Authors: Carlene Love Flores
He watched her
fingers extend to their full length before curling back up, this time into
tight fists. Shit, what had he done to this poor woman? Or what had been done
to her? Whatever had begun between Benny and Hazel this week had to have been
something pretty
fierce.
Women didn’t hold in their
tears for men they could give a shit about. At any rate, she walked away and
disappeared through the heavy curtains keeping the café and club separate.
Outside, Jaxon
landed heavily in his seat and navigated his way to Berry Hill to relieve his
friend. Five miles down the road, he saw Benny’s red, black and white
Mini-Cooper passing him in the opposite direction. Jaxon would bet he was on
his way to the club. “Go get her, mate.”
When he got to
the studio, he shot Benny a text.
“Camping
in two days.
You’re off until then. Good luck.”
****
The nerve, she
thought.
And big deal, so he’d read her nametag.
Was
she supposed to feel special at that?
He had no idea
what would kill her.
Just like she’d
had no idea what would kill Jay.
Sitting on the
floor, Hazel shook her head.
No, that was the
grief talking. She couldn’t keep letting it rule her life whenever someone
tried to get close. Hazel stood up and went to the back of the club and opened
the rear door. It was cool and rainy, making the lot slick.
She let the door
close behind her and leaned against the outside wall. She blew out, letting her
chin fall to her chest. Her hair needed to be washed.
“I need to get
back to myself. I feel so lost. Jay, sweet brave man, I need to know that
you’re okay. I need help. I have a decision to make and I don’t know what to
do. He reminds me of you …” she trailed off speaking to herself.
“I wish I could
tell you he’s okay.”
Her head snapped
up as soon as she heard his voice.
“I can’t,” he
said. “But I’d like to talk about him, if you’d be okay with that. He sounds
like a really great guy who cared about you.”
Ben stood before
her kind of like that first night. He was completely mismatched in his striped
jacket and Scorpio t-shirt, but somehow pulled together as well. She realized
as his big green eyes searched hers, that yeah, he’d had a pretty crappy
birthday night, but he’d bounced back.
The question was
,
did she send him on his way? Ben could go back to Jaxon,
who she could admit might not be as big an insensitive selfish jerk like she’d
thought, and steer clear of her twisted path. Or did she take him up on his
offer? And talk.
Ben took two
large steps toward her, keeping his eyes trained on hers the whole time. When
there was maybe an inch left between them, he gently put a hand on each of her
shoulders and pushed until she felt her back butt up against the wall. Her
cheek warmed the instant he bent down and laid the side of his face to hers.
She’d been expecting a kiss, but when his lips tickled her ear, she realized he
was talking. “I need some time with you. Please say you’ll come camping with
me. I think it could do us both some good.”
How did she tell
him that she needed to think about it? If she was taking this chance to start
over seriously, she didn’t want to jump into anything until her head was on
straight and her heart reconnected to it. It was the only fair thing to Ben.
“Can I let you
know? I promise, by Friday night.”
“That’s not a
no
.” He smiled softly and kissed her ear where he whispered.
“It’s not a
no
,” Hazel said and then went to the tips of her toes so she
could take his beautiful face in her hands. “Thank you for being so patient.
One of these days, I hope I get to explain all this to you.”
And then she
kissed his lips before ducking back down and going inside.
She had a
decision to make, on her own.
Chapter Fourteen
“She’ll be here,
mate.”
Ben just
shrugged and looked out past Jaxon at the five tents staked to the ground. They
had a sweet looking village going on laid out in a tree-heavy, secluded space.
Rain that had been hanging around the last couple days meant they had the woods
to themselves. Ben had his tent to himself. Unfortunately, she hadn’t shown
yet.
“Yeah man, it’s
all good,” he said, saving a bit of face and pretending like he wasn’t all ate
up over it.
He should be
going over a million other things like securing a connection to Skype Stefan in
for Marion’s traditional fireside talk, but all Ben could think about right now
was holding Hazel in his arms, feeling her hips sliding down his body until
they found the perfect fit and making love to her under the stars all night
long. Last night had sucked because that’s all he’d had on his mind.
Sex.
Did he regret their relationship because it had started
out on that premise? No. Sometimes people just clicked.
Lucky
and Trista.
Lily
and Jaxon.
Will and Honey
which was such a sad situation he didn’t even want to think about it.
“Ben?”
His pulse boomed
when she said his name.
He turned and
there she was.
Holy shit, there
she was, all
sexified
. Not only had she shown up but Hazel
looked so
fricking
hot he didn’t want anyone at this
campsite to lay eyes on her. Ben jumped up, snatched her by the arm and led her
to his tent before anyone got back to camp.
****
Guess letting
Julie help Hazel get ready all day hadn’t been a waste. Ben had nearly torn her
arm off and then stuffed her into his tent.
“Sorry, I just,
you look so good. Um, I’m glad you came. Thank you for coming, I mean.”
His eyes danced
around from her head to toes and everything in between. When she’d decided to
trust her instincts and go for it, it became clear what Hazel wanted. It was
time to make up for all the lopsided turn of events that had taken place
between her and Ben.
Which meant she had come here to catch
his eye and leave him breathless.
Since it was clear he’d already given
her his heart, it was time to claim the rest. She was getting that and more.
Ben’s body hadn’t taken more than a few seconds to react to her ensemble.
Everything she
wore was sheer cotton.
“Are you cold?”
he asked, staring at her chest.
She arched her
back from where she sat on a very cushiony sleeping mat, purposefully pushing
her breasts out. She knew why he’d asked her that. Hazel wanted Ben’s eyes
glued to her body. Her sole mission on this camping trip was to treat him. If
they never left this tent,
all the
better. Speaking
of, she noticed his was the smallest out of the smattering of tents she’d seen
before he’d hidden her in here.
“You didn’t
think I was going to show up, did you?”
“I hoped you
would.”
“So you just
like things to be snug?” she asked, dipping her shoulder, assuring her curls
flirted with her wrists and her neck teased him.
“Yes. Um, Hazel,
are you trying to seduce me?
Because it’s working.
I
mean, I’m completely seduced.”
She licked her
lips and in the next second, he was on his knees.
“Stop,” he said.
“Wait.”
Her pout was a
real one, not the kind she’d have pulled if she were just trying to be sexy. “I
don’t want to stop, I want to make it up to you for all the, well, all the
shitty stuff that’s happened to you since we met.”
“I’m glad all
that stuff happened. Call me crazy, but I might just send
Erby
some flowers. You’re here.”
“I am. And I
want to be very good to you.”
He sucked in a
sharp breath and Hazel was sure he must have tasted the heady scent of what she
wanted from him.
“That sounds
very good. But I want to talk.”
“Unh-unh.”
Now
she used her sexy pout.
“Your hands on me.
That’s what
we both want.”
Ben’s head hit
the top of his tent, even though he was kneeling.
She could see
the good guy in him warring with the one who wanted to squeeze and nibble her
bits and pieces.
Sweetheart.
“Ben, we’ll
talk. I promise. But right now, I need you in this other way.”
No more playing
for her. She felt the good natured teasing she’d shown up with making its way
out and the unexplainable connection to Ben taking its place.
“Can I at least
feed you dinner first?”
That simple
statement sent her on a wave of giggles which had startled a night bird outside
who chortled along with her.
Maybe Ben wanted
to make things up to her too. Maybe she would let him. She had basically shown
up and asked for sex, all within five minutes. Proof she was working on nerves,
little sleep, and an anxious heart.
“What do you
have?” she asked.
“Cheeseburgers?”
“Better.” He
smiled. “I have nachos.”
Her hands flew
up to her cheeks which had warmed. Go figure, it would be chips and spicy
cheese that made her blush and not the image of eating them off his long torso
and finely sculpted, broad chest.
Hazel watched
Ben scoot toward the back corner of his tent where he had a small crock pot and
a bag of chips. Taking a moment to temporarily cool down, she appreciated
seeing him working from behind, which wasn’t helping her cool down at all. The
man’s silky brown hair poked out from his black wool hat but didn’t hide the
side of his thick, smooth neck. She heard herself coo. Bent over his concoction,
his wide back spread his raspberry colored Quicksilver, long sleeved t-shirt thin.
She was trying so hard to be good and let him feed her.
When he took off
the lid, and pivoted on one knee to give her a glimpse of the melted cheese,
her eyes chose to focus on the long, strong thigh trying to become one with his
wine-colored Levi’s.
“I hope you’re
hungry. I’ve been heating this cheese all afternoon.” Ben dipped his finger
into it and apparently liked what he tasted.
At this point,
she’d eat it cold and congealed if he let her lick it off his finger.
Apparently making up that whole thing about having a one night stand with Ben
had set the ball in motion right from the very start. The world, or at least
her little part of the universe, wouldn’t be right until she connected to him
in that way.
“It looks
delicious,” she said and blew out a nice long breath.
Ben chuckled.
Ben grinned then
caught her gaze with his. Set on her.
Ben peeled off
his t-shirt and tossed it to the corner then crawled on his knees until he
knelt directly in front of her on his mat. He held a small bowl filled with
cheese covered chips. “Are you comfy?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good. Open up,
buttercup,” he said, like only her Ben could.
Before she knew
it, he was hand feeding her one chip after another and sneaking every third or
fourth for himself. They got a little carried away and some cheese spilled onto
her chin. She went to wipe it off but Ben caught her hand and planted it on the
mat. “Keep your hands planted, okay?”
Oh yes, she
thought but only managed a nod.
Hazel regretted
having agreed because her fingers were itching to play in Ben’s light dusting
of chest hair. But soon she had something much better to revel in. Ben had her
face in his hands. And then his tongue slid over her chin. She shivered at the
moist touch.
“Thank you,” she
said but he shushed her by sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, still holding
her face, still driving her to the edge of jumping him.
“I never want
you to forget this night, Hazel.”
His tender,
serious face had her.
“You see me and
for some crazy reason, you like it.”
“I do,” she
said, reassuring him.
“Very much.
You’re beautiful,
Ben.”
He shrugged like
he didn’t really believe her but appreciated her delusions. A breath so strong
she felt and smelled it simultaneously when he blew out was warm and spicy.
Were his nerves
making him doubt her sincerity? He blew out again.
Before she could
assure Ben, he locked serious eyes with her and unbuttoned his pants and then slid
the zipper down. She could tell he was having a hard time deciding whether he
should stand or sit so he ended up in an awkward crouched position until he
dropped to his butt and pulled them off each lengthy leg. She expected he’d
stop there, for a breather maybe or to begin undressing her but her long-limbed
sweetheart of a man slid his fingers under his waist band and soon his briefs
were off too.