18
Julie’s stomach felt as if a swarm of nervous bees had invaded it. As Ben shut his bedroom door, enclosing them in his private space, her lustful side warred with her anxious side.
“You realize that this is,” she counted on her fingers, “thirteen years in the making. We never actually had s*x back then.”
“Believe me, I remember.” He hadn’t stopped touching her since they’d left the living room, and now he tucked one crooked finger under her chin. “We came close, the last time we were together. I always thought we’d be each other’s firsts. That was the plan.”
“Me too.” She managed a smile, even though her heart gave a sad little dip. “I guess we missed the boat on that. But you can still be my third.”
His eyes darkened to an intense stormy shade. “Third? You’ve only been with two me
