He drew back, seeking approval again, and she loved him even more for it as she begged, “Touch me, Ben. God knows I can’t wait to touch you.”
He made a guttural, hungry noise as his hand slid beneath her panties and between her legs. Hearing that visceral sound made her go a little wild, thrusting her hips and grabbing his ass. His thumb found her magical spot like a heat-seeking missile, playing over her most sensitive nerves with deathly precision in a mind-numbingly slow rhythm. His thick fingers slid between her swollen, wet lips, teasing over her entrance as he ravaged her mouth, taking her right up to the edge of ecstasy. She was lost in his touch, his mouth, and the promise of more. She was standing on a cliff, unearthly pleasures teasing her closer to the edge. She rocked forward, urging him to take more with every stroke. But he continued his relentless taunts, making her body vibrate with need.
“Ben, please,” she begged.
His fingers pushed inside her, sending shocks of heat sparking through her. She felt light-headed and grounded at once, pressure mounting inside her, prickling up her limbs, burning in her chest, and moving like a firestorm through her core. He did something with his thumb that sent her soaring, and she cried out. He captured her sounds with another fierce kiss, and she clung to him as her orgasm thundered through her. Her body bucked and quivered as he continued his masterful ministrations with his hands and mouth, until she went limp against the cushions.
“More,” she whispered, and undid the button on his jeans.
He put his hand over hers, gazing into her eyes with a look that told her he didn’t expect more. But she wanted it. “I’ve waited a long time, too,” she reminded him.
He watched her lick her palm. Having his eyes on her made her want him even more, which she hadn’t thought was possible. She pushed her hand into his briefs and wrapped her fingers around his thick length, moaning with the glory of finally feeling that part of him.
His forehead touched hers as he said, “Oh fuck, Rels . . .”
The way he said it, full of lust and appreciation, made her heart take notice.
“Kiss me,” she said.
His mouth came hungrily down over hers as she worked him tighter, faster. His hips thrust harder with each stroke of her hand. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she heard a faint whimper, but she was too lost in the thrill of making Ben feel good to stop. She felt his muscles tense, and his hips thrust faster, jerking strongly, fucking her hand harder as they ate at each other’s mouths.
He tore his mouth away and said, “You’re going to make me come.”
For once in her life she didn’t overthink or slow down. She was determined to bring him as much pleasure as he’d given her. She licked her hand again and took hold of his cock. “I sure hope so. You can make it up to me later.”
He reclaimed her mouth with a guttural, appreciative noise, kissing her rougher. She felt him swell impossibly thicker in her hand, and she stroked faster. Somewhere in her frazzled mind she heard—Oh my God! This is Ben!—and other shocked exclamations, but that only amped up her desires. Her greed for the man she adored. She felt his body tense, and he shifted over her just as the first hot spurt hit her belly. His head fell beside hers as he rode out his release, chanting her name like a prayer—“Rels. My Rels . . .”
If she died right that second, she’d die a happy woman, feeling more complete than ever.
“Christ, woman. What have you done to me? I haven’t come that fast in forever.” He touched his lips to hers as those faint whimpers turned to a slow cry, and she realized it was the baby. Ben uttered a curse and panted out, “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You take care of her. I’ll get cleaned up.” Her hand was sticky, and her belly stickier, but she didn’t care. She was happier than she could ever remember being.
He peeled his body from hers and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Let me,” he said, reaching for a package of baby wipes. As he gently cleaned her belly, he said, “I can take care of both my girls.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“NO WONDER THEY give parents nine months to prepare,” Ben said as he read one of the parenting books Aurelia had bought. It was after midnight, and they’d finally gotten B back to sleep after her last feeding. “Listen to this. ‘Babies as young as two days old recognize their mother’s voice even if they hear only one syllable.’” He shot a worried look at B and whispered, “Do you think she misses her mother?”
He’d been reciting facts from the books all evening and worrying over each and every one. After he read that babies could only focus on objects within eight or nine inches of their faces, he began getting right in B’s face when he spoke to her. It was heartwarming, but between feeding and changing B, eating the Chinese food they’d had delivered, and researching everything there was to know about babies, Aurelia felt like they’d talked about everything except the elephant in the room.
They’d made each other come!
Why was it that men were so confident and could just move on after something like that? Right after they did it he probably thought, Man, that felt great, and we both came. We’re good. While her brain was racing in circles about how different things would be now and wondering if they’d made a mistake. Were they moving too fast? Would they last if B was his? His life—her life?—would change dramatically. This was what their lives would become, sneaking sex and learning how to parent.
One orgasm does not a relationship make.
Sure, he’d said he wanted more, but did he really mean it? They still weren’t thinking straight. How could they? Tomorrow morning they were going to see Pretzel Girl, which brought a slew of new questions and emotions. What if she was B’s mother? Aurelia might go off on her for leaving B on Ben’s doorstep.
Her eyes fell to the sleeping baby. She smiled to herself as Ben’s whispered promises sailed through her mind. Shh, peanut. You’re safe. It’s okay to sleep now. Nobody is going to leave you alone ever again. But what if she wasn’t his?
“Rels,” he said softly. He was sitting in the corner of the sofa with his legs on the coffee table, crossed at the ankle, and she was lying on the couch, leaning against his side. She tipped her face up, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Did I wake you?”
“No. I was just thinking.”
He set the book down and put his arms around her. “About?”
She shrugged. “Everything.”
“Talk to me. Everything like how great it is that we can finally be together, or everything like holy shit there’s a baby relying on Ben and do I really want to be part of that?”
He knew her so well it was scary. “Both, but not really the holy shit part so much. Only . . . yes, that part, too. My brain feels like it’s whirling in a blender with worries about everything. I mean, Ben, this whole thing is scary, and fast, and what if we’re together and you find out she’s not yours? Then you might realize you don’t want me in this way, that you reacted to the situation. And that’s okay; it’s just something to consider.”
In one swift move he lifted her onto his lap and guided her arms around his neck. He brushed her hair from her shoulders and put his hand on her cheek, his face a mask of seriousness.
“Ben, you don’t have to—”
He silenced her with a kiss. A simple, lingering press of his lips against hers that said more than words ever could. It was reassuring and loving, but more than that, it revealed his confidence in them, which she needed more than anything else right then.
“You’ve known me since we were kids,” Ben said softly. “Have you ever once known me to make a commitment to anything without following through?”
She shook her head.
“Did you know that I wanted to ask you to your prom? But I was in college, and you were Willow’s best friend, and I knew I couldn’t be the boyfriend you deserved back then. But I wanted to be your date so badly, I stayed away for weeks before just so I wouldn’t make that mistake.”
She laughed. “You did not. You were just having to
o much fun with your college buddies.”
“No. You’re wrong, Rels. Ask Willow how many times I asked her if you were going to prom. At one point she got pissed and told me to ask you myself. But if I’d done that, I would have asked you to go with me, and that would have messed up any chance I would ever have had with you. Ask Talia if I talked about you while I was away at college. I’m pretty sure I covered up the truth about how I felt, but I talked about you a lot. I couldn’t help it.”
“You’re telling me that you liked me back then, when I was just about the biggest tomboy around?”
“You still are the biggest tomboy around,” he said playfully. “Well, other than Piper, who could probably whip Kase’s ass.”
They both laughed quietly.
“I have always liked that you’re feminine but tough. You don’t think I could fall for a pushover, do you?” He pressed a kiss to the hollow of her neck, sending rivers of heat down her chest. “Just like you could never fall for a guy who didn’t know how to take control or shut someone down.”
“You think you know me,” she teased, but he was right.
“Should I make a list of all the things I know about you? Because that list I gave you earlier? That’s about one one-hundredth of what I know about you. And just for the record, there are hundreds more facts about you that I don’t know yet, but as your boyfriend—and make no bones about it, Rels, I’m officially your boyfriend—I will make it my priority to learn every single one of them.”
He searched her eyes, and she wondered if he could see how much she trusted him and how hard this was for her. Or could he see that it was as easy as it was difficult? Both were true because he made the difficult parts easier. It was no wonder she was so confused.
Ben awoke in Aurelia’s bed with a raging erection. Aurelia was fast asleep, draped over his chest, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and panties. Her bare leg lay over his, and her hand cradled his cock through his briefs. Beside the bed, B slept on a bed of blankets surrounded by pillows. It wasn’t like she could roll away, but they both felt better knowing she was confined. Now he was in the worst quandary. Should he wake Aurelia with kisses and finally make love to her, taking the chance that the baby might wake up and interrupt? Or should he take a cold shower and work it out himself? That second idea sucked. Hm . . . I’d like to see Aurelia sucking me into oblivion. His cock twitched, and her hand curled around it.
She snuggled closer, pressing her hips against his thigh and making a sexy noise in her sleep. He felt heat through her panties. If that wasn’t a sign from above, he didn’t know what was. He kissed her forehead, and when she lifted her face, eyes closed, he gently shifted them both so he could kiss her lips. Last night had been incredible, though he was surprised she hadn’t called him Ten-Second Ben because of how quickly he’d come. But he’d wanted her for so long, to finally be that close to her, physically and emotionally, had sent him reeling.
He’d make it up to her, though, many times over.
Starting now.
As he sank into the kiss, he realized she kissed the same way she looked at him now, with as much passion as challenge, and it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He cocooned her beneath him. He loved the way she purred into their kisses, snuggling into him. She was right that he hadn’t wanted to take care of Baby B alone. Caring for a baby was as terrifying as it was rewarding. But she had been wrong to think that was why he’d wanted her. He had plenty of sisters who would be happy to care for such a sweet baby. The baby and Aurelia were as separate as they were intertwined, which was confusing, but it was life, and life wasn’t always easy to understand. He’d always wanted Aurelia, probably since she was twelve or thirteen and had first refused to give him the time of day. The only way he could get her attention back then was by teasing her, earning that challenging snark he’d grown to love so much. The truth was, he’d want to be with Aurelia with or without the baby—and she was the only woman he’d ever want to care for a baby with.
A baby that was currently whimpering, causing Aurelia to laugh into their kiss.
“She has a new name,” Ben said between kisses. “Baby Cock Blocker. We’ll just call her CB from now on.”
She swatted him. “You will not!”
He kissed her again and reluctantly climbed off her to pull on his jeans. He picked up the baby, cradled her tiny body in his hands, and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, CB.”
Aurelia scowled. “Ben, no. Just no.”
“Fine. We’ll keep calling her Baby B. Baby Blocker.”
Aurelia groaned and closed her eyes, although she was smiling.
He still couldn’t believe they’d finally taken the leap of faith and were together. A couple. A damn good couple. The best fucking couple on earth, as far as he was concerned. He was one lucky bastard.
He sat on the bed and said, “I’ll change and feed her if you’ll whip up some breakfast.”
“What’s the alternative? Cold cereal, since that’s all you know how to make?” Aurelia kissed B, lingering with her lips on the baby’s cheek as she whispered, “I love how she smells.” Then she pushed to her feet and said, “How about if you take a cooking class instead of taking over that hotel?”
He followed her out of the bedroom chuckling. “You’re a demanding girlfriend.”
“You haven’t seen demanding.” She glanced over her shoulder, her hair covering one eye, so sexy it was all he could do to stare. “Instead of complaining, why don’t you get her changed and call Talia before Piper spills the beans? It’d break her heart to hear about B from someone other than you.”
“I know. I think I’ll stop by and see her this afternoon, tell her in person,” he said as he changed the baby’s diaper.
“That’s an even better idea.” She brought him a bottle of formula.
He kissed B’s belly before snapping her onesie. Then he lifted each tiny foot to his lips and kissed them. “Have you ever seen anything as sweet as her?” He lifted her into his arms and kissed her cheek.
Aurelia gasped. “She’s smiling, Ben. Do that again.”
He kissed the baby’s cheek again, earning the sweetest smile he’d ever seen. “The books are wrong. That was definitely a smile, not a reflex.”
“Maybe Vic was wrong about her age.”
“If she is mine, then she’s just brilliant, and we can expect her to do everything earlier than expected,” Ben said as he sat on the couch and began feeding her.
Aurelia laughed. “You’re a nut, you know that? And you really need to start thinking about what you’ll do if she is yours. I mean, you can’t just work from home every day.”
Tell me something I don’t know.
There was a knock at the door, and they shared an inquisitive look.
“Would Piper come this early?” Aurelia asked as she took a carton of eggs from the refrigerator.
“She’d be the only one coming around here, thanks to CB,” he said as he headed for the door.
“Ben!” Aurelia called out as he opened the door.
“Oh my God!” Willow squealed as she, Piper, and Talia barged in carrying enormous bags from the baby store in Sweetwater and a Pack ’n Play box.
Ben glared at Piper, who grinned like the smart-ass she was.
“What?” Piper said. “You didn’t think I’d keep this a secret, did you? Besides, I needed help carrying all the baby stuff I bought yesterday. I’ll go set up the changing pad and playpen.” She carried the box and a bag past him.
Aurelia led her into the bedroom, giving Ben a holy shit look.
Willow dropped her bags and reached for the baby. “Wait until Mom and Dad hear about this. Come here, sweet thing.”
“You can’t tell them until I know if she’s mine,” Ben said, reluctantly giving her the baby.
“Give me the bottle. I can’t believe you were forever on our case, protecting us from guys who you thought just wanted to get in our pants.” Willow hurried to the couch and began feeding the baby. She smile
d at the baby and said, “It looks like we weren’t the ones who needed protecting.”
“I didn’t believe it when Piper told me,” Talia said softly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The hurt in her eyes slayed him. “I’m sorry, Tal. It all happened so fast, and I didn’t want to get everyone riled up until I knew for sure if she was mine or not. I was going to come over later this afternoon and tell you about her.”
“A baby, Ben?” Talia whispered. “Do you have any idea how much responsibility a baby requires?”
Talia was the most serious and careful of his sisters. She taught English lit at Beckwith University, a small private college in Harmony Pointe, and she was obviously teaching today, as evidenced by her black pencil skirt and peach blouse. Like Ben, she took after their father, with the same dark hair and eyes, while his other sisters shared their mother’s fairer features. Also like Ben, Talia had a straightforward nature, which he’d always appreciated.
Until now, when he was exhausted and doing his best to keep up with the new demands on his time.
“No shit, Talia,” he said more harshly than he meant to. “What do you think I’ve been doing since I found her? Feeding, changing, pacing the floor. My life is on hold right now.”
He turned as Aurelia came out of the bedroom wearing a pair of yoga pants beneath her sleeping shirt, and Talia whispered, “From what I hear you’re plowing ahead with certain parts of your life.”
“Yeah, our timing has always sucked.”
Talia put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Ben, you’ve been waiting for the right time with Aurelia forever. This is your right time. Otherwise you wouldn’t have finally made your move.”
“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.” He turned his back to Aurelia and Willow and confessed, “I feel so guilty for telling her how I feel in the midst of all this.”
“If I’ve learned one thing from Derek and Jonah, it’s that there is no perfect timing, and time not spent with someone you love is time wasted. Don’t waste any more time.” She glanced at Aurelia and said, “Besides, if that smile on her face is any indication, I’d say she’s okay with your less-than-perfect timing.”
Call Her Mine Page 9
