Stony Creek Hero [Stony Creek 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (15 page)

She gasped as Ben swooped down, crushing her lips to his as he gripped her head, pulling it at an angle. She heard him growl as his firm lips rolled over hers in a sensual caress that spoke of need, anger, and withheld desire. His tongue teased her lips momentarily as he allowed his hand to leave its claim to her wet hair and run slowly down her soft neck. His rough-tipped fingers explored her smooth, chilled skin as he pulled his lips away from hers and shifted them to the shell of her ear.

“If you ever, I mean ever, think to do anything like that again, I will have to punish you so severely that you won’t sit for a week, a year, maybe never again. Are you crazy, woman?” Ben growled softly into her ear, his lips causing shivers of entirely another sort to vibrate through her over his bulging arousal. If her thong wasn’t already soaked from her adventure, his breathy command would have them both aware of how wet she was getting from his response. She felt as his hand slid firmly over her collarbone and without warning or any gentleness he reared her back over his arm as he plumped her breast within the confines of his palm. She let out a deep moan as he roughly kneaded her lush globe while thrusting his tongue against hers as his hips ground his cock against her with determination. Lizzie struggled against the restraining rope to touch him as well but found herself oddly experiencing even more arousal at her confinement. She watched as Ben lifted his head to look down at her heaving chest as she struggled against the raging desire he ignited in her. She gasped as he put his hand at the top of her see-through white shirt and roughly tore it open right down the middle. With the material now hanging to the side, she felt herself being lifted toward his mouth as he forced the cup of her satin bra away and latched immediately onto her distended pink nipple. The sounds of their heavy breathing filled the cab with something darker, more like tangible arousal. It was something that she had never felt before. She could only watch and writhe as he feasted on her breast, alternating between small kisses and licks as he tasted her damp skin. His tongue shot out to lave around the hard nub exposed to his hungry gaze as he began to suckle on her roughly. It caused pain to shoot from the tip, only for a small moment, before it, too, changed into something delicious, dark, and unbelievably pleasurable. Shards of agonizing delight raced through her body as he unrepentedly ravaged her breast.

“Ben,” Lizzie gasped out, trying to shift herself over his hard length. “Ben, I want more, please more. Please let me touch you.”

It was the last part that helped to clear the savage arousal slightly from Ben’s lust-addled brain. He lifted his head and took in the dark pink nipple silently begging for the return of his warm mouth, her heaving breaths, and her pathetic excuse for pants that were plastered to her succulent mound. He realized at that moment that she was still bound. He had her bound, wet, and at his mercy, he thought wryly. It had taken a near miss but ironically he had her just as he always wanted her. He shifted his groin under her as they both moaned out at the sensual stimulation of his jutting erection rubbing against her cheeks. Suddenly, he noticed something clutched in her bound hand.

“Lizzie, darlin’, what is that? No, please don’t tell me. You could have died, you crazy woman!” Ben’s voice rose in volume with every sentence that he spat out.

Lizzie looked down somewhat sheepishly, as though realizing what had gotten him so riled.

“Now, Ben, take it easy. It isn’t like you didn’t save me. It shouldn’t be such a big deal now. Don’t get upset. You always save me,” she said with a soft smile which was her attempt at gentling his again increasing anger. “I couldn’t leave my purse behind, Ben.”

Ben took a deep, fortifying breath as he pulled the door open while depositing her on the passenger seat, attempting to control his runaway temper. As the rain pounded his back, he ran both hands over her waist, allowing both his eyes and his hands to almost reassure him again that she really was there with him. Both of his hands, in tandem, were running over her torn scraps of wet shirt to massage the sides of her ribs and then shifting to brush the undersides of her softly scented breasts. Her breathing hitched as he gently closed both hands over them pushing and squeezing them together, maintaining a light massage. Ben leaned over and pushed his face into the heavenly valley he had created with hands and took a deep breath. His tongue shot out to run down the crease that he created, allowing him to taste her creamy skin where her tattered bra left her exposed to his hungry gaze. With a final kiss, Ben pushed himself up and buckled her, still bound, into the seat as he slammed her door shut.

He wrenched open his own door, stopping to shift his erection that was trying to rip its way out of his sodden jeans and into her mouth-watering body. He sat silently in his seat for a moment, trying to calm himself and take in what had just almost happened to her, his Lizzie.

“Ben, what about my car?” Lizzie ventured to ask.

Ben turned to her with a dark, evil look. “Your car, darlin’, is no longer your car. I will take care of it. However, darlin’, you would be wise to sit quietly on the way home and not rile me any further than you already have. Okay?”

“But, I didn’t…” It was all Lizzie managed to get out before being cut off by Ben.

“No! No you didn’t do anything, baby. You didn’t think before you got in your piece of garbage, you didn’t allow Cole or Jackson to drive you home, you didn’t think to call me or answer you cell, and then when you were in trouble you tried to hold onto your damned fool purse! I would tread very lightly right now, Lizzie, very lightly,” Ben said in a soft and rather scarily controlled tone.

“Treading lightly, Ben, I promise, treading lightly,” Lizzie answered obediently.

Ben felt momentarily appeased at her quick obedience to his request. She sat there, looking beyond tempting with her delectable wet breasts visible to his roving eyes. He took in the see-through quality of her clothing and narrowed his gaze back on her.

“Lizzie, I want you to answer me honestly, baby, and I won’t get mad,” Ben began.

“You are already mad.” Lizzie stated the obvious.

“True. Then, tough, you will have to deal. Who, exactly, saw you, wet like this, with your clothing leaving nothing left to the imagination?” Ben felt possessive rage begin to simmer under his skin as he awaited her reply.

“No one, Ben, no one. Well, not many really. No one to worry about.” Lizzie tried to pacify him.

“Who?” was Ben’s only comment.

“Well, there was Billie.”

“And?” Ben asked.

“Well, and Julia, of course,” Lizzie continued.

“And?”

“Perhaps, your cousin Cole may have, um, caught me when I fell, but he was a perfect gentleman,” Lizzie whispered, as if aware of the rising possessiveness emanating from Ben. Good, maybe now she would develop a much-needed sense of self-preservation.

“Anyone else?”

“Um, well…” Lizzie started to stammer.

“Who, Lizzie?”

“Well, it is possible that the unscrupulous Theodore Davis may have, perhaps, seen me, as I ran across the street. However, if it helps, I ran very fast so it was a very quick glance at most, Ben, and I am sure he didn’t see much.” Lizzie tried unsuccessfully to reassure him.

“Not helping your case, Lizzie, nope, not helping at all, darlin’. You ran very fast? That’s the best you could do?” He didn’t even glance in her direction. The idea that Cole had seen her didn’t exactly thrill him but he trusted his cousin implicitly whereas he only felt rage at the idea that that scumbag banker had seen his woman. She was his Lizzie, just his. He wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t going to even try to fight it like his dim-witted older brother Jackson did with Billie. Nope, she was his. He just didn’t have to fall in love with her. Jackson fell and fell hard on his face in love. Now he, Ben thought, was a smart one. He recognized his attraction and care for Lizzie. He was just going to have to listen to his own advice. He was going to tread lightly.

Lizzie shivered slightly as she sat next to Ben, soaking the leather seat of his monster dually. Whether the shivers were out of concern for herself, as Ben still hadn’t unwrapped the rope lasso from around her, the cold, or a darker need akin to lust from the tension that was practically palpable in the cab, she didn’t know. Lizzie did recognize that Ben was barely in control of himself. She could see his hands gripping the steering wheel with such force that his knuckles were white. He hadn’t said a word to her as he appeared to concentrate on getting them somewhere safe to ride out the rest of the storm. She knew better though. This man, always quiet and gentle, was now emanating an emotion that she was sure she had never experienced before with a man. It was a nameless emotion that she had read about in romance novels, one that was a recipe full of fear, rage, helplessness, desire, and possession. If the situation hadn’t been so dire just a few moments ago, she might find herself savoring the opening act for what was sure to be a life-altering moment with Ben when they arrived at their destination. Lizzie opened her mouth as though to offer further apologies to her savior but then thought better of it as she saw the foreboding gleam in his half stare as he felt her regard. He returned his gaze to the road ahead and maintained his silence, which furthered the mixed sense of insecurity and arousal that Lizzie felt within her chest. Her breathing quickened and she began to try to extricate herself from the rope bindings that held her as his rescued captive.

“Tsk tsk, Lizzie,” Ben said without glancing in her direction. “I would think by now that we would have achieved some level of trust in our, well, relationship. No?”

Lizzie looked at him cautiously as she felt a small drop of water fall from her hair and run down the side of her face.

“I am going to confess something to you, Ben. Right now, I am a more than a little bit afraid of what is going to happen. It’s your mood, I have never seen you like this,” Lizzie whispered, telling him the truth.

Not reassuringly, Lizzie watched as Ben allowed the side of his sensuous lips to curl as he drove them up farther and farther on the mountainside.

“As much as I find it a turn-on to have you somewhat submissive, particularly bound and awaiting my will, Lizzie, I will put you at ease.” Ben had a softer look on his face momentarily. “Surely, you must know that even with as ridiculously furious as I am with you at the moment, I could never lay a single finger on you in anything except an erotically loving manner. You so brilliantly just confirmed for me that there is no way that I could allow anyone or anything in this whole world to hurt you. The last person who could ever harm you intentionally is me.”

Her sigh of relief was almost palpable to him as she visibly relaxed. It was as though she had received a pardon and now sat there patiently in silent acceptance of whatever sort of punishment or appropriate response she knew that he would dole out for her. Ben found himself shifting in his seat as he felt his manhood harden to its limit, practically pulsing with pain. Tonight she was going to find out that the rush of adrenaline that they both were experiencing from her safe rescue from the rushing waters was going to need to be burned off in a time-honored way.

“Lizzie, I am giving you this one opportunity to tell me no, for when we get to the cabin, it is going to be just you and me until this storm passes. Once there, you are mine, to do with as I please. You will be mine in every way possible, baby, and I will expect you to follow me in my instructions without question. Do you understand, baby?”

Ben watched as she shuttered her eyes momentarily as though weighing the significance of what results her choice would bring. She was lightly rubbing her thighs together so he arrogantly surmised that her thong was wet from more than just the river. He waited while taking in her shallow breaths and the rise and fall of her plump breasts which had his mouth salivating to latch back onto their delectable peaks. Her thighs were clearly visible for him to appreciate through the saturated, soft fabric of her destroyed capris. He already knew the sheer pleasure that their satiny skin would afford him as he ran his hands over their firmness. He squeezed the wheel again, returning his focus to the cabin coming up into view through the downpour. He heard a loud cracking sound and gunned the truck as a rather large pine fell across the road behind them. Keeping to himself the knowledge that the fallen tree would hamper their ability to leave, he savored all the wicked possible scenarios of how to wait out the storm.

His thoughts were interrupted by her soft whisper. “Yes, Ben. I understand and I accept. I must also confess to you, it is what I have been waiting for.”

Ben felt a leap in his heart at her softly murmured admission. His body felt the tension leave and was immediately replaced by a burning sense of hunger to possess this woman, in every way he would need to in order to satisfy his soul. The need to tear open his shirt and mash her body against his was causing his hands to tremble. He put the truck in park and shut off the engine, enveloping them in a silent symphony from the torrential rain that was battering his vehicle. Sitting still for only a moment, Ben turned to Lizzie and gave her warning.

“And so it begins, darlin’. From now on, baby, you are mine. Mine to pleasure, mine to care for, and definitely mine to punish. Starting now.”

Ben barely gave Lizzie any time to process his declaration before his hand snaked out and threaded through her wet hair to pull her face to his. He used his other hand to pull her body toward his with a yank on the rope that held her. He shifted until their increasing breaths mingled as he probably shocked her by gentling his intent and softly stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, causing her body to quake as she couldn’t physically hide her response to his tender touches. The look of surprise on her face made him smile as he leaned in to run his hot lips over the skin that his thumbs had stroked, savoring her wet flesh. She was probably expecting the punishment part first. Silly girl, he liked that he was going to have to keep her on her toes in this relationship.