When I call him later, he happily accepts. I grin, glad that my day is going so well. I sit in my chair, forgetting about Nancy, when I let out a giggle, thinking that Ben will be the icing on my cake of a day.
“What was that for?” she asks.
“What?”
“That cute little giggle?”
“Did I giggle?”
“Seriously? Sam, you giggled like I never heard you giggle before.”
“It was nothing, really.”
She taps her pen to her mouth and says, “Didn’t sound like nothing to me. In fact, it sounded like anything besides nothing. And I’ll go so far to say it has something to do with a man because you’ve had this secretive little smirk on your face today.”
“I have?”
“Yes, you have. Is it Trevor? Are you two finally back together?”
My upturned lips immediately turn south. “Ugh, no. He’s a jerk and I don’t ever want to see him again.”
“Whoa. That’s a strong statement.”
“Yeah, well, he deserves it.” I give her a very brief rundown on that crazy situation.
“Okay, then if not Trevor, who?”
I waggle my eyebrows, saying, “Someone new.”
“Is that his name? Someone New?”
I laugh at her little joke. “No, his name is Ben Rhoades.”
Her face gets this look of horror on it. “No, tell me I didn’t hear you right. You didn’t say Ben Rhoades, did you?”
“Yeah, I did. Why?”
“Oh, Sam, be careful. Promise me. I’ve heard some pretty bad things about him.”
“Like?”
“He plows through women like a John Deere tractor.”
I wave my hand through the air. “Yeah, I know all that. But after Trevor, I’m not interested in a relationship. I’ve discussed this with Ben. It’s all cool.”
Nancy squints at me. “Is this Sam Calhoun I’m talking to?”
“Yep, and I’m just a girl who wants to have some fun.”
“Okay. I hear you. But be careful nonetheless. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“And I appreciate that. I really do. But a girl has to break out of her mold sometime and let herself free, you know.”
She taps that pen against her lips again and then nods. “I think I do know.”
After work I go home and I’m a combination of excited and nervous. The mixture has my stomach in one giant knot, so I’m unable to eat a thing. Instead, I take a quick shower and check out my closet for something cute yet sexy to wear. I opt for a dress that hits both and by the time I’m ready, it’s seven-thirty.
Lauren is in the kitchen when I come out. “Where are you off to?”
“To Ben’s.”
The size of her eyes tells me all I need to know. I didn’t share what I did earlier today. I’ll have to fill her in later.
“Where does he live?”
“In Mt. Pleasant,” I say.
“Nice. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you the scoop later.”
She gives me a little wave, saying, “Have fun, but Sam, please guard your heart.”
“I will. I promise.”
When I pull into his driveway, I have to say I’m impressed. It’s a large two-story house for a single guy. Now it’s show time. Will he really be naked? Guess I’ll find out. Pulling a tank load of air into my chest, I force my shaking body to calm down.
As I walk up to his front door, I’m happy as hell I wore flats and not the heels I originally eyed, because my legs feel like noodles. My hand goes for the doorbell when I remember what his text said. So I push down the latch and am happy it gives way. With a huge amount of trepidation, I open the door and step over the threshold. Closing the door behind me, I hear him say my name. The room is dimly lit and at first I’m not sure where his voice is coming from.
Then I hear, “Lock the door, and follow the hall into the great room. You’ll find me in the kitchen.”
I do as he asks and take the time to notice that Ben’s house is an eclectic mixture of modern and traditional. The furnishings look comfortable and inviting and the walls are graced with an interesting array of artwork. When I get to the kitchen, he stands behind the island and asks if I’d like a glass of wine.
“I’d love one.” I keep walking. He’s shirtless and from what I can see, he’s absolutely beautiful. My feet carry me with no thoughts at all. I stop when I reach the island and stand opposite him, since it’s the side closest to me. He hands me my glass and I take a huge gulp.
“Thirsty?”
“I am.” But not for wine. I want to get this part out of the way, so I take another huge drink and drain my glass. I can’t even tell if it’s good or bad. I could be drinking vinegar right now and not know the difference.
“Looks like it,” he says, taking in my empty glass. “Care for another?”
“Not really.” I step away from the counter and move around to him. “Well, I know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You were serious about the naked thing.”
“I told you to count on it, didn’t I? Only it doesn’t seem fair I’m the only one naked.”
He grabs something from the counter and covers his dick before I get to see. “Eyes up here. What is it with women who can’t keep their eyes above the equator?”
The mirth in his eyes causes me to giggle. I feel nervous and invigorated at the same time.
“Strip, Sam.” The amusement is still there, but there is a seriousness to his tone.
Suddenly I’m in the spotlight as his eyes bore into me. I can’t seem to remember how to get the damn dress off. My hands shake but he takes a hold of each of my wrists which means whatever he’s been holding is gone. He’s bare and his heated skin warms me as he pulls me close.
And I can’t wait any longer. My hands land in his hair and his end up fumbling with the hem of my dress. Our mouths crash into each other with a teeth cracking sound before we stop a minute, laughing.
“I’ve …”
“You …”
We both start talking at the same time and laugh again.
“You first,” he says.
“I’m honestly not sure how to do this even though I’ve thought of little else all day.”
His chuckles are long since gone as his eyes smolder on mine.
“So have I. You are so beautiful, Sam.” His hands leave my dress and move to cup my face. “Let’s try this kiss again.” His lips touch mine, soft yet insistent, and I’m lost. Slowly, our tongues twine together and explore each other. As the kiss deepens, my brain spins with nothing but this man.
His palms leave my face and move to my dress. All clumsiness is gone now as he finds the zipper and tugs it down, so he can free me from its confines. As the dress falls, it seems to take forever as the fabric flows down my skin like a slow moving river, and I tremble.
He breaks off the kiss and says, “I have to look at you. God, if I could only tell you the number of times I’ve imagined you like this, you probably wouldn’t believe it.”
He runs one finger slowly underneath a bra strap, making me shiver like it was thirty degrees outside, yet a hundred and twenty inside. Then he slides the strap off my shoulder and presses a kiss there, repeating his actions on the other side. I’m momentarily frozen by desire. And this is only the beginning. I can’t even imagine what I’ll be feeling later.
“Open your eyes, Sam. I want all of you here.”
When I look at him, I get an eyeful. He’s erect and his cock is gorgeous. My hand goes on autopilot to grip him, drawn to him. He’s smooth and velvety to my touch.
But then his hand wraps around mine.
“Sam, I’ve been wanting you for so long now. I’m going to have to ask you to keep your hands to yourself or I can’t promise what’ll happen.”
“I like those kinds of promises.”
“Normally, I do too, but right now, I want to play with you
first.” With those words, he takes my hands off of him with a sexy smirk and kisses me. “I have big plans for us. They include the use of your hands, but not right now.”
Before I know it, my bra is unhooked and dropping to the floor. “My turn,” he says. His head homes in on a nipple and when his mouth hits the target, I moan. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay on my feet with this kind of teasing. My nipple is diamond-hard as he flicks his tongue over it and then sucks it hard. My fingers sink into his shoulders to avoid falling. Pure lust fans throughout my body, scorching my veins. The dampness between my legs grows as he turns his attention to my other nipple. When he moves, a hand slides down the back of my ass, moving the thin string of my thong aside, and starts to rub along my slit from behind. All of a sudden he stops everything and I protest.
“It’s okay. I’m only going to pick you up and carry you upstairs to my bedroom.”
I sag in relief. And then I feel and hear him chuckle. He bends down and slips off my thong. Then he stands and puts an arm under my knees and picks me up.
“You ready?”
“Mmm hmm.” I nod.
His bed is massive and his room is definitely masculine. Dark wood and deep hues blend to make it so. When he lays me down, I sink into a world of comfort. He hovers over me and then kisses me.
“I love your mouth, Sam.”
“Hmm.” I love his body, but I’m not going to tell him that. Not yet anyway.
His mouth is like fucking magic on my skin. Electric fire. He kisses, sucks, bites, and licks his way down to my thighs. He has this way of using his teeth that is so damn hot. He scrapes them along a certain area until I want to hang from his ceiling fan. What the hell is that all about? By the time he gets to my inner thighs, I am melting.
I’ve had men go down on me before—so-called boyfriends I thought I loved – and it’s been good. But tonight, I experience something extraordinary. Pussy, meet Ben’s mouth and tongue. Holy quivering vaginas. This man knows his way around a woman’s body. When he gets down to business, we are both speaking in tongues. He’s working me in a foreign language I’ve never heard. And I murmur incoherent words as I lose my grip on my native tongue. Either I have an out of body experience or I don’t even know what. All I know is he is a lethal combination of I’ve-never-had-anything-this-amazing and the-greatest-oral-sex-of-my-life.
“Sam, how are you doing there?”
“I-I’m not sure.” And it’s the damn truth.
His mouth is on mine and some way brings some sanity back to me. I taste my salt on his tongue and he grabs my leg, wrapping it around his waist. Then I hear him tearing open a condom, and I honest to God want to put the thing on him, but my limbs are still so loose and languid, I can’t get them to cooperate and move properly. So I lay there like the dead. He’s back and raises a brow, asking, “You with me here?”
“Yeah.”
“You look amazing. Tell me you feel as good as you look,” he says, as he hovers over me.
“Never better.” What I really want to say is, “Stop talking and get to fucking,” but I don’t want to embarrass myself, so I keep my thoughts to myself.
Then I feel his tip penetrate. I fist the sheet just before he rocks in and out until he’s deep seated. It’s been far too long since I’ve felt this. I feel full and stretched in all the right ways. And if I thought I could have slept like the dead after getting off once, I’m now fueled up again and ready to go. My hands cup his firm ass and I tilt my hips to meet him. One hand slides under me and he looks at me. “You good?”
“More,” I breathe, holding his eyes in challenge.
He braces himself on one elbow and thrusts in and out, hard and fast. His brow is furrowed and a fine sheen of sweat makes him glow. The man look like an illusion—like something I dreamed up.
“Tell me how you like it, Sam.”
He hits a spot that makes me groan, and I pant out, “Yeah, this is good.”
A hand moves between us and he finds my sensitive nub, which is still reeling from my last orgasm, and starts to apply the slightest pressure. Then he moves his finger so he’s rubbing but not really rubbing.
Oh my God, I’m pretty sure I see heaven as stars explode in front of my eyes and I climax again, moaning out my pleasure. I think I understand why he has a reputation. He knows my body better than I do and this is our first time. I start to realize why women would want to hold on to him.
“You’re gorgeous when you come,” he says.
“Huh?” I blink before his words register. “Oh.” I smile, enjoying the afterglow of two orgasms. “I wouldn’t know.”
He chuckles at my stupid joke. Then he puts a hand under my waist and flips me over. What? There’s more? I feel his cock all over the back of me as he kisses me everywhere. My neck, my shoulder, my back, my ass, especially my ass when he sinks his teeth into me. He lifts my hips, shoves a mound of pillows under me, and spreads my legs. Then his head is back between my thighs, nibbling, sucking and who knows what all. Only I know I’m getting turned on again.
He positions himself at my entrance and plunges in. “You’re so wet, Sam.”
“I should be. You’ve just given me two orgasms.”
“Hmm. And to think the night has just begun.”
“What?” I gasp.
“That was only a warm up.”
I’m speechless because two has been the limit of the few guys that came before him.
“And Sam, this one’s going to be a little rougher than the last two.”
As soon as his words end, he slams into me, deep.
“Oh, God, Ben.” It’s all I can say.
He presses a palm on my back, pushing me down but keeping my ass raised and fucks me like a mad man. Now I know what I’ve been missing and why all the bad girls are bad. This is what fucking is all about.
My fingers grab the sheets and clump them up right before I scream out his name and have violent orgasm number three. He isn’t done and I ache in the sweetest way. He adjusts his angle as he continues to pound into me building my fourth release.
“That’s it, baby. I feel your tight pussy grip me. You’re going to come and so am I.”
He grips my sides as he nails me to the bed. I come hard screaming out my pleasure as he grunts, coming hard, grinding himself against my ass. Then he pulls out and collapses on top of me, grabbing me close to him.
“That was epic,” he says.
I can hardly catch my breath, but manage to utter, “Yeah. It was.”
He kisses my cheek and I turn so I can kiss him back. What I thought would be a quick peck turns into a serious make out session. We are nothing but hands, lips, and tongues.
When we finally stop, he looks down and my gaze follows. He’s sporting an impressive erection again.
“Jesus, Sam.” He shakes his head and laughs. “Don’t go anywhere.” He gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom but is back before I can think of doing a thing.
“I want you on top.” He reaches for a condom and I grab his hand.
“I want to do that.”
His grin is one for a toothpaste commercial as he hands me said item. I stick the end in my mouth and use my teeth to tear into the foil packet. Once his cock is fully protected, I prepare to mount. Then I laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just thought how I was preparing to mount you. Like a horse.”
“And?”
“I thought it was funny.”
“Wait.” He runs a finger around my opening. “Just wanted to make sure you were ready.”
That was nice. Trevor never would’ve done that.
“The verdict?”
“Mount up, cowgirl.” Now he laughs.
I lift up and insert the tip but I don’t wait and do it little by little. I fully seat myself on him and he lets out the sexiest damn groan I’ve ever heard. Then he grabs my hands and puts them on his hips.
“Go. Ride me hard, Sam.”
And I do. I hold nothing b
ack. But he tells me to stop and face the other way.
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
And he’s right. The pressure, holy cow. Or horse. Or whatever. And then he starts to play with my ass. And I freeze.
“No?”
“No.”
“Okay.” His hands are gone from that spot. “For now. One day I’ll change your mind.”
I don’t pay attention; I’m only focused on one thing.
“Sam, are you close?”
“Yeah.”
Then he surprises me when he sits up, but not all the way. His hand reaches for me and starts with a nipple. Then he moves to my clit and that’s all it takes to push me over the edge. He follows and after, lays me down right on top of him, and rolls on his side.
“Next time will be like this.”
“Mmm.” I can’t keep my eyes open. I feel him slide out, but I drop off.
I wake up later, after eleven, and the bed is empty next to me. I get up to pee and when I’m done, I walk downstairs with a beautiful ache between my legs, and go hunt for Ben. The kitchen is empty, but I find him outside on the deck, looking over the marsh.
“Hey,” I say.
“Did I wake you?”
“No. I had to use the bathroom. I think I’d better get going, though,” I murmur.
“No, you don’t. You’re not going anywhere. Didn’t you know?”
“Know what?” Now I’m curious.
“Fuck buddy rules? You have to spend the night.”
Thirteen
BEN
How had I let those words leave my mouth? Spend the night? When had I ever asked a woman to spend the night? It isn’t like I hadn’t spent the night with a woman before. Karen stayed over plenty of nights as well as a few others. But it hadn’t been planned. It had been because the night ran late and fatigue won out.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says.
I blink, feeling my jaw slacken as I grope for words to dissuade her.
She purses her lips. “I can see you really didn’t plan on asking me to stay?”
Honesty wins out over reason as I nod.
“Oh,” she says.
I watch as she obviously expects me to give her another answer. She walks back in the house and her curves wake my cock.
The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset Page 55