Page 65 of Just Enough

“Maybe it was stolen.” I shrugged.

She laughed softly. “How does love get stolen?”

“It wasn’t mine to give? I don’t know. Maybe my girl stole it and forgot that she took it.”

Her eyes held a strange force lately that had my blood running hot. More fiery than usual. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it was shaking me to the core.

Resisting my best friend used to be easier because it felt safe. Now, not so much.

I felt like we were so far from safe. Did I really want to keep protecting her from myself?

Chapter 22

_______

Emily

1 month and 1-week prior…

“Is that Kellyyou’re texting?”

I held a change of clothes in my hand because I was headed to take a bath. Benjamin sat on the couch, and I could hear his phone pinging repeatedly while I was in my room.

He nodded. “Yeah, she wants me to hang out tomorrow.”

I hovered in the hallway. “She still hasn’t given up?”

He simply sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Do you need to use the bathroom before I bathe?” I asked.

“I’m good.”

I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door. It was already ten PM. I had worked an early shift today. I stripped and hung a towel on the shower rod as I filled up the tub. It was time to shave as much as I didn’t want to, but it was hot all the damn time, so I barely wore any clothing. I had a love-hate relationship with summer.

My hair was in a clip, and I worked on shaving my legs first. Once they were finished, I worked on my bikini line before deciding I’d rather shave it completely. I was halfway done with it when I spotted a black thing on the edge of my tub. I lifted my eyes and screamed. My arms splashed into the water as my hysteria came out sounding ridiculous, something like, “He-he-hoo-ho-ahhh.”

I scared it onto the floor and used the chance to stand up and grab the towel. Only I was too afraid to step onto the floor where that monster was. That was the biggest spider I’d ever seen.

“Jesus, Emily, what’s wrong?” Benjamin was on the other side of the door.

“Come, kill this spider! I’m covered up!” I panicked.

He opened the door, took one look at me standing in the tub, and then to the floor where the vicious monster was. “You have socks on, kill it with your foot!” I told him.

“I’m not killing it with my foot,” he told me as he glanced around for something to use. He grabbed my hairbrush.

“Not my brush,” I hissed.

“You want me to kill it or not?”

I shut up and watched as he stepped closer. It jumped at him. This time it was Benjamin who did the scream of hysteria that sounded something like mine. I was too stunned to realize what he was doing, I was just briefly thinking that I needed to take his man card when he jumped into the tub with me. His foot slipped, he reached for me, we tipped and slipped in the tub. His head and back smacked into the faucet, completely breaking it. I landed on top of him. He groaned and arched his back. He was soaked. My white towel clung to my body as all my weight rested on him. The faucet was spewing water, but I was worried more about Benjamin. “Are you okay?” I asked quickly, raising up so that I could grab his head.

“I’m fine.” His eyes opened, and my breasts greeted him. My nipples were sharp points, and I quickly backed away and covered them with my arms when I realized it. What was even more embarrassing, he seemed to realize that I was naked with a wet towel. His eyes were suddenly everywhere.

I blushed. “Benjamin. We broke the faucet.”

He placed his hands to the side and gently raised himself up and looked back. “Shit. I’ll have to shut off the water and go get a new one.” But then his gaze was back on me again, roving over me.