“Dorrie—”
“And I know you’re going to say I’m rationalizing but—”
Ben wrapped a hand around her neck and put his mouth over hers, kissing her with barely restrained lust. This was no chaste peck. It was a full-on assault on her senses and it should have embarrassed her how easily she gave in to him.
She reached for him, her hands grabbing on to his hips and tying to tug him closer. But he was immoveable. He kept her just far enough away that only their lips touched but every part of her felt touched by fire.
For several long seconds, they stood locked in place as the heat between them began to build.
And then he took a step away and left her gasping.
“That’s the reason we haven’t touched you.” The rough tone of his voice only served to make the ache in her gut that much worse. “You wipe out everything around me. I put my hands on you and I can’t see anything but you. So don’t mistake our distance for anything other than our desire to keep you safe. Because, babe, if I had my way, you’d be bent over that counter and I’d be deep inside you. Understand?”
Her sex clenched and she sucked in a deep breath. And nodded. “Maybe that’s exactly what I want.”
Ben didn’t say anything for several long seconds, his gaze locked on hers. Each breath he took rasping in the silence.
“We’re safe here, aren’t we?” she said. “Then why can’t we indulge?”
She almost couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. She’d never had the courage to say anything at all like this to anyone in her life. But with Ben, she felt safe. Felt free enough to be adventurous.
And being horny didn’t hurt.
God, she ached with need.
Gathering every ounce of her will, she let her hands fall to her thighs, where she gripped her skirt and began to inch it up.
Ben’s gaze dropped to her hands and his mouth flattened into a thin line as she slowly bared her thighs. Every centimeter of skin she bared gave her that much more courage. And it continued to build until she’d raised her skirt enough that she could slide her thumbs into the strings holding her underwear together.
Her heart beat fast and hard as she began to slide her underwear down her legs, letting her dress fall back into place as she did.
By the time she reached her knees, her underwear started to fall on their own and she let them go. They dropped to the floor and she bent over to pick them up.
She’d had the vague idea that she’d dangle them from her finger and smile. And he’d grin and take the panties and say something sexy and funny.
Instead, Ben slowly raised his gaze back to hers, stopping only momentarily to stare at the panties in her hands. Those copper eyes gazed at her so steadily, she was almost convinced he was going to send her upstairs to her room. To his room, actually.
Instead, he made a twirling motion with his finger.
She blinked, unsure for a moment what he wanted. And then her brain made the connection. Her lungs constricted as a pulse of heat spread from her core to her breasts, making them tender and achy, and to her clit, which throbbed.
Sucking a breath, she did what he wanted. She turned to face the counter.
“Now bend over and pull your dress up.”
Which would bare her ass.
Man up, honey. You started this.
Nerves had started to churn but she did what he asked. She bent at the waist until her breasts almost reached the island counter and reached for the hem of her dress to flip it up onto her back.
Behind her, she heard Ben moving, heard the rustle of fabric and the tearing of foil. She had a split second to wonder where he’d gotten the condom when she felt his hand on her left hip.
“Are you ready, sweetheart? Because I am.”
“Yes. Please. Do it.”
She didn’t want him to wait even a second more—
The brush of the tip of his cock against her labia was her only warning before he curled his other arm around her waist, tilted her hips to the right angle then thrust inside.
If she’d expected him to go easy, she would’ve been so wrong.
He went hard and fast immediately and never let up.
Each thrust made her cry out at the shock of his full length spreading her wide. Each retreat made her want him to thrust harder the next time.
Bracing her hands on the counter, she gave herself over to Ben, let him take what he wanted and give her what she needed. Which was this. Exactly this.
Pure eroticism flooded her body, heated like lava, and drenched her until she had to close her eyes to process it all.
The hand he held on her hip tightened until she knew she’d have marks. She wanted to see them on her body. Wanted the reminder of his desire for her.
His other hand he had splayed across her stomach, using it to pull her back. His fingers were so close to her mound, they tantalized and tormented.
“Ben.”
“What do you need, babe?”
“Touch my clit.”
Never before had she asked for what she wanted, much less demanded, but this felt right.
“Whatever you want.”
His fingers made a quick dip and trapped her clit between his index and middle finger. He squeezed and she climaxed hard and fast, clenching around him until he groaned and, with one last thrust, he buried himself deep.
Ben let his forehead rest between her shoulders for a few seconds before he pulled out of Dorrie’s tight channel.
God damn, she felt amazing wrapped around him and he didn’t want to pull out at all, but he didn’t want Ian to catch them. And not because he didn’t want Ian to know what had happened. He didn’t want Dorrie to be caught in the middle of something that Ian and Ben should work out on their own.
Then again, maybe if Ian did catch them, he’d take the hint and give Dorrie the affection she was craving.
He was grateful she’d felt he was safe to practice her wiles on but he figured she was gearing up for the bigger challenge. Ian.
For now, Ben would take care of whatever itches she needed to scratch. He knew himself well enough to know nothing would cause him to lose focus on her safety.
Pressing a kiss to the back of her neck, he eased her around so he could kiss her. Beneath his lips, he felt hers curve in a smile before she kissed him back.
He pulled away so he could look into her eyes. “Feel better?”
She blushed as she smiled, her eyes dipping away for a second before meeting his again. “Actually, yes. So I guess I should say thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“And I’m sorry I lied earlier. I guess I just didn’t want to get into an argument about who I was treating.”
“So who were you treating?”
She swallowed hard. “One of Antonoff’s men.”
Careful now. “I figured. He gonna be okay?”
“Yes.”
“Because you’re that good.”
Her smile made a comeback and, damn, he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and run upstairs with her. Then his phone vibrated, telling him Ian had just opened the garage door.
“Why don’t you go ahead and get changed and we’ll figure out what to do about dinner?”
Her eyebrows rose. “He’s home, isn’t he?”
“Yep. You want to welcome him home the way you did me?”
That blush showed again but it was definitely heat and not embarrassment.
“I don’t think he’d let me.”
“Honey, you have no idea what he’ll let you do.”
They both heard the garage side door open and knew Ian was headed for the back door.
“I think I’ll just go change.”
And she was gone, panties clutched in her hand.
She disappeared up the stairs just as Ian opened the back door into the kitchen.
“Hey.”
Ian nodded, tossing his keys on the same counter where Ben and Dorrie had just had sex.
“An
ything I need to know?”
Shit. “No.”
Ian shot him a look. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Maybe because you’re a suspicious son of a bitch.”
“And I’m usually right. But I’m too hungry to fight with you. Where’s Dorrie?”
“Upstairs.”
Ian grunted and headed for the front room and the stairs.
And Ben breathed a heavy sigh but felt no sense of relief.
*
Ian pushed open the bathroom door and stepped into his bedroom in a rush of steam. Ben kept the air conditioning at an almost-too-cold seventy-five.
But it wasn’t cool enough when he found Dorrie sitting on the far side of his bed.
He stopped dead between the bed and the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just…we haven’t really talked all week.”
Damn, why did one word fill him with dread? Then again, “talk” was a four-letter word. “Is there something we need to talk about?”
She shrugged again, and damn if he didn’t let his gaze fall to her breasts, mostly hidden by the loose t-shirt she wore over a pair of soccer shorts.
Fuck.
“Maybe I’m just tired of being ignored.”
Damn it. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in his bedroom, where images of her laid out naked on his bed crammed his brain and made his dick hard.
“I haven’t been ignoring you.”
Which was total bullshit. And she knew.
“Yes, you have.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze directly. “And I’m sick of walking on eggshells around you. Are you ever going to get past the fact that I work for Antonoff?”
The question hit him like a punch to the gut. He hadn’t been ready for her to challenge him so boldly.
“This isn’t a conversation I want to have right now.”
“And when will you want to have this conversation? Because I’m not sure I’m willing to wait much longer.”
“Why are you pushing this now?”
“Because I’m tired of you treating me like a leper. You either want me or you don’t, but I’m done feeling like I have to apologize for the sins you think I’ve committed.”
“I have never accused you of anything.”
Dorrie shook her head. “You don’t have to say the words. It’s in your eyes when you look at me, and if that’s the way you feel, I’m going to leave.”
He’d closed half the distance between them before he knew he’d moved. “Goddammit, Dorrie, that’s not the answer.”
“Really? Because right now that feels like the only option I have. And I am sick of feeling like I need to apologize every damn time you look at me.”
The look she gave him made him want to crowd her back on the bed and force her to agree to stay right here for hours while he gorged himself on her body.
“I’m looking at you know and the last thing I want you to do is apologize.”
His voice sounded thick, his longing for her etched in every syllable. He was almost embarrassed by it until he saw the answering heat in her eyes.
In a split second, Ian grabbed her upper arms and pulled her off the bed and into his arms. With one arm strapped around her waist, he cupped her jaw in his free hand and held her gaze. He wouldn’t let her look away, wanted her to see him coming the entire way.
She froze, eyes wide.
He bent to her, tilting her head just enough for him to get the right angle on the kiss to make it deep. His tongue slid between her lips and licked at hers, the intimacy not unwelcome. Nothing about this man was unwelcome.
Her hands found their way to his hips and she pulled him closer, letting him know he could have what he wanted from her. And maybe that was the completely wrong thing to do but, damn, it felt so right.
Her warm lips moved against his, returning his kiss with a passion that threatened to undo the rest of his restraint. Letting himself sink into her kiss, he sucked in all of the sweet heat she poured into him.
His constant ache to touch her only got worse now that he had his hands on her, and he knew he had to stop now or he’d push her back on the bed and take her.
And that could destroy his concentration on her safety. That meant more to him than getting laid.
But for the next several seconds, he soaked in all her heat.
Then he lifted his head, put his hands on her shoulders, and put space between them.
“When you’re safe, we’ll continue this because there is nothing I want more than to lay you out on that bed and sink inside you. But I can’t do that and keep you safe. Do you understand?”
Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded and took a step back and away.
“But make no mistake, Dorrie. We will have that conversation. It just isn’t going to be today.”
Chapter Ten
Saturday morning, Ian drummed his fingers against the steering wheel waiting for the light to change.
They were a couple blocks away from Haven Hotel, where Dorrie needed to meet a patient for a private consult.
In the rearview, he kept an eye on the increasingly heated discussion between Ben and Dorrie. He’d kept out of it so far, mainly because Ben was handling it better than Ian would have.
“I don’t see why I have to stay at your house all the time. My building is secure. I understand there’ve been threats made but—”
“And whoever made those threats has already made one attempt to take you. If you stay at our place, we don’t have to worry about unfamiliar territory and collateral damage. You probably don’t know half the people who live in your building—”
“What does that have to do…”
While Ben and Dorrie continued to go back and forth, Ian stepped on the gas when the light changed.
And kept an eye on the black sedan three cars behind them.
He’d noticed it about five blocks ago. Traffic in the city wasn’t heavy but this car always stayed behind them and never got close enough for Ian to get a look at the driver. Maybe he was being paranoid but given the situation…probably not.
He hadn’t wanted to say anything to Ben because he didn’t want to upset Dorrie.
“I still don’t think it’s necessary for round-the-clock protection. Blank doesn’t—”
“Blank isn’t here but if he were, he’d say the same thing. You need a twenty-four-seven guard and our house is the safest…”
Ian let them fade out again. He had no doubt Ben would win this argument because there really was no other choice. She would continue to stay at their house because that’s where she would be safest. End of discussion.
Without turning on his signal, he took the next right.
And watched that black sedan make the same turn. “Ben.”
“We are not trying to run your life.” Ben sounded as if he were gritting his teeth. “We are trying to make sure you’re safe—”
“Ben.”
Ian practically barked his cousin’s name, causing Dorrie and Ben to stare at him.
“What?”
“We’ve got a tail.”
Dorrie’s expression screwed up into a frown as she stared at him from the backseat. “What do you—”
“Where?” Ben snapped to attention with head-spinning speed, his focus arrowed onto Ian.
“Three cars back. Black sedan. Been there at least five blocks.”
“You wanna try to lose him now?”
“Yeah. I’m not taking any chances. Dorrie, eyes forward. Make sure your belt’s tight.”
Checking on her in the rearview, he saw her eyes widen as her teeth lodged in her lower lip and felt compelled to add, “It’ll be okay.”
And damn, he hoped he hadn’t just lied to her because the car moved up one spot. Traffic was a little more congested on this street. Shit. If the other car made a move, it’d be hard for Ian to maneuver, and if they needed to use weapons, there were a lot of people on the streets and in surrounding cars. Too much collateral dama
ge.
“Hang on.”
Swinging the wheel to the left, he gauged the break in traffic and stomped on the gas pedal, shooting them into the next lane and down the street, eliciting a chorus of angry honks.
For the next five minutes, he tried to lose their tail but whoever was behind the wheel of that car was good.
Any other time, Ian would be pumped at the game. But not with Dorrie’s safety at stake.
And when he realized he’d been outmaneuvered as another car joined the chase, he knew he had only one play.
“Call Adam.” He exchanged a glance with Ben in the rearview. “And call Marcov. Tell them we’re heading toward Broad out to the stadium—fuck!”
The light at the next intersection changed and he had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the group of pedestrians who obliviously stepped into the street.
And Ian saw a third car slot in beside him.
“Ben.”
“I know.”
The passenger in the car next to them looked straight at Ian and rolled down his window.
“Our boss would like a word with Ms. Haverstick.”
“She respectfully declines.”
“It won’t take long. He assures you he only wants to talk and he’ll guarantee her safety.”
“Since I have no idea who your boss is, you’ll understand why I’m not jumping at your offer.”
“James Tosto. Google him. Not sure you’ll find much but there might be something you can use.”
“I still think she’ll pass.”
The guy shrugged, like he’d expected Ian’s answer. “Then I guess you’ll just need to have Ms. Haverstick deliver a message.”
Ian’s jaw locked. “There’s no need for her to be involved.”
The guy continued as if Ian hadn’t spoken. “Mr. Tosto would like Mr. Antonoff to know he only wishes to open a line of communication. Ms. Haverstick is in no danger from Mr. Tosto. Just have her tell her father to contact Mr. Tosto.”
All the air left his lungs in a rush as Ian’s brain made connections he didn’t want to make.
And from the backseat, he heard Dorrie gasp.
Holy fuck.
Dorrie felt her head spin as the man who’d just blown apart her world drove away without a backward glance.
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