Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

Author:Jenn McKinlay [McKinlay, Jenn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Neither of us moved to pick up the tray. The music and stomping upstairs did not skip a beat. I could feel the heat of Ben at my back, and I pressed the curve of my derriere right where I knew it would get his attention. Honestly, I felt a little crazy, like a cat in heat.

Ben let out a hiss and his big hands landed on my hips. For one delicious second, he pulled me in tight and then pushed my hair to the side, and his lips landed on the curve of my neck. It was my turn to hiss. He let out a low chuckle that rumbled in his chest against my back.

The beep of the coffee maker broke the spell. Ben let me go, and I reluctantly moved away to pour the coffee.

“Do you think there’s something about us that we keep setting off alarms?” he asked.

I laughed and turned to face him. The look in his blue-gray eyes smoldered, and the laughter dried up in my throat.

“I’m pretty sure it’s you,” I said. This time I did fan myself.

“And here I was going to say it’s you,” he said. He mimicked my hand fanning and I laughed again. I couldn’t remember the last time being with a man had felt so easy.

Even with my closest friends, like Em, I felt self-conscious about my dyslexia and the weird ways it cropped up in my life, but with Ben I simply felt okay. His acceptance was so completely without judgment or reservation. I wondered if his mother had taught him that outlook, or maybe it was self-taught from growing up with an artist. Either way, I appreciated it so much.

He plated the cheesecake while I prepared our coffee. He handed me the book and picked up the tray. I led the way to the front porch. We chose to sit beside each other on the love seat. There was a reading lamp on his side, which I was certain was there for Stephanie to read in the evening on the porch. The sound of Tyler’s music was mercifully muted.

We sipped coffee and shared the cheesecake. Ben pushed the last bite to me and I let him. Very gracious of me, I know.

We settled back into the soft cushions, and Ben reached for the book. He opened it and held it with one hand, lifting his other arm up, inviting me in. I curled up into his side, and we both put our feet on the coffee table, relaxing into the space as if it had been made just for us. I didn’t think I’d ever felt as content as I did in that moment.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, eager to listen.

His voice was deep and resonant, painting pictures with the words that invited me through the portal he spoke of, and I was happy to follow wherever his words led me.

The banter between the hero and heroine made me laugh, and the angst of the heroine’s inner struggle spoke to me.

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