Desire (#4) (2 page)

“I should have guessed you’d be interested in these,” Benjamin said from only a few inches away.

My heart pounded as I held a hand to my chest. “You made me jump.”

How did he manage to creep up on me without making a sound?

Benjamin didn’t answer. He was staring up at one of the portraits, the largest in the room. It depicted an elderly man, with a florid complexion and sandy hair. As I looked closer, I recognised some of Colin’s features in this man’s face.

I glanced up at Benjamin as he stared at the portrait, his expression dark and angry.

“Who is that?” I asked.

Benjamin seemed to realise he wasn’t alone. The hard expression disappeared from his face.

“My grandfather.”

“Oh.”

I wondered if he’d talk about him. I didn’t want to pry. I already felt guilty about listening to Mrs. Wicker’s gossip about the Easton family. I could tell the subject made him uneasy and knew I should let it go, but the Easton family legacy intrigued me.

“He left the estate to your father…” I prompted, trying to keep my tone casual.

But Benjamin wasn’t fooled. He turned his dark eyes on me and gave me a sardonic smile. “I see I’m not the only one who has been investigating.”

I flushed. “It’s hardly the same. I just happened to hear…”

He arched an eyebrow. “You just happened to get your information for free, engaging in a little gossip, whereas I paid for my information about you.”

I swallowed. Was he angry? I couldn’t tell.

“I’d say we’re even,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t really think a little gossip equated to the same thing as running a detailed background check on someone you were sleeping with.

“I’ll give you a full tour of the house tomorrow, if you like?”

I smiled. “I’d like that.”

He took my hand, and a gentle tingle ran up my arm. It seemed I was forgiven for gossiping anyway.

He led me upstairs to his private apartments, which took up the west wing of the second floor. He opened the door wide and said, “Make yourself at home.”

I’d seen his private office before, but I’d never seen where he lived.

The apartment was decorated in a completely different style to the rest of the house. Most of the apartment was a huge, open-plan design. There were marble floors and counter tops in the kitchen area, wooden floors and cool beige walls in the living area. The furniture was constructed from pale wood, and large, brown leather sofas and chairs formed a circle in front of the fireplace.

It was the ultimate, modern bachelor pad. A Bang and Olufsen stereo took pride of place on the wall next to the wide, flat screen TV.

It was such a contrast to the antique, grand design of the rest of the house.

He crooked a finger beckoning me forward.

“Would you like to see the bedroom?”

My breath caught in my throat.

Yes, please.

I walked forward, eager to see what Benjamin’s bedroom would look like, and perhaps a little hopeful that we might make use of the bed before dinner.

His bedroom was a similar design to the rest of the apartment — sleek and minimalist. And the bed was easily super-king sized. I glanced down at the cool, cotton sheets and flushed, imagining all the things we could get up to in there.

“You could take a bath before dinner if you like,” he said, leading the way into the massive en-suite bathroom.

I gasped when I saw the sunken tub. It was lowered into the marble floor and looked more like a hot tub than a bath. “It’s huge!” I said.

“That’s what all the ladies say,” he said, grinning and raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Hey,” I said, slapping him on the arm.

“Just kidding,” he said and pulled me to him, kissing me deeply.

My hands grasped his hair as I kissed him back eagerly.

“Kate,” he said, laughing at my response. “To be continued.” He kissed me chastely on the forehead. “I’ll go and check on your sister. I’ll offer her the use of one of the guest rooms.”

My head snapped up. “She’s not staying here.”

“I thought she could use the room until dinner. We can’t expect her to wait in the sitting room on her own until dinner.”

I sighed. How could I explain how I felt and not sound like a total bitch? I just didn’t trust her.

I shrugged. “It’s up to you. But make sure you do an inventory of the room first.”

He frowned.

“She’s got sticky fingers,” I said.

Benjamin raised an eyebrow. “I see. I’ll make sure the valuables are removed beforehand.”

He leaned over and grasped the gold taps, turning them to release the gushing water.

“Use any toiletries you want,” he said, pointing to the cupboard beneath the sink. “And this button here turns on the massage jets.”

“Oh,” I gazed down at the water and imagined the massage jets pummelling my body. “I’ll look forward to that.”

“Enjoy your bath. If you’re very lucky, I might come and scrub your back,” he said and winked at me.

Whoa. A hot spike of desire engulfed me, but he slipped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Frustrated and alone, I began to strip off.

I hung my discarded clothes on one of the silver pegs on the wall and then rummaged through the cupboard beneath the sink.

I picked out some bath salts that smelled warm and exotic – sandalwood, I think – and tipped some into the bath. I dipped my fingers in the water to check the temperature. Perfect.

I pressed the button for the massage jets and the water churned in the tub. Oh my, this was going to feel good.

The water was frothy from the massage jets. I eased myself down into the hot water, breathing in the fragrant steam, and I bit my lip, imagining Benjamin in here with me…

I felt the tension in my muscles dissolve as the jets massaged my back.

I closed my eyes. It would work out. Benjamin Easton was more than a match for my sister.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the bathroom door. I jumped and covered my breasts with my hands.

“Who is it?” I asked, which was stupid. I knew it was Benjamin – who else would it be?

“Benjamin. Can I come in?”

“Um. Yes, I guess so.” I stared down at my naked body and wished the bath salts had produced a few more frothy bubbles.

He entered and stared down at me, his dark eyes running along my naked body. I heard his sharp intake of breath, signalling his approval.

My gaze was magnetically drawn to the bulge in his trousers. Oh, yes please.

He sat down on the edge of the bath and trailed a finger lightly along my arm.

My body reacted to his touch immediately. My nipples hardened and I could feel warmth between my legs that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water.

“Nice bath?” he asked innocently, although I was sure he noticed my reaction. He knew exactly what he was doing.

I nodded.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Benjamin asked.

Oh my. I swallowed hard. “Um, sure if you like.”

I scooted forward to give him room, hugging my knees to my chest to cover my breasts.

Benjamin wasn’t so bashful. He pulled his shirt over his head giving me a perfect view of his muscular chest. Immediately, I wanted to reach out and touch him.

He unbuttoned his pants and began to pull them down.

It’s rude to stare, I admonished myself and averted my gaze to the massive shower on the other side of the bathroom, as if I found the rain shower attachment absolutely fascinating.

I didn’t need to look at him to know he was smirking at me.

As he stepped into the bath behind me, I caught a brief glimpse of him in the mirror over the sink. Oh my God.

Of course his body was buff and perfect, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. His huge erection distracted me from the rest of his lust-worthy body.

The air was warm and steamy from the bath, and I thought I might be in serious danger of overheating as he lowered his body behind mine.

“Lean back against me,” he said.

I leaned back slowly, relishing the contact of his warm skin on mine. His erection pushed firmly into my back, determined to be noticed.

He moved his arms to encircle me and slid his wet hands over my breasts.

“You feel so soft, Kate,” he breathed in my ear as he cupped and gently squeezed my breasts.

His touch sent shivers running through my body.

My nipples became hard and elongated as he pinched them between his thumb and forefinger.

I moaned and arched my back. It felt so good.

Then his hands travelled lower and lower, skimming over the soft skin of my belly and my pubic hair.

My body trembled in anticipation. I wanted him to touch me there.

He pulled my legs apart and slipped a finger over my opening, teasing, tantalising. I groaned and wriggled to get closer.

As his fingers circled my clitoris, I gasped and put my hands on his muscular thighs. I felt his muscles clench under my hands, but his fingers didn’t break their sweet rhythm.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on the building pressure deep inside me and his hardness pressing against my back. Then his fingers stopped their delicious torment and he pulled away.

Oh no he can’t stop! I was so close.

He grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling so my head tilted to his. He pressed his mouth to mine, parting my lips with his tongue, invading my mouth and possessing me completely. I kissed him back eagerly and felt his hand slip under the water to squeeze my ass cheeks.

He pulled me onto his lap, and the water lapped the sides of the bath.

I had to put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. I looked down into his dark eyes and my insides melted with desire. I shifted my legs, so I was sitting astride him.

He smiled in approval. My wet breasts were thrust towards him in this position, and he sucked gently on one of my nipples, his tongue swirling around. The heat travelled from my breasts directly to my groin.

I slid my hands under the water to grasp his cock. Oh my. It felt so hard. This was what I wanted.

He closed his eyes, and a soft moan escaped his lips as I stroked him, slowly increasing the pace. Then his eyes opened and he looked at me. “I want to make you come.”

Desire exploded inside me. Yes, yes please.

He gripped my hips tightly with both hands and slowly lowered me onto his erection.

“Benjamin…” I breathed.

I pushed down, desperate for him to fill me. But he kept his hands firmly on my hips, controlling the pace.

“You’re so tight,” he said, staring into my eyes as he possessed me.

I arched my back as he slid deeper, then he flexed his hips to drive himself into me, causing me to gasp. Then he stilled.

Gripping his shoulders, I started to move up and down. He watched me, his lips parted and his eyes dark with desire as he watched my breast jiggle.

My skin was wet and slippery against his as I moved up and down. I needed more. I needed it to be faster.

He raised his hips, thrusting deep into me. Oh yes. That’s what I wanted.

I felt the tingling tightness in my belly as he thrust into me. The water sloshed over the sides of the bath as he took me hard.

“I think I’m going to come,” I whispered, and he slipped his hand between my legs. The combination of his finger flicking over my sweet spot and the stretching and tightness as he thrust into me tipped me over the edge.

“Benjamin,” I gasped as my orgasm trembled through me.

He drove himself inside me one last time, shuddering as he climaxed.

We lay like that for a while with him still inside me as I listened to his steady heartbeat. Then I shivered. The water had gotten cold.

He held out a huge white fluffy towel, and I took it and wrapped it around my body. I squeezed water from my hair and smiled up at him shyly. It was still so hard to believe this gorgeous man was mine. Well, almost mine.

“Your sister asked me for money.”

“What?” I spun around to face him. “You told me you’d tell me if she tried to get money out of you!”

“I’m telling you now,” he said, raising a towel to dry his shoulders.

I shook my head. Had he chosen now to tell me on purpose – knowing that he could make me dizzy and unfocussed whenever he wanted?

I held up a finger. “I meant for you to tell me straight away.”

He looked at me with a smirk on his lips and shrugged. “I got distracted. You were lying in the bath, looking so delicious. I couldn’t help myself.”

He leaned down and kissed me deeply, and all thoughts of my sister drifted away. I could only think of him, of how his lips felt against mine, of how his tongue explored my mouth, possessing me completely.

He pulled away, and I blinked up at him.

How did he do that? He overwhelmed me, enchanted me, put me under his spell.

“Tina said the money was for a rehab program.”

“Huh, as if I haven’t heard that one before,” I said, rubbing myself vigorously with the towel.

“I’ll pay for her rehab if that’s what you want.”

I stopped rubbing and looked at Benjamin, swallowing the lump in my throat.

It meant so much he would offer to do that for me. I didn’t want him to think I was ungrateful or that I was being a bitch to my sister, but I couldn’t let him do it.

“No,” I said. “It would be a waste of your money. She hasn’t changed. She’ll never change.”

I stood beside him and ran my fingers over his perfect chest. “But thank you for the offer. It means a lot.”

He grasped my hand and raised it to his lips, kissing my fingers.

“It’s your decision, Kate. If you change your mind, just let me know.”

BY THE TIME WE made our way downstairs for dinner, the tension eased away by my hot bath and Benjamin’s hands had returned with a vengeance.

I was determined to stay strong and not let Tina weasel her way back into my affections. Enough was enough. I’d promised myself last time I’d never let her hurt me again.

I sat on Benjamin’s right at the vast mahogany dining table, feeling out of place and uncomfortable. Mrs. Wicker had organised the menu and arranged for silver-service waiting staff to serve us. I wasn’t used to living like this, and the sudden change in my situation made me feel off-balance. My sister turning up out of the blue only made it worse.