by Reese Ryan
“I didn’t mean anything by it.” She’d only meant to tease him, but she’d struck a nerve instead.
“I know you didn’t.” He sighed. “I’m just a little fed up with people treating me differently. You wouldn’t believe how many obscure business ideas I’ve been pitched tonight.”
She hadn’t considered that there might be a downside to becoming a multibillionaire. But for her, never having to worry about how she’d pay second mortgages on her condo and their family farm would outweigh the disadvantages. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re just about the only unattached woman in the room who doesn’t see me as a golden lottery ticket.” He nodded toward the gaggle of women in the corner of the room, whispering to one another and staring at him. “Not one of them would’ve given me the time of day back then. Their only interest in me was whether I could hook them up with one of my wealthy cousins. Now they’ve been stalking me all night. But you—I had to beg you to dance with me.”
A knot tightened in her stomach. She had a good job and owned a cute little condo that she was slowly renovating in one of the hottest neighborhoods in Nashville. But she was in debt up to her eyeballs. Not because she was a frivolous spender addicted to retail therapy, but because she’d sunk every penny of her savings into helping her mother save their family farm. Then there were the bills that had been piling up since her grandfather’s costly heart surgery.
Her budget was so tight it had practically squealed when she’d purchased the fancy dress she was wearing, despite finding it on the clearance rack at a designer dress shop.
If there was one thing she’d learned from her grandfather, Atticus Ames, it was pride. She’d work three jobs and sell plasma before she’d ask Benji or anyone else in this town for a handout.
“I told you that one day they’d regret ignoring you.” Sloane grinned. She honestly couldn’t have been prouder of Benji if he’d been her own flesh and blood.
“You did.” A soft smile played across his handsome face. “I was an awkward kid trying to figure out my place in life. But you always made me feel that just being me was good enough. You said that everyone else was just slow to catch up. That eventually they’d figure it out. You made me believe it, too.”
Sloane’s heart swelled. She was moved by his confession. “You were a special kid, destined for great things. I always knew that. And look at you... You’ve exceeded my wildest expectations.”
He smiled, looking bashful, yet deliciously handsome. Her heart beat a little faster; she needed to change the subject.
“Evie’s gotten so big, and she looks just like Delia. I’m surprised your parents aren’t urging you to settle down and give them more grandchildren.”
“You know them well.” Benji grinned. “My mother sneaks it into the conversation whenever she can. Don’t get me wrong. Evie’s a cool kid and everything, but 3:00 a.m. feedings and dirty diapers just aren’t for me.”
Sloane understood exactly how Benji felt. The primary reason her ex had filed for divorce was because he was ready to start a family but she wasn’t. Though, truth be told, it was just one of the many reasons their marriage had failed.
“What about you? Are Davis and Evie giving you baby fever, too?” Benji teased.
“Me?” She forced a laugh. “Between rehabbing my condo and being completely focused on my career, I forget to feed myself most days.”
True. Still, holding little Davis, with his chubby little legs and sweet baby scent, made her think for the briefest moment about one day having a baby of her own. A thought she dismissed immediately.
Finally, the song ended.
“Thanks for the dance.” Sloane slipped out of Benji’s embrace, determined to banish the inappropriate thoughts that had commandeered her brain and made her body ache for the warmth and comfort of his strong arms.
Benji lowered their joined hands but didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned down, his lips brushing her ear and his well-trimmed beard gently scraping her neck. “Let’s get out of here.”
It was a bad idea. A really bad idea.
Her cheeks burned. “But it’s your cousin’s wedding.”
He nodded toward Blake, who was dancing with his bride, Savannah, as their infant son slept on his shoulder. The man was in complete bliss.
“I doubt he’ll notice I’m gone. Besides, you’d be rescuing me. If Jeb Dawson tells me one more time about his latest invention—”
“Okay, okay.” Sloane held back a giggle as she glanced around the room. “You need to escape as badly as I do. But there’s no way we’re leaving here together. It’d be on the front page of the newspaper by morning.”
“Valid point.” Benji chuckled. “So meet me at the cabin.”
“The cabin on the lake?” She had so many great memories of weekends spent there with Delia and her family.
“My parents hardly used it after they bought their place in Florida. I bought it from them a few years ago and Cole completely rehabbed it. I’d love for you to see it.”
Just two old friends catching up on each other’s lives. Nothing wrong with that.
She repeated it three times in her head. But there was nothing friendly about the sensations that danced along her spine when he’d held her in his arms and pinned her with that piercing gaze.
“Okay. Maybe we can catch up over a cup of coffee or something.”
“Or something.” The corner of his sensuous mouth curved in a smirk. A shiver ran through her as she wondered, for the briefest moment, how his lips would taste. “Meet you there in half an hour.”
He disappeared into the crowd, leaving her missing his warmth.
* * *
Benji made two more cups of coffee and added creamer to Sloane’s before setting the cup in front of her.
She thanked him and reached for her cup. But her eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of the time, flashing on her fitness watch when she flipped her wrist. “I didn’t realize it was so late. You must be exhausted, and I’m keeping you up.”
“You can’t possibly think I want you to go.” Benji placed his hand on hers. “The last two hours were the best time I’ve had since I’ve been back in town.”
“Me, too.” Sloane smiled. A deep, genuine smile. Then she frowned, a crease forming between her brows as she slipped her hand from beneath his. She stood abruptly, smoothing her dress over her hips. “Which is why I should go.”
Benji stood, too, his eyes searching Sloane’s. For the first time in his life, Sloane Sutton wasn’t treating him like a little boy with a crush. Tonight, she saw him as a man. A man she desired.
He could see the passion in her brown eyes. Feel the heat that had been building between them all night.
When he was ten years old, he’d decided he was in love with Sloane because she was the nicest, prettiest girl he knew.
The passage of fifteen years hadn’t altered his opinion. With her standing this close, her luscious scent washing over him, his boyhood conviction was reinforced.
He wanted to be with this woman. To hold her in his arms. To tease every inch of her gorgeous body. Make love to her.
Get her out of his system once and for all, so he could stop living in the past.
They hadn’t seen each other in ten years. And in three days he’d be boarding a flight to Japan for the six-month-long consulting gig he’d agreed to when he sold his company. When it was over, he’d return to Seattle and Sloane would be back home in Nashville. Who knew when they’d see each other again?
Speak now, Benj, or forever hold your peace.
Benji stepped closer, his gaze locked with Sloane’s. She inhaled audibly, her body tensing as he leaned down and cradled her face. The sound of Sloane breathing and the frantic beat of his heart filled his ears.
Sloane didn’t object to the intimate gesture. Her pu
pils dilated, and her chest rose and fell heavily. He moved in closer, and she leaned in, too. She pressed a hand to his chest and her eyes drifted shut.
He kissed her, easing into it at first, reveling in the softness of her lips and the way her body nestled against his. Her lips parted on a sigh, granting his tongue access. Her mouth tasted rich and sweet. Like premium bourbon and pecan pie.
As the urgency of his kiss escalated, Sloane’s response matched his intensity.
Eager. Hungry. Demanding.
His heart thundered in his chest, his need for her building. He hauled her closer and groaned with pleasure at the sensation of his length pinned between them.
Sloane slipped her arms around him and tugged his shirt free from the back of his pants. Her fingernails scraped gently against his skin.
Benji groaned, hardening painfully as the sensation—part pain, part pleasure—heightened the euphoric feeling that vibrated beneath his skin. Made him desperate to finally have her. He lifted her onto the table, nestling in the space between her thighs.
He swallowed her gasp in response to the sudden move, kissing her harder. Losing himself in the clash of lips and tongues and the delicious sensation of their bodies moving against each other, desperate for more contact than their clothing would permit.
He savored her intoxicating scent and relished the feel of her full breasts with their hardened peaks pressed against his chest.
She glided her fingertips down his stomach and fumbled with his belt buckle, loosening it.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear.
Sloane’s hands froze. Her eyes opened and her gaze had shifted from one of intense desire to one of regret.
“Hey, beautiful.” Benji traced her cheekbone with his thumb. “Did I say something wrong?”
“I shouldn’t have come here, and we shouldn’t be doing this.” She lowered her gaze.
He was seconds away from making his boyhood fantasy a reality and he’d blown it, because he couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut.
Way to go, Benj.
“Why not?” He spoke calmly, trying to put her at ease. “We’re consenting adults.”
“I’ve known you since you were five. You’re my best friend’s little brother. I’ve introduced you as my little brother.” She shook her head, her eyes still not meeting his. “This is bad. What would Delia say? And what would your parents think?”
“My mother will never believe anyone is good enough, and my sister adores you.” Benji dropped a slow, lingering kiss on her lips.
“Because I’m her friend, who she trusts not to blow into town and screw her little brother.” She jabbed him in the gut, but her lips parted to his tongue when he kissed her again.
“You’re too young for me, Benji,” she whispered against his lips as he slid the silky, blue material down her shoulder.
He kissed the shell of her ear. “Five years mattered then. It doesn’t now.”
“I’m not looking for a relationship, Benj.” She pressed her hands to his chest, halting his movement as her gaze met his. Still, she hadn’t moved an inch. Her legs framed his as she awaited his response.
“Neither am I,” he said finally. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be together. I want you, Sloane. And I know you want me, too.” He slowly tugged the zipper down her back. The silky, cobalt blue material slid from her shoulders, giving him better access. He trailed kisses down her shoulder and across the top of her breasts, exposed by a pale pink strapless bra. “Just for tonight.”
She sucked in a deep breath and let the material slip down her arms and pool around her waist. Sloane unbuttoned his pants and inched the zipper down. The sound echoed off the solid oak floors and shiplap walls. She leaned in to kiss him. “Just for tonight.”
* * *
Usually an early riser, Benji refused to leave the warmth of Sloane’s curves. Her naked bottom was nestled against him, making him painfully hard. Which gave him hope they’d pick up where they’d left off just a few hours earlier when sleep had finally pulled them under.
Starting at her neck, he planted gentle kisses to the shooting stars that tattooed the length of her spine. By the time he reached the stars inked between her shoulder blades, she stirred.
“Mmm. Nice way to wake a girl.”
He rolled her, so she was facing him. Her pebbled brown nipples betrayed her arousal. “I can think of an even better way to wake you.”
“Bathroom first,” she mumbled through the hand clamped over her mouth.
“Anything you need is in there.” He nodded toward the adjoining bathroom before dropping another kiss on her shoulder. “Just hurry back.”
When Sloane returned, he was seated with his back propped against the padded leather headboard. Her bashful smile slowly gave way to a determined one. Her eyes locked with his as she straddled him. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned in and kissed him, tentatively at first.
He fought the urge to take over. Instead, he let her dictate the pace and manage the heat building between them. Sloane palmed his face and angled her head, her tongue gliding against his and her slick folds gliding along his heated flesh. She swiveled her hips, the pace and intensity of her movements more frantic.
Benji groaned with pleasure, losing all sense of control as he dug his fingers into the soft skin at her hip that bore a mandala tattoo with a rose at its center. He jerked her hips forward and then back. They were both getting closer to the edge, and he ached with the need to be inside her again. He flipped them over, so he lay atop her, and reached into the nightstand for a foil packet, fumbling to put it on.
He was desperate to get his fill of the woman who’d haunted his dreams since puberty. The only woman he’d ever really wanted.
Sloane wrapped her legs around him as he moved inside her. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders and her breath caught as she flew apart beneath him. His name rolled off her tongue as her muscles tensed, pulling him beneath the river of pleasure that washed over them.
Benji tumbled to the mattress, his skin slick with sweat and his breathing labored. He pulled her to him and kissed her damp forehead. “Come to Japan with me, Sloane.”
The words he’d whispered impulsively into her hair took him by surprise. They’d agreed to one night together, not a six-month-long commitment.
Smooth, Benj.
His brain urged him to revoke the invitation. But everything below his neck desperately wanted her to say yes.
“Sure. It’ll be a blast. We can eat sushi every day, sing karaoke every night and ride the bullet train on the weekends. Besides, seeing the cherry blossoms in bloom is on my bucket list. Just give me a few hours to throw a travel bag together.”
“You’ll come with me?” Abject terror and genuine excitement battled in his chest. The way they did during the seconds when a roller coaster made its painfully slow ascent to the summit before plummeting toward the earth.
“Wait...” Sloane lifted her head from his chest and blinked, her head cocked. “You’re not serious, are you?”
His shoulders tensed. “Dead serious.”
“Benji, I can’t. I thought you understood that this was just...”
“A game?”
“Fun. A release. Two people being a little naughty for the weekend.” Sloane pulled the sheet around her, suddenly self-conscious. She sat up, her back against the headboard. “But us getting serious? That can’t happen. I thought you were clear on that.”
“I am, and that doesn’t have to change. But it was nice to wake up to someone who made me want to spend the day in bed.” He shrugged. “I haven’t had that in a long time.”
“Neither have I, but—”
“Then why not keep doing it? In Japan,” he added.
Sloane dragged her fingers through her messy curls and huf
fed. “And while you’re working every day, what am I supposed to do? Lounge around, waiting for my sugar daddy to get home? No thanks, Benj. I’m not interested in being anyone’s kept woman. Not even a billionaire’s.” She climbed out of bed, taking the sheet with her as she wrapped it around her body and rummaged on the floor for her bra and panties. “Besides, I have a job and responsibilities, and I don’t have a passport. Never needed one.”
Benji dragged the remaining covers up to his waist. “I wasn’t thinking of the arrangement that way at all. We’d just be two friends hanging out.”
“And screwing. On your dime.” She looked at him pointedly. “Plus, you just called it ‘an arrangement.’ So if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck—”
She had a point.
He had just turned into that guy. The one who thought he could buy anyone and anything. Even the woman he adored.
“Point taken.” He cleared his throat. “Like I said, that wasn’t my intention.”
“I know it wasn’t. And I’m flattered you asked.” Her tone and her gaze softened. She gripped her blue dress to her chest as she approached him and brushed a soft kiss to his lips. “If the situation was different...” Sloane wouldn’t allow herself to finish the thought.
It was just as well. No point in musing about some alternate universe in which she would say yes.
Benji did the only thing there was left to do. He tugged her to him. Her dress tumbled to the floor, quickly joined by the pale pink bra and panties.
One
Six months later
Benji inhaled the scent of the roses, lilies and snapdragons overflowing his arms as he approached Sloane’s building.
The edge of his mouth curled in a faint smile. Sloane had always loved the scent of the snapdragons his mother grew in their front yard.
He halted in front of the red door and drew in a deep breath.
It’s just friends going out for coffee. No big deal.
At least that was the first step of his grand plan. He’d invite her to coffee where they could have a discussion on neutral ground about the possibility of picking up where they’d left off before he’d departed for Japan.