“That you would’ve made them blue, as that’s my favorite color,” Jocelyn said from behind them.
Bennett turned to his mother. He slid his hand around Mel’s side and pulled her close. “Well, I know that now. Does that count for anything?” he asked.
“Mmm, maybe,” Jocelyn said. Her mouth turned up as she took in the pair of them standing so close. “Dinner’s ready. Why don’t you show Mel into the dining room?”
“Yes ma’am,” Bennett said as he started to pull Mel away.
“And Bennett.” Jocelyn put her hand on his arm to stop him. “I loved everything you ever brought me, pink and all.” She smiled warmly.
“I know, Mom.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek.
There was just something about how Bennett interacted with his mother that made Mel feel all warm inside. But everything he did had that effect on her.
* * *
They got back to Bennett’s house just before nine. He’d asked her to stay the night at his place, so she’d brought a change of clothes for work the next day. Bennett grabbed her bag from the trunk of her car while she grabbed the dress that was hanging in the back seat.
“Hold on—I need that other bag, too,” she said, pointing to a black satchel. “My papers are in it.”
The Braves were playing the Cubs tonight. Normally Bennett would’ve stayed at his parents’ house to watch it with his dad, but Mel really needed to grade tonight. So Bennett would be able to catch the last couple of innings while she did what she needed to do.
“Got it,” he said, grabbing the strap and pulling it up around his shoulder.
Bennett closed the trunk and led the way up to his house. Mel hadn’t been there since that first night, and he was glad she was sleeping over. She followed him inside and he handed her the satchel and took the dress from her other hand.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said, pointing to the couch. “Let me just put this in my room.”
When he came back, the TV was already on and the game was playing. Mel was unzipping her bag and pulling out a stack of papers, and she had a red pen in her mouth. She put the papers on her lap and looked up at him. Then she pulled the pen out of her mouth and pointed to the screen with it. “I don’t have good news for you.”
Bennett turned and read the score. The Braves were down, 4–1.
“Damn,” he said as he sat down on the couch and pulled off his boots.
“They still have three more innings. Maybe they can pull it out.” She settled back against the couch, pulling her legs up underneath her.
“Maybe.” He stretched out and put his feet up on the steamer trunk. He wrapped his arm around Mel’s shoulders and pulled her into his side, where she settled in for the duration of the game.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Bennett later said to the screen for the umpteenth time.
Mel was trying not to laugh at him, really she was, but he was so aggravated. She’d seen him watch games, but he’d never been this upset before. Maybe Mel had just never seen him watching a game where his team was losing.
The Braves hadn’t improved much on their score. It was now 7–3 in the ninth inning. The odds were not in their favor.
Fifteen minutes later Mel finished grading her last paper. She put it down on the stack in her lap and looked up at the TV just in time to see the last Braves batter strike out.
“Oh, come on,” Bennett groaned. “Well, that’s that.” He shook his head as he grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. He leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes. “That was just painful. They were all over the freaking place tonight.”
Mel put her papers on the steamer trunk. She turned to Bennett, put one of her knees on the sofa and threw her other leg over his lap and straddled him.
“What’s this?” he asked, the frown on his face disappearing.
“You look like you could use some comforting.” She ran her hands up his chest, to his shoulders, and around to the back of his neck.
“If this is comforting, I could always use some.”
“Is that so, Benny?” she asked as her mouth twitched up at the sides.
“I knew that was coming.” He shook his head. “You’ve been waiting all night to say something, haven’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Benny Boo, Boo Boo Boo.”
Bennett moved so fast that Mel didn’t even see it coming. She was suddenly on her back, her arms pinned above her head. Bennett was firmly stationed between her thighs, preventing her from moving even an inch.
“Call me Benny Boo one more time,” he said right above her mouth. It would’ve been very easy for Mel to be intimidated by this massive man on top of her, especially with the current scowl on his face, but there was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes that let her know he was playing just as much as she was.
“Benny—” but she didn’t get any further than that as he covered her mouth with his.
His tongue slid between her lips, and the kiss turned hot and hungry in a second. Mel’s head fell back against the couch cushion as Bennett started to move against her. She could feel his erection growing on the inside of her thigh. There was just something about him getting hard against her that turned her on even more. She wanted to reach down and touch him, but her hands were still pinned up against the armrest.
“You won’t be calling me Benny Boo in a second,” he said as he kissed her neck and nibbled on her skin.
“And why’s that?”
“Because I’m going to make you forget how to talk.”
His lips were back on hers a second later and he worked her mouth as his hands traveled down her arms and to her sides. When he got to the hem of her shirt he pushed it up until it was over her breasts, then his fingers were working around to the clasp at her back. He had it undone and her bra and shirt off in the next moment. It hadn’t been hard for him to pull it off, because she hadn’t moved her arms from above her head.
Bennett’s mouth disappeared from hers as he moved down her body. He kissed the space between her breasts before he took one nipple in his mouth.
“Ahh, Bennett.” She arched up into him and her hands came up to the back of his head.
He just hummed into her breast as his hands went to the snap on the front of her jeans. The zipper was down a second later, and his hand was slowly working down underneath her panties.
She gasped as he parted her and slipped two fingers inside.
“Well, the Braves might’ve been off tonight, but you definitely know how to play first and second base,” she said as she writhed against his hand.
“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed as he switched to her other breast. He went at her for a good minute before he reared up on his knees. “Let’s move on to third.” He reached for the top of her jeans and pulled them, along with her panties, off her legs in one swift movement. “Perfection,” he said as he settled back between her thighs. He pulled her legs up and over his shoulders, and then his hands were running beneath her bottom and he was lifting her up to gain better access and dive deeper.
“Bennett,” she moaned as she gripped the top of his head. His hair was too short for her to hold on to anything.
Mel still couldn’t get over the pleasure that Bennett was capable of with his mouth. And after he added his fingers to the mix, it was just a matter of time before she was bucking and coming hard. He kept his mouth on her throughout her orgasm, giving her everything he had.
* * *
Mel was out of breath as she lay on the couch. Her eyes were closed and her smile was one that radiated a postorgasmic glow.
“How you doing over there?” Bennett asked as he sat up.
Mel didn’t say anything. She just opened her eyes slowly and gave him a warm, sexy smile. Bennett got up from the couch and looked at the naked woman still sprawled across it.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked when she found her voice.
“I’d like to go in there.” He nodded do
wn the hall towards his bedroom. “I was hoping for a home run.”
“Just give me a second. I’m still trying to remember how to stand.”
“Mel, I just don’t have time for that.” He leaned over and picked her up in one fell swoop.
“Well, if you insist,” she said as he carried her to his bedroom.
Bennett hadn’t slept in there since last Saturday night, and as he remembered their first night together he found himself wanting her so bad it was ridiculous.
He set her down on the bed and took a step back as he started to unbutton his shirt. Mel stood before he even got through two buttons and she pushed his hands away. She looked up at him as her fingers worked their way down.
“So I was thinking.”
“About?”
“I want a shot at third base, too,” she said as she finished with the buttons and pushed the shirt off his arms, not looking up at him.
“What?” he managed to choke out, which was an accomplishment as he’d nearly swallowed his tongue.
Bennett had always been a pretty big fan of oral sex, both giving and receiving. But he’d never been one to ask for it. He might’ve gone down on Mel a couple of times, but reciprocating was her decision.
He reached up and gently pushed her chin until her gaze met his. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, but I’ve…umm, never done it before,” she said, looking slightly nervous. “And to be completely honest with you, you’re the first guy to have done it to me.”
Well, as she’d only been with one other guy, neither statement was all that shocking. But still, the idea that she’d never done this to a man before, and that she wanted to explore him, was almost more than he could handle at the moment.
Almost.
“Okay, but if you feel uncomfortable, stop.”
“Okay. I’ve…uhhh…done a little research on the matter,” she said as she reached for the front of his jeans. “But you know there’s only so much you can get from reading. So do you have any tips?”
“Tips?” he managed to ask. He was having a little bit of trouble hearing at the moment. Blood was pounding in his ears, which was an accomplishment because he thought it had all rushed to the bulge that was currently straining the front of his pants.
“Yeah, tips, pointers, suggestions.” She stretched up on her toes and lightly pressed her mouth to his as she unbuttoned the snap on his jeans and pulled down the zipper. She didn’t touch his erection, which was both good and bad.
“Hands are good,” he said against her mouth. “The tip is important and supersensitive. But really just do what feels right, and I’m more than likely to respond to what I like.”
“I think I can do that.” She pulled back and looked at him as she pushed his pants and boxer briefs down his thighs. And then she dropped to her knees in front of him, keeping eye contact the entire time.
Holy. Hell.
She helped him pull everything off his legs. When he was completely naked in front of her, she sat up and kissed the very tip of his erection.
“Not like this,” he said, reaching down and grabbing her arms to pick her up. “I really don’t think my legs would hold out through the whole thing.” He gently pushed her onto the bed and kissed her as he rolled to his back.
She settled on top of him and her lips left his. She kissed his neck, and then her warm, wet mouth was moving slowly down his sternum. Her hands traveled down his chest to his stomach where she traced his abs with her fingertips. All the while her body was pressing into his erection, her soft, sweet belly rubbing against him and driving him out of his fucking mind.
“God. Melanie.” His voice came out pained, which wasn’t all that surprising, as he was trying his hardest not to move and create more friction between their bodies. This was her show, and he needed to be patient and endure the sweet torture of everything she was doing.
Now her mouth was on his stomach, and her tongue was delving into the dips and grooves of his abs. He wasn’t sure if he was even going to make it to the good part. But he also didn’t want to miss a second of it. He reached over and grabbed another pillow to stack behind his head.
Watching her was going to make it so much more difficult to hold out, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away. And really, why would he want to? Because a second later she opened that perfect little mouth of hers and covered him.
Bennett couldn’t stop his hands from coming up to the back of her head, but it wasn’t to thrust himself deeper. No, he just needed his hands in her hair, wanted to feel her as she moved over him. Her tongue ran up the underside of his penis as she took him deeper into her mouth.
She moved over him eagerly, and then she threw her hand into the mix. Yeah, he wasn’t going to last long at all. Maybe a minute…or thirty seconds.
“Melanie,” he groaned, closing his eyes and trying to breathe past the release that was building. He had a second of sanity cross his brain, and he reached down to pull her up his body. He wanted the home run. He didn’t want to get off at third base.
He rolled her underneath him as his mouth came down hard on hers. He reached down and grabbed her thighs, holding on to her as they moved together. When he couldn’t take a second more. He pulled back and reached for the nightstand to grab a condom. He had it on and was sinking into her in record time.
He gripped her thighs again as he thrust into her over and over again. She gasped his name and the breathy edge to her voice made the pressure in his entire body crank up even further. This was what he wanted, this right here. Her underneath him, his name coming from her lips, her fingers digging a path into his back.
Mel was losing control again in his arms, and he loved that he was the one who could bring out the wild side in her. Loved that she trusted him enough to completely let loose.
Bennett let go of one of her thighs and brought his hand between their bodies. His fingers found her sweet spot, and it took only a couple of moments for her to let go, and thank God because Bennett was holding on by a thread.
He came about three seconds later, letting go with an orgasm so powerful he couldn’t breathe. He pulled out of her and rolled to his back, bringing Mel with him. He stared up at the ceiling trying to catch his breath.
They rested for a minute or two. She stacked her hands on his sternum and rested her chin on top. They just looked at each other for a second, and when Bennett reached up to push her hair out of her eyes she smiled. God, did she smile.
“We can play baseball anytime you want,” she said.
Bennett burst out laughing, unable to stop as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.
* * *
The mud run was scheduled for the first weekend in October. It was very successful in the fund-raising department, and it went off without a hitch. Well, sort of. Since Mel was doing all of the behind-the-scenes aspects for the day, she hadn’t planned on getting involved in the messy part. But those plans hadn’t exactly happened.
Everything was fine until after the awards ceremony at the very end of the event. Bennett, along with Hamilton, dragged Mel into the first obstacle filled with mud, which was still very wet and sticky.
It took a lot of time in the shower for Mel to get clean. But she wasn’t complaining as she had Bennett scrubbing her back and washing the mud out of her hair. He’d followed through with his promise to buy her conditioner. There was a bottle in the shower and several more under the sink in the bathroom.
They spent Saturday night and most of Sunday curled up on his couch watching the rest of season three of Game of Thrones. The second to last episode had left Mel speechless for all of about five minutes, and then she’d proceeded to rant about it.
For the rest of the night.
Bennett apparently thought it was cute, which was lucky for her. Really lucky, because she still wasn’t over it on Monday morning.
“I just don’t understand what they’re going to do now,” she said before she took a long pull on her coffee.
&nbs
p; “Well, maybe you should read the books. Then you’ll find out.”
Bennett was stocking all the stations in the wood shop, and watching him was a lovely way for Mel to start her day.
“Yeah, I don’t think so. The books would just make me crazier. Maybe when everything is all said and done. Besides, he still hasn’t finished writing them, so I’m just going to have to wait anyway.”
“Impatient much?” he asked as he crossed the room.
“I think I’ve proved my patience, pal.”
“Are you referring to me?” He raised his eyebrows as he grabbed her coffee cup and put it on the table behind her. Then he proceeded to cage her in against the table.
“Yes. And what do you think you’re doing?
“Oh, you know, kissing you.” He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers.
Mel was not one to resist Bennett, and as he’d taken away her caffeine she was going to indulge in one of her other favorite pick-me-ups. Well, not her favorite, as she had some modesty and they were in public and all.
There was a knock and someone cleared their throat.
Bennett and Mel pulled apart to find Mitch Bolinder, the principal of Mirabelle High, standing in the doorway.
Mel liked her boss. He listened to the teachers and cared about the students. He’d always been a pretty nice guy, so the frown that was currently across his face wasn’t one that boded confidence.
“We have a bit of a problem, and I need to talk to the two of you.”
“What problem?” Bennett asked.
Mitch sighed as he looked at the two of them and shook his head. “I don’t take stock in anything that Bethelda Grimshaw writes about, but more than a couple of parents have called in regarding her newest article.”
Mel’s stomach dropped. “What article?” she asked barely loud enough for Mitch to hear her.
“This one,” he said crossing the room and handing her a piece of paper.
THE GRIM TRUTH
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH…OR BOOKCASE
Curley Q might seem like one of Mirabelle’s sweet and innocent little darlings, but she’s just like the rest of them. This isn’t all that surprising considering who her band of whorish and immoral friends are, Little Coquette, Brazen Interloper, and Flamboyant Peacock being just a few.
Unstoppable (A Country Roads Novel) Page 20
