Ben freezes. Then his hands drag down his face like he could scrape the sound out of his memory and he paces back. "Nope. Can't. Won't. I swear I'll kill them. Both."
My nervous laugh bursts out, muffled by my hand. "Oh my god. I can't go inside now!"
"You shouldn't." He shakes his head and stills, eyes flicking to me. "Come to mine."
When he sees my hesitation, he smirks. "No expectations. Just until it stops."
I nod right as Mara moans again.
Ben's hand finds my wrist and suddenly we're runningdown the row, past the firepit that is long cold.
We stop down the path in front of a white tent that's twice the size of ours, it's pointed roof cutting into the sky. Ben yanks the flap open and—
My mouth drops and I step in. "What the actual hell?"
The inside throbs with light and bass from the desert, pushing against the white walls. Gold electric lanterns glow on the ground, red lights sway from the ceiling like bleeding stars over scarlet and golden rugs. In the middle of it: a bed. An actual sandalwood bed, the scent of it lingering in the air, and black blanket already rumpled, waiting.
Ben strides in, rinses his hands in a silver bowl on his bedside table, kicks off his shoes, and drops on the bed, hand laced under his head. "Welcome to my kingdom."
I huff. "Okay? Where's your genie?"
"You're looking at him. I plan."
"This isn't planning. This is a pact with the devil."
His mouth curves. "Call me whatever you want."
I smirk. "How did you even get this bed in here? And when?"
"I volunteered last year as a medic," he says casually. "And the year before. Jonah and the rest of the crew helped me with building this one. You like it?"
"Do I like it?" I echo. "You literally just ruined every future sleepover for me."
His face instantly lights up and I realize I said something stupid because his look gives it away.
"I mean, it's not an actual sleepover. You get my point," Isay quickly, trying to save myself.
"Sure," he says knowingly. "I told Mara you should sleep here while I'm gone, but you obviously didn't listen."
"Yeah, and now I regret it." I give him a smile, then pause when it hits me. "Wait, did you say you volunteered last year as a medic? And the year before?"
"Yeah. Just the last few years," he says too fast, then nods his chin at me. "You planning to stand there all night? Or just admire me from afar?"
"Ehh... undecided."
His grin spreads low. "Want me to grant your wish?"
I give him an unimpressed look. "Yes please. I wish you'd shut up. You're not that irresistible."
Oh yeah, like him laying here under those red lights on black fur isn't literally my wet dream made flesh.
He tsks, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "So hostile. After I gave you my sanctuary." He turns to the side, running a hand over the sheet and his voice comes out purposely cold. “You don't deserve this. Stay there."
I glare at him, then scan the room for some neutral ground, but there's nothing.
Just me, him, and the bed—waiting.
16
