“I suppose it is,” I admitted thoughtfully. “This is so crazy.”
“Moving in with me?” he asked.
I nodded. “I know it’s a temporary move, but it feels like more.”
“This is more than a reality show relationship to me,” he began. “I have real feelings for you, and I want you to stay with me. We’re good together.”
“I like you a lot, Ben—more than I expected to when we started all of this. I do want this to work, but I’m a little afraid. What happens if you decide you no longer want to settle in the Bay Area?”
“Then we move,” he told me.
“So, you think I’ll follow you wherever you go?” I asked. “What about my life?”
“I shouldn’t have put it that way,” he admitted. “Why would I need to move? I’m not recording with the band anymore. If I ever decide to perform again, it will probably be solo. The animation studio I’m trying to get hired on at does the bigger part of their filming in the Bay Area.”
“Which isn’t the norm,” I pointed out. “You could end up needing to work in LA or New York.”
“Let’s not worry that far ahead. All I’m asking for is a chance to prove we can make this work without either of us playing the what-if game.”
“All right,” I agreed. “I don’t know why I’m fighting this. I want to make things work with you. Let’s give this a real try. Maybe we can even pretend the filming crew isn’t there.”
“Only three more weeks,” he reminded me.
“Why does it seem like an eternity?” I asked with a sigh.
“Eat up,” he said with a smile. “You’ll be back in the Bay Area this afternoon.”
Chapter 36
Gemma
Ben’s home was in a gated community in Danville close to where my dad and stepmom lived. I frowned at the thought of my dad and his evil wife.
“I’m surprised I haven’t heard from the step hag,” I mused as we rode toward Ben’s home. “Oh, shit!”
I’d gotten so lost in my thoughts that I’d forgotten we were being recorded in the back of the SUV. There was no camera crew, just a recording device, so I couldn’t even ask them to delete that section.
Ben, having heard me complain about the step hag before, was laughing at my dilemma. If this aired, and she saw it, I would have to listen to my father’s lecture about respecting Brittany. After everything he’d been through with her recently, I couldn’t believe he was still defending her.
Several months ago, my stepmom had been scheming to try to force my sister to get back together with her cheating ex. It hadn’t worked out the way she’d hoped, and it had come out that my stepmom was sleeping with my sister's ex. I still shuddered at the images that put in my mind. Even after giving my father photo evidence of his wife’s infidelity, he still chose to ignore it and had insisted no one bring it up again.
Since I was already in trouble, I figured there was no reason to hold my tongue. “I am going to have to listen to so much complaining if this ends up on the show.”
“Do they watch the show?” Ben asked.
“I doubt my dad watches it, but I don’t honestly know about the step hag. We need to stop talking about her. Mentioning her is a lot like summoning a demon. I don’t want to find her on your front porch. You don’t think the show would do something so horrible, do you?”
“I want to assure you they have no reason to do something like that, but they love tormenting us.”
“Rich is going to be pissed when he sees this footage,” I remarked as Ben reached for the door handle.
He turned to grin at me. “Yeah, and that’s the best part. There’s no one in front of my house.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. We stepped out of the SUV and immediately found ourselves being filmed. It said a lot about the last few days of my life that I was starting to get used to the cameras. That wasn’t an entirely good thing since it also meant I said more things that I’d rather not have aired on television.
“What do you think of our new home?” Ben asked as he gestured to the house. He’d convinced me to start thinking of it as my home since he was working hard to convince me to stay.
Ben’s home was white with red trim, and there was a small, well-kept yard in front. The thing that stood out most was the large bay window in the front.
“It’s nice,” I replied. “I love the windows.”
“So do I,” he said with a smile. “I should carry you over the threshold.”
I laughed at his suggestion. “We already did that at the hotel. Surely you haven’t forgotten about carrying me over the threshold after breaking one of my favorite shoes, have you?”
“That was supposed to be our secret,” he reminded me. “Now, the world will know the truth.”
“I’m pretty sure they know what you did to my shoe.”
“Good point,” he agreed before scooping me up in his arms.
I laughed. “Ben! I can walk into the house.”
“Nah,” he replied. “I’d rather carry you. I’m going to carry you upstairs and show you my bedroom—our bedroom. This time, I won’t pretend to break your shoe.”
Rich gestured wildly to let us know he was not okay with that plan.
Ben frowned when we reached the front door. “Damn. I need to put you down to fish out my keys and disable the alarm. You wait here while I do that, and then I’ll carry you inside.”
“Is this really that important to you?” I asked.
“Yes, because it’s the fastest way to get you upstairs without being waylaid,” he replied.
“All right,” I agreed.
Just as he was about to set me down, the front door opened, and I screamed.
Chapter 37
Ben
The shock of having someone unexpectedly open my front door, combined with Gemma’s scream, nearly made me drop her.
“What the actual fuck?” I asked.
“Surprise!” the blonde who answered the door exclaimed with a fake smile. She turned to look at the man approaching from behind. “I told you she’d be thrilled when she found out we were here, Clark. A girl needs her mom and dad to help celebrate her marriage.”
“Mom?” Gemma asked. “Have you lost your mind?”
I still had Gemma in my arms, and I wasn’t sure what to do next. The blonde was blocking my entrance, or I might have made a break for my bedroom and barricaded the door. At least, their arrival killed my hard-on.
“Be nice to Brit,” the man who had to be Gemma’s dad said in a nearly monotone voice. “She’s trying to do something nice for you.”
“She’s trying to get on television,” Gemma accused.
Brittany gasped, and when she spoke again, it sounded as if she were holding back tears. “I don’t know why you girls refuse to accept me into your life. All I’ve ever wanted is to be a part of this family, but you continue to push me away.”
“Oh. My. God!” a woman shouted from behind us.
I turned to see what new hell was heading our way. A redhead had just climbed out of the driver's side of a Bugatti Chiron as a dark-haired man stepped out of the passenger’s side.
The redhead looked pissed as she stalked toward us while the guy leaned against the car with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
“You should put me down,” Gemma suggested. “We aren’t going to make it up to your room any time soon.”
With a sigh of resignation, I set her down, and she immediately turned to face the angry redhead who smiled when her eyes landed on Gemma.
“I’m so sorry,” the redhead said as she hugged Gemma. “Brittany didn’t give me any warning about this party. We just got back this morning and managed to get some track time. That’s where we were when she left me a message, so I didn’t see it right away.”
“It’s okay, Jade,” Gemma assured her. “I’d never blame you for anything she does.” Her attention shifted to me. “Ben, this is my sister, Jade. Standing guard by the car is her husband, Remi.”
Remi nodded at the mention of his name and called out, “Do you mind if I park this in your garage? Something tells me we’re going to be here a while.”
“Sure,” I replied. “That’s quite a car to be driving around.”
“Remi suggested we go home to change cars, but I wanted to get here as soon as possible,” Jade explained. “I’d hoped to beat you here and possibly deal with Brittany.”
“You could have sent me a warning,” Gemma pointed out.
“I did,” Jade assured her. “You were probably busy and didn’t hear your phone.”
Gemma nodded. “You’re probably right. Are you mad at me for getting married while you were on your honeymoon?” She sounded a little worried about her sister’s reaction. “I know you said it was okay when we spoke on the phone before the wedding yesterday, but I want to make sure you weren’t just waiting to yell at me in person.”
Jade laughed and shook her head. “I’m not mad at you. It came as a surprise, considering how much you like to plan everything in advance, but this will make for an interesting story to tell your grandkids.”
Gemma made a face. “Grandkids? I just got married, and you’re already planning my grandkids?”
“Excuse me,” Brittany practically snapped. “Are you going to ignore us after we put together a nice party for you?”
Both Gemma and Jade rolled their eyes.
“If you move out of Ben’s way, he can let Remi into the garage, and we can go into your party,” Gemma told her.
Jade muttered something under her breath that sounded like, “I hope none of the food is smothered in raspberry, chocolate curry sauce.”
I had to have misheard her.
Chapter 38
Gemma
Ben’s home was nice, except for the bitch infestation. At least, I could be thankful that the step hag hadn’t planned a big party. It was just her, my dad, Jade, and Remi. She hadn’t considered inviting any of my friends, including Tucker. Why would she when it would have meant sharing the spotlight?
Jade and Remi had been shocked by the number of forms they’d had to sign in order to stay. I wondered if they were regretting agreeing to sign the forms after suffering through Rich’s choice in food.
“I am so hungry, I’m tempted to eat some of that awful food,” I muttered. The step hag hadn’t planned the food, but she’d raved about Rich’s healthy choices.
“I’m not that hungry,” Ben muttered.
“I made the mistake of trying some of that food,” Jade admitted. “The only good thing I can say is that it doesn’t have some disgusting sauce like the stuff Brittany serves.”
Ben, having never suffered the step hag’s unusual taste in food, didn’t realize how bad it could be, as evidenced by what he said next. “I think any sauce would make it taste better. It would be nice if the food had a little flavor.”
“Noooo,” Remi told him with an exaggerated shake of his head. “You do not want to get stuck eating any of those sauces. I was once like you, figuring Jade had to be exaggerating the experience. My first meal with her family was an ordinary lasagna. That lured me into a false sense of security.”
“I still don’t think the sauces could be any worse than this bland food,” Ben argued.
“We can’t possibly express how bad the step hag’s choice in food truly is,” I told him. “I still can’t figure out how they get their housekeeper to make that crap. It’s all Brittany’s idea, but she doesn’t cook. She orders the housekeeper to make these ludicrous concoctions.”
“Dad pays the housekeeper well,” Jade reminded me. “Maybe he pays her more to put up with Brittany’s recipes.”
“So, how is married life treating you?” I asked Jade and Remi.
“It’s the best,” Remi replied with a grin. “I can’t believe it took me months to convince Jade to marry me.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “It hasn’t even been a year since we started dating.”
“I was ready to marry you months before you agreed, Red.”
Jade smiled. “I enjoyed letting you convince me, Tequila.”
“That was fun,” Remi agreed with a grin. “How about you guys? Are you enjoying married life?”
“I’d enjoy it more without the cameras and the surprises the show throws at us,” Ben admitted. “But I do enjoy being with Gemma.”
“We’re still getting to know each other,” I pointed out. “This is an unusual situation.”
“My situation with Remi wasn’t exactly the norm,” Jade stated.
Remi chuckled. “I won Jade in a game of cards.”
Jade smacked his belly. “That’s not the whole story.”
“It’s a big part of the story,” I argued.
“This, I need to hear,” Ben told them.
“I’ll be happy to fill you in when we aren’t being filmed,” Remi replied. “Jade’s pussy ex-husband would probably sue me and this show if anything negative was aired about him.”
“Like you calling him a pussy?” Jade asked.
Remi shrugged.
“I’ll wait to hear the story,” Ben told him.
“You’re happy with Gemma?” Remi asked. “She’s family, and I’d hate to see her hurt by some man-whore rock star.”
“We’ve been family for less than a week,” I reminded him. “I think it is too soon for you to play the overprotective brother-in-law.”
“I don’t think you have much room to judge someone for being a man-whore in their past,” Jade added with a laugh.
“Ah, Red,” Remi murmured as he brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “You’re always calling me on my shit, aren’t you?”
“That’s why you love me,” she replied.
“It’s one of many reasons,” he said before brushing his lips against hers.
When I looked over, I found Ben watching me with a slight smile playing on his lips. He slipped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his side before leaning in to whisper, “It’s time for your family to go home.”
I looked over at the step hag, who was engaged in a serious conversation with Rich. She didn’t look like she planned to leave anytime soon. Remi and Jade wouldn’t be a problem since they would understand our desire to spend time alone. My dad would stay until the step hag decided to leave. “It doesn’t look like Rich or the step hag are going to leave soon.”
“Then it’s time to take matters into my own hands,” Ben announced before stepping in front of me and tossing me over his shoulder.
Chapter 39
Ben
“Ben!” Gemma squealed as I carried her toward the stairs. “What are you doing?”
“Taking my wife to bed,” I replied with a grin. Yeah, I liked the sound of that.
“We still have guests in the house,” she argued.
Since she seemed concerned with our guests, I turned to face them. “The party’s over. I’m going to make love to my new wife for several hours.”
Remi chuckled as Jade called out a goodbye. I heard Brittany’s gasp and Rich’s complaints. I ignored them all. My dick was already straining at the zipper on my pants. I needed her. Now. Everything else could wait.
I got her into my room and kicked the door shut behind me before setting her on her feet. Gemma shook her head and laughed. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“I can’t believe I waited more than two hours to do this,” I admitted as my fingers tangled in her hair. “Welcome home, wife.”
I kissed her as I guided her down onto my bed. I wanted to enjoy her in every room of my house, but I’d have to start with the room with no cameras or unwanted guests.
We tore at each other’s clothes. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of having her. Once we were both naked, she pushed on my chest until I rolled onto my back, and then she straddled my hips before looking arou
nd for a condom.
“Uh uh uh,” I told her as I caught her hips. “I told you I was starving when we got back here, and I still haven’t eaten.”
“I understand,” she said in a serious tone. “You want to order take out.”
“Bratty little smart ass,” I accused as I sat up and flipped her until she was lying across my lap. “What do you think I should do with you?”
She moaned as my hand massaged her ass. “A lot of fun ideas come to mind.”
“There certainly are a lot of possibilities,” I mused as I continued to massage her ass. “Have I ever told you what a gorgeous ass you have?”
“You’ve mentioned it before,” she breathed out.
“Then, I have to wonder why I haven’t spent more time since our wedding yesterday enjoying it.” I loved her shudder at my words. “An ass like this needs to be spanked.” I smacked her backside, and she moaned. “It also needs to be fucked. Don’t you agree?”
“God, yes,” she breathed out as she wiggled again.
Fuck me! Gemma was going to cause me to die from sexual overload, not that I’d mind.
I started massaging her ass again before I gave it two more swats. Continuing with that pattern, I soon had her squirming and moaning.
When I slipped a hand between her legs, I found her wet and ready for me. I stroked her opening as she continued to moan and wiggle. When she started to lift herself off of me, I placed a hand on her lower back and smacked her ass again.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I murmured. “I don’t remember saying I’m done with you.”
Chapter 40
Gemma
I shuddered in response to Ben’s words. “Please, Ben,” I whimpered as he massaged my ass. “I need more. I need you.”
Thankfully, Ben took pity on me. He repositioned us until I was lying on the bed with his face buried between my legs. His hands gripped my ass as his tongue drove me to the edge of my control. There was no teasing or slow build-up; it was unnecessary.
Ben brought me right to the brink of orgasm before stopping to slide on a condom. He laid on his back. “I want you to ride me.”
Unscripted Desires Page 12