Lauren thought that the delay in their return to New York was proving to be a blessing for a very different reason – at least for her. She hated to admit it, but she was more than a little terrified at the prospect of seeing Ben again, especially after she’d finally taken the plunge and sent him that soul-baring email minutes before leaving the hotel in Port Blair. When her email service had finally come back up just an hour or two before they had flown out of Chennai, she had forced herself to check her in-box for messages. But there had been no reply from Ben, which really shouldn’t have surprised her. He’d been busy, after all, dealing with this whole episode, and she’d sort of figured that the subject matter addressed in her email probably called for an in-person response.
But exactly what that response might be had left her uncertain, on edge, and more than a little jittery ever since she had boarded the flight in Chennai. The thought that she would have at least another day or two’s reprieve before facing the truth had brought a sense of relief.
A relief that was very short-lived, however, as the escalator continued its long descent down to the baggage claim area, and she instantly spotted the man waiting at the bottom. He caught and held her gaze, and the sides of his handsome mouth slowly began to curve upwards into a wide smile. Lauren’s heart began to beat a little faster as the escalator brought her that much closer to him, and she could only stare back in bemused wonder. She noticed that he was wearing what appeared to be the exact same outfit he’d worn the very first time they had met – well worn jeans and a faded T-shirt, though his old biker boots had been replaced with a pair of trail running shoes.
But it didn’t matter what he was wearing, because what really mattered was that he was here – now – and she knew instinctively that he was here for her. He’d come for her, she could tell by the gleam in his eyes, and the tenderness of his smile. And suddenly, just like that, all of the fatigue and stress she’d endured over the past few days simply disappeared as she realized he was waiting for her, had come to her when she needed him the most.
“Hey, what’s Ben doing here?” asked George in surprise. “Karl, did you know he was going to be here to meet us?”
Karl nudged George in the ribs. “He isn’t here for us, dummy.”
“What – oh.”
But Lauren didn’t wait to hear what else George or the others might say next. Instead, she wormed her way down the last few steps of the escalator, dropped her bag, and flung herself into Ben’s waiting arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he boosted her up, and then, not giving a damn if the entire world watched the show, she kissed him with every bit of pent-up love and lust and passion inside of her.
Ben kissed her back just as fiercely, his tongue tangling with hers demandingly. There was no finesse whatsoever to this particular kiss, nothing the least bit smooth or practiced about it. This was a kiss of raw, desperate hunger, shared between lovers who’d been parted for far too long, and for whom this was a homecoming, a reawakening of a passion that had never died.
When he eventually broke the kiss to come up for air, he whispered raggedly, “By the way, I got your email. Thought I’d deliver my reply in person. Oh, and in case you didn’t realize it, I love you, too. Always have, sweetheart.”
Lauren actually giggled, a very undignified sound that she probably hadn’t made since she was about three years old. And then her giggles turned to squeals of delight as Ben spun her around, both of them oblivious to the indulgent smiles directed their way by the other passengers, or to the shocked expressions on the faces of two of their co-workers. The third – Karl – merely stood back a ways and observed the whole scene with a very satisfied grin.
Ben set her down reluctantly as he greeted each of the guys in turn, giving them enthusiastic hugs and pats on the back. But once he’d spoken to each of them, he pulled Lauren to him once more, his arm firmly around her shoulders as though he was afraid she’d slip away. Lauren smiled to herself as she rested her head against his strong, comforting shoulder, because she knew that if it was left up to her she would never budge from this particular spot ever again.
Clueless, naïve George obviously had no idea what was happening, though Chris had seemed to figure things out rather quickly. As they waited for their luggage to arrive, George was still shaking his head.
“I don’t get it,” he said, staring at Ben and Lauren, who had their arms wrapped around each other. “I mean, you guys are together? When did this happen? And what about Elle? And I thought Lauren didn’t even like you, Ben. Some of the stuff she’s said about - ”
Lauren clamped a hand soundly over George’s mouth. “Not now, okay? To borrow a very British term – appropriate, since we happen to actually be in merry old England right now – I’m totally knackered. Ben and I will tell you guys about it after we’ve all had some sleep. And when the four of us don’t smell like a herd of goats.”
She removed her hand then, but evidently George was beginning to feel like his old self – his nosy self – and couldn’t give it a rest.
“So, Ben, does this mean you’ve broken up with Elle? I mean, that was a hell of a – oomph!”
This time it was Ben who placed a hand over George’s mouth, chuckling a little as he shook his head. “Later, George.”
Lauren pointed an accusatory finger at the squirming George. “Don’t make me regret all the hours I just spent wiping off your gross, clammy forehead. Or spoon feeding you broth. And this is as good a time as any to remind you of your promise to have my boots professionally cleaned since your barfed on them. Twice.”
Ben swiftly removed his palm from George’s mouth, gingerly wiping it on the leg of his jeans. “Remind me to wash my hands really, really well when we get to our room,” he whispered to Lauren.
She grinned up at him mischievously. “Our room, is it? My, but someone is taking an awful lot for granted, isn’t he?”
He growled playfully in her ear. “And someone is being her usual bratty self. And, yes, sweetheart – our room. You really think that I’m going to let you spend even one more night away from me after everything we’ve put each other through? And especially when I just came way too close to losing you for good.”
Lauren sobered instantly, burying her face against the soft, familiar fabric of his T-shirt. “No,” she murmured softly. “We’ve spent way too much time apart as it is, haven’t we?”
She was unnaturally quiet during the short drive to the hotel, more than content to curl up beside Ben on the padded seat of the limo, his arm holding her against him tightly. She noticed that he, too, looked “knackered”, and wondered when he had arrived in London. Lauren knew that this entire episode had been an ordeal for everyone involved – not just her and the boys but their families and friends, and the entire staff back at the magazine. And she also realized with a shudder that this situation could have been much, much worse had they actually made that flight. She had seen first hand the horror that had unfolded in the aftermath of the crash, had witnessed the death and destruction and the cries of anguish from the families of the victims. And while her sympathies were with the victims and their loved ones, she could still find it in her to be grateful that her own family had been spared such grief.
During the brief phone conversation she’d had with her parents and Julia on the satellite phone – all of them doing their best not to cry – Lauren had discovered that Ben had kept in frequent contact with them while waiting for word on the crew’s status. Her father in particular had sung his praises, but she’d been too overcome with mingled fatigue and relief at the time to have given the matter much thought. Now, as she buried her face against Ben’s neck, breathing in his fresh, clean scent, she wondered just what had been said between him and her father.