“Then maybe you should shop at Payless again.”
“You know—maybe I should, because tonight the shoes were a bitch.” I turned to him. “Now that I’m out of harm’s way, how about if I get you a drink? You haven’t had one all night. I don’t have Guinness, but a friend of mine does enjoy a Heineken every now and then, and I know that I have that in the fridge.”
“A Heineken would be perfect,” he said as he started to remove his jacket. And as he tried to shrug it off his shoulders, his massive chest strained against his shirt.
“Stop,” I said as I walked behind him. “Let me help you out of it. Otherwise, you’re just going to burst out of your shirt and turn into Superman.”
“I wouldn’t want that to happen.”
I’m pretty much sure I can’t say the same!
“This jacket must have been tailored to you,” I said as I removed it from him. “I mean, good God—it fits you like a glove. How did you even get into it?”
“Getting into it isn’t an issue. But getting out of it? Let’s just say that there have been several issues when it comes to that.”
With a final tug on his sleeves, I freed him from it.
“There,” I said, facing his ridiculous sprawl of a back, which my gaze lingered upon longer than it should have.
I’m so screwed when it comes to tonight…
“You’ve been unleashed,” I said.
When he turned around to take the jacket from my hands, we were standing so close to one another, our eyes met. And when they did, I knew that the inevitable was about to happen. I was in for it. I just hoped that I was emotionally prepared for it. I hadn’t been with another man since Michael.
“Ben…” I said.
“Yes or no?”
“This will change everything.”
“Maybe everything needs to be changed.”
“We could be making a terrible mistake…”
“Or one of the best decisions of our lives. Look, Kate, you’ve already taken one risk tonight—why not take a risk on me? Aren’t I worth it?”
“That’s what scares me,” I said. “You’re more than worth it, Ben. I just feel that I need to protect my heart.”
“Let me protect it for you.”
Instinctively, he dipped down and kissed me on the lips. As I leaned into him, his right arm swept around me and pulled me in close to him, and our kiss lingered and deepened as I stroked the length of his back.
When we parted, his voice was so low and so deep when he spoke that I felt a tingle of anticipation when he reached out for my hand. “No words. They’ll only ruin this. Go with your heart. Where’s the bedroom?”
With my hand trembling in his, I took him upstairs to my bedroom, which thankfully wasn’t the hot mess it sometimes was after I’d been getting ready for a party. It actually was neat. And then there were the views of Manhattan that glimmered before us in the floor-to-ceiling windows that were just beyond the bed. Somehow, the twinkling lights alone seemed to make this moment even more breathtaking, exciting, and romantic than it already was. Using the switch in the doorway, I turned on the lamps on the bedside tables and dimmed them to a soft glow.
And then I wondered…
What would it be like to be with Ben again? After all these years? How would time have changed us when it came to making love and all of the pleasures we could bring to one another?
Instead of wondering, I chose to just listen to him, knowing that not only words but also thoughts could ruin what was happening between us now. If we were going to make love again, it would be best to just let myself go and be with him—and to delight in all of it—because as scared as I was to put my heart on the line again, I’d be a liar if I told myself for one moment that I didn’t want this to happen.
With exquisite care, he came up behind me and gently kissed me at the base of my neck as he deftly unzipped my dress. Like a whisper, it dropped away from me and fell to the hardwood floor. I felt his strong hands embrace my bare shoulders as his lips pressed against my ear and he murmured something—a memory?—that I couldn’t quite decipher. I wanted to ask him what he’d said, but I didn’t.
I preferred the mystery.
Since I didn’t want to be the one who was completely naked first, I turned to him in my lacy black bra and panties, and watched the desire on his face as he soaked me in. What did he see in me after all of these years? Certainly not the woman he once remembered. Due to age alone, our bodies had changed, which made me feel vulnerable as I stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips. And when I did, he lifted me off the floor, I hooked my legs around his ass, and our tongues intertwined in a dance that was at once familiar and unfamiliar. I reached up and ran my fingers through the thick, dark hair above the base of his neck, and it was as if we were young again. His hair felt the same to me. It was just as soft as I remembered, and that memory brought me back.
“My turn,” I said when he put me down.
“No words,” he reminded me.
“Some words need to be said,” I countered as I reached up to unbutton his shirt. “Especially the right words—OK?”
He conceded to that with a nod and then allowed me to unbutton and then remove his shirt, which revealed a lightly hairy chest that was so cut and expansive, it was almost intimidating. When I placed my right hand over his left pec to feel how hard it was, I also felt how hard his heart was pounding. It was at that point that I realized that I wasn’t alone in this—he was just as excited, thrilled, and on edge as I was.
“I want to see you naked again,” he said. “Because, even though I might have gotten married and divorced, you always have been the one who got away, Kate. Let me show you what you continue to mean to me.”
And he did.
When he unfastened my bra and flung it across the room, his eyes filled with the kind of lust I remembered from our youth. He covered one of my nipples with his mouth and when he sucked on it, bit on it, and tasted it before moving to my other breast and doing the same to it, my head reared back in ecstasy and I nearly came.
He was standing so close to me that I could feel his hardness throbbing against my thigh. I knew how large he was and that alone turned me into a silo of heat for everything that was to come.
“Your pants,” I said.
“What about them?”
“I want to take them off you.”
“Do you?”
“I do.”
“So do it.”
Who was this man? Over and over again, I kept asking myself the same question. He was the same, but different. More commanding. More confident and in control. Completely alpha. I’d never been so attracted to him.
I removed his belt and unbuttoned his pants, and as he slipped out of them, I saw that he was wearing a snug pair of black Spandex underwear that looked as if it was about to burst at its seams.
“Would you like to take them off?” he asked.
“I would.”
“Then take them off.”
Oh, Christ…
Gingerly, I slipped my fingers beneath his underwear’s waistband and then, after a moment’s hesitation, I pulled them down, allowing him to spring free.
How in the hell am I ever going to take that again? I wondered.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said. “Stand up.”
I stood, and he went to his knees and removed my panties. And then his mouth connected with my sex. As his tongue plunged into me, I gasped and began to shudder from sensations I’d long since forgotten. I then put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself as my first climax struck.
“Take me,” I said to him.
He swept me up in his arms and led me over to the bed before crawling on top of me. In my ear, he said, “Just remember in the morning that you’re the one who asked.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
When morning came and I woke to find my head resting against Ben’s bare chest and his arm curling me close against him, I knew with certainty that the dynamic had shifted dramati
cally between us.
Who were we now? Long-ago lovers who had simply enjoyed a one-night stand? I already knew better than that, because what I felt ran far deeper than that. Was I in love with Ben again? I wasn’t sure. But I couldn’t deny that something rare and special had occurred between us last night.
“Good morning,” he said when I stirred.
I glanced up at him and saw him smiling down at me. “You’re awake?”
“Light sleeper, I guess.”
I remember when you used to sleep until noon.
But maybe, like me, he had a lot on his mind right now.
“I should make coffee,” I said. “And breakfast. Are you hungry?”
He grabbed my ass.
“Define hunger…”
“You’re impossible.”
I tried to extricate myself from him, but Ben was having none of that. He pulled me toward him and kissed me on the lips.
“Kate, about last night. I need to know whether you have any regrets.”
Did I have any? Not now. Would I? Time would tell.
“Not one,” I said. “I wanted to make love to you again. We’re no longer a couple of teenagers, Ben. I knew that I was taking a huge risk last night—that we both were—but I’m happy that I took it. I hope that you also are.”
“More than you know,” he said. With an ease that surprised me, he lifted me on top of him and kissed me deeply. When our lips parted, he pressed his forehead against mine and held me so securely in his arms, I just melted into them.
“I’m worried about you,” he said.
“I know you are. I’m aware of the potential repercussions. But I also know that you’ll protect me if there’s anything to this. I know that you’ll see me through it.”
“But that’s what concerns me, Kate—I’m not perfect. I’m only human.”
“But you’ll do your best—and that’s all I ask.”
He looked at me for a moment, and then he just sighed. “If you don’t mind, I’d love some coffee,” he said. “In the meantime, where is your computer?”
“In my office. I’ll take you to it.”
“Before I call Nick, I want to check the papers and assess what’s being reported.”
“Who’s Nick?”
“Nick Martinez. Former SEAL. Buddy of mine. Owns one of the best private security firms in Manhattan. He’ll lead the team that will protect you.”
“OK…”
“And by the way, you’re going nowhere today until I can get Nick here—is that understood?”
“Understood. I’ve set the spark, Ben, but I’ve already told you that going forward, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“Well, that’s a blessing, I guess. Because, if someone did murder Michael, they likely are powerful, and they likely have means. And they will employ those means to silence you so that you’ll never pose a threat against them. My gut says that’s about to happen. Even though I know that’s what you want, let’s just pray that we can deal with all of it when it comes.”
* * *
Before I took Ben to my office, I slipped into an ivory-colored silk robe while he stepped into all he had with him—his underwear. With his hand pressed just a few inches above my butt, he gave me another kiss before I led him to my office. There, I showed him to my computer and then went down into the kitchen to make us coffee.
I remembered that, like me, Ben enjoyed his coffee black. So, when it was ready, I poured each of us a cup and brought them to my office, where he was sitting at my desk, leaning toward the screen.
“You got your wish,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“You’re the news. You’re everywhere. Hell, even the AP picked up the story. Essentially, most of the headlines can be boiled down to this: ‘Kate Stone, Widow of Billionaire Michael Stone, Questions Late-Husband’s Death.’ When it comes to the local papers, which matter most to us, there are a host of variants. The Post has a photo of you on its front page with this headline: ‘Kate Stone: ‘My Husband Was Murdered!’ In other words, written in typically scandalous Post style. The Daily News asks this: ‘Was Michael Stone Murdered? Kate Stone Investigates!’ And then there’s this from the Times, where you’ve also made the front page, though the story is below the fold: ‘A Mogul Murdered? His Widow Seeks the Truth.’ They also have a photograph of you with Michael.”
“Which photograph?”
He leaned back in his seat. “Have a look.”
I did. And when I saw Michael and me together again, it was like someone had shoved a knife into my heart. In my entire apartment, I had only two photographs of him—one in my office, and one that I’d placed on a corner table in a room I rarely used. A year ago, I came to the conclusion that, if I continued to surround myself with photographs of him and of us together, I’d never be able to move forward and get to the healthy emotional state I was in today. And so I’d packed away all but two photos. And it had worked.
But now, suddenly, here we were again, dressed to the nines for some sort of party or event that I had no memory of. In the photograph, Michael’s arm was wrapped around my waist and he was kissing my cheek while I smiled for the cameras. It was clear from the brightness in my eyes and from the smile on my face that I was over the moon because the love of my life was kissing me. God, how we were in love. Just seeing us together like that again was practically enough to do me in. But Ben was with me now, and we’d made love only the night before. I was making an effort to step into a new phase of my life, and so I reminded myself that I needed to honor that.
I had loved Michael, but after five years of solitude, I was ready to love someone again. Would that someone be Ben? I wasn’t sure, but what I did know was that, after last night, we owed it to ourselves to take things slowly and to find out.
I handed Ben his coffee, but he didn’t take a sip. He was so focused on the news he was reading that he put the mug down on the table in front of him, went back to Google News, and continued to scroll through the stories that had been written about me. I pulled up a chair beside him, sat down, rested my hand on his thigh, and began to read some of the reports along with him. And as I did, Ben put his arm around my waist.
“So, you see,” he said after we read through several articles. “This has become serious.”
“Which is what I wanted. So, what do we do now?”
“I’ll call Nick and ask him to meet with us. Is it all right if he comes here?”
“Of course it is.”
“Let’s finish our coffee. Then, let’s take a shower and get dressed. When Nick arrives, we’ll strategize. He’s one of the brightest people I know. If I’ve missed something when it comes to any of this, he’ll think of it. So, let me call him and set this up. Because right now we need him, Kate—before it becomes too late.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As Ben and I showered together in my master suite, both of us were so lost in thought, nothing physical occurred between us. We just went through the motions of washing and then dressing ourselves before Nick arrived.
In my bedroom, I slipped into a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a white T-shirt, but Ben only had one choice—what he’d worn last night.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said as I watched him put on his shirt. “When did your chest become as broad as the map of America?”
“Very funny.”
“You always were athletic, but nothing like this. You’re like Iron Man now.”
He flexed his pecs for me. “You like?”
“I wish I could do that with my boobs,” I said.
“That wasn’t the reaction I was going for.”
“Still.”
“And by the way, your breasts are as fantastic as they ever were.”
“Please—everything’s starting to drop.”
“Not on you, it isn’t.”
“So, you also need glasses?”
He laughed at that just as his cell rang. He removed it from his pants pocket, checked
who was calling, and then answered it. “Nick,” he said. “Thanks for calling. You’re here? Good—now I’ll know for sure that it’s you. See you in a few.”
“That was quick,” I said.
“Nick’s efficient—and your intercom is about to go off. Let’s go downstairs.”
After I answered the intercom in the foyer and asked the doorman on duty to send Nick up, it wasn’t long before a knock came at the door. Ben peered through the peephole, and then, with a smile, he unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a strapping, striking man somewhere around our age who, despite the few pockmarks on his face, was devastatingly good looking.
Nick Martinez was like an even larger version of Ben, which seemed somehow unnatural to me. What did these men eat? Nick’s thick, wavy black hair was cut so close at the sides, it accentuated his strong jawline and the dimple in his chin. His eyes were so dark, they seemed like liquid pools of black to me. Already, I could sense that this man was no one to fool with.
“Thanks for coming,” Ben said as they shook hands.
“Anything for a friend.”
“Nick, this is Kate Stone. Kate, Nick Martinez.”
I shook his hand, which engulfed mine. “It’s nice to meet you, Nick.”
“The pleasure’s mine, Kate.”
“Were you able to read the papers before coming here?” Ben asked.
“I read enough,” he said. And then he looked at me. “You’ve received some interesting press today. Care to tell me what’s behind it all?”
“How much time do you have?”
“As much time as it takes.”
“Well, it might take awhile,” I said. “So, why don’t we go into the living room? Would you like a cup of coffee, Nick? Some water? Juice?”
“I’d love some coffee. Black would be perfect.”
“Then please, both of you get comfortable,” I said as we left the foyer and moved into the living room. “Ben, would you like another cup?”
“I’m good.”
“Then I’ll be right back.”
* * *
A Dangerous Widow (Dangerous #1) Page 13