A/N: Here you go! This is the second installment of "Bagel Ben" for the lovely and wondrous manyafandom, who bought me in the Fandom Gives Back auction. She generously allowed me to share this with all of you, so I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it!

Thanks to Adrena for the super fast beta job!

AngPOV

"This restaurant looks really expensive," I said apprehensively as Ben led me with a hand on my lower back. The hostess was walking in front of us, and her slim black outfit and insanely high heels made me feel frumpy and boring in the simple sleeveless white dress that my mom had helped me pick out for tonight.

Ben smiled down at me with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. "What can I say? The bakery business is good," he joked. "But really, stop worrying. I want us to have a good time tonight."

I gave him a nervous shrug and smiled up at him. He looked so handsome in his black suit with the dark red shirt. This was the first time I'd ever seen him in a tie.

Once the hostess seated us, Ben gently pushed my chair in and I gave him a smile of gratitude. His beautiful manners never failed to impress me and make me feel special.

He went around the table and held his tie to his chest as he sat down. I looked around the restaurant and took in the elegant atmosphere: cream floor-length tablecloths, immaculately white china with crystal water goblets, tealight candles drifting in small crystal bowls of water, and the soft scent of peonies in towering vases situated everywhere. Soft classical music filled the air courtesy of a man playing a glossy black piano in the corner.

I'd never been anywhere this nice before. My stomach twisted with nerves and I wondered if my mom's words from two days before were really true.

"That man is completely, insanely in love with you. If he doesn't propose to you at this fancy restaurant, then I'll eat my shoe," she said with a wag of her finger.

"Ang, are you okay?" he asked, obviously concerned by my silence.

I shook my head and tried to give him a bright smile. "I'm fine, I'm just in awe of this place. It's incredible, Ben, really. You really didn't have to do this."

He toyed with his tie as he looked around at the people at other tables. "I've known you for years, and I've always wondered why you could never see how amazing you are. Tonight is about treating you the way you ought to be treated."

With his last words, he looked at me with such sincerity that I felt my heart thump in my chest. This is the moment. If he's going to ask me, it'll be now!

I waited a beat, but he didn't say anything else, and by then the silence had grown awkward. I struggled to make up for my blunder. "The hot dog stand on fifty-second would have been good enough," I joked lamely.

His smile dimmed a bit and I wondered what I'd done wrong. "I know that you've been alone a long time, Angela, but any guy who would take a girl to a hot dog stand for a special date is a clueless asshole, and hardly deserving of someone such as yourself."

His words had an underlying tension that made me feel uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat and blushed, unsure of how to fix that tension. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

He reached across the table and I laid my hand in his upturned palm. He bent over and kissed the back of my hand with a soft brush of his lips. "I know you didn't, but it really pisses me off that you don't demand more for yourself. You should. You should ask the world of the men who say they love you."

I was kind of surprised by his words. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Kiley's father, for instance. He said he loved you, but when it was time for him to man up and show that love, he took off. That apparently taught you that a man's love is only a bunch of empty words."

I felt my shoulders stiffen. "Eric doesn't have anything to do with us," I said.

He gripped my hand again. "But don't you see? He has everything to do with us. He was your first love, your first teacher. He taught you everything you know about love, and he let you down. Even though we've been together for months now, you still seem to think I'm going to run off, just like he did."

I began to shake. "That's not true!" I whispered fiercely, all too aware of the people dining around us.

The waiter came and refilled our water glasses before telling us the specials. Ben told him to give us a minute, so he left and Ben turned back to me. "You know it is, Ang. You may not recognize the look you get on your face whenever something comes up, like the argument we had a couple weeks ago, or the time Kiley called me 'Daddy.' But I see it, and I know what it means. You think I'm going to leave if things get deep, don't you?"

My eyes went wide and I realized that he was completely right, though I was loathe to admit it. "I trust you," I said quietly.

He smiled sadly. "I know you think you do, and I know that you tell me you do, but I don't really think that you actually do. I want you to know that I'm not going to run. I'm in love with you, and I love Kiley, and if you hadn't seized up and acted so freaked out after she called me 'Daddy,' then you would have realized that I was really stoked about it. I love your little girl as much as I love you, and now that you're both in my life, I never want you to leave."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I sniffled, trying to be discreet. "I'm just scared, okay? I'm just...I've never met a guy like you, and you're so handsome, and sweet, and amazing, and I just can't imagine what a guy like you would want with someone...damaged...like me."

Ben's face went pinched and white at my words. "You can't be serious," he said in a shocked voice.

I wiped an escaped tear and looked around to be sure nobody was looking. "It's true, Ben. I was a single teenage mom, and every guy I've ever been with has made me so freaking distrustful of men that I haven't even been able to have a real relationship until you came along. I'm so afraid of messing this up that sometimes I wake up at night and tell myself that I should just break up with you now, before I ruin it."

The waiter came back with his friendly smile and his ordering pad, and I was so frustrated with his intrusion that I just ordered the first thing I saw on the menu. Ben's order was just as willy-nilly as mine, and as soon as the waiter left, Ben's pinched look was back.

"I can't believe you think that about yourself," he said sadly.

I looked down at my lap and watched my trembling hands fumbling with the cloth napkin there. "I feel so stupid sometimes when we're together, like I'm only delaying the inevitable."

"And what exactly do you think the 'inevitable' is?" he whispered angrily.

I looked up and met his eyes. "I'll disappoint you, you'll leave, and Kiley will probably hate me."

He looked like he was going to be sick. "I don't even know how to respond to that."

We sat in silence for a few moments while the din of the restaurant continued around us. People were laughing, chatting, and enjoying themselves, but we seemed to be locked in this conversation that had taken a turn for the worse.

"Would you like to go home?" he asked finally.

I nodded and bit my lip, afraid to look at him. I'd ruined our special date.

When the waiter came back with our food, Ben quietly told him that something came up and we had to go, so the waiter took the food back to the kitchen to box it up.

Ben looked just as miserable as I felt.

Just as the waiter was returning with our check and the boxes, a woman shrieked "Yes!" and shot up out of her chair as a man kneeling at her feet slid a glittering engagement ring onto her hand. The couple positively glowed, and I felt my stomach twist hard.

Ben handed the waiter a stack of bills and grabbed the bag with the boxes in it. He stood up and came around to pull out my chair. "Let's get out of here," he muttered.

I wanted to sob at the look on his face as he led me back through the restaurant that we'd been in for barely half an hour.

Once the valet brought the car around, Ben held open the door for me as I got settled. He handed me the food and I put it by my feet as he crossed to climb in behind the wheel.

The drive back to my apartment felt like a silent eternity.

Ben walked me to the door and I clutched my purse with dread as I watched his face. His normally happy expression was replaced with sad eyes and a grim line across his mouth. I knew then that I had royally fucked up our night, more than I could have thought possible when I aired my insecurities at the restaurant.

"Are...we okay?" I asked as we reached the door to my apartment.

He looked down at the tips of his shiny black shoes. "I don't know, are we? I'm sorry I'm unable to make you sure about me. I honestly don't know what else to do."

He sounded weary. Sick of me, of my emotional baggage. I cringed and mimicked his stance by staring down at my own feet. "I'm terrified that you're going to wake up one day and decide that you don't want a ready-made family. I try to be sure that you love me, but all I can think about is how destroyed Kiley and I would be if you left us..."

He was silent again, but this time I knew he wasn't angry, he just felt...defeated. I clenched my eyes against the tears and felt my shoulders stiffen up around my ears. I waited with bated breath to see what he would do or say next, but I couldn't have prepared for what he actually did.

I felt him take my hand and spread it out. He placed a small, soft object in the center of my palm. My eyes shot open and I looked rapidly from the little baby blue box up to his sad eyes. "Wh..what?"

He heaved a heavy sigh. "I was going to propose to you tonight."

My hand clutched reflexively around the small ring box. "Oh, oh god," I choked.

He gave me a sad smile. "I want you to hang onto this for me. I want you to think about it. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Kiley. You may think that I see you both as a ready-made family, and I do. I'm ready for you and you were made for me."

I began to cry in earnest now, but he kept going. "I want you to be sure of me, but I know the only way you can do that is if I give you time and space to think this through. It's killing me, but I know it's what I'll have to do if I don't want to lose you. Since I obviously can't convince you, I guess you'll just have to figure out how to convince yourself of your worthiness for happiness...because believe me, Ang, you deserve so much happiness. I just want to be the guy to give it to you, and I can only do that if you'll let me."

I held the ring box to my chest, afraid to open it and see what he would have offered me tonight if I could have only been sure of him, of us. "What now?" I asked on a sob.

He closed his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Now I guess I wait for you to make up your mind. Are you worth it, or aren't you?"

He looked at me for a moment before he turned to walk away. I panicked and begged him, "Please don't go! Please..."

Ben stopped and I saw his shoulders go back in resolve. "You know where to find me when you're ready to give me your answer."

And with that, he was gone.

The apartment was quiet when I walked in. It was past Kiley's bedtime, and I was grateful that I wouldn't have to face her tonight because I couldn't even face myself. I didn't look up as I passed the mirror hanging in the entryway.

My mother was seated on the couch in the living room, watching the late news with a crossword puzzle open on her lap. The soft pool of yellow light coming from the lamp shone on her lap and illuminated her reading glasses. She looked up in surprise when she saw me. "Home so early?"

I bit my lip and felt the edges of the ring box cut into my hand as I tried to hide it in my fist. "Yeah...I wasn't feeling too well, so Ben brought me home," I lied.

She frowned and removed her reading glasses, hooking them on her collar before she spoke. "Angela, I am your mother and I know when you're lying," she said firmly.

I closed my eyes to hide the fresh wave of pain. "Ben...Ben was going to ask me to marry him, and I messed it all up," I admitted with anguish.

She sighed and sat up on the couch. "Come sit down and tell me what happened."

I went to sit next to her and she reached her arms out for me. I cuddled up close, not worrying about my hair or make up any longer. "I wasn't fair to him. I don't blame him for leaving me," I said miserably.

My mom's grip tightened around me. "What do you mean, he left you?"

I began crying again. "He told me that he loves me and Kiley, and that he wants to marry me but that he won't unless I admit that I deserve happiness," I rambled.

"Well, he's right, you know," she blurted.

I sat up and out of her embrace. "Thanks for siding with him," I said stiffly.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, come on, Angie. I know what that stupid young man did to you in high school, and I know what kind of deadbeats you've been dating ever since then, but Ben's different, and we both know it. I should have realized you'd be terrified of something actually going right for once in your life!"

I gaped at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She sighed. "You've always been afraid, Ang. You just don't want to admit it. You were scared of Ben and the way he made you feel from day one, so you just kept avoiding it and dancing around him until you couldn't anymore. He scares you because if you actually ever let him in, let yourself trust him, then it would mean that you'd have to give up on keeping men at arm's length. Do you really want to lose one of the best men you've ever met, just because of some assholes who weren't worth the ground you walk on?"

I sat in stunned silence when my mom finished talking. Was that really what she thought of me? Oh god, was that what Ben thought of me? How did I not realize this before? Had I been walking around like a big scaredy cat all this time?

I guess I had. Now I just needed to figure out how to get over that and get Ben back into my life.

I knew I wouldn't have any grand epiphanies tonight, so the matter would have to rest while I did. "I'm going to bed, mom. I'll talk to you in the morning," I said tiredly. She reached out and gripped my hand in hers, squeezing it as she smiled at me.

I walked off and got ready for bed with my head in a daze and my heart aching.

A week went by, and I avoided Ben as much as possible as I tried to sort out my feelings. Kiley knew something was going on, but she didn't ask me about it and I didn't volunteer the information. She may have seemed like she was wise beyond her years, but some things were just too complicated to explain to a nine-year-old girl.

I worked long hours and tried to stay focused on the tasks at hand at any given moment so that I could distract myself from the aching sense of wrongness that came whenever I thought about Ben. I'd let him down, and I wasn't sure how to make that up to him.

He'd wanted to marry me, and all I'd done was throw my old neuroses in his face. I'd thought that I was over what Eric had done to me, and to an extent, Kiley, by walking away when we needed him most. He hadn't even come to see her in the hospital, and he'd never even contacted me for information or pictures about the daughter he helped create.

That betrayal had nearly destroyed me, and it would have if it hadn't been for my mother and Kiley. I would have stayed in bed all day with my baby, shutting out the rest of the world if my mom hadn't come to drag me out and force me to face the world that had become colder and harder after Eric's rejection.

The guys I'd dated between Eric and Ben were much of the same as Eric, but at least I couldn't blame them for walking away from their own child. Kiley and I would always be a package deal, but they just hadn't been capable of loving another man's child.

Until Ben.

His affectionate relationship with Kiley went above and beyond any expectation I'd held for a man in my life. He truly loved her, not just as a little girl, but as his own little girl. It was as if Eric had never existed in his mind, and Kiley loved Ben so much that she'd seemed to forget that he wasn't her father, either.

But he could have been, if I hadn't fucked it up. I sighed and swallowed against the painful lump in my throat. I'd just have to find a way to make him forgive me. Kiley deserved a man like Ben, even if I didn't.

I'd do anything just to keep him in her life, even if he didn't want me anymore.

"Mom, how come we haven't been to Bagel Ben's shop?" Kiley finally asked one morning over breakfast. I was busy rushing around, gathering her lunch and my lunch and all the other various items we needed before we could leave the house.

"I just haven't had time this week," I lied. I instantly felt like shit. I'd promised myself I would never lie to her, but I really didn't want to tell her that her own mother had possibly ruined the one relationship in her life that wasn't held together with blood ties.

Her small face pinched up. "But we always have plenty of time," she protested.

I stopped what I was doing and sighed. "Listen, I don't want to have this talk right now. Can you please go get your shoes and coat so we can leave? We're going to be late if you don't hurry," I pleaded desperately, trying to distract her from her line of questioning.

Kiley grumbled, "All right," and dropped her spoon before sulking off with a petulant look on her face. She dragged her feet all the way to her bedroom and back, but at least she had her shoes and coat on. I handed her the Barbie backpack she'd gotten for her birthday and we were out the door with barely any time to spare.

All day at work, I struggled to think of a better excuse as to why I was suddenly deviating from our morning ritual of coffee and pastries at Ben's shop, but every single one sounded just as lame as the one before it.

My shift went by slowly, and I dreaded every moment of it because I knew that Kiley was just going to pick up right where we'd left off this morning as soon as I picked her up from school, and the last thing I wanted to do was lie to her again.

But how could I tell her the truth? Would I even be strong enough to admit to her that her mom was nothing better than a coward for running away from the best man she'd ever met?

She'd be so disappointed in me, and I wasn't sure if I could bear it.

I kept my head down and didn't speak to any of my coworkers for most of the day. I had to talk to customers, who came in to return movies or rent new ones, but my responses were short and people mostly just left me alone. By the time my shift was over, I dragged myself to Kiley's school to pick her up.

The moment she saw me, she launched into her attack. "I wanna know where Ben is," she demanded.

I sighed and shut my mouth tightly. "We'll talk about it when we get home," I hedged.

"I wanna know! You told me!" she accused.

I shut my eyes. "Kiley, now is not the time. I said we'll talk about it when we get home!"

I rarely had occasion to use my stern voice with her, so Kiley immediately reacted to it by shutting up. When we got home, I sent her to do her homework while I changed out of my work clothes and did some cleaning. The house had gotten messy during the week because I'd been picking up extra shifts at the movie store.

I liked working there, but it wasn't really the kind of job I wanted to have forever. I'd thought of going to school once, to learn how to cut and style hair, but there just never seemed to be enough time. Instead, I'd settled on the first job I could get, and I'd been there for almost four years now.

The house was quiet until dinnertime. I called Kiley to the table and my mother appeared as well. "Thanks for making dinner, honey," she said with a pat on my shoulder.

"No problem," I mumbled.

Kiley came sulking out of her bedroom and I realized that she was still upset about getting chastised after school. I sighed and set her plate down in front of her. "I'm sorry for getting upset with you today, baby."

She sighed and wiped a tear off her cheek. She must have felt worse than I'd thought. I instantly felt horrendously guilty for making her feel so bad. I picked her up out of her seat and sat down with her on my lap. "You know I love you, right?"

She nodded glumly and wrapped her small arms around my neck. "But mama, why hasn't Ben been around? I miss him!"

I closed my eyes and buried my face in her sweetly scented shoulder. "Mama messed up, baby. Ben and I got into a fight and he's upset with me, a lot like you were upset with me."

My mom watched us in silence. I made eye contact with her and her wise eyes looked sad for me.

"But why can't you just say you're sorry?" Kiley asked.

I heaved a great sigh. "It's not that easy, Kiles."

She pulled away from me and stood up. "Yes it is! You're just being mean! Ben wants to be my daddy, and I want him too. You just won't apologize 'cuz you're being stupid!" she yelled before stomping off to her bedroom.

I dropped my head on the table next to our untouched dinner and my mom came to stand beside me. "She'll be okay, don't worry. Why don't you just go do something to keep your hands busy while you figure this out?" she suggested.

I nodded and stood up to clear the plates. "I'll do that," she said.

I dragged my feet out of the kitchen and down to the laundry room. After sorting some laundry and starting a load of whites, I folded the clothes in the dryer from the other night. My mom was watching TV in her bedroom and Kiley was completely silent.

I went down the hall and read for a while in my bedroom. Around 7 o'clock, I went to Kiley's room to tell her to get ready for bed. When I knocked, she didn't answer. I opened the door and she wasn't in her bedroom.

After searching the entire apartment, I called to my mom. She came out of her room and I asked her if she'd seen Kiley. We both started panicking and searching the house once more. I flung the front door open and ran up and down every floor of the apartment building, searching for her.

When I got outside, I shivered in the cold night air and called her name up and down the block.

She was gone.

I ran back inside to find my mom on the phone with 911. She gave the dispatcher a description of Kiley and told her our address. She hung up and told me that the police were on their way.

I shook and had to sit down because my knees gave out beneath me. I tried to think of where Kiley would go, and only one answer came to mind.

My knuckles were white on the phone as I dialed Ben's number. "Please pick up, please pick up," I begged.

KPOV

It was cold and dark outside, but I knew the way to Bagel Ben's, so I wasn't scared.

At least, not until a car went by playing loud music. I ducked and hid in the shadows next to a stoop on one of the big apartment buildings on our street. I didn't want anyone to find me before I got to Bagel Ben's.

I was gonna make him forgive my mom for whatever she did. She was so stupid for messing up. Bagel Ben was the best guy ever, and he wanted to be my dad. He'd told me so when he showed me the pretty ring and asked if I was okay with him marrying my mom.

I wanted them to get married so that I could have a dad to bring to school. All my friends had daddies, and they came to school for all kinds of stuff. It was really embarrassing always bringing my mom there, even when I was supposed to be bringing my dad.

But I didn't have a dad, and now my mom was gonna ruin my only chances to get one.

I ran as quickly as I could down the street. I knew how to get to the bagel shop 'cuz I went there with my mom all the time. Or at least we did, 'til she screwed up.

More cars went by, but nobody saw me. A police car even went by and one of the officers had a flashlight like the one I had under my bed for when I had a bad dream or wanted to read after I was supposed to be asleep. I hid from the light, too determined to get to the bagel shop.

Once I got there, the CLOSED sign was in the window and most of the lights were off, but I could still hear music and see lights on in the back where the ovens were. I knocked as hard as I could, but he didn't hear me.

I begged that he would turn off the music so he could hear me, 'cuz I didn't wanna go down the big scary alley next to the shop. It was all wet and slimy, and really creepy.

On my fifth knock, I saw Ben come running around the corner. He had a phone in one hand and his coat in the other. I wondered why he looked so scared, but he stopped when he saw me and his eyes went wide. He ran to the door and unlocked it. "Kiley! Thank god, oh my god, holy shit!" he exclaimed.

I giggled. "You're not s'posed to say bad words," I reminded him.

Ben fell to his knees and hugged me tightly. "Do you even know how worried your mom is right now? How scared we all were? Thank god you're safe!"

I hugged him back. "I just wanted you to forgive my mom so that you could marry her like you said," I told him. I knew my mom would be worried, but I was mad at her when I left, so I didn't care. But now I felt really bad.

He kept one arm around me and lifted me up to sit on the counter while he dialed his phone with the other hand. He was shaking, kinda like my mom did whenever she cried when we watched girly movies.

"Ang? She's here! Yes, I was just about to come over and she was knocking at the door. She's fine. I'll bring her home right away."

He hung up the phone and stuffed it into his pocket. "Why would you do something so dangerous, Kiley? You don't even know how many bad things could have happened to you out there, all by yourself!"

My bottom lip trembled as I pouted. I hated when adults yelled at me. Even though he wasn't yelling, I could tell he was really upset. I felt really bad because I wanted him to like me so that he'd marry my mom. "I'm sorry," I said in a tiny voice.

He hugged me again and I breathed in deep because I loved the way he always smelled like bread and coffee. "Let's get you home," he said.

The drive to my house was a lot quicker than the walk. Ben had the heat cranked up really high, but he kept asking me if I was cold. I told him I was okay, but he just kept checking the vents and he had all of them turned toward me. I didn't wanna tell him I was really hot in my coat, because he seemed distracted.

When we got back to my house, he rushed me up the elevator and we got to my door to find some police officers leaving. When they saw me, they tipped their hats and I trembled because I was suddenly afraid of them. They looked so official and dangerous. The policemen who came to my class last year didn't have their guns on them like these guys did.

My mom ran to the door as soon as she saw me and scooped me up before I could even tell her I was sorry for running away. She held me so tight that I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe, but she needed it, so I let her.

Ben was there and I saw my mom reach for him. She kept crying and kissing me and holding me tight, and when Ben came close, he hugged both of us. I smiled into my mom's shirt and hoped that this meant that they'd get married now.

"Kiley, Kiley, never do that to me again, you hear?" she said in a shaky voice.

"Okay, mommy. I'm really sorry," I said.

She put me down and I hugged her leg. "What were you thinking?" she demanded.

Uh oh, she was mad now. I knew she'd only be happy to see me for so long before I got in trouble for leaving.

"Umm...I just wanted Ben to forgive you so that he could be my daddy," I admitted to my shoes.

There was a moment of silence before my mom picked me up again and held me tight. "Let's get you ready for bed," she said.

My grandma was there and she hugged me just like mom did, but her grip wasn't as strong so it didn't hurt. My mom picked out my pajamas and grandma helped me brush my teeth, even though I was a big girl now and I could do it all by myself.

Once I was settled into the bed, grandma read me a story. Mom gave me a goodnight kiss and I snuggled under the covers to hear the rest of the fairy tale.

I liked to pretend mommy was the princess and Ben was the prince coming to sweep her off her feet.

AngPOV

After I closed Kiley's bedroom door, I allowed my shoulders to slump as I walked down the hall like an old, exhausted woman.

Thank god she was okay. Thank god she didn't end up one of those horrible stories I couldn't bear to see on the news.

I heard a noise coming from the laundry room. I opened the door to find Ben bent over the dryer, pulling out the load of fluffy white towels. He looked up when he saw me. "Hey," he said.

I stood frozen in the doorway. "Wh-what are you doing?" I asked dumbly.

He looked sheepish. "I didn't want to disturb you, but I figured we needed to talk, so I decided to wait around. I figured I'd make myself useful," he explained as he folded a towel and set it on top of the dryer.

Ben was wearing a green t-shirt and dark blue jeans. The shirt stretched across his shoulders and made his lean muscles look ridiculously mouth-watering. I may have had him for a while, but that didn't mean I could ever get sick of looking at him. He was just too hot for his own good.

And yet, here he was, in my laundry room. Folding towels. He'd just found my missing daughter and brought her back, and he was folding my laundry.

Without warning, I burst into tears. I saw him drop the towel and rush over to me, pulling me into his arms. "Shhh, it's okay, Ang. It's okay. She's safe. It's okay."

"It's all my fault!" I wailed. "She was mad at me because I messed things up with you. She blames me."

He held me closer. "It's not your fault. She's just a little girl. You couldn't know that she'd react like that," he said reassuringly.

I sobbed into his shirt. "I'm so fucking selfish for fucking things up with you! She loves you so much, and I know you love her, and I was just so stupid!"

He pulled away so he could pull my face up. My wet eyes met his and he looked sad. "She loves you too, just like I do. You didn't do anything we can't get past, so long as you're willing to try, Angie. I just wanted you to believe in me, in us. I wanted you to know that this is something you deserve, something good, you know?"

I bit my lip as more tears came trickling out. "I guess so."

He sighed and cast a look up at the ceiling as if begging for patience. "What do you want, Ang?"

His arms were warm and solid around me, and his scent was like a security blanket that made me feel safe and secure. His beautiful eyes were on mine and all I could think about was how much I wanted him to be with me like this forever.

My tears stopped and I wiped my face. He stood holding me patiently, but all the terror and adrenaline from the night had caught up to me, and I wasn't feeling so patient anymore.

I pushed up on my toes and brought his head down to mine. "I want you. Forever." I told him urgently. "And I want you right now." I crushed my mouth to his, and his arms tightened around me as I kissed him deeper and harder than I ever would have thought possible.

All the adrenaline in my blood had crashed into a powerful lust too strong to deny, and I knew I wouldn't even have the patience to make it out of the laundry room. "Here. Now." I demanded.

Ben pulled away and his eyes were heavy with lust too. "We shouldn't, not here," he said, but I could feel his hard length pressing into me as he backed me up against the dryer.

"Yes we can. No one will know," I pleaded as I pulled him back for more kisses. My hands went to the hem of his shirt and I pulled it up along his lean torso, exposing his beautiful chest to my greedy hands and mouth. I touched and tasted him and he bit off a strangled moan.

He pulled away and shut the door before pulling his shirt all the way off. I pulled him back to me and buried my hands in his short brown hair as he pulled me up and dropped me on top of the dryer. I wrapped my legs around him and felt my pussy soaking my panties. "I need you," I gasped.

Ben's mouth was just as hot and greedy as my own now, and I could feel his hands on my hips, bringing me up against his stiffening erection in his jeans. I reached down to pull my shirt up and off and he made quick work of my bra. I reached my arms around him to pull his naked chest against mine, and I moaned when my aching nipples brushed against the smooth flesh of his pecs. "Oh my god, I'm so horny," I gasped, knowing I would be embarrassed later for how I was talking, but I honestly couldn't care right now.

Ben moaned against my neck as he nibbled my sensitive skin. I writhed against him, needing and wanting more friction against my drenched pussy. "Please hurry!" I begged.

He pulled away and I reached down to tear at his jeans, but he calmly pushed my hands away and opened them himself, pulling his stiff dick out for me to see. I whimpered in overwhelming excitement and clenched my thighs together against the rush of moisture between my legs. He reached out, gripped the elastic waist on my pajama pants, and pulled them off without any difficultly.

I stared at him, wondering how he could be so fucking sexy. He smiled devilishly at me and gave me an open-mouthed kiss hot enough to curl my toes as he gripped my knees and pulled them apart so he could step between them. I was sitting on top of the pile of clean towels, but I didn't really give a shit. This was gonna be too amazing to pass up.

My legs wrapped around his waist again and I felt his fingers brushing against my entrance. I gasped and bit my lip. Suddenly, the broad head of his cock was there and he pushed into me without pause. I felt him fill me up and I moaned out loud. Ben quickly smothered my mouth with his and one of his hands went up under my ass while the other hand played with my clit. I was already rampaging down the road to the most amazing orgasm I'd ever had, but I wanted to fucking savor every moment.

The hand under my ass was lifting my body against his as he thrust into me again and again. The sound of our flesh slapping together made an erotic sound that echoed in the small room. I gripped him around the shoulders and kept my tongue against his as he rocked me against him.

"More," I begged. "Please!"

His thrusts sped up and he got harder inside me. I knew he was close, and so was I. I opened my legs as much as I could and he leaned down over me, pounding me harder than ever before. Before now, our lovemaking had always been gentle and sweet, but tonight it was passionate and feral.

We were like animals, going at each other. My nails raked down his back and he bit my nipples with barely controlled force. I would have cried out if I hadn't buried my face in his sweaty neck. "Fuck me," I whimpered.

Ben lost it then and I felt him close to exploding. The sight of him above me, so strong and so fierce made my orgasm come crashing over me. I shook as I burst around him, and the clenching of my pussy milked him as he thrust into me a few more times before growling deep in his chest.

When he came, he came so hard that I imagined I could feel it all the way in my uterus.

Both of us were still breathing heavily when he gently pulled away from me. Luckily, the towels beneath me provided an easy clean up for the mess. We got dressed in silence and I was about to pull the door open when he reached out and grabbed me up in his arms. He buried his face in my hair and I heard him trying to calm his breathing. "Please say you'll marry me, Angie. I don't want to live without you."

I pulled back and smiled at him as I took his hand. I brought him down the hallway to my bedroom and we stood exactly where we had the very first time I'd led him here. This time, I reached into the drawer next to my bed and pulled out the small box he'd left me with. He watched with guarded eyes, as if he was afraid I'd give him back the ring.

Instead, I opened the box and turned it toward him. "Would you put it on for me?" I asked.

His smile was full of joy as he pulled the ring from the box and reached for my left hand. As he slid the ring onto my finger, I curled my hand around his and kissed him deeply.

"We deserve this, Ang. We're gonna be so happy together," he said into my neck.

I hugged him tightly and whispered, "I believe you."