I scowled at him, feeling angry all over again. He was meeting my gaze, not looking at all anxious so that I wouldn’t hold myself back either.
“You shouldn’t go around listening to what others tell you, you know. If you and I are going to start over, you need to at least trust me, Ben.”
“I do trust you,” he said.
“Not enough to ignore whatever Hunter told you, though. I went out for coffee with him, one time. Also dinner, again just the one time. That doesn’t exactly count as us seeing each other.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned at the floor.
“I didn’t know what to think. It has been three years, and it would be unfair to think you’d wait for me for that long. Hell, if that accident hadn't happened, I would probably still be serving.”
My lips flattened at that because I hadn't thought of it that way. While I hadn't completely forgiven him, I had to admit, at least to myself, that I was glad he was back. In light of this new information, though, I couldn’t help but feel bad about that, because he’d had to go through shit to come back this early. It was enough to kiss my anger, and I let out another sigh as I crossed the space between us.
“Ben,” I said softly, stopping in front of him. I raised my hands up to cup his cheeks and tilt his face up so he would look at me. “I know that Hunter’s liked me since we were kids. It doesn’t matter to me. It never did, not even after you left, because I’ve never stopped loving you. Even though you don’t deserve it.”
He smiled sadly. “I don’t deserve it,” he agreed. “So why do you still love me, Ginger?”
I pursed my lips, feeling my cheeks warm just slightly.
“I can't explain it to you, all right? It just happened. I fell for you, and no matter how mad I was when you left, all I wanted was to have you come back so I could see you. Do you know why I was really angry at you when you came to the salon and started talking casually to me, like it hadn't been three years since we last saw each other?”
He shook his head slowly, eyes staring intently into mine.
“It’s because you were back, Ben. For months, you were back in town, and I wanted to see you desperately. But you never came, and I got sick of waiting, but I couldn’t bring myself to see you first. I was mad because I thought you didn’t miss you at all.”
His hands pulled out of his pockets, and I gasped as he circled his arms around my waist, tugging my body against his.
“I missed you,” he said, his voice husky. “You have no idea how badly, Ginger. For the first few months, I thought about you every day. Even after I got busy. You were the first person I wanted to see when I got to town, but I was so afraid you would turn me away, and I waited too long. I’m sorry.”
My breathing was coming faster, and my heartbeat was thumping harder in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was his words, how he said them, or the proximity, but I wasn’t against it.
“Stop apologizing already,” I muttered, my eyes dropping to his mouth. “You’ll make me mad.”
A slow smile grew on his lips, and he leaned in a little closer, probably noticing my preoccupation.
“Then I’ll stop saying it,” he reassures me in a whisper. “I’m not going to be sorry to you again because I’m going to do my fucking best to make sure I don’t hurt you again.”
My breath hitched, and that time, it was his words. He swooped in for a kiss, and I surrendered to him readily, my arms circling his neck as I kissed him back.
Chapter Nine
Ben
I kissed Ginger, softly at first, taking my time, savoring her taste. It was the second time I’d kissed her in three years, and I wanted it to count. She had her arms around my neck, pressing her breasts against my chest. I held her tighter, and the kiss grew rougher, and when she moaned, the sound muffled in our kiss, my whole body shivered.
“Ginger,” I whispered her name, my voice husky. “I won’t be able to hold back, so if you want to stop, back away now.”
It was a plea and a warning all in one. I didn’t move back, though, nuzzling the tip of my nose against hers. I waited for her answer, though, instead of diving in for another kiss like I was dying to do.
In the end, I didn’t have to. She didn’t give me a verbal answer, but she did rise on her toes, pressing her lips against mine. In my surprise, I parted my lips, and she slid her tongue into my mouth. I groaned, my body trembling again as I rubbed my tongue against hers, then sucked on it. My hands on the small of her back held her tighter, and I rocked my hips against hers gently, so she would know just how hard she made me.
“Ben,” she gasped when we broke off the kiss. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I reassured her.
I glanced around the room with a frown. Then I looked behind us, toward the glass door and glass window. We were on full display to whoever passed by the salon, and I cursed myself, for both my thoughtlessness and my impatience.
“Give me a minute,” I murmured to Ginger, loosening her arms and taking a step back.
I locked the door, let down the blinds, then turned off the lights, leaving only one lamp on and locking the door. When I turned around, Ginger hadn't moved.
“Are we doing this here?” she murmured.
I stalked toward her, letting a small smirk cross my lips. “Doing what?”
She frowned at me for the light tease, though she didn’t pull away when I leaned down to kiss her, my hands catching her around the waist. I walked us slowly backward as I took first her lower lip, then her top lip between mine, sucking and nibbling lightly before smoothing over with a little lick. I backed her up against the sink, then pulled away again.
“Tell me to stop if you want me to,” I told her.
I waited, our gazes held. She didn’t say anything. I tightened my hold on her for a second, then released her, grabbing onto her shoulder and turning her around. She gasped when she came face to face with her reflection. There were mirrors all over the walls in the room, and I decided I liked the effect.
“We’re doing it like this?” she squeaked.
I leaned down to press a kiss to her neck, meeting her eyes through the mirror.
“You know, you can say that we’re having sex. Or making love. Doesn’t that sound so much better than ‘doing it’?”
I licked a swipe up from the base of her neck to the hollow underneath her ear. Ginger gasped, stretching out on her toes as she tilted her head to the side, just a little. I watched in satisfaction as her lips parted and a lovely pink blush spread across her lips.
“You’re in a dress, Ginger,” I murmured, kissing back down her neck, to her shoulder. “You don’t wear dresses that often.”
I held her by the tops of her arms, and I slid my hands down her back to around her waist, holding her tightly as I pressed my hips back against her, rubbing my cock against her ass and making her gasp some more.
“I happen to like dresses,” she breathed out.
She hadn't before. She was the kind of girl that would more often than not be seen walking around in jeans, but I didn’t mind this change. I bunched her dress in my hands, lifting it up slowly. She just watched, panting, as I exposed her up to her stomach. I let out a sigh, placing my hands over her bared skin, though I mourned a little when her dress fell around my arms once I wasn’t holding it anymore.
Slowly, I pushed her panties down her hips, sucking on her neck and watching her expression carefully, searching for a sign that she wanted me to stop. There wasn’t any. With her panties lowered, I parted her thighs with my hand, and as she widened her stance, I palmed her sex, rubbing gently on her clit, teasing her entrance.
“Please,” she gasped, rocking into my palm.
I let out a groan, using my free hand to undo my fly and push my jeans down to my jeans. I wrapped my fingers around my rock hard cock and stroked myself as I rubbed her clit. Then I released her completely, pushing her dress until it was up around her waist again.
“Hold onto the
sink,” I commanded roughly, pressing her back a bit with my hand, so she was bent over slightly. Her hands, already on the sink, tightened their hold. “Just like that. Real tight, okay?”
She nodded, and I pressed another kiss to her neck. I slid one hand up the length of her back keeping her dress out of the way and used my other hand to guide the tip of my cock to her entrance. I slid in her slowly, watching my cock disappear inside her body, and I bit down on my lip, trying to find some control so I could make this good for the both of us.
I slid in, all the way until her ass met my thighs, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. Keeping my eyes on her face, I rocked my hips gently, and we both shuddered. I pulled out slowly, then slid back in, and I watched as her eyes widened and her mouth grew slack as I repeated the movement.
The slow pace wasn’t nearly enough for me. When I couldn’t hold back anymore, I dropped one of my arms around her hips, holding her still as I pulled back once again, only to slam my hips against hers. Ginger let out a loud cry as I did, and I groaned as I picked up my pace, until I was fucking her against the sink. I ran my other hand up her waist, over her ribs, until I cupped one breast in my palm. I squeezed her gently, rubbing my palm against her covered nipple, fucking her harder.
I leaned down to shower kisses all over her neck, Ginger’s moans and whimpers searing my mind. I bit down on her shoulder, carefully, feeling the pleasure pool at the base of my spine. I was so close, but I wanted her to come before I let myself go. Her walls were trembling around my cock, and I knew she was close, too.
Then, I felt it, her walls tightening around my cock, convulsing around me even as I moved in and out of her in fast, hard thrusts. My hips stilled, and I let out a loud groan, muffled in her shoulder, as I climaxed and spilled inside of her.
I pulled my teeth out of her shoulder with a sigh, checking her to make sure I didn’t hurt her. Then I hugged her body against mine as we both calmed down, still trembling from the force of the orgasm.
“Leave.”
My eyes shot up to Ginger’s gaze in the mirror, confused as well as surprised.
“What?”
She let out a sigh, her body shuddering with it, and I let out an involuntary moan and a slight jerk of the hips.
“Sorry,” I whispered, feeling my cheeks warm up. “But seriously, what? Don’t tell me you regret this.”
“It’s not that. I need to clean up and go home. I don’t want to stay away from home twice in a row. I kinda feel guilty about it.”
I understood. She wasn’t saying it, but she probably needed space. But even though I did, I was feeling a little sulky as I pulled back from her and righted my clothes. She pulled her panties and let her dress fall, then turned to face me. She leaned back, though, her hands still holding the sink trembling.
“I’ll call you later,” she promised. “But I need you to leave.”
I was dying for one, but I didn’t ask her for an explanation. I ducked down, and she didn’t shy away from me. I pecked her cheek, then turned to leave.
When I got to my car, I chanced a last glance at the salon, then drove back to the hotel.
Chapter Ten
Ginger
It was the weekend, and Mom and Fern were seated at the dining table having breakfast. It was my turn to cook, and I finished the last pancake, turned the cooker off, and moved to join my mom and my daughter.
“What plans do you have for the day?”
I paused and looked up at Mom, a bit confused because that question came out of nowhere.
“What do you mean? We’re going to the salon with you.”
“Ginger, you know we don’t get a lot of people coming in on the weekend.”
“I wonder why because they all should be working during the weekdays.”
“Everyone’s too busy relaxing or having a fun day, which you should also be doing. I can handle the day without you. Spend some time with your daughter.” She gave me a knowing look. “Maybe call a certain someone and make it a playdate.”
That had Fern perking up. “Playdate? With who?”
“Your mother’s friend,” Mom said before I could say a thing.
“Really Mommy?” Fern turned to me. “Who is it?”
I sent a frown at my mom, before smiling down at Fern. “Just a friend I’ve meant to introduce you to, sweetie. Would you mind very much meeting him?”
She shook her head. “If he’s Mommy’s friend, then he’s my friend.”
I patted her head, feeling a sting in my eyes that I blinked away quickly.
Mom didn’t say anymore, thankfully, and we finished breakfast. While she left to go to work, Fern went to get dressed for the day, and I picked up my phone and called Ben. He picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“It’s me, Ginger,” I said, suddenly feeling glad we’d exchanged numbers already. “I wanted to ask if you have your day free?”
“Why? Did you have something planned?”
I bit my lip before answering. “I thought maybe we could spend the day with Fern. She likes to play out in the park on weekends, especially around midmorning, because there are always dogs there.”
“Wait, really?” he blurted out. “Did you ask her already? Is she okay with this? Are you okay with this?”
His flurry of questions had me giggling, and I questioned myself, wondering why I was even worried at all.
“She already knows we’re meeting someone today; she is okay with it, and so am I. I did tell her it was a friend, though,” I said apologetically, even though it was technically my mom who did.
“That’s okay,” he said, reassuring. “As I told you before, however way you want this to go, I’ll follow your lead. The truth can come later, even way later. I just want a chance to know her, you know?”
“I do know. Which is why I’m not going to warn you that you shouldn’t blow this chance,” I teased.
There was silence, then a quiet curse, and that had me laughing.
“Don’t think too much about it, Ben. Fern is a sweet little girl, I’ve yet to meet anyone she dislikes, so you should be fine.”
We ended the call, and I went up to the room to check in on Fern, see what was taking her so long. I was a little surprised to find most of her clothes deposited on her bed, and my little princes standing in front of the mess, with her hands on her hips and a serious expression on her face.
“Don’t know what to wear?” I guessed, amused.
“I want to look extra pretty for Mom’s friend,” she explained, then sighed as her shoulders slumped like she weighted the world on them. “But I don’t know what to wear because it all looks really good.”
I couldn’t help giggling at my little girl’s cuteness, then mourning that I didn’t get it on video. I was tempted to find the camera anyway, but she was pouting at me, so I helped her pick up her clothes instead, then went to get dressed.
Once we were both ready, I texted Ben to meet us at the park, and we started the walk there. It wasn’t that far from home because we took a walk pretty often, but Ben would have to drive there. I let him know where he could meet us, near the only fountain in the park.
Minutes later, we arrived, and not long after that, Ben found us. I saw him approach us before Fern did. I’d decided to make it easier for him to find us, that we would sit down until the two of them met before I let her play with the dogs. She was squirming on the bench next to me, looking at the frolicking dogs, some of them barking at the fountain, where birds kept perching to take a drink of water. Other kids were playing with the dog, and I knew she was just itching to join them.
“Fern,” I called her softly, having to shake her shoulder before she would look up at me. “My friend is here to meet you, okay? Say hi to him; then you can play with the dogs.”
She nodded quickly, ready to take any deal that meant she got to play.
We got off the bench, and I turned her around to meet Ben. He looked down at her as he crossed the few fee
t remaining between us, and when he came to a stop, I thought he looked a little shaken.
“Fern, this is Ben,” I introduced. “Why don’t you say hi?”
She glanced up at me, then stepped closer to Ben with her hand held out.
“Hello,” she said. “My name is Fern. And you’re Mommy’s friend, right?”
He glanced up at me before crouching down to take her hand with a little smile.
“Yes, I’m your mom’s friend. But you can call me Ben if you want.” He let out a nervous chuckle. “I brought you some presents when I came. I didn’t know what you would like, so I bought a lot.”
Only then did I realize that he was carrying something, and he brought the bag closer to Fern.
“You bought me presents!” she squealed happily, about to look into the bag, when I cleared my throat. She shot me a quick look, then turned to Ben. “I mean, thanks for bringing me presents, mister.”
She looked my way again, and I gave her a nod of approval.
“Why don’t you go play with the dogs now, hmm? You can look at your presents later.”
She pouted at me, but in the next moment, she was running to join the dogs and the kids playing with them. Ben just watched her go; this longing looks in his eyes.
“She looks so much like you,” he murmured.
“Yeah. Mom tells me the women in our family have pretty strong blood. I looked like her when I was a kid, too. You can sit down with me if you want.”
He did, and we spent some minutes just watching Fern have fun. But Ben’s leg was bouncing the entire time, so when he suddenly jumped up to join the fray, I wasn’t even that surprised. So I was the one left watching them, as Fern accepted him into the kids’ games.
Once it was lunch time, Fern and I walked Ben to his car, where he had more presents waiting. It was all too much to carry, so he just drove us home. I let Fern go inside first, staying behind to have a quick chat with Ben. He kept shooting longing glances at the door that made me smile.
“She had fun today,” I said, catching his attention. “If you’d like, you can join us for lunch?”
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