by Lauren Wood
Kate: Hurry. Before I change my mind.
The typical Ben response would be to go intentionally slow, out of defiance. Or to go pick up some other woman in the club and never go over at all. Suddenly I was starting to realize why everyone thought I was such a jerk when it came to women. It was all fun and games before, but imagining that in the context of Kate not only felt impossible to actually do … but it felt supremely shitty to even consider it.
I thought about what Damon said in regards to working on myself and everything. I supposed the best way to do that would be just to go straight over, like she asked. Like I agreed to. I was the one who wanted to sleep with her again in the first place.
I threw some tip money down on the bar for Damon, since I knew he’d insist the drinks were on the house, and headed out the door. My confusion faded into excitement as I drove back off to Kate’s place. Our one night together had been mind blowing, and I couldn’t believe I was actually about to have a second chance with her.
As I parked, another text popped up on my phone. It was Kate again, telling me her door was unlocked and to just come on in.
“Okay,” I sighed to myself. “That doesn’t make it sound like I’m about to get murdered at all.”
But I pushed on, going up the elevator and into her door just like she said. The living room and kitchen were empty when I walked in.
“Hello?” I called out, getting more nervous by the second.
“In here!” Kate answered from the direction of the bedroom.
But when I walked in, I still didn’t see her. “Uh, in where?”
“The bathroom!” she replied.
I looked up to see the door was open and felt even more thrown off. “Okay … I guess … I’ll just wait out here?”
“Just get your ass in here, Ben.”
I sucked in a deep breath and walked through the door. I heard the sounds of rippling water as I got closer, and then I was hit with the breathtaking sight of Kate. She was laying back in the bathtub in steaming hot water filled with rose-scented bubbles. Candles flickered along the edges of the tub and she had a full wine glass clutched gracefully in her hand. The bubbles covered most of her, but that hint of flesh where her breasts slightly poked up above the water’s surface was more than enough to get me going. Her tan skin was slick and glistening with the water, and little strands of her hair that fell down from her messy bun were clinging to the sides of her face and neck.
“Oh … my … god …” I muttered, standing there in shock.
11
Kate
I was fuming when I got back into my apartment after Ben’s little proposition. I braced myself against the kitchen counter and tried to calm down. Was I mad because of what he suggested? Or was I mad at myself because I wanted him, and wouldn’t let myself cave?
I decided a glass or two of wine would either help me find the answer or forget the question. After that and a nice, long hot bath, I figured I’d feel like myself again. I could forget all about him and his rock-hard abs and kissable lips and charming smile. Even more importantly, I’d forget that he was a self-proclaimed commitment-phobe womanizer, and that every tryst with him only planted me dangerously close to falling down into a dark hole I would have a hard time digging myself back out of.
But the wine and steam from the running bath water got me thinking … Was I really so vulnerable that I had to deny myself something I so desperately craved just to protect myself? It was only the sex I wanted, right? Of course it was. It had to be. Because that’s all he was capable of giving me.
And I wasn’t exactly playing by his rules. I did turn him down and send him off with his tail between his legs. He probably started scrolling through his contacts the minute I stormed off, hunting for the next woman to bang. Why should that girl get to have all the fun?
I took another big drink of wine and decided that if he came to me, I still won. And when that orgasm washed over me by his hands, I would win all over again.
Before I had time to change my mind, I whipped out my phone and started firing off texts. I was surprised when he responded right away. By the time he showed up, his mouth gaping, and towered over my naked body in the bathtub, I knew I had definitely made the right decision.
“Are you just going to stand there or what?” I asked him, seductively raising one eyebrow and taking another sip of wine.
“But I thought …”
“Forget what I said before.” I sank back into the water and snaked my fingers between my legs to give him a head start. “You’re here now. What are you going to do about it?”
A look of blistering desire washed over his face as he walked over and kneeled down beside the tub. He dipped his hand into the water, letting his fingers relieve mine. I moaned with relief. I had been thinking about his touch all day, and I couldn’t believe I came so close to denying myself.
“Oh my god,” he murmured as he slipped his fingers inside of me under the soapy water.
“I’ll second that,” I gasped with a smile.
“Come here,” he growled, reaching in to pull my wet body from the water. I couldn’t believe how effortlessly he lifted me up to his body. Though with those biceps, it shouldn’t have surprised me one bit.
Not caring that I was getting his clothes soaking wet, he wrapped my legs around his waist and moved me over to the bathroom counter. I braced myself against it with my hands as he dropped down between my legs. I noticed him taking in a deep whiff of the strong lavender scent still wafting from my skin before he jutted out his tongue and gently flicked it along my tingling bundle of nerves.
I let out a loud cry as he flattened his tongue across me, lapping me up from top to bottom. He moved faster and slid his fingers back inside of me. I squirmed and grabbed my breasts, massaging my nipples in rhythm with the movements of his tongue.
“Oh god, Ben, yes,” I called out breathlessly.
He worked me over until I was bucking against his mouth, soaking up as much of his touch and tongue as I could get. It started as a slow tingling, then ripped through me like an explosive tidal wave.
He rose to his feet again, eyeing me with a hunger that let me know he was far from finished with me.
“Your shirt’s all wet,” I grinned, reaching for the top button. “We better get it off of you.”
His lips crashed back into mine with a fury as I fumbled with the buttons, one by one. When I freed that gorgeous body from the soaked fabric, he looked down to his pants.
“These are wet too, you know.”
“Oh?” I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him back, dropping down to my knees in front of him as I unbuckled his belt and tugged the zipper.
I licked my lips once his boxers were tossed to the side, and I had that glorious rock-hard erection spilling out into my hand. Sparking my eyes up at him, I swirled my tongue around the tip and delighted in the way he clenched up and hissed.
I stretched my lips around his girth, sliding him between them and my tongue until I had taken him in from top to bottom and back again. He grunted and moaned as I took him into my mouth in long, slow movements, letting him settle into the back of my throat before I pulled him out again. I kept my hand wrapped around the base, following each movement with a slick stroke. Just to show him who he was messing with, because I had a feeling he didn’t know yet, I reached up with my other hand and cupped his balls with just the right amount of pressure.
All the moving parts worked together until he was twitching in my mouth and threatening to explode.
But he clenched his fingers into my hair and pulled me back, groaning, “I need to be inside of you.”
He scooped me up into his arms and carried me off into the bedroom, tossing me down onto the bed. His body moved over mine until our lips reunited, while he used one hand to guide himself inside of me.
I was caught off guard by the way he stared into my eyes between our urgent, breathless kisses and moans. It was intimate and alarming
. The only thing that frightened me more was when he slowed his rhythm and interlaced his fingers with mine. I wanted to question him. Wasn’t that too tender for what this really was? This was just sex …
But I was captivated by his stare and his touch, and each thrust inside only made me clam up even more. At least as far as any of my concerns went. Primal cries of pleasure dripped from my lips like they were nothing, and the sounds he answered with were sweet and intoxicating.
“Oh, Ben,” I gasped as my second orgasm started to build.
“Kate,” he murmured softly, burying his face between my neck and hair.
I hated our awareness of each other. That we acknowledged we weren’t just two random bodies getting off on each other. But I loved it at the same time, eating it up as it intensified the rolling pleasure that coursed through my body.
Our voices broke as our bodies slowed and tensed, both of us shuttering as he spilled out inside of me. And by the time it was through, neither of us seemed to be able to move or speak for the longest time.
Finally, after we had somewhat caught our breath, he lifted his head and kissed me softly. “I’m glad you called me back over,” he whispered with a gentle laugh.
“Believe it or not, so am I,” I admitted, and it was true. I figured the regret wouldn’t settle in until tomorrow morning. The task at hand was to mitigate that damage as much as possible.
I rolled out from under him and went to my dresser to pull out some pajamas. I picked some boy-briefs and my favorite t-shirt - the least sexy thing I could think of.
“Listen,” I said as I bent over to slide my legs into the shorts. “I know you stayed here last time and all, but maybe that isn’t such a good idea this time.”
“Why not?” he asked, stretching out in my bed. He certainly didn’t look like he planned on going anywhere.
“Uh, because I have an early meeting tomorrow,” I told him, not sounding as convincing as I meant to.
“I see.” His eyes dropped for a moment. “Well, you see … the problem is … my clothes are all wet. Remember?”
“Oh,” I blushed. “I can toss them into the dryer for you.”
“That works. Then … I guess once they’re dry, I’ll get out of your hair.”
I was groaning inside, wondering why the hell he had to try and guilt trip me! Shouldn’t he have been the one itching to get away from me? He had already gotten what he wanted. I submitted to trying to think of something I could offer to make things less awkward, and to relieve my guilt … no matter how uncalled-for it might have been.
“But you know … as long as you’re here and waiting for your stuff to dry … I guess we could watch a movie together or something. If you want,” I proposed.
His face lit up. “Now we’re talking. As long as it’s not some rom-com bull shit.”
“Hey, not all rom-coms are created equal,” I argued. “They’re not all bad.”
“Really? I’m open to letting you change my mind if you have a good recommendation. Just be prepared for me to be brutally honest with my opinion,” he warned.
Suddenly, I had to stop myself. What the hell was I doing? Snuggling up with him on the couch watching something romantic while I cried my eyes out and ached for true love … How was that going to help anything? That was way worse than sleeping with him again, and even worse than spending another night together.
“On second thought, I’m not in a super rom-com mood. I’m sure we can flip through and find something.” I considered suggesting a horror movie, but quickly realized that posed its own problems … like me shooting into his big, strong arms for safety. “A comedy would be great,” I decided. “In fact, I think that’s exactly what I’m in the mood for.”
“A comedy it is then,” he nodded, climbing out of bed.
Even after sex had deflated him, he was still half-stiff and painfully sexy. He almost looked more irresistible like that, and I quickly had to look away. “I’ll find a towel or maybe I have a big enough robe for you to put on while you wait,” I said, frantically retreating into my closet.
“I’m fine like this,” he argued. “I don’t mind lounging around in the nude. It’s nice actually. You should try it.”
I tossed out a big fuzzy white robe, smacking him in the face before he could say another word. There would be no romantic movies, no snuggling, and definitely no more nakedness. In fact, as soon as his clothes were dry, there would be no more Ben. I was sure of it.
But after he had slid into the robe and secured the tie around his waist, he caught me coming out of my closet. He pulled me into his arms, and I had no choice but to melt into his touch.
“You look sexy as hell right now, by the way.”
“Like this?” I puzzled, looking down at my baggy t-shirt.
“Oh yeah. Even more so than in your regular clothes.” His deep voice lulled me into submitting to him further as he pressed his lips to mine. “And listen. I can see you’re worried about me hanging out here for a while, but …”
“But we’re adults, right?” I shot back.
His lips parted, as if something else was on his mind. But he answered, “Yes. Because of that.”
“And after tonight, we’ll go our separate ways. Only this time, there shouldn’t be a reason for us to see each other again,” I nodded affirmatively.
His arms dropped from around my waist, and I quickly realized I had completely destroyed the moment. But wasn’t that for the best? No moments needed to be had. Not with him. I refused.
He looked away, scratching the back of his head. “You know, come to think of it … I have a change of clothes in my gym bag in the car. If you wouldn’t mind grabbing them for me, I could go ahead and change and be on my way.”
“Oh …” I did my best to ignore my disappointment. I had brought this on myself, and it was for the best. “Sure. Let me just throw some pants and shoes on and I’ll go grab them for you.”
Leave it to me to make everything more awkward than it needed to be. Ben barely said a word as he handed me his keys, beyond explaining where to find his things. I felt more confused than ever as I walked out to his car and hunted for his clothes.
You could still fix this, Kate. You could go back inside and stop being such a jerk and just hangout with the man for a while. He was just inside of you for Christ's sake. Watching a movie with him isn’t going to make things any worse.
But instead, I marched back in there and handed over his things. He snatched them up, changed, and hurried out the door with his wet clothes balled up in his arms.
“I’ll see you around,” he mumbled on his way out.
I felt like crap the moment the door shut behind him. I was still thinking of yelling out to him down the hall as I reached for the locks. But I stayed strong and locked them anyway.
I took some over-the-counter stuff to help me sleep, which I kept on hand for when I was working on a big project and my brain was sparking with ideas. But that night, its purpose was to make me forget all about Ben and whatever the hell had just happened between us.
12
Ben
The guys and I stood around the lobby of our building, which had recently gone through another round of renovations. We were there to celebrate the grand opening of our newest addition, a strip of refreshment kiosks which offered coffee, pastries and sweets, sandwiches and salads, some fancier gourmet lunch options, and even a small bar.
Myself, Damon, and Joey stood along the front lines of the small crowd we had invited, while Nick faced us, the impressive line of checkout points and menus behind him. The bar workers handed out little glasses of champagne to the group of clients and employees as he prepared to cut the ribbon.
“I want to thank everyone for coming today,” he started, looking very proud. “As most of you know, I am Nick Ransom, the head of the company you are standing in today, Ransom Realty. We’re partnered with Wilder Properties, which is run by the handsome stud you see in the front
row here … Ben Wilder.”
I gave a little head bow as the assembled group clapped and cheered.
“When we first opened this building, our goal was to get it renovated as quickly as possible so we could hit the ground running and start our work on transforming Cherry Falls into all that it is today. With the help and inspiration of my beautiful wife, Del … who is a well-known and loved native here in your beloved city.” He tipped his glass, pausing again so everyone could clap for her. She blushed a little but offered a gracious smile.
“We managed to go above and beyond just swooping in and taking over Cherry Falls. We have successfully managed to aid in the inevitable growth and development of this small town while avoiding many of the harmful side effects of gentrification with business models and practices that are now being recruited for use in places all over the country. We’ve set an example that allows for small towns to prosper with more jobs and a higher quality of life for residents.”
The whole crowd cheered again while Nick beamed with pride. “And now it’s time for our headquarters to offer a higher level of comfort and luxury by bringing you these kiosks for the enjoyment of our potential and existing clients, our employees, and anyone else who may have business in the Ransom Realty and Wilder Properties offices. With everything from alcoholic beverages to coffee to a wide range of meals, we look forward to enjoying this space with you for gathering, discussing new ideas and projects, and plotting the next stages of success for this city. Thank you … and enjoy!”
In the final round of applause, Nick snipped the big red satin ribbon suspended behind him, and we all lifted our glasses into the air with cheers. I stood alone in the crowd, watching as Del walked over to Nick’s side and hugged him. Lizzy stood on her tip-toes to kiss Damon’s cheek, and Angel made her way out from behind her own checkout counter to hug Joey. This was Angel’s second location to offer her delicious food in town, which everyone was very excited about.
