Page 42 of This Changes Everything

“Fuck, Ellie . . . You can’t make that noise, or I’ll lose it, too.” When his hands discovered that I wasn’t wearing any underwear, he pressed his fingers deep inside me, unable to stop himself.

“Oh god.” My body started to tense. Every part of me was folding and throbbing.

“Keep your shit together, McCain.” We both laughed into each other’s mouths.

As Ben and I kissed, I felt like I was floating away from the person I was and into the body of someone entirely new. We both took off our shirts and started taking off our pajama pants. Unfortunately, we did so with a little too much enthusiasm, and the air mattress shifted beneath us. We toppled onto the floor with a thunderous crash. We had landed, fully exposed, with our pajamas trapped below our knees, and I somehow rolled on top of him.

Hannah and Kara both stirred.

“Oh shit!” I smacked my hand over Ben’s mouth and, through the power of expression, told him to kindly shut the hell up. “How is it possible that I forgot they were here?” I whispered after they settled.

“We’re in a dangerous position right now, Ellie.” Ben’s eyes softened with his smile. He leaned forward, kissing my collarbone, and carefully pulled my pajama pants all the way off. He then grabbed my leg to help me straddle him properly.

“Should we . . . go somewhere?” I asked deliriously.

He brought his mouth to my chest, exploring my body. I dropped my hands into his hair, holding him against my breasts, and he gripped my hips to help me drag myself against him. Ben was right; we were in a very dangerous position. Everything was warm, and hard, and wet, and we were close to giving ourselves over entirely. I dipped down and grunted softly into his ear as our movements quickened, heightened. I wanted more. I needed more. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Fuck, yes,” Ben groaned, far too loudly.

“Ellie?” My sister’s groggy voice cut through the room.

Ben and I froze, and our eyes went wide.

“Yes?” I answered stiffly.

Ben’s cheeks puffed out, restraining his laughter.

“Where are you?”

“I . . . I fell out of bed.”

Ben and I looked at each other, and I shrugged, unsure how to handle things from here on out.

“Oh, okay.” I could hear my sister turn over and settle herself back to sleep.

Is she going to ask if I’m okay? I mouthed to Ben, pulling a face.

Priorities, he mouthed back, then pointed to our naked bodies.

I quickly put my shirt back on, then leaned over to grab my pajama pants from the floor, but he ripped them from my hands and defiantly threw them across the room.

You idiot! I mouthed, suppressing my laugh.

Are you trying to kill me? he mouthed back. He popped his hips up in a playful fit of faux anger. I lifted myself off his body, and his eyes narrowed as I pulled up his pajama pants. I then stretched to grab my own.

Are we at least gonna talk about this? he mouthed as I put the pants on. I shook my head.

“Ellie McCain, do not freak out on me again,” he whispered as he grabbed my hips and placed me back on his lap.

“I’m not freaking out. I’m trying not to come, you moron,” I whispered harshly, through a strangled laugh. Ben hung his head, silently laughing with me. “Now, stop stalling, and move your extremely hard, distractingly big dick away from me unless you want this to be my first orgasm with you.”

“Well, my first orgasm with you happened in the shower months ago, just thinking about you. Little did I know, at that same time, you were eating Brie and Triscuits in your bed like a goddamn Neanderthal. So this is a step up, Ellie! At least I’m here!”

We were both shaking from trying to rein in our laughter. We looked at each other for one more sloppy minute before Ben lifted me off him and tore himself away with a growl. “I can’t wait to read about this in your diary.”

“Good night, Ben.” I crawled along the floor to my side of the bed, but was stopped by his hand gripping my ankle. I slid along the ground with his tug, as if I were on rollers, and collided with his body. We both sat up, and his eyes were sparkling. He traced my mouth with his thumb.

“Whatever this is, Ellie, whatever’s happening between us, I want it.” Ben kissed me one last time. “Happy birthday.” He finally backed away from me, put his hands to his head, and mimed that his head had exploded.