Come with Me (Let It Be Me #2) (17 page)

Liz laughed again.

The waiter came back then to bring the bottle of wine. He and Ben did the ceremony, before the waiter poured for them.

“So how was your day?” Ben asked, sipping some wine. “Anything interesting in the library?”

Liz smiled at the memory. “A new kid came in today,” she shared. “I found out his name was Tommy. I found him peeking in, probably scared to go in. So I had to go out and talk to him until he was more comfortable to go in. He’s adorable.”

“How old is he?”

“I wasn’t able to find out,” Liz said, “I’d guess he’s nine or ten.”

“That’s awesome,” Ben said, and Liz knew he meant it, as he smiled warmly at her. Liz knew that Ben adored his niece and his nephew, so she guessed he could see how kids could be quite a joy.

“I also spoke to Brian again,” Liz said. “Chad has come home already. And Chad has sworn he would never do drugs again.” Liz called Brian on her way to the library and he did inform her about Chad’s status. Liz was unable to tell Brian about Ben yet. Brian must have been distracted too, to ask Liz how it went after they dropped Brian home. As for Emily, she was only coming back from Atlanta Sunday evening.

Liz didn’t really want to tell anyone yet because she still wanted to see how things would go. Not that she didn’t have faith in Ben. She just felt like she was still stuck in a dream.

“That’s wonderful,” Ben said.

“Yeah,” Liz said.

The waiter arrived then with their appetizers, and Liz didn’t realize she was hungry until she saw the delectable food

She and Ben looked at each other, and had a silent agreement to just dig in.

Their salad arrived shortly and it was equally as good.

Liz was totally enjoying the food until she heard Ben chuckling. She looked up to see him watching her.

She raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve been quiet since you started eating,” he said, grinning. 

“Sorry. I can multitask most of the time, but when it comes to eating – especially really good food – I could get a bit engrossed,” she admitted sheepishly.

Ben laughed. “No problem,” he assured her. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the food.”

“Are you?” she asked.

“I am,” he said, “but maybe not as much as I’m enjoying watching you eat.”

Liz could have felt embarrassed with what he said, but she instead she found it romantic and hot. Who would have thought that the old-fashioned gentleman could be quite a flirt?

Their eye contact lasted a few seconds longer than it should have; Liz suddenly felt warm. Ben raised one side of his mouth, probably knowing what she was thinking.

Their main courses arrived then, breaking Liz’s trance. Her plate was placed in front of her and it looked so mouth-watering. She looked up at Ben and they shared a grin. 

“Go on,” Ben urged. 

Liz grinned as she took her first bite.

“Oh god, this is delicious,” she exclaimed. “I should bring Emily and Brian here some time.”

Ben laughed. 

“Emily is your other friend?”

Liz nodded. “We go way back. We’ve been friends since we were fifteen – best friends in an all-girls school. She was the sister I never had; I was hers too since she’s also an only child. We met Brian during college and our world turned upside down.” 

They both laughed. 

Ben took a bite of the lobster and nodded in appreciation.

“How about you?” Liz asked. “You and Alex have been friends forever. Has it always been just the two of you?”

Ben nodded. “There are some friends from high school or college I see occasionally but I don’t talk to them regularly.”

Liz nodded, understanding. She had friends like those too.

“But now that Kayla’s with Alex, isn’t it hard for you?” Liz asked.

Ben shrugged. “Well on one hand, Kayla and I get along great so I gained another friend, but of course she and Alex sorta have their own world. I’m used to being their third wheel most of the time, but sometimes I’d rather be on my own.”

“I have those days too,” Liz said, smiling. She realized that she could be an introvert and an extrovert, depending on her mood. 

“What do you do when you’re not with your friends or not making the world a better place?” Ben asked.

Liz laughed. “You make me sound like a superhero, when you’re the one with a foundation. Anyway I do the usual stuff. I read, cook, run, and sometimes I visit my parents.”

“Where do your parents stay?” Ben asked.

It took her a while to answer, worried what he would think when she heard her response. 

“Upper East Side,” she said then quickly looked down at her plate, as she tried to cut a piece of lobster.

“Hey,” Ben called, laying his hand on her hand that was holding on to the knife.

Liz looked up slowly, and was surprised to see sadness in his eyes.

“I know you already said you’ve forgiven me, but I hope that in time I could erase any doubts in your mind,” he said. “It’s not an issue, Liz. You’ve totally erased my prejudice.”

She didn’t know what to say. She just nodded, and smiled at him warmly.  

“But I’m glad your parents are just close by,” Ben said, smiling brightly, shifting to a more joyous mood. Ben’s smile was very contagious, that her spirits instantly lifted again.

“Definitely,” Liz said.

They then started talking about trivial things – movies, hangouts, music. 

“I can’t believe you listen to Kanye West,” Liz exclaimed. “Oh Ben, you loved The Expendables and you’ve never watched a Broadway musical. The list of your flaws is growing by the minute.” She grinned to show him she was just kidding. They’ve been laughing for the past hour over some of their differences in taste.

“Well you listen to Taylor Swift!” Ben said back, teasingly. 

They laughed some more. They were done eating by then and the bottle of wine was empty. Liz truly enjoyed dinner and their conversation. The connection they felt in their past encounters was evidently real.

“Shall I get the bill?” Ben asked.

Liz nodded, wondering if he had anything planned after. She also wondered if she should invite him back to her apartment.

She felt her face flush with the thought of what they could do tonight.

She drank from her glass of water, but she caught Ben watching her intently. She blushed, hoping he couldn’t possibly know what she was thinking.

As they waited for Ben’s car outside the restaurant a few moments later, Liz was caught by surprise as Ben wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on one side of her forehead. 

She looked up at him to see her watching her. He bent down to kiss her on the lips. Liz knew the kiss was different this time though. It was hungrier and more exciting. Liz raised her arm to rest her hand on his chest. His touches and kisses were tuning out everything around them. She almost forgot they were in a public place.

Ben broke it and held Liz closer to him in an embrace. He rested his chin on her head. Liz was trying to settle down her heart.

She didn’t even think what the people around them were thinking.

“You make it so hard for me to be a gentleman, Liz,” Ben said thickly. “I didn’t even ask you if you wanted dessert. I just wanted to be alone with you.”

Liz couldn’t even respond. Ben has awakened feelings Liz also had a hard time containing. 

It was great timing for Ben’s car to arrive right then. 

Ben released Liz but took her hand as he opened the door for her. As Liz got in, it took her a while to remember to put on the seatbelt.

As Ben got in the car, he quickly turned to Liz, rotating her head with the help of his palm on her cheek. He kissed her to pick up from where they’ve left off. In just a few seconds, the temperature in the car instantly rose. 

Liz knew then.

“Come home with me,” Liz said, as Ben kissed her on her neck.

Ben groaned.

He started the car and drove as fast as the laws could permit. When they encountered one stop signal, Ben took Liz’s hand and rested it on her thigh, close to knee. Even if he’d shift gears, he would bring his hand back. He would squeeze it, hold it tight, and massage it a bit.

Liz had to bite her lip from whimpering. She’s never been so turned on by a guy who was just playing with her hand. She had her eyes closed most of the ride back that she didn’t even realize they were at her place until Ben swerved the car and stopped. 

“Liz,” he called huskily.

She opened her eyes to see that they have parked a few meters away from her building. She looked at him, and found him with a heated look that must have reflected what was on her face as well.

Liz leaned towards him, kissing him. 

“Let’s go up,” she said, breaking the kiss. She’s never been so bold in her life, even with her past boyfriends. What was it with Ben?

Ben leaned back to study her face, probably checking if she was serious. He must have seen she was, because they almost synchronically took out their seatbelts and scampered out of the car -- Liz didn’t wait for Ben anymore to open the door for her. She got out and waited by the sidewalk until Ben shortly joined her. He set the alarm of the car, then they walked quickly to Liz’s building. 

Liz quickly punched in the number code on the panel, unlocking the door. They were quiet as they hurried up the steps. Liz’s heart was pounding madly; she couldn’t even come up with anything to say. Liz searched her bag for her keys as they went up. She was too busy looking for her keys that she made a misstep and almost tripped.

“Easy there,” Ben said, quickly hooking his arm around her waist from behind her. They stilled as the contact heightened the anticipation that has been building up since they left the restaurant. Ben unhooked his arm as soon as Liz was righted, then he took her hand. They practically ran up the rest of the steps until they reached Liz’s unit. 

 By then Liz has managed to find her keys. Her hand was shaking as she tried to open the door, testing Ben’s patience. He must have been resisting taking the keys from her to do the job himself. It took Liz probably a couple of tries until she finally opened the door.

Ben followed closely as Liz entered her unit. She just opened the lights when Ben took hold of her upper arms and moved her until she had her back against the door.

He had his lips on hers before any thought entered Liz’s mind. Liz dropped her keys and her bag on the floor and placed her hands on Ben’s waist as Ben’s tongue explored her mouth. 

Liz wanted more. She raised her hands up to his shoulders to push his jacket away. Ben helped her by releasing her arms to get it off. The blazer fell to the floor.

“Bedroom,” Liz managed to say when she stopped briefly for air. 

Ben took her hand and walked to the hallway.

“Door to the left,” Liz breathed. Her mind was in a haze. Her vision seemed like it was going through a kaleidoscope. Everything was bursting with color, and Ben was in the center of it all.

As soon as they got in Liz’s room, Ben turned back to face Liz, tracing her face with his fingers.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, before leaning down to capture her lips again. He moved his hands to explore the expanse of her back exposed by the deep V of her dress. He kissed his way down to her neck. 

“Fuck,” Ben muttered, as he lowered the zipper. 

Liz raised her hands and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. It was a challenge, especially when Ben had lowered her dress to bare her shoulders and started kissing her there, distracting her senseless. 

Liz finally managed to open all the buttons of his shirt to expose his impressive torso. Even the first time she saw him she knew he was fit. She ran her fingers over the contours of his chest. 

Ben took his shirt off before lowering Liz’s dress to floor, leaving her in her strapless bra, panties and heels. He stepped back and studied her, tracing her body with his hands. Each part of her body that Ben touched burned. He brought his hands to her back to look for the clasp of her bra. Liz inhaled as the bra briefly tightened as he pulled, then exhaled as her breasts were freed.

Ben groaned as he placed each hand on her breasts and massaged them almost in worship – Liz forgot to feel ashamed that she wasn’t so blessed in that department. She placed both her hands on his shoulders. Ben kissed her again, placing his arms around her back and raised her until both her feet were suspended from the floor. Liz raised them higher and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her raised height allowed Ben to take one of her breasts in his mouth, sucking on it. Liz threw her head back as the passion engulfed her. Ben’s stubbles ticked her breasts, heightening her arousal. Ben transferred his attention to the other breast, playfully biting on Liz’s nipple.

“Ben!” she screamed as the sensation and all the heat zoomed down to the bottom of her belly. 

In her position, her crotch could feel Ben’s growing erection through his jeans. She grinded her hips to feel more of it.

“Liz!” Ben hissed, pulling his hips away to break the contact. 

They both breathed deeply to slow it down a bit. Liz looked into Ben’s eyes and saw the desire clearly. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” Ben said, leading the steps. He carefully lowered her, while kissing her neck. 

Liz felt the soft mattress behind her, and felt she was lying on a cloud of heaven, looking at a god of a man. Ben was lean and muscular, and he had a face that she could look at all day. 

Ben followed her to the bed, crawling up until he was on all fours with his head looming above hers. 

Liz then knew she needed him. She raised her hands to pull his neck and meet him for a kiss. Ben had another plan though. He made a descent, kissing his way down to her chin, then to her throat, then to the valley between her breasts. 

Liz whimpered in response, reveling in the sensations he was invoking in her. Liz reached for his hair, urging him to continue. 

Ben pleased her by continuing his descent as he trailed kisses down her navel, lapping his tongue around her belly button. He then hooked his fingers into her underwear and pulled them down. He leaned back on his heels as he raised Liz’s legs to get her panty completely off. He threw it aside and placed his hands on her legs and pried them apart, causing Liz to gasp. For a second, she felt exposed, but those thoughts were erased as she looked up at Ben, to see him looking at her with so much want that she felt like she was going to combust on her sheets.