by RaeLynn Blue
“So you do know!” she laughed.
He laughed too; he couldn’t help it. Being with Jewel relaxed him, made him feel comfortable—more so than he’d ever been around a woman. He liked how she smiled a lot and kept tucking her hair behind her ears. So polished and put together, he couldn’t believe she wanted to go to a science fiction convention. She didn’t check her smart phone, didn’t make excuses to go, and she kept her word. She did show up to cash in her rain check with him. Though she could’ve been on her way out, nothing about her behavior indicated she wanted or needed to be someplace else.
He’d told Race women like Jewel didn’t date men like them, but here she was, seated across from him.
And he liked it so much he didn’t want it to end.
Chapter Four
Jewel’s clit beat like a drum between her legs. She couldn’t stop her pussy from twitching in eagerness every time Ben spoke. Something about his softly accented voice zipped right to her love button, making it tighten and pound with need and respond in silent throbs to the inflections of his words, quietly speaking to her desire. She swallowed the lump of emotion. Beneath the table, she squeezed her thighs together and tried to soothe her raging hormones. Instead, the rush of pleasure only fed her hunger, making her thighs slick with longing. Ben had to be digging on her too, because he acted like it. Holding her gaze, Ben’s eyes flashed with heat, so strong she could almost feel it. Not to mention, she noticed his semi-erect cock when she ordered her coffee. Half-hardened, but still very interested in her.
She grinned. With his longer bangs, and exotic, dark eyes behind his square glasses, Ben looked so nerdy, but when he smiled, it lit up his entire face. It added another level of attractiveness. His lithe body moved beneath his button-down, cobalt blue shirt and black slacks with ease. He didn’t seem scrawny, but athletic. She knew her legs would wrap around his waist and fit perfectly, comfortably. And, somehow, she knew it would be so good to be in his arms, her tongue tracing the hardened points of his roseate nipples, flicking them until he shouted for her to part her legs for him.
“Mmmmmm,” she moaned, her eyes closing in the fast fantasy.
“Cupcake that good?” Ben asked, his voice puncturing her dream.
Her eyes opened and heat spread into her cheeks. Good lord. She had to be desperate! He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“Huh?”
“You moaned in delight. I know they’re good, but you must really like them.” He smirked at her, like he knew her thoughts. She dropped her eyes in sheer embarrassment.
“Oh!” she could feel the cool air on her cheeks when a new customer walked in. She thanked the heavens he couldn’t see her blush. “It is icing-topped heaven.”
“I never heard it described as that,” he said, with a knowing smile. His lips latched on to the lip of his coffee cup, and she nearly moaned aloud. She wanted his kissable lips latched on to her now pebbled nipples. They had begun to ache in time to her clit. Their seductive song shot through her entire body. Damn her hormones. Wrapping her hands around her own cup of sweetened java to keep herself from grabbing Ben’s shoulders, she took bigger gulps of her coffee. She had to keep her hands holding on to something because right now all she wanted was to reach out.
And touch him.
“So, you want to go for a walk or to see a movie?” he asked. “I’m done with panels today.”
“Are you?” She took another bite of her cupcake. Another more prominent hunger growled inside her, but she couldn’t feed that one right now. So, she tried to satisfy her other appetite. “How many panels do you have to attend?”
“I’m a guest lecturer and panelist. I’ve done my six panels. This morning I finished the last two. My afternoon is free. I’d like to spend it with you.”
Jewel didn’t answer immediately. She chewed her cupcake slowly, swallowed, and then drank more of her coffee. She didn’t know about wandering around the city of Atlanta with a strange man. She’d come with her friends, and like yesterday, she couldn’t just leave them. Not to mention it wasn’t exactly safe to just vanish with this man, despite how much her body wanted to be naked with his.
“I’ve got to get back to my friends,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. She met his gaze. There she found a burning intensity that stole her breath. His eyes mirrored her desire. She wanted to explore the potential, the chemistry simmering between them. Her throat dry and a swell of emotions she knew shouldn’t be there—not for someone she’d just met. Surprised by her reaction, she couldn’t meet his eyes. Why did she feel this way about him? It bothered her—she’d just met him. She couldn’t deny the feelings and the connection. To do that would be lying to herself—something she didn’t do. Ever.
“Tonight then?” he asked. “I’ve got to be honest. I can’t leave without spending some time with you.”
“I’d like to spend more time with you too,” she confessed. She bit her lower lip to keep from saying more. Putting all her cards on the table, revealing her hand, might make her easy prey for him. Though, for the life of her, she just couldn’t see him as a threatening individual. Every victim probably thinks the same way before a criminal hurts her or him.
“You don’t trust me,” he said, seemingly reading her thoughts. “I know we just recently met. I can show my driver’s license, my NASA I.D., and whatever else you need to prove I am who I say I am. I mean, Hans Solo didn’t trust anyone at first either, but Leia saw the good in him by his actions. Give me a chance to show you.”
She smiled. Hans had been a rogue from the start, but his goodness was brought out by Leia and Luke. Ben had a good point.
“It isn’t that I don’t trust you. I mean, we did just meet, but I—I have other responsibilities. Hans did too. The constant conflict between his duties to himself and the Millennium Falcon, and what the rebellion required all made for iconic cinema.”
He nodded. “Responsibilities and how we handle them is how we’re defined. You appear to be made of stern stuff, Jewel. That’s twice you’ve turned me down for your friends. I don’t know whether to admire your loyalty or be offended.”
Shit. He might have other responsibilities. He might be married. She didn’t even know his last name. He might not even be from Texas. Kind words, and like she expected, he nailed it right on the head. When it came to relationships and men, she kept a polite and admiring distance. Whenever one came close enough to ruffle her feathers and caused such a stir as the one Ben had started, she did one or two things—run or use her friends as a human shield to protect her heart.
Shortly after her break-up with Gideon, she started referring to her heart as a galaxy far away. It’d take a rocket to get to her love again. Her new lover would have to earn it, win it, and deserve it. She wouldn’t set it close to the Earth again. Not where it could be abused, neglected, or battered again. And here she was, doing it again.
Would Ben be able to rocket to her heart? Make the journey?
She didn’t know. She just didn’t know.
But part of her wanted to find out.
With all of these thoughts, she pushed back from the table. So many unknowns, but her body, her mind, acted as if she’d known him her entire life. It frightened her. Had she become so desperate she’d be willing to throw caution to the wind and jump any guy’s boner? Just because he knew a little Star Wars trivia? Jeez.
“Please, don’t be offended,” she said at last. “It isn’t personal.”
Could she sound any more desperate?
“I understand.” He drained the rest of his coffee. “You ready to head back?”
No, she thought, but nodded. She couldn’t trust herself to speak.
She didn’t behave like this, because she’d been a rational woman in most of her endeavors.
Ben followed her out of the café.
“Would you feel better if you knew more about me?”
“Maybe…” she said with an eyebrow raised.
“It’s worth a risk,
” he replied just as coyly. “Ask and I’ll answer.”
“Let’s start with your full and complete name?”
“Easy one. Since I practiced it this morning…”
“You didn’t!” Jewel giggled.
“No, I didn’t,” Ben confessed with a grin. “Seriously, my name is Ben Wook Sun.”
“Wook? Like a wookiee? Didn’t one of your friends call you that last night?”
He laughed. “Wook in Korean means rising sun.”
“You’re Korean,” she said, making it a statement. “Rising sun.”
Ben blushed and cleared his throat. “Well, yes.”
She peered at him. “A sun in a galaxy far, far away.”
He chuckled. “Maybe. A new sun, one rising to shine on a new horizon.”
She beamed. If the day had suddenly gone dark, Jewel figured she’d glow―so happy she was at that moment. Not wanting to get burned, Jewel sighed and pushed down the buoying optimism inside her.
“Are you staying at the hotel?” she asked, trying to move the conversation to something safe.
“Yes, I’m in room 612.” He smirked broadly at her expression. “You actually flinched when I said the room number…”
“I didn’t…” Jewel said, and then thought better of it. She had tried to commit the room number to memory in case she wanted to make a late night visit when her big empty bed seemed to grow in loneliness. “You know what? You can have coffee by yourself next time.”
“You’re cute when you’re upset,” Ben replied and immediately laughed.
They reached the hotel’s entrance doors.
She walked around to face him. So handsome and polite in his black glasses, Ben looked like what she thought a rocket scientist would look like. That didn’t stop her heart from racing or her pussy from twitching in want. If only she could quench the knot of desire binding them.
He took her hand and they walked into the hotel together in silence. Honestly, Jewel didn’t know what to say. She really liked him, but…She sighed.
Once they parted through the double automatic doors, he asked, “If you change your mind, will you call me?”
“Yes,” she said. “I will. Let me check in with my girls, and then maybe we can get together before I leave.”
“I’d like that.”
“So would I,” he said and took out his smartphone.
She exchanged her cell phone number with him, blood roaring through her ears.
They walked right up to the elevator and waited silently while the doors opened.
As her heart rocked up into her chest, her gripped tightened on his. Unable to let him go, she rounded to face him. As the two metallic elevator doors opened, her emotions flooded her logic, drowning it in a sea of longing so great, she couldn’t think. She didn’t think.
“I’ll hear from you?” he asked, and started to release her hand.
She’d always played it safe, like a princess, protected by her friends, hiding behind her work, and missing out on life. Could this be her time to fall in love? She’d never felt like this before and she’d only just met this guy. Infatuation? She didn’t know, but she did want to find out.
Today.
She squeezed his hand harder and stepped back from the squealing elevator doors.
Ben frowned. “You all right? I thought we were going up?”
“No,” she said, “I, I changed my mind….”
Ben’s face broke into a huge smile. It lit his entire face behind his glasses. “Excellent.”
“Let me make a phone call,” she said. She smiled back, unable to ward off his infectious grin.
“Of course,” he said, and walked a short distance away to give her some privacy.
A gentleman.
“Hello….how was your coffee? Spicy? Lukewarm? Scalding?” Mikki asked, not bothering to hide her amusement. “We had a dry buffet with too hard waffles, greasy bacon, and brick bagels. You?”
Jewel laughed. “That’s sorta why I was calling.”
“Oh?”
“I know we said we’d go over to that cute, high-end vintage shop in Buckhead, but I, I’m going to go hang out with Ben.”
“Ben?” Mikki made his name sound like a celebrity’s—full of excitement. “Such a nerdy name. Plain. Boring. So that’s his name.”
“Ben Sun. We’re going to go see the city and hang out. I have my cell phone with me,” Jewel said. Now she’d said it aloud, her actions seemed pretty flimsy and more than a little reckless. “I’ll take his picture with my camera phone and send it to you for your records.”
“You grown,” Mikki replied. “But send me that picture in case we need to hunt him down and serve him up in Zen’s restaurant.”
Jewel jerked the phone from her ear as Nadia screamed in disgust and protest.
“We serve only raw fish, not people!” Nadia barked.
Mikki dissolved into laughter and got into a fit of what Jewel could only guess was pillow fighting. Breathing heavy, Mikki said, “Hey, sorry. Nadia is super protective of her boyfriend.”
Jewel shook her head. Her friends were nuts, but she had to explore this feeling with Ben.
“Well, send me the pic, his driver’s license number, blood type, and possibly a DNA sample… wait,” Mikki paused. “Never mind on the DNA. I don’t want to know or touch your beau’s uh bodily fluids.”
Jewel sighed into the phone. “I get the picture. See you soon.”
“Bye. Call often. Like every two hours.” Mikki’s teasing had become seriously stern.
“I love you too,” Jewel answered.
Chapter Five
Ben’s ears seemed to burn at those three little words. She loved someone? Loved! Something like heartburn erupted in his chest, but he hadn’t eaten much to cause such a fiery affliction. He touched the area where his heart resided and grunted. He’d never had this kind of response. His body rebelled. Who the hell did Jewel love? A boyfriend? A husband? He swallowed the acid mix of irritation and tried to pretend he hadn’t heard it. The thought that she would have a significant other, a woman like her, made good logical sense. But the logical part of him scowled in intense dislike. He didn’t want Jewel to have anyone else. How could she when she fit him so well? The thought that it might be possible angered him. He coughed to clear his head, but all he saw had been tinged red. No. Some other man putting his lips on her seemed obscene, criminal, and something he wouldn’t stand.
Jewel would be his love. A certainty filled him and his emotions settled, confident in his decision. Jewel and he connected. He’d never understood the true meaning of connecting to someone until now. To his math-orientated mind, him plus her equaled happiness. No way would Ben fail to solve this equation, regardless of the level of difficulty. Not that he should feel this way after just meeting her. Logic couldn’t explain that. He wanted to be with her. Simple. The other aspects of the equation would be worked out.
Jewel’s whispered laughter and softly spoken words brought him back to himself. He turned around to see her strolling toward him. His breath caught at the stunning sight. With her hair down, flowing as she walked, the pearls bounced softly against her breasts. His throat went dry. How could one woman steal his breath like this?
“You all right?” She touched his shoulder.
The moment her fingers made contact, the world cleared and he calmed down. How did she do that?
“Yes, I’m fine, now. Thank you.”
She grinned and looked relieved.
“I need to take your picture.”
“What?” he asked, titling his head to the side in question. “My picture?”
“It won’t hurt. Let’s do two pictures. One of just you, and then us together.”
He smiled politely while she took his picture, and then again when she took their picture together with her cell phone camera. The second one definitely had a more genuine smile. She typed onto the keyboard. “Just one more minute.”
“No problem.”
After a few m
inutes, she finally turned to him and said. “So, what’s first?”
“Um, before we get started, I have to ask…”
Her eyebrow above her left eye rose in question. “Oh?”
“Do you have a, well, I heard you say you love someone so I wanted to ask if you have a significant other?”
Internally, his stomach knotted itself into a nice bow as he managed to get the question out. He had to know if she belonged to someone else.
She scowled at him. “I wouldn’t be here if I had a boyfriend. I’d never disrespect him that way. I can’t believe you even asked.”
Her voice was light and she chuckled at him, so he knew she wasn’t truly offended.
“So, where are we headed?” she asked.
He’d been thinking about it while she made her cell phone calls. “Do you enjoy fish?”
With a raised eyebrow, Jewel said, “I hate sushi.”
He smiled. “I’m thinking those that are alive. We can go to the Georgia Aquarium, and then grab some lunch. It’s close to here, just north of Centennial Park. I’ve never been.”
“Neat! I’ve never been either. I’ve been to other aquariums, but I’d like to see this one. That one in Chicago is beautiful.”
“Yes, I’ve been to Shedd Aquarium, but it isn’t as beautiful as you.”
“Thank you!” She rewarded his kindness with a wink.
Warmth spread through him like heated syrup. He took her hand in his. It belonged there. Their hands fit well, like a hand in a glove. He had a two-seater sport car, bright yellow. Together they walked out through the doors they’d just entered and on to the parking lot. He led the way to his car and for the first time felt glad that he had upgraded to such a snazzy car. His vehicle back in Houston was a hybrid compact city car.
“Wow, this doesn’t look like the ride of a, uh, scientist,” Jewel said with surprise lighting up her face. “I mean…”
He grinned in spite of himself. She was too cute. “No?”
Jewel laughed outright. “Nuh uh.”