“So, you’re not opposed to dating?” she asks, confused, and I can see why she would be. The entire reason for my no-strings sex was because I said I didn’t want anything serious, but being with Ben made me realize I don’t want to have sex with some stranger. At the very least, I want to know and like the person I’m engaging in sexual relations with.
“I think it’s safe to say one-night stands aren’t my thing.”
“Was Ben that bad?” she jokes, making me laugh. “Or that good?” she adds at the last second.
I’m saved by a knock on the door, which has Brianne squealing in excitement. “Have fun at dinner,” she says, kissing my cheek. “And don’t wait up.”
“You look beautiful,” Ben says, opening the door for me. Like me, he’s changed out of his work attire and is sporting a pair of navy-blue lounge pants and a white Henley, his feet bare.
“Thank you.” I step inside, the smell of something delicious hitting my senses. “Did you guys cook again?” I joke when I see the Japanese food spread out on the table.
“No.” Ben chuckles. “I ordered in, and since Brody ended up going to his mom’s house to spend the night, there’s way too much food.”
Wait… “He’s not here?”
“I might’ve forgotten to tell him you agreed to come over,” he admits, at least having the decency to look apologetic. “Paola is heading back to Seattle tomorrow, so when he asked if he could spend the night and go to school from her house in the morning, I told him okay, realizing I forgot to tell him you were coming over. I didn’t want to make him feel bad or cancel on his mom, so I just left it alone.”
“Oh, well, we can just”—I wave my hand in the air—“do this another night.”
“No way. We have tons of food. Please, stay.”
There is a lot of food on that table, and it would be a shame for it to go to waste.
“Okay, sure,” I agree, walking over and having a seat at the table. “You got all the good stuff.” I grab a pair of chopsticks and load my plate up with some sushi, pad Thai, rice, and shrimp tempura while Ben pours us each a glass of white wine.
“How was your day?” I ask, making conversation as I dip my sushi into the soy sauce.
“It was good,” he says with a lazy smile. “Although, I’m not sure my assistant knows what to do with me being at the office all the time. I’ve been working remotely for so long…” He laughs out loud, and I try and fail to ignore the way his throaty laugh shoots through my veins like the best kind of drug, giving me an instant high.
“Since my team has everything under control, I’ve been focusing my attention on Artfully Delicious,” he adds.
“I bet your sister and her husband are excited.”
“Yeah. She loves handling the PR and event planning for Lush, but her passion has always been art.” He takes a bite of his food, and I’m so distracted by the way his throat bobs as he swallows, I don’t hear what he says next. It must’ve been a question, though, because he’s looking at me as if he’s waiting for me to answer.
I nod and shove a mouthful of food into my mouth, hoping that was the correct answer, but when he throws his head back in a laugh, I know it wasn’t.
“I zoned out,” I mutter, embarrassed. “What did you ask?”
“I said you’re staring at me like you want to eat me instead of that sushi.”
“You did not!” I fling a piece of rice at him.
“No, I didn’t.” He leans over and runs the back of his knuckles down my cheek, sending a shiver up my spine. “If you want a repeat of Friday night, all you have to do is say so,” he murmurs, taking a sip of his wine.
“Not happening,” I say with more force than I feel.
Ben nods in understanding, but the way his gaze heats up feels like a direct contradiction. As we talk about our day, he keeps his eyes locked on mine, only glancing down briefly to see what he’s eating. The action feels intimate as if he’s so enraptured in our conversation he can’t stand to look away for longer than a second. When my glass of wine is empty, he pours me some more, moving closer.
“What is that?” I point at the white strips on his plate.
“Calamari.” He picks a piece up with his chopsticks. “Have you ever had any?”
When I shake my head, he brings the piece of food up to my mouth, feeding me a bite. I chew slowly, tasting the meat. It’s chewy yet also tender and has a mild flavor to it.
“Good?”
“It’s… different.”
He chuckles. “It’s an acquired taste.”
We finish our plates, and then Ben pulls out a box of colored circles. “What is that?”
“You’ve never had Mochi?”
“Never even heard of it.” Tonight is clearly a night for trying new foods.
Ben picks up the pink circle and brings it up to my mouth. “Take a small bite,” he instructs when I open my mouth. The circle is cold as my teeth bite down, breaking it apart. Inside is… ice cream, I think. It’s strawberry and refreshing. The outside is kind of chewy, but the inside is soft and so good.
“What do you think?” Ben asks, popping the other half into his mouth.
“It’s delicious.” I finish chewing and swallowing, already glancing into the box to see what other ones he has. When I reach my hand out to grab a white one, he pulls the box back and shakes his head, making me pout.
“Uh-uh.” He grabs the white one I was eyeing. “This is vanilla.” He brings it up to my lips. “Take a small bite.”
This time, when I open my mouth, I make it a point to chomp down on his fingers, taking the entire piece of Mochi into my mouth just to mess with him. It’s super cold, and the inside of my mouth damn near freezes, but it’s worth it when Ben’s eyes go wide in shock, making me laugh.
“Now you’re gonna get it,” he warns just before he flies out of his chair and scoops me into his arms. He takes us over to the couch and drops onto it with me in his lap. “That was my favorite.” He tickles my sides as I chew the delicious dessert, laughing so hard my belly hurts.
“Sorry!” I say through a laugh, but because my mouth is full of cold vanilla ice cream, it comes out muffled.
He stops suddenly, his gaze landing on me, and then his mouth collides with mine, his tongue demanding entrance. I part my lips, allowing him access, and he swipes his tongue across mine, moaning into my mouth.
“Mmm,” he murmurs against my lips, “my favorite.” I open my eyes and find his already open, staring at me with his intention clear.
“Ben,” I breathe. “We can’t do this.”
“Why not? We want each other… We both know the score. Wouldn’t you rather be with someone you know than with some strange guy you have no idea about?”
I nod in agreement. That’s exactly what I was talking to Brianne about earlier, but…
“I’m scared of getting attached,” I admit. “Of mixing sex with emotions.”
“I’ll remind you every day that you can’t get attached to me. That I’m not the guy for you. I promise you, Savy. You’re safe to have your no-strings sex with me. And then, when you’re ready to give that whole family plan a go again, I’ll let you go so you can find the man you’re meant to spend your life with.”