Benny smiled down at her, making a tingle of excitement buzz up her neck as she watched him lean down to the cooler and pull something out. A second later, she heard a muffled pop, and he produced two tall glasses, pouring champagne into them. She sat up to take the glass, and he took the other in his hand, offering a toast.
“What are we celebrating?” Harley asked, clinking her glass to his, the light sound melting into the surrounding emptiness around them.
“I mean, nothing in particular. Us, I guess,” Benny said, pausing for a moment before downing his glass in one go.
“I’ll drink to that.” She took a swig too, the bitter bubbles prickling down her throat, making her entire body feel a little bit lighter.
When she looked at Benny again, she patted the spot on the bed beside her, and he sat down slowly. The entire bed shifted, moving under the incredible weight of his built body, and Harley giggled, the champagne already making her feel a little buzzed.
“Hey, I’m a big guy,” Benny said, lying on his side as Harley scooted closer so the bed wouldn’t throw her off.
“I’m not complaining.”
His face was so handsome, cast in the light of the half-moon above them. It was like some burly angel had fallen from heaven to watch over her, complete with hazel eyes and a heart of gold.
Harley took another sip of champagne and lay on her back to look up at the stars.
She didn’t know if Benny was planning on going further, but already, her heart was racing with ideas and plans of how they could do more of what had happened in his office.
“Wow, it’s beautiful up here.”
Nearby, an owl hooted, and crickets here and there chirped, the sound as familiar as the back of her own hand. High above them, the Milky Way spread out in a wide swath of blue and silver stars, as if some cosmic painter had arrayed it with a single brush stroke.
“Yeah, it is,” Benny replied, and she felt his gaze flick to her for a moment before returning upward toward the heavens.
“How many nights do you think we spent like this?”
“At least half of high school. That was certainly a rough enough time to warrant thinking.”
“I think high school is rough for everyone. Back then, it felt like the world was so small. It was good to go out and look up into something that defied explanation. But now, with everything in our world changing, with shifters and mating and the club to run, it feels good to get back to basics. To feel grounded in something unchanging and familiar.”
“So you’re glad I brought you here?” he asked.
“Definitely.” She looked over at him, giving him a mischievous smile. “Even if it means slumming it out here with you,” she joked, downing the rest of what tasted like fairly expensive champagne and lying down on the plush blankets.
“Well, maybe I’ll just have to boot you out, and I’ll enjoy ‘slumming’ by myself,” he said with air quotes, grinning as he did.
“No, you can’t. I’ve claimed this bed. It’s my bed now.” The champagne, mixed with childhood nostalgia, was making her silly, as if no problems in the world could reach them out here all alone.
“Well, then I’m here to conquer the kingdom of Harley and depose its queen.” He raised an imaginary flag and planted it on the corner of the bed. Then he reached to the side and pulled a blanket, throwing it over her. “And now you’re my captive.”
She giggled, struggling against him for a second as he wrapped the fuzzy green blanket around her and pulled her into him. But struggling only got her farther entangled in the plush fabric, leaving her stuck and panting little white puffs of air into the frigid evening.
Feeling his strength, so overpowering and dominant yet reserved just for her, was as exciting as it was arousing, and she nestled into his chest and arms. His warmth emanated off him in waves, touching the very heart of her soul.
“Even if it was just on top of a cardboard box, I’d want to be here with you, Harley. I’ve only ever wanted to be with you.” His voice was deep, tickling her ear as he spoke.
“I feel the same.” Many times in her youth, especially as they’d grown older, Harley had imagined being with Benny like this. In a place where it was just them, alone. But then they’d moved out to the city, founded the club. One thing led to another, and life started to move so fast she feared it would pass her by.
But out here, time seemed to stand still.
“I’ve come out here by myself a few times over the last few years. But it was never the same. I wanted to invite you, but… I don’t know. Now that we’re no longer kids, I was afraid it would feel too…”
“Intimate?” she replied
He paused. “Yeah. But that’s why I wanted to come out here with you, finally share something that was always incomplete without you.”
She turned around, and Benny loosened his grip so they could lie on their sides, face to face. Harley could make out every feature of his face, every dimple, every eyelash that framed his beautiful hazel eyes.
He was her whole world.
“So what do you think so far?”
“Let’s just say I love everything about it. Especially the intimacy.” There was a flash as his pupils dilated, looking her up and down as if he could see all her thoughts, and her toes curled in anticipation as the moment hung over them like so many wishing stars.
And then he leaned forward, lips crashing down on hers like a wave over the shore, stirring a million thoughts and sensations in Harley all at once. Immediately, she parted her lips, wanting to feel more of him, and Benny swept inside with his tongue. Heat and desire pooled in her center, drawn out by the only person in the world that could make her feel this way.
But he didn’t pull away, not until she was left wanting so much more, almost breathless, by his insatiable kisses.
“Harley, I only want you. I can’t stop wanting you, every minute of every day.” His voice was earnest, eyes full of want that mirrored her own.
“I’m yours. I want you so badly I can hardly think straight.” She couldn’t wait another second to sink into the pleasure that he alone could give her.
This time, he leaned over her, surrounding her with his strength, and kissed her with everything he had.
And the rest of the world disappeared into the shadows of the forest around them as she fell in.
Chapter 11
Benny felt nothing else in the world but Harley. Her lips on his, her tongue entwined with his, her body beneath him, soft and perfect and everything.
She let out a muffled gasp as he covered her mouth completely, wanting to be deeper inside her than ever before, tracing along the sensitive spots that made her body respond to him.
But as he moved slightly, they both bounced as the air-filled bed groaned with the two adult bodies moving around on top of it. So they took a moment to shift, Harley lying on her back as he knelt over her, creating a steep indent in the bed that forced them even closer.
Benny had no complaints with that, though.
He didn’t waste a second more, placing hungry kisses up her neck leading to her ear, where he licked along the shell and the down to the lobe. And when he grabbed it between his teeth, lightly dragging his mouth over it, she sighed.
“God, Benny, keep going.”
“I’ll never stop.” He kissed the place where ear met neck, sucking her skin there for a moment, not caring if it showed. She was his. Nobody was allowed near her. Not before, not now, not ever.
It was as if he couldn’t touch Harley enough. Every kiss, every sound, every soft centimeter of her skin a blissful reminder that this was real. They were real.
He felt his bear rumbling. But to his surprise, it was patient, as if Benny were finally listening to himself by pushing forward so there was no need to make a fuss.
Her hair was like silk in his hands as he grasped the beautiful red waves in his fingers, caressing her nape as he came down to kiss her again. Even without blankets, his entire body was warm like coals. His cock thr
obbed against his jeans, instantly turned on by her reactions to his touch.
Then, as the moon rose higher in the sky above them in its slow march, he ran his hands down her hips, memorizing Harley’s curves like an incantation that could save him.
Harley was the only one that had truly saved him. From himself. From his past. From a future of being alone with the monster that haunted him daily.
He owed her the world and then some.
And when he ran his fingers beneath her shirt, caressing up her soft belly and toward her breasts, Harley tugged at the shirt, trying to pull it up but not getting far trapped beneath him like this. So he helped her, gently pulling her shirt over her head, then undoing her bra and setting it aside in the bed of the truck so it wouldn’t get lost.
“There, better?”
“So much better,” she said, looking up at him with green eyes shaded in blue moonlight. She was so beautiful, full breasts and soft outline practically glowing, lips slightly parted as his hands cupped her soft flesh and squeezed them.
She moaned, the sound so soft it was like raindrops, and her hands tugged at the edge of his button-up shirt.
“Can I touch you this time too?” she begged, longing in her gaze as she tried to look through his clothing to what lay beneath.
Benny related to that expression, and he paused, listening for any warnings from his subconscious. But all seemed right for the moment, and Harley deserved to have what she wanted as much as he wanted to give it to her.
Moving quickly, he started to undo the buttons one by one. But between his arousal and the sight of a half-naked, heartbreakingly gorgeous Harley beneath him, his big bear hands couldn’t cooperate. So instead, he tore the thing down the center, tossing aside it and the white undershirt he wore in pieces.
At first, Harley giggled at the display, then gaped openly as he was left shirtless in the back of his truck.
“Wow. Hot,” she exclaimed.
Benny felt his skin go warm with her touch as she felt along his abs, moving up to his pecs then back down his arms.
He’d feel embarrassed right now if not for the fact that he could sense attraction to him, so earnest and out in the open, so singularly directed at him and only for him.
It was as though she were seeing a part of him she’d never seen before. And it felt good. Healing.
Benny leaned down, gathering one breast in his hand and suckling the tip of her nipple. Then, finally realizing it was a bit cool out, he pulled two blankets and lay them haphazardly over them, making sure she was completely covered before resuming.
“You can just use your mouth to warm me up. How about that?” Harley said, sentence interrupted in the middle by a tiny gasp as he pressed his thumb into the center of her breast.
So he did, licking her all over, using his arousal-warmed hands to cup and squeeze her, drawing expressions of arousal from her like erotic requests for more. And when he was satisfied she was no longer cold, he went lower, tracing lines down her belly and playing with her belly button with the tip of his tongue, then pulling at the button of her pants with his mouth, teasing her. And while he did, her hands continued to caress his taut muscles gently, then dug in as her arousal took over her senses.
He flicked the button open and pulled her jeans and panties down past her ankles, leaving her covered with the blankets that surrounded him in darkness. Harley’s scent, like mountain poppies in spring, was so close to him, mixing with the surrounding pine that called to the man and the bear in him at the same time, calling him to pleasure his mate.
Damn, he needed to taste her. Feel her wetness on his lips right this very instant.
Like she could feel the words in his mind, Harley’s breath started to race with excitement as he parted her legs, coming down to the sacred place between them and placing a single kiss at the apex of her thighs. She moaned loudly, body jolting and making the inflatable bed sway, almost making him lose his balance completely on the ever-shifting surface beneath them.
So Benny gently held her legs in place, keeping her steady as he leaned down to part her folds with his tongue, licking directly against her clit. Immediately her entire body tightened, muscles flexing from the sensation. But he didn’t let up, so caught up in her pleasure that he had to give her more.
Harley mewled with each kiss, each stroke, sinking deeper into the bed as he licked her senseless. It was like a sensual back-and-forth as Benny flicked his tongue and tasted and suckled ever so lightly, while Harley grasped his shoulders, holding on to him as if her life depended on him.
Benny’s life depended on Harley; that was certain.
With one more lick, long and slow, Harley finally came, screaming his name over and over, the sound dissipating like smoke into the empty glade.
Thankfully, this area was completely empty, devoid of all but animal life, so Harley could make as much noise as she wanted.
But her release only made Benny want her more. Made him want to make her come again.
So he came back to her clit again, going faster, entire body poised with the singular purpose of pleasuring his mate.
And when his bear growled the word with dark possessiveness, it echoed in his own mind over and over again.
Mate.
Her moans were becoming harried gasps for breath. Benny, too, was aroused beyond belief, cock straining against his pants so hard he wondered if they’d rip. But Harley came first as he slid his fingers into her wetness, hooking upward against her sensitive spot while his tongue covered her clit in unison.
It took mere seconds for her to come again, groaning as her hands snaked into his hair, the tension on his scalp from her pulling a delicious reminder of her desire for him. Even as she came, he placed gentle kisses on her hips, making little aftershocks tense the muscles in her abdomen, drawing out the last bits of her orgasm.
“Damn, Benny. If I had known you were going to be like this, I would have made a move a long time ago.” She finished with a sigh, and he came out from under the blankets to look at his mate again.
Her body was glowing under the moonlight, like a goddess lying in the back of his truck, all for him to protect, to love.
“I like to think that things happened the way they did for a reason. Maybe it was just timing. Maybe everything in our lives needed to line up first. Either way, I’m just happy to be here with you.” He finished, licking his lips. Then, wanting to taste more of her slick desire, he raised his hand and devoured her sweetness from his fingers.
She blushed, going red and covering her face momentarily.
“How can you say such romantic things and do that in the same breath?” she exclaimed, her tone half aroused, half shocked.
“I don’t know. You just bring out that side of me.” He grinned down at her, watching as she smiled up at him between her parted fingers.
“Yeah, well, you bring it out of me, I think.” Her hair was splayed out on the mattress beneath her in a halo of red. “But I like it.”
“I know you do.”
Harley looked away from him, embarrassed again. But when he leaned down, cupping her cheek with his hand to kiss her, she didn’t resist.
Only, as he licked inside her mouth with his tongue, he felt her hands on his jeans, subtly undoing his belt, and he pulled back, holding back a laugh at his mate’s eagerness.
Benny couldn’t blame her if she felt even a fraction of what he felt for her.
He helped her, undoing everything and sliding out of the remainder of his clothes while Harley watched, practically licking her lips at the end as the jeans fell into the bed of the truck. And when he pulled the blankets over them again, he just held in her his arms, both of them completely bared and aroused, his member throbbing
“I guess I should have asked first. You know I want you, Benny, so badly. But you don’t have to rush. I know things are complicated.” The yearning in her voice matched the yearning in his soul.
For a quick second, he checked everything. But all the long-held
fears of losing control, of losing himself in the beast he kept contained deep within, were gone. At least for now.
“How can I possibly stop when you make me feel so alive? When you’re everything in the world I could possibly want?” He kissed her on one cheek, then the other.
“So that’s a yes?” she asked eagerly.
“I mean, we can’t mate, not yet at least.” As he spoke, he reached down to his jeans and pulled a condom out, making sure the little pill Fifi had given him was still there. “But that doesn’t mean other things are off the table.”
In the back of his brain, the dire bear growled, as if annoyed at the fact that he didn’t plan on mating Harley right here, right now, but it was Benny’s call.
And as badly as he needed her to be his forever, his number-one problem didn’t have a clear solution just yet.
“Hell yeah,” she exclaimed, her hands stroking up his dick as he fumbled with the condom wrapper, even the slight feel of her skin on his making his legs go tight.
When he’d finally pulled the damn thing on, he positioned himself between Harley’s legs, feeling like he was on the precipice of everything.
With a slow, controlled motion, he thrust into Harley—his lover, his best friend, his one and all—pausing for a moment as her body tensed beneath him. But gradually, as her body relaxed around him, allowing him to move even deeper, they met until they were all the way hip to hip.
“Overwhelming, as expected,” Harley said, teeth clenched as she closed her eyes, hands holding his shoulders tightly.
“Take all the time you need, sexy.”
Apparently, that wasn’t very long, as the strain in her expression immediately melted away, relaxing as her breaths became heated moans. Then slowly, Benny withdrew almost all the way, then sheathed himself within her tight wetness again.
Then before he could move again, Harley wrapped her legs around his lower back, withdrawing her body slightly from him, then forcing him into her. Then they did it again and again until they were moving in an intense rhythm that made the shocks on his truck creak from the motion of their bodies coming together.
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