Inevitable, A modern day Reylo AU

Chapter 27 - Love Drunk

A/N - Hello Readers!  First of all, I have to say thanks so much for sticking with me on this journey!  I feel like I should've gotten much farther along in this story, but somehow life keeps getting in the way.  I'm hoping you'll enjoy the rest!  There is still a little more story and excitement to come and I hope you like what I have planned!  The serious smut hasn't quite arrived yet (you get a bit of a preview though) - but I promise it will in the next chapter.  This is a bit more progression for them...As always, please let me know your thoughts and comments on this one!  And don't forget to vote!  Cheers!

____________________**************************_________________________

Late afternoon sunlight streamed into the apartment that had become Ben's temporary home for the duration of his stay in L.A.  The sound of running water could be heard coming from the bathroom as he paced around the kitchen, once again almost on the verge of panic.  This time, it was different however.  This time, he was panicked over what might happen when Rey stepped out of that shower.  He clenched his fists and took several deep breaths, trying to calm the nerves that had blossomed in his stomach.

Striding over to the sofa in the living room, he dropped down onto it and buried his face in his hands.

Once they'd left his office building, they'd hopped into a cab and headed to his apartment.  Rey had asked for his address and immediately requested delivery of her luggage – which she was told would probably take a couple of hours.  Upon arrival, she'd briefly looked around at the barren space before asking to borrow a shirt so she could have a quick shower.  That's where she still was right at this instant.  And that's what had Ben's emotions all stirred up.

Its not as if this was a completely new thing; there were many times when he'd been nearby while she was naked in the shower.  Except now, things had completely changed between them.  Everything was suddenly different, and he was worried about how he'd react when she stepped into the room, possibly wearing nothing more than his shirt.  Now, he was allowed to stare.  To imagine.  To touch.

His breathing accelerated and his dick twitched.  Fuck.

The mere thought of it was almost enough to undo him.  After being so patient – waiting for her for so long, he wasn't sure whether he'd be able to keep his hands off of her, now that he was basically allowed to touch her.  But like he'd told her earlier, he wanted to give them both some time to acclimate to their new.....status.  He just didn't know if he'd be able to hold back – to stop himself – if they started something physical.  Rey didn't seem to have any qualms about it – so it would likely be easy to convince himself that it was okay if things......happened.  And it probably was okay.  But he really, really just wanted to give them both a little time to enjoy the newness of it all.  He wanted to have enough control to be able to withstand the temptation to just say fuck it and take her to bed, for just a little while at least.

Although he'd wanted her – badly - for the last several months, everything seemed to be happening so quickly now.  It felt like they'd suddenly jumped from friends to lovers, with almost nothing in between – having missed that stage of giddy anticipation and endless kisses.  He wanted a little bit of time to just savour her first – to worship her, but also knew that neither of them would be able to wait much longer before.....consummating things.  However, since they were already so close emotionally, he hoped they could weave those moments into the process of learning each other physically.

His attention was suddenly diverted when Rey stepped into the room wearing the borrowed shirt that he'd given her.  "Hey."  She said cheerfully, scrubbing at her hair with a towel to finish drying it, gazing at him with a relieved smile.  "That felt sooo good."  She practically moaned.  "I absolutely hate feeling like I'm covered in everyone's germs after flying."