Now and Again (22 page)

She reached for his hands. “What happened?”

“I don’t fucking know. Everything was going like it was supposed to, and then this guy came out of nowhere and shot Porter in the back.” He shook his head. “I know him. He’s a good guy. Just got married last year.”

“How serious is it?”

“It’s not good. He’s been in surgery for two hours and we’re waiting for him to get out.”

Their eyes met during a moment of silence.

“Ben, I—”

He cut her off. “I’m sorry about earlier. I was an asshole. I felt like shit all afternoon after we fought and I was gonna come apologize after we got done at the warehouse, but this happened.”

“I was so upset I had to leave work early. And I’m sorry, too. I had no right to act that way.”

“You just surprised me. I’m not used to anybody having my back, you know . . . on a personal level.”

She let out a deep breath, the emotions of the day catching up with her. “I should go. I know you need to be out there with everyone.”

“Stay with me. I want you to.”

“Okay.”

He took her hand and led her out of the tiny room, back out to the crowded waiting area. All the faces there were creased with worry and Layla felt a stab of guilt because while she’d been relieved that it wasn’t Ben who was shot, someone else had gotten the other news.

Ben leaned his back against an open spot on the wall and wrapped an arm around her waist. She leaned against him, pressing her face into the hard muscles of his chest.

Though she considered herself perceptive, she’d been completely wrong about what she wanted in a man. All those years getting investment bankers, attorneys and executives to chase her had been a waste. Ben -- who had built his impressive physique as a Marine, who rode a motorcycle, who had a tattoo and had sealed off his heart – this was who she wanted.

He told her what to do in bed and not only did she allow it,
she liked it
. In and out of the bedroom he made her his priority, and he’d become hers. There was a balance between them that just worked, and she didn’t want to lose it.

A stout man with a shiny bad head and a dark mustache approached them.

“Sergeant,” he said with a nod.

“Lieutenant.”

The man took a swig of coffee from a Styrofoam cup. “This your girl?”

“Yeah, this is Layla.”

He offered a small smile. “Nice to meet you. What do you see in this asshole?”

“Fuck off, Mathers,” Ben said, but Layla could tell he wasn’t really angry.

“Do you know what the hell happened in there yet?” Mathers asked, sipping more coffee.

Ben shook his head and sighed. “We’ll start interviewing people tomorrow. I was on the other side, so I don’t know.”

“Damn. Got him right below his vest, didn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

A doctor in green scrubs approached the waiting room and a rumble of anxious whispers rippled through the room.

“Mrs. Porter?” he asked, scanning the room. A young woman with strawberry blonde curls stood, her arms clutched around herself tightly.

Though they were on the other side of the room, Layla could feel the woman’s desperation. She clutched her fingers into Ben’s arm as everyone waited.

“Would you like to go to a conference room for an update?” the doctor asked, gesturing toward a hallway.

“No,” the woman shook her head adamantly. “They’re all family, I want them to hear, too.”

The woman’s eyes were wild with worry, and Layla was glad when an older woman stepped up and reached an arm around her shoulders.

“He’s out of surgery,” the doctor said. “It went very well.” Gasps sounded around the room and shoulders slumped forward with relief.

“Is he going to live?” the woman implored, her hand shaking as she raised it to brush her hair from her face.

“I think the chance of survival is very high at this point. We don’t know yet how much damage the bullet did, but we removed it and he’s stable.”

Ben’s muscles relaxed, and Layla smoothed her fingers over the spot on his bicep she’d dug her nails into.

“Okay,” the woman said. “So, this sounds like good news?”

“It is. When he wakes up tomorrow, we’ll be able to asses him further.”

“Can I see him? I want to stay in there with him.” She looked young and fragile, still on the verge of tears.

The doctor nodded and started to lead the way.

“Thanks, you guys,” the woman said to the large crowd. “Thanks for being here.”

“We love you, Michelle,” a tall, older man said. “We’re all praying for you guys. You tell us what you need, okay?”

She nodded and followed the doctor. The fog of silence in the room lifted as people stood, some hugging or clapping each other on the back.

Mathers blew out a breath and downed the rest of his coffee, nodding at Ben and Layla as he headed for the elevator.

“You hungry?” Ben asked.

“I guess I never ate,” Layla said, pulling out her phone to check the time. “It’s 10:30.”

“Wanna pick up a pizza on the way home?”

“Home? Mine or yours?”

“Either.”

“Mine then, so Prince doesn’t get too lonely.”

Ben pulled her in close, his arm still around her waist. “I’ll drive. We can get your car tomorrow. And I’ll make the date up to you, okay?”

Layla smiled and nodded, letting Ben lead her by the hand to the stairway.

***

There was a charge in the air on the way home that Layla had never sensed before. She was emotionally exhausted from their argument and her worry over him. The tension and sadness from his fellow officer’s shooting had been the final straw, and part of her wanted to crawl into bed and sleep as soon as they got home.

But another part was stealing glances at Ben from the corner of her eye as he drove. Today she’d seen him bristle with anger, tense with worry and soften in apology. There was a new closeness that filled her with nervous excitement.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“You know I didn’t mean it about us being a bad idea, right? I’m an asshole when I’m pissed.”

She smiled at his serious expression. “I know.”

He reached over to squeeze her thigh and she covered his hand with hers. Neither one of them called to order pizza, and though she was hungry, food wasn’t on Layla’s mind when Ben pulled the car to a stop near her building.

They walked up the stairs to the front door in silence, and she wondered if he was exhausted and planning to go right to sleep. If so, she’d be disappointed.

He tossed his keys on the counter and locked eyes with her as she slid her shoes off. They both moved at the same second, covering the few feet between them. His warm mouth moved from her lips to her jaw line as he bent to pick her up. She pulled his shirt off over his head and let her fingers wander over the warm, defined lines of his back.

Though her body had been eager for sex many times, this was different. Layla moaned against Ben’s lips as he carried her to his bed, needing it this time. Playing wouldn’t be enough.

He wasn’t rough, as he’d been in his car behind the bakery, but he was urgent as he stripped her clothes away. She reclined on the bed and watched him remove the rest of his clothes, his need for her etched on his face.

He climbed into the bed and took one of her feet in his hand, drawing it up to his mouth to kiss her ankle tenderly. She pressed her palms into the bed, taking a deep breath as her body tingled from the sensation.

A surge of warmth and possession passed through her as he lowered his body to hers, meeting her eyes as he balanced himself on his forearms. She leaned up to catch his lower lip in her teeth, scraping it gently. His lips skimmed over hers so lightly it was agonizing.

With a tug on his hair that her fingers were wound in, Layla pushed her hips up toward his. Ben inhaled sharply as his rock hard erection brushed her inner thigh. He was close, so close to where she needed him, and she ran her fingers gently down his spine to encourage him.

His tongue dipped deeper into her mouth and she responded immediately, kissing him with a passion that was rising in her chest desperately.

He broke away, his breath hot on her neck as he tried to gather himself. She parted her thighs wider and arched her back into him.

“Fuck . . .” Ben closed his eyes. “You have to stop.”

“No. I don’t want to stop this time. You know what I want and you want it, too.”

“There are lots of ways I can satisfy you,” he said. When she felt his muscles tense to move off of her, she wrapped her arms around his back, her hands pressing against his shoulders.

“No. I want you tonight, Ben. All of you. Do you want all of me?”

His body stilled on hers and her heart pounded. “You know I do.”

“So take me.”

A low groan sounded through his closed lips. “You wanna get fucked, baby?”

“Yes. Now. Right now.” The throbbing between her legs was more than sexual, and Layla didn’t think she could stand the ache any longer.

He entered her in one deep thrust, and she responded with a vocal gasp. She was practically a re-virgin at this point, and he was huge. How could something hurt and feel so fucking good at the same time?

“Yes,” she managed in a breathy tone. “God, Ben, yes.”

Her voice seemed to incite him, and he thrust himself in her hard, his rhythm starting slow and building. The climax Layla was climbing toward was unlike any she’d ever felt; it spread from her aching midsection all the way down her legs.

His raspy groans threatened to send her over the edge, but she forced herself to hang on, wanting to savor the first time for as long as she could.

Ben lowered his face to hers and kissed her softly. When his hand crept into her hair and pulled hard, she couldn’t fight it any longer. She came with a series of incoherent cries and moans, clinging to his back tightly.

With Ben’s final thrust against her, he shuddered and said her name, his voice strained and full of emotion. Their eyes locked before he moved to the side with a deep exhale.

Layla wanted to say something, but nothing felt like enough. She curled her body around his and the feel of his fingers lightly stroking her back lulled her to sleep.

***

Layla snuck a peek to the other side of her bed, where Ben was snoring lightly, his face half-buried in a pillow. For once, she was the first one awake. She crept from the bed to brush her teeth, multitasking by peeing at the same time.

Images from the night before played through her mind. Sex had never been like that before. Her residual anger from the argument and her deep feelings for Ben had catapulted it into a new realm. Would the connection continue this morning or had it just been there during the sex?

When she looked at the doorway and saw Ben’s tall frame, she screeched. His sleepy expression became alarmed as he turned around in a flash.

“What? What is it?” He looked around frantically.

Layla jumped off the toilet, her toothbrush stuck between her teeth as she pulled her boxers back up. “You can’t watch me pee! Go away!”

“That’s what you screamed about? Christ, woman, I thought there was someone behind me with an axe!”

She pushed the door closed and spit into the sink. She’d never be ready for that much intimacy. From now on she’d have to remember to close the bathroom door.

Ben was stretched out on the bed when she walked out, his hands behind his head. His arms were enormous, his biceps defined with lines even when he was relaxed.

Climbing onto the foot of the bed, she crawled up to straddle him, his arms encircling her waist.

“You always look so good in the morning,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. She rolled her eyes and grinned.

“With no makeup and my hair everywhere?”

“Yeah. I like being the only one who gets to see you this way.”

“Last night was amazing, Ben. I hope it was worth the wait.”

He gave her a small smile. “Better because of the wait.”

“So . . . neither one of us is in charge now. How will we decide what to do today?”

“I think since neither of us is in a position to make the final call, we’ll have to just stay right here.” His hands slid beneath her shirt and pushed up past her waist.

“I’m good with that. I don’t need to go anywhere til tomorrow. I’ve got dinner at my parents’ house then, you want to come?”

“Ah . . . I’m not really the parent-meeting type.”

Layla raised her brows at him. “What? That doesn’t even make sense. You’ve met my sister, might as well meet Mom and Dad. Cole will be there, you guys can argue about who’s got a bigger dick. It’ll be fun.”

Ben laughed softly. “I’ll let you vouch for the size of my dick with Cole. But I’d like to spend the rest of the weekend with you – until you have to go to your parents’ house.”

A voice in the back of Layla’s head told her to agree. Asking for more than he was offering was going to create another argument. But the words came out before she could stop them.

“I’m confused, Ben. We’ve been seeing each other for a month. What do you want out of this?”

“I like what we’ve got. Why do we have to have the ‘where do you see this going’ talk?”

She moved off of him and shook her head. “I’ll be 27 next week, Ben. I’m not saying I want to get married, but I’m over men who want nothing but a dinner companion and sex partner.”

He sat up quickly, his eyes darkening. “Have I treated you that way?”

“You’re treating me that way
right now
. We can fuck and go out to eat, but you refuse to meet my parents?”

“How would you even introduce me to them?”

“I don’t know. How would you like me to introduce you?” She glared at him angrily.

“Meeting the parents is a relationship thing.”

“And there it is,” she said bitterly. “This was never about anything but sex for you, was it?”

“I’m no fucking good at the soft stuff, Layla.”

“What, like being decent?”

“I don’t know … maybe. I don’t cuddle and whisper sweet nothings. I’m just not one of those guys.”

She stepped out of the bed and crossed her arms. “Right, I got that. But haven’t you noticed I’m not all that sweet, either?”