"Aside from some promotional photo shoots, yesterday was my last day here. And you..." Aria pointed squarely at him, the corners of her lips twitching. "You don't officially work here until Monday."
"We're free agents."
She nodded. "Only for two days."
Ben placed a hand on the trunk of her car. "You know, if you needed help loading all this in the car, then you'll probably need help unloading it at your house."
"You make a valid point, Mr. Lawson."
Ben's pulse quickened, his heart pounding in his chest.
Fuck. I'm in so much trouble.
Chapter Five
"That's the last one." Ben carefully placed the box he was carrying on the tile floor of Aria's foyer. Straightening, he scoped out her modest apartment. The location was ideal—overlooking Santa Monica Pier from the top floor of a slightly disheveled apartment complex. The interior, however, left a lot to be desired with outdated appliances, peeling wallpaper, and cramped quarters.
"Thanks." Aria closed the door behind her with her foot, her arms full with bags that she placed on top of the box. "Sorry about the place. It's small and crappy, I know."
Ben shook his head. "Honestly, I love it."
"Really?" Aria eyed him suspiciously. "Those jeans you're wearing probably cost as much as my rent."
Ben rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit self-conscious. "Because of the label, not the quality." He gestured around her home, stepping further into the living room. "It's small, sure, but it's homey. It's comfortable. This isn't just where you live...it's where you're home."
His own home was stoic and cold. Designer labels, expensive price tags, and absolutely nothing soft per his ex-wife's instructions when she decorated their house. Nothing felt lived in, or comforting, or...home.
Ben dropped onto the couch with a contented sigh, enjoying the feeling of sinking into the old cushions. It reminded him of growing up, of his parents, of a time when coming home meant love and family and people who he could truly count on. It'd been a long time since he'd felt that way, and he wasn't even sure such a thing existed anymore.
Aria was still standing in the entryway, arms crossed over her chest, watching him. "Ben, do you want to date me?"
What did she just say?
Ben could hear the blood pounding in his ears, his heart thumping in his chest. Eyes wide, he tried to open his mouth to say something...anything. Nothing came. He was barely out of a divorce from a woman who'd shredded his heart to pieces. A new job in two days. Dating...dating wasn't in the cards right now.
"I…uh, well..."
"Based on the terrified look on your face, your answer is no," Aria supplied for him, walking closer to the couch. "And my answer is definitely no."
"Definitely?" He was completely thrown right now, and wondering if he should be insulted, too.
"I don't want to date you," Aria repeated. "I don't want to date anyone. I've got a lot going on in my life, and I'd guess you do as well."
Ben nodded slowly.
"But..." Aria gestured between the two of them. "There's a connection here. Chemistry. Maybe insanity. I'm not sure what exactly, but I'm not a one-night stand. I'm not easy."
"Aria, stop." Ben extended his hand and she took it, letting him pull her closer, onto his lap, facing him. God, she felt so good right there. Wrapping one hand around the back of her neck, he threaded his fingers through her soft, golden hair. "There has never been a second where I thought you were easy. We're grown ass adults, not horny teenagers who can't think past tomorrow."
Aria giggled, dipping forward until her forehead was on his. Her hands pressed against his chest, twisting in his shirt. "I just don't want you to think I do this all the time...or that I've ever done something like this before."
Ben brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, holding her face in his hands. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was something we couldn't—or shouldn't—ignore."
"Even if only for one weekend?"
"Especially if only for one weekend." Ben pulled her closer to him so that she was straddling him, her knees on either side of his waist as he sat on the couch with her on top of him. "This may not be able to go past Sunday night, but we can enjoy it now."
Her hands slid up his chest to his neck, gripping his shoulders. "Ben?"
"Yes?"
Piercing blue-gray eyes bore into his, needing and begging. He wanted to pause and press fast-forward all at once.
"Kiss me," she breathed. "Kiss me right n—”
He crushed his lips to hers before she even finished speaking, breathing in her words. She moaned against him, and Ben had to slow himself down to control his excitement. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip slowly, coaxing her mouth open. When she finally parted, he plunged inside, recapturing what he'd found so insatiable the first time they kissed.
His hands wove through her hair, pulling her as close to him as two people could be. Still, he wanted more. He wanted closer. He wanted everything.
Aria pressed her hips down, beginning to grind against him. He was already hard as a rock and the motions were dizzying. When she unclasped the top button of his jeans and slid down his zipper, he couldn't contain his groan of relief.
He sprang free into her waiting hand.
"Fuck, Aria." Ben slid his hands down her back and cupped her ass. "Keep doing that."
Her fingers circled his length, sliding up and down perfectly, while he pushed his hips up to meet her. When her head fell back ever so slightly, he took advantage of her exposed flesh, sinking his teeth into her neck. Pulling the soft skin into his mouth, he sucked, nipped, and licked his way from her jaw to the top of her breasts.
She let go of him, and before he could complain, she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor behind them. Ben reached around and unfastened her bra, letting it fall between them.
Perfect, pink nipples stared back at him. Small, delicate, surrounded by pale full, flesh. She was a million times more beautiful than he could ever have imagined in his fantasies.
"Aria..."
"I know they're small." Her hands quickly moved to cover her breasts, a blush creeping up her face as if she was suddenly having doubts. "The last guy I was with loved to remind me how poorly endowed I am."
Unexpected rage soared through Ben's body. "Are you kidding me? Someone said that to you?"
Aria didn't reply, but the pink on her cheeks now became bright red.
"Stand up," Ben instructed, pushing both of them up and off the couch. "Where's the bedroom?"
Once standing, she pointed toward an open door across from them. "Over there. Why?"
"Because what I'm going to do to your body is going to need space." Placing a hand on either side of her waist, he lifted her up against him and she wrapped her legs around his hips. "When I'm done with you, you will never doubt again that you aren't the most beautiful woman that has ever existed."
Aria tucked her face into his neck, wrapping her arms around him. "Ben..."
"Don't argue with me on this."
She laughed, and he felt it tickle the skin on his neck. It was perfect, and happy. "I wouldn't dare."
When they reached her bed, he placed her down gently on top of the duvet. In one quick motion, he gripped his own shirt behind his neck and pulled it over his head.
Aria's eyes trailed down his body, widening as she went. Her breath quickened, and her breasts moved with each inhale.
Ben pushed his jeans down to the floor and stepped out of them, leaving him entirely naked. Reaching forward, he unfastened the top of her pants and slid them down her legs.
She was wearing a small black lace pair of panties, and nothing else. Lying back against the bedspread, she looked almost angelic. Too good to taste, and yet, that was all he wanted to do.
Ben pulled her hips to the edge of the bed and kneeled between her legs. His teeth grasped the soft lace, pulling. She shuddered beneath him, trembling and soaking the fabric.
O
nce he had her completely naked, he pushed her legs wider until she was entirely open for him. Glistening, waiting, Ben heard her breathe ragged, raspy pulls of air, stretched out in front of him.
"Aria, I need you to hear me." One hand on each of her knees, he slid his palms up her thighs and over her hips to her stomach.
Pushing up onto her elbows, she fixed light blue eyes on him. The usual murky gray gone, she was nearly translucent. Windows into her soul, her heart, she opened everything to him.
"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, ever touched, ever dreamed of."
His hands slid over her stomach, brushing against the bottom of her breasts. She was holding her breath, focused entirely on him.
"Whoever implied otherwise, he's fucking crazy. Do you understand?" Ben waited till she nodded. "Everything about you is perfect, and I need to know you know that."
"Ben..."
He could hear the doubt in her voice, but he wasn't having it. "Aria, do you trust me?"
"Should I?"
"Logically? No." His hand slid across her skin and rested over her heart, palm flat feeling her heartbeat beneath her ribs. "But here? Yes."
She swallowed again, and he followed the wave in her throat. "I do."
"Then trust me when I say there isn't a single thing about you I would change."
Aria smiled, sitting and taking his face in her hands. She kissed him in a way that spoke, a way that told him she appreciated his honesty, his adoration. He kissed her until he wasn't sure he could stop, his mind fuzzy.
Pulling apart, he pressed her down onto the bed so she was lying on her back. Her legs spread before him, and he felt a hunger inside him that had everything to do with her. "I need to taste you, Aria."
She shivered at his words then nearly bounced off the bed when his tongue flicked over her most sensitive bundle of nerves.
"Ben!"
He dove in deeper, alternating between pushing inside her with his tongue, suckling her, and licking the length of her core. She writhed beneath him, pumping her hips against his face as she moaned and gasped with every flick of his tongue.
When she began to shake, he pushed two fingers inside her and massaged her deepest pleasure point until she began to spasm and cry out.
"Oh, God! Ben..." Aria panted, her hands twisting in the blanket beneath her and her knees clutching tight against him. "Oh, my God..."
He sucked harder until she went limp against the mattress, small moans coming from her lips. "I love how hard you come, beautiful."
Aria giggled and covered her face with her hands. "I'm not sure I ever have like that before."
Ben growled his approval, climbing onto the bed above her and pulling her farther up onto the mattress beneath him. "I like the sound of that."
He buried his face in her neck, kissing and nipping her flesh. She wrapped her legs and arms around him, softly moaning with every touch.
"I like you," she whispered so softly, he almost missed it.
But he didn't miss it, and he didn't miss how his heart soared in response. Ben gently pushed the hair off her face, and kissed her cheek and then the other. "I like you, Aria."
"Just for this weekend."
Ben chuckled. There was that sense of relief again. "Free agents."
"Ben, I can't wait any longer. I need you inside me." Aria pushed her hips against him. "Please..."
Hell. Yes.
He was already hard as a rock and had been since they began. Suddenly, he remembered he didn't have any protection with him. "Shit. I don't have a condom."
Aria blinked. "What?"
"Do you have any?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so. Oh, wait!" She scrambled out from under him and climbed off the bed. "There's a convenience store in the building. I'll be right back."
Ben fell back against the mattress, naked and throbbing. Damn it.
"I'm taking cash from your wallet," she said, already picking his pants up off the floor and fishing through his pockets. "It'll take me forever to find my purse in those boxes."
Ben chuckled. "Help yourself, but for god's sake, woman, hurry!"
"I'm going! I'm going!" She held up a twenty-dollar bill she'd fished from his wallet then yanked on his shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were hanging over a chair in the corner. "Don't lose that!"
"What?"
She pointed to his pelvis. "Him."
Ben snorted a laugh, and threw a pillow across the room at her. "WILL YOU GO ALREADY?"
"Already gone!" she called out, the front door slamming behind her.
This was quickly becoming a weekend he'd never forget.
Chapter Six
A sense of eager anticipation filled Aria as she turned the knob and pushed open her apartment door. "Got the—"
A strong arm reached out and hooked around her waist.
“Ack!” A second arm slid beneath her knees and scooped her off the floor, and she found herself being carried toward the bedroom by a very naked, very hard, very sexy man.
She smirked, holding on to him and kicking her legs for fun. "Someone's eager…"
Ben's eyes were dark and brooding, but the grin on his face sent shivers through her body. "You took forever."
"I was gone five minutes!"
"Exactly."
Her clothes were already being pulled off in a combined effort as he lowered her onto the bed and climbed back on top. She loved every touch of his body pressing down on hers, completely covering her. His skin was fire against hers, and she never wanted to cool down.
She handed him the box she'd just purchased which he quickly ripped open, grabbing the first one he could reach. Once fully situated, Ben tossed the box on the nightstand. "We're going to need the rest of those later."
Aria's heart beat faster in her chest. "Oh."
"Problem?" He was nearly growling, brushing himself against her entrance as he kneeled between her legs.
"Only if you don't keep your promise."
He shot her a wicked grin. "God, I like you."
Aria tried to ignore the flutter in her chest. "Then fuck me."
He pressed inside of her slowly at first, letting her adjust to his width. "You feel amazing," he groaned.
She arched her back, gasping at the perfect invasion that hit each and every nerve ending in her body. Trembling, she wrapped her arms around his neck, securing herself to him, kissing his skin.
They turned feverish as he pressed in and out of her, clawing at each other like it was never enough, like they needed more. She needed more. Then he slid one hand between them, finding her clit with his thumb and rubbing circles over it until she couldn't see straight.
Stars burst and dazzled behind her eyelids. Everything was floating, fading, yet, at the same time, she'd never felt such tension building before.
"Come for me, Aria," he whispered into her ear, nibbling and kissing down her neck as he thrust harder, faster.
Lights crackled as she fell over the edge, tumbling into ecstasy as her body spasmed and shook with the weight of her orgasm. "Oh, Ben. Ben!"
"Holy shit," Ben ground out, grabbing her hips and pressing deeper than before. He froze for a moment, holding her there against him, groaning.
She ran her fingers across his arms—rigid, solid muscles. Every part of him was chiseled and defined, something she hadn't fully appreciated until she'd seen him entirely naked.
Being an actress, she often saw built men, but they were...polished? There was no mystery that they made fitness a big part of their lives, and much of their time was devoted to it. But Ben? He was rugged and natural, and while she was sure he worked out, there was also an ease to him that was comforting.
The tension finally left his body as he sagged against her, sliding to the side instead of crushing her. Exhaling loudly, he pushed off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Returning a minute later, he crawled back in to bed next to her.
"Come here." His voice was subdued, but he reached for her.
; She curled into his side, drawing circles on his chest with her index finger. "Worth the five-minute wait?"
"Would have been worth a five-year wait."
Aria smiled. "I like free-agent us."
He just grunted at that, but wrapped both arms around her and pulled her to his chest. "Do free agents nap in the middle of a Saturday?"
"That's actually a requirement."
Ben laughed, and damn, she loved his laugh. It moved his whole body, rumbling inside him with such genuine spirit. It was contagious, making her heart lighter. The feeling of his chest moving against her cheek, roaring and muted all at once.
"Oh, but there is one stipulation for free agent napping," Aria added.
"What's that?"
She wiggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso even though she knew the arm beneath him would probably go numb soon. "Free agents cuddle. It's mandatory."
"Good, because that's my plan for the entire weekend." Ben kissed the top of her head. "Don't let go," he mumbled around a yawn.
His breathing evened out and his muscles relaxed, and she realized he'd fallen asleep.
"I won't," she whispered.
Aria swallowed hard, trying to push down the overwhelming emotion she was feeling right now. What on earth is my problem? This wasn't like her. She wasn't the kind of woman who got invested in a man she'd known less than few weeks in passing, let alone have sex with him.
And yet, here she was.
There was no denying the chemistry between them, but it was more than that. An intimacy, a vulnerability...he saw her. When Ben looked at her, he really saw who she was. And he barely even knew her.
He made her feel adored. Worthy. Precious.
Am I being foolish? Is this just the way Ben is?
Part of her was terrified it was, and another part was terrified to find out. She wanted this to be real, even if it was only for the weekend. She wanted to feel whole and healed and being with him was already making that happen.
This had to be special to him, too. It had to.
She had never been special to anyone else.
Ben stirred. "Aria? Are you crying?" He leaned back enough to see her face.
NUDES: A Hollywood Romance (Exposed Book 1) Page 4
