Against All Odds (Shifters) (11 page)

Chapter Thirteen

The following night Heather sat beside Ben. Their day together had been quiet. She’d not known what to say to him. Actually, she did know what to say to him
, but he didn’t want to hear her answer. For the first time in her life she wanted to tell him how she felt, and she couldn’t. He’d asked her to wait.

She pushed the skirt down over her thighs of the white dress she wore. When she’d gone for a shower, Ben had sneaked into her room to leave a dress for her to wear. She’d not worn anything quite so revealing since the attack.

The attack felt like a lifetime ago. She tried to get angry with him. Every time she thought about their meeting she felt relieved rather than angry.

Her life was a mess. She’d fallen for the man who scarred her
, and he wouldn’t let her speak her thoughts.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She watched as he reached out to her, grabbing her hand.

“I’m nervous. You don’t think this is showing too much flesh, do you?”

“No. You’re beautiful, and I’ll be the luckiest guy in the world.” He kissed her hand and sped toward the Ashton household. “Will your parents be there tonight?”

“No, they hate Halloween. They’ll probably be home watching the news or something.” Her parents never
celebrated Halloween, and they’d only given in for a tree at Christmas.

“Next year we’ll decorate our home. We can have scarecrows and spiders. We’ll have a pot of candy for the kids to come and earn.”

Heather chuckled. “You’d do that for me.”

He reached behind her chair and handed her a wrapped parcel. “This is just a little something I picked up with you in mind.”

The parcel felt like a book. She turned it over and started tearing off the wrapping.

“I thought we could try something from there next year or maybe more?”

It was a Halloween style cook book. Flicking through the pages she was touched by his consideration.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Do you like it?”

“I didn’t even get you anything.”

“I’ve got you, honey. I don’t need anything else. You’re the best gift I could have had.”

Tears filled her eyes once again. It was like she spent most of her time in a state of tears.

He parked in front of the Ashton house, and before he turned the engine off Heather flung herself into his arms. “This is sweet, thank you.”

“It’s a cook book.”

“You bought it with so much promise. Thank you.” She wasn’t going to let him spoil the moment. The book meant so much to her.

“I think we need to get inside before I take you and have my way with you.”

She pulled away. “I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

He stroked her cheek. “We’re going to this party
, and then we’ll see how the night leaves us.”

They headed inside hand in hand.

John and Kathleen were there to greet them. She giggled when she saw both were dressed as leopards. “It’s a hectic year. So many kids to feed,” John said.

“I love your costumes,” she said.

“Thanks, honey. Ben told us you weren’t going to be dressing up this year.”

Ben tightened his grip on hers.

“You look beautiful, Heather,” John said.

She smiled. They were moved along and couldn’t help laughing at some of the costumes. She noticed several shifters had dressed in their animal.

Dana was dressed as a devil. Her friend wore a short skirt and tight shirt.

“Are you cold?” she asked, when they passed.

“No, I run hot remember.” Dana didn’t have chance to stay long. She was busy feeding candy to the trick-or-treaters. Ben stayed by Heather’s side. He kept leaning down, whispering in her ear and pointing at costumes.

She was struggling to keep her mind focussed on the party.
His closeness was turning her on, and she couldn’t think when his breath fanned her neck.

“I can’t think,” she said, sinking back against him.

“It’s how I want you to be,” he said.

Felix walked up
, and Heather bowled over when she saw he was dressed in a crocodile outfit. His arms were folded, and he looked like he’d lost a bet.

“What the hell are you supposed to be?” Ben asked.

“I lost a bet with Dana. This is my punishment, and later I need to dress up as an eighteenth century woman with tights.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Ben. He was doing everything he could to not laugh.

“Go on, laugh and mock.”

“What was the bet about?” Heather asked.

“If you and Ben would seal the deal. Dana refused at first and then decided it would be easy for her to humiliate me,” Felix said.

Ben growled
, and Heather slapped Felix up the side of the head. “You’re a pig, and I’m sticking around to see you completely annihilated.” Felix had always been the playful sort.

“Take pity on me, man.” Felix stared at Ben. Her man was not moving an inch.

“You shouldn’t have made a bet based on me and my woman. When I see Dana I’m making sure you’re forced to wear makeup.”

Felix stormed away, grumbling.

Turning in his arms, Heather burst out laughing. “It serves him right. He should not be making bets at our expense.”

“If I ever hear him doing it again I’m going to lose it. No one makes a bet on my woman.” Ben kissed her lips.

She moaned, trying to deepen the kiss. “I hate it when you do that,” she said.

“What?”

“When you stop, I hate it. I love your lips on me.”

“You didn’t want me last night,” he said.

Stroking up his chest, Heather banded her arms around his neck. “I didn’t want to spoil last night with anything else. It’s not every day a woman gets told she’s loved.”

His hands settled on her ass, making her gasp. He brought her close, rubbing his cock against her core.

“Will you dance with me?” he asked.

“I’d love to.”

****

Ben moved with her onto the dance floor. His cock refused to go down
, and with her close by he seemed to be getting harder. He needed her so damn much. Her pussy was soaked through. If he was to touch her now, she’d scald him with her heat.

Pulling her into his arms Ben looked down at her. She rested her head against his arm. The guests at the Ashton household were human and shifters. The shifters were on their best behaviour tonight.
He really did enjoy Halloween. It was one of the few seasons he did enjoy. The laughter surrounded him, but he wasn’t listening to any of them.

With Heather in his arms, he was happy. John and Kathleen would want a word with them before they left. He’d spoken to the couple over the phone while waiting for Heather to dress. They were not happy with him keeping the secret from Heather. He’d tell her in his own time.

For once in his life, everything was going perfect. Heather didn’t hate him, and he couldn’t find an excuse to change that.

“You told me something last night, Ben,” she said.

He tensed waiting for her to burst his bubble. She had every right to refuse his feelings.

“Yeah, I did. I thought you’d need longer to think about it.”

She looked up at him. Her eyes were shining bright.

“After Mark crushed my heart I was determined to never let a man inside. What happened between us was hard, Ben. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to let you in. I love you. I’m in love with you
, and I would have told you last night. But you were determined to be an ass,” Heather said.

He paused, staring down at her.

“What?” He couldn’t believe her words. It wasn’t possible for her to love him.

“I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Laughing, Ben wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Joy consumed him.

“Ben, I love you, but you’re crushing me.” He released her, dropping his lips to hers and claiming her with a passion he’d kept at bay.

She gasped, moaned
, and tightened her hands in his hair, tugging on the strands at the base of his neck. “This could all change though,” she said, stopping the happiness.

“Why?” he asked.

“You’ve promised me some heat in the bedroom. You still have to deliver.”

“You’re testing me based on sex?” Ben asked, laughing.

“Of course. The last thing I want is to get a dud in the bedroom again.”

Silencing her with his lips,
Ben chuckled. “Baby, you’re all mine.”

“You’re that confident.”

“If you think my tongue and hands can blow your mind, wait until I get my cock into the game.”

She shivered
, and her pussy clenched.

“You’re too much.”

Gripping her ass he rubbed her against his hardened cock.

“
We’ve got to stay here a little longer. You can stay in my arms.”

“I want to leave.”

“Soon, baby, I promise you.”

Her head rested against
his chest. Ben stared out across the pumpkin-lit backyard. Kids were bobbing for apples or eating candy that had been left out in the little cauldrons.

“John and Kathleen know how to
throw a party,” he said.

“They do. They’ve always made me feel welcome in their world. They’re wonderful people.” Her hand rested on his chest. “I wanted to hate you,” she said.

“I know. I wanted you to hate me.”

She chuckled. “I suck.”

“I’m actually happy you don’t hate me.”

They danced for several hours. When couples approached, Ben kept her in front of him to stop them seeing his aching arousal. With Heather
in his arms he couldn’t stop the hardening of his length.

Heather helped him even if she did rub against him every now and then.
She was insatiable, and her arousal was getting worse.

“I’m ready to leave,” he said, whispering the words to her.

“I am, too.”

On the way to the door they found John and Kathleen kissing and rubbing against each other. Heather hid her face against his chest
, chuckling.

John turned, covering Kathleen’s front. “Yes?”

Ben rolled his eyes. He hoped he and Heather were like the couple in front of them. “You wanted to see us before we left.”

“Her parents,” Kathleen said, whispering against John’s ear.

“Yes, your parents stopped by to ask how you were. We told them you were seeing someone. They want to meet him,” John said.

Ben tensed.

“My parents actually stopped by asking for me?” Heather sounded amazed.

“Yes, they do love you. You’re their baby.”

His woman shook her head. “When do they want me to see them?”

Kathleen spoke up this time. “We suggested Sunday. They want to meet Ben.”

They said their goodbyes, and Ben helped Heather into her side of the car. When he climbed into the front she started talking.

“I don’t know what has gotten into them. My parents have never gone to their house. This is so bizarre. Do you want to meet my parents? They’re strange people.”

“You hang around with shifters, and you think your human parents are strange?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, I’ve grew up with the shifters
, and they’re so comfortable with each other. They don’t mind hugging and kissing whereas my parents are always hesitant and reserved.”

He understood what she meant. Even his parents, considering they killed themselves,
had been extremely cuddly.

The drive back to his house was filled with Heather complaining about her parents. He figured she was talking about them in order to keep her mind off what was about to happen.
There was no way he was waiting until after he’d seen her parents to claim her. He would have to tell her the truth about the scars once she’d seen her parents. When they didn’t respond to the scars, she was no doubt going to have plenty of questions.

He wanted to have claimed her, giving himself
another point of making her his mate.

When he parked up outside his home, Heather was climbing out without waiting for him to open the door.

“They’re weird, Ben. I’m telling you, they make shifters seem almost normal,” she said, ranting and raving about her parents.

Laughing, he searched for his keys and opened the front door.

He never thought he’d be considered normal considering he could turn into a tiger at will.

“Tell me I don’t have to go.”

Closing the door, he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her close to him. “Shut up. We’re not talking about your parents. I’ve got tonight to prove to you that I’m a stud in the bedroom.”