Summer blinked. Ava obviously knew something about her past with Ben. Had he told her everything? If so, it didn’t paint Summer in the best light, but Ava was sitting here, opening up to her and expecting Summer to do the same.
She squirmed uncomfortably as she considered what to say. “Umm … we’re managing just fine.” She didn’t want to assume what Ava did and did not know, and inadvertently tell more than Ben wanted her to find out.
“Good. He looks at ease, and I’m glad. He’s a good man, Summer. He doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
“Is that directed at me?” Summer asked, suddenly defensive. “Because I’ve been nothing but up-front with him before and now.” She bit the inside of her cheek and decided Ava pretty much knew everything about her shared past with Ben. “In fact, I did everything I could to try and let him keep his job. I wasn’t the one who didn’t return phone calls back then, so let’s not throw around insinuations about who hurt who.”
“You pass,” Ava said. “You’re defensive for yourself but you worried about Ben.”
“You know, I don’t appreciate being tested,” Summer muttered.
Ava rolled her shoulders and leaned back against the swing. “That’s what friends do. Look out for each other. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Summer sighed. “I’m glad he has good friends.” She had Ivy, but they were both always so busy it was hard to make time for quality get-togethers.
“Ben’s a decent guy. He was there for me when I needed him, and I’ll never forget that and always keep trying to repay the favor,” Ava explained.
Summer crossed one leg over the other and looked up at the blue sky. “Given what I know about Ben, he wouldn’t want repayment. He helped you because that’s what he does for his friends.”
“I appreciate that about him. But it’s a two-way street.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Ava spoke again.
“What’s it like being a pop star? Singing in front of huge audiences?”
Summer gave the question some thought. “It’s all I’ve ever known. When I was little, I sang at festivals, in chorus at school, in local plays. I love the performance aspect and the fact that I can feed off the energy of the crowd.”
“I admire that. I can’t carry a tune, and I’m much better off in the shadows,” Ava said wistfully.
“Well, I admire what you do. Keeping people safe is no small feat.”
“Would you give it up for any reason?” Ava asked.
Summer was surprised by the question. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. This opportunity to be the opening act for the biggest pop star in the world?” She shook her head. “I can’t think of anything that would make me walk away.”
“Not even for love?”
The question blindsided her, and Summer sat stunned that Ava would go there. Little did she know, Ben had put emotional attachment off-limits, and that was the smart way for her to think as well. She had no idea where her life was headed.
Before she could formulate a reply, the sliding glass door to the house opened and Ben appeared.
“Everything okay out here?” he asked.
Summer met his gaze, his blue eyes zeroing in on her as he stepped out into the fresh air. She drank him in, his white tee shirt lovingly clinging to muscles she’d held on to last night when he’d been deep inside her body.
No, they hadn’t just slept together one night. Now that they were alone in the apartment, defensive barriers gone, at least as far as a sexual relationship was concerned, they made good use of their alone time. He’d switched from the pullout sofa into her bed, the move a natural transition they’d barely had to speak about or acknowledge.
Suddenly she couldn’t tear her gaze away from his handsome face, Ava’s question lingering in the back of her mind. Would she give up her dream for any reason? Including true love?
Not something she intended to think about. Not when her aspirations were finally within reach and the man in question wasn’t interested in that kind of a relationship with her anyway.
* * *
At first Ben worried that Ava had been her usual overprotective self when it came to her friends and had alienated Summer, because ever since he’d interrupted their talk outside, Summer had been pensive and quiet. Then again, she’d been quiet since they arrived. But his friends were welcoming, Ava included, and as they day went on, Summer warmed up to them. He’d have hated for her to feel like she didn’t belong and was glad she’d begun to come out of her shell.
What a contradiction she was, a vibrant star when it came to performing and a typical shy girl when in an intimate group of people she didn’t know. He was a contradiction as well. On the one hand, he’d wanted to keep her separated from his friends and his life in order to better protect his heart; on the other hand, as he’d watched her today, he’d silently cheered when she had hit it off with the people who meant the most to him.
Dan grilled burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. Ava had brought some sides, and the guys had come with store-bought desserts, everyone contributing. He wasn’t surprised Ava had picked up a cake with candles for him, although he really could have lived without a big to-do. Turning thirty was enough for him to deal with. The brat hadn’t bought candles with the numbers three and zero, no, she’d lined the entire cake with individual candles and made a production of lighting each one. The upside to the traditional birthday celebration had been Summer’s gorgeous voice in tune and sounding over the guys’ raspy attempts at singing.
Gifts came next, but he already knew Summer felt bad she didn’t have one for him, and he downplayed the moment, glancing at his friends.
“How about I open them at home,” he said, then realized he wouldn’t be home, he’d be at Summer’s apartment. In her bed, a place he was already itching to get back to.
He loved his friends and coworkers, but he was finished with the big group get-together and ready to get Summer naked and alone.
“He’s ready to escape already,” Dan said, chuckling. “Go ahead. I’m just glad you both came.”
Tate laughed as well. “Hell, I’d want to get that pretty girl home safely and be alone, too.” He winked at Ben, and Summer flushed a pretty pink.
Damned intrusive friends, Ben thought, still grateful for all of them. He hadn’t heard from his father yet, which had become standard operating procedure. If he wasn’t lost in a bottle, he was wasting his life away binge-watching shows. Anything not to live and feel again by risking his heart on another woman. Ben’s mother hadn’t been in his life for years.
When nobody else gave him a hard time, he and Summer said their good-byes and managed to slip out fairly quickly. They didn’t talk much on the car ride home, the Uber driver a chatty guy who kept them occupied answering questions about things Ben couldn’t even remember by the time they exited the vehicle.
They walked into the apartment, Summer humming, a sure sign that she’d enjoyed her day, and that fact made him too fucking happy.
She turned on the lights, then headed for the den, where he used to sleep, which wasn’t too far a walk from her door. “Thank you for bringing me with you. It turned out to be fun,” she said, tossing her purse onto the sofa.
“I’m glad you enjoyed. See? What did I tell you? Nobody bites.”
She rolled her eyes at that, a cute smile lifting her lips.
“What about Ava?” he asked. “Did she overstep?” He placed his gift bags on the floor, an obvious bottle of alcohol sticking out from the top, definitely a gift from one of the guys. Ben flipped the lock, then the deadbolt, locking Summer in safely.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip nervously and paused before answering. “Let’s just say she was protective of you as her friend. But she didn’t threaten to slit my throat, so I think we’re good,” she said wryly.
From her hesitancy, he knew she wasn’t telling him everything, but her light way of handling it reassured him all really was fine with her and Ava’s talk. He was willing to let it go. “Oka
“About me?” Summer asked, sounding surprised.
“Well, yeah. I didn’t want Ava to say something that might send you running.”
Summer made her way back toward him, her hips swaying as she walked. All day, he’d done his best not to focus on her body in that sexy dress, but it hadn’t been easy. The pull of fabric at her waist showcased her fit form, her cleavage pushed up, two soft swells of flesh tempting him. And the teasing demure braid with tendrils of hair falling out had his mouth watering, visions of pulling on her hair as he pounded into her testing his restraint.
She kicked off her heels and aligned their bodies, his cock hard in his jeans, pressing against her stomach as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now why would I do that? I finally have you where I want you,” she murmured. “There’s no chance of me running anywhere but into your arms.”
Her hands slid to the waistband of his jeans. She flicked open the button, unzipped his fly, and pushed the material down to the floor, taking his boxer briefs along with it. His cock sprung free, eager for whatever she had in mind next.
She always amazed him. In the moment, this was the same bold woman who had no trouble performing on stage. One who wasn’t worried what anyone thought about her, only about what she wanted, and she clearly wanted him.
He had no trouble giving her what she desired.
Chapter Eight
After pushing Ben’s pants to the floor, Summer dropped to her knees, wanting to taste him and give him the same pleasure he always gave her. She cupped his hard shaft in one hand and slid her tongue out, licking over the head, tasting his salty essence. Her own arousal grew, desire sweeping over her at the groan coming from deep inside him.
His hips jerked forward, his cock edging deeper into her mouth. Her eyes teared at the unexpected thrust, but she breathed through her nose and relaxed her muscles, only to have his entire body shudder as he hit the back of her throat.
“Fucking heaven,” he growled, reaching down and wrapping her braid around his hand.
He tugged, her hair pulling away from her scalp, the feeling more erotic than painful, tingles shooting down her spine, moisture coating her panties. Maintaining her focus was difficult, but she intended to make him fall apart just like he so easily did to her.
She eased her mouth off, then pumped her hand up and down his shaft, teasing the head with her tongue before returning to sucking him in earnest. He began a steady pumping of his hips, his release obviously close.
She braced her hands on his thighs as the head of his cock hit the back of her throat with each pass, until she finally swallowed around him, causing him to fall over with a shout, his hot come spurting down her throat. She swallowed everything he gave, and only when he was done did she allow her knees to give way beneath her.
Ben didn’t take long to catch his breath. He immediately picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, hauling her into the bedroom.
“Ben!” she shrieked at his possessive move but was laughing, too, until his hand came down on her ass in a light swat. “Hey! What are you doing?”
“I intend to repay the favor. We didn’t stay long enough to eat dessert,” he said as he toppled her onto the bed. He stripped off her dress, exposing her bra and panties, his blue eyes darkening with heat as he devoured her with his gaze.
He slipped a hand behind her and unhooked her bra with a deft move, then pulled the garment down her arms and off, tossing it to the floor before turning his attention to her panties.
“These have to go.” He hooked his fingers into the sides and slid them off her legs, leaving her naked and bared to his hot stare.
To her shock, he was hard again and ready to go. As she stared at his thick, long cock, her sex swelled with need. “You have amazing stamina and recovery time,” she whispered.
“It’s you. I can’t get enough.” And to prove his point, he parted her slick folds, dipped his head, and began to eat the dessert he’d denied himself earlier.
Any witty reply she might have had died as his mouth began a slick, teasing tormenting of her flesh. He licked at the seam of her thigh and her sex, giving her a taste of what was to come. He lingered there before moving to the other side, and finally glided that talented tongue over her outer folds, pulling each one into his mouth, suckling hard before soothing with lighter laps of his tongue.
He played her well, bursts of desire alighting inside her, only to die out before she could climb higher. Her clit throbbed with need, but he deftly avoided touching her where she needed him most, denying her the orgasm her body craved.
She shifted her hips in a futile effort to control the pace, to urge him to touch her clit with his demanding tongue, but he remained determined to bring her to the brink and not allow her to fall over.
Her hips jerked up and she began to beg for relief. “Ben, please.”
“Please what?”
“Make me come.” She wasn’t embarrassed to ask for what she needed, not when her body was on fire.
“How?” He flicked at her clit for the first time, not long or hard enough to give any real ease, but it allowed a hint of pleasure to surface once more. He nuzzled the tiny bud for longer this time before lifting his head. “What did you need, princess? I want to hear you say it.”
“Suck me. Suck my clit. Make me come hard with your mouth, Please, Ben. No more teasing. I’m so on the—” Before she could finish her plea, he pulled her clit between his teeth and grazed her lightly before releasing her and continuing to lick over her with his tongue.
The unrelenting pressure was what she needed, and the glorious waves of her climax began to rush over her in never-ending waves. She came against his mouth, Ben taking her to the peak, letting her linger, and bringing her slowly down, playing her body perfectly.
She lay in a sated heap as Ben lifted himself up, his face coming over hers, kissing her so she tasted herself on his lips. “Ever had sex in the shower?” he asked, his throbbing erection pressing hard and insistent against her thigh.
She wouldn’t have thought she was capable of being tempted again so soon, but this was Ben she was talking about. “Can’t say that I have.”
He chuckled and sat up. Next thing she knew, she was over his shoulder again and headed to her bathroom, where he settled her onto her feet.
“Be right back.” He walked out and returned with a condom in hand, then turned the taps on, letting the water heat.
She took in the sleek lines of his back, the strong muscles and tapered waist and firm ass cheeks, biting the inside of her cheek as she admired the view.
She knew better. She really did, but she smacked his butt anyway.
He glanced over his shoulder, a heated warning in his eyes. “Looking for trouble?” he asked in a gruff voice.
She laughed. “I think I already found it.”
He grinned and pulled back the curtain, picked her up, and placed her inside the tub, her feet gripping on the rubber mat as the warm water sluiced over her skin. He joined her, drawing the curtain and enclosing them inside.
He soaped his hands with her body wash and began to clean her skin, from her feet, up her calves, her knees, his big hands covering her thighs with foam. As he reached higher, he paused to tease her sex, gliding over her slick flesh, arousing her all over again.
Those hands continued up her stomach and over her breasts, pausing to play with her nipples, tweaking and pulling on the distended tips, every pinch sending shuddering flickers of desire throughout her body. After he was finished, he washed her hair, massaging her scalp with shampoo and rinsing with conditioner at her request or she’d never get the tangles out.
He moved her beneath the spray to clean off the soap before pushing back the curtain long enough to step away from the water and cover himself with the condom.
He turned her so her back was to the wall. “Hold on,” he instructed, and she wound her hands around his neck as he lifted her, positioning her over his thick erection.
The head of his cock nudged at her entrance, and she moaned at the same time he joined their bodies, his cock parting her and sliding deep inside. The cool shower wall at her back contrasted with the heat they generated together as he thrust all the way home.
She closed her eyes, and as he let her adjust to his size, something she needed to do each time, her inner walls contracted around him, causing a trembling groan to escape from her throat.
“So hot,” he said, gliding out and pumping back into her. “So wet.” Another withdrawal and thrust of his hips. “So mine.”
The words came out husky, and at the same moment, he began a hard, steady thrusting into her, taking them both over the edge almost immediately, her orgasm a living thing that devoured her body and took over her soul, all the while his words echoing inside her mind.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
His declaration wrapped around her as she came, and though she understood it was something he’d said in the heat of the moment, she knew she’d treasure it always. Even after he was gone.
* * *
As they reached Atlantic City, Summer bounced beside Ben, her excitement palpable. For all the places she’d performed as a child, new ones still brought a sense of giddy anticipation. On the approach, the hotels loomed in the distance, glittering signs welcoming them. The driver pulled up to the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, a tall building with black letters on top greeting them. Not even the prospect of seeing Tawny could dim her enthusiasm.
The lobby offered a sleek, clean, polished décor, with mirrored sculptures hanging from the ceiling and the sound of the nearby slot machines and ringing bells filling her ears.
They were checked in by a nice woman behind the front desk who was ultra-accommodating and informed Summer she’d been assigned a fifteen-hundred-square-foot suite. She wasn’t used to the luxury and was still dumbstruck she wasn’t in a regular room when she heard someone calling her name.
“Summer!”
She and Ben turned at the same time.
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