by Em Petrova
* * * * *
Ben climbed behind the wheel and looked at her through the darkness. Dahlia felt like her body was humming, the first soft whisper of more. She gripped the seat, shivering under his gaze. He didn’t move to touch her or continue that burning kiss he’d just laid on her.
He ran a hand through his hair. “My family has a cabin. We could be alone there.” His gritty tone heightened her need.
She nodded. “Is it far?”
He cocked a brow. “Eager to jump my bones?” Not waiting for an answer, he put the truck into gear and took off onto the highway. The crepe myrtles were draped with Spanish moss and the occasional marsh hawk swept out of the darkness after its prey.
Suddenly, Dahlia felt as if she was sitting beside a stranger. Whether it was the sexual tension fogging the air or a true panic at what he’d said to her back at the roadside restaurant was anybody’s guess.
He wanted more? What did that mean? One part of her was saying he was all wrong for her—that she wasn’t entering a relationship with a man who might not come home to her one day. But her mind was telling her to just look at the man sitting there with his thick shoulders and broad chest, his long fingers on the wheel inciting need in her she couldn’t control.
So, would she stomp on her heart for a chance at that sexy body?
Hell yes, she would. And everything that came with it.
He was a jungle gym and she wanted to climb all over him and lick every inch too. The way his hair tumbled into his eye and even the bob of his Adam’s apple was damn masculine. Maybe they didn’t need to reach the cabin, after all. She could just scoot across the seat and duck her head while unzipping his fly…
Did she want to be another woman who gave a hot guy road head? Well, who cared if she was? Damn, now she was wetter and overthinking.
He kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes off her, directed at the road illuminated by the headlights. His demeanor didn’t give any hint that he was actually happy about taking her to this family cabin of his.
She fidgeted on the seat, and he threw her a look—eyes hooded in a dark and utterly panty-soaking way.
“So you do want me,” she said.
He did a double-take. “What would give you the idea I don’t? I’m practically dying over here for you.” He took her wrist and smashed her hand over the front of his jeans and the massive erection there.
She sucked in a breath.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman and not fuck you along the road, Dahlia. I want to show you something more, but you’re killing me just with the way you’re looking at me. And fuck, I can smell your arousal.”
A tingle of heat spread into a wave. She clenched her thighs together. Under her hand, still pressed to his cock, his erection seemed to throb. She curled her fingers around it and he tugged her hand away, keeping hold of it on the seat between them.
He threw her another glance. “Do you have any damn idea how much of a temptation you are sitting there in that sexy wrap dress with your cleavage begging for my tongue all night? Or the way you widen your eyes a little and lick your lips while I’m talking? It’s distracting as hell and all I want to do is bend you over and fuck you.”
Practically panting, she managed to say, “Doesn’t sound so bad to me.”
He let go of her hand to run his over his face, as if wiping away any lust she’d see there. He may be good at masking his expressions, but she knew Ben’s lustful stares like she knew the freckles smattering her own collarbones.
When he cast her another look, he let out a rough groan. “Dammit, woman. I’m trying to take this slow and make it right for once. Help me out.”
His plea caught her off guard and she tossed her head back with a laugh. “All right, I won’t tell you that I considered laying my head in your lap and unzip—”
He swerved on the empty road for no good reason, but she wasn’t sorry for the chance to tease him.
Leaning closer to the windshield, she peered into the night. “Did a bobcat just step out? I’m glad you didn’t hit it.”
A throatier growl left him but he didn’t speak. She liked the thought that she’d stripped all the words from him and as soon as he stopped driving, he’d have all those slick moves of his body for her. Right now, she couldn’t wait for the scorching-hot brainless fucking only he could give her.
He managed to drive for another thirty minutes before taking a right turn onto a dirt road. Thick mud sucked at the truck tires and even the moon didn’t seem to penetrate this part of the bayou. The headlights panned over the side of the road and she swore she saw the red glinting eyes of a gator.
“This is off the beaten path,” she commented.
“That’s the point.” His words came out soft.
Need rolled through her, and she managed to keep from diving for his fly. How the tables had turned and she was now respecting a hot guy’s request to go slow, she had no idea. This must be fate’s sick joke on her.
“Your family owns this?”
He nodded but didn’t say more until the headlights struck a small cabin clinging to the edge of the waterway. A good rain looked as if it would flood it, if not for the stilts it was built on.
He stopped the truck, and she looked at the swamp between the truck and the cabin.
“How do we get there?” she asked.
He was staring at her, and her heart tripled in speed under his direct stare. “I pull us there in a pirogue.”
A thrill ran through her. She might be a Louisiana girl, but she’d never done this herself. Though she’d heard of people who lived deep in the swamps traveling by pirogue, and she was enchanted.
He reached for her hand, and she placed it in his big, warm one. “Ready?”
Her nipples peaked against her bra. She couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do than spend a night at this isolated cabin with the hottest special ops guy on the planet. “Yes.”
He got out and she did too. When he circled the truck to take her hand, he said, “Watch your footing. This place isn’t exactly right for those shoes.”
“I wasn’t thinking of bayous when I got dressed this morning.”
“It’s okay.” He eyed her platform heels. “They’re sexy as hell and I can’t wait to take them off you and kiss you from your ankles up. Now stop here.” He left her standing on a bank and she hoped like hell that red-eyed creature she’d spotted along the road hadn’t slithered this direction.
Ben was only a dark figure as he rustled through some weeds and came out with a long pole. “Good. My brothers didn’t drop the pole into the water like they sometimes do when in a hurry to leave.” He did something that made a scraping noise and then walked back to her.
When he was within her orbit, she felt his pull on her. Then he stopped in front of her and leaned in, lips by her ear. “I’m going to carry you so you don’t get your feet wet.” Without waiting for her agreement, he picked her up and she forgot all about the romantic beauty of their surroundings and savored the feel of being in his strong arms, against his big chest and enveloped by his clean smell.
His boots scuffed as he stepped onto the flat-bottomed boat with the shallow sides that would be their transportation to the rustic cabin. He set her on her feet and she gripped him to gain her balance.
“Oh fuck.” He crouched and made a quick move she couldn’t exactly make out in the darkness. But when he stood and she spotted the long curled shape of a snake in his hands, she released a bottled scream.
He flung the snake into the water and it made a splash. Small ripples caught the faint moonlight streaming through a break in the swamp trees.
“It’s okay now. Sorry about that. I should have checked before I set you down.”
She wrapped her arms around her middle and rubbed the chill off her upper arms.
“You all right?” She couldn’t see his face but heard the smile in his voice.
“Yes,” she breathed out.
“Good. If you haven’t ridden in a piro
gue before, you can sit or stand.”
She glanced at the blackness pooling around her feet. How he could see better in the darkness than her was probably due to his training. Who knew what the man did in the dark.
Well, she did know a bit…
“I’ll stand.”
“Okay. Then why don’t you get behind me and put your arms around me. That’s it. Now brace your legs apart a bit so you have more balance.”
She mirrored his stance, though his leg spread was much wider. With her arms tight around his waist, she felt anchored.
“Ready?” He had the pole in hand and when he felt her nod, he dug the pole into the swamp bottom, propelling the pirogue along.
With each move of the pole, his back muscles rippled. She leaned her cheek against his spine and breathed in, staring at the mysterious swamp they drifted through. The cabin was only a short distance, and the pirogue bumped something wooden. A dock.
“I can’t wait to see this in the daylight.”
“It’s a swamp,” he said, obviously unattached to the beauty. He dropped the pole onto the dock and twisted to pull her into his arms, plucking her off her feet and setting her onto firmer footing.
“This is an interesting way to reach a destination.”
He bent to tie off the pirogue with a rope around a metal hook. “At least you know I won’t be running out on you before morning.”
She wrapped her arms around herself again, this time to hold in the warmth oozing through her. Part of her was scared to do that—wake up with Ben. It would push them toward that intimacy he claimed he wanted and she still hadn’t yet processed.
When he stood, he grabbed her by the hand and led her blindly across the short dock to a ramp that meandered to the cabin. They paused before a door, and in the darkness she couldn’t see how he opened it. For all she knew, he’d used Cajun black magic. She wouldn’t put any skills past this man.
He fiddled with something and then pushed open the door. It gave a pleasant creak of welcome, making her think of summer nights and porch swings. A second later, he turned on a battery-powered light.
A warm yellow halo wreathed them, and she blinked at the brightness. “I’m not accustomed to seeing things in the dark.”
He only smiled and drew her inside. That odd feeling between them was back—like they were strangers meeting for the first time. It excited her. Was this how her momma had felt each time her daddy had returned from a mission?
Ben closed the door and moved close to her. He wasn’t even a little out of breath after poling them through the swamp. He took her by the shoulders and leaned down until his lips were an inch from hers.
Falling into those green eyes of his was easy—too easy. But she’d come here willingly, and she’d take what she could from the experience. Tomorrow would be soon enough to figure out her course and nurse any bruising on her heart. Because surely, this man wasn’t meant for her. It was sweet talk, pillow talk—and didn’t he know he didn’t need those things to get her into his bed?
Too many conflicting emotions whirled through her brain. For now, she needed to let all of her misgivings go and just be in the moment.
She slipped her arms around his neck and her breasts brushed against his very firm body.
“Dahlia, you’re so beautiful.” His gaze flicked over her face and hair as if drinking in her appearance, and her heart gave a small tug.
“And I’ve never seen a more gorgeous man in my life,” she admitted, watching his lips because she wanted them the most. On her own lips, on her breasts, belly… and lower.
He stroked her long hair, twisting a lock in his fingers. “I won’t run out on you tonight. Tonight, it’s just the two of us and nothing can interfere.”
Dammit, his sweet talk was getting the best of her. Warmth pooled around her heart.
Going on tiptoe, she waited for his kiss, but it didn’t come. He seemed content to stare at her and just hold her. The longer they stood there, the more the feeling of being with a stranger heightened.
“I’m Dahlia,” she said foolishly.
A small smile tipped the corner of his lips. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ben. Does this mean we’re starting over?”
Controlling her urge to shiver at his words, she lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “If that’s what you want.”
He gave a light shake of his head. “I don’t want to bury the moments we’ve had already, but I need you to know right now that I meant what I said about wanting more, honey. You make me feel…” He trailed off as if unsure of how to put it into words.
Gripping him tighter, she drew him down. “Just kiss me, Ben.”
He nodded, nose brushing hers. When he leaned in millimeter by millimeter to settle his lips over hers, electricity and passion bloomed out from the place their lips were joined. She held him tighter and pressed her body closer.
The feel of him, the flavor, the scent… all mixed together, forming a blaze of sensation in her brain. She wasn’t going to even think that the emotions were colored pink and had little red hearts dotted all over them.
She dragged in a breath, dizzy and burning up for this man.
He planted a hand unapologetically on her ass, kneading her flesh through her flimsy dress and deepening the kiss. Hesitantly moving his lips across hers and then nibbling lightly. When she sank her teeth into his lower lip to urge him along, he chuckled, the sound so carefree that she tumbled a little deeper into the moment.
With a rough groan, he parted her lips with his tongue and plunged inside. Need spiked. She mewled and pasted herself to his body. Hands roving over his strong back and down to his chiseled waist and lower to his rock-hard ass. He inched up the hem of her dress, exposing her thighs and backside to the humid cabin air as he ravished her mouth.
When he eased a finger under the elastic of her thong, she cried out for more.
He broke the kiss and stared down at her, chest heaving. Her head swam.
“I’m going to love you all night long, honey.”
“So much talk and so little action,” she cooed, going on tiptoe again for another kiss.
He vibrated out a laugh and started walking backward with her, somehow navigating around furniture of a small living room and past a big rough-hewn table that looked large enough to seat a big family or a lot of guests.
“You’ve done this before,” she said, not breaking their stare.
His brow crinkled. “What do you mean?” He sidestepped an end table holding an oil lamp.
“Brought women here before.”
He shook his head. “Never. I always kept that part of my life separate.” At least he wasn’t insulting her by denying he’d had other women. Though the idea unsettled her.
When they reached a short hallway, he opened the first door and pulled her inside.
Moonlight spilled through one window, shimmering across a patterned quilt.
He gazed down at her. “God, Dahlia. I want you.”
The gritty admission undid her, and she wasn’t going slow for another second. She ripped off his shirt and went at his body like kissing each swell and dip of his chest and abdomen would bring about world peace.
Need blasted through her as she reached the yummy love trail leading down into the waist of his jeans. She set her tongue on the trail and dropped to her knees to stare up at him. “Take off your jeans. I want to suck your cock.”
* * * * *
Fucking hell, he was going to explode. Dahlia’s soft lips pouted and her eyes flashed up at him. From her position kneeling at his feet, he had a clear view down her dress and the swells of her breasts made him think of sinking his cock between them and feeling all that warmth and softness.
His mind reeled.
When he didn’t obey her womanly command, she took matters into her own hands and unbuttoned his jeans. The zipper sliding down was the most erotic sound he’d ever heard.
Her warm breath came in pants across his briefs, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He sank his fin
gers into her thick hair and drew her head to him as she fingered down the waist of his briefs and his cock sprang free.
She nuzzled it and he damn near lost his mind. “Jesus,” he breathed out.
Dahlia snaked out her tongue and lapped at the head of his cock. His slit pooled with juices, and he let out a groan.
“Keep that up and—” He broke off as she swallowed his cock head. Liquid heat shot to his balls and he yanked her in, sinking his shaft to the back of her throat.
She moaned around him, and his control slipped precariously. He clenched his hands in her hair, and she released another throaty noise.
He swayed his hips backward, pulling out of her mouth. But she grabbed his ass and jerked him back in, swallowing him to the root.
“Fuck. Holy hell.” He stared down at her. Hollowed cheeks and wide eyes glistened up at him with lust. He was losing it. If he didn’t pull out now, he was going to blow in her mouth and then he couldn’t be responsible for holding her in place to swallow every drop of his cum.
She sucked him in again, tongue dancing up his length to flick over the tip and all without withdrawing on his cock. Jesus, at this rate he’d have a Cajun pêtre in here to marry them. Walking away from a woman who could use her tongue in ways like this was not an option.
When she cupped his balls and stroked the sensitive flesh, he jerked away. She yanked him back and sucked him in again.
“Oh God, honey. I can’t. Stand up here.” Using his hands in her hair, he brought her to her feet. He cradled her face and swooped in to kiss her. The flavors of himself on her mouth only drove him crazier.
He stripped off her dress and left her in only bra, panties and high heels. He rocked back to look at her. Moonlight kissed her curves in all the right places, imprinting them on his mind. His cock throbbed against his abs, and she dropped her gaze to it, licking her lips once more.
“Hellll, don’t do that, honey. I’m barely holding onto my control.” In seconds, he tore away her bra and palmed her full breasts while searching her eyes. “These perfect tits need my tongue.”