A quick glance at the clock killed that idea. He’d be here in less than fifteen minutes. It’d take her that long just to reach her house. Dejection slumped her shoulders. Yeah, it shouldn’t matter that she didn’t exactly look her smashing best. This wasn’t a date, despite Ben calling it such. But it didn’t change the pathetic reality that she wanted to look nice for him. Sighing, she dialed off the faucet and patted her skin dry with one of the flour sack towels. Her cell buzzed, its vibrations sending it skittering across the counter’s metal surface. Snatching the device before it could topple over the side, she punched the Talk button. “Hello?”
“Hey, where are you at?”
Guilt washed over her at the sound of Hailey’s concerned tone. “The store. Why?”
“I was wondering. Just called your house and obviously you weren’t there.”
“The cleaning bug bit me so I decided to stay late.”
“Ambitious of you. I feel bad leaving you holding the bag on everything this week. Good news is the doc has given me the all clear. I’ll be back in business starting tomorrow.”
“That’s awesome, Hail.” Oh crap. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to get her best friend next to her in the kitchen again. But there was also the small matter of Ben. Tell her. She opened her mouth, but the stubborn words refused to dislodge from her tongue.
“I hate to cut this short, but my mom is stopping by any minute with some soup. And you know how she is if I answer the door in my pajamas. Forget I’ve been on my deathbed for the last few days. That’s no excuse. I mean, the mother fucking Prince of Wales could be strolling by and catch me in my ugly flannels, God forbid!”
Rory chuckled. “Yep, I can see you’re feeling better, you ornery bitch.”
“Got that right, Skankasaurus Rex.”
Grinning at having her best friend back in tiptop shape, Rory bid Hailey goodnight and hung up. Tomorrow she’d handle spilling the beans to Hailey, but for now she’d enjoy the calm before the storm. Leaning her hip against the counter, she proudly surveyed the efforts of all her hard work. The stainless steel practically sparkled. Her focus landed on the table where she and Ben had made love. “No, fucked,” she immediately corrected herself. She wouldn’t tack on flowery terms for what they’d shared. It’d been a raw, uninhibited mating. Ten years of pent up lust. Nothing more. Why complicate things by bringing emotions into it?
Uneasiness pinching her between the shoulder blades, she plopped her cell phone into her jacket pocket and shut off the kitchen lights. She trekked to the front of the shop and plunked her purse onto the counter. Her wait proved short-lived. Within three minutes a large silver truck pulled to a stop outside and Bennet climbed out. Her pulse giving a traitorous leap, she watched him smooth a hand over his hair. The gesture was so adorably him, it made her heart ache. Dropping his arm, he strode to the shop, his loose, easy gait drawing her attention to the gorgeous physique not entirely hidden beneath his hunter green polo and dress khakis. No wonder Trisha had wolf whistled. Ben was the walking definition of sex-on-a-stick. That thought dragged her depraved mind back to their encounter on the worktable. The temptation of a repeat performance the last thing she needed to obsess on, she snatched her purse and jacket and hurried to the door before he could step inside. Indicating for him to hang tight for a second, she keyed in the alarm code and hit the main light switch, plunging the room into darkness.
Rushing to beat the alarm, she ducked outside and secured the locks. Blowing a wisp of hair out of her eyes, she turned to Ben with a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself. Looks like you’ve been hard at work.” Grinning, he brushed his thumb over her brow.
“Oh Lord. Don’t tell me I have oven grime all over my face.”
“Is that what it is? I thought maybe you’d spent the day coal mining.”
She groaned. “I look like shit, don’t I?”
“Nope. Even if you were covered head to foot in soot, you’d still be the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Despite knowing that was a mega exaggeration, his claim brought a flush of happiness to her cheeks. Until she remembered her soiled sweater and the otherwise disheveled state of her appearance. “Cleaning that stove probably wasn’t one of my more intelligent decisions.”
“Did you want to go home and change?”
She didn’t have much choice. Yeah, Ben being anywhere near the vicinity of her bedroom was a huge risk, but it was a gamble she must take. “You wouldn’t mind?”
He tossed her a look like that was the craziest inquiry to pass her lips. Sighing, she swung her jacket over her arm and allowed him to escort her to his truck. Thankfully the vehicle wasn’t one of those monsters that required a ladder to reach the seat. Buckling herself in, she discreetly surveyed the interior while Ben moseyed to the driver’s side. He’d always been exceptionally tidy, and judging from the spotless floor mats, that trait was still alive and kicking. The woman who scored him as a husband would certainly luck out in that regard.
Now why in the world did that thought have to bloom in her head? Gloominess swamping her, she folded her hands in her lap and attempted to steer her mind away from the disquieting notion of some faceless woman domesticating Ben. The possibility was always there. Just because she was shying away from a future with him didn’t mean he’d live the rest of his days pining solely for her. Not that she wanted that in the first place. He deserved to be happy and find peace and contentment.
Ben slipped in behind the wheel and gunned the engine before glancing at her. Concern etched his features. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. I just feel bad about making you drive out of your way.” Not a complete lie.
“Don’t sweat it, Ro.” He stretched his arm past the center divider and squeezed her knee. The gesture was one of reassurance, but it didn’t lessen the physical awareness of his touch.
She shivered, goose bumps hop scotching across her skin. If she didn’t stop imagining his hand coasting higher and delving inside her panties, sweating would most definitely become a major issue. Fortunately he saved her that mortifying predicament by returning his focus to the wheel and reversing out of the spot. She gave him the directions to her house and they left the commercial district of Royal Oak behind. The trip to her place sped by, thanks to the light traffic and the comfortable flow of conversation Ben engaged her in. While they chatted about their day she was reminded all over again at how easy he made it to relax and be herself. No awkward silences where they both frantically searched for something to fill the empty spaces. No dreading the closing moment of the night, when she’d be faced with that inevitable decision of whether to see him again—a common dilemma with the majority of her past dates.
Damn it, there she went with that word again. Her brain needed to get the freakin’ memo that this was not a date. Ben pulled into her driveway, effectively nipping her personal grousing in the bud. The motion sensor activated the security light above her garage door. She unclipped her seatbelt and closed her fingers around the handle, hesitating. Don’t do something you’ll regret, moron. In the end, her worry of appearing rude won the battle. “Would you like to come in?”
Of course he accepted the invitation. Like there’d been the slightest chance in hell of that not happening. Resigning herself to the inevitable, she led the way to the front porch and unlocked the door. She placed her jacket and purse on the antique secretary before turning on the floor lamp. Swiveling, she caught Ben unabashedly scoping out her living room. He seemed particularly interested in her 50-inch flat screen. Typical guy.
“That high def?” he asked, his casual tone obviously a piss-poor ploy to hide the fact he was lusting after her television set.
“Yep. Picture and clarity is amazing. With the home theater speakers, it’s like being in the middle of all the action.”
She wasn’t entirely certain, but she swore he shivered. Grinning, she grabbed the remote from the coffee table and handed it to him. “You can check it out while I’m getting
cleaned up.” Leaving him to his private love affair with her electronics, she journeyed to her bedroom and yanked off her sweater. A quick peek at her reflection in the dresser mirror brought on a wince. Holy crap. Shit didn’t even begin to describe her appearance. Ben must be blind. Or thoroughly delusional.
Deciding a brief wipe down with a washcloth wouldn’t cut it, she shed the rest of her clothes and crossed to the en-suite bathroom. Her gaze fell on the waterproof vibrator she’d left on the ledge of the shower tub. Oh Jeez. Good thing she didn’t invite Ben for a full tour of the house. She could just see it. “And back here is where I get myself off with BOB while I fantasize you’re bending me over and jack hammering me with your beautiful, enormous cock.”
“So you think I have an enormous cock, huh?”
She jumped at the unexpectedness of Ben’s amused drawl behind her. Cheeks burning, she sucked in a deep breath. Why didn’t I shut the stupid bedroom door? Gathering every ounce of courage she possessed, she slowly turned to face him. “What makes you think I’m talking about you?”
“Just a hunch.” His gaze dark and carnal, he separated the short distance between them and ghosted his hands over her hips. “Am I right?”
“Maybe.”
His attention flicked to the vibe in her hand. “Does that thing make you come hard?”
“It vibrates at 60 pulses per second. What do you think?”
The shivery sensation that gripped him in the living room reappeared. Well, at least she ranked up there with her home electronics in terms of sex appeal. He licked his lips. “I want to use that on you. While you’re wet and slick all over and I’m buried deep in that tight, sweet little pussy.”
This time she was the one left trembling, courtesy of his wicked words. Taking advantage of her inability to form a sentence, much less a coherent thought, he pulled her into his arms and fed her a bone-liquefying kiss. He nipped at her bottom lip, a sinful prelude to his tongue gliding inside to meet hers. Desire, heady and consuming, purled through each buzzing cell of her body. Whimpering, she dropped the vibrator and tore at his shirt, desperate to have his warm, sun-kissed skin pressed up against her. Conceding to her wishes, he toed off his loafers and stripped down to his briefs. She traced the defined V lines that disappeared behind his waistband before sneaking her hand inside the snug fabric. Her fingers wrapped around the hard length of his erection, his girth almost too big for her to fully enclose him. “You feel good, Ben. So thick and hot.”
He closed his eyes, his head falling back as he gave in to a soft moan. “Who woulda thought I’d enjoy you calling me thick?”
Laughing, she yanked his underwear past his hips and offered her shoulder for support while he freed the briefs the rest of the way, along with his socks. He returned the favor by fetching the vibe and scooping her into his arms before gallantly carrying her into the shower. Once he’d planted her on her feet, she switched on the faucet, sending a lukewarm spray cascading over them. Fortunately it didn’t take long for the temperature to rise. Then again, with the way Ben spooned her from behind while his hands made friendly with her breasts, getting properly heated up was definitely not an issue. Twining her arms around his neck, she wiggled against his big, ridiculously fit body. He gently squeezed her nipples, the velvety firmness of his balls rubbing along the crease of her buttocks. His shaft slipped lower, the fat head nudging the folds of her labia. She reached between them, intending to position him better. He stalled her with a warning nip on her neck. “I’m not wearing a condom, baby.”
“I’m on the pill, and one hundred percent clean.”
He nuzzled her beneath the ear. “Me too.”
“When did you get on the pill?”
“Smart ass.” Chuckling, he caught her earlobe between his teeth. Widening her stance with a coax of his knee, he angled his hips the few necessary degrees lower and penetrated her with a slow surge of his cock. She flatted her palms on the slippery tiles, the silky trickle of water sluicing down her spine no competition in terms of bringing the heat, not when it came to the delicious grind of Ben’s cock filling her to overflow. He massaged her breasts, the scrape of his teeth on her nape adding a primal edge to their coupling. “Love you bare like this. So wet and tight. Feel every little ripple.” His voice was a low, guttural growl, each clipped sentence pared down to its most basic element as if he’d lost the ability to verbally process anything beyond that the moment he slipped inside her.
Arching her back, she pulled herself almost completely off him, tightening her inner muscles when his cockhead slid toward the opening of her slit. He grabbed her hips, leaving her suspended there on that luscious stretch, every cell in her body primed to detonate. She bore down, relaxing her grip on him, sinking in a freefall of pure bliss. He let her have her way with him like this for several more glorious minutes before deciding it was past time to snatch the reins again. Snagging the vibrator from the ledge, he clicked it on and glided it between her legs. Holding the device firm to her clit, he began pumping into her with deep, hard strokes. She clawed at the tiles, her pleas for mercy going unheeded. He hugged her tight to him with his free arm, his teeth sinking into the sensitive juncture where her neck and shoulder met. The orgasm crashed into her with blinding impact, ripping a cry from her throat. A million pinpricks of dazzling light floating in her vision, she soared with the intense waves of nirvana, each shattering spike spinning her farther into the rapturous eye of the storm. Just when she thought she’d die from the pleasure overload, Ben lodged into her with a final thrust, his body shaking uncontrollably and her name a muffled groan against her damp skin as he came.
For several minutes all they could do was weakly cling to each other while the water continued to pummel their spent bodies. Finally Ben kissed her tenderly on the side of her cheek and leaned around her to crank off the shower. He slipped the bath towel from the overhead rod and wrapped her in its fluffy embrace before helping her out of the tub enclosure. Catching sight of the drenched and bedraggled mess of her hair in the steamed-up mirror, she sighed. “I don’t suppose you’re up for staying in?”
Ben’s wide grin hinted that he was more than fine with that option. She grunted. “Lemme guess. The promise of theater surround sound and HD won you over.”
“That and getting to see you naked all night long.”
“Well that answer just earned you two servings of dessert.”
His eyes sparkled with wickedness. “As long as one of them is cherry pie.”
Good thing she had stocked up on the whipped cream.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Waking up next to Rory was a dream he’d thought lost to him forever. Not entirely certain he wasn’t in the middle of some euphoric REM state, Ben pinched his arm. The resulting sting felt real enough. As did the uncomfortable erection he currently sported. Morning wood wasn’t a rarity for him by any means, but his usual standard of taking care of it solo sounded infinitely less appealing than the alternative.
Would Rory get pissed at him if he woke her up? She’d never been much of a morning person, even when it came to sex. Then again, she owned a bakery now. Didn’t that mean she usually had to get up with the roosters? Or was he confusing that with a dairy farmer? Yeah, probably.
Halfway through his silent ponderings, Rory rolled over and cuddled into him, her contented murmur fanning his shoulder as her breasts pillowed against his chest. Her sweet feminine scent enveloped him, instantly sending him to full mast. He bit back a groan. Either that sound or the obvious way his dick was poking her belly stirred her from her slumber. Blinking, she gifted him with a seductive, sleepy smile. “Is that a salami in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
Before he could answer, she wiggled under the sheet. A second later, the wet heaven of her mouth closed over him. Her tongue swirled delicately around the head of his cock, and then grew bolder, lapping at him with enough enthusiasm to cause his eyes to roll back in his head. “Jesus.” He lifted the covers so he could watch the festiv
ities and fell further under her erotic spell as she jacked him with one hand and gently fondled his sac with the other. Shielding the edges of her teeth with her lips, she bobbed her head, swallowing him down her throat. Despite the relative coolness of the room, sweat beaded on his brow. When the warning tingle buzzed at the base of his spine, he quickly pulled from her mouth and crawled down the bed. He settled between Rory’s legs, making a comfy space for his shoulders within the V of her thighs.
She offered him an exasperated look. “Ya know, I kinda wanted you to come in my mouth just now.”
“Yeah? Well I kinda want to come in your pussy.” He waggled his brows. “After I have my morning snack, of course.”
She heaved a dramatic sigh. “If you insist.”
Laughing, he lowered his gaze and eyed his bounty. Her folds were already glistening with wetness. The knowledge that sucking his cock was responsible for her arousal turned him on like nobody’s business. Easing two fingers inside her, he searched for that tiny patch of tissues that brought so much pleasure. He recalled the first time he’d successfully located her G spot. Truthfully, he was pretty damn certain it’d happened by accident, but after seeing the way she went off like a powder keg, her thighs nearly cutting off circulation to his head, he’d branded the location into his brain for good safekeeping. A strained gasp sprang from her and she bucked against his hand. Bingo. He diligently worked her into a writhing, pleading mass of sensation. The instant her inner walls began clenching around his fingers he curled the tip of his tongue on her clit and caressed the slippery little nub with teasing flicks.
She grabbed the bedding in her fists, her body bowing into a tight arch. He didn’t need to glance down to know her toes were curled and digging into the mattress. Excitement and masculine pride blending together in the fiercest head rush, he sent her soaring with one firm roll of his tongue. She shook and shuddered, the wails and cries pouring from her in an unending stream. Before the orgasm completely waned from her, he hauled himself over her. Bracing himself on his elbows, he slid inside her, a groan overtaking him at the snug liquid heat surrounding him. He stared into her eyes, and saw the reflection of his soul. She was his every breath. His every hope and dream. The only fear that existed anymore was the thought of losing her. Again.
Sweet Sizzle: A Red Hot Valentine Story Page 6
