“Yeah, you have said it before, but I still don’t understand why me.” I wasn’t fishing for compliments and I certainly wasn’t insecure. I was just genuinely confused.
“Why you? Precisely because you are you, and I’ve never met any other woman like you.” Reaching past me for the door, he pushed it open and waved me inside. “I’ve been fantasizing about seeing you in my bed for a long time, so this is one part of the tour I am serious about.”
Glad that he’d taken the pressure about responding to his previous statement off me, I turned and started walking backward toward his bed while keeping my eyes on his. “Seems like this is your lucky night then.”
When he reached me, I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had. Things escalated quickly from there, but as we tore each other’s clothes off and toppled into his bed, I knew I felt the same way about him as he did about me.
I’d never met anyone like Ben before, and I was completely okay with him ruining me for all other guys. As long as he understood that I wouldn’t be the only one who would be getting ruined for all other people. I’d been giving as good as I got since I’d met him, and I wouldn’t be stopping now.
Chapter 34
BEN
Tori kissed me like I was important to her, and it changed something deep inside of me. It made me want to right every wrong that had been committed against her. Made me want to give her the world on a platter.
Her skin was warm against mine when I banded my arm around her back to dip her down on the bed. I went after her, not willing to break contact for even a second. She’d taken me by surprise in the limo, but it was the best surprise I’d ever gotten.
I’d been sitting there fighting to keep my hands to myself when suddenly hers were on me. For a moment there, I’d hesitated. When she’d said what she did though, it had broken through every boundary I’d been so careful about crafting since the club.
With her breasts mashed against my chest, her hands in my hair, and her mouth hungrily devouring mine, it was safe to say there were no more barriers between us. I was so excited about being with her again that it was all I could do to hold back.
Tori, however, was having none of it. Clearly, she’d meant it when she’d said she didn’t want me holding back any longer.
Abruptly turning her head to the side, she broke off our kiss and seemed to be looking for something. I smoothed a hand over her hip, propping myself up on the other to frown at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Her breathing was so labored she was almost panting, but when she brought her gaze back to mine, she was smiling. “I was looking for a condom. I figured you probably have some lying around here somewhere.”
“Nightstand,” I grunted, rolling away from her to reach into the drawer and pulling out a new box I’d stashed there.
She watched me open it, her gaze darting from mine to the box and back again. “Someone was prepared for this.”
I stilled, realizing what it had to look like that I had a fresh stash of condoms just waiting there. “It was more a case of wishful thinking instead of preparation. Believe it or not, I’ve never had sex in this bed. Not even in this house. I bought these in the hopes that I might eventually get to use them with you.”
“How have you never had sex in your own bed?” She frowned up at me, and I couldn’t stand seeing the furrow in her brow.
Placing soft kisses on her jaw and on the lines on her forehead until they smoothed out, I nipped at her collarbone and smiled. “If my hand counts, then I’ve had plenty of sex in my own bed. Especially these last couple of months. There’s this girl who’s been driving me out of my mind, who I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, and she’s been keeping my head pretty busy late at night.”
Her lips parted in surprise, and I took advantage by kissing her before running my nose along the length of hers.
“You mean you’ve…” She trailed off, a new flush appearing on her cheeks.
“It’s adorable that you’re naked underneath me and you can’t say it, but yes, I’ve jerked off to thoughts of you. A lot. Before I met you, it’s a little embarrassing how long it had been.”
I sighed but then shook my head and told her the whole truth. “I told you that my divorce did a real number on me. I can’t say I haven’t been with anyone since, but it never meant anything, and eventually, I guess I just lost interest in meaningless sex. I never brought anyone back here because it became my retreat after rough days in court. After all that, I wasn’t interested again until I met you.”
“So you’ve really thought about me?” Her nose wrinkled but a playful spark lit in her eyes again, her voice dropping to a whisper as her hand burrowed between us. When she wrapped her fingers around my shaft, I let out a long low groan and nodded.
“I’m really not even proud of how often,” I said, my hips starting to thrust into her fist. My breathing became choppy as pleasure raced down my spine. “Victoria.”
“Show me,” she whispered, not needing to give me any more of an explanation of what she wanted.
Lifting myself up on my knees, I reached for the box I’d dropped while talking to her and pulled out a foil packet. After biting it open, I rolled the condom on as fast as I could before repositioning myself between her spread legs.
She massaged her fingers along my shoulders, cupping the back of my neck as I slowly sank into her. My eyes never left hers despite the nearly overwhelming urge to close them as her heat enveloped me, sucking me in and gripping me tight.
Both of us trembled when I finally bottomed out, and she lifted her head off the pillow to kiss me before she started moving her hips. I matched the pace she set, learning again what made her moan and doing everything I could to keep it even when she shuddered beneath me.
“Ben,” she breathed between fervent kisses, her body tensing before she clung to me like a koala.
Coming undone, she thrashed underneath me, moaning and mumbling words I couldn’t make out while I tried to keep it together. I lost the fight when she nipped at my collarbone in an attempt to silence her cries. My orgasm exploded from me, my thoughts scattering until nothing existed except the intense pleasure of being inside her.
As I lay there with Tori in my arms after, I’d never felt more fulfilled. She challenged me and completed me in every way I’d never let myself dream I could be.
It had been a rash, spur of the moment decision I’d made on the day she’d agreed to go out with me, but there was a ring in my nightstand I almost decided to give to her right then and there. I knew it was much too soon, but I had to hold myself back from sitting up, reaching for it, and asking her to wear it forever.
On my way home that afternoon after the press conference, I’d gone back to the jewelry store where I’d bought that bracelet for her. Since I now knew she’d never accept something as ostentatious as the bracelet, my intention had been to buy her something smaller, cheaper, and more delicate to commemorate our first date.
Instead of walking out with a charm or a pendant or anything less expensive, I’d climbed back into the car with a ring in my pocket. In my defense, at least it was more delicate than the bracelet.
The center diamond was still nothing to be sneezed at, but it was sunk into an intricately woven platinum band I thought she’d love. If there was even the smallest possibility of her agreeing to marry me, I’d have asked her right now.
Naked. Our first time together in a bed I hoped would become ours.
It wouldn’t have been a fancy, expensive, or elaborate proposal, but I didn’t think she wanted any of that. In fact, I was convinced she’d have preferred it this way. Low-key, just the two of us, and deliriously happy as we lay there catching our breath.
I’d already realized she was the only woman for me, but I was pretty sure she needed more time to process since this was technically only our first date. Proposing might not be such a good look for me under the circumstances.
Tori rolled over ont
o her side, her head on my arm and her hand on my chest as she blinked up at me. “What are you thinking about that suddenly has you looking so serious?”
I turned my head toward her, burrowing into my pillow to be able to reach the tip of her nose as I pressed a soft kiss to it. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the worst ones were all the ones that hurt you. I’m so sorry for all the things I’ve done wrong, Tori. From firing you, to humiliating you, to trying to get back at you. I’ve been an asshole, and I truly hope you can forgive me one day.”
“It won’t be easy, but I’ll try,” she said, then smiled so I’d know she was joking.
I shook my head at her before wiggling down even lower to kiss her lips this time, murmuring against them whenever we came up for air. “I’ve been the boss for so long that I don’t realize how I treat people sometimes. It doesn’t excuse my actions, but I’m going to work hard to make real, positive changes.”
“Re-hiring the employees you fired is a good first step,” she replied, still smiling as she stroked her fingers up and down my back.
“Thanks for giving me the idea.” I kissed her again, deeper this time. “I’m sorry I fired anyone in the first place. I should’ve just listened to you back then.”
“Everyone makes mistakes, Ben. You need to work on forgiving yourself for yours just as much as you’re working on getting me to forgive you for them.”
“Maybe so, but when I think back to everything I’ve done, I don’t even know where to start with that process.” I wasn’t used to making myself vulnerable, and I wasn’t sure I liked it, but I also knew I wanted to be honest with her. “I can’t even really believe you’re here, never mind that we’re cuddling and having a pillow-talk session.”
She laughed softly, moving one of her hands to my cheek as she settled snugly into my side. “Neither can I, but I’m glad we are. We’ve given each other enough hell. This will be a nice change of pace for us.”
“Agreed.” We talked some more, kissed some more, and ended up making love just as slowly as I’d imagined it so many times in this very bed. When we finally lay back again, still holding each other, Tori’s eyes soon started drifting closed. “Good night, baby. Sleep now. We can talk more in the morning.”
She hummed a response, but her breathing evened out, and then she was fast asleep. I smiled to myself as I flicked off the light on my nightstand with one hand, careful not to rouse her as I reached for it.
It felt like a dream that I was going to get to spend the rest of the night with her in my bed, in my arms. Now I just hoped it wasn’t the one and only time I got to do it. If I had my way, it was only the first of every night of the rest of our lives, but I also knew that when it came to the two of us, things always seemed to go wrong somehow.
Chapter 35
TORI
I woke up wrapped in a pair of strong arms with a wide chest pressed against my back. It took me a second to realize it was Ben, and even longer to accept the fact that I’d spent the whole night with him.
From the way he was breathing, it was a safe bet that he was still asleep. Turning slowly so as not to wake him, I smiled as I admired the handsome planes of his face in his sleep. It was truly difficult in that moment to believe that so many crazy things had happened between us, but I was really hoping that things would change after yesterday.
It wouldn’t be easy, and I knew I would have to be patient with him, but I was up to the challenge. Somehow, he’d crawled into my heart and that tiny part of me knew it would be worth it if I could just hang in there.
Still smiling, I tried to extricate myself from him. After everything he’d done for me yesterday, the least I could do was to bring him coffee in bed. Besides, I could really use a cup of the stuff myself.
My body was tender in places I’d never even known I had places, and while it was that delicious, sated tenderness that spoke of a night of intense lovemaking, I would still need a caffeine kick if I was going to have to move around at all today. As I tried to lift one of his arms gently off me, scooting back to try to get out of bed without waking him, he frowned and pulled me closer. A very girlish giggle burst out of me, and he cracked open an eye with a lazy smile lifting the corner of his lips.
“Good morning,” he murmured, then lifted his head before winding his fingers into my loose hair and kissing me like morning breath wasn’t a real thing.
Although I wasn’t much more of a fan of morning breath than anyone else, I nearly swooned when he kissed me so soundly first thing. He was such a good kisser that I wasn’t even worried about morning breath for longer than the first two seconds anyway.
When he pulled me back against him all the way, I felt him getting hard against my stomach and moaned when he moved a hand up to caress my breast. The pad of his thumb brushed over my nipple, the nub still sensitive from last night.
What had started as a good-morning kiss quickly turned into something more, like neither of us had come even close to having our fill even though we’d spent half the night awake together. Ben was loud for a guy and surprisingly responsive. It gave me such a thrill to feel his hard muscles quivering whenever I touched him.
He was already hard when I took him in my hand, groaning when his hips started giving these little thrusts I was pretty sure weren’t voluntary. His hands did some exploration of their own, but just as I started to feel an orgasm building, we were interrupted by my growling stomach.
Ben pulled away from me immediately, chuckling as he flipped onto his back and dragged in several deep breaths. “Just give me a second. I promise I’ll feed you. I’d just rather not talk to my cook when I’m ten seconds away from coming.”
“Why do you want to call your cook? I can make us breakfast,” I offered while trying to get my own body to cool down. “I like cooking. Don’t call anyone.”
It took a few more minutes before we finally made it out of bed. He pulled on some sweatpants while I scooped up his discarded shirt from the day before and put that on over my panties.
Ben’s eyes widened when he realized what I was wearing, and he made a grab to tackle me back to the bed. “Yeah. Breakfast might have to wait just a little while longer.”
“No way. We’re out of bed already. Think about it this way. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can come right back here.”
Laughing as I dodged him, I went for the door and darted out toward the kitchen. He was right behind me, apparently intent on doing his best to interfere while I made breakfast. “Fine, but don’t think I’m not going to be touching you when you’re looking like that.”
His fridge was a gold mine of fresh produce, and I decided on omelets while he distracted me by trailing his fingers up and down the bare backs of my thighs. “As soon as we’re done eating, we’re finishing what we started just now.”
He kept murmuring to me in a husky voice that made it real difficult to concentrate, making all sorts of dirty promises that made me have to squeeze my legs together to keep them shut. Once I’d broken some eggs into a pan, I used the spatula to give him a gentle whack on his bicep.
“If you keep touching me like that, I’m going to end up setting your house on fire,” I warned, but he simply laughed it off.
Sweeping my hair over one of my shoulders, he pressed his lips to the exposed column of my throat while he hooked an arm around my waist to keep me pressed to his front. “Burn it down. See if I care. I’ve waited long enough to be able to touch you whenever I want. I’m not letting some omelets stand in my way now. No matter how delicious it smells.”
He moved with me to keep kissing and touching me wherever I went. Eventually giving in once I’d added ingredients I’d chopped up to the eggs, I turned in the circle of his arms and grinned up at him.
“You have a couple of minutes,” I said against his lips, pushing up on my tiptoes to graze kisses against his jaw as his hands flexed on my hips. “After that, those will burn and I’ll have to start all over again.”
“A couple of minute
s is all I need to—” We were so caught up in each other that neither of us had heard the approaching footsteps.
Someone clearing their throat behind me was my second clue that we weren’t alone anymore. The first had been the expression on Ben’s face just before he’d trailed off.
I spun around, suddenly extremely relieved to be standing between Ben and the kitchen island. My relief vanished when I saw who had joined us, though.
She might not be able to see my ass hanging out, but I doubted this woman had ever been caught with her pants not only down but completely off. Whoever she was, she was beautiful and put together in that sophisticated way I couldn’t have managed if I had a million dollars to give my wardrobe a complete makeover.
Some women just radiated style and elegance, and she was one of those women. She was a petite brunette with delicate features, a button for a nose, and a chin that was just slightly tilted up. Her brown eyes were large and almost perfectly almond shaped, alert but filled with disdain as they swept along my features.
She was dressed in jeans and a cute red coat with a broad black belt cinched around her waist and black leather ankle boots, but none of those items looked like she’d purchased them from just any regular store. Every inch of her screamed “designer,” and her clothes fit her like they’d been made especially for her.
Her brown hair was cut into a short bob, longer in the front where it ended with a sharp edge at her chin. I didn’t know who she was, but I didn’t need to know her name to know she was in a league of her own.
Ben stepped around me almost immediately, letting out a string of mumbled curses and shielding me with his body as best he could. He crossed his arms, his shoulders tense as he stared her down.
Love Your Moves: A Billionaire Valentine's Romantic Comedy Page 21