“Why?”
“Because Pedora will skin me alive.”
He chuckled. “You’re what? Thirty?”
“Almost. I’m sure she knows I drink but not drunk. She says it’s not healthy for my liver. I think it’s really because she’s afraid I’ll turn out just like my alcoholic mother.” Although her words were said even toned, he caught the flash of something in her expression. She’d never talked about her mother, or childhood, with him before.
“Could be she’s just worried about you. You’re not an alcoholic. Not even close.”
“I know. I just don’t like to disappoint her.”
“Well, we have two choices. You can sleep in the bed of the truck, or you can come back to the Creed’s Creek bunkhouse with me.”
“You’d let me come there with you?”
“Trust me, it won’t be the highlight of your week. I promise to keep my paws to myself.”
“What if I didn’t want you to keep your hands to yourself?” Her slurred words betrayed the sassiness.
“If you’re too drunk to sneak into your house then sex is off the table.”
“Fine. I’ll keep my hands to myself too. At least I’ll have this cute thing that’ll cuddle with me.” She lifted the cat in the air and nuzzled it’s nose again.
He gave his head a gentle shake, trying to toss away the thoughts that she’d planted in his brain. “What are you going to name it?” he asked, needing to change the subject.
She placed the cat in her lap. “I can’t.”
“You’re going to name himI can’t?”
“No. I can’t name him when I’m not sober,” she said decisively.
“Yeah, I could see where that could be a crime in the worst degree.”
“Who’s the cynical one now?” She yawned and sunk deeper into the seat, cradling her new pet. “I like you Bear, a lot. But if you can’t trust me enough to tell me your name then we can’t be friends.”
He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to lose her, even if they could only be friends. Fact was, he wanted to tell her things he’d never told anyone.
“Ben Lane. My real name is Ben Lane,” he said. When he got a snore in response, he glanced over at her. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell rhythmically. The kitten still held Bear in its firm gaze. “Don’t look at me like that.”
Chapter Nine
A strong arm draped over her, anchoring her to the bed as legs entangled underneath the satin sheet. Their bodies were entwined and the heat surrounded them, creating a world all just their own. She burrowed against him, absorbing the warmth his body offered. As if he understood her silent request, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, so close that she could hear the heavy beating of heart.
His thighs were covered in crisp hair and tickled her skin. His hand spread her legs open and his hand found her throbbing apex. Pleasure jolted through her, a force so strong that it caged her breath and stole her logic. He slid above her, his body a comforting blanket not at all suffocating which would be expected from someone as big as him.
She gave a tiny jerk when his finger traced her slick core. He joined one finger with another, exploring her damp flesh. The calluses scraped her heated skin.
“Now!” she cried out. “Don’t make me wait.”
She arched her back, moaning as he pressed against her seam and into her.
She whimpered in wonderment as he stretched her body, filling her slowly and awakening sensations she’d never experienced. She lifted her knees high at his sides, taking all of him.
She couldn’t remember ever feeling so free, so wanted. Adored.
Their bodies moved in unspoken vows, as hands and mouths explored. She licked the skin, tasting his bold flavor of masculinity. She sunk her teeth into his flesh, not hard, just a nibble. His moan bounced off the walls and vibrated her center. She slid her hand down the strong and powerful plane of his slick back down to his tapered waist, around to trace the hard lines of his rippled stomach. She wanted to map every detail, learn every dip in the landscape of his body—every scar. She ghosted her hand over his chest, over the spackling of hair in the center. A language as old as time played in her head as she drew circles with her fingernail around one flat nipple.
His weight pressed her deeper into the mattress, thrusting deeper, spreading her thighs wider to accommodate him. Their bodies connected on a level beyond earth’s boundaries. They were molded as one. He claimed his place there, against her, inside her, a missing puzzle piece that she didn’t know she’d been missing.
