by Daniels, J.
The pressure forming in my chest intensifies and I scoff at the nurse who seems to be taking her good old fucking time on my arm.
Tessa walks over to the bed, holding out her phone. “Here. You need to listen to this.”
I take it from her with apprehension. “What is it?” She doesn’t answer me as she walks over toward Nolan and I place the phone up to my ear. Within seconds, my angel’s voice fills me.
“I’m on my way. Oh my God, please call me back and tell me he’s okay. Tell him I love him, Tessa. Tell him I’m going to say that to him every second for the rest of his life. He’ll never go another day without hearing those words from me.” I hear her quivering breath before she pleads, “Please don’t take him away from me.”
The desperation in her voice nearly guts me. But those words, the words I’ve held off saying, have my heart slamming so hard against my sternum I’m certain it’ll snap it in half. But I don’t care if it does. I never want it to stop beating like this. I’d do fucking anything to keep feeling this way.
I need her. Now.
I start to move off the bed when the nurse slams her hand on my shoulder. “I have one more stitch. And then you’ll have to wait to see if the doctor will release you. You have a lot of bruises from those bullets and you’ll be in a lot of pain. You might want to think about going home with some medication.”
I turn my head and make sure she is looking right into my eyes. I don’t want to have to repeat myself. “I don’t care about the pain. I’ll endure anything to get to the woman I fucking breathe for. She needs me and as soon as you’re finished with that last stitch, I’m going to her.”
Her eyes widen slightly and she steadies the needle against my shoulder. “But the doctor will want—”
“Tell him that I’m not waiting to get discharged. Say I went against orders. I don’t give a shit.” I look at my shoulder and then back at her. “It doesn’t need to be pretty. Just finish it so I can get out of here.” She gets to it and I hold Tessa’s phone out to her.
She waves me off with her hand. “No. Take it. You’ll need to call her so you two don’t pass each other on the highway.” She looks down at Nolan and smiles before looking back at me with a saddened expression. “Her message kind of killed me.”
I rest my head back on the bed. “Yeah. It kind of killed me too.”
The nurse stands and pulls off her gloves after placing a bandage over my stitches. “All finished. I’ll go grab the paperwork you need to sign.” I’m out of bed before she leaves the room and my speed startles her. “Uh, you’re not going to stick around and sign anything, are you?”
“Nope.” I turn to Tessa who is scooping up Nolan as the nurse utters something under her breath while leaving the room. “You got him?”
“Yup. Go to her. But please be careful. I’ve suffered enough stress today.”
I give Nolan a kiss before I sprint out of the room and down the long hallway to the stairwell. I’m out the door and running toward my truck that thankfully, Luke had made sure would be here for me when I was released. But it didn’t matter. I’d fucking steal a car at this point to get to her. As soon as the bars register on Tessa’s phone, indicating the reception, I dial Mia’s number.
“Hey, I’m still like an hour and a half out. This traffic is ridiculous! Does nobody work anymore?”
I start up my truck and pull away from the hospital, the sound of her voice sending an ache throughout my entire body. “Baby,” I whisper, my voice a strained plea. I hear her soft gasp and then her staggered breathing fills my ear.
“Ben,” she says through a soft cry. My name on her lips blankets the pain I’m feeling right now. The pain that I’ve felt for the past several hours. Hope and pure need flood my senses and I push my foot down on the gas pedal until it touches the floor. “Oh God, babe. I’m so happy to hear your voice. I was so worried.”
“Angel, where are you? I’m getting on 215 right now.”
“I’m on Route 7. Why don’t you just wait there for me? We might pass each other.”
I laugh slightly, my first laugh since yesterday. “There’s no way I’ll let you pass me, baby. Just keep driving to me and I’ll find you.”
She pauses for a beat and I can almost see her fidgeting through the phone. “Ben, I have to say it. I can’t go another second without saying it to you.”
Christ, I needed to say it too. But not like this. Not fucking yet. “Don’t say it, Mia. I want to be looking into your eyes when I say it to you. And then you can say it back. Okay? Just hang on for me.”
She sniffles several times. “Okay. But you better say it the second you see me or I’m saying it first. I’ve waited long enough for you, Benjamin Kelly. Don’t make me wait anymore.”
I shake my free hand out of the fist that is beginning to permanently set in. Knowing Mia is this close to me feels like having an itch I can’t scratch. “No more waiting, baby. I promise you that.”
“Good.” She pauses and a muted grunt fills the phone. “Shit, babe. My phone’s about to die. I should get off here in case we completely miss each other and I need to call you. I’m actually betting on that happening.”
“Don’t doubt me, Mia. I’d find you anywhere.” The possessive hunger in my blood yearns to prove her wrong on this one. She won’t need that phone again. I’m drawn to her like a fucking honing missile.
She laughs slightly. “Yeah, you better.”
**
I knew I’d run into her on Route 7 somewhere. It was the longest stretch of highway that connected Alabama and Georgia. I was only looking out for one vehicle across the grass covered median that separated east and west bound. And as soon as that cherry red jeep comes into my line of sight, I feel like someone plugs me into an outlet. My entire body stiffens in anticipation as I cross the three lanes and drive my truck across the median. My back end fishtails several times given the speed I take it at but it doesn’t slow me down. I drive toward the direction of the traffic, still in the median, and the red jeep darts off the highway in between cars and skids to a halt in the grass.
Christ, baby. If you got into an accident right now…
I slam on my emergency brake and jump out of my truck, leaving it on. She swings her legs out of the jeep and hops down, steadying herself before taking off running in my direction.
Mia. Mia. Mia.
She slams against my chest, a whimpered moan escaping both of us as I cradle her to me. The pain she’s causing against my welts is ignored. I can’t let her go. Not yet. But I do ease her away from me and take a hold of her delicate face with both my hands. She looks at me with desperation. To hold me. To talk to me. To fucking hear what I’ve kept from her. And I don’t make her wait.
“I love you. I can’t remember a moment when I didn’t love you. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, but that’ll never happen again. I can’t be without you, angel. Please tell me you’ll stay with me.” I drop my forehead to hers and close my eyes. The magnitude of my love for her is crippling. “I can’t say goodbye to you.”
Her hands grab my wrists with a gentle squeeze. “I love you too. And you’ll never have to say goodbye to me. It was always supposed to be you in the bar that night, Ben. You were always meant to be my first, and my last. I can’t imagine giving myself to anyone but you. Not now. Not ever.” I open my eyes when I feel the tears falling down my face. She reaches up and wipes them away. “This is where I belong. Wherever you are. Always.”
Her declaration has me struggling to stay upright. My knees feel weak enough to drop me. But she has me. She wraps her arms around my waist and places her head against my chest. I bury my face in her hair. “We’ll come back for your car. I’m not driving home in separate vehicles when I’ve been without you for this long.”
She giggles against me, her face turning up and knocking me out with that smile. “It hasn’t even been a whole day.”
“Felt like a whole year. Come on.”
I move h
er along the grass and help her up into my truck after securing her vehicle. There’s no space between us, not anymore. And there never will be again. She’s against my side the entire drive home. Her head against my shoulder and my hand in her lap with both of hers holding on to me. I let her scent fill my lungs, feeling it calm me like a damn drug. Pain killers? No. I won’t need any pain killers. She has me completely relaxed, every muscle in my body loose, until I feel her lips press against my neck.
She squirms against me, wiggling my hand down so it settles between her legs. “Remember when you were so close to pulling over and taking me in your truck?” Her breath heats the skin below my ear, sending a jolt straight to my cock. “I want that. Right now.” And then her hand is pressing on my massive erection, the one that is threatening to rip through my zipper.
I hiss through a moan and she works me through my shorts. “You want me to throw you in the back and fuck you on the side of the road?” I feel her nod against me as her teeth scrap against my ear. “Fuck. How wet are you right now?”
“Very.” She grabs my hand and slips it under her dress, pressing my fingers against her panties. My cock becomes painfully hard at the feel of her arousal and she moans when I press a finger against her clit. “Ben, please,” she pants, digging her nails into my wrist as I twist my hand. I slide underneath her panties and dip one finger into her. Her head falls back onto the seat with a shuddering gasp.
“Jesus Christ. Hold on, angel.” She protests with a whimper as I slip my finger out of her and pop it in my mouth. I pull off on a back road that breaks into a secluded wooded area, parking my truck between the trees. I turn the truck off and unbuckle my seatbelt as she does the same. “Climb over the seat and take that dress off. I want you naked and ready for me.” She complies with a gleeful chuckle, giving me a gorgeous view of her ass as she crawls into the back.
I step out of the truck and glance around. We’re completely isolated. Good. Nothing is interrupting this. Opening the back door, I pull my cock out of my shorts before I climb inside. She’s slipping off her panties, her dress discarded somewhere. Her hungry eyes focus on my dick that I’m slowly stroking while I watch her.
“You’re so hard for me,” she states with a fascinated tone. She reaches for me but quickly pulls her hands back. “Do you want me to do that? Or should I touch myself while you watch?”
Christ. That is tempting as hell. My cock jerks in my hand at the thought. But I’m suddenly hectic with the need to feel her around me. Nothing else will suffice right now. I grab her leg and pull her toward me, keeping my other hand on the base of my cock.
“Straddle me. I want those tits in my face.”
I guide her over me, sliding my hands up her thighs as she grabs my cock and rubs it against herself, slicking the head. “Fuck, you feel amazing, baby,” I grunt through a tense jaw. I lean in and lick her taut nipple, teasing it before drawing it into my mouth.
“Ben,” she whispers urgently, shifting her weight forward and guiding me to her entrance. She grabs my face with both her hands, pulling me away from her breast and locks eyes with me. “Watch me.” Her mouth parts slightly as she lowers herself down, taking me to the hilt. “I love you.”
I lean my head back and smirk. “Me? Or my cock?” Before she can answer, I grab her hips and lift her up, slamming her down on top of me five times with brute force. “You. Love. This?” I ask with my thrusts.
“Yes. God, yes.”
When I finish, she takes the lead and digs her nails into my shoulders as she rocks against me.
“Easy, baby,” I warn her when her hand presses against my stitches.
Her eyes go to the spot on my arm and she raises the sleeve of my shirt. Her brow furrows with pain, guilt, maybe. I’m not sure. She leans in, pressing her hand to my chest as she kisses the bandage. I wince at the pressure she puts on me and she notices. Her hands grab the bottom of my shirt. “Take it off.”
I stop her from lifting it farther than my upper abs. “I’m fine. Just a little sore.”
“I want to see it.” She pulls with determination and I comply, shifting so she can lift it over my head. She inhales sharply, her eyes taking in the nine welts and the bruises that have formed around them. Her hand lies gently over the one welt that sits right in the middle of my chest. I see her lip tremble and reach up, cupping the side of her face. Her eyes meet mine with agony. “I could’ve lost you.”
I pull her face toward me. “No. You’ll never lose me. I told you that nothing could ever take me away from you.” I brush my lips against hers and taste her tears on my tongue. “Don’t cry. Not now. Be here with me, Mia.”
She kisses me gently after wiping her tears away. “Make love to me. Just like you did that first night.”
“You want me to be gentle?” I ask, snaking my arms around her waist. She nods before sliding off my lap and lying out on my back seat, legs spread. I shove my shorts and boxers down to mid-thigh before getting between her legs. “Guide me in, baby.”
She smiles and reaches around me, pulling me straight into her. I thrust my hips, slowly, letting her feel every inch of me as I brace myself on my elbows. Her eyes flutter close and she arches against me, brushing her chest against mine with a deep inhale. I can feel her heart knocking against my chest, mimicking my beat. I kiss her jaw, her nose, her cheeks. Every inch of her face is touched by my lips. She lets me worship her body like it’s the first time. My hands caress every part of her, my lips sliding along her skin. I commit her to memory. Her scent. Her taste. The way her body shudders against mine. The feel of her right now, beneath me while I drag this out, while I prolong this moment with her, this, fucking this is the reason for my existence. With every breath I take, I take one for her.
She moans loudly and grabs my face, pressing her lips against mine. “I’m so close.” I move in her at the same pace. Not speeding up. Not taking her the way she’s become accustomed to. “Oh God, Ben,” she says against my lips, raking her nails down my back. “Please.”
“I know, angel. I’ve got you.” I slide my hand between us and press my thumb against her clit. She answers with a whimpered cry and I get her there. Right there with only a few strokes.
Her eyes open and she wraps her legs around me. “I don’t want to come without you.” She barely gets her sentence out before her body tightens around me. “Ben…”
I groan loudly and feel my orgasm burning up my spine. “Holy shit.” I watch her lips part with a silent cry, eyes closing as the pleasure builds, and push her knees back, needing to get deeper. My breath is stolen from me as I go off inside her, driving into her to the point of exhaustion. Giving her every piece of me. And even though I was tender and unhurried, it rocks me with a blinding intensity. The kind I’ve only ever felt with Mia. I collapse on top of her, resting my head on her chest. Her arms wrap around me and hold me tighter. Closer. Never close enough. I can’t imagine loving her any more than I do right now, but I know I will. Because every second I’m with her, I fall harder. It’s how it’s always been between us. Even when I held myself back. I loved her when she became my best friend. And given the chance, I’d never change the way it happened. I’d never take back those weeks I suffered in silence, wanting more than she was willing to give me. I’d give her that a thousand times over if she needed it. A future with her was more than I’d ever deserve.
And I’ll cherish her like the gift she is until I draw my last breath.
Chapter Twenty One
Mia
“You know, before this whole thing started between the two of you, you technically were mine for the summer,” Tessa says as she helps me pack up my stuff in the bedroom I’ve occupied for the past two months. “I mean, I don’t see the harm in you finishing out your time here with me and then moving in with Ben after the summer’s over.”
“Because he’d be so quick to agree to that arrangement,” I state with a soft chuckle. I knew there was no way in hell he’d go along with me prolonging my move. It’s al
l he’s talked about for the past five days. I’m actually surprised he’s given me this long. “And you act like I won’t be right around the corner. You do realize I’m here permanently, right?”
She smiles over her shoulder as she grabs the clothes that are hanging in the closet. “That’s not the point. I love that you two are together but he’s a horrible sharer. He always has been.”
I take the clothes from her and pull them off the hangers. “Have you talked to him?”
“Who?” I give her a knowing look and she rolls her eyes. “Why would I talk to him? There’s nothing to talk about. It’s over.”
Her words are final, but I know Tessa. She’s hurting. She’ll never admit it, but she misses him. “Isn’t tonight going to be weird? Seeing him at the concert?”
She shrugs once before taking the hangers back to the closet. “There’s going to be like five thousand people there. I can avoid him in a crowd that size. Plus, I plan on getting shitfaced which is sure to help with the situation.” She closes the closet door before dropping her forehead, hitting the wood with a soft thud.
“Tessa…”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She lifts her head and turns toward me, her eyes giving away exactly what she’s feeling. “Okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
We finish packing up my room in silence. I know when she’s ready to talk about it, she’ll open up. And she knows that I’m here whenever that time comes.
My aunt is taking care of selling my mom’s house for me, allowing me to stay in Alabama during the process. Ben and I will be making a trip to get the rest of my things soon, but to be perfectly honest, I have everything I’ll ever need. I never imagined moving back to Ruxton, but now I can’t imagine not living here. This was always my home. Wherever he was.
After loading my stuff into my Jeep so that I can take it straight to Ben’s after the concert, Tessa and I head over to the field. Ben somehow managed to snag tickets to see Luke Bryan. Lawn seats, which allows us to park in the field overlooking the stage and sit in our vehicles while we enjoy the music. I spot Ben’s truck after weaving in and out of the crowd and park next to it, watching as he jumps out of the bed and walks over to my door.