“No, I’ve got it.” I go to dust it off but he captures my wrist before I get the chance.
“Let me.” His head drops forward before his tongue licks the powder from my breast.
“That’s going to be—”
“Ew, that tastes nothing like chocolate,” he says, pulling back with his lips curled in disgust. “I know what will make it better.”
“Ben, no!” I squeal when he reaches into the icing sugar and grabs a handful. The white dust is thrown just as I jump down from the counter. Icing sugar surrounds me. Every breath tastes sweet as it begins to settle on my skin. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
Before I have a chance to move, Ben’s hands slide around my waist and I’m pulled against him. His lips go to my neck and he licks a trail down to the valley between my breasts. “So much better than cake,” he mumbles as he continues licking.
My nipples pebble against the thin fabric of my bikini top and heat floods my core.
“Oh…I think you got a little bit…” Pulling the cup from my breast, I watch as Ben licks around my nipple before sucking it deep into his mouth. My head falls back as my clit starts to pound.
“Oh my God,” I whimper as he swaps to the other side and gives it the same treatment.
“Don’t move,” he demands. The serious look in his eyes means I don’t argue. I stand, surrounded by cocoa powder and icing sugar dust with my breasts on show while Ben adds all that’s left of the cocoa powder into the cake mix. “Hey, I told you to stay there,” he complains when I begin dragging my nails down his back. I can’t help but smile when his skin pricks with goosebumps and his entire body shudders.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” I slide my hands around to his stomach as he begins pouring the mixture into the tins I lined earlier.
“Fuck, Lauren,” he complains when I slip one hand under the waistband of his shorts and wrap my hand around him. He manages to flinch and miss the tin. Reaching out, I run my finger through the mixture and bring it up to his lips. “Suck,” I demand, praying my voice sounds as sexy as I hope it does.
“Mmm,” he moans as he laps at my finger, licking off every bit of the mixture. “I think I’ve got an idea for where I want to eat the rest of this from.” My insides clench at the suggestion. “How…how long do these take?” he stutters when I start stroking him.
“About twenty minutes.”
“That should be enough time.”
“Enough time for what?” Slipping away from my grasp, be pulls the oven door open and slides the two tins inside. Then, he turns to me. His eyes are dark and hungry as they drop from mine and take in my curves. Reaching out, he pops the buttons on my shorts and pushes them down my thighs. Wiggling my hips, I get them to fall to my feet and step out while he pulls at the ties around my back and at my hips. In seconds, the fabric flutters to the floor and I’m stood bare before him, bar the cocoa powder and icing sugar clinging to my skin.
After dropping his own shorts, he grabs my waist and lifts. I have no choice but to sit on the edge of the counter.
“Lie back,” he demands. I wince when my back hits the cold marble beneath me, but it’s soon forgotten when I feel Ben’s breath tickle my sensitive skin.
Propping myself up on my elbows, I watch as Ben feasts on me. The fact that we’re out in the open in the middle of our parents’ house only helps push me closer to my orgasm.
His lids flutter open, and his intense eyes land on mine. My heart flips over. I’m totally consumed by this man.
He slides two fingers deep inside me, his tongue continuing to torture my clit, and I fall over the edge, my body twitching and convulsing on top of the counter.
Pulling back, Ben wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before taking himself in his hand. He teases my sensitive clit, then drops to find my entrance. “How sore are you?”
“Not sore enough to stop you.”
In one quick thrust, he’s inside me.
He grunts and stills for a beat. His eyes find mine and I swear I can see everything he’s feeling inside them.
“I’m going to fuck you in every room of this house, Lauren.” I’m not sure if it’s a warning, a promise, or just a big fuck you to my dad, but in this moment I really don’t care. I also don’t have any argument because sex in every room sounds pretty incredible.
“What are you doing?” I ask the second he pulls out of me. I’m learning his body quickly and I know he’s about to come.
“No…condom,” he grunts before the heat of his cum lands on me.
Fuck, that’s hot, I think as I watch the muscles in his neck and shoulders strain as he works his cock.
“It’s okay. I’m on the pill,” I admit once he’s finished.
“We need to be safe,” is all he says. I can’t agree more. An accidental pregnancy is the last thing we need.
“I need a shower,” I say with a laugh, looking down at my body.
“That sounds like a plan.” In seconds, I’m in his arms and we’re heading for the stairs.
My legs are still wrapped around his waist as he leans in and turns the water on. Once it’s warm, he stands us under the powerful spray. Ben slides me down his body as the water begins to wash away the sticky mess covering both of us.
“Turn around,” he whispers in my ear, and before I know what’s happening, his hands are in my hair and the scent of my shampoo fills the small space around us.
“Oh my God. So good,” I moan as he massages my scalp.
“You like my fingers, don’t you, baby?”
“You’re so cheesy,” I laugh.
Once he’s finished with my hair, his talented fingers skim over every inch of me, removing the evidence of our attempt at baking— “Shit, the cake!”
“Fuck. I’ll go.” Quickly rinsing off the bubbles from his body, Ben jumps out of the shower, wraps a towel around his waist, and runs from the room.
I follow a few minutes after. The second I open the bathroom door, I can smell burning.
“Safe to say that’s fucked,” Ben says with a laugh when he reappears. Suddenly, I couldn’t care less about the cake; he’s still just got the towel wrapped around him and droplets of water running down his pecs and abs. I think it might be my favourite look on him.
“Keep looking at me like that and you might never leave this room.”
“I can think of much worse things.”
“Me too. But we’ll save that for another day. Get dressed.”
* * *
“Where are we going?” I ask as we step out of the front door.
“You wanted cake, and we failed miserably at making one, so I thought I’d treat you instead.”
Not being able to argue with his idea, I fall into step beside him as he walks us past both our cars and out onto the street.
“Oh my God, I love this place,” I squeal as Ben leads me into the dessert-only restaurant not that far from home. The sweet smell has my mouth watering the second we enter.
“Will this fix your cake craving?”
“Just a little bit. The only problem is choosing.”
Both of us indulge in way too many calories by the time we pay and make our way home…but I figure we’ve already exerted ourselves enough to get away with it.
Chapter Ten
“Lauren, wake up.” Ben’s soft voice filters through my sleep-fogged brain and I pry my eyes open to look at him. The smile he greets me with melts my heart, but it doesn’t stop me feeling like I should be fast asleep right now.
“What time is it?”
“Early. Come on, get up. There’s something I want to show you.”
Lifting my heavy head, I take in the numbers on my alarm clock. “Why the hell are you dragging me out of bed at three-thirty in the morning?”
“It’ll be worth it, I promise.” There are very few things that will make this worth it, but I refrain from voicing my concerns because Ben seems excited. “Here, get dressed.” A pair of jeans and the hoodie he gave me gets thrown onto the bed
, and after finding myself some underwear, I pull them on.
Once dressed, Ben takes my hand and leads me out to his car. It’s still dark out and the street is in silence. As we drive through the city of London, it’s quieter than I ever thought I’d experience—although there are still way too many people out at this hour, in my opinion.
“Where are we going?” I ask, desperately trying to keep my eyes open.
“Just wait.”
I vaguely recognise parts of our journey, so when he pulls up into the deserted car park he brought me to after our first date, I’m not surprised.
“I should probably tell you now that I’m not really interested in any kinky shit that might go down in this place after dark.”
Ben barks out a laugh. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of allowing anyone to watch through the window. That’s not why we’re here.”
“Why are we here?”
“For that,” he says pointing to where the sun is just beginning to creep over the horizon in the distance.
“Oh.” I’m gobsmacked that bad boy Ben has brought me to watch the sunrise. He really does put on a good show for everyone, and I suddenly feel so grateful to have been allowed to see the real him.
“Surprised?” he asks like he can read my mind.
“Yeah.”
“It’s just so peaceful. My dad first showed me this place. Just being here…” He pauses, and I can feel the emotion he’s desperately trying to keep inside. His jaw pops where he grinds his teeth and his hands white-knuckle the steering wheel. “It just makes me feel close to him again.”
He was only fourteen when his dad suddenly passed away. I can only imagine how he even began to deal with that. Having heard stories from back then, I know that Jenny totally fell apart, so not only was Ben trying to cope with losing his dad, but he was trying to support his mum at the same time. It’s no surprise that, when my dad swooped in not all that long later, they didn’t really hit it off. My dad had been working for Johnson & Sons, but as a builder. But it didn’t seem to take all that long for him to move into their house and take over the business. It was almost like he was waiting, hoping for an opportunity to arise, and when it did, he swooped in like a knight in shining armour and saved the day.
“Let’s get out.”
Ben jumps from the car and I quickly follow suit, meeting him at the front. Resting back against the bonnet, he pulls me against him and places his chin on my shoulder.
We sit in a comfortable silence as we watch the sun rise over London. I feel so serene and secure in his arms as we take in one of the busiest cities coming to life.
I can’t stop yawning as we head back into the centre.
“No sleeping yet. We’ve got more places to go.”
“It’s dawn on a Sunday morning. Where could we possibly need to go?” When he pulls up outside a McDonalds, I can’t really argue. “Okay, yeah. This is a good plan.”
We fill ourselves full of McMuffins and caffeine, and by the time we walk out, I’m feeling a little more awake.
To my surprise, Ben walks straight past his car and continues farther down the street.
“Where now?”
“I’ve got an appointment.” I look over at him curiously but he doesn’t elaborate. Things start to make sense when he comes to a stop in front of Just Ink, a tattoo studio. “Come on,” he says, giving my arm a tug and encouraging me to follow him inside.
“Mornin’,” a deep voice booms the second Ben opens the door. When I look up, I’m shocked to see Danni’s older brother, Zach, with his arms out in an over-the-top greeting. “It’s been too long, dude,” He pulls Ben into a quick man hug and slaps him on the back.
“I know. Things have just been a little crazy. You know Lauren, right?”
“I do. Lookin’ good, beautiful.”
“Hey,” I say, trying to keep my amusement hidden when Ben’s muscles tense at Zach’s greeting and the way he runs his eyes over me.
“Please tell me you’ve brought her because she’s a blank canvas. I do love a virgin.” My cheeks flush and I have to look away.
“She is, but you’re not getting your hands on her.” Ben says it with a laugh, but the warning in his voice is clear. Zach’s eyes widen slightly in understanding before he nods and turns to Ben.
“I’m stuck with you, then, huh?”
“Sorry about that.”
“I was hoping that if you were dragging me out of bed this early on Sunday, you might have something a little more exciting for me.”
“Shut up and get ready, prick.”
The banter between them continues as Zach sets up and Ben gets himself comfortable on the leather reclining chair in the back room. It’s clear that these two are closer than I first thought. I knew they were friends in school, but I’ve never heard either mention the other since.
“What are we adding today?”
“I want a sunrise on my shoulder.” I watch as Ben points out exactly what he wants and where.
“Sure thing. We’ll have this sleeve done in no time.”
I watch Zach ink Ben’s skin with fascination. I’m in awe of his talent. He makes it look so easy, but I’m not stupid enough to believe that’s actually the case.
“Are you sure I can’t tempt you?” Zach asks once he’s finished working on Ben. “There’s nothing like being a woman’s first.”
“Enough, Zach,” Ben snaps, clearly fed up with his blatant flirting.
Zach puts his hands up in defence as he starts clearing up.
“Maybe another day.” Both heads turn towards me. Zach’s eyes light up whereas Ben’s eyebrows draw together, causing a deep line to form.
“You don’t want this arsehole’s hands on you, b—”
“You’re probably right,” I interrupt before he says something he won’t be able to take back. I’m not sure it helps when I see the look Zach gives us. “I’ll just be out there.” Turning on my heel, I walk out of the room to wait in reception.
“Promise me you won’t let him put his hands on you,” Ben says the second we’re back inside his car.
“You do know he’s already touched me, right?”
“He’s fucking what?” Ben’s face reddens, the muscles in his shoulders bunch, and his lips press into a thin line.
I have to bite back a smile before I can respond. “Calm down, caveman. He’s Danni’s brother and caught me when I fell down their stairs once, that’s all.”
Ben blows out a huge breath and sags back against the seat. “Thank fuck for that.”
“I thought you were friends. He’s a good guy.”
“We are. Doesn’t mean I trust him, though.”
“But you trust me?”
“Of course. Zach’s just…a dog.”
I can’t help laughing. “And you’re not?”
He shoots me a look, but his eyes are full of amusement. “Okay, yeah, I deserve that.”
Any reference of him being with plenty of girls before me always has nerves fluttering in my belly, but the moment he reaches over and entwines his fingers with mine, I forget all about the outside world and just focus on this—on us.
* * *
As the clock ticks around, I feel Ben starting to pull away from me. The whole weekend has been beyond incredible, but we’re both well aware that our time is coming to an end. Dad said they wouldn’t be back until this afternoon, but it’s barely lunchtime and we’re both already on edge.
“Let’s watch a film,” I suggest in an attempt to take our minds off the inevitable. I’ve tried to push any thoughts of our reality to the back of my mind as we’ve enjoyed each other this weekend, but it’s never really that far away. What we’re doing might feel like the most natural thing in the world to us but, to the outside world, what we’re doing is forbidden. As far as most people believe, a relationship between us is wrong.
But is it?
“Lauren, are you even watching?” I flinch when Ben’s hand lands on my thigh.
“Sorry
, yeah. I just zoned out for a minute.”
“Do I need to ask what you were thinking about?”
“No. I just don’t know what—”
“We’ll figure it out.” With his hands on my cheeks and confidence shining from his eyes, I almost believe him.
“How?”
“Honestly, I’ve no idea. But what I do know is that I’m not letting anyone get between us. I’m not letting you go, Lauren. You make everything so much lighter. I won’t go back into the dark. I can’t.”
His body looming over me forces me to lie back on the sofa. He presses me into the cushions, his lips landing on mine and his hands trailing over my body.
Everything falls away—our surroundings, my concerns, everything but how I feel for him. It’s exciting. It’s overwhelming. It’s scary as hell. But everything he just said is true, because I’m not giving him up, either.
“Honey, we’re home.” Jenny’s voice rings out through the house loud and clear. Ben jumps into action, scrambling off me and practically flying to the chair at the other end of the room. I watch as he looks around in panic, running his hands through his hair, trying to smooth it down.
“Lauren,” he prompts when he spots that I haven’t moved.
Pulling myself to a sitting position on the sofa, I also attempt to sort out my hair and calm my racing heart. Dread fills me. I’ve never heard Jenny shout, let alone loud enough to wake the dead like that.
She knows.
“Did you have a good weekend?” Ben asks when she walks into the living room, looking between the two of us.
“Yes, it was love—”
“Lauren, what are you doing here?” Dad barks when he eventually follows her into the room.
“I…uh…came back this morning.”
“Your mum said you were staying for lunch.”
“I was, but I had some things that needed doing before work tomorrow, so I came back a little early. Problem?” I ask, jutting my chin out. Fire burns within me; I’m ready to start an argument if he wants to.
Turning towards Ben, his stare holds for a few seconds before he looks back at me. “I really hope not,” he mutters before storming from the room.
Falling for the Forbidden: Forbidden Series #1 Page 9