But Eden wasn’t done. “So are you still in college?”
I forced the pizza stuck in my throat, down, and shrugged. “I took a year off but I’m hoping to go back in the fall or maybe next year…” I finished lamely. Or maybe never.
“Oh, wow, that’s cool that your parents are fine with you taking time, you know? Our older sister wanted a year off between high school and college and man,” she glanced at Ben and made a face. “Mom and Dad were not happy with her plan and eventually wore her down.”
I didn’t say anything and silence fell between us. I didn’t want to chat about college or parents or anything that had to do with me. The gap between what I was and what they’d both become was as big as the fucking Grand Canyon. I knew Eden was just curious, but her direct way of looking at me, made me uncomfortable and I didn’t know how to tell her to back off without sounding like a bitch.
“Okay, Eden. Are we done with the twenty million questions?” Ben jumped to his feet and held out is hand to me. “Let me show you the house.”
I wiped my hands on my lap and reached for him, grateful for a distraction.
Except he was way more than a distraction. He was something to lose myself in and when his fingers touched mine, when that thread of energy we shared exploded and rushed across my skin, I think I might have groaned.
He grinned.
In fact, I’m sure I did.
Ben leaned close, his arm sneaking around my waist. “Don’t worry about Eden. She’s always in my business. She has been since the day we were born.”
We. Wait a minute. “You guys are twins?” Of course they were. Why would God only gift the world with one perfect Lancaster? Why not have two of them walking the earth?
“Yep. Technically she’s older by a few minutes but they don’t really count.”
I smiled but didn’t say anything because I totally thought it would count—at least for Eden.
Ben guided me into the house—we’d shared pizza on the deck—and it was beautiful. He gave me a tour of the main floor and I could tell that he was really into the details of the place. It was a massive brick colonial that had been modernized—he’d said it was old, built in the 1930’s. There were a lot of wood floors, exposed brick and a couple fire places to boot.
It seemed bigger than it was, mainly because there wasn’t much furniture and after showing me around the fully finished basement, and spending a few extra minutes in what was going to be his future man-cave, we ended back up in the main floor master bedroom.
Ben’s room.
Ben’s awesome room with the biggest bed I had ever seen.
“Wow,” I said turning in a full circle. Again it was pretty much bare, except for the huge bed, but what an amazing room. It was all dark wood, rich floors, a fire place and it had high, cathedral ceiling and half of it was glass. It was amazing.
The half that was glass reached over his bed. It was insanely cool and from the grin on Ben’s face I could tell he was really proud of the place.
“Ben, it’s amazing.”
“Yeah,” he said slowly, taking three steps until he was inches from me. “It is.”
Anymore words I had dried up as he bent forward and kissed me.
His lips were warm, soft and my hands snaked around his neck because if I didn’t hold onto something I was going to fall.
I tasted beer and mint—the guy was a stickler for Wrigley’s gum—and when his tongue slid between my lips I met him head on.
It was a hungry kiss, one filled with the need to connect, and I groaned into him when he suckled on my bottom lip, his eyes on me. I couldn’t look away. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of chocolate eyes, hard bodies and desire.
He let go of my lip, his hands sliding down my back until he cupped my ass and pulled me as close as he could. “God, I’ve thought of this every day.”
His mouth slid to my jaw and then he nibbled his way down my neck to that place beneath my ear. The place that drove me crazy. I shuddered when his hot breath rolled across my skin and when he began to suckle me, his lips and mouth pulling on my skin, I closed my eyes and went limp in his arms.