I stick my tongue out in fake disgust. “So gross. Don’t call me that.”Please call me that.
He lays the sketch carefully on the foot of my bed. “You don’t want me to call you baby?”
I shake my head. “No way.”
Brushing his thumb along my jaw, he searches my eyes. “I think you’re lying. I think you want to be my baby. My pretty baby.”
My stomach goes wild, desire twisting it all up. I whimper against my will, and Ben’s eyes flash.
“Fine. Maybe I like it,” I concede.
He chuckles, but it’s breathless. “I promise to use it sparingly. Wouldn’t want to gross you out too badly.”
“Deal,” I breathe.
“God, you are so fucking perfect, Park. Everything I never knew I wanted.”
I bite my lip. “What about Landon?”
He hums. “Of course, Landon too, but I’m not talking about Landon right now. I’m talking about you. Sweet Cotton Candy Parker, who caught my eye from the very first second I saw you.”
Leaning in, he drags his lips over mine. “Telling you how I feel about you takes nothing away from how I feel about Lan, Parker. You know that, right? And how I feel about him takes nothing away from you. Do you care about me less because you also care about him?”
The thought alone makes my stomach revolt. “Of course not.”
“Exactly.”
He seals his lips over mine, and I melt. I’m glad when he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me in closer to him. His tongue swipes over mine,and my entire body goes warm, pink and red swirling behind my closed eyes with purple and gold dancing alongside them.
If I really think about it, I can’t believe we’re here either. I thought I’d lost my chance. And then I met Landon, and he won me over with his sweet smiles, his adorable blush, and his uncanny ability to see the colors I try to hide. But I also saw the spark between him and Ben. And I didn’t think I’d stand even the smallest chance.
I never thought I’d be able to have them both. Not like this. Never. I didn’t think I could get so lucky.
But Ben looks at me in my own special way, and Landon does the same. I don’t feelotherorless thanwith either of them. I’m just… part of them. Part of what makes us…us.And that’s so fucking special.
I break away with a gasp. “I really can’t describe how I feel about you.”
Ben inhales a deep breath, brushing his lips back and forth over mine slowly. “If it’s anything like how I feel about you… it’s love, baby. That feeling is love.”
It really is. Telling them I was falling in love with them was scary enough on its own. I’m not ready to tell them Iamin love with them. Not yet.
“Are you ready to go pick up Landon and hit the road?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. I just want to be here with you for a little longer.”
Sitting down on the edge of my bed, Ben pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around me and holding me close to his body. I let my breathing sync with his, let myself melt into the warmth of his body. Let the kaleidoscope of colors dance and play, creating the most gorgeous painting yet in my mind.
Landon grabs my hand as we make the short walk up the porch to my parents’ house.
I pause, turning to look back at him. “What’s wrong?”
He shakes his head, but his throat bobs. “Nothing.”
Ben leans closer to him. “Something, Cutie. What’s going on?”
“I’m just worried, I think,” he finally says, eyes darting between mine and Ben’s.
“Worried about what?” I ask.
