I could barely stand on my two feet. He stood slowly, helping me support myself. I kissed him deeply, tasting myself on him. I shoved his boxers down his legs. He wrapped his hands around me, resting them under my ass as he scooped me up, pushing my back against the wall. I circled my legs around him as he steadied himself before slamming into me. I cried out in sheer joy as he filled and stretched me, my muscles clenching in delight. It had been too long without this. He didn't take things slow at all this time, he just started pounding into me, my head knocking back against the wall. I held onto his shoulders, his face level with mine. Our eyes met, a carnal desire emanating from them. I knew in that moment that this was the man for me.
"I love you, Ben," I cried, kissing him greedily.
"I love you so much, Lacey," he moaned, his pace quickening.
"I want you to come so hard for me," I whispered in his ear.
He groaned, shoving himself harder and faster into me, until he cried out. I could feel his dick throbbing in me, releasing himself. I kissed his cheeks repeatedly, helping him to steady his breath. He continued to hold me up, my hot back pressed up against the cool wall. He nuzzled his head into my neck before slowly letting me bring my legs to the ground. We stood there quietly, holding each other, feeling our skin pressed up against one another. I felt complete relief for the first time in the past few days.
Ben leaned back, still holding me in his arms. A smile crept onto his face.
"What are you smiling at?" I teased, having trouble containing my grin myself.
"I'm just the happiest man on the planet right now, that's all." He brushed his nose with mine.
"Well that's perfect, since I'm the happiest woman," I smiled.
He chuckled softly. "Here, let's go to bed." There was no place on earth I'd rather be. He wrapped his arm behind my back, leading me to the bedroom.
We walked into the familiar room, and climbed into bed. We laid on our sides, facing each other. I ran my finger gently up and down his chest.
"So," I said.
"So."
I giggled. "So what do we do now? Where do we go from here?"
He breathed deeply, rubbing his hand along my arm. "I think that we just live our lives, making each other happy, and loving each other."
I smiled. "That sounds like a great idea," I said, reaching up and kissing him, running my hand over his sexy stubble.
Chapter 25
Six Months Later
I stepped into the elevator, my finger almost pressing the button for the twelfth floor. I still sometimes made that mistake. Now my home was on the eighteenth floor, with Ben. I loved coming home to him. That, and finally putting his kitchen to good use. I smiled as I rode up, thinking about all that had happened over the past few months.
Ben had asked me to move in two months ago. I had come up to his apartment to find his living room completely empty, with only a blanket in the middle of the floor:
"What is going on here?" I asked, surveying the scene.
He walked in from the kitchen, carrying two plates of pizza.
"I decided I need to redecorate. Plus now, we can have a living room picnic again." He kissed me swiftly on the lips, then sat down on the blanket. He looked up at me expectantly as I stood there, smiling, unsure of what to make of the situation.
"So you just got rid of everything?" I asked, waving my hand around, signaling the empty space.
He took a bite of his pizza. "Yep. Now come sit and eat with me."
I hesitated briefly before joining him on the floor. Well ok then. I dug into my pizza.
"So when do you plan on redecorating?" I asked between bites. I thought he probably should've waited to get rid of everything. It could take weeks for furniture to be delivered.
"Well, I know I already have a couch lined up, and I figured we could go shopping for the rest tomorrow," he responded simply. We could go shopping? He wanted my input?
"Oh you have a couch? When did you get that?" I looked at him, interested.
"Well it's your couch. The one we picked out that's sitting in your apartment."
I laughed out loud. "Oh, you're going to steal my couch?"
He set his plate down and looked at me seriously, causing me to set my plate down. "No, I was hoping you would bring it when you move in with me."
I sat there stunned, trying to fully process his words. "You want me to move in?"
"Yes, Lacey, I do. I love when you spend the night with me, and I hate when we're apart. I love you, I want this to be our home." He grabbed my hands, his eyes gazing into mine.
I felt my cheeks tighten as a huge smile spread across my face. Move in? Oh my god. I had absolutely no hesitation. My heartbeat quickened as I said, "yes! I would love to move in with you!"
He quickly pulled me onto his lap, my legs straddling him. "Thank you, you have made me a very happy man," he smiled, pulling my mouth to his. His kiss was sweet and tender. I couldn't have been more excited.
I sat back, running my hand through his hair. "Just as long as you're not just asking me because you want my couch," I giggled.
He swatted my ass, causing me to cry out in surprise. "I want a lot more than your couch," he said, raising his eyebrows, devouring my mouth with his.
Here we were, two months later, still in our own little blissful existence. I no longer worked at Johnny's. Once I moved in with Ben, I didn't need the second job anymore. I was a little sad to leave, but I was probably there just as much now socially, as opposed to working. There were no hard feelings. In fact, business had picked up so much, Johnny really needed a full time person as opposed to part time, so he was quickly able to hire someone to better meet the bar's needs.
I arrived at our floor, stepping off the elevator and heading into our apartment.
"Hey babe, I'm home," I called. I loved being able to say that.
"Hey, I'm in the kitchen."
I set my keys and purse down on the entryway table, smiling to myself thinking about the memories I had with that table, and walked into the kitchen.
"Hey beautiful," Ben said, kissing me. "I ordered sushi for dinner."
I eyed the colorful spread in front of me. "Mmm, looks delicious."
"Want to watch a movie or something?" he asked, loading his plate.
"Sure, whatever you want." I really felt absolutely content doing anything and everything with this man.
We headed into the living room, and Ben switched on the TV. Knocked Up was playing, about midway through. "Let's watch this," he said, maneuvering his chopsticks to pick up a spicy tuna roll.
"Alright." Aw, this was our movie. How long had it been since we first watched this?
We ate our dinner and watched the movie, me nestled in his arms. That was a feeling that could never get old.
"I'm gonna use the bathroom, I'll be right back." He jumped up, heading down the hall.
I nodded, turning my attention back to the TV. After a few moments, I heard Ben's voice call out from the bedroom. "Hey Lacey, come here a sec."
I switched off the TV and walked into the bedroom. A familiar scene appeared before me. Dozens of candles flickered, creating a soft glow in the room. The sushi, the candles, he was recreating our first date. The only thing different about this time was Ben was down on one knee in the middle of the room, a small box in his hand.
My eyes widened as I brought my hand to my mouth.
"Lacey Renee Singer, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman I know. You have turned my life upside down, showing me what true love is and what a relationship could be. I have loved every second of my life since I've known you, even when we were apart, because at least I knew you existed in this world. I want to spend every day with you, grow old with you, have a family with you. I love you so much. Will you marry me?"
There was only one thing to say. I ran to him, jumping in his arms, kissing him deeply. "Yes, Ben, I will marry you!" I cried.
We stood up, I couldn't contain my excitement. He opened the
box, revealing the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen. It was platinum, and had a giant princess cut diamond, surrounded by other tiny diamonds. He pulled it out of the box and slid it on my waiting finger.
"I love you so much," I said, my hand under his chin, bringing his lips to mine.
"I love you too," he smiled.
Would I ever get enough of this man? I certainly didn't think so, and at this moment, I needed him now. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. I felt the instant he recognized what I wanted; his kiss grew deeper, rougher. I ran my hands through his hair, gently tugging on him. A moan escaped his mouth.
I directed him back toward the bed, keeping his mouth sealed with mine until I pushed him down. He lay at the edge of the bed, propped up on his elbows, looking down at me with lust-filled eyes. I made quick work of his belt, and practically ripped his pants down to the floor. I licked my lips, eyeing his hard bulge beneath his boxers. I climbed on top of him, straddling him, kissing his lips. I made my way down his neck, rubbing my sex up and down over his hardness, feeling myself dampen. I slowly slid down, lifting his shirt up and trailing my kisses over his hard abs. I reached my thumbs under the band of his boxers, pulling them down slowly, his thick cock bouncing free. I grabbed it in my hand, looking him straight in the eye as I brought my mouth to it.
I smiled to myself as I watched his fists come up to his face and a groan leave his mouth. I loved doing this to him. I caressed his warm velvety skin with my tongue, moving up and down, feeling it get so close to gagging me. I moved my hand along, stroking him, trying to give his whole dick pleasure.
I felt his hand start rubbing the back of my head, first as a gesture of comfort and appreciation, which quickly turned to him guiding my mouth, quickening my pace. I wanted to make him come so badly.
"Lacey, you're amazing. I don't want to come in your mouth, I want to fuck you," he groaned, pulling my hair back.
I continued on, pretending not to hear him.
"Oh baby, if you keep going like that, I'm going to fucking come."
I moaned in response. That was exactly what I wanted. We had the rest of our lies to make love. Right now, I wanted to please him.
I rolled my tongue around his head and took him as deep as I could, causing him to yell out. I felt the hot spurt of liquid run down my throat, wave after wave, until it finally subsided. I climbed up onto the bed next to him, finding my usual spot in the crook of his arm. I put my hand on his chest, helping him slow his breathing.
"So the sushi, the movie, the candles? You had this all planned?" I smiled.
He bent his neck down kissing my hair. "Guilty."
My heart fluttered in my chest. I wondered how long he had been planning this. I had so many questions, but I could wait for the answers. I just wanted to lay in his arms.
"How did I get so lucky? To have a girlfriend, excuse me, fiancée, that is so good at that?" he asked, rubbing his hand in my hair.
I giggled. "I like the sound of that. Fiancée."
"Oh yeah? Well you know what sounds even better to me?"
He turned himself to face me.
"What's that?"
"Wife," he smiled, reaching down, bringing his mouth to mine.
********
"You ready for this?" Ben asked, squeezing my hand.
I looked out the car window at the familiar sandstone house. "Yep," I smiled, pushing the car door open and stepping out.
We were at Ben's parents' house for an engagement party. It had only been a week since he had proposed, but his mother insisted on throwing the party. Things were definitely different between us now, almost to the point where she was overly nice. I was just glad that we both were able to leave what happened between us in the past. I was also happy that it seemed Ben's relationship with her was improving as well. Maybe one day she would pull out the old photo albums after all.
We walked up the steps and into the house. I heard music playing and people talking and joking. We seemed to be the last ones to arrive.
"Ben! Lacey! So good to see you!" Paula called, flitting toward us, glass of champagne in hand.
I smiled, squeezing Ben's hand.
"Come, this way, the party's in here," she kissed both of us on the cheek.
We followed her into the grand living room. All the furniture was gone, and there were tables and tables of food and drinks, and even a small dance floor set up. I had to hand it to her, she really tried to pull out all the stops.
Applause erupted when we walked in. I couldn't help but blush. Ben squeezed my hand, smiling down at me.
"To the couple of the hour! To my son Ben and his soon to be wife Lacey!" called Scott, raising his glass.
A server quickly made his way to us with a tray. We each grabbed a glass of champagne, raising it with the others. "Cheers." I still couldn't fully believe that this was my engagement party. And Ben was going to be my husband.
We made our way around the room, talking with all our guests. We walked over to my parents and grandparents first.
"Ah, there's my ladybug," smiled my grandpa, bringing me in for a hug.
"I can't wait to start wedding planning!" cried my mom.
"Yes, after this we will have to get together and figure everything out," I smiled. I was truly excited to plan our wedding. I watched my grandpa whisper in Ben's ear. I'll have to ask him what he said later, I thought.
"I can't believe our only granddaughter is getting married," smiled my grandma.
"Thanks to me," my dad chimed in. We all turned and looked at him. "What, I had to give permission."
We all started laughing. "When did you do that?" I asked Ben.
He smiled and shrugged. "Oh, a few weeks ago, when you were working on the weekend. I took a little drive to Minneapolis."
"You are so sneaky! I had no idea!"
We chatted with them for a few more moments before Maggie came bounding over to us. "Lacey, it's so good to meet you!" she cried, wrapping her arms around me.
I smiled, enjoying her embrace. "So nice to meet you too."
Ben hugged his sister. "I'm so happy for you," she said, grinning up at her big brother. She turned to me. "Now we will have to find a time to talk. I'll give you all the scoop on this one."
"Perfect, meet me out back in ten," I laughed.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Alright, that's enough." He wrapped his arm around me.
Shannon caught my eye as we turned. She was standing with Johnny and Todd, over by the bar. I quickly made my way over.
"Hey! Thanks for coming," I smiled.
"That's what she said," laughed Todd. I rolled my eyes jokingly as Shannon playfully slapped him on the arm.
"What else would we expect from you?" asked Ben, shaking his head. Todd shrugged sheepishly.
Shannon mouthed "I'm sorry," to me. Oh Todd. I had to admit he was starting to grow on me.
I pulled her to the side as the guys started taking about the Twins' bull pen. Boring.
"I was wondering if you would be my maid of honor?" I asked, biting my lip.
Her face lit up and she literally started bouncing. "Oh my gosh, yes! I would love to!"
I beamed. "Thank you, that means a lot. You know, you're partly responsible for us getting back together." I briefly thought back to that night. It was hard to believe there had ever been a time that we weren't together.
"Well you're partly responsible for us being together," she smiled, pointing her thumb back at Todd. "But I won't hold that against you."
I burst out laughing, catching the attention of the guys.
"What's so funny?" Todd asked.
"Nothing," Shannon and I said in unison, causing us to giggle more.
Johnny walked over to me and gave me a hug.
"And you, I must thank you for everything you've done for me," I smiled.
"Aw, I didn't do much," he said, bringing his glass to his lips.
My heart swelled in my chest. "Are you kidding? You gave me a chance when I needed i
t. And you helped set me up with my future husband," I winked. "Ben told me your play. Thank you."
He smiled his usual Johnny smile at me. "You're welcome."
The rest of the party went off without a hitch. The food was delicious, and people had enough drinks in their system to start dancing. I beamed, watching the scene. I saw Ben approaching me out of the corner of my eye.
"Can I steal you for a moment?" he whispered in my ear.
I shook my head yes as he led me out of the room, and into a quiet sitting room down the hall.
"I just wanted a few minutes alone with you," he smiled, kissing me softly.
I relished his lips on mine. "That's exactly what I needed."
He held my hands in his. "So, are you excited to become Mrs. Ben Anderson?"
"I couldn't be more excited." My cheeks hurt from smiling. "Hey, what did my grandpa say to you? I'm just curious."
He smiled, saying, "oh, just that he knew from the day he met me in your apartment, that we would end up together."
"Oh yeah? Well how about you?" I asked, rubbing my head into his neck.
"Honestly, I knew we were meant to know each other the first time I spotted you at Johnny's. And I knew I wanted to be with you the first night you started working there." He pulled back, looking down sweetly at me. "I love you so much."
He bent down and kissed me tenderly. I smiled as I thought, I felt the exact same way. My mind wandered back to being on the beach. Never in a million years would beach Lacey have thought she'd be in this position within a year- happily engaged, getting ready to marry the love of her life, and finally, happy with herself.
Finally, For Me Page 23