For Her Benefit

by Nana Malone

  “Yeah, yeah, we know. End him, blah, blah, blah. We got it.”

  East took hold of my arm and tried to drag me to the side door. “Let’s go have a smoke.”

  “You know I don’t smoke.”

  “Well, I’ll think of something.”

  “You don’t have to do that. My shit’s tight. I’m under control.”

  But then the twat met my gaze and instead of looking for a way to try to sneak off, he approached me right in the middle of my bloody dining room. “Where’s Olivia?”

  “Like I would fucking tell you, you pencil dick.”

  He scowled. “What is your problem with me? From the moment I met you, you’ve had a problem with me.”

  “Other than the fact that you’re trespassing on my property? How did you get in here?”

  “I hitched a ride with someone. There’s always a weak point in the security.”

  I fought East’s hold, but he held on tight. “Get him out of here,” I growled.

  Drew grinned. “With pleasure.”

  Drew dragged Dex out of the back of the house so as to not disturb the guests. A few of them started to look around and noticed, but many were entertained by the live DJ. The lights were low, and alcohol was flowing. Most of them were caught up in their own shit.

  My mates dragged him quietly outside, but when I stepped out into the cool air, I grabbed him and slammed him up against the side of my house.

  “What the hell are you doing in my house?”

  “I came to wish Liv a happy birthday.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you.”

  “I know. Look, don’t you think I know that? I fucked up a lot, but it is her birthday, her first without her mum, so I’m here to support her.”

  There was a thread of sincerity, but I wasn’t idiot enough to believe him. But Liv had a soft heart, and she might.

  “I get it. You think you’re protecting her. But you forget that to her, I’m family.” He shook himself free of Drew and Bridge.

  “You think you know her so well? Why did you—"

  “I do know her. We had years together.”

  “Oh, is that why you are no longer dating her then?”

  It was his turn to scowl. I stepped toward him. East tried to stop me, but I ducked under and got right up on Dexter’s face. “What is your objective here? What do you think is going to happen?”

  “The last time we talked, we didn’t have such a good conversation. I was hoping to pick it up where we left off.”

  “You mean when you called my girlfriend a cunt? Oh yes, I know about that.”

  Dex licked his lips then. “That was a miscalculation. I shouldn’t have said it. I was upset, and I said some things that I didn’t mean. I’d like to apologize to her.”

  “As if.”

  East had already contacted Erik, and Scott came from around the front of the house making long, quick strides as he headed toward us.

  Dex took one glance at the look on Scott’s face, like he meant business, and Dex tried to evade my grasp. He managed to duck under one arm, but I dragged him back and slammed him back against the brick. He held up two hands. “Okay, fine. I’m going. I’m going. No need to get rough.”

  “I wouldn’t waste blood on you.”

  He held up his hands. “Fine.” I released him and he started to walk as if he was going to follow Scott around the house, but then he whipped around quickly, and I got popped in the nose. Straight jab, no muss, no fuss.

  The sting ricocheted through my skull. I didn’t even think then. I just reacted. He landed his solid second punch, but that was the last time he surprised me because with my right hand, I locked around his wrist, twisted back, and then hit him with several repeated jabs.

  It happened so fast it took Bridge a moment to respond. And then he seemed unsure if he should pull me off or hit Dex himself.

  East yelled. “What the fuck? Jesus Christ.”

  And Drew. Drew just stumbled back. “Fuck, Ben. Ease up, mate. We don’t need a lawsuit.” But it was too late for that.

  I was long past giving any fucks. I didn’t know where to buy a fuck. The weeks of pent-up anxiety exploded.

  Blood splattered everywhere. He managed to duck one of my hits and come under me, trying to go for a full-fledged tackle.

  Drew tried to grab him, and Dex released an elbow, hitting him in the sternum. Drew coughed. Scott turned around, gun aimed and poised at the ready.

  “Don’t fucking shoot him. I don’t need the fucking cops on me right now.”

  I landed several elbows on the back of his shoulders. I didn’t want to hit the back of his neck. I could paralyze him. But I delivered enough blows to make him release me. And then Bridge joined in and landed a straight punch to Dex’s jaw, causing his head to whip to the side. “He’s mine now. Why should you always get to have all the fun?”

  After that, my mates backed off. Dexter tried another feeble hit, but he missed. My aim was a lot more thorough. Jab. Jab. Hook. Back and forth his head went. But almost as quickly as it began, East was pulling me off.

  “Ben. Bennett, listen to me. This is Liv’s birthday. She doesn’t want this. Hand him over to Scott.”

  Scott frowned. “Next time we have a problem, call me first. I’ll get him out cleanly. This, this is hard to hide.”

  I scowled and tossed Dex into Scott’s arms. When I staggered backward, my mates glowered at me. “You could have killed him.”

  “I know.” I should have felt bad about that, but I didn’t.

  East pressed his lips. “We have a little too much heat right now.”

  “I know. Why the fuck do you think he’s walking out of here alive?”

  Bridge just muttered under his breath. “Shit. You should have just let me do it.”

  I glowered at him. “No, I take care of my own messes.”

  Bridge shook his head. “You still have much to learn. Your mess is our mess.”

  He was right. As much trouble as we all were into right now, I didn’t have the luxury of being precious. These were my mates. We were in this together. I glanced down at my hands and winced. How the fuck was I going to explain this to Livy?

  Livy

  Where the hell had my boyfriend vanished to?

  As the last guests left the party, Bryna and Jessa hugged me tight, wishing me happy birthday, Lucas dropped a very pretty bracelet in my pocket, and Roone gave me a certificate for private lessons for Krav Maga. The instructor would come to the house. I felt loved, and appreciated, and wanted, like I had family. It had been so long since I’d felt that feeling.

  At one point in the middle of the festivities, Telly had run over insisting she’d seen Dex. But I looked around and didn’t see him, and she hadn’t been able to find him again either. So I was convinced it was just someone who looked like him, which was still unfortunate. But right around that time, I hadn’t seen Ben either or the rest of the London Lords. East, Bridge and Drew had eventually all reappeared, but when I asked where Ben was, they shrugged and acted like they had no idea. It was odd though, because East quickly became the host of the party, making sure everyone had drinks and talking to all the people. He was also the one who joined me to say goodbye as everyone left. Had Ben ditched me with twenty minutes left to go?

  No, he’s not Dex.

  My feet were killing me, so I kicked off my heels and slipped into my padded slippers, shuffling around the house looking for him.

  Why did a single man need a house so big?

  It took me a while, but I found him in the movie theatre, two floors down. Admittedly, I’d had some help from the security cameras. When I opened the door and tiptoed in, he didn’t even lift his head.

  “Everyone gone?”

  “Yeah, I thought you’d left too.”

  He sat up slowly. “Liv?”

  “Yeah, were you expecting someone else?”

  “I thought you were maybe East.”

  “Why would East be coming to find you?”

&nb
sp; “He’s the one who shoved me in here and told me to cool off. Unfortunately, I didn’t cool off. All I managed to do was drink.” His words slurred together.

  “Ben, are you drunk?”

  He squinted his eyes. “I’m mildly buzzed. Lucky for you, I hate tequila. But I’m not happy about it. I’m annoyed. Pissed off. Which tells me that I need to stay down here even longer.”

  “Well, everyone has left. Why don’t you come to bed?”

  “Everyone’s gone?”

  “Yeah.” I turned on the light, and he winced and whirled away from me. Was that blood? “Ben, what’s wrong with you?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  But when he turned to face me, I saw that it was, in fact, something. “Your nose is bleeding. What the fuck happened?”

  “Nothing I didn’t take care of.”

  My gaze drifted down to his hands. His knuckles were bloodied, and his hands slightly stained red, as if he’d washed them but only haphazardly. “Yesu, what happened?”

  “It was nothing.”

  “I will fucking kill whoever did this to you.”

  His cocky grin was slow. “Is it weird that I find it sexy when you talk about kicking somebody’s ass for me?”

  “Oh my God, you really are buzzed.”

  “Maybe a little. I’m not drunk though.”

  “Jesus, what happened? Is there a reason you kicked somebody’s ass at my party?”

  He shrugged. “No.”

  “So, you have a bloody nose, and honestly, I think it’s broken.”

  He frowned. “Shit, does that mean I won’t be pretty anymore?”

  I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Yes, that’s exactly what it means. It means that you’re not pretty anymore. I’m getting a new boyfriend.”

  His brows furrowed into a scowl. “The fuck you are. After what you and I did in the kitchen earlier tonight, you are never leaving.”

  The edge in his voice made a shiver run up my spine. “Ben, I’m teasing. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m too hyped up. I apologize. I’m not trying to be a dick. If you want to leave, you can. But just know that I will do everything in my power to get you back. I won’t hold you here against your will. That sounded creepy and stalkery and fuck…”

  “It sounded possessive. And a little bit hot if you were talking about the bedroom. What’s going on with you?”

  He sighed then held up his hands. “The reason I’m down here is because your ex-boyfriend showed up. He insisted on seeing you. I refused to let that happen. He got in a sucker punch, and I proceeded to try and kill him.”

  My jaw unhinged. “You got in a fight with Dexter?” I wasn’t sure what I was more annoyed by, the fact that he’d been fighting at my party or the fact that part of me, a very small non-feminist part, found it oddly sexy. He’d fought Dex for me.

  “I already feel like an idiot, and I have never been sorrier in my life. It was your night. I wanted it to be perfect, but then he showed up and I just lost my shit.”

  I sighed and walked up to his seat. He reached out a hand and I took it, gingerly, careful not to hurt him. Then I pulled him into a more upright position. “Ugh, tequila.”

  He nodded. “You see? The smell, right? That’s what always stops me from drinking more tequila.”

  I looked down at the bottle. Not much of it was gone. He really didn’t like tequila. I kneeled in front of him. “Listen, even seeing Dex wouldn’t have ruined my night. My boyfriend went to all manner of lengths to make sure I had the best time. Fucking Imani Chase was here. She’s a huge star. And I am so grateful for this party. But you know, I didn’t need any of this. I could have just spent the night with you, on the couch, watching Netflix with a cupcake and a candle and loved every second of it.”

  “I know. I’m just trying to give you more. I always want to give you more.”

  “Okay, because I know that you like to do that. But just so you know, I don’t need more. I’m not that woman who’s going to demand more from you. I love you. You don’t have to defend my honor, and you don’t have to beat up my ex. I don’t need any of that. I just need you by my side.”

  “Fuck. I vanished on you. I’m so sorry.” His words were still slurred. “I wanted to be there for you.”

  “Stop. I felt so loved all night. And clearly, you are a mess. He really got you with a sucker punch?”

  He groaned as he nodded. “Yeah. I was handing him off to Scott. He just whirled around and popped me. If Bridge and East hadn’t been there, I might have killed him. Especially when Drew restrained him. He was just an easy target.”

  “He’s an ass, agreed. And honestly, I would very much relish the option to pop him in the face myself. But he’s old news; he’s the past. He doesn’t matter. The wasted years with him, the pain, you erased all of that for me. You’re the one fighting the demon. That demon doesn’t exist for me anymore.”

  He leaned forward and brushed his lips over mine. “How about we go upstairs, and I’ll take a shower so I don’t smell like god-awful tequila.”

  “I am behind this plan, and even if Dex appears again, he’s not someone you have to fight for me. I can do that myself, and I owe him a fucking sucker punch.”

  His grin was slow, and it made the panties I’d put on earlier melt. “Now that’s a way to get me out of my bad mood. You would fight Dexter for me?”

  “Immediately, without hesitation.”

  Liv

  “I’m going to hold you, if that’s okay. You know how much I want you.” He dragged in a sharp breath when I wiggled my ass against his thick erection. “Hell, you can feel it.” His cock twitched against my ass. He clearly wanted me, but all he did was continue to hold me. “I need to hold you more than I need to make love to you. If that’s okay.”

  I nodded then whispered, “Thank you for today.”

  Ben kissed my ear softly. “You have nothing to thank me for. I’m not going anywhere.”

  It was in the cocoon of his arms that I was finally able to fall asleep.

  Hours later, with streaks of moonlight casting shadows into our room, I moaned into Ben's chest. I was awake enough to know I was having either the very best of dreams or one hell of a wakeup call. Ben kissed me as his thumb and forefinger rolled one of my nipples. Sighing into the caress, I let myself relax into the kiss. His expert tongue caressed and teased mine into playing.

  God, I relished what he could do to my body. The way he made me pliant. He never rushed me, even when I wanted to hurry. He always took his time with everything, even kissing me, like we had all the time in the world. Like his erection wasn't straining.

  I loved kissing him. His lips were so soft and skilled, and his tongue–every time he licked into my mouth, it made me shiver. When his hand dipped between my thighs, I parted them to ease his way. Skilled fingers stroked my cleft, teasing me, driving me crazy. I arched my back trying to angle my hips into his hand.

  Ben slid a finger inside me as his thumb caressed my clit, and I cried out and sank my fingers into his hair. He grunted in satisfaction as my hips bucked, then he sucked on my tongue in time with his fingers sliding into my slick center. His heavy erection continued to press into my thigh, and I moaned. I would never get over what he could do to my body. I'd never been so carnal, so aroused, so willing to give myself completely to anyone.

  With a groan, he pulled back from our kiss and I mewled as I tried to follow his lips. His gaze scorched me. Dark and fiery, he stared at me under hooded lids. “Jesus, what are you doing to me?”

  My constricted throat made it impossible to speak, so I responded the only way I knew how—by arching my hips into his hand again.

  He muttered a soft curse and squeezed his eyes shut. As his fingers strummed me to the edge of orgasm, he chewed on his bottom lip. When he increased the pace of his questing fingers, I held tight onto his shoulders. I rotated my hips around and around until he swore again and rubbed his thumb directly over my clit.

  My orgasm rip
ped through me, laying waste to every nerve and cell. Unable to think, I threw my head back, giving myself over fully to the sensation.

  “Holy fuck, you are so beautiful when you come.”

  I smiled up at him, before he burrowed under the covers. His hands parting my thighs made me tense. “Ben, I–”

  He tugged the sheet down and lifted his head. After he crawled back up my body, he turned my chin firmly so I was looking at him. His gaze burned hot, the desire etched on his face was unmistakable. “Do you trust me?”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  “Good. Now I’m going to erase every memory of that asshole Dexter from your body. I will erase every memory of any other man before me. Tasting you is one of the highlights of my day.”

  “I-uh...” Wow. “In that case, who am I to stand between a man and his mission.”

  “There’s my girl.” His smile was lopsided. “Look at us sharing control.”

  He slid back down my body, placing kisses across my chest and belly as he went. When he reached my hips, he nibbled at the flesh over my pelvic bone then scooted still lower.

  Dusting featherlight kisses on my inner thighs, he paused when he got to my cleft. “So pretty. And so soft.” His first stroke of my slick center had me clenching my hands into the sheets. He lapped at me, kissing me and exploring me with his tongue. He took his time, as he did with everything else. He seemed in no hurry. When his tongue circled the throbbing bundle of nerves, I flew apart in his hands again. But he didn’t let up. He kept stroking me. Kept lapping at me.

  It wasn’t until he slid a finger into my moist sheath again that I lost all my inhibitions. Forgot everything I’d been afraid of. Forgot the shadows that had been chasing me and gave myself over to him. If he was intent on killing me with ecstasy, then who the hell was I to argue?

  Finally relaxing, I let my thighs fall apart again, and he moaned, parting my folds and dipping the tip of his finger into my center. My third orgasm rolled through me, chasing the tail of the previous one, and he didn’t let up until I lay limp.

  He drew himself back up my body, pausing to nip at my hips again, then to suckle my breasts.