In response, he was everywhere at once. His hands unbuttoned my shirt, exposing my pink lace bra. He traced the lace with a knuckle before reverently kissing the small swell of my breast.

  I tugged at his rugby shirt, yanking it up his back. He took over removing it, leaving his torso bare.

  He shoved my shirt down and off my arms. In only our jeans, we looked like a Calvin Klein ad.

  My palm skimmed his denim, brushing against the hardness beneath his fly. He moved my hand out of the way and undid his buttons, revealing plaid boxers.

  “My turn.” With a single finger he flicked the top button and then pulled the zipper on my jeans.

  I shimmied out of them.

  “So beautiful.” His mouth kissed whatever exposed skin he encountered next.

  My shoulder.

  My navel.

  My thigh.

  The inside of my knee.

  The curve of my calf muscle.

  The delicate bones of my ankle.

  Then he retraced his path back up my body, finding new places to explore.

  A mole on my inner thigh.

  My hip bone.

  A middle rib.

  The hollow at the base of my neck.

  A soft spot underneath my chin.

  The shadow behind my ear.

  I squirmed and sighed, needing more, but not wanting him to stop.

  Soon the thin material separating us landed on the floor. He reached into his wallet for a condom.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered against my lips.

  I’d never been more sure in my life.

  I inhaled at the moment we joined together. When he began to move, I wrapped my arms around his lower back, pulling him closer to me, angling my hips.

  Slowly, I lifted my eyelids to discover him staring at my face. The reverence I’d felt before in his gaze greeted me again. His shy grin played on his lips for a moment before he bit the bottom corner.

  I smiled up at him, happiness cresting over me with each movement of our bodies together.

  An unfamiliar pressure built in my lower abdomen. I’d never had an orgasm during intercourse before. Ben shifted and small stars appeared behind my lashes.

  “Again.” I wasn’t sure if he could hear my whisper.

  He repeated the new angle and I tightened my legs around his thighs.

  “There?” Restraint tightened his voice.

  Afraid of doing anything to lose the promise of pleasure beyond my grasp, I barely nodded, hoping it would be enough to encourage him.

  His thumb added enough pressure above where we were joined to push me over the edge into a whole new world of pleasure.

  I gasped, still chasing the fading bliss he brought to my body. He faltered, his rhythm erratic before his face broke into ecstasy.

  Joy bubbled out of my mouth as a giggle. I’d never experienced bliss before.

  “All I Want is You” ~ U2

  BEN’S CURTAINS FILTERED the bright May sunlight. Like a cat, I lay in a pool of its warmth, my sociology textbook sitting open in front of me. Behind me, Ben ran his hand up my bare leg, distracting me.

  I stared over my shoulder at him. From his expression, he knew exactly what effect he had on me. His fingers reached higher, skimming the hem of my boxer shorts. Well, his boxers I stole. I kicked my legs when he tickled me and rolled over to my back.

  He crawled up my body to kiss me.

  “No way. I need to finish studying for the test next week.
” I gave him a closed mouth kiss.

  He responded by wiggling his hand under my shirt. “You know you’ll wait until the day before to cram, and then you’ll ace it. Like you always do.”

  I stopped his hand moving. Beneath my palm, he squeezed my breast. I closed my lids as the sensation flooded my body with warmth, concentrated in pulses between my legs.

  “Ben.” I intended to chastise him, but my voice came out pleading and husky.

  “Shh.” He quieted me with another kiss. “Study later.”

  I would never have been able to focus with him so close, knowing he felt as turned on as I did. My willpower evaporated.

  After our afternoon spent not studying, we napped and lay around. Ben wore his boxers and I put on one of his prep school T-shirts. It hit me mid-thigh, providing more decency than being naked all day like he’d suggested. I had my sociology book open again and took notes.

  “I have a brilliant idea.” Ben leaned against the wall with my legs across his lap.

  “Hmm . . . what?” I was starving and hoped he would suggest we order pizza.

  “Let’s move in together.”

  I jumped up, my head spinning with his words. “Are you insane?”

  “Never been more sane in my life. I know. Without any doubts, I know I love you.”

  “See? You say crazy things and expect me to believe them.” My heart raced and my palms felt clammy.

  “You do believe me, because it’s the truth. Who cares if it’s only been a few months. This is different than anything I’ve ever felt. I know it’s the same for you.”

  “Means we dated the wrong people. Like the stupid teenagers we were.”

  “Exactly. My point is we know this isn’t anything close to what we experienced before.”

  Memories of how his skin felt against mine flashed through my mind, causing those places to fire up with anticipation. “I’ll agree with you.”

  “I love you. Never been more sure in my life.” He stepped close to me. “Now’s when you say it back, Jo.”

  “I love you.” Finally saying the words out loud was as easy as breathing.

  He touched my cheek. “I thought you might.”

  “What are you proposing?” I hadn’t meant to use that word. No way would he have been proposing right now. That would be insane.