Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels

Author:Devon Daniels [Daniels, Devon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

This must be what hell feels like.

More specifically, the volcanic pit of sexual frustration in which I’m currently burning alive.

Last night when Ben took me home—the one-minute walk next door apparently deemed too dangerous for me to navigate on my own—I’d somehow convinced myself he was going to kiss me good night. I psyched myself up for it and everything. I was minty fresh. I was ready.

But he just squeezed my hand and told me he’d see me tomorrow.

I wallowed in crushing disappointment on the lonely elevator ride up to my apartment. Then I chased that disappointment with hours of tossing and turning. Does Ben not feel the sexual tension between us? Is he that oblivious?

Or worse—is it completely one-sided?

I’m on system overload here. It’s saturating my bloodstream. Clogging my lungs. Steaming from my pores. “Friends without benefits” is all fun and games until you’re lying awake, heartsick and horny.

If only I were the type who could be friends with benefits. I never could engage in meaningless hookups, even in college; it’s just not my style. It’s a shame, too, because I bet I could get him to bite. He’d suggested it himself, hadn’t he? Scratching the itch, he’d called it.

“Hate sex isn’t my style.”

“It’s not mine either, but for you I’d make an exception.”

Ben’s clearly my exception, too. A mouthwatering exception to all my carefully crafted rules. A handsome devil in a well-tailored suit, holding out a big, juicy apple.

Is it such a bad thing to want something that isn’t good for you? Can’t I just allow myself this one little indulgence? It’s like eating that extra piece of dark chocolate. Staying up an extra hour to finish your book. Skipping your morning spin class to go to brunch instead.

Ben could be my extra piece of chocolate.

The thought plagues me as I dress for work the next morning. I need to quash these cravings, but it’s easier said than done. Ben’s dominating my thoughts like the president dominates the news cycle.

It’s impossible to focus on work with my mind this scrambled. In a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking, I want to kick myself for retreating in his kitchen last night. Why couldn’t I have just swallowed my pride and asked him if he’s available?

A lightbulb blazes on and I jerk upright in my desk chair. Duh, Kate! It’s time to do something I should’ve done a long time ago.

I peek across the atrium; his office is dark. Even so, I creep toward my window like a criminal and slap my blinds shut, like he’s going to appear out of thin air and scold me. I grab my laptop and pull up Facebook, mentally calculating just how long it’s been since I logged on. This past election murdered any desire I had to ever go on Facebook again, but this is an extenuating circumstance. A Benmergency.

Relationships leave a digital footprint. It’s a truth as undeniable as death and taxes. If Ben is dating Corinne—or anyone else, for that matter—Facebook will prove more historically valuable than the National Archives.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.