“Am I early?”
“No. I just had to let someone into her room. She was locked out.”
“R.A. responsibilities, huh?”
“They never end.” I open my door and motion for him to come inside. “I just have to grab my purse.”
The second we’re inside my room, he steps into me. I breathe in his scent, letting it fill me. His eyes lock on mine. “Nice room,” he says, his face so close his lips brush my cheek. One side of his mouth curves up, and I can’t help thinking he’s well aware of the effect he’s having on me.
“So, where are we going?” I ask, my voice shaking a bit.
“Are you in a rush?” He reaches his hand up and cups the side of my face.
Shit. The effect it has is overwhelming. I’m not the least bit hungry anymore. At least not for food. “Not at all.”
“We could hang out for a while before we eat.” He leans down and lightly brushes his lips against mine.
My head spins. “We could do that.”
Ben smiles and finds my lips again, not holding back this time. I drop my keys and my hands reach for his waist, clutching his shirt. I promised myself I wouldn’t hold back, and I’m not about to. I backpedal to the bed and sit down. Ben remains on his feet and stares down at me. An unreadable expression flashes across his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Nothing. I was just thinking how beautiful you are.”
I tug his hands so he joins me on the bed. He brushes my hair off my shoulder and kisses my neck, making me moan. Enjoying my response, he pulls me closer. I tilt my head, giving him better access to the spot that makes my toes curl. He finds it immediately. My hands roam across his broad chest, occasionally gripping his shirt to keep from crying out in pleasure.
Without warning, Ben pulls away. “Why did you stop?” I ask, not wanting this to be over yet. He stares into my eyes without saying a word. “Ben?”
“I think that’s the first time you’ve said my name.”
“Um, okay.” I have no idea what that has to do with anything. All I can think is that he’s changed his mind. He’s not really into me after all.
“I like the way it sounds coming off your lips.” He leans toward me, pushing me down so I’m lying on the bed. He hovers above me, not touching me. Teasing me.
“I never liked my name,” I say, not sure where the words are coming from. I don’t want to talk. I want to kiss him, touch him, and let the rest of the world slip away for a while, just like it does every time his lips meet mine.
He leans his body down on top of mine, slowly, letting me feel every inch of him. “Mindy,” he whispers, kissing my jaw. “Mindy.” He moves to my neck. “Mindy.” He kisses my earlobe, nibbling on it.
I push my body up against his and reach my arms around him. “I like my name a lot more now.” My voice is breathy and full of desire.
He pulls back just enough to smile before he kisses me again. His hand roams across my chest, cupping and massaging one breast and then the other. I arch into him again, and he lowers the strap on my sundress. “We’re going to make you a wrinkled mess,” he says before taking my nipple into his mouth.
To hell with my dress. I cry out and grab the back of his head so he can’t pull away. My other hand reaches between us for the button on his jeans, but he slinks out from under my grasp and shakes his head.
Oh my God, he’s killing me! “What are you doing?” I ask.
“We have reservations.” He smiles as he puts the strap of my dress back in place and pulls me to a sitting position.
“Are you serious?” I know I sound like a horny co-ed right now, but come on. How can he touch me like that and then say it’s time to go eat?
He looks away, like he’s wrestling with an idea—or maybe an urge. I can definitely relate. “Look, I don’t want to rush into anything.”
I sit up straighter. “You’re the one who kissed me before even finding out my name. You showed up outside my class with my favorite kind of coffee and practically begged me to go out with you tonight, and now you’re—”
He stops me with a kiss. His fingers tangle in my hair and he leans me back again, resuming our former position. “This better?” he asks.
“Much.”
“For the record, I tried to give you an out.”
“I never asked for one.” I look into his eyes, hoping he can see I’m serious. I have no idea what this is between us, but I’m in. All in.
“Then where were we?” He lowers the strap of my dress again and picks right up where he left off. My head is flustered, but he quickly makes me forget about that. I’m lost in his touch. He leans back, grabs the back of his shirt, and yanks it over his head, tossing it on the floor. Then he reaches for my hands, pulling me to a sitting position. “No sense getting your dress wrinkled.” He keeps his eyes on mine as he shimmies my dress up and over my head.
Yeah, I’m sure he’s just looking out for my dress. I smirk and realize I’m in nothing but my bra and panties, and Ben is shirtless. “This hardly seems fair,” I say, gesturing to his jeans.
“Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to be unfair.” He flashes me a devilish smile as he steps off the bed and removes his jeans.
Instead of keeping my eyes locked on his, like he did when he removed my dress, my eyes trail down his body. My pulse quickens as I realize what I’m doing, what I’m about to do.
“Change your mind?” Ben asks. “You look a little freaked.”
“No. Just not quite believing this is happening.”
He slides back onto the bed, this time taking the spot next to me instead of on top of me. “We might be rushing into this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t plan to take my time.”
“You do realize that makes no sense, right?”
“Oh, it will.” He leans toward my neck, gently tilting my head to find my sweet spot again.
A guy who’s into foreplay as much as sex? Now there’s a change I can get used to. As promised, he takes his time, exploring every inch of my body. I enjoy every second of it and return the favor. At some point, he manages to grab a condom from his jeans. I didn’t even notice him do it because I was in my own euphoria. He looks into my eyes and says, “Is it okay if I think I’m going to fall hard for you?”
I freeze, unable to move. No guy has ever said that after knowing me for only two days. I think about what Mike said about love at first sight. Ben’s not saying he loves me, but he’s saying he thinks he could. I’m too overwhelmed to answer him, but he doesn’t wait for my response. He slips inside me, and then I’m taken to an entirely different place where thoughts don’t exist.
By the time Ben rolls off of me, we’re both panting. Ben stares up at my ceiling and runs his fingers through his hair. “Holy shit, that was incredible.”
No objection here.
He turns to look at me. “You okay? You’re being really quiet, and I have to say it’s kind of killing my ego right now.”
Ah, the male ego is such a fragile thing. The satisfied look on my face must not be enough for him. He needs me to tell him how amazing he is. “I’m better than okay.”
He smiles. “It seemed like you were into it, but I just wanted to make sure.”
“And what if I said it was terrible?” I smile so he knows I’m only teasing.
“Then I guess I would owe you dessert after dinner to make up for it.” He leans in to kiss me lightly on the lips.
“Speaking of dinner, what time are our reservations?”
He makes a big production of rolling over me to see my alarm clock, and I giggle under his weight. “Oh, about half an hour ago.”
“Then I guess dessert is out of the question.”
“Nah. We’ll make it in time for dessert. We may have to skip dinner though.” He smiles and lowers his lips to mine. My hands slide around his back, and I dig my nails into him. “But if you continue to do that, we’ll miss dessert, too.” He slowly slides off of me, and I moan in protest. He motions to the doo
r. “I’m going to run to the bathroom down the hall before we go.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.” I watch him pull his jeans and T-shirt back on. He turns and smiles at me before stepping into the hallway and closing the door so I can get dressed.
I wrap my arms around myself and just lie in bed for a moment, relishing the aftereffects of being with Ben. Somehow, being with him felt perfectly natural. And now we are going out on our first real date. The smile remains on my face as I dress, brush my tangled hair, and reapply lip-gloss.
Ben knocks on my door, which I find kind of funny considering we just had sex. I open it with my purse and keys already in hand. “All set?” he asks, eyeing me in a way that makes me think he’d much rather come back inside than go to a restaurant.
“All set.” I pull the door closed behind me before I invite him back in for round two.
Ben leads me to a black Chevy Silverado parked in the lot in front of my dorm. He opens the passenger door and gives me his hand to help me into the truck. He closes the door and lingers, staring at me through the window. I feel myself blush, which is ridiculous because he’s seen me naked. He smirks—probably noticing how awkward and self-conscious I’m being—and walks around to the driver’s side and gets in.
“Where to?” I ask.
“McEntire’s. You been there before?”
I laugh. “Yeah. I sort of know the owners.”
He starts the engine and backs out of the lot. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I decide to leave off the part where Darren is dating one of the girls in my dorm.
“How’s the food?”
“Great, actually.”
“Good.” He looks at me, and his smile lingers after he turns his eyes back to the road.
“So how did you manage to have a car on campus? Do you know the dean? Did your parents donate a ton of money to the school? What?”
He laughs. “My dad went to school here, and he was kind of a big deal on campus. I guess certain…favors were granted because of that.”
“A big deal in what way?” I pat down a few wrinkles on my dress, expecting to hear how his father was a star athlete.
“He started an organization on campus.” He reaches for the air conditioning. “Are you hot? It’s kind of warm in here.”
“No, I’m fine. Which organization?” I ask, trying to bring the conversation back on track.
Ben waves it off. “It’s nothing really. Tell me more about you. How did you become an R.A.?”
I can’t help feeling he doesn’t want to talk about his dad. Maybe they don’t have a great relationship or he doesn’t want everyone comparing him to his father. I can understand that. I know Andy tries to keep people from knowing he’s the son of the dean.
“The usual. I applied for the position and interviewed with the dean.”
He nods.
“So, this organization, is it one you’ll join, too?” I don’t mean to press, but he’s been so open about everything and this topic is making him throw up a wall. I can’t help wondering why.
“Hey, I forgot to ask you what your major is.” He pulls into the parking lot of McEntire’s and cuts the engine. He doesn’t wait for a response. He walks around to get my door for me, and I can’t help wondering what he’s hiding.
Chapter Four
Even though we’ve missed our reservation by over fifty minutes, the hostess seats us. I don’t know why Ben got a reservation in the first place. McEntire’s is only ever crowded on Saturday nights. The dining room at least. The bar fills up just about every night, but Ben’s not old enough to sit at the bar, anyway. It’s the first time I think about his age since my conversation with Julia.
“You’ve been here before. What do you recommend?” Ben asks, looking over the menu.
“Um, just about everything is good here. They have great burgers, and they’ll put whatever toppings you want on them.”
He closes his menu. “Burger it is.”
I scan the entrees and settle on the southwestern chicken salad. Caroline—my least favorite waitress—approaches our table, and I grit my teeth as I wait for her to hit on Ben like she hits on every hot guy she serves.
“Well hello there,” she says, and I wonder where her southern drawl suddenly came from. “What can I get you to drink?” She leans toward Ben, completely ignoring me.
Ben motions to me. “Ladies first.”
Caroline turns to me and forces a smile. “What’ll it be?” she asks, no longer sounding like a southern belle.
“I’ll take a Dr. Pepper.”
She scribbles on her pad and turns back to Ben with a smile. “And for you?”
“A Coke. I think we’re ready to order, too.” He raises a brow at me.
I nod, and he once again motions for me to go first. “I’ll have the southwestern chicken salad.”
Ben smiles. “You like it hot.”
“Yes, I do.” I return his smile, which makes Caroline roll her eyes.
“I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger,” Ben says.
“Would you like onion rings or fries with that?” Caroline asks, no longer staring at Ben.
“Definitely fries.” He leans across the table toward me as he hands Caroline our menus.
“No onions, huh? Planning on kissing anyone, Mr. Whitmore?” I lean toward him.
“You remember my last name.” His smile widens.
“I guess I do.” Good thing, too. Otherwise, I’d be the girl who just had sex with a guy whose name she didn’t even know.
“But I don’t know yours.”
“It’s Stanton.”
“Mindy Stanton,” he repeats it as if committing it to memory. “I want to know all about you. Where you grew up, why you chose Timberland, what kind of music you like, what kind of guy you’re into…”
“Okay. I grew up in the Poconos, which means that I was a prisoner in my own home during weekends and holidays because it’s a tourist area. I chose Timberland because it’s close enough to home if I need to get away, but far enough that my parents won’t show up unannounced. I listen to just about every kind of music, except rap because to me that’s more talking than singing. And I’m apparently into guys who serenade me in front of my entire dorm and then show up to take me to dinner but wind up in my bed instead.” I rattle it all off without stopping for air.
Ben laughs. “Impressive. I especially liked that last part.”
Caroline returns with our drinks and food, placing them on the table without saying a word. How she still has this job, I don’t know.
“Looks good,” Ben says.
“Yeah. Smells good, too.”
Ben reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “I was actually talking about you.”
“You know, if you were any other guy, I’d say that is such a line.”
“But you know I mean it.” It’s not a question. He’s sure that I know his intentions.
“Speaking of lines, you have to explain what you meant about knowing I was the one you wanted to sing to last night.”
He takes a bite of his burger and I can’t help wondering if it’s meant to give him time to think.
“Are you stalling, Benjamin?”
He nearly chokes on his food. His face turns red, and he reaches for his Coke.
“Oh my God. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He puts the burger back on his plate. “Sorry, it’s just that no one calls me that.”
“You mean, like, since you were a kid or something?”
“No. I mean never. It’s my name and all, but I can’t remember anyone ever calling me anything but Ben.”
That’s odd. I would think his parents called him Benjamin, at least when he was in trouble. “Then I’ll call you Ben from now on.”
He leans toward me. “Mindy, you can call me whatever you want.” His eyes are locked on mine and his tone is completely serious.
“Which do you prefer?”
“I prefer the way you said my name earlier in bed. It was all breathy and
sexy as hell.”
I feel my cheeks blush. “Nothing compared to how you said my name.” I reach up and touch my jaw, remembering the light kisses he rained down on me between repeating my name.
“What do you say we eat quickly?”
I look over at Caroline, glaring at us from the door to the kitchen. “I say let’s take this food to go.”
Ben flags Caroline down without hesitation and asks for two boxes and a piece of marble cheesecake.
I cock my head at him. “How do you know marble cheesecake is my favorite?”
“Mike,” we both say at the same time.
Ben laughs. “I owe him big. The guy so wants you to get laid by the way.”
“He wants to get laid. He’s probably hoping you’ll hook him up with a hot little freshman in return.”
Ben nods. “That’s exactly what he said, word for word. You two are close, aren’t you?” He narrows his eyes. “Should I be worried?”
“Not at all. We’re just friends. He’s sort of like the brother every girl wants but doesn’t get.”
“Good to know.” Ben gives Caroline his credit card before she can even hand over the check.
“No. Let me pay for my meal.” I reach for my purse, but Ben places his hand on my arm to stop me.
“Not happening.” His hand trails down my forearm, and he laces his fingers through mine.
Caroline rolls her eyes, drops two boxes on the table for our food, and walks away with Ben’s credit card. Ben doesn’t even notice. He’s focused on me.
As soon as Ben signs the bill, he takes my hand again and walks me back to his truck. He opens the passenger door and places the food on the seat. Then he leans his body into mine, pressing me up against the truck. My heart races, and I place my hands on his hips, pulling him closer. He kisses me behind the cover of the open truck door. His hands roam down my sides and slip under my dress.
“Ben, not here.” I gently push him away.
“Sorry. Got a little carried away.”
“What happened to taking your time?” I reach up on my toes and kiss his neck, letting my lips linger.
“Do things like that, and I’ll end up—” He shakes his head and backs away from me. “We better go. Now.” He gives me his hand to help me into the truck. I watch him close the door and run his fingers through his hair as he walks around to the driver’s side. I can’t believe how much I’ve gotten to him. And not just because he’s a guy and I’m more than willing to sleep with him. He never explained what it was that drew him to me up on that stage, but he doesn’t need to. It’s the same thing that made it impossible for me to take my eyes off him. The same thing that made me invite him into my room tonight.
Campus Crush Page 17