by Jamie Craig
You can’t do this. You can’t do this…
But the music drowned out the rest of the protest. She obviously could do this, because she wasn’t pushing his hand away from her ass. She slid her palms over his shoulders and interlocked her fingers at the back of his neck. Blue and green lights slashed through the dancers, moving to the same lethargic rhythm of the song, and each time one fell across his face, his eyes seemed to glow. Her body pulsed with the music, with her desire.
She knew she wasn’t going to walk away from him. Not that night. Knowing that he would probably only take it one way, and not really caring, Ana met his eyes and smiled slowly.
She caught the curl of his mouth for a moment before he bent his head. Ben skimmed her cheek with his mouth before moving to her ear, kissing the tender skin below it. “It’s not just a nice smile,” he murmured. “It’s as beautiful as you are.”
Ana couldn’t remember the last time she blushed, but her cheeks and neck warmed now. It wasn’t just the compliment—it wasn’t the first from him. It was the undeniable, simple sincerity in his voice. She turned her head and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek. His skin tasted a little salty, his stubble a little rough against her lips.
His sigh of pleasure washed over her, and the hand on her ass tightened. Teeth caught her ear lobe, sending sharp pinches of pleasure straight to her clit, then nibbled a path back along her jaw, his skin scraping hers along the way. Ben didn’t give her a chance to pull away. His mouth claimed hers in another kiss, this one far hungrier than his greeting. It pushed past her nonexistent defenses to make her head swim, and she clutched at his neck a little more fervently as he crushed their bodies together.
Ana couldn’t remember the last time somebody kissed her like that. No pretenses, no defenses, nothing but raw passion. It told her exactly what Ben wanted from her—in case she didn’t already get the message from the way his erection pressed against her—and exactly what he wanted to give her. Ana recognized it was her very last chance. If she didn’t push him away now, she wouldn’t be pushing him away at all. She raised her heels off the floor, stretching to deepen the kiss.
The driving pulse of the club faded into the background. All she heard was the pounding of her heart, the occasional moan that came from Ben’s throat, the spare click of their teeth when they clashed. Ben used her imbalance to pull her up onto his body, and she had the vague sense of the world moving around her. It wasn’t until she felt the wall at her back that she realized what he’d done, however, and she tore away from his mouth to stare at him, wide-eyed.
“Tell me you don’t want this,” he dared. His hand came between their bodies to palm her breast through her shirt, his thumb circling the outline of her hard nipple. “Tell me this isn’t exactly what you’ve been thinking about for the past week.”
“God, Ben, I do,” she said, arching against the wall. She could see the stage over his shoulder, and the band kicked into a song off their new album. Something very loud, and very fast, and it literally had the entire club jumping and dancing. Nobody was paying attention to the two of them. Nobody even knew they were in the room. She tightened her legs around him. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to stop.” He tweaked her nipple before sliding down, tugging her shirt free of her waistband in order to slip his hand beneath the fabric. She didn’t know if it was her skin or his fingers that were so hot, but each glance across her stomach made her gasp, desperate to feel even more. “Looks like I’m going to get another desire satisfied tonight,” he said, undoing the button on her jeans.
Ana needed to kiss him again before she could speak. His mouth was addictive. His tongue swept past her lips without hesitation, and she felt his moan vibrate from his throat. Ana immediately flashed to their first chat and the image of stretching out on the couch with him for a long, slow make-out session. They could do that. She could easily spend hours kissing him. He unzipped her jeans and slipped his fingers between her legs, brushing against her damp panties. Just the pressure from his fingers was enough to make her spine stiffen. She broke away from the kiss, staring at his heavy-lidded eyes.
“What’s your other desire?”
“To see you come,” Ben murmured. He eased beneath the elastic of her panties in order to stroke her outer lips, never looking away. “Do you know how much it’s been killing me listening to you? Hear you pant, and moan, and say my name, and not be able to do a damn thing except jerk off and wish that I was holding you and not my phone?” One finger pushed deeper. The moment he touched her inner folds, they both moaned. “God, Ana, you’re so wet. Is this what it’s like when we talk?”
Ana nodded and closed her eyes as he continued to caress her, not yet finding her clit. The bass from the music thrummed through the wall and floor, her body vibrating with the rhythm. “When we talk. Even when we email and chat during the day. Now you see what you do to me.”
She almost cried out when he pulled his hand away, her eyes flying open in time to see him fumble with his pants. His mouth came back to hers, his kiss deep and probing, until his hand wrapped around her wrist and guided it to where he’d freed his erection.
“This is what you do to me,” he said against her mouth. “All I have to do is think about you and I get hard.”
Ana sighed, eagerly gripping his shaft. She ran her thumb over the vein that stood out against his smooth skin. He hadn’t lied about matching his size thirteen feet, and she wanted to feel every inch of him inside of her—inside her mouth, her pussy, her ass. “Did you always plan to fuck me in the middle of the club?”
“In the middle of the club? No. I’m usually too wrapped up in the music to even think about anything else.” He let go of her wrist, and she felt him shift as he reached behind and pulled a thin wallet out of his back pocket. “Did I hope that I’d be able to spirit you away afterward and find a wall with our name on it?” His agile fingers expertly opened the wallet and pulled out a condom. “Absolutely.”
Ana smiled as she watched him tear at the foil. “If you’d rather pay attention to the band…”
His eyes twinkled. “What band?”
She moved her hand long enough for him to slide the condom over his shaft, sliding off his body in order to push her jeans and underwear down far enough to allow him room. They didn’t get far before Ben yanked her back against him and angled his cock toward her slick opening. His mouth came back to hers in a hungry kiss as he thrust inside, and the sudden burn as he filled her up sizzled all the way out to her skin.
Ana had dozens, maybe even hundreds, of fantasies about fucking Ben. None of them even touched on the magnitude of actually being with him. He fucked like he kissed, with nothing but passion and hunger, and nothing to hold him back. She kept her mouth firmly locked on his to cut down on the chances of attracting attention with shouting and moaning. She hoped that he wasn’t disappointed, that she was living up to his fantasies, because at that moment there was nobody, nothing else except him. No band, no fans, no club, no music. She curled her fingers into his shoulders, tightening her grip on his flesh with each firm thrust.
When his pace grew erratic and rough, Ben slipped a hand beneath her shirt, shoving aside the slip of a bra she wore to palm her breast. Callused fingers made contact with her tight nipple, pinching hard at the same time a new angle ground the coarse hair at the base of his cock into her clit.
Ana cried out, tearing from his mouth to see him gazing down at her with a hunger that matched when he’d began. “I want to see you,” Ben rasped. His hips pistoned even faster. “I’m not leaving here tonight without seeing you come at least once.”
Ana covered her mouth as the pressure began to build beneath her skin. Ben pulled her fingers away, replacing them with his own hand. She could smell her arousal on his skin, beneath the smell of leather and sweat and cinnamon. His eyes locked with hers, heated and intense. Ana didn’t think he would be happy just to see her come. It felt like he wanted to
see everything about her, like he wanted to stare into her eyes until he knew her.
Ana didn’t look away from him until he re-angled his hips, hitting her in just the right way, with just the right amount of pressure. She shouted his name against his hand, erupting in pleasure as the spotlights and strobe lights overhead spun out of control.
Maybe it was the ripples of her orgasm that set him off. Or maybe it was the feeling of his name vibrating through his flesh. Or maybe it was something else entirely, something beyond her capability of grasping at that moment, some little kink she didn’t even know about. Whatever it was, she saw the way his eyes rolled back the second before he pulled his hand away to cover her mouth with his own. Whatever words he screamed as his body tensed were lost in their kiss, and Ana scrabbled at his shoulders, desperate for the solidity he offered.
The music slowly grew louder, expanded back into their awareness as their bodies eased from their orgasms. Ben’s kisses grew languid, his hands gentle where they smoothed down her body. When he finally broke away, the beads of sweat on his brow shone under the lights, nearly as bright as his eyes.
“Wow…” he breathed. “That was…wow.”
Wow was about all she could muster as well. As her eyes focused, she looked over his shoulder, searching the room for any sign somebody had noticed them. She knew they were pressing their luck by standing there like that, but she wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
Ben cupped the back of her head, stroking her nape as he nuzzled her hair. “I don’t want this to end here,” he murmured. “Can we stick to our original plan and get something to eat after the show?”
Ana closed her eyes. He felt so good. It wasn’t fair for him to ask those sorts of questions when he felt so good. But could one night with Ben really hurt anything? They were great together, and it didn’t have to be anything more than one night, nothing more than really great sex.
She lifted her head to look at him. “Yeah. Yeah, we can do that.”
Chapter 5
With a flourish, Ben snapped his laptop shut and shoved it into his backpack, switching off the light on his desk as he glanced around his cubicle. End of semester. Beginning of summer break. It still managed to give a little thrill, even being part of the teaching side of it now.
All his grades were officially turned in. All his reviews had been read. A careful examination of his finances meant that he only had to take a short-term tutoring position in August to cover the rest of his expenses, and then the rest of the summer was his. His to enjoy in any way that he wanted.
At the top of that list was Ana.
Though he hadn’t had the chance to do more than drop a quick e-mail since parting company with her thirty-six hours previous, Ben had every intention of rectifying that, now that he had no more educational responsibilities. Meeting her had been more than anything he’d imagined, even if she had initially freaked out over his age. She was more beautiful than she’d described, smarter than she even came across in chat, and touching her was like touching a live wire. Ben couldn’t remember ever being so physically attracted to a woman before. And from the sounds she’d made once they’d gotten back to his apartment after the concert, Ana had enjoyed him as well.
The only drawback had been her refusal to spend the night. Ben hadn’t pressed as he watched her gather up her clothes where she’d discarded them on the way to his bed, but he had been disappointed. His age was a problem for her. A real problem. He wasn’t sure why. They got along great, the sex was great, and they made each other laugh. He didn’t get where the fact that he was twenty-two and she was thirty-eight made a difference to all that.
But it made Ana uncomfortable, so he let her go gracefully that night. She hadn’t wanted to stick around at all after first seeing him, but she’d done it anyway. Ben was sure in time he could convince her it didn’t matter at all.
He was halfway to his car when he heard footsteps running up behind him.
“Hey!”
Glancing back, Ben saw Mason Echolls jogging toward him. His backpack hung heavily off his shoulder, and his slightly overweight frame wobbled a bit with each ponderous step. Ben hadn’t heard him inside, but there was only one reason for Mason to have been on campus now. The same as his. Getting grades in before the department head started hunting them down.
“What’s up?” Ben asked as Mason panted to a stop in front of him.
“My car is making some horrible noise, and I’ve just been taking the bus this week.” He flashed a surprisingly charming smile. “Can I get a lift?”
Ben returned the grin and jerked his head toward his car. “Come on.”
They walked side by side to his parked Escort, tossing their packs into the back seat before getting in. This was a common ritual. Mason was always taking the bus for one reason or another.
“Get everything in?” he asked as he started the car.
“Everything is in,” Mason confirmed. “We are good to go, Captain.” He leaned over to fiddle with the radio. “Have a good weekend?”
“Had a fucking fantastic weekend.” He couldn’t help it. His grin widened even more. “Remember that girl I told you about? I met up with her at The Ledge on Saturday night.”
Mason’s eyes widened. “Really? Was she hot?”
“Smoking. And even smarter in person. And if I get my way, she’s going to help me celebrate being done with the semester.” Ben glanced in his rearview mirror just before he changed lanes. “I just have to convince her it’s a good thing to see me again first.”
“Uh, Ben, no offense, buddy, but that’s what the first date is for. That’s sorta the whole purpose of a first date.”
“Well, if we were going by how well the date went, it would be a no-brainer. But she’s got a small issue about our age difference.”
“How small is the issue?” Mason asked as he fished through his bag. He held up a pack of gum triumphantly. “Are we talking five years? Ten?”
Ben took the gum that was offered. “Sixteen. I think. Depends on when her birthday is.”
Mason’s meaty cheeks reddened. “Sixteen? She’s almost forty, and you want another date with her? Ben, in my totally heterosexual opinion, you can easily find a girl a bit…closer to your age.”
His good mood faded. “Yes, I want another date with her. I told you. She’s hot. And smart. And I like her.” Mason looked unconvinced. “Are you telling me, if you had the chance to go out with Halle Berry, you’d say ‘no, I’m sorry, you’re too old for me’?”
Mason chomped his gum thoughtfully, like he was truly considering the question. “If she was wearing her Storm or Catwoman costume, then I probably wouldn’t worry too much about her age. Does your girlfriend dress up like Catwoman?”
“Doubtful. Though she could. And she’d look as good as Halle Berry doing it, too.”
“Well, if she’s hot, she’s hot. What are you going to do to convince her sixteen years isn’t a big deal?”
That was the wrinkle in his plans. He had no idea. He truly hadn’t anticipated Ana having the problems she did. He’d said he was in his twenties; he hadn’t lied about that. And it wasn’t like he was some slacker without a job or direction in his life. He’d finished his bachelor’s in three and a half years, and in another year, he’d have his master’s and be ready to start on his doctorate. So with common interests, great sex, and a shared work ethic, there seemed to be little room for issue.
“I’m still working on that part,” he said. “Part of me is hoping she’s come to her senses since Saturday night.”
Mason snorted. “Just don’t say that to her. ‘Hey, it’s me. I hope you’ve come to your senses.’ Women hate that. That’s one thing I learned my junior year I won’t soon forget.”
Ben turned the corner, braking gently when a pedestrian decided to take a little too long to cross. “Then there’s the whole, if we’re having fantastic sex all the time, maybe she’ll forget how young I am, plan. I kind of like that one
.”
“Wow, you’re in bigger trouble than I thought. She won’t have sex with you unless she forgets how young you are, and she won’t forget how young you are unless she has sex with you. I think it’s clear what you need to do.”
It didn’t seem so clear to Ben. “What?”
“Find somebody your own age. Or buy her something. Jenna once cut me off for like three weeks. I bought her some earrings she had her eye on, and everything was back to hunky-dory.”
That’s because Jenna gives Paris Hilton a run for the Miss Superficial of the Year award, he wanted to say, but Ben held his tongue. He wasn’t going to look for somebody else. He didn’t want somebody else. He wanted Ana. But getting her a gift wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. He wasn’t interested in buying her attention, but showing her that he cared might let her know that he was taking this seriously.
“That actually might be a step in the right direction,” he said. “Thanks.”
* * * *
Date: May 8, 2007
To: ana_moon
From: bj_scalia
Subject: Celebrations
Hey Ana,
All my grades are in and I am officially done with this semester. Want to help me celebrate by having dinner?
Ben
* * * *
Date: May 8, 2007
To: bj_scalia
From: ana_moon
Subject: Re: Celebrations
Hi Ben,
You mean tonight?
Ana
* * * *
Date: May 8, 2007
To: ana_moon
From: bj_scalia
Subject: Re: Celebrations
Well, I’d prefer tonight, but I know it’s short notice. We can make it later in the week, if that’s better for you.
Ben
* * * *
