by L. J. Fine
The soft material of her shirt drifted down her arms as she shrugged it off and it hit the floor with a soft thud. The lace of the navy blue bra she wore barely concealed her nipples from his gaze, a fact that he seemed to greatly appreciate as his eyes focused there. Just to tease him, she cupped her breasts, the creamy swells overflowing her hands, and pushed them together as she undulated her hips to the music. His eyes grew hooded when she raked her nails over the stiff peaks and she shivered from the sensation.
Deciding that she was too sensitive right there at the moment, she ran her hands down her belly and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her leggings. She kicked off the heels she had been wearing and spun to give him her back. Watching him over her shoulder, she swiveled her hips to the beat, left then right, then back again as she worked her leggings down her hips, revealing the matching navy thong she wore underneath. She saw his hands clench into fists when she bent over to pull her leggings all the way off and threw them into the corner, exposing her ass to his avid gaze.
Unhooking her bra, she let the straps fall down until she held the loose cups up against her breasts. Slowly, she turned back around to face him and gradually let the cups go until her bra slid down and off, leaving her standing in nothing but her underwear.
When she backed up to climb up onto the edge of the bed, he leaned forward until he braced his elbows on his knees. Once they were both settled, she cupped her breasts in her hands again. This time, she made a show of licking her thumbs and forefingers before she rolled her nipples the way he had done earlier. Knowing that he was watching, that she was doing this for him, made the erotic pain that much sweeter and her head tilted back on a moan.
“Eyes on me, Emma.” The timber of his voice had gotten impossibly deeper and it had her head snapping up and her eyes focusing on his face.
Suddenly feeling brave in spite of his gruff command, she made a demand of her own. “Give me something good to look at, then.” She bit her lip and let it slide through her teeth before she added, “If I’m gonna get myself off I need some inspiration, Ben.”
Amber eyes narrowed on her but a ghost of a smile played at the edges of his lips. “I guess that’s fair,” he said reaching behind him to tug his t-shirt up over his head.
Immediately her mouth watered as she watched the muscles in his upper body work when he took the shirt off then settled down to lean back into the chair. He was so gorgeous it just wasn’t fair. All that hard physical labor his day job provided paid off big-time in the ripples of muscle that made up his body. And the way he was sitting had his jeans riding very low on his hips. She could see the beginnings of the dark hair that led to that perfect cock she knew lay in wait beneath the material.
“Mmm, much better,” she all but purred and wondered when the hell she had learned to make such a sound. But he seemed to appreciate it, if the low answering growl emanating from him was any indication.
“Keep going, Sugar.”
Right, she had a purpose here, didn’t she?
Slowly, she lightly skimmed her nails down her belly. Spreading her legs wide so he had a clear view, she slid her right palm over her lace-covered mound. Keeping her eyes trained on him, she found the outline of her clit through the material and gently rubbed in slow circles with her middle finger. Ben shifted in his seat and she could see the huge bulge pressing against the front of his jeans.
Oh, she so desperately wanted what was sitting in that chair across from her, watching her. Wanted to see him slide one of his big hands into the front of his jeans to stroke himself in time to her fingers.
Just the thought had her hips leaving the bed to thrust up into her hand. All the while, the song continued to pulse in the background and Emma found herself cognizant of the words for the first time since she had started this dance.
The lyrics suggested a metamorphosis of oneself. Finding that one person you would be willing to change for. With her newfound obsession with this song, came a fantasy that was truly deep and very much her own. Not one she would be admitting to Ben anytime soon.
The words had resonated with her as soon as she had heard them and she couldn’t help but wish that they could mean something between herself and Ben. That she could find that one thing, that one trait that would make him see her differently from every other woman he had ever met. Even if that quality didn’t belong to her, she would change herself so that it did. Then maybe he could let go of some of his baggage that kept him so far removed from her. Maybe they could both evolve for each other.
Rationally, she knew that thoughts like that weren’t healthy. Especially not in a situation like this one. You shouldn’t have to fundamentally change yourself to make someone want you.
But, God, she could feel herself changing in spite of that knowledge. Inexplicably, he was breaking down her walls, one by one. She hadn’t been lying earlier when she told him that she didn’t want her old ideal of Mr. Perfect anymore. Somehow, he had crossed out a good chunk of the qualities on her “Charming List” and replaced them with ones that he possessed. Ones she never in a million years would have thought she would want. Like his intense stillness, or his gruff, blunt nature and his abhorrence of idle chatter.
His “character flaws” were becoming more real, more desirable to her, than any previously accepted quality on her list. It was to the point that she was about to throw the damn list out the window. And that was a dangerous place to be with someone like Ben. She knew this was a no-strings affair and soon she would be going home to forget him. But for now, right here in this moment, she let the fantasy of the music carry her away. Let it make her bold. For him.
Twisting the gusset of her panties into a thin line, she slipped it between the lips of her pussy and rocked her hips. Then tension of the material ran the length of her slit, rubbing against her clit, her dripping opening, and her ass all at once. She whimpered as she worked herself and struggled to keep her eyes open and glued to Ben.
Lips parted, his tongue came out to wet the surface of his skin as his eyes narrowed to slits of desire. While she watched, he unbuttoned his jeans and slid his hand inside, pulling his thick cock out into view. It was her turn to lick her lips as his fist shuttled up and down the length of his erection.
Wanting to give him more, she pulled the material of her panties to the side and held herself open to give him a clear view of her pussy from the bed. His molten eyes burned down her body like a caress and she felt delicious tingles along her skin everywhere his gaze touched.
“Goddamn, Emma. You’re so fucking beautiful, baby.” His gravel-coated voice sent goose bumps breaking out along her skin and she couldn’t stop herself. Just the guttural sounds he made had her clit throbbing and she pushed two fingers inside herself.
She watched him as she pumped her fingers. Watched his hips pump into his fist in time to her thrusts. It felt so good but she wanted more, wanted him. Pulling her fingers free, she brought the wet tips up to her little bud and rubbed in furious circles.
“Ben,” she moaned, hips pulsing to the movement of her fingers. “I want you so much, baby.”
“I want you too, Sugar. You don’t even know how much.” His gruff response was all she needed to hear to push her over the edge. That he seemed to want her to the point of distraction was more erotic to her than anything else they had done.
“Oh, God, Ben, I’m coming. You make me come so hard.” The words had barely left her mouth before he was suddenly over her, his hot, thick cock pushing into her spasming hole, tumbling her back onto the bed.
“Mine,” he growled out as he started a brutal pounding rhythm inside her. The stark possessiveness in his voice had her climbing up into another orgasm before the first one had even ended.
He braced his weight on his palms on either side of her head as his body slammed into hers, eyes never leaving her face. She couldn’t have looked away from him in that moment, even if she had wanted to. Which she didn’t. He was the most beautiful, primal creature she had ever see
n. And she wanted him beyond reason.
His orgasm slammed into him at the same moment her third one crested and he rumbled her name as she clawed the skin of his back. His hot cum flooded her walls making her inner muscles twitch in pleasure.
In the aftermath, he collapsed on top of her and stayed there for a few seconds before he rolled off her onto his back. When he pulled her up against his side, she snuggled up into him and said, “You’re staying here tonight, Ben. I don’t give a shit if you wake me up too early in the morning. I want you here.”
As the words left her lips she had a moment of panic that she should have just kept her mouth shut. Surely he wouldn’t appreciate a command like that coming out of her, especially given their situation.
But to her surprise he just chuckled. “I really don’t want to be anywhere else, Sugar. So don’t worry, I’m staying.”
Her heart flipped dangerously at his words but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Turning on her side to face the nightstand, she shut down her iPod and flicked off the light. Before she could roll back over, she felt Ben spoon up behind her and wrap his arm around her waist, tugging her back into his body.
With a contented sigh, she snuggled into him and as she fell asleep replayed over and over in her mind the word he had growled out at her.
Mine.
Chapter Eight
Ben was holding her hand. When he had reached for her and intertwined their fingers, she had been shocked but there was no way in hell she was about to complain.
Even more shocking was that he had actually spent the entire night with her the previous evening. When they had fallen asleep together, she had half expected him to have disappeared when she woke in the morning.
But he hadn’t. He had woken up at some ungodly hour to go home to get ready for work, but he had woken her.
On purpose to say goodbye.
Though she had been half asleep, the parting kiss he gave her had played through her mind all day. It had been so tender and full of promises she could only guess at. And had. All day. Made it near impossible to get any productive writing done.
Then he surprised her yet again when he called her around lunchtime to ask her out to dinner that night. She may or may not have entered into an alternate reality, but as she got ready to see him that night, she couldn’t have cared less.
The sane, rational part of her brain was screaming at her that this was very shaky ground to tread. She still didn’t really know him, still figured that this thing between them, whatever it was, was not going to evolve into any sort of permanent situation. Still had to go home in a few weeks to resume her boring old life without him.
But the minute he showed up to pick her up on a motorcycle, handed her a helmet and pulled her on behind him, she told that part of her brain to go to hell. Then further solidified that declaration when he took her hand and led her into the restaurant.
Emma knew she was being foolish, letting her heart carry her away, but she couldn’t seem to help it, or force herself to walk away.
The restaurant he took her to was a grill/sports bar. Not the quietest of places, he had told her, but the food was awesome. The place was busy that night as there was some sort of football game going on, so they had to wait for a table. He didn’t say too much as they waited, just assessed the crowd of people around them, which wasn’t that surprising. What was surprising was the fact that he idly played with her fingers while doing so. This small, unconscious action, warmed her heart and gave her belly flutters.
As soon as she felt it, she tried desperately to tamp down the feeling. This was getting ridiculous and it was only going to get her into trouble in the long run. Fortunately, he seemed oblivious to her tumultuous emotions, and she wanted to keep it that way.
They didn’t wait too long before their table was called and he kept up that amazing hand holding while the waitress led them to their seats.
This kind of restaurant could give even the most focused of people a temporary case of ADD and she wondered if he had taken her here for that reason. The more distracted she was, the less he would have to carry on a conversation. But that reasoning seemed directly counterproductive to going on a date in the first place. Especially since he had no obligations to her whatsoever.
So maybe this was an attempt in the relationship direction to see how it would go? If that were the case, then she was damn well going to come up with a topic of conversation and keep him engaged in it.
“That’s a pretty sweet bike you have outside.” She knew next to nothing about motorcycles but she could recognize that his was in pristine condition. And the way his gaze was pulled away from the people around them to focus squarely on her once the words were out, it seemed that his bike was a source of pride.
“Know much about choppers, do you?” The way the corner of his mouth twitched, she knew he’d caught her. But she wanted to talk about it anyway. She wanted to know about all his interests, what made him Ben.
“Ha, no not really. But you obviously do. Looks like you take great care of your bike.”
That earned her a smile. God, she would never get sick of seeing that smile. “Thanks. My uncle’s a mechanic and owns a shop in town. My bike was an old 1976 Harley that was pretty much left for scrap metal.” Here his smile turned rueful. “When I decided to become a legitimate, contributing member of society, I spent a lot of time there. Rebuilt her from the ground up.”
A smile played at her lips as her eyebrows rose. “I’m impressed. You seem like a jack of all trades.”
Heat filled his eyes and the smile turned into a wicked smirk as he leaned forward. Bracing his elbows on the table, he took her hand in his once more and twined their fingers. “I just like working with my hands.”
The hot look he gave her burned the whole way through her body and she couldn’t help but squeeze her thighs together as she scooted closer to him. “And I know how good you are with those hands, too,” she said throwing him a flirty glance from under her eyelashes. But she couldn’t resist her next remark. “As evidenced by your bike sitting outside.”
His eyes narrowed on her but the smile lingered and as she sat back in her seat to take a sip of water she couldn’t help but think that she could get used to seeing him like this.
Their dinner came and went with amicable conversation after that. He told her more about his bike and working with his uncle. She told him about her job as a bank teller back in the city. It was the “get-to-know-you” conversation that they should have had about a week ago. Better late than never, though. At least they were having it now.
They were waiting for the waitress to come back with their change, when the whole pleasant tone of the evening took a turn. The game had ended about a half hour ago but the bar patrons had stayed and the drinks kept pouring.
One of said patrons, after having consumed copious amounts of liquid courage, approached their table just after the waitress left. The man looked to be in his mid-forties, light brown hair turning gray at the edges, watered-down blue eyes half hooded from inebriation. “Well, look what we have here. Ben Serano. Finally crawled out from under your rock to annoy the civilized world.”
The man was tall, but as Ben stood beside him to flip his jacket off the back of his chair and shrug it on, Emma realized that Ben was taller. Much taller. “Paul, always a pleasure.”
Paul got up in Ben’s face and hissed, “Should have stayed under that fucking rock where you belong, Serano.”
If Paul’s words fazed Ben at all, Emma couldn’t see it. Instead of giving Paul the rise he was obviously aiming for, Ben just nodded and turned to take her hand once again. “Thanks for the advice, I’ll keep it in mind. Have a good night, Paul,” he tossed over his shoulder.
“Hey, honey,” Paul called out after them. “This guy really is a worthless piece of shit. You sure you don’t wanna come home with me and find out what a real man is like?”
Of all the things to get under Ben’s skin, she didn’t think that l
ast jab would be it. Before she realized what was happening, Ben had spun around and grabbed the guy by the neck to slam him up against the wall.
“You don’t fucking talk to her like that. Got it?” he growled in Paul’s face.
At this moment, Ben’s ferocity was scarier than hell and drew the attention of some of the other patrons by the bar. But Paul just let out a wheezing laugh. “Yeah ’cause she’s such a lady. Since she’s with you, I’d bet that she’s an eager slut with self-esteem issues.”
This time Emma saw when Ben moved, cocked his fist back and made to swing. She didn’t know where her common sense had flown off to, but she knew that she didn’t want him to get into a fist fight, in a public restaurant, because of her. His reputation was bad enough; he didn’t need this to compound the issue.
Bravely—or idiotically—she grabbed hold of Ben’s swinging arm before he could follow through and clock the guy. “Ben, stop,” she said softly when he turned to look at her. “It’s not worth it. He’s the one with the problem. Not you. Not us.”
The anger in his eyes didn’t fade but, muscle ticking in his clenched jaw, he let Paul go. “You can think and say what you want about me; I really don’t give a shit,” he said pinning Paul with a stare that would have any sane, or sober, man paying close attention. “But you leave her the fuck alone and we won’t have a problem.”
Then he had no more attention to spare Paul as he took her hand and began to tug her toward the door. She held him off for just a second as she turned to glare at Paul. “And just so you know? You’re just a pale shadow of the man that Ben truly is. So why don’t you deal with that fact the best way you know how. Go have another drink.”
When they got back to Ben’s bike and climbed on, Emma could feel the tension running through his body, making him rigid in her arms. The roar of the engine as he started the bike blocked out anything she might have said, not that she knew what to say right then anyway. But she had to do something to bring him back down. Wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, she brought her lips to his neck and gently kissed him.
