breathe

chapter 11 | benjamin

Chapter Eleven

Benjamin

I held Charlotte's hand firmly in mine as I led her out the back door, feeling her shiver against the frigid air. She dug her heels in, hugging herself with her free arm. "Please, it's freezing out here!"

    "I promise it'll be worth it," I said gently, rubbing her hand in mine. When she still hesitated, I leaned in to kiss her rosy cheek. "You trust me, don't you?"

    She sighed. "I guess..." With that, she followed me reluctantly to the hot tub. I stopped and smiled at her before lifting the cover.

    I pulled the test strips from my pocket and dipped one in, showing her the results. "See? It's clean." Her frown melted into a grin as she leaned in and kissed me sweetly. My arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close as our lips moved together slowly.

    She rested her head against my chest, fingers tracing patterns on my back. "Thank you for thinking of me," she said softly. "I don't know what I did to deserve someone as kind as you."

    Tilting her chin up, I gazed into her chocolate brown eyes. "You deserve the world, love." I kissed her forehead, hoping my words could help erase any lingering doubts. "Now let's go change so we can enjoy this before the water gets cold."

    She nodded, and we headed upstairs and changed into our swimsuits. Charlotte tugged one of my hoodies she brought over her purple swimsuit.

    I held Charlotte's hand as we snuck back downstairs. Surprisingly, no one was on the main level. Which was good because we wanted to spend a little time in the hot tub alone before our friends found out where we were.

    I glanced back at her to find her beaming up at me. Unable to resist, I pulled her close and kissed her giggling lips softly. "Shhh," I whispered against her mouth, and she nodded, still grinning.

I closed the sliding door behind us and climbed into the tub as Charlotte took off her hoodie and laid it on top of the porch rail.

    "Oh my God, oh my God," she exclaimed, rubbing her arms as she hurriedly climbed into the hot tub. I smiled, admiring the way her purple suit hugged her curves.

    She walked over to me slowly with a mischievous smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I noticed the tiny droplets of water glisten on her bare shoulders in the moonlight, and my fingers itched to brush them away.

    "Hi," she whispered with a smile that stole my breath away.

Gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, I murmured, "Hi," in return, caressing her cheek as my other arm wound around her waist, pulling her close.

    Leaning, in, our lips hovered a hairsbreadth apart, breaths mingling as I drank in her beauty, memorizing each freckle and curve. She sighed, "You're my favorite person."

    That soft whisper shattered my last shred of control. I closed the miniscule gap between us, capturing her lips in a searing kiss as she wrapped herself around me. Her taste was sweeter than I remembered, soft lips moving in perfect sync with mine.

All thought fled but the exquisite warmth of her body melded to mine. One hand cradled the nape of her neck while the other roamed the silken skin of her back, wanting to feel every inch of her.

    When we finally parted, gasping for air, I pressed my forehead to hers, loath to put any space between us. Her rapid heartbeat thundered in time with my own. "You're my favorite too," I murmured, kissing away the beaming smile that lit up her flushed face.