by Susan Hayes
“What’s this for?” she asked, surprised by the quaver in her voice.
“This is a key to my house.” Ben put a hand on her knee and leaned in closer. “Before we got to dinner tonight, I was trying to find a way to ask you if you wanted one, so you could come and go from here as you pleased.”
Kelly opened her mouth to speak and he cut her off with a soft kiss that made her heart race and her fatigue fall away. She kissed him back, gripping the key in one hand as she stroked his stubbly cheek with the other. This was what she wanted. To be in his life as much as he would let her, the future be damned. She was done worrying about if they’d last, or what would happen when it ended.
He broke off the kiss with a rueful chuckle. “As much as I want to do more of that, I need to finish explaining. When I had that key made, I wanted to give it to you so you could come and go. Now, I want more. I want everything, Kelly. You and me, together. I don’t care if it’s only been a few weeks. You’re what I want. You’re who I love. Move in with me, please?”
The tears she’d fought so hard to keep back finally fell, coating her cheeks in a salty torrent. She had withstood threats, violence, and pain, but hearing Ben say that he loved her cracked her walls and sent them tumbling into ruin. “I love you too, Ben. So much. Yes, I’ll move in with you. This place is already more of my home than my apartment has ever been and it’s because you’re here. You and Chase are my home.”
“Say it again.” He was grinning at her now.
“I love you, Benjamin Wilde. I love you and I’m going to move in with you…on one condition.”
He blinked at that. “What condition?”
“Once a month, you have to cook me pancakes. Just like you did the first time I stayed the night.”
His grin turned wicked and his eyes gleamed with a hunger that had nothing to do with food. “Oh, baby. You have yourself a deal.”
* * * *
How had he gotten so lucky?
Ben kept wondering that as he carried his beautiful Kelly upstairs. She was lovely, compassionate, sexy, and smarter than hell, and she loved him. Somehow, he’d managed to win the only lottery that really mattered.
He carried her to his bedroom. No, it was their bedroom now. Their room, their house, their life. He liked the sound of that. Chase followed them upstairs, curling up on his bed at the end of the hall. Ben paused at the door and Kelly gave him a small smile.
“He earned it,” was all she said, but Ben knew what she meant.
“Come on, boy. Special occasion.”
Chase was up on the bed before they got two steps into the room, and Ben could only hope that he hadn’t pulled on his stitches jumping up there. Well, if he had, Kelly would be able to deal with it, right after they all managed to get a few hours of sleep.
Kelly was already yawning as he set her down on the edge of the bed, and she put up no resistance as he helped her out of her clothes. He cataloged every bruise, scrape, and bandage on her delicate skin as he went. Seeing the bandages over her ribs made his gut clench. He’d come terrifyingly close to losing her today.
The thought of not having Kelly in his life any more brought a dark veil over everything. If he was being honest with himself, he’d nearly lost her twice tonight, once to the criminals and once because of his own demons.
Life was better when Kelly was around. She kept the darkness away. There was more laughter, more light, and now he knew there would be more love too. He was just going to have to find a way to balance the job he loved with the woman who had laid claim to his heart.
She was more than half asleep already as he tucked her into bed and then stripped off his own clothing before joining her under the covers. Chase had curled up at Kelly’s feet with what Ben was certain was the canine version of a grin on his face.
“Don’t get used to it, buddy. Once those stitches come out, your furry butt is back on your own bed.”
Chase just wagged in response and settled his big head down between his paws with a contented sigh. Ben knew just how he felt. He gathered Kelly into his arms and held her as she drifted off to sleep. She was the soul mate he’d needed and never had the words to describe. The answer to a prayer he’d never dared to speak.
As dawn broke outside and the birds began to sing, Ben finally closed his eyes and let sleep take him. He knew that when he woke up again, Kelly would be there beside him. Right where she was always meant to be.
Chapter Eleven
“What have you done to my house!” Ben’s horrified tone carried up the stairs and into the bedroom where Kelly was busy unpacking the last of her clothes. She heard him taking the stairs two at a time and turned around just in time to see him barrel through the door.
“Hi, sweetheart. You’re home early.”
Ben pulled her in for a hug, spinning her around until she was giddy and they were both laughing. “Don’t tell me you thought you could undo the wreckage downstairs before I got home. There’s a mountain of boxes in the living room and…” He stared around the room and groaned. “Why are there frilly extra pillows on my bed, woman?”
“All the boxes are empty. I just need to break them down and then they’ll be out of the way. As for the pillows, they’re just for show. You can take them off when you want to sleep.”
“You haven’t been moved in for a day yet and already you’re girlifying the place.”
“Not to worry, throw pillows are the extent of my evil makeover plans.” Kelly stood on tiptoes to brush a kiss to his lips. “I like this place as it is. Just like the owner.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He was grinning as he started backing her toward the bed.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll give you a hint, those pillows are about to get moved.”
“Such a romantic you are,” she teased, her hands already busy tugging at the buttons of his shirt. It had been a month since the night she’d been attacked, and while her physical injuries had healed quickly, it had taken longer for her to come to terms with everything else. Nightmares had plagued her sleep for weeks after the attack. She was no longer comfortable going out alone at night. It was slowly getting better, but Kelly knew that it would take more time before she was back to the person she’d been before it happened.
Right after the first nightmare, Ben had gotten her an appointment with a counselor who specialized in victims of violent crime. Just talking with her and finding out that what she was going through was normal had helped a lot.
Ben helped too, in a thousand little ways. He bought her several flashlights for the house, the car, and even her keychain, so she was never in the dark. He encouraged her to get back into her routine, even when it meant returning to the parking lot after dark, or just walking down the alleyway that led from her apartment building to the street.
The nightmares were much worse when she tried to sleep at her place so she’d stopped trying. The move may have officially happened today, but she’d been unofficially living at Ben’s place for a while now. Ben’s family was ecstatic, and Meg had already managed to point out that the backyard would be a wonderful space for any grandchildren that might come along. Brian had dragged her away after that, telling his wife to leave the young couple alone, but Kelly really didn’t mind. Meg was right. This place was made for a family, and she hoped one day they’d have one.
Jenny had been less thrilled to hear that her big sister was moving in with a cop, but she was trying. For now she planned on staying in Colorado, but had promised to come out and visit for Christmas. It was a good start.
The back of Kelly’s knees hit the mattress and she stopped, expecting Ben to do the same. He didn’t. Instead he kept prowling forward, his hands stroking down her back to cup her ass, as he sent a trail of fiery kisses from her ear to her shoulder. She lost her balance and started to tumble backward, grabbing at his shirt so she could take him down with her as she fell.
“I don’t think so,” he said, his voice a deep, sensual rumble as he pried
her hands off his half opened shirt and let her drop to the bed alone. “I had a chat with Tag when I was on my lunch break. He happened to mention that he gave you a ride to pick up some more boxes.”
“Yes, he did. He dropped by to make sure I was managing alright since you and Chase got called into work.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as he raked his gaze down her body and then lifted her up, tossing her into the middle of the bed. Before she could move a muscle, the pillows she’d just bought went flying and she found herself flipped onto her stomach. “What did I tell you would happen if I caught you in one of my brothers’ cars again?”
His words made her inner walls pulse and her pussy flood with the slick evidence of her arousal. She loved him in every mood, but there was no denying the fact she found him sexiest when he became her caveman. He slapped a hand across one cheek of her ass, just hard enough to get her attention. “Answer the question, baby.”
“You said you’d spank me.” Kelly didn’t even bother to hide the telltale huskiness in her voice.
“I said I’d spank your ass pink, and that’s just what I’m going to do. Don’t move until I tell you to.” Strong hands tugged at the waistband of her pants, peeling them off of her slowly. She did as she was told, not moving at all. Kelly knew Ben would never hurt her, and a part of her was so turned on by what he was doing that she could barely think straight.
When he had her naked from the waist down he ran a hand up the back of each thigh, making her shiver with anticipation. “Hands and knees, baby. Up you get.”
She got onto all fours, her head bowed so she could peek at him from under one arm. Somewhere in the last few minutes he’d stripped naked. She’d been so distracted by thoughts of what he was going to do that she’d missed it. It was a shame, because watching Ben get naked was one of her favorite pastimes. He was so sexy and it always amazed her that this handsome, loving man was all hers.
His hands stroked over her bottom and she had to bite back a soft moan of anticipation. She didn’t manage to muffle it enough though, because Ben chuckled. “This is supposed to be a punishment. So why am I getting the sense you’re going to enjoy this?”
“Because I think I am,” she confessed. The admission made her blush hotter than ever before, but it was worth the embarrassment to hear Ben’s low groan of arousal.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you today? You are so damned sexy, Kelly. And every day you find new ways to turn me on.” He slid a finger along the crack of her ass, following it down between her legs. For a brief second he penetrated the folds of her pussy, giving her clit a single flick before withdrawing his hand completely. Kelly turned her head to protest and then jumped as his other hand arced down and smacked her right cheek just hard enough to sting. “I told you not to move.”
Kelly stuck her tongue out at him, well aware of the price she’d pay. A second later his hand came down again, this time on her left cheek. Her pussy was nearly dripping now, her clit was throbbing, and her skin tingled with heat where his hand had struck her skin. It didn’t hurt at all. It felt so good she wanted him to do it again.
Three more times his hand came down and Kelly moaned as the pleasure grew more intense. When his fingers slid into her pussy again she quivered, so close to orgasm that she nearly came apart at his very first touch. He slid two fingers deep inside and she ground her hips against his hand, craving the contact. She wanted to come so badly it was almost painful.
“You are so fucking sexy,” he murmured, adding a third digit as he began finger fucking her with long, slow strokes. Just as her inner walls clamped around him, heralding her fast approaching release, he brought his hand down on her ass one more time and she went hurtling into a pleasure-filled abyss with his name on her lips.
Kelly was still dazed and dazzled by the aftershocks of her orgasm when she found herself back in Ben’s arms. The world tipped and spun for a moment, and then she was lying atop him with her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist. His heart was hammering against the wall of his chest, loud enough it drowned out every other sound.
His cock was trapped between them, every hard inch of him pressed against the swollen lips of her pussy. Kelly shifted her hips a fraction and they both moaned in unison. She moved again, spreading her thighs to straddle him so that her labia parted and she could rub her clit along his length, soaking him with her juices.
“I want you inside me with nothing between us,” she said and his cock twitched in response.
“Has it been long enough?” he asked, his voice thick with yearning.
“It has.”
“I’ve been waiting for this. Fuck, I want you so bad, baby. Let me in.”
Kelly arched her hips and reached between them, guiding his cock to her entrance. The birth control she’d started taking would be working now, meaning they could finally forgo condoms. It would be a first for both of them.
As their bodies came together, Ben shuddered and growled in pleasure, his eyes closing as she took him in, inch by satisfying inch. Kelly brushed a kiss to his mouth and then sat up, rolling her hips in a slow figure-eight that made her toes curl. Skin to skin felt better, more intimate, and every movement sent another sparkling wave of pleasure crashing through her.
Hazel eyes opened to stare up at her, lust blazing in their forest shaded depths. “You and I were meant to be like this. Nothing between us. You feel so good around me. Fuck, this is better than I ever imagined. Ride me, baby. I want to watch you fuck me.”
Kelly sat up a little straighter and let her head fall back as she gave in to her desires. Ben’s hands found her breasts and she wrapped her fingers around his thick wrists, using him for balance as she let herself go.
Hard and fast, then slow and deep, she rode him every way she could think of. This was her man, the one she wanted forever with. That knowledge helped her drop the last of her barriers, freeing her to act on her desires without embarrassment or fear. His fingers teased and toyed with her breasts until her nipples ached and every touch sent a flare of heat straight through her body to her clit.
He was thick enough that her body still had to stretch to accommodate his girth, and that meant every stroke touched nerve endings she had never known she had. Not until Ben had shown them to her. Her hips started moving faster and she leaned into his hands, trusting him to hold her as she raced toward oblivion again, taking Ben with her.
He came seconds before she did, his cock pulsing as he emptied himself into her body with a primal roar. Watching his passion was her undoing. Kelly felt as though she was soaring, caught up in a whirlwind of raw pleasure and wild passion that sent her senses spinning.
She let herself fall forward and Ben caught her, cradling her to his chest as they both struggled to catch their breath in the aftermath. Tiny tremors coursed through her limbs every time one of them moved, and Ben’s breath was as ragged as if he’d run a race as he nuzzled his lips into her hair.
“I’ve decided that when my time comes, that’s how I want to go,” he said as his breathing slowly returned to something close to normal.
“Shall I schedule that for sixty or so years from now?”
“I hope I have more than sixty years with you, baby. We’re just getting started.”
Kelly pressed a kiss to his chin. “I hope so too.”
“I hear a but in there somewhere.”
“But we never know how long we’ll have. I just know I want to spend every moment I have with you.” Kelly lifted her head to smile at him and was stunned by the love she saw in his eyes.
“That’s what I want too. I want you in my bed, my house, and my life from now until the day we die, and then I’m going to find you again and spend eternity with you too. You’re the one I’ve been looking for. There won’t be another. There couldn’t be.”
“You’re it for me too, Ben,” she said and her soul sang in agreement.
“Good. Then I expect the answer to this next question to be a
resounding yes.”
Kelly’s heart did a stuttering two-step as Ben reached under a pillow and pulled out a small velvet box. He grinned up at her as he opened it, revealing a pear-cut diamond ring.
“Ben?” His name came out in a strangled whisper as she stared at the ring in shock.
“That’s not a yes,” he said, his grin growing wider by the second.
“You didn’t actually ask me a question.”
“I…shit! Right.” Ben cleared his throat. “Kelly Towers, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She was laughing now, and her vision was blurred by the tears of joy falling down her cheeks.
She couldn’t see to take the ring out of the box so Ben did it, laughing all the while, The ring slid onto her finger and she held out her hand to gaze at it, hardly able to breathe.
“If that doesn’t keep my brothers away from you, then I’ve got Mom’s permission to bust some heads.”
“You did not just ask me to marry you as some sort of ‘hands off’ sign!” Kelly was too happy to do more than swat at his naked chest with her right hand.
He smirked up at her. “Nope. I asked you to marry me because I love you. I gave you a big, shiny rock to make it clear you are spoken for.”
“In that case, I want to get married soon,” she announced.
“Why?”
She waggled her brows at him as she leaned in for a kiss. “Because I want to buy you a big, shiny wedding band. You’re spoken for too!”
“Yes, I am.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and gave her a kiss that made her heart sing. “I was never much for the chase, but I’m truly done with it now. I’m all yours.”
The End
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