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17 - All That I Am

"Thank you very much. You've been such a wonderful audience this evening and we've really enjoyed playing for you - well, all except that guy at the back who kept heckling us. We have one last song and this is going out to Ben. I hope you like it." Jake and I started the intro on guitar then Rick picked up the beat on his drums and Marcus came in on synthesizer.

"I can be tough; I can be tender

Strong as a saint, weak as a sinner

But when I'm in your arms I'm so complete

You bring out what's inside of me

A woman with a mind, a body with a soul

A heart full of love that won't let go

I love the way you understand

All that I am

Once the song was finished we turned off the mics and took our bows. As we were packing up the gear Jake surprised me by asking, "So...you're still seeing that guy? Ben."

"Yes." He had a strange look on his face. "Are you still going out with Rebecca?" When he shook his head I said, "I'm sorry." He just shrugged and turned to go. "Jake?" He paused to look at me. "You okay?"

"Sure." I wasn't entirely convinced by his answer but left it at that. Seeing my concern, Rick suggested we all go out together the next night after our gig to cheer Jake up; I agreed and said goodnight but as I wandered out the back I couldn't help worrying. Jake didn't usually take break-ups this hard, he'd always been more of a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy; maybe Rebecca had meant more to him than any of us realized.

The sight of Ben waiting by the car distracted me from thoughts of Jake - in figure-hugging jeans, taut white t-shirt and leather jacket, he was absolutely breathtaking and I felt my heart give an erratic flutter. "Hello, handsome." He closed the distance between us with a few strides of his long legs and took me in his arms, tilting his head and capturing my mouth in a slow and deliberate kiss of such aching sweetness that I practically swooned. The noise of nearby traffic faded against the sound of blood pumping through my veins.

"Wow." When our lips finally parted my voice sounded uneven and breathless even to my own ears. "Not that I'm complaining at all, but what was that for?" My arms had found their way around his neck, fingers playing with the hair at his nape.

"For the stunningly gorgeous, adorable woman who dedicated a song to me tonight."

"Oh, you thought that was for you? No, no, it was for a whole other Ben."

"A different Ben?"

"Mm hmm."

"I see. What's his last name?" His arms tightened and he began laying siege to my neck, his soft lips and the gentle scrape of his beard eliciting spine-tingling sensations that wreaked havoc on my central nervous system, not to mention practically banishing all coherent thought.

"Um...ah..." Come on brain, surely you can think of something. "Ben...Franklin."

"Ben Franklin?" The laughter in his voice could not be mistaken but I admit to being severely distracted by the warm hands sliding under my top, touching bare flesh that shivered in response.

"Um...yeah...older guy...balding...glasses..."

When I opened my eyes his face appeared before me, twinkling eyes catching the light from the streetlamp behind us, teeth gleaming in a smile that was almost as devastating as his kisses had been.