by Ruby Rowe
“Your mother told me you’re a smart woman.”
“Do you talk to my mom often?”
“Just when she comes into the bank.”
“She’s a flirt.”
“Yeah, she can come on kind of strong, but she’s hot for her age.”
Seriously? He did not just say my mom was hot. Attractive for her age, I’d let slide. Hot, um, no. Time to go.
“I’m ready to go home,” I spout before I down my drink and set the cup on the end table. “I have early lessons tomorrow.”
“Sure. We can go back to your place.”
This guy’s an idiot. I walk over to some corner seating where Grant’s hanging out with friends. The room’s so massive that there are a few separate seating areas.
I give him a hug, and without waiting to hear Daren tell him goodbye, I start toward the foyer. Oh, shit. Ben is walking right toward me.
“Hi. I think I saw Nick go downstairs earlier,” I say.
“I’m not here to see Nick.”
Daren comes up beside me, and I cringe as he snakes his arm around my waist.
“Ben, this is Daren. Daren, meet my longtime friend Ben.”
“Hi, man,” my jerk of a date replies. Ben only glares at him, and I swear, his jealous behavior has been driving me crazy lately.
“We were just leaving,” I say.
“How many drinks have you had?”
I roll my eyes. “Only three.”
“We need to talk.”
“Not tonight.”
Ben looks at Daren and back to me, and I’m not sure there’s a darker shade of crimson his face could turn.
“Are you going to your apartment?”
“Yes. We’ll talk another time. Good night.”
Ben grips the back of his neck, and I notice how his bicep flexes in his long-sleeve t-shirt. Not giving him a chance to respond, I walk around him, and Daren follows me.
As we leave the party in his Audi sedan, I’m irritated. My date’s not the man for me. He’s dull and obviously says stupid shit to women.
I want someone passionate like Ben. There’s an aura of genuineness surrounding him, a sunburst encompassing his intense emotions, and even when he’s angry with me, I know it’s from a place of love.
As ironic as it seems, the passion he conveys for me is why I run from him. I’d rather leap into his tangerine light and never leave, but I can’t, and that truth is heartbreaking.
Daren rambles on about sports all the way to my apartment, and when we pull up in front of the building, I realize I’ve thought about Ben the entire way.
“I don’t need you to walk me up.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Well, I do, and let me give you a word of advice. Don’t ever tell a woman on a date that her mom is hot.”
Hurrying out of his car, I slam the door. The asshole peels off, not even waiting to see that I made it safely into my apartment. Hell, he could’ve at least rolled down his window first and said he was sorry for being a tool.
Since it’s dark and getting late, I walk swiftly to my door. I shut and lock it behind me, and before I can even slip off my boots, the doorbell rings.
I guess the tool has enough sense to apologize after all. I sling the door open, and my eyes round when I see it’s a furious Ben.
“What kind of dick takes off like that without making sure you’re in your apartment?”
“One who had the nerve to say my mom was hot.” I step back so he can come inside.
“I should’ve followed him and kicked his ass, but I was too happy to see that he wasn’t ending up in your bed.”
I grab my hip. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t act surprised. You’ve slept with a lot of guys.”
“Correction. I leave a lot of parties with guys, but few of them end up in my bed, and it takes a lot of alcohol for that to even happen.”
“You really don’t sleep with all of them?”
“No, and if you’re hearing otherwise, then those men are lying.”
“You have a nickname.”
“I know, but being a magnet for dicks and letting them inside me are two different things.”
Ben stalks toward me, eating up the few feet between us. I step back, but he keeps coming. Sensing that I’m about to turn away, he grabs my waist and yanks me close.
“I’m not letting you run from me any longer.” His hazel eyes pierce through that bright aura he possesses and blast me with a look of desire.
“No. We can’t be together.”
“Why? I know you want me. I’ve felt it all these years, and it’s only grown with time. You might be able to keep up this charade, C.C., but I can’t.
“I can’t take not touching you. I can’t sit by while other men steal your attention and paw at you. You were always supposed to be mine, and I don’t know what happened when we were younger to make you decide to fight this, but I know you don’t want to. I feel it.”
“It doesn’t matter.” As the tears come, I look away from his pleading gaze. “We can’t be together.”
He leans his forehead against mine and blows out a heavy breath. I smell his enticing scent, which tells me he must’ve just showered.
“Why can’t we? I don’t understand.”
“The truth would hurt you. I know you better than anyone, right?”
He nods against my head. “Then if I say you couldn’t handle hearing the reason, you have to trust that it’s the truth.”
“I can’t imagine anything hurting worse than not being with you.” He skims his fingers up my neck and cups my cheek. “I live in a constant state of turmoil since you’re always right in front of me yet so far out of reach.”
“Let me go, Ben. Like I said … like Nick said to do.”
“Not until you’ve felt what you’re missing. Then, you can decide if you still want me to leave you alone.”
He crashes his lips against mine, and even though I shouldn’t kiss him back, I can’t resist. Our kiss is not a gentle buildup of desire or a let’s feel out the water experiment.
It’s as if I’ve been pushed from behind and into Ben’s luminous atmosphere. I’m inside his intense circle … his passionate universe…
I’m where I’ve always wanted to be, and it’s better than I could’ve imagined. It’s also devastating since I can’t stay.
He slides his fingers into my hair as he squeezes my ass, bringing me right up against his hard cock. He groans, and god, how I crave him.
I want him to touch, taste and fuck me until I feel like he owns me. I want to be too used for any other man. I want Ben’s hungry eyes to stare into mine while he makes love to me. I yearn for it all, and I’m pissed that I can’t have any of it.
Stopping short at the cliff I’m about to leap from, I pull away from him. I expect him to grab me again, or beg and plead, but instead, he turns away and walks to the door.
His back is to me, and I can tell he doesn’t want me to see how our kiss affected him, but I can see. I notice how his shoulders lift from his harsh, choppy breaths and how his fit body shakes. The phenomenal moment we just shared has changed him. It’s changed us.
Clenching the doorknob, he says, “I’ll be back tomorrow night and the night after that. I’ll keep showing up until you tell me not to leave.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Ben
“I can’t believe they left this many of their belongings,” I say to my dad as we clean out a home my father rents. “I feel bad for them, especially the kids.”
“I know, son, but we have to think about our livelihood. We were lenient for months.”
My father leases out a multitude of single-family homes and apartment complexes. He’s also frugal as shit, so we do a lot of the cleanup and repairs ourselves after tenants move out.
Here we are on a Sunday, emptying an expensive home because the family fled without most of their belongings. I bet they couldn’t afford a moving truck.
The family paid on time for a
couple of years, but then the father lost his job. I guess my dad is pretty understanding. They didn’t pay a penny for three months before he started the eviction process.
As soon as I graduate college in the spring, we’re going to expand the company and buy commercial properties to lease.
Dad’s trusting me to handle the new venture. I’m excited, but I’m also nervous about it. He’s never let me down, so I wouldn’t want to disappoint him.
As I carry two bags of trash out to the portable dumpster in the driveway, I think about my future. I wonder what the home I choose to settle down in will look like. I think about Chloe, too, since she’s who I want to spend my life with.
Right now, I live with Nick in one of my father’s apartments, but I hope to purchase my own place by the time I’m twenty-five.
“You’ve been quiet today,” my dad says after I walk back inside the house.
“Just working.”
“Are you sure? I’ve been wondering if Chloe’s on your mind. I couldn’t help but hear some of the argument between you two after dinner last week.”
I rub the sweat off my forehead and smirk.
“I guess that means everyone was staring out the window.”
“You were both yelling. We had to look.”
“You know I like her. She feels the same about me, but for some reason, she keeps fighting it. I’m not sure why.”
He chuckles. “She’s always been stubborn and independent. Maybe she’s trying to prove a point.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember that time when you were about sixteen and Melissa and your mom joked that if the two of you weren’t already in serious relationships with other people by the time you graduated college, you should marry each other?”
Grasping my hips, I think back to that day. I recall the brief, bashful smile Chloe gave me after our families joked around the dinner table about us one day getting married.
She and I grew even closer over the next month. It was like our parents had given us their blessings, but then suddenly, Chloe completely changed her mind.
She told me that after thinking about it a while, she realized she didn’t have romantic feelings for me. I was placed in the friend zone, and I was devastated about it.
Over time, though, I discovered that wasn’t what Chloe wanted after all. I’ve always noticed the way she looks at me. She tries to hide it, but I feel the longing from her. It’s painted on her gorgeous eyes, and our kiss last night confirmed my belief.
“Son…” Dad says.
I glance up at him. “Uh, yeah, I remember that night, but I don’t think it has anything to do with why Chloe won’t be with me.”
“You should ask her to be sure. For some reason, she’s hard on Melissa. Maybe Chloe doesn’t want to give in since she knows it’s what her mother wants.”
“I never thought of that.”
I don’t believe Chloe would resist me all these years for a petty reason like that one, but she is pretty damn stubborn. I guess I need to find out for sure.
Chloe
“We need to talk,” Mom says as I shut the lid on the piano. My last student just left, and if I didn’t have an impeccable work ethic, and love my students so much, I would have cancelled all my lessons today to avoid this moment. I’ve been dodging my mother all week.
Turning around on the bench, I sigh.
“I’m sorry for what I said last Sunday. I was having a rough day, and after dinner, Nick told me I needed to stop stringing Ben along. I took my anger out on you instead of him.”
“OK, but you often take your anger out on me. You’ve been doing it for years, and I don’t know what I ever did to deserve it.”
I purse my lips to keep from opening my mouth and reminding her of exactly what she did, but I don’t know what chain reaction that could cause and who it could hurt.
“Look, I said I’m sorry. I’ll work on it.”
I doubt I’ll succeed, though. Now that I’ve had a glimpse of what my life could be like with Ben, I’m only angrier at my mother.
Clasping her curvy hips, she eyes me hard. She’s in skinny jeans today and a tight black top she probably borrowed from Megan.
Her hair is shiny, too, and Daren was right. My mom’s hot, and I can’t help but wonder if Ben’s ever thought about it.
“What’s happening between you and Ben?” she asks, and although I don’t wish to talk about him, it’s better than discussing why I hate her.
“Nothing. We’re only friends, and I guess I’ve relied on him to be there for me more than I should’ve.”
“You two belong together, and everyone thinks so.”
“For the millionth time, it’s not going to happen.”
She cocks her head to the side. “I don’t understand you, Chloe. You have the most perfect man in the world right in front of you. He worships you, and you’re not going to find anyone better. I can promise you that.”
“Oh, really? Why do you believe Ben’s so perfect? I’m really curious to hear your answer.”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to provoke from me, but there’s that hostility I was talking about.” She waves her finger in front of me. “You’re getting too old for the teenage attitude.”
“If you don’t want me lashing out at you, then stop pressuring me about Ben. You’ve been doing it for years.” I grab my purse off the floor and walk past her to the arched doorway. “I need to get home to study.”
I reach the hallway that leads to the foyer, and my dad calls out my name. I turn around, and he smiles at me with not only his mouth but also his kind brown eyes that match the color of mine.
“How did your lessons go today?”
“Good.” He keeps strolling toward me, and as soon as he’s close enough, I hug him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Chloe Bear. Why don’t you stay over for a while?”
“I’d like to, but I have some papers to write for school.”
“I guess studies do need to come first right now.” Letting me go, he straightens his chestnut hair and glances toward the family room. “You need to go easier on your mother. She only wants what’s best for you.”
“I guess. I should probably be going.”
“Come back anytime.”
“I will, Dad.” I kiss his cheek before I slip out the door with tears in my eyes. He’s too good for my mother.
Ben
I’ve never felt more nervous as I ring the doorbell. Chloe has a clear picture of the friendship we have, but she needs to get acquainted with the physical connection between us.
After gradually opening the door, she tilts her eyes up at me. Her chin is lowered, her look submissive, and this isn’t a Chloe I’m familiar with. She’s nervous, and I like it.
Palming the door, I step forward, and she steps back. I shut it behind me and stare into her eyes.
“We need to talk,” she says.
I shake my head. “Baby, we’ve been talking for years. It’s time we kiss, touch and taste...” Cupping her cheeks, I press my lips against hers. “It’s time we find out what it feels like when my cock is inside you.”
I push my tongue in her mouth and slide it over hers. She emits these seductive hums, and fuck, they get me so damn hard.
Grabbing her ass, I lift her body, and she wraps her legs around my hips. I carry her through the small living room and down the hallway until I enter her bedroom.
I lay her on the bed and gaze down at her mesmerizing face. It’s surrounded by her blond curls that are splayed out like a fan.
As I wait for her to protest, I realize she’s not wearing a bra. Fuck, her heavy tits rise and fall with each sharp breath, and it’s time I had my hands and mouth on them. I’m going to show her how good it would always feel to be with me.
Chloe
The words stop and no should leave my mouth, but instead, it’s agape as I stare up at Ben. He removes my yoga pants and thong without taking his eyes off mine.
I know he doesn’t have a lot of experience, but it doesn’t show by the way he takes control, the confidence oozing from him.
I’m paralyzed with desire, fear and apprehension as he grabs the bottom of my shirt and pulls it over my head.
“I’ve dreamed about pleasuring you more times than I could count,” he whispers before he climbs on my bed and straddles me, caging me inside his strong arms.
His eyes continue to bore into mine as he brings his mouth closer, and while he kisses the corners of my lips, I struggle to breathe. My dreams are coming true, and it’s exhilarating.
“I’m so nervous.”
“Stop overthinking.” He kisses me again. “Only feel what I do to you tonight.”
Ducking, he presses his lips against my throat, and I swallow to calm my nerves. It’s impossible as he continues to take charge and move his lips closer to my breasts.
“Say it. Tell me to suck on your tits and to touch and taste you.”
My eyes widen. “No, I’m embarrassed. I didn’t know you had this side to you.”
“I guess you’ve been missing out. Now, tell me to touch and taste you.”
I drag the corner of my bottom lip through my teeth as he waits for me to speak.
“OK. Touch and taste me.” Groaning, he skims his open mouth across my chest, and I whimper, the need for more paramount. “Yes, more.”
I clutch his shoulders, and as soon as his tongue swirls around my stiff nipple, I whimper. He pinches the other one, and I notice how my breasts are a direct source of electric current to my pussy. Once he trails his fingers down my stomach and plays with me, I buck.
“Fuck, you’re turned on more than I expected.” He sinks his fingers inside me, and unable to control his own urges, he growls and presses his forehead to my chest. “Damn, you’re so wet.”
I glide my fingers along the back of his head, wishing he had more hair I could tug on. He moves his fingers in and out of me as he slithers his body down mine.
Settling between my legs, he wastes no time and opens me wide. Shit, this is really happening.
“I’m done allowing men to get near your pussy. It’s mine. I’m the last one who gets to taste and fuck it. Do you understand me?”
