I Get A Kick Out of You

Chapter 16

Having a warm night in was the best decision Cassie made since she got here. It was filled with laughter, games and Christmas movies. When dinnertime came, they opted to order in. Ben, in the meantime, showed off his hot chocolate making expertise.

"You did not just make this from scratch," Cassie said as he handed her a steaming cup. He smiled proudly as he told her, "I sure did. I grew up in the country part of England and mum taught me loads of things to make from scratch. Chocolate is her favorite thing in the world, besides me, so of course she had to teach me endless amounts of things to make with it. That includes...this."

As he finished his sentence, he sprinkled just a tiny bit of chili powder into her cup. She looked at him like he was crazy. "Go on," he chuckled, "try it!" She eyed him skeptically over the rim of her cup as she took a timid sip. Her eyes then went wide.

"God," she breathed out. He hummed, then told her, "Not quite." She couldn't contain her giggles as she told him, "Shush! This is seriously so good! Ethan, come here and try this!" Ethan made his way into the kitchen and Ben presented him with his own cup of hot chocolate. When he sprinkled the chili powder in, Ethan gave him the same look Cassie did.

His eyes went just as wide when he tried it, too.

So, they ate their Chinese take out and drank cups and cups of hot chocolate. Donna came home soon after, but didn't join in on the fun. She went straight for bed and that was just fine with Cassie.

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, Ethan was passed out with his head in Cassie's lap. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to do this," she whispered to Ben as she picked up her son. She took him into the bedroom and tucked him in before going back out to join Ben.

He had just finished refilling her cup with the last of the hot chocolate. She insisted they share it, so they did while watching 'Home Alone 2'. Just as Kevin was being chased by the bandits for the first time in New York, she took the cup from Ben's hand and took a little sip of the remaining hot chocolate.

"There's a little bit left," she said as she dangled the cup in front of him. He smiled as he told her, "You finish it off. Besides, I can make it again anytime I want to." She playfully rolled her eyes at that and drank the last of it.

After putting the cup on the coffee table, she leaned back into the couch...and accidentally into Ben. "Sorry," she giggled as she attempted to move away. "Are you drunk on chocolate or something?" He playfully asked. "Come here, it's alright." He gently pulled her over and she snuggled against him.

He was surprisingly warm for how cold it was.

"You're like a personal furnace," she told him and he couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yes," he said, "I'm told I'm warm bodied. Comes in handy, I suppose." They stayed like that for the rest of the movie, but moved apart once it was over.

Cassie stretched and yawned, before saying, "I should get to bed, I'm exhausted. Do you have clean towels and all that? Do you want more blankets?" He smiled at her unfaltering kindness as he said, "I've got everything I could possibly need. Thank you, Cassie."

They didn't attempt to move after that, but just started staring again. This time, Ben moved his hand up to her face and gently put a strand of her short hair behind her ear. As he brought his hand down, he made sure to brush her cheek with his thumb.

He could feel her pulse beating quickly when he reached her neck.

"Ben," she breathed out. He looked into her eyes and answered, "Yes?" She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She looked unsure of what she wanted to say. Finally, after a few moments, she said, "The shower can be tricky. You've gotta pull the nob a few times before it lets out any water."

He pulled his hand away from her and cleared his throat. "Right," he said, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you. Um, we should get some sleep." She agreed by nodding her head and stood up with him. They walked slowly to their rooms in silence.

Once they got to their doors, Ben simply gave her a warm smile and said, "Goodnight, Cass. I'll see you in the morning." All she did was nod before going into her room and quickly shutting the door.

She leaned back against it and let out a deep breath.

Ben, in the meantime, was looking at her closed door. He wanted so desperately to apologize to her because he felt he was taking advantage of her vulnerable state.

"You tosser," he grumbled to himself. He went into his room and shut the door behind him. "She hasn't even signed the divorce papers and the ink on your's isn't even dry yet! Christ!" He slapped his hands to his face, then harshly brought them down.

I just need to sleep, he thought to himself. I'm jet lagged and need a clear head. That's all.

He pulled the blankets out from the bed and got himself in after discarding his shirt. He stared up at the ceiling and took a few deep breaths. His eyes started slowly drift close the more he let his mind go blank.

Just as darkness took over and he took in a few steady breaths...he heard his door creak open. Quickly, he shot open his eyes and brought his head up.

Standing there, in the doorway, was Cassie. She looked almost frightened to find herself there.

"Cass," he whispered. "Are you alright?" She didn't say anything, but rather just walked in and shut the door behind her. He stayed laying in bed as he saw her silhouette move towards him from moonlight shining in. When she got to his bed, she sat down.

He sat up on his hands, but couldn't help falling back on them when she started to get underneath the covers with him. Once she was fully under and had her head resting on a pillow, he slowly put his head down on the pillow next to her.

They stared at each other, the moon still being the only light, but it made their blue eyes shine brightly enough so they could see each other.

"Is this okay?" She asked in a whisper. He brought his hand up to her face and gently stroked his thumb over her temple. "It's more than okay," he whispered back. "It's everything I've dreamed since I first met you."

His words encouraged her to scoot closer to him. He gently put his hand on her waist and pulled her until they were chest to chest. He could feel her warm breath hitting his neck. He moved his hand slowly up her back, until it went into her hair. He started to softly massage her head and he could feel her breath soften against him.

"Ben," she quietly said. "Can you do something for me?" He put his lips to her forehead as he told her, "Anything." She slowly moved her head up until she was looking at him. "Kiss me," she told him.

With his heart beating against his chest, he moved his hand down from her hair and to her jaw. He cupped it firmly, moved his thumb across her cheek, and then dove in for the kiss he's been waiting months to give.

He felt her cold hands run up his bare chest and over his shoulders as he worked to give her the kiss of a lifetime. Their noses were brushing against each other's cheeks, their lips molded perfectly with one another's.

Neither of them could believe this was finally happening.

Very slowly, he started to pull away. He was pleased to hear her quiet moan of protest. "How was that?" He asked. He felt her hand glide across his cheek. "Perfect," she breathed out. "So perfect."

He gave her another kiss, but it was too quick for her liking. Before she could express her dismay, he was telling her, "This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this to you when you're in such a vulnerable state." He couldn't see her face, but he can only imagine what it might look like.

"Do you want to stop?" She asked. He let out a shaky breath. "God no," he painfully told her. "But if we start...I don't know how I'd stop." He couldn't resist kissing the palm of her hand when she started to take it away from him.

He was afraid he messed this up, that he's insulted her in someway. 

But boy, was he wrong.