Free Souvenirs by Mia Kay Page A

his chest so hard he was surprised she didn’t feel it shake her spine.
    “About this arrangement,” he began, “we don’t have to sleep together. I mean there are two beds, and, well . . .” His words strangled to a stop as he tried to give her an out he prayed she didn’t want.
    She took his hand and Ben quit staring at the ceiling and looked her in the eyes. The teasing glint he’d come to expect made it easier for him to continue.
    “I don’t want to push you into anything.” As he relaxed, his sense of humor returned. “I won’t lie, sex would be great. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to just because your mother thinks it’s a good idea.”
    Grace’s laughter sputtered to life, shaking his free. The chain reaction built until they were wiping gleeful tears from their eyes as the train pulled into the station.
    That sudden burst of humor faded as Ben stood with her in a secluded corner of the Hotel Salzburg’s small lobby, both staring at the room keys they’d been given. Their mothers had walked to the other end of the lobby, out of earshot, to look at a tourist map the desk clerk had provided.
    “Your place or mine?” Ben asked as he looked over his shoulder. This was weird enough without an audience.
    Grace pulled a coin from her pocket. “Heads, it’s yours.”
    He won the coin toss.
    The ride to the correct floor was quiet, the walk down the hallway worse. Grace unlocked the door and they both jumped as it slammed shut behind them. It was a hotel room just like ones in cities around the world. A closet to one side, the bathroom to the other, a wall of windows opposite the door, and two beds in between. Were the rooms always this small ?
    Ben gulped. “Okay, this is—”
    “Bizarre,” Grace finished.
    Her gaze flitted around the room, as if she were looking for a hiding place or an escape route, and her grip tightened on her case until her knuckles were white. Dropping his bag, he gave her what he hoped was a winning smile. “Why don’t we check out the view?”
    After a long moment, Grace released her luggage and quick-stepped to the curtains. The hardware rattled against the rod as she yanked them open. Salzburg spread in front of them.
    “Wow.”
    She flinched when he slipped his arms around her waist. It was slight, and he couldn’t blame her, but it worried him. “Do you think this means our mothers are looking at a dumpster in an alley?”
    “Well, we won fair and square.” She inhaled a deep shaky breath before she stepped away and explored the rest of the room. As she kept putting space between them, his worry increased. “How about some music?” she called over her shoulder.
    “I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Ben retreated to the ritual of unpacking to calm his nerves.
    After he stored the suitcases in the closet, he carried his toiletries to the vanity. “Did you want to change before we leave?”
    Pop music blared into the room. Peering around the corner, he saw Grace begin a free-form sort of jitterbug. As the song played, her dance became more of a head-banging fit. She spun, and her unselfconscious joy invited him to play along. They bounced around the room in a punk frenzy until they collapsed on the bed, grinning stupidly at each other.
    “That’s much better.” Ben levered himself over her and leaned forward until his lips met hers. As usual, his body overrode his brain. Sliding his tongue into her mouth, he relished the sweet flavor unique to her and the agile play of her tongue.
    He combed his fingers through her hair then continued to explore, tracing her ears, down the column of her throat, around the curve of her shoulders. Hungry for more, he left off kissing her to trail his lips to her ear and catch the tender lobe in his teeth.
    She surrendered with a sound between a gasp and a sigh, tilting her head to allow him access to more skin, and he took advantage—tasting her as he soaked in the scent of her perfume.
    Her hands moved from