Sorry, slept in. Be there in 20.
The reply came in a second.
Don’t worry about it. Take your time. Kate explained and told me not disturb you this morning if I wanted to keep my balls.
He bit his lip to stifle a laugh.
Thanks for holding the fort. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.
Nathan replied with, Enjoy your morning, followed by an emoji of a thumbs up, an eggplant and water droplets.
He chuckled. Nathan was an asshole, but a lovable one.
“Ben?” Penny’s eyes fluttered open, then she raised her head. “Ben! It’s morning! You’re late for work.”
“It’s okay,” he soothed, rubbing her shoulder. “Nathan’s taking care of things at the mines.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “I hope you don’t get in trouble.”
“I’m the boss, remember?” He laughed. “I’ll just get a bit of ribbing.”
“Oh.”
“But it’ll be worth it because I got to see how beautiful you look while you’re asleep.”
A pretty blush spread over her cheeks.
“And while you’re awake, too.” He hooked an arm under her and pulled her on top of him, then planted a kiss on her mouth.
She responded eagerly, squirming on top of him, her tits rubbing against his chest and her hips moving against his. His cock was hard in an instant, and he groaned when the tip brushed against her luscious thighs.
“Sorry,” he said as he pulled away. “You must be sore.”
Penny shook her head, her wild coppery curls bouncing against her cheek. “Nuh-uh.” She sucked in a breath as she slid her body lower on his. “I’m all good.”
Her small hand wrapped around his shaft and he twitched at the touch. “Penny … ugh!” She was gripping him gently, as if she was unsure what to do. “That feels good.” He rocked against her hand. “Fuuuck. Sweetheart.”
“Will you make love to me again?” She asked, her cheeks tinting.
He nodded, then reached for the drawer in his night stand. Taking out the foil packet, her ripped the corner with his teeth.
“Let me,” she said, taking the condom from him. She scooted down farther, planting herself on his thighs so she was looking at his cock, eyes wide. The face she made when she saw his erection would have been hilarious, except her hand stroking him made him growl instead of laugh.
“I don’t want to hurt you again,” he said as she rolled the rubber over his cock.
“I just have to get used to you. And make sure I’m ready.” She reached down between her legs. The sight of her rubbing her sweet pussy made him grunt in approval. Her fingers slid over her clit and her slit, teasing herself until her breath came in little pants. He could smell her wetness, delicious and heady. Jesus, this was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. If he didn’t get inside her right this moment—
“Damn, Penny you’re going to kill me.”
“Sorry!” She withdrew her hand.
“Don’t be sorry,” he growled. “But I need to be inside you. Now.” He was surprised by the way he sounded. He usually wasn’t so demanding in bed, but with Penny, he wanted to own her. Wanted to dominate her. Wanted to make her come over and over again until she couldn’t think of anything but him.
She knelt over him, placing her knees on either side of his hips. He helped guide the tip of his cock against her slick cunt lips. Watching himself disappear into her was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. Penny moved her hips down, sinking down on him slowly. She was hot and tight and slick, and he never wanted to leave.
She let out a small whimper and threw her head back when he was fully seated inside her.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
She nodded, biting her lip as she stifled a moan. “Oh God. Ben. You feel so good inside me.”
“You feel good.” He pumped his hips up once and she cried out, clawing her hands down his hips.
She began to move, sliding his cock in and out of her. She was still so tight and hot, and he had to control himself or risk blowing his load too early. He grabbed onto the sheets and let her do her thing. She started slow at first, but as her breath quickened and her whimpers became louder, she upped her pace. Using her knees, she slid up and down his cock, her tight inner walls squeezing him tight.
“Hot damn.” His eyes remained fixed on Penny as she rode him, her large tits bouncing up and down deliciously. He couldn’t help himself and sat up so he could play with her breasts. Her eyes went wide with surprise and she lost her rhythm for a few seconds, but he encouraged her to keep going.
Penny braced herself by grabbing onto his shoulders, moaning as he leaned forward to take a puffy pink nipple between his lips. His teeth grazed the hard nub, and she let out a cry.
“Fuck!” He couldn’t stop himself from coming as her pussy tightened around his cock. He thrust his hips up into her as he came, calling her name over and over again as he pulled her to him and tasted her delectable mouth. Her body spasmed, then she relaxed in his arms.
“Penny, you’re incredible,” he gasped as he collapsed onto his back, taking her with him so she lay on his chest again. He felt drained, but in a good way.
“Hmmm … you’re pretty neat, too,” she said with a sigh. “I guess we should get ready. You’re already late for work, and I should get home.”
She seemed almost sad as if she didn’t want to be away from him. He felt the same way, but she was right. Ben rolled to his side, laying her down on the mattress as he slipped out of her. “Gimme a sec,” he said as he kissed her forehead and got out of bed. He strode to the bathroom, quickly cleaned up, then walked back into the bedroom, pausing by the doorway to look at Penny.
She was laying on her side, eyes closed, and one arm under her head. His eyes roamed over the curves of her body, from her breasts down to the dip in her waist and the gently rounded stomach, to the thatch of neatly trimmed red curls between her thighs. His cock twitched at the sight of her naked body in his bed, and he wanted her again.
Penny opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why not?” He approached the bed. “You’re beautiful.” He crawled over to her. “I’m sure the mines will be fine if I skip out today.” Ben couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken the day off.
“Are you sure?”
He lowered his head to kiss her square on the lips. “I’m sure.”
Chapter 12
Penny couldn’t remember ever being this happy in her life. Sure, there were maybe a few good memories in her childhood. Before this, the happiest moment in her life was when she left Greenville, but even that good memory was tied to bad ones. And there was Grams, of course. She had had some good times with her grandmother before she passed.
Okay, so it wasn’t like her life had been miserable up to this point. But it was just so … different. It was like all her life she’d been living in a haze, and now everything seemed so clear.
She smiled to herself, thinking of the last three days. After that first morning spent in bed, Ben took her back to Greenville so she could get ready for work, then they had dinner before her shift. Afterwards, he brought her back to his place where they spent the night making love again.
The memories made her cheeks hot. Although she had never been with anyone aside from Ben, she was pretty sure no normal human could have sex that much. She was pretty tired the next day, and Ben let her sleep in, leaving her a note to make herself at home. At lunch time he came home, and they didn’t even get a chance to eat the meal she had prepared. She’ll probably never think of his kitchen the same way again.
It was a good thing she had spare outfits at work because she hadn’t gone home for three days. Last night was their busiest night, and she had spilled some beer on her jeans and really needed fresh clothes.
“Ben.”
“Hmm ….” He trailed kissed between her breasts.
“Ben!” She grabbed a handful of his hair before he could go lower.
<
br /> “What?” he asked.
“I should go home.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I need clothes. And stuff. You know. Girl stuff.” It was nice using his soaps, and he even got her a new toothbrush, but she just wanted to use her own things again.
“Okay, I’ll take you home and you can pack a bag for the rest of the week.”
Her mouth fell open, but before she could say anything else, a ringing interrupted them.
“Sorry,” he said as he rolled over and reached for his phone. He turned around and spoke softly, nodding now and then. With a long sigh, he put down the phone.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “That was Jason. He says I have to go do wedding stuff tonight. We have security issues we have to work out at the castle, the mines, and the hotel.”
Ben had told her the story of what happened at Matthew’s wedding, how someone had snuck in a bomb that could have leveled Blackstone Castle. The thought that Ben could have been hurt or worse in that attack made tears burn in her throat. She didn’t want that to happen at Jason and Christina’s wedding. “You should go help.”
He frowned. “I should, but I don’t want to be away from you. Matthew asked Nathan, Luke, and me to take turns patrolling the area around the mines overnight. The Rangers will be there too, but Matthew wants someone he personally trusts to do it. I have to do the first shift tonight.”
“I don’t want to be away from you either, but everyone’s safety is important.” It seemed silly, but her stomach was knotting at the thought of not having him around, even for a night. “Go and help your family, Ben. They need you.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’ll be fine on my own, just for a night.”
“It’ll probably work out. I can take you home and you can get your car and a change of clothes.”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” she said.
“Good. I’ll pick you up for dinner as usual tomorrow.” He crawled back into bed. “But first ….”
“Watch it, butterfingers!”
“Sorry!” Penny apologized as the glass nearly slipped from her fingers. She steadied it just in time before it tumbled.
The guy she was serving shook his head. “Can’t get good help these days,” he said, shaking his head. His date laughed and nodded in agreement.
She took a deep breath. “Anything else, sir?”
He gave her a dismissive wave. “I’ll call you when I need you.”
“Of course.” When she turned around and the guy couldn’t see her, she grimaced. Why did that jerk have to sit in her section? He was the worst type of customer, snapping his fingers to get her attention and then making himself sound important to impress his date. She couldn’t wait for him to leave.
Actually, she couldn’t wait for tonight to be over. The moment she had walked into the employees’ locker room, she knew there was something going on. Call it instinct or a woman’s intuition. Whatever it was, it was clear the atmosphere had changed. Conversation between the other girls stopped, and the room went quiet. No one would look at her or even acknowledged her.
She had shrugged and thought it was just her imagination. Or maybe she was just too happy to pay attention. But, as the night progressed, that dread in the pit of her stomach grew.
One of the girls ‘accidentally’ picked up her drink orders and served them to another table. Someone in her section had given another server an order, but she ‘forgot’ to pass it on to her. And when it was time for her to take a break, everyone was ‘too busy’ to help her out, so she ended up skipping it.
As she walked back to the bar, she saw Olive leaning over the counter, whispering to Heather. The bartender’s eyes clashed with hers, and as Penny gave her a smile, Heather looked away. Olive glanced at her, smirked, then sashayed off to her table. The pit in her stomach grew into the Grand Canyon.
“Hey, Heather,” she greeted. “Can I have some soda water with ice please? I'm so thirsty.”
Heather wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Sorry, I’m out of soda water. You should go to the employee drinking fountain,” she said in a flat voice before turning her back on Penny.
What was going on? “Okay then. Thanks anyway.”
Heather didn’t even acknowledge her.
Penny tried to ignore that sinking feeling in her heart. It wasn’t her imagination. Something was going on.
She pushed the door that led to the back and walked toward the employee break room, her mind so preoccupied she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her.
“Hey.”
She jumped back in surprise, her hand going to her chest. “Oh.” It was Mia. “I didn’t hear you.”
“You must have a lot on your mind,” she observed.
“Yeah.”
“Is it because of the other girls?”
Her face fell. “So they are ignoring me.”
Mia’s face scrunched up. “It’s that bitch, Olive.” She walked over to Penny and put a hand on her shoulder. “Listen, don’t let them get you down. They’re just jealous because they know about you and Ben.”
“They know about us?”
She laughed. “He’s been coming with you to the bar and taking you home for what—days now? I think it’s pretty obvious.”
“But why would the other girls be so mean to me? I didn’t do anything … he didn’t date any of them before me, did he?” She never thought to ask Ben. The truth was, the thought of Ben with anyone else made her uncomfortable.
“Hmm, I don’t think so, but,” Mia leaned closer and lowered her voice, “I just heard Lana telling Olive that she saw you in Luke Lennox’s car the other night. And then Olive told Heather the two of you must be having something on the side.”
“No! That’s not true!” Humiliation crept up her neck. “It’s not! It’s just Ben, I swear.” She buried her face in her hands.
“I told you, Olive’s a jealous bitch.”
She looked up at Mia. “You believe me?”
“Those other girls, they’re human, you know? I mean, they don’t understand. You’re Ben’s mate, right?”
Was Mia asking or telling her? She paused, not knowing what to say. Was this something she was supposed to be keeping to herself? Was there some official ceremony or something?
“Well?”
“Y-y-yeah.”
“So, you’re his mate?”
She nodded.
“Oh. That’s wonderful. Mates aren’t as common as most people think, you know,” Mia said. “But it’s good that he’s found you.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Penny said in a deflated tone.
“Hmm. Well, why don’t you ask me?”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” She turned back to the door leading to the bar. “Oh shoot, they might be looking for us. But what do you say to lunch tomorrow? In town. You can ask me anything you want, and I’ll help you. Maybe we can figure out a way to stop Olive from spreading those nasty rumors about you.”
“Oh wow! That would be great!” For the first time that night, Penny thought things were looking up. “I can’t thank you enough. You’re too kind.”
Mia gave her a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Of course. Happy to help.”
Chapter 13
Penny could hardly sleep last night. For one thing, she missed being wrapped up in Ben's arms. She couldn’t even call him. He had explained that he’d be in bear form for most of the evening as he patrolled the mines, so he wouldn’t be able to text or call her. So, she tossed and turned the whole night until she was so tired her eyelids felt heavy and she finally fell asleep.
She woke up late and knew she wouldn’t make it in time for her lunch with Mia. There wasn’t enough time to put on makeup or fix her hair, and though she knew she looked terrible, she didn’t want Mia to think she was standing her up.
Penny breezed into the cafe where they set up to meet, craning her neck for a sign of Mia. But she was nowhere in sight, so Penny sat down at one of the emp
ty tables. She was perusing the menu board when Mia walked in.
“Sorry about that,” Mia said as she plonked herself down on the empty chair. “I slept in.”
“I was a little late, too, so no worries.”
They both got up to order at the counter, then brought their food back to the table.
“So, you’re not from Blackstone?” Mia asked as she took a sip of her iced tea.
Penny shook her head. “I live over in Greenville.” She gave Mia the short version of her story, about how her neighbor knew Tim and got her the job. “And you? Did you just move here?”
Mia laughed. “Oh, I just moved back.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “I mean, I grew up here, but my parents had to … move away.”
“You did? I mean, so you know some people here?”
Mia nodded. “But most of them probably don’t remember me. That’s okay, I wasn’t one of the popular kids, you know?”
“Sure.” Penny knew how that was. She had been the most unpopular kid in school. “So, thanks for inviting me here.”
“Oh, no problem. I hate those other bitches, you know?”
“Yeah, most of them were nice or just left me alone when I started.”
“Until Olive spread those rumors about you.”
Penny’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I don’t know why she's doing that.”
“You know, I heard something about an incident in Greenville—”
“Oh no.” Penny covered her face with her hands. No, no, no. Her throat burned with tears of humiliation. She bit her lip.
Mia pulled her hands away from her face. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe any of that.”
“Really?” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Look, I’ll do my best to stop those girls from talking about you, okay?”
“You will?”
“Of course!” Mia assured her.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Penny said. “I just don’t want any trouble, you know? I just want to do my work.”
“I understand.” Mia looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Now, there’s something else I need to say. Uhm—” She stopped suddenly and shook her head. “Never mind. It’s not my place.”
The Blackstone Bear Page 11
