Take Me Under (5 page)

“One kiss, Reese.” His pulse was roaring, his dick so hard he could have hammered nails with the damn thing. “Just one, and I can guarantee you won’t ever throw that ridiculous excuse in my face again.”

Before she could protest or tell him no, Ben lowered his head and took possession of her soft mouth, pouring three long years of need into a kiss that was deep and hard and explicit. Her lips were sweet and plump beneath his, her mouth deliciously hot, like melting honey. He swept his tongue against hers with raw hunger, licking and teasing, making the kiss as sexual as it could be. Sensing her shock, he tried not to push too hard too fast, but it wasn’t easy. She tasted like sin and felt like something that belonged in his arms, her firm little body shivering against him, cranking his lust up to a dark, dangerous level. It was so fucking perfect it was scary.

No chemistry? Like hell. They burned so hot he was a hairsbreadth away from pumping his cum out in his pants like some sex-starved virgin.

“Okay!” she panted, tearing her mouth away as she struggled for breath. “You . . . you made your point.”

His laugh was low and rough. “Not nearly.” He caught her mouth again so that he could go back for a deeper taste, bending her head back, the feel and flavor of her making him crazed. His control started to slip away in a heated rush, sliding through his fingers, but he couldn’t stop. Taking her mouth in another blistering kiss, Ben buried one hand in the back of her hair and shoved the other into the back of her panties, palming her ass. Her skin was silky and smooth, cool to the touch, and he made a thick, primitive sound in the back of his throat, nipping the lush swell of her bottom lip.

“This is a mistake,” she gasped as he lifted her higher, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. Her arms curled around his broad shoulders, holding tight, eyes bright with a wild blend of excitement and panic as she locked her gaze with his again. “I mean . . . we’re neighbors, Ben.”

“We are. But it’s too fucking good to be a mistake,” he growled against her lips, fighting for control, knowing he couldn’t push this too far tonight, no matter how badly he wanted to. She’d just retreat and hide from him, or slap his face and tell him to get lost. She might still be finding her feet after her divorce, but Ben had no doubt that Reese could be tough as nails when she needed to be. He was playing with fire, but he couldn’t pull back before having just a little more of her.

Damn it, there was so much that he wanted. He needed to have his mouth on that soft, freckled skin. Needed the shirt out of his way so that he could lift her up and taste her nipples. Lick and suck on them until she came so hard she screamed. He was hard and aching to the point of pain, ready to throw her onto the nearest flat surface and fuck the living hell out of her—but he choked it back, blood pounding, allowing himself nothing more than a tighter grip on that beautiful heart-shaped ass.

Then his grip slipped lower, her tender sex pressing hot and wet against his callused palm, and Ben couldn’t stop his thumb from stroking between those firm ass cheeks. She gave a sharp cry against his mouth when the pad of his thumb rubbed across her tight little hole back there, so he did it again. She cried out a second time, wriggling in his hold, and he muttered a rough curse, imagining how good it was going to be when he took her there. She’d likely fight him on it, but Ben wasn’t going to let her hide behind her embarrassment. She might be shocked, but the way her hands had just tangled in his hair, her mouth wild beneath his, told him she instinctively liked it. He stroked her again, wanting to push his thumb into the puckered entrance, but held back. There was another hole he wanted inside even more, and he dipped his thumb lower, swiping it across the slick surface of her vulva.

“Ben!”
She broke away from his mouth to drag in shivering gulps of air as he rimmed the tiny opening with the callused pad of his thumb. Her vulva was hot and drenched, a little swollen, and impossibly tender. She was so wet her juices were slicking across his hand, slippery and warm, his cock so rigid and full he could have gone off with little more than a stroke. When she tightened her legs and rubbed against him, his damn eyes nearly rolled back in his head.

“You have the softest, wettest little cunt,” he breathed into her ear. Pushing the top of his thumb inside her, Ben tested the delicate opening, a hard shudder wracking his body, muscles clenched so tight they ached. “I want my tongue in here,” he growled, slipping his thumb a bit deeper, knowing damn well he was treading a dangerous line, playing hard and fast with his control.

Have to keep it together. Can’t scare her off. Just need to keep her on the edge . . .

Burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, he scraped his teeth along the sensitive tendon at the side of her throat, unable to get enough of her taste . . . her scent. With her strong, cushiony little pussy muscles clamping down on his thumb, he asked, “You like coming in a man’s mouth, Reese?”

She moaned, tilting her head to the side to give him better access, and he couldn’t stop himself from shoving his thumb all the way inside, thrusting it deep. A sexy cry jerked from her throat, all those plush inner muscles closing in slick and tight around him, causing another powerful surge of blood to rush straight to his cock.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispered in her ear, wishing he could strip her naked, tie her up on her bed, and taste every single soft, shivering inch of her right the fuck
now
. “When you’re ready, I won’t hold back on you, Reese. I’ll have my mouth between your legs, giving this sweet pussy a deep, slow tongue-fuck every goddamn chance I get. I’ll eat you out so often, you’ll find yourself creaming every time I look at you.”

She made a breathless sound of need, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Knowing he’d reached his limit, Ben forced himself to pull his thumb from her snug grip—but couldn’t resist stroking the slick pad across that other sensitive hole again. “And sometimes, after I’ve spent hours buried in your juicy little cunt, I’ll even fuck you here.”

She jolted in his grip, limbs tensing with shock. “No. You don’t really—”

“Shh.” Using the hold he had on her hair, Ben forced her to meet his stare. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said, taking in her fiery blush and scandalized gaze. He rubbed a little harder with his thumb, deliberately stroking the tight, sensitive flesh. “It might sound strange to you now, but I promise that when I get my cock in here, you’ll love every second of it.”

Her face got redder, eyes dilated until the blue was nearly overwhelmed by a glittering sea of black. “I haven’t ever . . .”

“I know you haven’t,” he growled. “But you
will
.”

“I . . . uh . . . please, just put me down,” she said shakily, suddenly struggling to get out of his arms, pushing against his shoulders. With a rough breath, Ben pulled his hand from her panties and lowered her until her feet touched the ground. She stumbled back, coming up against the rear wall of the house, right beside the French doors, the broken slivers of glass crunching under the rubber soles of her shoes. While he stared, she slumped there against the white planks of wood, panting, face still flushed, the look in her dark eyes wary and nervous.

His dick felt strangled inside his jeans, so he reached down to adjust the angle, and her gaze followed his movements, mouth parting when she got an eyeful of the thick bulge trapped behind the button fly. She shook her head with a frantic movement, long hair swishing over her shoulders. “You must be crazy . . .” she started to say, the rushed words lost in another gasp when he moved toward her.

Ben took her hot face in his hands, tilting her head back, his thumbs stroking across the burning warmth of her blush. “I swear I won’t hurt you.” He touched his thumb to the edge of her kiss-swollen lips, his gaze focused and hot, heart hammering in his chest like something trying to pound its way out. “But I won’t let you hide from me, either.”

“Jesus, Ben, where did this come from? You hardly know me.”

It took considerable effort, but he managed to drag his gaze off her ripe, fuckable mouth and back up to her glittering eyes. His breathing was ragged. “I know you, Reese. I’ve been watching you for three goddamn years. Since the moment I met you, I’ve just been waiting for the right time.”

She swallowed, her pink tongue flicking nervously over her lips. “But I didn’t . . . I never . . .”

“I don’t know how you missed it. Everyone else knew damn well what I wanted.
Everyone
.”

Her brows drew together with a frown. “Even Drew?”

“Yeah, that arrogant shit knew. Dumbass bastard. I’d fuck you right in front of him if we got the chance, just to show him what he’s missing.”

She lowered her gaze, a bitter laugh on her lips as she stared at his chin. “I doubt he’d think he was missing much.”

“Don’t,” he grunted, the guttural command jerking her gaze back to his. “Just because he was too dickless to handle you, to give you what you needed, doesn’t mean shit. It’s going to be good between us, Reese. It’s gonna be fucking incredible.”

Pulling her lower lip through her teeth, she asked, “What do you want, Ben?”

He rubbed his thumb over her freckled cheek, unable to get enough of how soft her skin was. “Just you,” he said in a low voice. “That’s all I’m after.”

Doubt clouded her eyes as she met his stare. “But for what? You want a one-night stand? An affair? A fling?”

He fought back a grimace, Brit’s warnings echoing inside his head. “Do we have to put a label on it? Why can’t we just enjoy each other for as long as it lasts?”

She looked as though she didn’t know what to say, and while he didn’t like it worth a damn, Ben sensed it was time to ease off and give her some space. “We can talk about it more tomorrow,” he said, taking a step back. “You must be exhausted. Let’s go inside and get to bed.”

Her mouth dropped open, and he grinned as he reached out to tap it shut. “I’ll sleep on the couch, Reese. All I need is a pillow and a blanket.”

“Uh, right. Okay.” She started to walk away, one hand pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Be careful of the glass,” he cautioned.

“You, too,” she said, stopping to look back over her shoulder. She stared at him in the hazy moonlight, her expression curious . . . but wary. His pulse quickened, and he had to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out and grabbing hold of her again.

Quietly, she said, “I can’t really believe this is happening.”

Ben locked his jaw, not trusting what he might say. He didn’t know what expression he wore at that moment, but whatever it was, it didn’t scare her off, thank God. With a shy smile tucked into the corner of her mouth, she turned her head and walked inside, the movement of her hips beneath the cotton shirt drawing his eye.

Lust burned like a grass fire under his skin, along with a dangerous surge of emotion he didn’t dare look at too closely.

Keep it simple. Fuck her out of your system, and then get on with your life.

Right. It was sound advice, but as he followed Reese inside, something that felt like fear twisted in his gut at the thought of her slipping out of his reach. He flinched, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.

Just get your fill of her, and then you can move on.

Just get what you need, and everything will go back to normal . . .

Ben repeated the mantra again and again, forcing the words through his cramped mind . . . and hoped to God it would be that easy.

4

B
URYING HER FACE IN HER PILLOW TO AVOID THE
F
LORIDA SUNSHINE
pouring in through the slanted shutters, Reese moaned as Ben’s words from the night before came back to her. His language had been shocking—but she’d have been lying if she’d said it hadn’t been sexy as hell. She’d never had a man talk like
that
to her before, so raw and unrestrained, but she’d liked it. Those wicked words had just seemed so right coming from Ben’s mouth, his provocative tone deep and dark and wildly erotic. And the longer they’d fooled around, the stronger his accent had gotten, until his words were melting together in a smooth, rumbling drawl. Even when he’d been growling at her.

She still couldn’t believe that he’d kissed her. Couldn’t believe that she’d been in town less than twenty-four hours, and he’d already had his hand in her pants!

She also couldn’t believe that at this moment, Ben Hudson was in her house, in the other room, sleeping on
her
couch. Her heart raced at the thought of getting up and facing him, but taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look at the situation logically. Despite what he’d said about being interested in her for a long time now, Reese knew it was probably just a line. The guy was good with women, which meant he was good at telling them what they wanted to hear. She didn’t think there was anything malicious in what he’d done, claiming an interest that likely had more to do with her being nearby and available than any long-term attraction. If anything, she should probably be flattered that he was interested in her at all, since she knew she wasn’t his usual type. “Tall, blond, and stacked” was how Connie had described the women she’d seen Ben with over the years. The description might have fit her younger sister to a T, but it was worlds away from Reese.

When the phone she’d only just plugged in last night suddenly rang on her small bedside table, she quickly grabbed it, hoping the sound hadn’t woken him. Before she could even say hello, her sister’s bright voice filled her ear. “Morning, sunshine! How was your first night in the new place?”

“Interesting,” she replied, thinking Connie really needed her husband back in town. Gary had spent the past few weeks overseas for work, and Connie was clearly at loose ends without him if she was up this early. Normally she was a late sleeper and Reese was the one calling to wake
her
up.

It took Connie no more than two seconds to pick up on the nerves in her voice. “Interesting how? What happened?”

Clutching the phone against her ear, Reese sat up and pressed her back against the bare wall she’d pushed her mattress against. “Well, some kids that had been partying on the beach threw a bottle at my French doors, shattering the glass.”

“Those immature jerks! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Um, Ben Hudson, who lives next door, came over and . . . Wait, did you know he was my new landlord?”

Connie’s tone went from worried to amused. “Of course I knew. Now go on.”

“Oh. Well, Ben heard the glass breaking and came over to check on me. He, um, didn’t want to leave me alone with a broken door, so he’s, uh, sleeping on my sofa.”

There was silence for all of five seconds, and then a rapid burst of words. “Wait a minute. Are you telling me that big ol’ bad Ben Hudson, sex god extraordinaire, is sleeping over? Oh-my-freaking-god! You little hussy!” Connie squealed, laughing with delight.

Reese frowned. “Calm down, you lunatic. He’s sleeping on the sofa, not in my bed.”

“Well, did you offer it to him?”

She spluttered for a moment, trying to get her words out. “Are you crazy? I only just . . . we don’t even . . . God, Connie. Of course I didn’t offer! You’re nuts!” she hissed, hoping like hell that Connie didn’t ask if anything had happened between them. Reese wasn’t sure she could pull off a convincing denial when she was already so keyed up on adrenaline.

“Hmm,” Connie murmured, sounding suspiciously thoughtful. “You know, on second thought, honey, maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t fall right into bed with him. I mean, it’s such a shame about his . . . well, you know.”

She blinked, clutching the phone even closer to her ear. “What are you talking about?” she asked, a thousand awful scenarios running through her head. Did he have some horrible STD . . . or some life-threatening condition, like a faulty heart? “What’s wrong with him?”

“Haven’t you heard? Ben suffers from PDD.”

Her mind raced, trying to place the acronym. “PDD? What’s that? What does it stand for?”

“It’s short for Panty Dropping Disease,” Connie proclaimed in a bubbly voice. “The instant women set eyes on him, they drop their drawers. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it.”

Reese drew in a deep, shuddering breath, then exploded in another quiet hiss. “You jerk! I thought you were being serious!”

Connie snickered. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. You’re still so easy to tease, Reese.”

“Glad you find me so amusing,” she muttered.

“Hey, you know I love you. I want you to be happy and have some fun, which is why I’m thrilled that Ben’s smart enough to be paying you attention. Just . . . just watch yourself around him, okay?” Something in Connie’s tone had changed. “Guys like Ben can be a blast, as long as you know what to expect.”

“Trust me, I know the score.” Which was why she doubted anything could come from his surprising flirtation. She was so unbelievably tempted, but couldn’t help seeing it as a potentially massive catastrophe. No matter how badly she wished otherwise, she wasn’t programmed for a gritty sexual fling. And that’s definitely what he’d been putting on the table with his shocking sex talk. Smoothing her hand over the top of the light blanket she’d used to fight off the chill of the air conditioner, she added, “I still can’t believe Mom rented this place from him. What was she thinking?”

“Well, once Ben heard you were moving down, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Her breath caught as she thought of what that meant. “Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Ben’s the one who told Mom about the beach house?”

“That’s right. He thought it might be perfect for you.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? Don’t you like it?”

“It’s not that. I just wouldn’t think that a single man like Ben would want some stuffy schoolteacher living so close to him.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Connie snapped. “You’re not stuffy.”

“You have to say that because you love me,” she said with a smile in her voice. “But I’ve been told otherwise.”

“By who? That asshead Drew? That evil little bastard!”

“Yeah, well, he’s an evil bastard who isn’t my problem anymore, so don’t waste your time cursing him.”

They talked for a few more minutes, making plans to get together for lunch the next day, and then Reese finally got off the phone. Before they hung up, Connie made her promise to call and let her know if anything juicy happened with Ben that morning.

Hah! As if
, she thought, making a strong effort to convince herself that she wasn’t incredibly tempted to dive right in. She had to be smart about this, damn it. She couldn’t go gunning for him like a sex-starved maniac just because the guy was the hottest thing she’d ever seen or heard or known.

Climbing out of bed, Reese pulled a soft gray cardigan over her sleep shirt and headed to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and running her brush through her hair, she debated hiding out in her room until she heard Ben start moving around in the living room or sneaking to the kitchen to make some coffee. Her mouth watered at the thought of a hot cup, making the decision for her. Creeping down the hallway, she tried to be quiet as she made her way past the entrance to the sitting room, but he called out to her just as she went past, his voice deliciously husky from sleep. “Reese?”

“Sorry,” she murmured, peeking around the edge of the archway. He lifted his dark head from the far end of the sofa, and her heart raced as she got a good look at him. The light blanket she’d given him to sleep with was wrapped around his lean hips, his powerful chest completely bare. Hard muscles were packed under his tanned skin, his body so long that his feet hung over the other armrest. She tried not to fixate on how big they were, remembering the old adage about big hands and feet meaning a guy would be big in other places, as well. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. I heard the phone ring.” He looked sleep rumpled and sexy as he stretched, his jaw dark with stubble and his hair falling over his brow.

“You didn’t need to sleep on my sofa, Ben.”

“’S that right?” He swung his feet to the floor as he sat up, shoving a long-fingered hand through his tousled hair. One of his dark brows lifted in a wry arch as he held her gaze. “You were gonna share the bed with me?”

“No,” she said, relieved she’d been able to keep her tone even. “But you didn’t look very comfortable. You could have gone home and slept a lot better in your own bed.”

“Doesn’t matter. I wasn’t about to leave you here alone with that glass busted.” He jerked his chin toward the French doors that led to the patio, the shattered pane on the left letting in an early morning breeze.

“I’m not in any danger here.” More than ready to stop looking over her shoulder, Reese willed herself to believe it. “And like I said last night, I could have gone over to my mother’s.”

His sculpted lips turned down in a frown. “I didn’t want you having to go to your mother’s. I want you to feel at ease here.”

“Well, that’s sweet, but it’s not your job to give me peace of mind.”

He gave her a kinda crooked, sexy smile. “I thought I made it clear last night that I’d like to give you a hell of a lot more than that.”

A soft laugh slipped past her lips. “Are you trying to embarrass me?”

“No.” His lashes lowered a little over his eyes. “I was just hoping you might have given it some thought.”

“I . . . did.”

“And?” he prompted.

“Well, I guess I’m still having a hard time believing that the, um, pleasure you’re offering would be worth the . . . stress.”

There was so much heat in his heavy-lidded gaze, she felt burned. “You won’t know that until you try me out, Reese. You might find it’s worth the restless night we both just had.”

It wasn’t so much his words as his tone, but suddenly all the pieces started clicking together. She’d been so close to coming last night. If he’d touched her clit, she’d have gone over screaming. But he hadn’t, and now she was pretty sure she knew why. He
wanted
her on edge, aching for it, unable to get him out of her mind
.

Moving into the archway, she crossed her arms over her chest and held his stare. “Why didn’t you make me . . .
come
last night?” Once the words were out of her mouth, she couldn’t believe she’d found the guts to say them, but was feeling pretty proud of herself. And pretty irritated, too.

He went still, but didn’t look away, his gaze locked hard and tight with hers.

“Were you . . . You did it on purpose, didn’t you? To keep me on edge?”

He moved to his feet, his cut abs rippling with the movement, arms hanging loose at his sides. The guy was so freaking sexy it should have been illegal. Instead of denying her accusation, he simply raised a hand to scratch his dark jaw and asked, “Is it working?”

Reese bit her lip, hating that he could look so calm when she was shaking apart inside. And then she lowered her gaze, staring at the rigid bulge trapped inside his jeans, and something inside her loosened at the proof that he was on edge, too. There were no other women here, which meant that breathtaking erection was all for her, and she almost licked her lips, the thrill surging through her veins as intoxicating as a drug. “Yes. It’s working.”

He made a thick sound, and she watched as that firm ridge got even bigger, the head poking out from the top of his waistband. Dark, flushed, and gleaming, it was as round and full as a ripe plum. He didn’t move toward her, but he fisted his hands at his sides, squeezing until ropy veins stood out beneath the golden skin of his forearms and biceps, his hard, masculine beauty making her want to do crazy, irresponsible, stupid things. Like walk across the hardwood floor, drop to her knees, and try to take that massive thing inside her mouth, suckling and tasting, doing everything she could to drive him mad, until he exploded against her tongue and cursed something dirty in that deep, decadent voice that made her melt.

But whom was she trying to fool? All he had to do was look at her and she melted, her sex going moist and warm and ready.

The question was, did she feel like being used?

Obviously, it wasn’t a situation any woman would seek. But then, it wasn’t every day that a woman like her got the chance to get down and dirty with a guy like Ben Hudson. Could she really just walk away and tell him no, without finding out what it would be like? It seemed like such an impossible feat, because she wanted to experience the reality of being under him, that long hard body pressing her down, with a desperation that bordered on craving. Wanted to know what it felt like when he pushed that big cock into her body and fucked her into one screaming orgasm after another. She might get her heart bruised when he left, but would the pleasure be worth it?