Rhythm of Us: Book 2 Of The Fated Hearts Series (25 page)

“You put your piercing in.” His eyes shone with his delight at the discovery.

“I wanted to wake you up with a blow job, but I got a little sidetracked.” I loved the way Ben’s gray eyes turned lighter with lust and at this point they were nearly iridescent in the dimly lit room.

“Babe,” there was that word again, “I might detonate at just the thought of you going down on me with those lips and using that tongue.” Ben pressed his finger to my lips and I sucked it into my mouth, rolling the metal ball all over the tip just like I planned to do to his cock. I hollowed out my cheeks and sucked the digit hard. “Jesus, Xavier.”

I felt his lust ripple through his body and it emboldened me to push him to his back so I could set about pleasing him with my tongue like we both wanted. If there was one thing I knew at that moment, it was that I had to taste Ben on my tongue. I would not let another second be wasted by my insecurities over my worthiness of his affection or my ability to handle emotional entanglements while recovering from drug addiction.

Ben worked my boxers down my ass and legs and I kicked them off to the side. He fisted both our cocks in his large hand and jacked them slowly while our mouths met in a chaotic vortex of need. The feel of his cock gliding against mine was so sensual, it had me on the brink of losing control and spilling in his hand. I released his lips and bit his pectoral muscle hard enough to pull a hiss out of him, but he released our cocks.

“I promise to make it up to you.” I eluded his hands that kept trying to pull me back up. I kissed the mark I made on his skin then continued to learn every muscle and sinew as I kissed my way down to his proud cock.

I made a deliberate show of sticking my tongue out as far as it would go so he could get a good look at what he’d been fantasizing about since the night of the stakeout. Just as slowly, I lined the metal ball to the magic spot just beneath the head of his cock. I sucked Ben’s crown inside my mouth and circled my tongue around so that the ball massaged the spot just right.

“Fuck!” Ben’s exalted cry made me want to extract more lust-crazed sounds from him. I relaxed my throat muscles and slid his length all the way inside my mouth until my nose was pressed to his trimmed hair and my tongue teased the base of his cock. “Jesus, Xavier. Fuck . . . that’s . . . oh my god . . . good.”

I let his dick slide out of my mouth with a wet plop. “I’m just getting started.” I laid flat on the bed between his sprawled legs. The super soft sheets felt great against my sensitive dick. “Reach behind you and grab the headboard and anchor yourself down so that you don’t float away.” Ben grabbed two fistfuls of my hair instead. “That’ll work too.”

I worked his cock up and down, alternating my pace from fast and hard to slow and sensual. Ben writhed beneath me, his every cry of pleasure ratcheting up my own desire. I found myself rubbing my erection against the bed beneath me at the same pace that I blew Ben. I felt his wide-spread legs trembling on either side of me, which matched the quaking in my own body. We were both on the cusp of orgasm and the smallest touch would send us both over.

I palmed his firm balls in my hands and gave them a gentle tug. Ben raised his legs up and placed his feet on my shoulders and started thrusting his hips and fucking my mouth at the pace he wanted. I felt his nails digging into my scalp as his excitement reached the precipice. One more pull of his balls and he tipped over the edge and filled my mouth with his earthy essence.

I came all over the sheets like a randy teenager the second his first shot splashed across my tongue. I bathed his softening dick with my tongue until I was satisfied that I licked him clean. I looked up once I was finished and found those hot, intense eyes locked on me.

“Come here,” he said huskily.

I climbed on top of him and he held me against his chest. “Give me a second and I will return the favor,” he whispered against my temple.

“Too late. I got too excited and made a horrible mess all over the sheets.” My ridiculous confession made me laugh in spite of the embarrassment.

“Damn, that’s hot,” Ben said, wrapping his arms tighter around me.

“It is?”

“Fuck yeah, it’s hot. You getting so worked up over exciting me that you came all over the bed is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.” Ben’s hands lazily stroked my back up and down while he moved to get us in a more comfortable position. “Okay, I just found your wet spot with my leg and it kind of takes the sexy out of it.” Ben’s laugh rumbled in his chest beneath my ear. It was a sound I wanted to get used to. “Do you happen to know where extra sheets are kept? I have no problem changing them.”

“Sure do. Gray sent me a text after the wedding and told me where I could find the extra bed linens. You know, just in case.”

“Smart fucker.”

Instead of getting up to change the sheets, I snuggled closer to Ben, letting the sound of his heartbeat and his warmth lull me back to sleep.

THE SMELL OF
fresh coffee and sausage woke me from a deep sleep, or it might have been the massive ball of orange fur that was standing on my back and massaging my bare shoulders with his paws. I gently rolled to my side and Oliver sidled up and peered down at me.
Meow
. I scratched his ears and Oliver closed his eyes and purred loudly.

“You’re a handsome boy, Oliver.” I laughed at myself for talking to the cat as I dug my fingers in just a little harder. Chase and Gray talked to Oliver like he was a person and often swore he knew what they were saying. I wasn’t convinced, but I did know from the previous time I kitty sat that he was a very smart animal. “You already know that don’t you, buddy?”

“Is it wrong that I’m completely jealous of the way you’re stroking that cat’s ears and his ego?” I jerked my head over to the door and found Ben leaning against the frame wearing nothing but his briefs and watching me interact with the cat. “Breakfast is ready if you can pull yourself away from your furry friend.”

“Oliver was waking me up for breakfast,” I replied. “He’s considerate like that and probably hoping I’ll reward him with a piece of sausage.”

“Turkey sausage,” Ben corrected.

“Did you go out and buy groceries? How late is it?” I sat up and reached for my phone to check the time.

“It’s only 9:30 and the fridge is loaded with food so I didn’t have to go shopping. Gray left a note for you to help yourself.” Ben righted himself and stalked over to the bed. Yes, stalked; he looked like a powerful, sleek jungle cat on the trail of his favorite prey. I was his prey. Ben gently set Oliver aside and leaned over my body, capturing my mouth in a soft kiss. Ben pulled back just as I tried to take the kiss to the next level. He smirked as I chased after his mouth with mine. “I worked really hard on your breakfast. Let’s eat first and then you can kiss me as much as you want.”

I reluctantly got out of bed, threw on a pair of shorts, and followed him downstairs to the eat-in kitchen. The table was already set with turkey sausage, crepes, fresh fruit, and coffee. My stomach rumbled at the delicious spread laid out before me.

“Yum! This looks amazing, Ben. I can’t believe you went to all this trouble.”

“It was no big deal. We both need to eat so we might as well eat something nutritious and delicious.” Ben gestured for me to have a seat at the table. “Let’s dig in.”

I took a seat at the table and began to fill my plate. “This certainly looks delicious, but I’m not sold on the nutritious part.”

“Ah, that’s the trick,” Ben said confidently. “There’s always a way to make a healthier version of the food you love so much. I replaced the pork sausage with turkey, exchanged the typical fattening crepe filling with a honey-sweetened Greek yogurt, and you have a meal that tastes great without all the extra fat, carbs, and guilt.”

“Thank you, Ben.” I found his gesture to be sweet and completely endearing.

“You’re welcome.” He pointed to my plate with his fork. “Dig in.”

I wasted no more time and loaded up my plate up with the mouth-watering food. We ate in silence for a few minutes before I worked up the courage to ask him a question that had been weighing on my mind since the night of the stakeout. “What exactly is the deal with your parents? You’ve talked about your unhappy childhood and dealing with obesity then Bevan mentioned that your parents are the reason behind both of you avoiding relationships and commitments.”

Ben set his fork down, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms over his bare chest. I feared that I stepped into territory I had no business visiting. I had the feeling that Ben was the kind of guy who didn’t mind shouldering everyone else’s burdens, but wouldn’t ask the same in return. I was about to tell him to forget that I asked but he began to talk to me.

“My parents, Daniel and Beverly, came from very wealthy families. Their marriage was practically an arranged one and they’ve both been miserable since day one.” I had the feeling that Ben was glossing over a lot of it, but I was just grateful he was opening up to me. “I don’t know when their extra-marital affairs actually began, but I can tell you that I learned about them when I was seven years old.

“I caught my mother kissing one of my father’s associates at a dinner party at my house. Van and I were banned from coming downstairs when Dan and Bev had parties, but I wanted a book to read so I snuck down to the library, which was connected to my father’s home office. I heard some strange noises coming from my father’s office so I opened the door a crack and peaked inside. They probably had been doing a lot more than kissing, but I must’ve walked in toward the end so at least they were dressed.” It was obvious by the bitter expression on his face that this memory was particularly unpleasant and was still cause for his inner turmoil. I wanted to tell him to stop, but he continued talking.

“I had never seen my parents kiss, yet here was my mother wrapped in the arms of another man who was kissing her senseless. I was confused – I mean what kid wouldn’t be – and I ran and told my dad, who unfortunately was in the middle of talking to some guests.” Ben looked at me with a wry look on his face. “I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over, sort of like a lead balloon.

“Daniel was always quick on his feet though. He gave me a condescending pat on the head and told the people in his group that I had read so many books that it was hard for me to tell reality from fantasy.” Ben shook his head at the memory. “When I started to argue, he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and gave it a hard squeeze. I immediately shut up, of course, and went back to my room like he told me.” Ben sighed deeply, as if he needed the break to summon the energy to tell the rest of the story.

“After the party, my parents fought so loud it woke me up. I heard them screaming at one another then came the sounds of glass shattering. I was really scared, but I thought they might be hurt and needed help. I creeped out into the hallway and looked through the bars of the wrought iron balustrade that wrapped around the entire second floor of our home.” Ben just sat there staring into space as if he was reliving that moment.

“Ben, you don’t have to tell me anything else.” I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine. “I’m sorry I brought up such painful memories on such a beautiful morning. Please forgive me.”

Ben shook his head, bringing himself out of his memories. “It’s okay, Xavier.” He flipped his hand over and linked our fingers and continued the story. “Bev and Dan stood below me in the great room having the fight of the century. My father was calling my mother a whore for fucking around behind his back and my mother countered with all the affairs that my dad had over the years. I had no idea what affairs were, but I could tell they were bad by the tone of their voices. My father asked my mother if I was even his son and that was when shit got real. My mother charged at him with her fingers curled into claws. She scratched his face and hit him repeatedly.” Ben ran his hands through his hair in agitation. His unfocused eyes were seeing images from his past as he sat across from me.

“Dan tried to deflect Bev’s attack and repeatedly asked if I was his son. She told him yes each and every time, but he kept saying he didn’t believe her so she said that she’d prove it to him with a DNA test. My father then yelled that it didn’t matter what the test said, because there was no way that such an awkward, geeky kid could belong to him. My mother did nothing to defend me, because she was still too angry that her so-called honor was in doubt. The next thing I knew, Van wrapped me up tight in a hug then wiped away the tears I didn’t realize I had been crying. He took me by the shoulders and told me not to pay attention to the two assholes downstairs. He told me that they didn’t deserve a kid like me and I was better than both of them combined.” Ben blinked his eyes and focused back on me once again. I was so happy that he returned to me.