Authors: Cassandra Cole
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Belinda was surprised at how much she liked having Ben around. Despite her initial impression of him, he was kind, soft-spoken, and very giving. Her mother would say he had a gentle soul inside a rough exterior.
More than anything, Belinda was glad that all the fears she had built up about him over the years seemed totally unfounded. He didn’t bring up the crime that sent him to prison and she didn’t ask about it. She figured he’d tell her in due time.
For now, she was just enjoying having him around. And so was little Ari. She loved, loved, loved her Uncle Ben, who would scoop her up and plop her onto his shoulders or hold her over his head to play airplane in the backyard.
It scared the crap out of Belinda, the first time he did it, but now, after several months, she would trust her daughter’s life to Ben. She could tell he had grown to love the little girl as much as Ari loved him. And if she was honest with herself, she would admit that her own feelings for Ben were growing, too.
As it turned out, they had more in common than she would have ever guessed. They both enjoyed bad horror movies, spicy hot Thai food, and had even read some of the same Elmore Leonard books. They were totally different, yet surprisingly compatible, and she found herself thinking about Karma for the first time in a long time.
Belinda would be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to him. He’d gotten work on a construction crew and when he came home in the afternoon he was always sweaty with his dirty work shirt slung over his shoulder. Wearing just a wife beater and a glossy film of sweat, the tattoos and firm muscles of his arms and shoulders were more than a little difficult to ignore.
Belinda hadn’t been with a man since Ari was born and hadn’t even thought about having sex until she saw Ben without his shirt mowing the lawn one afternoon.
His tan, muscled torso glistened in the sun. His handsome face dripped sweat onto his chest. She stood at the kitchen window watching him for the longest time, squeezing her legs together, biting her lip, her panties growing damp.
She wondered how long it had been since Ben had sex. He never went out at night or on the weekends. He never mentioned a woman’s name. He just worked and came home. So, as far as she knew, he hadn’t been with a woman in over a decade.
These urges, these feelings, they’re only natural, she told herself, it makes perfect sense that we would be attracted to one another.
Then the thought hit her: maybe he’s gay… No, no fucking way! Karma had done enough to her over the years! Surely Karma wouldn’t do
that
…
She was becoming desperately attracted to Ben, but he’d given no indication that he was attracted to her; other than the occasional long look that could have meant anything. Maybe it was the whole silly stepbrother thing that was preventing him from making a move.
She’s considered their loose family attachment, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it didn't bother her in the least. They weren't actually siblings and it wasn't like they'd grown up together and saw each other as brother and sister.
She came into the living room and found him lying on the floor working a puzzle with Ari. He gave Belinda a smile as she walked in and sat on the couch above them.
“How’s it going?” she asked, playing with Ari’s hair.
“Uncle Ben is a good puzzle worker,” Ari said.
“No, you are,” Ben said, poking her with his finger, making her giggle.
Belinda sat back and watched him interact with Ari. When she looked at him, she saw everything that she wanted in a man. He was tall, handsome, strong but gentle, and Arianna loved him.
When he came home from work she was always waiting at the door for him. He’d scoop her up and carry her laughing all through the house. Belinda loved the fact that her little girl and her gentle giant had bonded instantly. Was he her gentle giant? Could he be?
Her daughter never had a father figure and for the first time in her life she had a man to look up to. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Ben was working his way into her heart and there was no stopping it.
He was always on her mind, it seemed, and she hadn’t decided if it was a bad thing or not. She’d always been drawn to bad boys and the only thing it had ever gotten her was knocked up.
Ben was different, she told herself.
He’s not a bad boy.
He’s not a bad man.
He’s a good man.
And I think I’m in love with him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As he did every night, Ben took a tray of food up to Abraham and sat with him while he ate. Abraham had gotten progressively worse over the last few months. He rarely spoke and had stopped writing numbers in his ledgers weeks before.
He was like a toddler now. He soiled himself and his bed several times a week. Ben would insist on cleaning him up and washing the sheets.
Belinda never heard him complain. Ben had the patience of Job when it came to his dad.
Some nights Ben had to spoon-feed him like a baby, but he wouldn’t leave until he made sure his father was well fed. After cleaning him off and helping him brush his teeth, he’d help Abraham change into his pajamas and get into bed.
Belinda cleared away the dinner dishes and cleaned the kitchen, then gave Ari a bath and put her to bed. She looked in on Abraham to say goodnight, but he was already asleep. She went looking for Ben and found him passed out from exhaustion on the couch in front of the TV.
She loved how peaceful he looked when he was asleep. My sleeping giant, she thought. She had to fight the urge to press her lips to his forehead. She turned off the TV and lights and went upstairs to bed.
By the time Belinda finished her “nightly routine” and climbed into bed it was almost midnight. She was exhausted. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Ben running through her mind.
He was rock hard, even in her dreams. His firm abs pressed against her own soft belly, his strong arms wrapped around her smaller figure. He engulfed her in every way.
She couldn’t tell where they were, just that it was warm and they were in water surrounded by steam; a hot spring maybe...
Ben dropped his head, kissing her wet neck as she moaned under his touch. Every movement he made was meant to bring her closer and closer to the height of pleasure. His warm hands dipped beneath the water and disappeared, running up her smooth thighs.
Belinda’s breath hitched in her throat and she gasped softly, her long fingers digging into his shoulders. His hands spread her legs slowly. She chewed on her lip in anticipation. She was waiting for him to explore her most intimate areas. She wanted to feel his rough hands on every inch of her body, but there were a few places that were a little higher on the priority list.
Ben managed to elicit a long, low moan from her as his fingers worked to spread her open, his calloused thumb running along the little bundle of nerves that lay between her legs.
Belinda whimpered and pulled him closer, turning her head and pressing her lips to his to silence the noises he was drawing from her.
He smiled as he pulled away from the kisses enough that he could speak though his lips while still brushing hers. “I want to hear the noises you make.”
His voice was gruff and it sent shivers down her spine. Her body was awakened in ways that she never knew possible. Every touch electrified her and when he slowly slid his cock into her it pushed the breath from her lungs.
Belinda cried out softly as he entered her fully, rocking in and out slowly. She had her forehead pressed to his and her eyes squeezed closed. His hands gripped her buttocks and she wrapped her legs around him. She clung to him as he got into a rhythm, bouncing her on his full length, making her call his name with each thrust.
The world around her was becoming brighter and brighter as she began to climax. The cool air kissed her skin and made her flush a pretty pink color. As she got closer and closer to the edge, her vision became a pinpoint until the lights exploded behind her eyes.
“BRIAN!” She woke herself up calling his name. She gasped loudly and sat straight up in bed, her legs shaking from the very real orgasm she’d just had.
She’d never had a wet dream before, actually didn’t even know it was possible for a woman, but the fact that her body was covered in sweat and her panties were soaked with her juices convinced her that was exactly what had just happened.
She threw the covers aside and lay back on the pillows. Her body felt deliciously hot and her hair was a mess of raven tresses. She stretched out her legs and ran her hands over her breasts. Her nipples were still hard beneath the thin nightee. She worked her way out of the wet panties and dropped them to the floor next to the bed.
She closed her eyes and tried to go to fall back to sleep, hoping to resume the dream right where it had left off.
Somewhere in dreamland Ben was waiting for her and she longed to return the favor he’d just given her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Belinda thought she was still dreaming, though she had failed to find Ben again in her dreams. She heard someone knocking at her bedroom door. It was still dark outside. She squinted at the clock. The digital numbers read 12:15. She’d only been back to sleep for a few minutes.
She sat up in bed and frowned at the door. There was another knock. “Yes?”
The knob turned and the door opened quietly. There was a large figure standing there. She was relieved when she realized it was Ben. She was also a little embarrassed. She had, after all, just had amazing sex with him in her dream. She switched on the lamp and gave him a sleepy smile. “Hey, you…”
“Hey, sorry to wake you,” he said quietly, moving to the foot of the bed. He was shirtless, wearing just his jeans with the snap undone. “I was worried. I thought I heard you call out my name a minute ago. You OK?”
Belinda’s face flushed red hot. She realized her eyes were focused on his crotch and not his face. There was a definite bulge there; a big one. Had he been dreaming, too?
She stammered. “Um, yeah, sorry, must have been the dream. I mean, I must have been dreaming…”
“Was I in your dream?”
She bit her lip and he smiled at her. “It was a good dream, I hope.”
“The best.”
Their eyes locked and they both knew there was nothing more to say. Ben moved around to the side of the bed and she fell into his arms and melted there.
His arms draped around her, like a warm blanket of security she had never felt. Her hands squeezed the muscles in his back and she turned her mouth up to him. They kissed for the first time; a long, slow, sloppy first kiss that made them both laugh.
Ben stood up and hooked his thumbs into the waistband and slid his jeans and boxers down his legs. Belinda tugged off her nightee and threw it on the floor with her damp panties.
She looked up into his eyes, then let her gaze go down across his chest and stomach, then to his manhood. She gasped just a little at the size of it. The guy’s 6’5, she told herself. Are you really that surprised?
Ben smiled down at her naked body, her large, round breasts with dark areolas and nipples the size of pencil erasers, standing erect, calling to him.
Her bush was in need of a trim, but that didn’t bother him in the least. He hadn’t been with a woman in over a decade. Belinda could have been covered in thorn bushes and he would have fought his way through them to get to her.
He slid onto bed next to her and began exploring her body with his hands, moving slowly, taking his time, which was just fine with her.
She closed her eyes and let him explore. He kissed her lips, then trailed his tongue down her neck to her breasts. His pulled a nipple between his lips, sucking hungrily as his free hand toyed with the other breast. His thumb brushed across the hardened nub and she gasped, squirming underneath him and moaning with every little touch.
She could feel his cock harden and was even more aware of the size of it. It was pressing into her thigh and it made her shudder in anticipation. She felt the sheet beneath her growing wet from her own juices.
His hands were on the move. He traced his fingers down her belly and around to the inside of her thighs. His thumb brushed her clit. Belinda felt shockwaves erupt through her body. She hadn’t been with a man in years and it was as if all the pent up sexual frustration was suddenly boiling up in her, ready to burst.
Ben left kisses from her stomach to her bush. He moved to the foot of the bed and positioned his head between her legs. When he parted the hair and slid two fingers into her pussy, she arched her back and curled her toes. She moaned softly.
When he pressed his mouth to her and let his tongue explore, she cried out his name. She felt his hand gently clamp over her mouth. She looked down to see him smiling up at her with his eyes; the rest of his face lost in the mound of black hair.
Ben pulled back his lips and slipped two fingers inside of her and curled them just right. Belinda let out a satisfied moan and tangled her fingers in the long hair on top of his head. He took it as a sign to work his way back up to her mouth as his fingers remained, working in and out. He loved that his hand was soaking wet.
Each moan coming from her lips made him more and more eager to be inside her. She was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen; the way she responded to every little touch.
Each time he thrust a finger into her, her breasts bounced with the force of the movement. Her lips parted as a steady stream of moans left her and she let out a long, soft plea for more.
Ben was happy to oblige. He climbed on top of her and she took his cock in her hand, stroking it gently, loving the feel and length of it in her hand. She guided the head to her and before letting him in, looked up into his eyes and said, “Easy, big fella. It’s been awhile.”
He smiled. “Been awhile for me, too. This may not take long.”
“That’s just fine,” she said, breathlessly. She spread her legs wide and brought him to her. He slid in a little at a time, just the head first, then an inch, then another. He couldn’t go in all the way, but the six inches or so that disappeared into her would be more than enough.
He started slowly, sliding all the way in and out. She squeezed his shoulders and raked her nails across his back. The motion increased and she closed her eyes, loving the ride she was on.
He was right, it didn’t take long. Within a minute every muscle in his body tensed and he slid in until he felt the tip of his cock could go no more.
Belinda opened her eyes and watched him come. His eyes were closed, his face intense, covered in sweat. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
The rhythm of his motion and the look on his face made her come in waves. She closed her eyes and rode it out, coming three times before he fell still, though he remained inside her.
She opened her eyes to find him smiling at her. “What?”
“You’re amazing,” Ben said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. His lips were soft, his manner so gentle. “I think we make a good team.”
“I think we do, too,” she said with a satisfied sigh.
Now that he was limp, she could pull him closer without hurting herself. She wrapped her legs around his waist and forced his body to mesh with hers.
They were a sticky, gooey mess, but she could not have cared less.