Presley looked around the living room of Ryan Mathews’ house and sincerely hoped her mouth wasn’t hanging open. She had been in awe from the moment she and Ben arrived hours earlier. The first ones to arrive, no less.
She had been nervous enough meeting his family and yet he brought her over before the party started. Afterward she realized he had done it on purpose so that she would have time to talk with Kaitlin.
And she was glad, because as intimidated as she was to meet Ryan since he was so well known in the area, she was even more so to meet Kaitlin. Deep down, it was important to her that Kaitlin would approve of her, for Ben’s sake.
She never cared before if anyone approved of her, or even liked her for that matter. But it mattered to her what Ben’s family thought.
She shouldn’t have worried. Kaitlin was open, affectionate and entertaining, welcoming her with open arms and making her feel at home. Once Presley was relaxed enough, Kaitlin pulled her aside and said, “Don’t let Ben get away with anything. Stand your ground with him.” Presley knew it was said with love, but she found humor in it just the same. She would bet not too many people stood their ground against Ben.
Shortly after their arrival, Lucas and Brooke arrived and she was formally introduced. Both welcomed her warmly, too. Though Presley was surrounded by such wealth, she didn’t feel it in the occupants around her.
Cori, when she arrived, actually came running over and hugged her, like she was an old friend. It was sweet, and then Cori introduced her husband, Jack.
Talk about intimidating. Presley knew who Jack was. Almost everyone at the hospital did. It was hard not to when he stood out so much. Not just tall, but solid as a rock. He was a presence anywhere he went in the hospital, similar to Cori, only for a different reason. Cori’s presence was announced by her attire, bordering on loud and tacky. Though tonight she looked as normal as the rest of them, dressed in jeans.
Presley almost did a double take when Brooke’s brother Mac and his wife, Beth, walked into the room. First off, if she didn’t know better, she might have thought Mac and Brooke were twins. Second, Beth was as tall as her, which wasn’t common at all. And as shy as Beth seemed, she even commented on how it was nice to have another woman around her height. Of course Cori and Kaitlin didn’t think it was funny, both being on the short side themselves.
The last members of the party to arrive were Ben’s older twin brothers, Alec and Phil. Talk about good looking, the Harper parents sure knew how to make some attractive offspring. Kaitlin was downright stunning with her straight black hair, brown eyes and Marilyn Monroe figure. Ben, well, Ben was in a league of his own, not only in physical appearance, but in attitude. But Alec and Phil, though not identical twins, were equally attractive.
All the Harper siblings shared the same black hair and brown eyes. Each a little unique, yet similar at the same time. And though Alec was more outgoing like Ben, Phil was quieter but just as friendly and warm as the rest of the family.
The entire group was something Presley had never experienced before. They were more than friends, they were family as well, whether they shared the same blood or not. It was totally foreign for someone who had been on her own, literally, since she was eighteen. And figuratively long before.
“You should have seen Ben’s face when Ryan asked him to be in our wedding,” Kaitlin said.
Startled, Presley looked over at Kaitlin. “He never told me he was going to be in your wedding. That’s sweet.”
Kaitlin’s eyes warmed. “Ryan just asked him on Thursday night. And yes, it was sweet that Ryan let me pick the last groomsman. Especially since Ryan is closest to Alec. But it really came as no surprise that Ben was asked either. He and I are very close.”
“He speaks very highly of you,” Presley said.
“He speaks highly of you, too.”
“He does?” Presley said, her eyes growing wide.
“Yes. I know you two have only been dating a few weeks, but your name has come up quite a few times. I’m thrilled to finally meet you.” Kaitlin paused, looked around for a minute, then leaned in close and lowered her voice. “I hope maybe you can help heal him.”
“Heal?” Presley asked, confused, but kept her voice low also. “Did he get injured? He looks fine to me.” She looked over to see Ben laughing in the kitchen with Ryan and Mac.
“Not physically, no. I’ve said enough.” Kaitlin stood up from the couch they were sitting on. “I should go find Cori before she eats all the cookies I made.”
Presley took the opportunity to stand and stretch her legs.
“Want a tour of the house?”
She turned to see Ben next to her. She hadn’t even felt his presence behind her, let alone heard him approach her. She hated when he did that. “Is it okay?”
“Sure. Phil designed the house, Alec built it, and I’ve been in and out of it enough when no one was around. Ryan doesn’t care. It’s pretty much Kaitlin’s house now, anyway. All of us usually come and go through each other’s houses. No one cares.”
“Well, if it’s okay, then yes, I would like that.”
After a quick tour of the downstairs rooms and the five bedrooms upstairs, Ben led her down to the finished guest suite. “Wow, this suite is bigger than the house I grew up in. And definitely nicer,” she said, looking around the large entertainment area with a galley kitchen to the side and bar at the other end. Her eyes narrowed in on the pool table at the far end and poker table close by.
“Maybe another time I’ll try to beat you at a round of pool. Or better yet, I’ll let you play Ryan and I’ll place a bet. I would love to see you kick his ass.” Ben placed his hand on her lower back and moved her across the large room, then opened another door. “Bedroom and bath through here. There is another half bath by the entrance to the lake for people to access quickly from the outdoors.”
“This place is just massive. I can’t believe your brothers designed and built it.”
“They’re good. I took the lazy way out and bought a house but had them gut and renovate it. Suits me better. I miss the lake and living here, but it’s more convenient to be closer to work. Besides, there are plenty of places for me to stay on the lake. Everyone lives here but me, and they all have plenty of room.”
He walked her back toward the stairs. Before they could make the climb, he had her caged against the wall with his body, his hands against the wall on both sides of her head, and his mouth covering hers.
She arched her body closer, needing the contact. They’d been here long enough in her mind. It was time to go. Breaking away, she looked him in the eye. “Your move,” she said bluntly.
He knew her meaning, she saw, but he shook his head. “No, it’s still yours. I want to hear you say it.”
She wanted to curse him, but she didn’t. He wanted her to say it, fine, she would say it. She leaned in close, ran the tip of her tongue along his ear, felt his body shiver, then whispered, “I want it all, Ben. And I want you to give it to me.”
He made some sound in his throat, almost like a growl, lowered his head back down and thoroughly kissed her senseless. “You have horrible timing,” he whispered moments later.
She let out a strangled laugh. He was right, she did, but she couldn’t help it. She had waited long enough. Longer than she had thought she would. “We can wait longer if you want,” she said, teasing another growl-like sound out of him.
“Hell no,” he said, then kissed her again, hard.
“Am I interrupting?” they heard from above them on the stairs.
This time Ben
did
growl. He looked up, fastened Ryan with a stare that had Presley quivering. “Get lost, pretty boy.”
But Ryan only laughed. “Hard to leave when it’s my house, but there is a bedroom right behind you if you need it.”
It was probably the worst thing Ryan could have said, causing Presley to actually look over Ben’s shoulder at the bedroom door briefly. Worse yet, Ben caught her doing it. If Ryan’s laugh was any indication, he saw it, too.
“We’re leaving,” Ben said, then grabbed her arm. “Tell everyone good-bye for us.”
***
Ben couldn’t tell you one word of the conversation they had on the almost-hour drive back to her place. He shut the engine off, reached over across the seat, wrapped his hand around the back of her head, and tugged her over, his mouth hungrily attacking hers. “Sorry, I needed to get my hands on you before we got out of the car.”
“Oh, don’t apologize. I’m hoping you’ll continue to have your hands on me,” she said, her voice raspier than normal.
He undid her seatbelt, then jumped out of his side of the SUV as she exited hers. Her hands were shaking when she tried to put the key in the front door, so he took it out of her hand and opened the door for her.
He barely had the door shut before he had her backed against it, caging her in once more, this time his hands under her sweater while he lowered his mouth to hers. He had to feel her, so up under her bra he went, and groaned low in his throat when her nipples hardened at this touch.
Her hands came up and gripped his head, holding him in place, almost like she couldn’t get enough of him either.
Minutes later, he lifted her away from the wall, turned them in a half circle and started walking them down the hallway toward her bedroom. “Which door?” he asked, his mouth moving around her neck, ear, and back to her mouth—any part he could reach.
“Left,” she said quickly, then fastened her lips to his neck when he removed one hand from under her sweater, opened the door, and walked her to the bed.
He was never so happy to see she had a skirt on today. It was a shock to say the least, but the short jean skirt looked damn fine on her, especially with the heeled ankle boots she was wearing, making her legs look longer than ever.
Before she had a chance to realize what he was doing, he pulled his hand out from under her sweater, lifted her skirt up around her waist, and lowered her panties. He never stopped kissing her, keeping her distracted the entire time he laid her on the bed. Sliding one finger between her legs, he felt how ready she was for him and couldn’t wait any longer.
Quickly undoing his pants and lowering them, he grabbed the condom out of his pocket, made quick work of putting it on, and entered her swiftly. Her gasp of pleasure was music to his ears, but he wasn’t about to wait around and listen to the whole tune.
Nor was she letting him, not with her hips bucking up and her nails biting into his back. She seemed more eager than him at the moment, and he loved every minute of it.
Reaching one hand under her, he cupped her backside and pulled her tighter against him, fitting them together as closely as he could, then started to move in and out of her at a frenzied pace. The feel of her legs wrapping around his back almost sent him over the edge of sanity. They had just waited too long and he had to get it out of his system at least once. Then he would take his time. But not now—now it had to be fast and hurried.
“Ben,” she moaned, sending additional fuel to the fire kindling inside of him. “More, give me more.”
He did. She asked and he gave. Taking them both higher yet, a scream tearing from her throat, followed by one of his own.
In the aftermath he was kissing her neck when she sighed and said, “I guess you gave it all to me after all.”
He chuckled. “Not even close. That was just a preview.”
A little while later, Ben caught Presley’s eyes on his gun. After their first hurried round of sex, he had finally gotten around to undressing her, then himself. She had been alarmed to see the gun he had holstered on his ankle. “What, what is it?” he had asked.
“I didn’t know you had a gun on you.”
“I always have a gun on me. You didn’t know that?”
“No, why would I?”
“Well, you see one on me every day at work,” he pointed out when he pulled off the rest of his clothes and climbed into bed next to her. He tucked her under his arm and half across his chest. “It never seemed to bother you before. Or at least you’ve never given any indication that it did.”
“It’s different at work. It’s part of your uniform, I guess. But this was unexpected.”
“Does it make a difference?” he asked, concerned. He wished he’d known beforehand. He would have talked to her about it, and made sure she knew and was comfortable. He hated that it came up at exactly this time. The wrong time, in his mind.
“No, I guess not. It just surprised me. Have you always had it on you when we’ve been together? Even at the adventure park?”
“Yes. I’m amazed you’ve never noticed it.”
“I haven’t. I mean you normally have boots on, and your pants are long. Even when you sit down, I’m not exactly looking at your feet,” she said, grinning. He was happy that she smiled and then kissed him right after. He felt her start to relax and was thankful.
Unfortunately an hour later, after a lot more rolling around on the bed, they were both sedated at the moment and relaxing, and her eyes fell on the gun once again. “Maybe if you held it you wouldn’t be so afraid of it.”
She let out a little giggle. “I thought I was doing a pretty good job of holding it earlier. And I can assure you I’m not afraid of it.”
It was his turn to chuckle. “That isn’t what I meant. But yes, you did a great job earlier, and any time you want to hold it again, be my guest.” He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “But I meant the gun. Is it guns in general, or is there a specific reason that it’s bothering you?”
She moved her eyes from the table and back to his, hesitated and then shrugged. “I guess just in general. No special reason.”
He didn’t believe her though. There was something behind her eyes that made him think she was hiding the truth. He didn’t want to push. Now wasn’t the time. He would figure it out, or find out. He always did. Finding information was his specialty. “If you hold it, you won’t fear it. There is nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid of it.”
“Presley,” he said, sighing long. “I’ve been around a lot of guns in my life and a lot of people. I know when someone has an aversion to them. It’s like anything else in life. Take the bull by the horns and face it.”
“Maybe you’re right.” She sent him a cocky look, leaned up and kissed him again, then straddled his hips and began to kiss her way down his neck, chest, stomach and below. She stopped and looked up at him with a wicked gleam in her eye. One that had him holding his breath. “It’s time to take the bull by the horns and face it.” She lowered her mouth over him, and proceeded to show him she had no fear at all.
***
The next morning Ben woke before Presley. He looked over and saw her sleeping soundly, rolled out of bed, grabbed his clothes and gun, then made his way to the bathroom. Before climbing into the shower he looked around in her drawers, found a new toothbrush, opened it up and made use of it. Nothing else of a personal nature in her bathroom, either. Her whole house seemed to be void of anything personal.
He stepped under the hot spray and stood there with a sigh of satisfaction. He had given it all to her the night before, but she gave him back even more.
He felt alive last night in a way he hadn’t in a long time. The wait had been worth it for sure. He might not have been able to say that a week ago, but now he could say it was definitely worth it.
They were so in tune with each other, more than he had ever been with another woman. Frankly that worried him. It was a totally new experience for him, but maybe that was what made the night as memorable as it was. And boy, could she play his body like it had never been played before.
He turned the cold water on some more, feeling his body stir in response to the memories. But he didn’t need the cold water after all, not when he heard the bathroom door start to open, and the curtain pull back.
“Want some company?” she asked, standing in front of him completely naked.
“What did I tell you before?”
“I believe it was something along the lines of ‘If you want it, take it, I won’t fight you off.’”
“You have a very good memory,” he said lifting her up over the edge of the tub and under the spray next to him.
***
Presley leaned forward and wiped the steam off the bathroom mirror. “I think we used up all the hot water.”
“I don’t think the steam was from the water,” he said, teasing.
She gave him a quick hug from behind, holding on a bit longer than necessary, then let go. “I think you might be right.” He looked so good standing in her bathroom next to her, wrapped only in a towel. She hadn’t had nearly as much time as she wanted to admire his body last night.
By the time they had gotten home from Ryan’s it was dark out, so they only had taken enough time to turn her little night-light on, which cast more shadows than anything. Now, in the bright light of her bathroom, she could take the opportunity to check him out fully.
He was solid muscle. She didn’t think she had ever seen anyone as defined as him before, not in person anyway. The amount of time it must take to maintain his body had to be massive.
“What are you thinking?”
“Oh, nothing. Just looking at you.”
“I see that.” He smiled warmly at her. “But you’ve got a question you want to ask, so ask it.”
“How do you know?” she asked, her eyebrow arching.
“Know what?”
“That I’ve got a question.”
“It’s written all over your face, so ask.”
She shrugged, then ran her hands over his back and down his arms, trailing her fingertips along his abs. “How much time do you have to put in to have a body like this?”
“
That
is your question?”
“For the moment, yeah.”
“A few hours a day.”
“How do you find the time? You work more than anyone I know,” she asked, astonished.
He leaned his head back and turned slightly, then kissed her brow. “I don’t sleep much, and I get up early. Or when I can’t sleep at night, I work out until I’m tired enough to sleep. Simple as that.”
She pursed her lips. That didn’t sound simple at all to her. That didn’t sound healthy at all, either. But she kept that to herself.