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“Bethany.” His whiskey voice chastised the woman next to me. She turned on the charm like you turned on a light switch and began a slow, predatory walk towards the man of the hour.
I caught a flash of annoyance cross his face and his eyes slipped to me quickly. Without thinking, I launched myself towards him, sliding my hands behind his head and bringing his lips down to meet mine.
When we finally ended the kiss, I sucked in a breath, the electricity burning between us.
“Hello, handsome.” I greeted him with my back to the Blonde, eyebrows high, hoping he'd play along.
A beat later, he wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a slow, brief kiss back.
“What the hell, Ben?” shrieked the Blonde. “You promised there was nothing going on between you two.” She hurled herself between us, physically pushing us apart.
But Ben rebounded, wrapping an arm low around my waist. “Bethany, I told you I didn't want to see you again. I'm sorry that's hard for you to hear, but I've started a new relationship and I need you to respect that.”
How interesting.
I thought the Blonde was a one-hit-wonder. Maybe they had been a little something more after all. Color me shocked.
Leaning into his touch, I placed a hand on Ben’s chest. “Now if you will excuse us, we have a date night planned.” The wink I gave her was full of insinuation. “Come on, Big Ben.” My hand slipped into his and he trailed behind me into my apartment.
As soon as the door closed behind him, our fingers released themselves. I moved to lock the door, checking the peephole to see if the Blonde left.
I caught a brief glimpse of yellow hair descending the stairs.
“I think you lost her.” I turned around to tell my neighbor, who was staring at me like I had two heads.
“Big Ben? How'd you know?” His lip lifted in amusement.
I crossed my arms. “How'd I know what?”
“What I call my manhood.”
I rolled my eyes. “So predictable.” I pretended to cough to stop myself from laughing.
Then his look turned more serious. He pointed to the door. “Why did you do that? Why did you help me?”
I walked to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. Hell, I deserved it after that interaction. I took a sip before answering. Then fetched another empty glass, figuring I could at least be polite and offer him one.
He nodded and made his way across the living room to the kitchen. “So why did you do it?” he asked again.
I looked at him over the rim of my glass. “The Blonde has been bugging the shit out of me all week. You know she’s stopped by every day, right? Knocking relentlessly. I was on the verge of calling the cops.” I hadn’t been, but he didn’t need to know that.
He took a long sip from his glass. “So, you decided playing my girlfriend would what? Send her away?”
I shrugged. “It worked, didn't it?” I placed my hands on the counter behind me and lifted myself up. Ben's gaze closely followed the movement, taking in my tight yoga pants and off the shoulder sweatshirt that had seen better days.
At least it was clean.
He looked at me with a mix of confusion and something else. Possibly desire, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part.
He leaned against the counter and drank more of his wine. “I’m going to go see if the coast is clear.” He set down the glass before making his way to the front door.
“Fuck,” he swore after checking out the peephole.
I leaned forward, my hands cupping the edge of the granite countertop. “No way. She's still there?”
He nodded, his eyes still peering out of the apartment. “I can see a bit of blond hair near the stairs.” He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”
Walking back to the kitchen, he picked up a bottle of wine. “May I?” He asked as he poured himself another glass.
