KeyParty (4 page)

She swayed toward him when he abruptly let her go and
shifted away.

“Come on then,” he said, sitting in the middle of the bed,
holding her hand as though he was helping her out of a car as he drew her
toward him.

Rachel straddled his hips, her body absolutely humming with
anticipation as she hovered over him, unable to look away and more than a
little shocked by how erotic she found watching him roll a condom over that
beautiful cock of his.

Still holding himself with one hand, he stroked her hip as
she angled herself over him. His gaze never left hers as she took as much of
him as she could all at once. She stopped breathing, overwhelmed by the rush
that poured through her as their bodies connected and his eyes went slightly
unfocused.

God, he was too much and not enough all at the same time.
She buried her fingers in his hair and kissed him as though her life depended
on it. He kissed her back with ten times the intensity, stealing her breath and
making her dizzy.

One hand gripped her hair as he broke contact with her mouth
and drew her forehead to his. “Damn, Rachel, you feel amazing.”

She rose up, then sank down a little farther.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing,” she managed to
say, teeth clenched and eyes watering from the electric thrill running through
her body.

He smiled. “You were thinking you feel amazing?”

She sank her teeth into his bottom lip and he laughed a
little breathlessly.

“You know what I meant,” she said, taking him in just a
little more.

Ben used the grip he had on her hair to angle her head and
draw another deep kiss out of her. The heat of it rushed directly to her cunt,
made her nipples tighten and her toes curl in her shoes. He pulled her head
back and grazed his teeth against her neck.

“My tits, Ben,” she panted, hardly able to believe she’d
said it out loud.

He hummed against her neck. “What about them?”

She should have known he was going to make her say it. So
she did.

“Kiss them,” she whispered. “Suck on my nipples. Please.”

He looked at her, his expression mildly surprised. “Well,
since you said please.”

With her fingers still buried in his hair, she watched him
kiss a path from the hollow of her throat to her left nipple. He kissed her
just like she’d asked, leaving little wet spots all over her heated skin. It
was wildly hypnotic to watch his tongue circling the tight peak of her nipple
before he sucked it into that lush mouth of his, making her wiggle and rub her
aching clit where their bodies were now deeply connected.

He gave her a wicked look. “This one too?” he asked,
cradling her right breast with the hand that had been buried in her hair.

She nodded, too turned-on to speak.

He squeezed her breast and covered that nipple with his
gorgeous lips, sucking harder than he had the first, biting her gently, then
flicking it with his tongue when her head fell back. Her body kicked into
autopilot and her hips rolled wildly as she ground against him.

Her nipple came free of his mouth with a sucking pop. “Oh,
fuck yes,” he groaned.

Sweat prickled over every inch of her skin as she began to
ride him, rocking her hips back on the downstroke. She nearly lost her mind
when he braced his other arm on the bed behind him and started to match her
pace with a tight upward thrust.

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Show me what you got, Rachel. I can
take it.”

Every prompt he gave—harder, faster—pushed her body higher
until she was nothing more than a mass of humming nerves and urgent need. And
every time she rose the challenge he gave her, she could see she was driving
him closer to the edge of self-control. The power in that was heady stuff.

She felt every bead of sweat that formed and trickled down
his face as they grunted, pushed and pulled against each other—felt the heat
that spread over his face and chest as grunting became moaning and their
movements became frenzied.

“Rachel, Rachel, Rachel,” he whispered her name urgently,
over and over, his eyes nearly black as he looked up at her. “I’m going to
come,” he warned, and her body answered with the first throbbing wave of her
orgasm. “Tell me you’re ready, baby.”

She dug her fingers into his shoulders.

“God. Yes. Come.” Each word was punctuated with a desperate
gasp.

He tightened his stomach to hold himself upright and gripped
her hips with both hands, his fingers digging deep, his body jerking through
his orgasm as a long, desperate sound poured out of him. Her hips rocked harder
in response. She lost complete control, crying out as pleasure rippled through
her body from where he pulsed inside her outward.

Ben loosened his grip and fell onto his back, pulling her
down on top of him as he did. He held her head lightly to his chest with one
hand as they lay there, still connected, both of them working hard to catch
their breath.

When she’d recovered somewhat, Rachel pressed her lips to
the damp, salty skin of his chest and closed her eyes against an unexpected
wave of emotion.

“Well,” he said, his voice rough, “I hate to admit it, but
that was definitely worth the wait.”

She could do nothing but rest her forehead on his chest and
laugh.

Her damp, cooling skin prickled with goose bumps when he
trailed his fingers up her spine.

“But,” he went on, rolling them both so she was pinned
beneath him, disconnecting them in the process. He kissed her deeply, slowly
and for a long time, his cock growing hard against the inside of her thigh,
before he added, “I vote we don’t wait so long the next time.”

She raised her legs, slipped her shoes off her feet and
tossed them across the room. “I second that motion,” she said, and wrapped her
legs around his waist.

Rachel could see the sky starting to change color through
the sheer curtains at the opposite end of the bedroom. She must have fallen
asleep at some point, because she was covered with a blanket she didn’t
remember pulling over herself. There were also two water bottles, one half
empty, on her nightstand.

Ben was sound asleep on his stomach next to her, arms
stretched overhead, lying on a pillow lengthwise so it was partially tucked
under his chest. He was uncovered from the waist up and turned away from her,
his breathing slow and deep, the long line of his leg pressed against her from
hip to ankle.

She rolled onto her side carefully so as not to wake him.
That brief moment of doubt when she’d thought actually being with Ben Richards
would be a disappointment after all the years she’d spent fantasizing about him
seemed absolutely ridiculous. The reality of him was so much better than any of
her fantasies, she had to wonder whether she had any kind of imagination at
all.

She could not imagine what Petra had been thinking, setting
the two of them up the way she had. Yes, Rachel had told her about her crush on
him back in the day, but she hadn’t given her the whole story.

They’d had lunch at a sub shop just off campus one day.
Halfway through their visit Petra had leaned across the table to let her know
“some hottie” kept looking over at her. When she’d looked to see what hottie
Petra was talking about, Ben had just been getting up to leave. He’d seen her,
given her a big smile and waved.

Of course Petra had wanted to know who he was and why Rachel
hadn’t mentioned him. Rachel had confessed every sordid detail of the crush
she’d had on him then, but in the aftermath of her humiliating flight from
school a short time later, she’d never told Petra about the night her crush had
come
this
close to making a woman out of her.

His breathing changed. His grip tightened on his pillow and
he shifted, turning toward her to peer at her through sleepy eyes. And when he
smiled, her heart skipped.

“You’re awake,” he said, then frowned. “Was I snoring?”

She laughed softly and shook her head.

“Good.” He rolled onto his back and tucked the pillow under
his head. “Did we sleep the day away?”

“The sun’s just coming up.” She moved in close against his
side when he opened his arm for her. “We haven’t missed anything,” she said,
laying her head on his shoulder, her hand roaming slowly over his chest.

Her eyes rolled closed as she breathed in the heady,
masculine smell of his skin. She sighed when he wrapped his arms around her,
one hand resting lightly on her waist and the other covering her hand as it
settled over the curve of his chest.

“What do you have planned for today?” he asked, his voice
drowsy.

“Not a thing,” she answered, then yawned. “Okay, that’s not
true. I plan to sleep.”

He touched his lips to her hair as he chuckled. “So you’re
back for good?”

For as much as she’d been berating herself for having failed
at living in England—forget not finding a hot British husband and having kids
with great accents—she was pretty happy to be able to say she was home to stay.

She nodded and smiled to herself, thinking small talk after
the raunchy things they’d done to each other the previous night seemed silly.

“Any job prospects yet?” He sounded as if he was so close to
falling back to sleep.

“I have interviews lined up with a handful of spas here in
the city, and one at a wellness center that’s being built in Homewood, where I
grew up.”

His shoulder started to shake. She lifted her head, looked
at him.

He was laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

He kissed her and said, “You’re hired.”

She sat straight up and turned to face him, legs tucked
under her with the blanket clutched to her chest. “What did you say?”

He laughed—a rich, deep sound that would have been
contagious if she wasn’t so freaking creeped out by what he’d just said.

“The Homewood Cardiac Health and Wellness Center is the new
branch of the center my dad has here in the city,” he told her once he’d
composed himself. “I’ll be one of the doctors on staff.
Wait
.
” He
grabbed for her as she scrambled off the bed, taking the blanket with her, but
she slipped out of reach. “Where are you going?”

He looked way too amused. And way too sexy lying there stark
naked, propped casually on his elbows with those longs legs, well-defined
muscles and gorgeous cock—impressive even at rest—unabashedly on display.

“There’s no way.” Panic was making her heart start to race.
“Dr. Marks runs the Homewood Center. I did my research. There is no Dr.
Richards on staff.”

“Well,” he said slowly, “there will be me when it opens. Dr.
Marks is my stepfather.” He tilted his head to one side. “Are you sure you
didn’t know I was going to be at the party last night?”

She bristled and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

He sat up and narrowed his eyes. “This wasn’t some kind of
grand scheme to get in my good graces so you’d be sure to get the job, was it?”

Rage and shame flooded her, overloading her exhausted system.
She found his pants by the side of the bed and whipped them at him, followed by
his shoes.

Ben ducked to one side and then the other, laughing as he
dodged the onslaught.

“I’m
kidding
.” He leaped off the bed and got his arms
around her from behind. “Rachel,” he spoke calmly into her ear. “I’m kidding.”

She stilled, hoping he’d let her go.

“I’ll call first thing Monday and cancel my interview,” she
said quietly.

He chuckled and kissed her neck. “You’ll do no such thing.”

“We can
not
work together after this, Ben,” she said,
easing herself out of his arms. “We were just set up through a sex party, for
God’s sake.”

“It’s not like we’d be working together. The docs and
physical therapy team consult with each other, but massage therapists deal
almost exclusively with PT.”

She turned to face him. “Are you part of the hiring team?”

He shrugged. “So what if I am?”

“I’d rather get hired on my own professional merits.” She
went to the closet, found her robe and put it on with the open closet door
shielding her from his sight. “Not those merits,” she added, gesturing to the
abandoned bed.

“And you will,” he assured her.

The playfulness he’d had a minute earlier was gone. She
missed it immediately.

He took his pants from the bed and jammed one leg into them.
“I’ll go.”

It was the last thing she wanted. It was Sunday morning, her
favorite time of the week. She wanted him to stay, to crawl back into bed and
sleep off the long night next to her. She wanted to wake up beside him, maybe
fool around in the shower, get something to eat and spend some time catching up
on the years they’d missed.

Not one word came out of her mouth to stop him from leaving.

She watched him dress with a dark, heavy feeling of dread.
The night had been amazing. It couldn’t end on such a sour note, but she didn’t
know how to reverse what was already done.

He stuck his bare feet in his shoes and looked at her
pensively for a moment. Then he sighed and crossed the room to her.

“Don’t cancel your interview,” he said wearily. He kissed
her without tongue or urgency—just a lingering touch of his soft, masculine
mouth to hers that had her body stirring to life again. “‘Bye, Rachel.”

And then he was gone.

* * * * *

Ben showered, reluctant to wash Rachel’s smell off his skin
despite the way the night had ended, and dropped into bed, hoping he’d fall
instantly into oblivion.

No such luck.

Too much had happened and his mind wasn’t going to shut down
any time soon. Having Rachel show up out of the blue had been a shock. Finding
out Petra knew something about their brief history and never thought to mention
it the entire time he’d known her had been another. He’d met Petra through Jude
years ago, had heard her talk about her friend Rachel from time to time, but
she’d never once mentioned the mutual connection they had to her.

And Rachel having an interview at the new facility in
Homewood? What were the fucking odds of that?

He rolled onto his side and clamped a second pillow over his
head, trying to smother the feeling that he’d made a mistake by walking out on
her. He could have stayed. He was a persuasive guy. He could have calmed her
down and talked her back into bed, into sleeping off the amazing night they’d
spent together and worked it out after they were rested and clearheaded again.

And why, he wondered, would he want to do something like
that? It wasn’t as if she was some kind of long-lost love or anything. They
didn’t have any shared history aside from some failed tutoring and a handful of
silly conversations that hadn’t meant a damn thing. And even if he’d kind of
liked her back then, hadn’t she been the one to walk away without looking back?

The pillow went flying across the room, landing heavily
against his dresser, making the lamp and a couple of bottles of cologne rattle
as they rocked against each other.

Ben threw the blankets off his legs and stalked to the
kitchen.

“Bad night?” Alex asked, his back to Ben as he poured a cup
of coffee.

“I haven’t slept much yet,” Ben grumbled. He had no idea how
late he and Rachel had been up the night before, how much time he’d spent
watching her after she’d fallen asleep or how long he’d been dozing when he
realized she’d woken up.

“So it was a good night then.” Alex passed him the mug. “How
was she?”

Ben slid him a look and Alex raised his hands in a gesture
of surrender.

“You don’t have to tell me.” He chuckled, getting a second
mug from the cupboard. “I’d’ve thought she’d be better than that. Seriously,
she was smokin’ hot in those heels, braless under that little dress.” He shook
his head appreciatively and whistled low.

“How do you know who I ended up with last night anyway?” Ben
asked, teeth clenched on the last word. “You went up before me.”

“Petra told me this morning. And I wasn’t asking about you,
so don’t get all big-headed about it. I wanted to know who
she
spent the
night with. You know, scope out my competition. For next time.”

Alex had been his closest friend since they were kids. He
was a great roommate. The urge to punch his lights out was unsettling.

“Jesus,” Alex snorted. “What the hell is wrong with you?
Getting laid doesn’t usually make you surly.” He went out the kitchen door and
sat on a stool at the counter between the kitchen and living room. “You need to
talk, sunshine?” He propped his elbows on the counter and his chin on his laced
fingers. “Hmm? Anything you need to get off that sexy chest of yours?” He
batted his eyelashes.

Any other day it would have been funny, but it wasn’t any
other day. Ben took his coffee and headed for his office.

“Oh, come on, Benny. Don’t leave me hangin’,” Alex called after
him.

Ben showed him his middle finger without turning back.

“So does this mean I can get her number?”

That stopped him just inside the doorway.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Alex said when Ben backed up a
step and looked at him.

Ben went into his office and closed the door on the sound of
Alex laughing.

If he wasn’t going to get any sleep, he might as well get a
jump on the work he needed to start the next day. But as soon as he opened his
laptop he knew any attempt to work was going to be futile.

“God damn it,” he muttered, scrubbing his hands over his
face.

For a fleeting moment between rounds with Rachel he’d
considered doing something to thank Petra for making sure he and Rachel ended
up together that night. Now he wasn’t sure he was ever going to forgive her.

* * * * *

“Morning, sunshine.” Petra smiled serenely from her seat at
the kitchen table. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee.”

“You’re an angel.” Rachel stuck her head in the refrigerator
and took her time looking for the cream, sparing herself from Petra’s scrutiny
for a precious few seconds. “Is Jude up yet?”

“No.” She could hear Petra folding the newspaper she’d been
reading. “He works tonight, so he’ll probably sleep most of the day.” There was
a moment of silence. “So?”

Rachel’s shoulders hunched toward her ears. “So what?” she
asked, her back to her friend as she added a spoonful of sugar to her mug. It
was pointless to resist talking about her night with Ben. Petra would get it
out of her eventually.

“Mornin’, sluts.” Bree shuffled into the room, barefoot in
her party dress with her hair in a messy knot on top of her head, and made a
beeline for the refrigerator.

Rachel added cream to her coffee and joined Petra at the
little table in the breakfast nook. “No sleeping in today?” she asked Bree.

“It’s wedding-dress shopping day with my future
sister-in-law.” She came to the table with two bottles of water. “I’m supposed
to meet her in an hour.” She sat, tucked one of the bottles into her crotch and
sighed. “Lord, I’m gonna be walking crooked for a week.”

Rachel’s eyes went big and Petra nearly did a spit-take with
her coffee.

“You need one?” She held the second bottle toward Rachel.
“Just asking.” She gave Rachel a wink and a knowing smile. “They don’t call Ben
and Alex the foot-long twins for nothing,” she added, cracking the seal on the
cap and touching it to Rachel’s mug.

Rachel stifled the wave of jealousy that threatened to rise.

“Who’s they?” Petra asked.

Bree finished drinking half the water and breathed out
heavily.

“Me, mostly.” She grinned. “Maybe you could fix it so she
ends up with Big Red next time,” she said to Petra.