I stand on tiptoes and kiss him softly. “I’ll just see you back at the flat.”
Ben holds up a finger, asking me silently to wait. With his arm still firmly wrapped around me, he turns back and yells something to the man behind the bar. They both nod and then Ben grabs my hand and drags me through the crowd to the front of the pub. “You’re going to need this,” he says, plucking a massive black umbrella from a brass container in the corner of the pub’s vestibule. He explains how to get back to the flat and mentions a few places to stop for takeaway. “I’ll be home as soon as I can,” he tells me as he leans forward to brush a kiss along my cheek.
But I want more than just a kiss on the cheek. I grab onto his shirt and pull myself up to press my lips against his. I brush my tongue along his bottom lip, and he opens for me. His mouth is warm and welcoming, inviting me to deepen the kiss. His hands circle my waist and pull me flush against him. The world around us seems to fall away; the sounds of the crowd and televisions dissolve until it’s just him and me.
* * *
I wakeup on Ben’s couch. After too much takeaway filling my belly, I simply gave in to my tired body, stretched out along Ben’s very comfortable and inviting couch, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.
I sit up and blink a few times. The flat is extremely quiet, and at first, I think I’m alone until I see Ben sitting in an armchair next to the fireplace, looking right at me.
“What’s up, hot and creepy?” I greet him as I wrap myself up in a throw blanket that wasn’t there earlier.
“Hello, beautiful and sleepy,” he replies. Ben pushes up from the chair, stands, and stretches out his powerful frame. He’s still dressed for work in distressed jeans, black boots, and a long-sleeved black shirt that rides up a bit to expose a part of his flat stomach. He walks toward me and sits down beside me, stretching his arm out across the back. I invite myself into the space he’s created and rest my head on his chest, right over his heart.
“When did you get back?” I ask.
“About an hour ago.”
“You’ve been sitting there, watching me sleep for an hour?”
Ben chuckles, and his whole body shakes. His arm comes down to pull me in closer, and he places a kiss on top of my head. “Not the entire time.” He clears his throat before saying, “I’m sorry about what happened in the pub. Sometimes, the blokes who come in to watch a match get a little pissed, and they have no idea what they’re doing.”
“It’s okay. You saved the day, again.”
Ben shifts so that we’re both sitting up a little straighter. His arm slides out from around me, and he grabs my hand. It’s time for the talk. “Look, Milly, I meant everything that I said to you the other day. I don’t want you to leave, but I won’t stop you from traveling and exploring either. But I really like you, and whatever is happening between us, I want it to continue.”
“I feel the same way,” I say with a smile. Ben looks shocked. His green eyes are wide and his mouth pops open before it dissolves into a dazzling grin. I face him and place my hands on either side of his face. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I missed you. There was no one trying to get into my panties among the mummies at the British Museum.”
“Knickers,” he corrects me. “And I’d really be chuffed if you let me try to get into your knickers now.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “You’re so romantic.”
Ben stands up abruptly, leans forward, and scoops me into his arms. “How’s this for romantic?”
“It’s perfect,” I tell him as I wind my arms around his neck.
He walks with me down the short hallway and kicks open the door to his bedroom and then tosses me onto the bed. “I know you didn’t exactly fancy Tom’s offer earlier, but how would you like to play a little game of slap-and-tickle?”
A silly grin transforms his face, and he waggles his eyebrows just like the two old perverts from the pub. I giggle as he covers me with his body and uses his fingers to find all the places I’m ticklish. It doesn’t take long for things to heat between us, and I sigh into him with relief and desire as his fingers start to caress and linger.
This is what I was really missing in my life. The comfort of having someone to share and explore life with, to have someone to come home to at the end of a long day, is the real cure for my wanderlust.
Want more of Ben and Milly?
Their story will continue in…
Wanderlust in Paris
1
Milly
“Ben! This is not a hotel. It’s a freaking palace,” I screech, staring up at La Reserve Hotel and Spa in Paris. My jaw drops at the grandeur of the hotel’s entrance - the red lacquered transom, the red velvet curtains that frame the black doors and the doorman dressed in an elegant black cloak and hat ready to greet us.
When I imagine traveling the world, this is not what I pictured. I imagined staying cheaply in hostels and keeping my nose buried in guidebooks. Instead, I’m standing in the middle of Avenue Gabriel with Ben, my British boyfriend of only a few months.
He hugs me tightly to his chest and lifts me off my feet. We twirl together for only a brief moment but I’m positive we must look like complete fools. I don’t care though because I’m in Paris! I still can’t believe Ben whisked me away to Paris. Since I arrived in London, I traveled all over the UK, exploring castles and cottages, moors and mountains. My resolution trip has been a dream come true and Ben has made the difference.
