Ben’s brow wrinkled. “I was?”
“Yes, a tall, reddish-haired woman. You gave her quite a hug when she came over to you.”
“Reddish-hai—that was my sister! Martha. We met for coffee that day because she needed to talk. An argument with her husband, Jack.”
“Your sister.” Not a girlfriend. “And Shakespeare?”
“Shakespeare?” His brow furrowed.
“You know, the day we ate lunch together. You told me you had a date that night, at the Shakespeare Center.”
“Oh! Yeah. No, not a date in that sense. Martha took me with her. She’d really wanted to see A Christmas Carol, but Jack had no interest. I’ve always liked Dickens myself.”
Cat sucked in a breath at the mention of A Christmas Carol. Scrooge. Eliza. Those other men. Ben. He’d been single. If only she’d asked. Then again, he hadn’t asked her out, and he had acquired a girlfriend soon after. “Okay, but when you started dating Mei, I assumed...”
“Cat, when I heard that you were dating those other men, I figured I had no chance. I don’t look like a Grayson. I’m not wealthy like a William. It’s not as if women fall all over me.”
“Why not? You’re pretty darn cute.”
He choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “Uh, thank you. I’m not quite sure what to say to that. Computer scientists seem to be less in demand than, say, firefighters. Or doctors. Or...”
“ ...Dukes and earls?”
He ran his finger along the rim of his cup. “Yes. Dukes and earls, indeed. So when Mei asked me out, I said to myself ‘Why not? Give it a chance. You might not get another.’ But it was clear to me pretty quickly that while she’s a sweet lady, she wasn’t the one for me. And it wasn’t fair to her to keep pretending she was.”
They stared at each other.
“What now?” she asked.
“Now,” he said, “I’m hoping you’ll let me take you on a date. A real one. Although I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m feeling intimidated again, given what you told me about Mr. Dawes, at least.”
“I’d like a date.” She took a last sip of her coffee. “Don’t worry about Dawes. Or any of them. Because the person, the only person, I’m interested in is you.”
She smoothed her hair back from her face with her free hand. “Getting everything you think you wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, you know. I never thought I’d feel this way, but a little mystery, a little uncertainty, a little less-than-perfect feels so much more exciting than getting my dream man.” At his raised eyebrows, she grimaced. “Wait, that came out wrong.”
Ben gave her a tender smile. “No, I get it. I’m no Prince Charming. I’m full of faults. People claim I’m a pessimist, although they’re wrong. I’m a realist. I’m not good at sharing how I feel. I can’t have foods touch each other on my plate. And I can be overly frugal.”
“Frugality is a fault? That’s news to me.” She rubbed her fingers over his again, enjoying the feeling of warmth, the sense of connection. “But guess what, Ben? I don’t need Prince Charming. I’m no fairytale princess, either. I take people for granted far too often, including Eliza. I tried to fill my emotional holes with books instead of people. I’m not fond of going out in cold or hot weather. I’m not good with change. And apparently, I’m clueless about noticing when a man is interested in me unless he states so directly.”
Ben nodded. “So we’ve agreed we’re each quirky. I can live with that.”
“Me, too,” she answered with a grin. “But first, can I show you what I wanted to show you before?”
Ben stood up and shrugged on his jacket. “Lead on, fair maiden. Lead on.”
An hour later, they sat in the back room of the Treasure Trove, immersed in Eliza’s letters. Ben occasionally picked up the two photographs and the portrait, scrutinized them, and then set them back down. They had pulled out all the books and discovered that indeed most, if not all, of Dickens’ works had been added to the trunk.
“These have got to be worth a fortune,” Ben commented at one point.
“I know. But I’m not sure I can bring myself to part with them, especially since they’re from Eliza.”
“Do you have to?”
“Not yet,” Cat said. “Selling the Bible to William and finalizing the sale on that Pooh book have me set for a little while. But I’m still working on paying off the second mortgage and loans my dad took out to keep the store afloat and send me to college.”
She leaned back on the chair in which she was sitting and blew the bangs out of her face, clutching a group of letters in one hand. “To be honest, I’m trying to figure out if I want to keep going. In the business, that is. Without Eliza here, I have no extra help, no breaks, no one to take over when I go visit my family. I have Emily sometimes, but her schedule is limited, and of course, the less I pay someone else the better I do.”
Ben was silent for a minute. “I could help.”
“What?”
“I could. On the weekends. Maybe some evenings. I have teaching and research obligations, but I love this store. You and your dad obviously put your hearts into it. I love how passionate you are about books, how you work to draw in the community to engage them in reading, especially kids. Too many kids go around these days with their eyes glued to a screen, rather than their noses to a book.” He snorted. “Some might say that’s ironic for a computer science professor to say, but it’s the truth.”
Cat nodded. “Thank you.”
Ben swallowed nervously. “I guess maybe that’s putting the cart before the horse. Or carriage, as Eliza might now say.” He gave an uncertain chuckle. “I didn’t mean to put pressure on you before we’ve even officially gone out once. I want to help. And to be perfectly honest, I want another excuse to be near you.”
Cat’s insides glowed. She set down the letters she’d been holding and stood up, crossing the short distance to his chair. She dropped herself into his lap, giggling at his surprised expression. Smoothing her fingers over the hair that had fallen across his forehead, she leaned in and kissed his nose, then his cheek, then his chin, before coming back to his mouth. He returned the kiss with enthusiasm, his fingers snaking up under her shirt to rub the bare skin of her lower back.
“Thank you,” he said when she broke off the kiss. She didn’t get up, though, instead settling herself against him. His arm encircled her and his fingers stroked lazy circles along her hip.
He cleared his throat. “I have to ask,” he said. “I know why I want to be with you. I’ve shared that today. But I can’t help but feel insecure, knowing you can create the perfect guy for yourself. Who am I compared to William or Grayson? Or anybody you could dream up?” He glanced away as if embarrassed to have revealed such insecurity.
“You are the man who made my toes curl when you kissed me under the mistletoe, Mr. Cooper.” She slipped her finger under his chin and gently pulled his face back to hers. Smoothing her fingers down his cheek, she went on.
“You may say you’re no Prince Charming, but you are the man who slew my computer dragon. You’re the man who stepped in to help without being asked or wanting acknowledgment, numerous times, and you did it because that’s who you are, not because I wrote you to be that way. You are the man who understands my love for this store, and for my dad, and for my friend Eliza.”
She leaned in and peppered his face with small kisses. “You are the man who intrigues me, the man about whom I’m dying to know more. You are the man who makes me laugh the most. You are the man who knows mushrooms are not food, they’re fungus. And you are the man whom I truly believe likes me for me. Not because you have to—not because I created you that way—but because, for whatever reason, you want to. If I’ve learned nothing else from my experiences this winter, it’s that that is more precious than anything else.”
Pausing for a moment, she added, “I’ve spent years choosing the safe and known over the unsure and the unknown. But I’m finding I like not knowing how the story is going to end with you. I’m w
illing to accept the risk and knowing that has made me feel so much more alive than I’ve felt in a long time. Plus, you have incredibly attractive chocolate eyes.”
Ben’s gaze grew soft. “That’s quite a speech, Ms. Schreiber.”
She leaned in and kissed him gently, then again. “Well, you’re quite a character, Mr. Cooper.”
Chapter 29
“What do you think?” Ben said a week later, stepping back to survey his work.
Cat eyed the coffee counter he’d installed across from the fireplace, complete with a shiny new espresso machine. “Who knew you were such a handyman? I thought you professor types were all brains, no brawn.”
“Oh, yeah, lady? Get a load of these guns.” He struck a variety of ridiculous bodybuilder poses.
Cat cackled with delight. “You constantly surprise me, Mr. Cooper.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” He winked at her.
“Absolutely.” She gazed at him warmly. “Absolutely.”
It had been an amazing week. They’d spent nearly every moment together, reading Eliza’s letters, discussing plans for the store, sharing details about themselves. Cat showed Ben the manuscript and her translation of it. She even showed him the original stories she’d written, but only after he begged to see them. She was sure her cheeks had burned hotter than a blazing furnace when he’d asked to read Grayson’s story last night.
He’d only gotten a little ways into it before his own cheeks betrayed a startling amount of color. Setting the story down, he’d said, “You know, I don’t want to know any more about this fellow. Performance anxiety and all that.”
“Well, there’s only one way to allay those fears, right?” She’d been shocked to hear the words come out of her mouth. In spite of her one-night stand with Grayson, which she’d decided had to be due in part to the manuscript’s influence, to the pull of her original story, she wasn’t the type to rush into anything physical. But it didn’t feel like rushing. Not with Ben. It felt good. It felt right.
Ben had raised an eyebrow at her, uncertainty etched across his face. She’d grabbed his hand, pulling him up from the sofa. Without a word, she led him into her bedroom, closing the door behind them. Elvis had meowed in protest from behind it, but they’d ignored the cat.
She’d kissed him ever so briefly, before stepping back and biting her lip. “I, um, really haven’t been with that many people. In spite of, you know, what happened with Grayson. That’s not who I am.”
Ben reached for her, pulling her back to him. “It’s not any of my business, how many people you’ve been with,” he said, stroking her back. “It only matters than I’m with you now. I’d be lying, though, if I didn’t admit that makes me happy to hear.”
“Did you and...?”
“Mei? No. I’ve only been with one other person, actually.” He coughed. “Hence at least some of the anxiety.”
“As you said, what’s past is past, and it doesn’t matter. What matters now is the future.”
“And right now. Because I don’t want to rush through right now.” He ran his finger down her cheek. “Not when I’m here with you.”
Cat glowed at his words. Reaching up, she pulled his head down to hers, letting her mouth move across his. He returned the kiss, softly at first. Then his lips parted and his tongue sought entry. She opened to him, and he groaned against her, an exciting, intoxicating sound.
Backing up, she found the edge of the bed and fell onto it, pulling him with her. She enjoyed the feeling of his full weight on her as he continued to kiss her, rubbing his fingers along her cheek and through her hair.
“Oh, Cat.” He kissed his way over to her ear, nibbling at the lobe. “You are so beautiful. So amazing. So ... everything.”
Her heart flooded. This felt so different, so much deeper than what she’d had with Grayson. That had been physical passion; this was an emotional connection. She ran her hands up under his shirt, over the planes of his back. The warmth of his skin sent sizzles through her, and she pushed up against him, wanting to be closer, wanting more.
“Can we go slowly?” he’d whispered. “I want to savor this. Savor you.”
“Yes.” There was no need to rush, no need to hurry with Ben. He wasn’t going anywhere. She felt secure in that, which surprised her. After Ryan, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to trust again. But Ben was different. Ben wasn’t Ryan. This all felt different, richer, deeper. She felt treasured.
“Yes,” she breathed again, as his head dipped to her neck. His lips pressed against her skin, touching her collarbone, then the spot where her shirt buttoned. He looked up at her, seeking permission with his eyes. She nodded, and he released a button, then another.
She ran her hands over his back again and then reached down to clasp the edges of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. She tossed it to the floor, running her hands over his warm skin, loving the feeling of the hair on his chest, so masculine, so different from her own.
“Ben.” Her breath was coming more quickly now, and she reached up to pull his mouth back to hers, savoring the taste of him, the way they blended together.
He flexed his hips against her once, twice, before fumbling with the buttons of her shirt. Slowly, patiently, he worked his way down, dipping to kiss the skin as he exposed it. Finally, he separated the two halves of the shirt and spread them open. She could feel his eyes on her, soaking in the sight of her.
He ran his fingers over the softness of her stomach, and then up, up, over her ribcage, to cover one of her breasts, which was still enclosed in her bra.
“So beautiful, dearest Cat.” His thumb flicked over her nipple, and she bucked.
“I have a secret,” she said, giving him a playful smile.
He arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“This is a front-hook bra.” Reaching up, she unhooked the clasp.
Tenderly, almost reverently, he opened it, his eyes widening as her breasts were revealed.
The desire writ across his face set her on fire.
His hand hovered over her breast. “May I?”
She was touched at his carefulness, at his seeking permission. He wasn’t here to take, to dominate. He was here to share, to take each step with her. “Please,” she breathed, and his hands closed over her. Each touch, each caress had her body flaming, desire spreading from her breasts to every other part of her.
He took her mouth in a fierce kiss again, this one expressing every bit of his passion. She returned it full-force, reaching for the front of his jeans. But he moved down before she could touch him, his lips marking a trail down her throat to her chest, to her breasts. When he took a nipple into his mouth, she nearly exploded off of the bed.
She reached again for him. “Slow is all well and good,” she managed to utter. “But you’re driving me mad.”
He raised his head and gave her a devilish grin. “Good,” he said before pressing his full chest against hers. “Because you do the same to me.”
She breathed in the heady scent of him, reveling in the feel of his skin against hers. She ran her fingers along his sides and over his back. They lay that way a while, sharing kisses and caresses. Eventually, he rolled off of her, to the side. She froze for a moment, thinking he was leaving, but his hands dipped lower, under the waistband of her jeans.
He gave her a questioning look.
“Yes.” She kissed his chin. “But only if I can take off yours, too.”
His eyes jumped, nervousness creeping across his face, but he nodded.
“You and me,” she’d whispered. “Nothing to fear. This is right. This is good. This is you and me, Ben.”
His pupils had flared, a smile flitting across his face. Sitting up, she’d reached for his jeans, unfastening the button and undoing the zipper before slowly pulling them down, taking his boxers with them. Divesting the clothes onto the floor, she’d turned back to look at him. Damn, he was sexy. His legs were muscular, more so than she had expected, and her hand reached out to touch his thigh.
He closed his eyes at the feel of her fingers.
“So muscular.” She echoed her thoughts out loud as her fingers traced their way up to his hip.
Ben exhaled sharply. “I ... run.”
Before she could touch anywhere else, he reached over and pushed her back down on the bed. “My turn,” he said, reaching for the button on her jeans.
For a moment, Cat had doubts. She wasn’t as fit as he was. Her legs, while slender, had cellulite. Would he be turned off? She closed her eyes as his hands pulled, moving the jeans and undies down, down, down. Self-consciously, she slung an arm across her belly.
She could hear him breathing. “Open your eyes, Cat,” he said. “Please.”
She did. He ran a hand along her hip, and then pulled her arm away so that he could take in all of her. “You are beautiful. Beautiful.”
He dipped his head to her stomach, pressing small kisses to it before moving lower, lower.
Cat ran her hands through his hair as he reached the most intimate part of her, clutching him to her as indescribable emotions raced through her veins. His touch, his fingers, his tongue felt oh-so-good. She trembled and shook as her body raced ahead, longing, seeking, questing for that peak.
“Oh, God, Ben!” Her world exploded into a thousand different colors, a thousand exquisite sensations. Her skin tingled and throbbed as pleasure flooded every inch of her. “Ben,” she murmured again a moment later, reaching for him.
The look in his eyes nearly did her in again. He moved up, settling himself between her legs. “Do you have...?”
“Yes. In the side table drawer. But don’t you want me to?”
“God, yes,” he panted. “But not now. I can’t. The time for slow is definitely over.”
She grinned as she reached over and grabbed a condom, thankful Eliza had insisted she have a few on hand, though Cat had thought there was no chance she’d use them. Opening it, she quickly sheathed him, delighting as her touch made him groan.
“Oh, Cat,” he whispered against her mouth as he found entry. “I can’t believe ... finally ... Cat!”
The Magic of Love Series Page 27
