Page 140 of The Casanova Complex

BENNETT

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Slow,” Merritt murmurs, gently, pushing my fingers in deeper. “Yes. Right there. That’s perfect.” Together, we stroke the inner wall. “See how much better it is when you don’t rush and you take your time?”

Jesus Christ.

“It’s all about the pressure. Not too little, but not too much.” She slowly guides my fingers in and out, creating a steady, rhythmic motion.

Because I can’t help myself, I slowly drag my nose along her neck, taking a deep inhale of her. I’ll never get enough of that warm, cherry vanilla scent.

I bring my mouth to her ear after pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the curve of her neck.

“I had no idea this could be so… intimate. So hot.”

She giggles, gripping my hand tighter and pushing my fingers in even deeper. “It’s a true test of that famous patience you boast about so much. You’ve got to be willing to put in as much time as it takes.”

I hum and suck that sensitive spot in her neck, right below her choker, drawing my teeth across the skin. She lets out a loud, breathy moan that echoes on the walls around us.

“Baby, respectfully, you’re about to get fucked in the middle of this pottery studio if you keep making noises like that. And making me finger fuck this clay, alright?”

“Bennett!” she cries with a laugh, lifting her foot off the pedal and twisting in my arms to look at me. “I am trying to teach you how to make a bowl.”

I roll my lips together, trying so damn hard not to fucking laugh. But I’m failing miserably. I sober my expression.

“And baby, I want to learn how to make this bowl. I am dedicated to seeing it through. But…” I lean in and steal a quick kiss that leaves her breathless. “Also, this whole Patrick and Demi pose from Ghost you’ve got us in is really not helping. My dick is confused. Poor guy.”

Merritt just shakes her head, rolling her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

I nod. “I’m sorry. But I love you. And I promise, I am dedicated to making this bowl. And… to making you come.”

Ridiculousness is a personality trait for me at this point, but thankfully, I’ve found a girl who loves me for me, and man, it’s an incredible feeling.

At some point in this pottery lesson, I find myself completely entranced by Merritt, watching her meticulously shape the thick, earthy-scented clay into something far more beautiful than I could’ve ever attempted.

She’s guiding my hands, curving the edges carefully, biting her lip in intense concentration. And while I am watching what she’s making, I’m mostly just watching her.

Because she’s the art.

Not the things that she creates, but her. She’s a hundred different shades of color that make me feel alive for the first time in my life.

Shades of color that I didn’t even know existed until Merritt.

It’s crazy to think that just ten months ago, we got partnered on our Creative Writing project together.

It’s been the best ten months of my life.

Sometimes it feels like it was a lifetime ago with how much has changed. We graduated from OU in May and spent every second of the summer we could together, tangled up in the old hammock in her backyard.

Her reading some fan fiction about Teen Wolf or something like that, draped across me, her head on my chest. Me playing with her hair and feeling more content than I’ve ever felt in my life.

We spent so many nights playing board games with Elliott and her dad and a horrific amount of time watching horror movies.

And toward the end of summer, we spent two weeks at the lake house with my parents and Brie. Elliott came too, and I honestly can’t remember a time I had more fun. We spent the week tubing in the lake, floating until we were sunburnt and delirious, soaking up late nights by the fire, and sneaking away any chance we got.

It was the best summer of my life after the best senior year I could’ve imagined.

Truthfully, I hated that the summer had to come to an end because it meant everything was going to change. And while it’s big and exciting, I’m also a little scared.