Fated Bliss (Bliss #2) (27 page)

“If he’s gotten this far with you, Sam, there’s somethin’ there that’s worth givin’ your all. Don’t let him go that easily.”

I chewed on my lip, letting her words sink in.

“You have Linc to think about too, Sam,” Mom added. “If you continue to see Ben, you’ll become attached to him, as well. And vice versa. You can’t take that lightly.”

Putting my head in my hands, I admitted, “I know. I already am.” I sighed and sat back. “I’m not sure how to do this. I’ve never dated anyone with a son – a teenage son at that. It’s crazy.”

“Linc seems like a good kid…considerin’ the yard.”

“He is. He’s bright and funny.”

If I was honest with myself, the kid had already captured my heart. When he pleaded with me not to hurt his father, his eyes too young to be that haunted, he’d sealed the deal. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and protect him from the darkness in the world.

“Take it one day at a time, Sam,” Mom suggested.

“I will,” I whispered.

My phone dinged in my back pocket. After fishing it out, I checked my text messages.

Ben: I’m an ass. Forgive me?

Seeing my smile, Mom questioned, “Ben?”

I bobbed my head, my heart lifting.

He isn’t giving up easily.

“How’d you know?” I questioned.

“Educated guess.” There was a gleam in her eyes. “Make him sweat it out. He’ll think twice about doin’ that again if he has to grovel.”

I laughed. “Is that what you made Dad do?”

Her eyes dimmed. “No. In our story, I was Ben. Your father fought for me, but that didn’t mean I had my own grovelin’ to do. It taught me a valuable lesson.”

Well…damn.

Wanting to lighten the traces of sadness in the room, I said, “I’ll take that under advisement.”

Mom stood and kissed my hair. “Good girl.” She straightened and flashed me a smile. “I’ve gotta figure out how to get your father out of that damn chair so we can go to bed. I’ll see you in the mornin’.”

∞

Ben: Sweetheart, please talk to me.

I read the text, wondering if I should cut him some slack. It’d been a whole twenty-four hours since I’d received the first one, and my resolve’s foundation was practically nonexistent.

When Ben dropped Linc off this morning, I stayed in the guest bedroom. His voice drifted towards me as I waited for him to leave, and all I wanted to do was walk out there and see him.

After he left, I joined Linc for breakfast. His guarded eyes searched my face as I sat next to him – he could probably tell something was off with his dad – but I gave him a smile and a wink to let him know everything was okay. That was all it took to transform him into the animated kid from the night before.

He sure knew how to captivate someone.

Ben had sent five other texts throughout the day, each one saying the same variation of
I’m sorry
. Now that I cooled down, I really, really wanted to fix this.

With that thought, I texted back.

Me: I’m still mad.

His response came immediately.

Ben: Thank God. You scared me.

Ben: I’m so sorry for being a jerk last night.

Me: All you had to say was that you weren’t ready to talk about it or something.

Me: You didn’t have to be such a jerk.

Ben: I know. It was a kneejerk reaction. I’m sorry.

That didn’t bode well for me. I wouldn’t put up with that kneejerk reaction all the time.

Me: So you’re telling me that if I ask a simple question, you’re gonna be like that?

Ben: Nothing about my dad is simple.

I didn’t know how to respond to that. I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then typed another message.

Me: I get that your dad is off limits. This isn’t about him. It’s your reaction.

Ben: I know, but if you knew him, you’d understand. Talking to him does that to me.

I wanted to feel bad for him about that. Really, I did. However, that still didn’t solve this.

Me: That’s still not good enough.

Ben: Give me some time. Please. I’ll tell you everything. I promise I will.

Me: That isn’t it either, Ben.

How could he not see that?

Me: Yes, I want to know you more, and hopefully I’ll gain your trust enough that you’ll tell me one day. My issue isn’t with you spilling your secrets.

My phone rang in my hands. Seeing Ben’s name displayed on the screen, I hesitated. Texting was one thing…but talking, hearing his low timbre, was another.

You can do this, Sam.

I took a deep breath and answered, “Hi.”

“Samantha.” His voice rumbled softly, pebbling my skin. “What can I do to fix this?”

God, he sounded so dejected.

“Don’t ever treat me like that,” I replied, shifting to get more comfortable in bed, and pushed myself up until my back hit the headboard. “You were handin’ out ultimatums, Ben.”

“I know.” He sighed. “Like I said, it was a kneejerk reaction. Sometimes it’s easier to push someone away, especially when my heads all muddled.”

My stomach dropped. “So you were tryin’ to push me away?”

“Yes.” He hesitated, then went on. “I heard Linc talking to you. He told you some things that made me uncomfortable. Also, having just spoken to my father, it put me on the defense. I was waiting for you to ask questions I wasn’t ready to answer, and I went about it all wrong.”

“I can see that,” I granted. “But it doesn’t give you the right to be condescendin’ or hurtful. Ben, you were both.”

Something rustled in the background, sounding a lot like sheets.

Was he in bed?

Was he dressed or naked?

Get your mind out of the gutter! Now isn’t the time. Stay mad.

This sexy man did all sorts of things to my libido.

I ran a hand down my face, refocusing.

“You’re right,” Ben whispered, his voice pained. “As soon as you were running towards the house, I realized I’d screwed up royally. I never want to see you run from me. To me, yes. Never from me, Samantha.”

I melted. “Ben…”

“Let me make it up to you.”

We needed to set some boundaries first.

“I want your promise that you won’t treat me like that again. I have a tendency to be nosy – if you’re feelin’ defensive or I’m pushin’ too hard, tell me. I won’t be angry if you’re honest.”

“I can do that,” he murmured.

“And I won’t ask about your parents again,” I added, not wanting to go down this road again.

He exhaled harshly, and I thought I heard a couple of swears. “God, Sam, I’m such an asshole.”

That wasn’t the reaction I expected.

“Ben-”

“I don’t want you to tread lightly or be scared to talk to me.” Gruff and chock-full of emotion, his voice deepened. “Hell, I’m fucking this all up by letting my demons get the better of me. This is the second time this has happened.”

Well, at least he admitted he had demons. That was the first step in the right direction, acknowledgment.

“Our relationship isn’t conventional. We’ve been through a lot in a short amount of time,” I voiced, hoping to express where I stood correctly. “You’ve had to tell me a lot about your past because of it. We’ve missed a huge step – gainin’ each other’s trust – and that’s okay. I like where we are and how we’ve come to it.”

“Even the rake?” he teased.

My lips quirked into a smile. “Well, I could’ve skipped that part.”

“Me too.”

Exhaling, I continued, “We’ve done things backward, so I don’t expect you to spill every secret you have, Ben. If this works, we’ll get there one day.”

“Talk to me about whatever you want, and I promise I’ll never go off on you again. If your questioning makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell you.”

“Deal,” I replied immediately.

“Not telling you about my parents isn’t about you,” he enlightened me, his tone soft. “It’s me. I’m trying to come to terms with some things I’ve found out over the last year, things that’ve just about broken me. I’m still raw from it.”

I ached at the pain behind his words. Whatever happened must have been horrible.

“It’s okay,” I murmured.

“It’s not if it pushes you away.”

Wanting to soothe him, I replied, “You can trust me, Ben. I know it will take time to get there, but I want you to know that I’m here. And whatever it is, I don’t scare off easily. I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

“I’ve already figured that out, baby girl.” He inhaled and added, “I promise I’ll tell you about it in time.”

For me, that promise was huge.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Can I see you tomorrow? I want to redo our date…maybe take you somewhere nice.”

“I can’t,” I replied, even though I wanted to say yes. “I have to get back to work. I ran by the B&B today and grabbed a bunch of paperwork that’s been neglected since I went to London. I’m gonna be swamped for the rest of the week.”

Sympathetic, he inquired, “That bad?”

“Yes. I’ll be workin’ from home while I recover. Plus, I haven’t unpacked my suitcase. I’m gonna be doin’ laundry and cleanin’ on top of all my work.”

Being with Ben sounded way better, but I had a life outside of him that I couldn’t ignore.

“You know, I don’t even know where you live,” Ben commented, with a smile in his voice.

“How ’bout we fix that,” I suggested, feeling warm and gushy on the inside. “Dinner at my house on Friday? That’ll give me enough time to get everythin’ in order.”

“Sounds like a plan. But I’m bringing take-out. I don’t want you overdoing it.”

“Always the doctor,” I teased, grinning.

“Yes. But it’s more than that. I hate seeing you in pain.”

“Ben…”

This man made me swoon at the drop of the hat.

I loved it.

“I still get to see you tomorrow morning, right? You’re not going to hide in the room again and wait to come out ’til I leave?”

I was caught.

Unashamed, I said, “Not at all.”

“Good. Sweet dreams, baby girl.”

“You too. ’Night, Ben.”

“Goodnight, Samantha.”

Chapter 23

Samantha

I opened my
front door and greeted Ben with a timid smile. “Hey, handsome,” I murmured, my heart rate doubling.

He looked good enough to eat.

The five o’clock shadow on his face, the wind-swept hair, and the board shorts and red t-shirt made him appear relaxed and comfortable. However, the intensity he was using as he drank me in was far from that – it was ravenous and possessive.

Yummy.

Without a word, Ben placed a hand in the center of my chest and pushed me backward. I cried out in surprise, almost falling over my feet.

But I didn’t have to worry.

As Ben followed me inside, he encircled my waist and hauled me against his strong body.

My belly dipped and heated into a slow kindling.

Guess we’re skipping to dessert.

Ben kicked the door shut as his head descended. I heard plastic bags rustling and something drop onto my foyer table.

Meeting him halfway, I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck. His presence, his scent infusing the air, everything about Ben being in my home did something to me, something incredible.

Our lips crashed together in total abandon. Using his tongue, he pried my lips apart, searching, exploring, and fisted my hair. My back collided with the wall, pinning me to Ben’s control as he kissed me. It was wicked and wet and unrestrained.

Hot.

My head was swimming, my skin tingling, when he tore his mouth from mine.

Mega hot.

Dazed, I stared into his brilliant eyes, trying to gain control over myself.
He’s a drug
, I decided right then and there. One taste and I was euphoric, swept away on a wild ride.

“I’ve waited days to do that,” Ben murmured and scattered kisses along my jaw to my ear. “You’re stunning tonight.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. Because I knew we’d be doing something along these lines as soon as we saw one another, I wore blue jean shorts and a little tank top, nothing special.

Still, I’d take the compliment.

“Thanks,” I rasped and combed my fingers through his hair, tilting my head. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Ben’s mouth found mine again. “I missed you,” he expressed between kisses.

Biting his lip, I teased, “You saw me two days ago.”

“Not enough,” he rumbled and sucked my tongue into his mouth.

Knees weak, I melded to him, letting him own me. He could do whatever he wanted to me as long as he kissed me like this.

“Bedroom. Now,” Ben demanded.

Who was I to argue?

I pointed down the hall, my eyes closed. “That way.”

“Thank Christ.”

I mewled when Ben retreated, craving his heat. Ben linked our fingers and tugged me down the hall, his stride long and rushed – I had to run to keep up with him. He stopped at the two doors facing one another, one belonging to my bathroom, the other my bedroom, and glanced back at me.

“Which one?” he asked, his voice gravelly and rough.

I pointed to the one on the right, and then I was being lugged over his shoulder. “Ben!” I screamed as I dangled down his back. “What are you doin’?!”

Ben marched into the bedroom, flicking on the lights as he passed through the doorway, and made it to the bed quickly. He leaned forward and threw me down on the bed. I giggled as

I rolled onto my back, enjoying his caveman behavior.

“Impatient much?” I asked as I brushed my hair from my face.

Ben placed two hands on the mattress next to my hips and leaned over me. “It’s been weeks, Samantha. I’m dying for you.”

My mouth went dry at the stark need in his gaze. No one but Ben had ever looked at me like that. It was as if I was his air, the only sustainable thing keeping him going.

“Then by all means,” I whispered, biting my lip as I smiled.

With nimble fingers, Ben attacked my shorts, unbuttoning them with no finesse. Deliberately, he guided my shorts and panties down my legs with slow movements, his acquisitive eyes following their route, coveting every inch he uncovered.

I swept my shirt up my abdomen, needing this process to be over quickly, but Ben’s hands stilled mine. I jerked my gaze to his, confused. “What’s wrong?”

“This is mine,” he stated on a growl. “I get to undress you.”

So we were back to the dominate Ben.

I love dominate Ben.

I pushed myself up until I was seated on the bed. Flashing him a naughty smile, I held my arms in the air and cocked my head, awaiting his next move.

Beaming triumphantly, Ben peeled the shirt from my chest and arms and threw it behind him. He hissed out a long, deep breath when he realized I wasn’t wearing a bra. “Damn, sweetheart,” he whispered, his eyes devouring my nakedness. “How often do you walk around without a bra?”

“Almost daily. All my tank tops have the built-in ones.”

Ben’s eyes lit like a kid on Christmas morning. “Good to know,” he murmured unevenly. “I’ll be thinking of that every time I see you in one.”

Yay!

I was sure that would lead to more fun times.

I’d think more on that later.

I pointed at his crotch. “Your turn, handsome.”

In a flurry of moves, Ben discarded his clothes. He did it so fast, I was unable to enjoy it as much as I hoped. Nevertheless, he was a sight for sore eyes as he stood bare before me, all ridges and corded perfection.

“God, you’re beautiful,” I breathed, my eyes raking down his broad chest.

Ben let out an amused chuckle, shaking his head. “That’s my line, baby girl.”

My appraisal stopped at his hard cock, and I licked my lips. “No, Ben. Definitely mine.”

I beckoned him closer with a finger and climbed onto my knees, shuffling to the end of the bed.

“See something you want, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice gruffer than before.

“Oh, yeah.”

Once Ben was close enough, I closed a fist around his hardness and took him into my mouth, sucking him deep.

Surprised, Ben gasped.

I hummed in pleasure, delighted with his response, then pulled back and licked around the head.

Ben swore.

Smiling around my ministrations, I bobbed up and down a couple of times.

Ben weaved his fingers through my hair, his breathing labored. “That’s perfect, sweetheart. Just like that.”

I hummed again and cupped his balls.

Ben’s body jerked.

I rolled the orbs in my hands, Ben’s grunts and moans feeding my arousal.

There was something empowering and invigorating about being the key to Ben’s pleasure. I could spend hours driving him mad and totally get off on it.

I released his cock and stroked him, following my hand with my tongue. Even his taste was addictive.

“Samantha…” he moaned.

“Do you like that?” I asked and sucked on the tip.

Ben swore again, then rasped, “I love everything about you.”

My heart thudded in my chest, but I wasn’t going to read into his words. Sometimes things were said during sex that were driven by the height of pleasure. That’s it. It didn’t truly mean anything.

I stroked and sucked him some more, getting lost in my actions. I explored, taking cues from his moans to learn what he liked the most and repeated them. He especially liked it when I licked the base, teasing his balls only slightly, and then continued all the way up to the tip.

Delicious.

Delicately, Ben forced my head away. “Enough,” he gritted out, staring down at me with a predatory gleam in his eyes. “On the pillow. Spread your legs wide.”

My hoo-ha quivered.

Scrambling, I rushed to do as he asked. Lying still with my head on the pillow, I waited as Ben picked up his jeans and slipped out his wallet. With a roguish grin, he revealed a long strand of condoms and threw them on the nightstand.

“Someone was presumptuous,” I commented, though I was glad for his foresight – there weren’t any in my home. I made a mental note to stop at the drug store and stock up on some condoms for later.

“Hopeful,” he corrected me. “Plus, I’m free all weekend.”

“Really?!” I asked, sounding much too eager for my liking. Acting aloof, I questioned. “All weekend?”

Ben laughed, shaking his head at me. “Yep. Pop’s and Linc went camping for the entire weekend.”

Yippee!

Even though I was screaming like a teenager at her first rock concert on the inside from the mere thought of spending a few uninterrupted days together, I murmured, “Well, that’s good. I wonder what you’ll do all weekend.”

Ben placed his knee in the middle of my bed. “I already know,” he told me, crawling between my thighs. “I plan to be here all weekend.”

Damn, I loved the feel of his weight on me.

Breathless, I teased, “I don’t think you can stay between my legs all weekend, handsome.”

He nuzzled my breasts with his cheek. “I’ll take that challenge.”

“Who said I was challengin’ you?” I questioned, watching as he licked the slope of my breast.

He kissed my pebbled nipple. “Weren’t you?”

Moaning, I squirmed under him. Enough was enough – I was dying here. I was turned on while I was going down on him, but now that we were skin to skin, my whole body felt like a livewire. “I’m done talkin’, handsome.”

“Am I staying all weekend?” he inquired, sucking a nipple into his mouth.

A zing shot all the way down to my clit. “Ye…ye…yes,” I stammered.

Ben rested on his elbows and pushed my breasts together with his large hands, rewarding me with a leisure lick to one nipple and then the other. “I thought so.”

He took turns suckling each peak, drawing them into his mouth with hard pulls, and purposely avoided any contact with my pussy, keeping his skin and cock at a distance. I was so wet, I could feel the evidence on my thighs.

Between kneading and using his mouth, he kept both breasts stimulated, frustrating me further. Mewls and cries fell from my lips unchecked.

After a few more minutes of torture, I begged, “Damn it, Ben, touch me.”

Laughing, he nipped at me, ripping a whimper from my lips. “In a minute. I’m enjoying myself.”

Through with this torment, I slid my hand in the small gap between our bodies and found my center. I clutched his head to my bosom and swirled two fingers over my clit, right where I needed to be touched the most.

“Oh, God,” I exclaimed loudly.

Ben chuckled and caught my wrist. “You naughty, naughty girl.”

I fought him as he manhandled my arms until they were restrained on the bed next to me. Glaring up at him, I grumbled, “That’s just mean.”

Resting on his haunches, Ben peered down at me with amusement. “And that’s a dirty trick, baby girl. Your pussy is mine to touch tonight.”

“I wouldn’t have to resort to touchin’ myself if you would have done it,” I fired back, breathing fire. I was so turned on, I ached everywhere.

That wild gleam of his returned, the same one I saw in London right before he spanked me. “Is that so?”

Uh oh.

I had a feeling I was in for it.

“Ben,” I whispered hesitantly.

“Hold on to the headboard and don’t let go,” Ben instructed, slinking down my body.

I glanced between my slatted headboard and Ben. “What?”

Ben tugged my legs over his shoulders. “Do as I said. If you let go, I’ll punish you.” As he awaited my compliancy, Ben kissed my inner knee. “Come on, baby girl. We don’t have all night.” Smirking, he corrected himself. “Well, I do, but I don’t think you’d like that very much.”

Scowling, I promised, “You’re gonna get it for this.”

“Samantha,” he warned, his voice brooking no argument.

Quickly, my hands found the slats and wrapped around them with a solid grip.

After another flash of white teeth, Ben’s gaze scanned down my body and rested between my legs. A lone delicate finger parted my nether lips, tearing a heavy breath from my lungs.

That felt amazing, but I needed more.

With a finger poised at my entrance, Ben confessed, “I missed this…us being together like this.” His voice was filled with something I hadn’t heard from him before.

Unconsciously, I released a slat and rested a hand on his chest. “I missed this, too.”

Blazing eyes pinned me in place.

He rumbled darkly, “What did I say?”

“I…uh…?” Words evaded me.

“That’s two.”

“Two what?” I questioned.

“You’ll see.”

“If you spank me again, we’re gonna have problems.”

Okay, so maybe that was a small fib. It just so happened that that particular memory had kept me warm and extremely satisfied at night.