“At Ben. At Callie. Even at myself, but not at you.” With material sliding against skin, he let his pants fall to the carpet.
“Why the attitude with Ben?” She gave into the need then and brushed her hand over his cheek.
Mark sighed as he placed a kiss in her palm. “Does it matter?”
On some level it did. “I think it does to you.”
“He’s being cavalier with his life.”
“You don’t trust Callie to keep him safe?”
“Can she do that when she’s under him?”
Emma had to smile at that. Mark didn’t think like other people. Didn’t seem to recognize that his self-appointed job was to help her, and yet he was two seconds from making love to her. It was the very same thing he faulted Callie for doing.
But he saw everything in terms of black and white, safe and unsafe. Life was about rules that applied to other people. He was immune. It wasn’t a matter of ego. No, it was more a sense that he viewed himself as being different from the people he protected. As if he were disposable and unimportant. He pushed emotions out of his mind and ruled with a fierce determination that demanded everyone else obey.
Nevertheless, Mark was keen enough to understand Ben was falling hard for his supposed bodyguard. Mark’s sudden emotional clarity impressed Emma. She was afraid to hope that meant he could learn, but the idea did pass through her mind.
“I don’t want to talk about him now.” Mark dropped to his knees and put his head in her lap.
She took the opportunity to thread her fingers through his soft hair and place a kiss against his ear. She loved him in private the way she longed to love him when the lights were on and other people were around.
“What do you want to do?” She whispered the question against his closed eyelids.
His hand slid up her bare inner thigh. “You.”
Callie grabbed the headboard behind Ben’s shoulders with enough force to make her knuckles ache. Her heart thundered as her chest shuddered on hard breaths. From this position, above him, riding him, straddling his lap, she could watch his muscles strain and his eyes light with pleasure every time she eased her body down on his.
It was two in the morning and they had not lost one ounce of energy. The hospital trip prolonged their time between sex sessions but did not stop them. Even now they sat entangled, naked, and damp from a half hour of foreplay. Their clothes littered the floor and the sheets rumpled beneath them.
The soft creak of the bed grew louder the faster they moved over each other. She wanted to slow down and savor. Enjoy the feel of skin on skin. Revel in the sound of his harsh groans as she took charge of their lovemaking and refused to let him find release. But her body betrayed her. The tightening deep in her stomach begged for release. With every move, the tension increased until her head spun with dizziness.
Her bare thighs pressed against the outside of his legs as his fingernails dug into her hips. Using her knees, she lifted her body up, sliding against his erection as the air pounded in and out of her lungs. The friction of his cock pressing up inside her caused everything inside her to clamp down hard against him.
“God, Callie. Now.” Ben whispered his plea as he rubbed the stubble on his chin against her breast. Warm breath blew across her skin, making her nipples pucker.
She lifted and then sat back down. A riot of sensations made her tremble at the intimate contact. Her thighs shook as her back arched against him. With every plunge, he pulled deeper into her. His lips sucked and tongue licked. Hands, leg, mouth. She didn’t stand a chance of maintaining control.
When she kept the speed steady, he took over. With a firm grasp on her hips, he lifted and pulled her up before guiding her back down again. The bucking motion touched off the spinning inside her. Her stomach fell and a lightness moved through her chest. It was as if she were careening dangerously toward something and not being able to stop. No seat belt and no safety net. Her body separated from her mind as every part of her surrendered to him.
When the first wave of pleasure washed over her, what began as a low mumbling of his name turned into a scream. Blood coursed through her. Her lower half constricted, every inner muscle clenching against him. The pulsing. The burning fever. The pressure built until she couldn’t contain it.
Every time his hips moved, hers did, too. The rhythm increased until his final thrust shattered her. An orgasm ripped through her veins, stealing her air and pulverizing her bones into mush. His head fell back against the wall at the same time she collapsed against his chest in a boneless heap.
She inhaled the musky dampness of his skin as she fought to restore her ragged breathing. She knew she should sit up and guide Ben through his orgasm, but she didn’t have the strength. And he didn’t need any help to come. Even as she wrestled with the lethargy that took her over, muscle by tired muscle, Ben’s neck stretched and his jaw locked. The deep whooshing sound in his lungs echoed under her ear.
“Holy…” His voice cut off as his lower body pushed up one last time.
She brushed her palm over his shoulder in an effort to soothe his stiff body as he shuddered beneath her. “This time was just as good.”
After a few seconds, his hips returned to the mattress. “Better.” The word came out in forced pants.
She thought about getting up and sliding off him, but that struck her as too much work in her current drained state. The fact his now limp penis was still lodged inside her also made crawling off him tough. Not that she really wanted to go anywhere anyway. There was something oddly comforting about hearing his heartbeat against her ear with his arms wrapped around her.
He gave her a little squeeze. “It’s possible I’ve had a heart attack.”
Since she could hear his breathing return to normal, she kind of doubted that. “Think of the news headlines for that story. Hottie judge succumbs after sex.”
“The photos that would accompany the article would be even more interesting.”
She lifted her head and stared down their joined bodies. Legs and arms everywhere. “I’m not sure this kind of scene is appropriate for a family paper.”
He glanced over her head. “I sure as hell plan to think about it quite often.”
She snuggled back against his shoulder and let her hair fall over his chest. The mellow mood on the heels of such breathless passion made her smile.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“How did you know I was about to laugh?”
“I can feel your mouth curl up against my skin.”
Probably the same way she could hear the smile in his voice without seeing his face. There was definitely something sexy about that. “Can I ask you something?”
He folded one arm behind his head. “Shoot.”
“Since I actually do carry a gun you might want to rephrase that.”
“Good point.” His free hand traveled down her back and skipped under the sheet to land on her ass. “Ask away.”
“Not if you’re going to do that thing with your hand.”
“This?” His finger dipped lower. “Couldn’t resist.”
She slid his hand higher to keep her concentration. No way was she going to let him sidetrack her with a few caresses. Well, she would, just not right now.
“How long have Mark and Emma been doing the deed?”
Ben sputtered as he sat up straighter, taking Callie with him. “What?”
She fully straddled him now with a leg draped over each of his thighs. The shock of having him push deeper inside her made her gasp. “Whoa.”
“Forget where you were?”
“Something like that.” She adjusted her position but stopped wiggling around when he grabbed her waist and held her still. “But don’t change the subject.”
“Did I?” he asked.
“Please tell me this information about your brother’s love life is not a news flash for you.”
Ben’s thumb traveled up to tease her nipple. “I know all about them. I just didn’t think any
one else picked up on it.” The finger dipped down, circling her full breast and bringing a rush of blood under her skin.
She fought to keep her mind on the question and off his expert hands. “So, what’s the answer?”
“They have a thing.”
“A thing?”
“You used the phrase, or is the phrase politically incorrect when a man says it?” His head dipped as his mouth settled over her.
Ten more seconds and she’d be flat on her back…and totally happy to be there. “Sort of. So?”
His shoulders fell as his lips stopped moving. “You really want to talk about this now?” He mumbled the question against her swollen flesh. When she nodded, he treated her to an exaggerated exhale and then continued. “Suffice to say it’s complicated.”
“Is that all you’ve got? Legal speak? Because, honestly, you managed to say quite a few words right there and not make a lick of sense. You learn that in law school?”
“Yes.”
“I hate lawyers.”
“Thank you.” Ben dropped a quick kiss on her nose.
“Tell me something non-legal.”
“You want the quick and dirty? It goes like this: Emma and Mark have been dancing around each other for years.”
The information managed to be obvious and shocking at the same time. Callie wouldn’t have pinpointed Emma as the wild woman in the bedroom type. And the idea of Mark being bound that strongly to anyone was nothing short of a revelation.
“You mean sleeping together,” Callie said.
“That and more. They drift apart and then go right back. It’s annoying, actually.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s obvious they’re meant for each other and could work if Mark would—what is your phrase?”
“Ah.” She trailed her fingers over his biceps, enjoying the firm curve of his muscles. “So all of the men in your family suffer from head-in-ass syndrome. Interesting.”
But the pieces started to fall into place. All that pent-up jealousy about Emma vanished in a flash. Callie had seen the other woman’s face when she watched Mark. She didn’t have that look when she glanced at Ben. Seemed pretty telling to Callie.
“So, whatever they have goes beyond just sex?” she asked.
“Yes, but whether Mark has realized that is the question.” Ben’s other hand joined the first. He massaged her breasts, pushing them together and switching his tongue between her nipples, licking one after the other, until that squirming need started building inside Callie again.
“Mark doesn’t mind your relationship with Emma?” Callie asked as she slid her fingers along the back of Ben’s neck.
But the touching stopped. Ben’s head came up nice and slow. The haze had cleared from his eyes and the wariness there didn’t look all that inviting. “What exactly are you asking me?”
“A simple question.”
“One with a load of context behind it.”
Callie refused to back down. Probably would have if Ben had just coughed up an answer. It was the bobbing and weaving that got Callie’s attention. He was sensitive over this topic and she wanted to know why. “I notice you’re still not responding.”
“Because we’ve been over this. I’m trying to figure out what part of ‘Emma is not my girlfriend’ you keep missing. I’ve been saying it since we first met.”
Callie no longer doubted that part. From another man a denial or two might have sounded false. From Ben, the words functioned as an unbreakable promise. One she could count on despite everything else she might see, including that disturbing hand-holding incident in Ben’s office the day before.
“My only point is that you’re close to Emma. If Mark wants to be the man she turns to when things get spooky, then I could see where that might strain your relationship with your brother. A ‘too many alpha males in the kitchen’ sort of thing.”
Tension left the area around Ben’s eyes. “Ah. The kitchen. Got it now.”
Callie wasn’t convinced he did. She wasn’t poking around for more Emma information, though another denial about Ben’s feelings for the other woman would be welcome. Callie really wanted to understand the brotherly dynamics and what it all meant in the context of who Ben was outside judge mode.
“Our relationship’s a bit different now than when you gave those earlier assurances about Emma, don’t you think? A little more personal.” And if he said anything but “yes,” Callie would reach for her gun. She swore she would.
“Clearly, you’re right, as evidenced by the fact I’m still inside you while we’re talking about people other than us having sex.”
Callie pressed her thighs tighter against his hips and watched his eyes roll back. “What, you can’t talk when we’re like this?” She seriously thought about dropping her hand between them but knew that would end the discussion a beat too soon.
“I’d get to your point fast, if I were you.” He half spoke and half groaned. “Like ten seconds ago.”
“I was just trying to understand the Mark-Ben-Emma dynamic.
“Didn’t I just explain?”
Not in any way where she understood it. “You have an annoying habit of talking in semicircles. Remember how I told you about your tendency for jackassery? Yeah, this is it.”
“Are we fighting? Because, if so, I’ll have to concede. No way can I follow along when you’re pulsing around my dick like that.”
“You poor thing.” She clamped down even harder on the tiny muscles wrapped around his erection.
His breath rushed in on a rough intake. “Damn, woman.”
“Just trying to get your attention.”
“You have it.” Ben exhaled a few times. “Okay, let’s just clarify this so that we never have to talk about this subject again.”
Ben slid his hands up and pressed his palms against her cheeks. Bringing her close, he kissed her. It was hot and long and made her heart double thump with each beat. When he finally lifted his head her vision blurred.
“Even though you claim to be asking another question, I do want you to know that I’ve never,” he said as his second kiss followed the first. “And I mean ever, made a move on Emma. We’re friends. No sex. No dating. I’m not playing games when I say that. We didn’t even toy with the idea.”
Callie sensed that was the case, but having it confirmed in the strongest terms possible made her heart do a little dance. “Because of Mark?”
“Because the feelings just weren’t there. Not on my side, anyway,” Ben said.
Callie tried to remember the last time she heard such a terrific sentence. “Emma is pretty.”
“Shhh.” Ben slipped a finger over Callie’s lips. “For Emma it was a matter of her wanting Mark. I was never even a contender, not that I wanted to be. She turns to me as a friend. She turns to Mark for everything else.”
“Interesting.” Callie wondered if Mark understood that distinction.
“And that’s enough talk about Emma and Mark and every other person we know. It’s time for us to concentrate on just us.” Ben wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged them both down on the mattress.
On their sides, with their noses touching and their bodies joined, his mouth covered hers. The kiss rumbled through her from head to foot, cascading and swirling until she forgot everything and everyone.
“You make a good argument for changing the conversation,” Callie mumbled against his lips as she fought for a quick breath.
She wasn’t one step closer to understanding the relationship between Mark and Ben, and there was something funky there that she wanted to analyze, but there would be time for that later. Now was the time for Ben to impress her with his sexual expertise.
“Let me show you what happens when a woman isn’t just a friend.” His hands moved to her stomach, then lower.
When his fingers found the place where their bodies met and started rubbing her, Callie actually felt sorry for Emma.
Chapter Eleven
The next afternoon, Ben sat i
n his office and stared across his desk at his brother. Mark’s mood was even less pleasant than usual. He had been serious and talking in short sentences ever since he arrived with take-out Chinese food for their informal lunch meeting ten minutes earlier. If Mark was getting regular sex from Emma it was not helping his sour disposition one bit.
“How’s Keith?” Ben asked, aiming for a somewhat neutral topic.
Mark pushed the noodles around in his Styrofoam container with his fork. “He gets out of the hospital today.”
“Oh, that’s good. Yeah.” Well, it was for Keith. For Ben, not so much.
Keith checking out meant returning to work, which meant Callie going back to signing off before the sun went down. Sure, they could still be together, but Keith would have to know and all of the details would become part of Keith’s nightly report to Mark.
“You’re pathetic.” Mark shook his head but didn’t look up.
Ben realized only Mark could get away with talking to him like that. Well, Mark and Callie. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Doesn’t anyone around here care that I’m a judge and can throw people in jail?”
Mark lifted his head. Instead of frowning, a small smile crossed his lips. “Don’t worry. I’m putting Keith on another job. Your arrangement with Callie remains secure.”
And here Ben was ready to jump all over Mark. Set him straight and call him off Callie. That one comment saved all of that fight. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“While it’s tempting to play musical bodyguards just to piss you off, that sort of thing will only draw more attention to you and cause me paperwork.”
Ben hid his smile rather than risk pissing Mark off even more. “I can’t figure out if you’re a hopeless romantic or just hopeless.”
“The latter, but the point is that you get to keep Callie. For now.”
Ben doubted Callie would appreciate the way Mark phrased that, but hot damn.
“She’s competent.” Ben decided Mark had spent too much time with Emma when he did a deadpan impression of her eye roll. “Yes? Something you want to say?”
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