by Lexy Timms
He looked their way and nodded his head. “Yes, they are. How soon before you think he pops the question?”
Katherine laughed. “I would hope he would give it some time, but with the way they are getting along, you never know. Only the two of them know if they’re ready.”
“Did you hear from the coffee shop?” he asked, suddenly remembering she had said she was going to be there today.
She shook her head. “No, I’m thinking maybe that’s a good thing.”
“Oh?”
She shrugged. “I think I might take a couple business classes and see where it takes me.”
“Do it. You’ll be amazing.”
Rachel and Will returned to the table, both of them slightly out of breath. Ben ordered another round of beers and a basket of potato skins, something Katherine had declared her undying love for.
“I think you need to set Talia up with someone since you clearly have a good eye for it. I want her to find someone to be happy with,” Katherine said.
“You’re going to inflate his ego,” Will warned.
“Hey, look at you. You’re happy. You’re welcome,” Ben shot back.
“You got lucky,” Rachel mused.
They spent the next hour drinking, eating and dancing until they were all exhausted.
“We’re out of here,” Will said, throwing some money on the table.
“I think we’re leaving as well,” Ben said, looking over at Katherine.
She nodded her head. “I’m ready.”
Her words had a double meaning. He’d been grinding against her for the last thirty minutes and if they didn’t get out of the bar he was going to have her up against the wall in the alley.
He’d already arranged for a car, saving precious minutes. They all said their goodbyes, both couples anxious to get home and continue their evenings in privacy.
“My place?” Ben asked, knowing better than to ever assume.
She grinned. “Yes.”
The ride home was too long for Ben. He was anxious to get her naked and horizontal. His hand moved up her thigh. She had on a tiny black skirt. He’d been having a hell of a time focusing on anything beyond her shapely legs. It wasn’t often he saw her legs. She was always in jeans.
“I like you in skirts,” he whispered in her ear.
She smiled. “Easy access?”
He laughed. “That too, but your legs, you have beautiful legs, too beautiful to hide under those jeans you always wear.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she murmured as his hand oved higher, dangerously close to her core.
“I want you,” he whispered.
“I want you,” she replied.
He inhaled a breath through his nose, smelling her perfume. “You’re making me crazy,” he groaned.
“Likewise,” she said, opening her mouth as he pushed his tongue inside, his fingertips rubbing over panties.
The car finally pulled to a stop in front of his front door. He nearly fell out of the car trying to get out the door so fast. She was hot on his heels. They rushed inside the house, racing for his bedroom, giggling like teenagers the whole time.
She beat him to his room, which was impressive considering the heels she had on. He caught up to her, wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up from behind, carrying her to his bed and yanking the skirt up, before pulling her panties down.
His hand went between her legs, pushing her thighs apart. “You’re already wet, sweetheart.”
“I am, take me,” she gasped as his fingers probed inside her body.
She arched her back, giving herself to him. While his fingers were working inside her, he used his other hand to fumble with his jeans before managing to get the button undone and pushed down his hips.
“Hurry,” she moaned. “Oh Ben, please hurry.”
“I’m trying, open your legs for me sweetheart,” he told her, kicking off his shoes and shucking his jeans.
She was writhing on his bed, hot and wet, waiting for him. He grabbed her hips, pulling her forward before plunging into her sweet, wet passage.
They both moaned, neither moving as their bodies hummed and throbbed in time together. He moaned, holding her hips as he drove inside her tight sheath. Nearly losing all control as he felt her little muscles clenching him, tickling his nerves and stealing away his self-control.
“Ben,” she whispered her plea.
He reached to where they were joined together, his thumb stimulating her, causing her to arch and buck on the bed as she orgasmed in violent bursts of hot liquid. He pulled out and flipped her over, her bare ass on full display. He would never get tired of seeing her naked body.
“Up,” he snapped.
She got to his knees, her ass proudly waving in the air. He reached for her, separating her folds again and pushing inside.
She moaned, crying out his name in little whimpers as his body filled her with long thrusts. His eyes closed as he let himself relish in the feel of her body enveloping his. He didn’t want to stop, his body had other plans. He held off, wanting to give her another orgasm.
With his hands holding her firmly in place, he ground his hips against her, drawing out long gasps from her as he moved inside her. The first squirts of her juices were a relief, she started to cum, pulling his own orgasm from him in a violent explosion as he pummeled into her body. He slowly back away, rolling her over and pulling her off the bed to undress her like he should have in the beginning.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, a little embarrassed by his behavior.
She laughed. “It’s okay. I would have jumped you if you hadn’t done it first.”
He pulled her top over her head, feeling a little silly to be stripping her after sex, but in his mind, he was only getting ready for round two. He wasn’t finished with her body yet.
They climbed into bed, both naked as they snuggled together, lying face to face, the lamp on his bedside table emitting a soft glow in the room. She was staring at him with such love in her eyes, he felt it was time to say it. He didn’t want to wait another day to tell her how he truly felt. He wanted her to know and he hoped like hell she felt the same. If she didn’t, he was perfectly okay with giving her some time. He’d win her over eventually.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked casually.
“I did. I love that place.”
He was silent for a few more minutes, working up the courage to say what was in his heart. She was so special to him.
“Katherine, I love you. I know it might be a little early to say that, but I do. I just wanted you to know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“You love me?” she whispered.
He nodded. “I do.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you.”
He felt relief wash over him. “That’s a relief.”
She giggled. “That wasn’t the response I was expecting.”
“I was worried. I was afraid I would scare you away if I told you how I felt. The last thing I wanted to do was scare you off,” he said, brushing her bare shoulder with his hand.
“Oh, Ben. You couldn’t scare me off. I’ve been a little embarrassed because I fell head over heels in love with you a long time ago. I kept telling myself it wasn’t the real thing, but when I was away, I realized it was very much the real thing. I couldn’t wait to get back to you. I would have done almost anything to have you back in my life,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
He gently wiped them away. “I was out of my mind when I thought I would never see you again. I kept trying to figure out how I was ever going to move on. It seemed impossible. I’m so glad you’re back and I don’t plan on letting you go for a long time. Please don’t take that as me controlling you, but I want you.”
“You don’t have to have kid gloves on with me. Just be you. You are perfect for me in every way, and you are the man I want to be with,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him.
“If I ever do anything you don’t like, t
ell me. I know I’m not perfect, but I’m damn sure going to try.”
“Me too. I’m going to have some neurotic moments and I’m going to be looking over my shoulder for a while, but in time, I know it will get better. Be patient with me,” she said, looking into his eyes.
He looked at her for a while. “Do you think you’ll let your hair go back to its natural color?” he asked.
She smiled. “Curious to see me as a blonde?”
“Maybe. I’ll take you anyway I can get you, but I like you for you.”
She nodded. “Good. I do plan on letting it grow out. I’m also ready to revamp my wardrobe a little. I can’t wait to start dressing in fun clothes instead of trying to hide behind the bulky jeans and plaids.”
“You look sexy in those jeans, but dammit if you in a skirt doesn’t make me lose my damn mind,” he groaned.
“I hope to make you crazy,” she giggled.
He pulled her into his arms and shut off the light. Everything was falling into place and he was excited to see what the future held for the two of them. He was confident she would be in his future.
Epilogue
Katherine
Three Months later
KATHERINE FELT HIS warm body next to her and smiled. His heavy leg was draped across hers as he softly breathed in and out, his long eyelashes resting against his face as he slept. She stared at him for a while, admiring his handsomeness. The jaw stubble was already making an appearance on his face, giving him the rough, sexy look that she adored. He had made it a habit not to shave on the weekends, which she thoroughly appreciated.
Living with him had taken a little getting used to, but now she could never imagine her life any other way. When Ben had asked her to move in, she had been hesitant at first. She was worried they were rushing into things. It seemed like it was too soon, but then after thinking about it and talking it over with Talia, she realized there was no hard and fast rule about when it was the right time. She felt it and he felt it and that was all that mattered.
They’d been living together for a month and every day when she woke up, she got to see him. That was the best part about living with the man you loved. It was comforting to go to bed with him at night and wake up with him beside her every morning. It gave her a sense of belonging she never remembered having before—certainly never with her ex-husband.
Ben was her rock. He was the constant in her life and had encouraged her to take some of the money she’d gotten from Tim and begin the process of building her own coffee shop. She knew it was a risk, but it was something she wanted to try. She’d been taking some night classes at the local college and learning more about business management. Her coffee shop was going to offer fresh baked goods and a laid-back setting that encouraged people to hang back and chill for hours.
Katherine leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before she got out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. When she returned the room, she was a little surprised to see he wasn’t in bed. She slipped her feet into her warm fuzzy slippers and made her way downstairs to find him in the kitchen making breakfast.
“Good morning,” he greeted, when she walked into the light, airy kitchen space.
“Hi,” she said, smiling as she gave him a quick kiss.
He handed her a cup of coffee. “Have a seat, I’m making some bacon and eggs,” he told her.
She sat on the barstool and watched him cook. He was wearing a pair of sweats and nothing else. They were supposed to go out for a run that morning. That was another thing she had come to really appreciate. There was always someone to do things with.
“Did you have a nice shower?” he asked.
“I did. I’m ready to go when you are.”
She always showered before they exercised, which he teased her about, but it was just something she did and couldn’t really explain. The shower helped awaken her mind and body, getting her into the right mindset to exercise. She had on her running pants and fitted top, ready to hit pavement, but it was clear that Ben had other ideas. But they had all day and with the cool temperatures, running in the afternoon was just fine with her.
“That smells good,” she said, inhaling the smell of bacon.
“It’s turkey bacon. You’ve got me trying to eat healthy. My arteries already thank you,” he teased.
She laughed. “That’s fine, bacon is good in all forms. You just have to have an open mind.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Nothing beats a thick piece of pork bacon.”
“Maybe, but I want you to stick around for a good long while, so turkey bacon it is. We can splurge on occasion.”
“I want to show you something,” he said, walking out of the kitchen and returning a few minutes later with a newspaper in his hand.
“You’ve already read the paper? How long was I in the shower?” she laughed.
“Meredith texted me that I would be interested in the paper,” he explained.
Katherine raised her eyebrows. “And were you?”
“Yes, and you will be too.”
She rolled her eyes. “I never read the paper. It’s too depressing.”
“Not today it isn’t.”
He slid the paper across the counter to her. Her eyes immediately fell on Tim’s face staring back at her from a front-page photo. It felt like his eyes were staring directly at her. It was a picture she knew well and had always hated. It was his headshot from the firm and she’d always found it creepy. She snatched the paper, unfolding it to read the headline.
Top Defense Attorney Disbarred for Bribing Judge
“Holy shit,” she murmured, scanning the article, reading the list of crimes Tim was going to be held accountable for. It was everything she had read in the papers and more. Tim had been a very bad boy.
“He’s facing charges—a lot of charges,” Ben summarized.
“I don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head.
“I thought maybe it was you,” he said.
“The article says an anonymous source provided them with the proof,” she read aloud.
“Are you the anonymous source? I mean, you don’t have to tell me if it was you, but if it was, I’ll never tell,” he said.
She burst into laughter. “I am not the source. I had nothing to do with this, although I’m guessing he probably thinks I did. I hope they’re keeping him locked up. I don’t want to be around if he’s out on bail.”
“I think he knows better to stay away from you. So, you didn’t do this?” he asked, his tone disbelieving.
“Not me. Some of the stuff mentioned in there I didn’t even know about.”
“He pissed someone off,” Ben said.
“Someone. The man made a living pissing people off. He was a shady lawyer and everyone in the area knew it. The only people that liked him were his equally shady clients. They paid him a lot of money to ensure they never had to pay for their crimes,” she said, the thought making her ill.
Ben turned back to the stove to finish cooking. “Maybe he screwed over the wrong person.”
“Good thing I got that settlement check last month. He’s probably going to lose everything. I know he had some offshore accounts, I wonder if they’ll find those,” she said, trying not to sound giddy.
She chastised herself a bit, knowing it was bad form to celebrate another person’s misfortune. But looking into his evil eyes staring back at her from the photo, she didn’t think anyone would be sorry to see him do time behind bars.
“He’s been disbarred, and they are opening a formal investigation into the charges. The FBI is going to be involved as well, so I have a feeling any money he tried to hide is going to be tracked down,” Ben stated.
She nodded her head. “He knew better and he chose to cheat the system. I don’t feel the least bit sorry for him. He thought he was above the law because he knew how to manipulate it. I wonder how many judges are going to lose their seats over this,” she murmured, thinking of the long reaching consequences to Ti
m’s actions.
“He’s made some serious enemies, that’s for sure. I’m glad the divorce is finalized and your name is no longer attached to him,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“You and me both. I hope the media doesn’t track me down. The last thing I want to do is answer questions about what he’s done.”
“Who do you think turned him in?” Ben asked.
“My money is on Alex. I bet he tried to bully her into getting back with him and she wasn’t having it. It could have been her parents too, it is hard to say. I knew she was different when I met her. She was tough and smart, and Tim met his match when he tried to manipulate her,” she said with admiration in her voice.
“You’re tough and smart,” Ben asserted, staring directly into her eyes.
She shrugged a shoulder. “It took me longer to get to my breaking point than she did. I’m proud of her. Although, he has steadily escalated so maybe I shouldn’t compare.”
“You’re strong, don’t you ever forget that,” he ordered.
She turned the paper over and pushed it away. She didn’t want to look at Tim’s face. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty about the hell he was going through. It was his own doing. He’d made his bed and now he was going to get to lie in it—for a very long time.
“Here you go,” Ben said, putting the plate of bacon and eggs in front of her before refilling her cup of coffee.
He sat down next to her with his own plate. “We’re not going to be able to run after a breakfast this big,” she pointed out.
“I was thinking we could do something a little different today,” he said, and she knew right away he had something up his sleeve.
“Sex is not adequate exercise,” she immediately replied.
He burst into laughter. “The way we do it I think it could pass for cardio.”
“True, but what else did you have in mind?”
He sipped his coffee before turning to look at her. He had that dangerous twinkle in his eye that told her he had a plan. She was always up for one of his plans.
