His gaze flashed to mine, a twinkle of mischief staring back at me. “Is this shit really that good?”
He could not be serious? “First thing first, do not call it shit. And yes, it’s freaking amazing!”
He threw his head back as deep, resounding laughter filled my kitchen. My eyes were blessed with the spectacle of his eyes crinkling, his throat moving, and his face softening. Mr. Intense had left the building. It was official. I was swimming in dangerous waters.
"Do you want a glass of wine? I just opened a new bottle of Moscato, or I have red if you a red kind of man,” I stammered, desperate to ignore my sudden need to kiss his throat. "Actually, that might be too girly for the kind of man you are. I have beer as well. Oh, and whiskey.”
His eyes darkened, the blue transforming into a beautiful shade of sapphire. Suddenly, the food was forgotten, and in three paces he was standing in front of me with my back was against the wall. I sucked in a breath as his eyes roamed over my face before locking on my lips.
“What kind of man am I?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t do this. Not with him standing so close, looking like he did, while my head was still clouded with thoughts of kissing his neck. Damn it, Sasha!
“Sasha, what kind of man am I?” he repeated in a voice so low that it sounded more like a hum.
I sucked in a breath. “You’re intense. You’re frustrating. You’re confusing. You’re completely unexpected.”
I licked my lips and his gaze followed the actions of my tongue.
“You’re enticing, and that scares the absolute crap out of me.”
“Want to know what kind of woman I think you are?”
Finally, his eyes came to mine.
Did I want to know?
I did.
But I didn’t.
In the end I chose the easier, safer option. “The kind of woman I am is one that thinks we’ve chitchatted enough and it’s time to feast on Mexican food. Now, what do you want? Beer, wine, or whiskey?”
"Beer would be good.”
I nodded and ducked away from his body, then I moved into the kitchen, grabbed my bottle of wine, and pulled out a beer for him before moving them to the counter. We each dished out our food. I made him put a little of everything on his plate, and while we did this, we each stole glances at each other. I liked having him here, even though it scared the absolute crap out of me at how easy this felt. I held my bottle of wine under my arm and carried my plate to the living room. Tucking my legs under me, I made myself comfortable on the couch and smiled up at him when he joined me. As soon as he sat down, I dug into my food.
“Fuck, Sash, this is incredible,” he said around his fork. “This is going to be our regular date night.”
Our regular date night?
“Pretty sure I told you I don’t date.”
He smirked. “We’ll see.”
“Stubborn. I’d like to add that to the list of what kind of man you are.”
He finished his first plate, and then I watched with a smile on my face as he walked into the kitchen, filled up his plate again, and came back already eating. “Seriously, this is delicious.”
After putting my empty plate on the coffee table and filling my empty glass of wine, I took a large sip, looked at him over the rim, and asked, “So, how was Salt Lake?”
Ben’s eyes turned heavy as they came to me. He didn’t break his stare as he took a pull of his beer and then placed it on the coffee table beside our empty plates. “Honestly, it was shit.”
I took another sip and nodded, then the words tumbled out before I could stop them. “Did you see your lady friend?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I’m looking at her now.”
A shiver of pleasure ran through my body. His body left me useless, but his words could be his best weapon.
“What are you really asking, Sasha?” His eyes cut into me as he silently dared me to ask what was on my mind.
I knew that as soon as I asked, it would mean something shifted between us. Was I ready for that? Could I give anything more than I was already giving? That was the million dollar question. What did I have to give? And would it be enough to satisfy him?
“Did you see Kat?” I whispered, the words feeling like they cut as they fell from my mouth.
“Let me tell you something about the way I work. When I’m on a job, I shut down. Nothing exists besides the job I’m working on. My family, my house, Monroe—nothing. But that changed this week. It was a fucked up week. I saw and did shit I want to forget. People I care about had to relive horrendous things that have forever changed their lives. But you know how I got through that shit . . . what made the filth easy? It was thinking of the way you sound when you come, your sweet as fuck whimpers when you beg for my cock, the way your body fits perfectly against mine, and the way you gift me soft when the rest of you is so fucking hard. That’s what made it bearable. But it was the thought of kissing and tasting you again that brought me straight to you when I got back to Monroe. I didn’t even check in with my family first, which is something I always do. So no, Sasha, I didn’t see Kat, and I don’t have any plans to see anyone besides you.”
My ability to speak fled as I tried to grasp onto everything he’d just said. I desperately wanted to give him something—anything—to express what was going through my head, but what could I say? I had so many questions. I wanted to know what this meant. I needed to comfort him. I craved his touch, but I was frozen.
I opened my mouth to say anything, hoping something would come out that would explain how I was feeling, but I was stopped by the sound of the doorbell.
I shot up from my couch and rushed to the door. I didn’t even pay attention to the figure I could see through the glass. I was in the Ben zone and that was all I was thinking about. I gripped hold of the door handle, swung it open, and gasped.
PPGD Danny stood there.
26
BEN
Sasha was taking her sweet time at the door, and after finishing the last of my beer, I stood from the couch and looked toward the entryway. Call it intuition, but something drew me to the front of the house. When she came into view, she was shaking her head from side to side and hushed voices filled the air, which caused my pace to increase.
I moved in beside her and felt her eyes dart to me, but my attention was focused on the man standing in front of her, holding a six-pack of beer and wearing way too much Cologne.
His back straightened, and he pushed out his chest in a feeble attempt to intimidate me. “And you are?”
I didn’t bother answering him. I allowed my presence and closeness to Sasha tell him exactly who the fuck I was.
“Uh, Danny, I’m busy tonight,” Sasha announced when she felt me up against her back. “Now’s not the best time.”
His jaw ticked, and his voice rose. “Who the hell are you?“
“I’m her busy.” I leaned in, brushing Sasha’s neck with my lips. “Wrap this up, Sash, we have plans tonight.”
I didn’t have the patience or energy to deal with what was going on out front. I was tired as shit, and my plans for the night were to drink beer, talk to Sasha, and hopefully end the night by sinking inside of her. I tagged another beer from the fridge, topped up her glass of wine, and made my way back to the living room. By the time she returned, I’d settled back on the couch and found a replay of a Patriots game.
Her voice cracked when she said softly, “You should go.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“I need to think,” she said, a little louder this time. “And I can’t do that with you sitting beside me.”
I gave her my attention. “No.”
“You cannot say no when I say I need to think,” she hissed, and fire hit her eyes.
“You can sit beside me, drink your wine, and do your thinking. I’m going to finish my beer and watch the rest of the game, and then I’ll be having dessert because I’ve missed it over the past couple of days. And just so we are clear, eating you wi
ll be my dessert. You’ve got about forty minutes to get lost in your thoughts before I bring you back to now. I don’t know who that was, but I’ve got a good fucking idea, and you need to end that.”
Her eyes shot wide, and I knew I’d hit her deep.
“You got any problems with what I just said?”
“Well, no, but I do have a slight problem with your caveman tendencies, and I have a major problem with how it affects me.”
I shot her a wink, which resulted in receiving an eye roll and a huff of frustration. Fuck, her sass made me hard. She didn’t say anything else, the need to fight leaving her. Lifting my beer to my lips, I settled back into her couch, fixed my eyes on the television, and continued watching the game with the woman who was becoming something to me sitting beside me.
The past week had been fucked. Two shit days had turned into seven days of hell. Simple as that. Going back to that club had been torture. I never wanted to step through those doors again, but I needed to finish what was started three years ago. Seeing Jacqueline was harder than I could have imagined. I barely recognized her, and that fucked with my head. But it was seeing the effects on Fletch that almost killed me. The strongest man I knew was a complete shell of himself. All I could hope was that we had enough on O’Leary to lock him away for a long time, so his filth would be gone for good. If it was left up to me, I’d have his dick ripped clean off his body and forced it down his throat. That was just the beginning of the hurt that someone who organized a rape should be dealt. He’d already destroyed one person who meant something to me, and there was no way he’d get close to destroying something I was building here in Monroe. I would die before that happened.
But through the storm, the thought of one person gave me peace. The blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty who was now giving me the silent treatment.
"Danny was my college boyfriend."
The sound of her soft, barely-there voice pulled me from the game and I shifted on the couch to look at her.
"I've been single for a long time. A really long time. It was probably like eight months ago, he started coming through town for work, and I saw him at Hamilton’s one night. Andy, my friend that works there, had been supplying me with cocktails all night, and I was seriously tipsy, so Danny offered to drive me home. And then, well yeah, you can guess what happened.”
"Right."
"And, well it’s nothing regular, and if I’m being honest, it’s not that great. But I really like sex, and, well, when you really enjoy sex, and you don’t get it for a while, desperation calls for desperate measures."
Fuck, she was cute.
"So, that's why he turned up tonight. I didn’t invite him. I haven't heard anything from him since long before you barged into my life. Sometimes he turns up and expects sex—hence the beer—and this may make me sound like a complete hussy, but I tend to need to be drunk, or at least tipsy, to go there with him. Oh crap, that does make me sound like a hussy.” She groaned and dropped her eyes to her lap.
“You'll be getting more than regular sex now, and you are not a fucking hussy.”
Her cheeks flushed and the innocent Sasha who would occasionally show her face appeared.
"You've got to tell him that you've got a man now so his services are no longer required."
"I've got a man?" she asked with a raised brow.
"I've got a cock, Sweetheart, so that makes me a man. I've got a cock that you'll continue to see, fuck, suck and hold, so that makes me your man.”
She lifted her glass to her lips and finished half of her wine in one pull. Leaning over, she placed the now empty glass on the coffee table and sat back against the couch. Her eyes roamed over my face in concentration as I’m sure her mind began to go crazy.
"I've only done two of those things lately," she declared in a low voice. "I haven’t given a guy a blow job in a long time."
"You’re not a fan?” Fuck, I hoped she was a fan.
Her eyes shot wide. "I enjoy giving blow jobs, but I just don’t drop to my knees for anyone. It’s super intimate to me. It's like kissing. I never fully kiss a man unless I want it to mean something to me."
"You almost kissed me the day after finding out I was single.”
"Yeah," she breathed out.
I knew our whole conversation had just turned. She was either going to run away in her thoughts or start talking without reservations.
“I know.”
Fuck, I wanted this woman in my life.
"You gonna kiss me again?"
Her eyes found mine. “I want to, but I don’t think I should.”
“You’ve got to stop thinking, Sweetheart.”
“I can’t just stop thinking, Benjamin. Can you just switch off your alphaness?” she questioned with an arched brow and waited a second before starting up again. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, you can’t.”
Now, I was grinning huge. “Fuck me.”
“And I know I want to kiss you because you were super cute with Lily today, you brought over my favorite Mexican food and double cheese dip, and you have epic facial hair. I’ve never kissed a guy with that much facial hair before.”
"So, what you're saying is that you only want to kiss me because I thought your girl’s kid was cute, I brought over your favorite food, and I got lazy and decided not to shave?"
"Yep, that’s about right.” She nodded, sass dripping off her every word.
"Get the fuck over here," I growled, then I grabbed her around the waist and hurled her onto my lap.
"Ben, what are you—"
I slammed my lips to her and she melted against me.
Yep.
She was so fucking worth it.
27
SASHA
Thank god I decided to get a little fancy in choosing my outfit this morning, because right now, as I stood behind the counter of Sass, I watched Dee cross the street with a woman who looked near identical to her but about twenty years older. Without a doubt, I was looking at Ben’s mother.
“Sweetheart, talk to me.” Ben’s voice echoed in my ear, and to be honest, I had totally forgotten I’d called him.
“Where are you?” I stammered, with my eyes still locked on my impending visitors.
“What’s going on?” he asked, sounding on alert and clearly picking up on my rising anxiety levels.
“I think I’m about to meet your Mom,” I whispered in disbelief. “Dee is about to walk in here with a lady that looks like her, so I’m assuming it’s your Mom. Or do you have another sister you failed to tell me about.”
“Fuck,” he hissed, and it did not help this situation one bit. “Dee wants to invite you to her place to watch football, and she made it clear that she wanted to be the one to invite you. I thought she’d call.”
“What?” I shrieked, and sucked in a breath as Dee and his mother stepped up to the door. “I’m about to meet your mom and you aren’t here. I need—oh god, I’ve got to go.”
I ended the call without saying goodbye and plastered what I hoped was a friendly smile on my face. I could do this. So what if I was about to meet the mother of the man who was giving me the hottest sex of my life. What could go wrong? Dee’s smile was huge, while Ben’s mother’s face remained soft as they headed toward me. Dee looked at me like we were old friends; however, the only time I’d met her was when I thought she was Ben’s woman.
“Hey, Sasha,” Dee said sweetly when they reached the counter. “Mom and I were doing some shopping and thought we’d pop in.”
“Hey Dee.” I smiled before turning my attention to her Mom. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Sasha, welcome to my store.”
Her eyes shimmered with emotion, and as she opened her mouth to speak, the bell above the front door chimed. Instinctively, I looked to welcome my new customer. My heart jumped into my throat at the sight of Ben stalking through the door. He was here. Oh my god, he’d come to my rescue. His gaze drifted from Dee and his mom, before locking onto mine. After giving me the once over, which I was quickly reali
zing was his unique way of making sure I was okay, he looked back to Dee and shook his head slightly while raising a brow in her direction.
He marched straight to me, slipped behind the counter, and stood so the heat of his body hit my back. With a soft touch, he moved my hair from my shoulder and touched the side of my neck with a light kiss, before whispering in my ear, “You okay?”
How could two words send a wave of both calm and confusion through me at the same time?
I looked over my shoulder at him and nodded in response. He gifted me a smile that sent a shiver spiraling down my spine.
“Dee, seriously?” Ben scoffed, and the amused tone he used made his Mom smile. Her eyes came back to me, before dropping to where Ben had wrapped his arm around my waist.
Damn it.
“What?” Dee asked innocently, but her face screamed that she knew there was nothing innocent about this visit. “Mom wanted to check out Sasha’s store. Dad got a bonus at work, so Mom has some money to spend.”
“Your money isn’t worth anything in here,” I said quickly, and three similar sets of eyes shot to me.
Ben’s body tensed against me.
“Oh,” his mom said softly with a look of disappointment flashing across her face. “I thought I might be able to afford a candle or something.”
She diverted her attention toward Ben, and as she looked at him, it hit me how what I said could have been taken. I tried pulling away from Ben’s embrace, but he had me locked in. Talk about making a shitty first impression on your . . . well, whatever Ben’s was mother.
“Oh my god, no no, Mrs. Hunt. I meant I don’t want your money at all. Like, I don’t want you to come here and spend money.”
“Sasha,” Ben warned close to my ear, and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. His face was hard and his gaze strong.