ŷ������

“When a knock finally sounded from outside the apartment,
I eagerly rose to my feet and made my way toward the door to
let him in. “You do realize you have a key, correct?�� I teased,
trying to bite back my nerves. “You don’t have to knock.��
“I don’t have to, but I wanted to.�� He leaned in and gave
me a peck on my cheek and I took in the smell of his cologne.
It was light enough that it was hardly noticeable from a
distance, but up close, it was a mesmerizing scent, one
reminiscent of sandalwood. He pulled a small bouquet of
flowers from behind his back and handed them to me. “Your
favorite, of course."
All at once, my nerves seemed to ease up. I smiled as I
took the purple tulips from Ben and went in search of a vase
to store them in. “I’ll admit, I can get used to this.��
“Is that so?�� He cocked a brow as he followed me into the
kitchen. “Well, I’ll admit, I could get used to you like this.��
He moved in behind me as I stood at the sink, filling a
vase with water for the flowers, and wrapped his arms around
my waist. “I’m a lucky man,�� he whispered, leaning in closely
so that his warm breath caught against my neck, eliciting a
chill throughout my body. “You look amazing, Gems. So
much so that I fear if we don’t leave soon, I won’t be able to
stop myself from dragging you to your bedroom.��
“Is that supposed to be a threat or an offer?��
I grabbed hold of his arms and pressed back against him.
In response, he let out a growl. “Don’t tempt me, love. It’s
already hard enough,�� he insisted. “We’re supposed to do
things the right way, remember?��
“Ah, yes. You and your ‘right way�� nonsense.�� I leaned my
head back to look up at him and grinned because I knew he
was fighting it, and it would only be a matter of time before
he caved. “I know you and sooner or later, you’re going to
give in.��
“Don’t tempt me, love.�� He pulled one of his hands from
mine and ran his right thumb over my jaw. “I’m trying to be
good here.��
“But maybe I don’t want you to be good, Benjamin.”