Until Death (10 page)

She’s mine.
He had so many wonderful plans for her.

She hadn’t been to Bennett’s place before. Ivy stood just inside the doorway, far too conscious of him as he closed and locked the front door. There was a quick beep as he reset the alarm.

He flipped on the lights and illumination flooded the area. Bennett’s home was in the midtown area of Mobile, nestled at the end of an oak-lined street. Most of the houses in midtown were historic, and his home was no exception. The gleaming hardwood was strong and sturdy beneath her feet, and she knew the ceilings were easily thirteen feet high. The place was sparsely furnished, but the home was absolutely beautiful. Obviously, someone had spent a lot of time and dedication restoring the home.

She headed toward the fireplace. Her fingers trailed over the mantel. “Did you do the restoration yourself?”

“Yes.”

Something they had in common. She’d been doing all of the painstaking work in her house, too.

“When you’re not hunting criminals…” She looked back at him. “Maybe you can drop by my house and give me a hand.” She thought her words might lighten the heavy tension that seemed to hang in the air between them.

But Bennett didn’t smile. She didn’t blame him. She didn’t exactly feel like smiling either. Her eyes burned from the tears she’d already shed for Shelly.

I keep picturing her body—all of that blood.
And that wasn’t how she wanted to remember Shelly. She wanted to remember her friend beautiful. Happy.

“It’s okay to cry,” Bennett said softly.

Ivy swept the back of her hand over her cheek. “I’ve cried plenty. I don’t want to do that anymore.” Because she was afraid if she started again, the tears wouldn’t stop. Grief wasn’t what she wanted.

No, what she wanted, what she needed, was an escape. Something to numb the pain.

Bennett.

Her gaze met his. Held his. Could he read the need in her stare? Could he understand how much she’d changed? Everything had altered for her when she’d seen Shelly’s body. Playing it safe, going slowly with him this time around—
why?
Ivy didn’t know how much time they had. A killer was stalking her. She might not have tomorrow. She might have nothing but this moment.

And with the danger growing, Ivy didn’t want regrets.

I want Bennett.

He seemed to understand because his green gaze darkened as he stared at her. Then, slowly, so slowly, he stalked toward her. “You have a choice to make.”

Ivy waited.

“You can sleep in the guest room down the hall. You can rest and know that you’re safe. Totally protected.”

Her breath came a little faster. “That’s option one.” She nodded. “And option two?”
I don’t want option one.
With option one, she’d be alone. She’d see Shelly in her mind. She’d hurt.

“Option two…you can let me have you.”

Her whole body got warm.

“And you can have me.” He stopped in front of her, but Bennett didn’t touch her. Even though she wanted him to, so badly. “I know you said things were going too fast before, when we were at your place.”

Oh, jeez…had that just been…
last night?
It had been, and, with the brutal events of the day, all of her priorities had shifted. She wanted to reach out and grab tight to her dreams. To reach for the thing she wanted most—

And I will.
Why be afraid? Life was short and hard and so very unfair. People had to grab their happiness when they could, and hold on tight with both hands.

“But I don’t think it’s too fast,” Bennett said. “I think it’s just the opposite. I think things are too slow because I’ve wanted you back in my bed for
years
but I was too damn big of a fool to tell you.”

Hope bloomed within her. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe—

“You need to know all of me, before you make the choice. Because there won’t be any going back.” Then, staring at her, he took off his coat. Tossed it aside. He still wore his gun holster, but, carefully, he removed it. Then he reached around her and put the gun on the mantel.

He still didn’t touch her.

She needed his hands on her.

He exhaled slowly, then Bennett lifted up his t-shirt. He hesitated, only briefly, then tossed the shirt to the floor. “I’m not the man you knew before.”

Scars sliced over his chest and stomach. So many scars. Deep, long. Twisting. All over his front torso and—

Bennett turned to show her his back.

And on his back.

Tears stung her eyes.

“The Greenville Trapper kept me for two days before I was able to kill the bastard.”

She stepped toward him. His back was still to her, so he didn’t see her hand trembling as she reached toward him.

“By then, he’d more than left his mark on me, physically and mentally.”

Her fingers touched the deep scar on his right shoulder. It looked as if someone had just taken a knife and cut out a chunk of his skin. “Bennett…”

“I don’t want your pity.” His voice was sharp.

She shook her head.

“He made me into a monster, Ivy.”

Her lips pressed to the scars. First one, then another. Another. “You’re not a monster.”

He stiffened. “I am.” His voice was so stark. “And if anything happened to you, the whole world would truly see just how screwed up I am.”

Tears were sliding down her cheeks. He’d endured so much. The pain—it made her sick. Made her furious. Made her want to kill.

I could have lost him. He went through this hell…and I had no idea.
She pressed another kiss to his skin. His arms were clean, no scars there.

“Ivy…” He turned toward her and her gaze shot up to meet his. When he saw the tears on her cheeks, his expression hardened. “No, dammit, no, don’t—”

“Shut up,” she said as the tears just came harder. “You should have called me! I needed to know.” She grabbed him and held tight. “I needed to know!”

Silence.

And…

“I wasn’t in any shape to call anyone, baby. I was drugged up for days. More dead than alive.”

He was gutting her.

“But, later, the nurses told me…I kept saying one name, again and again.”

It almost hurt for her to breathe.

“Your name, Ivy. Yours. You’re the thing that got me through, Ivy. The reason I survived that hell. I couldn’t die because I knew I needed to come back to you.”

“Bennett?”

“You’re the reason I came back to Mobile. The reason I walked away from the Bureau. You were the thing that mattered to me, and I just had to figure out how the hell to get back in your life. I had to try and figure out a way to make up for the past. I was a stupid kid back then. Hurting too much. Feeling too much pain. And I pushed away the one person I should have been pulling close.”

He wasn’t pulling her close. He was just—

Still wiping away her tears.

“I came back because I wanted to be with you, but when I got here…I didn’t know how to approach you. Didn’t know what the fuck to do. I thought you were with Cameron. You two always seemed to be together—”

“Not like that.” Just the one time. The mistake that still dodged her.

His chin lifted. He caught her hands and pulled them from his shoulders. Then he just—held her wrists. Between them. “I changed. I realized just how much when I got back here. Dammit, baby, I would go to your house and stand outside, watching the lights in your windows. Watching you.”

He—

“That shit isn’t normal. I knew then just how far I’d fallen. I wanted you too much. I needed you too much. You were my lifeline, and I was too dangerous because I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else being close to you.” His jaw hardened. “When I saw you go out with Cameron, I wanted to beat the hell out of that guy.
That
isn’t normal. It’s not safe.”

He took a step back.

She wanted to follow him. She didn’t. She…

“What makes you think I’m safe?” Ivy asked. “You think you’re the only one with inner demons?”

“You haven’t killed a man, Ivy. I have. With my bare hands.”

She flinched. “Your own life was on the line! Stop this! Stop it!” And she did follow him. Her body brushed against his. “Stop saying you’re some kind of terrible person! You survived hell! Yes, you’re different. How could you not be? But do you think I don’t…do you honestly think I don’t want you anymore?”

The answer was plain to see on his face.

“Oh, Bennett…I never stopped wanting you.”
I never will.
“So tell me about that option two because that’s the option I want to take.”

She saw the change sweep over his face—the desperate need, the desire that wasn’t checked any longer. His control shattered and he reached for her.

His hands were rough. So were hers. He kissed her with a wild, fierce lust that she craved. She couldn’t get close enough to him. Her hands slid over his back, over the scars that he shouldn’t have ever been forced to carry. She touched every inch of his body that she could. She needed him to understand that she still wanted him—every single bit of him.

His hands curled around her waist and he lifted her up, holding her so easily. Her legs wrapped around his hips and she felt the long, hard length of his arousal pressing against her. She arched against him, hating that her clothes were in the way. She needed them gone. Needed his jeans gone.

Flesh to flesh.

Sex to sex.

He started walking, still holding her, and a thrill shot through her. His strength had always been a turn-on for her. But then, nearly everything about him turned her on.

She began to kiss her way over his hard jaw, over the rough stubble there, then down his neck.

He growled. “Ivy…”

“Still like that, huh?” And she nipped his neck, lightly, then licked the mark. “Good to know.” Her heart was drumming in her chest, her whole body going molten.

They were in his darkened bedroom now. With his elbow, he hit the light switch, flooding the room with illumination. A few more steps and he lowered her onto the bed.

She sat up quickly and, with her eyes on his, she yanked off her shirt.

She saw his green gaze darken. Ivy smiled. Then she unhooked her bra and tossed it toward him. Bennett caught her bra and fisted his fingers around it. “You are so damn perfect.”

No, she wasn’t. She was far, far from perfect.

She kicked away her shoes. Then Ivy lifted up her hips and pushed out of her jeans and her underwear. The last of her clothes hit the floor with a soft rustle of sound. She stretched out on the bed, completely naked and not even the slightest bit hesitant.

Not now.

Not with him.

She could feel Bennett’s gaze sliding over her. Ivy swallowed, then licked her lips, wishing she could taste him. She heard the hiss of his zipper and a moment later, his jeans were the ones hitting the floor. The bed dipped beneath his weight as he closed the distance between them.

She held her breath a moment, waiting, eager, desperate to feel his touch.

But his fingers didn’t trail over her skin. His thighs didn’t push between hers. Instead, his mouth pressed to her shoulder. The gentlest of caresses.

“So soft,” he whispered. Then he kissed her shoulder again. Her hands slid out and grabbed the covers, fisting it when she felt his lips press to her collarbone. “I fucking missed you, Ivy.”

Her eyes squeezed shut.
And I missed you.

Bennett’s legs pushed between hers. She could feel the hot, hard length of his arousal against her. And his mouth—it was on her breast. His lips closed around her nipple and he sucked her in deep.

Her breath left her in a quick gasp and her hold tightened on those covers. He was licking her breast, laving her nipple with his tongue, and her hips twisted wildly against the bed as arousal flooded through her.

His hand slid down her stomach. Her eyes opened when his fingers—long, strong, slightly rough—slid between her legs.

“I want to feel you, all of you,” Bennett growled.

Have at it.

He slid one finger into her. Then another. Her head tipped back as she gasped out his name. He was going so slowly. Working in and out, thrusting with his fingers even as his thumb flexed over the center of her need.

Her desire was building—strengthening with every second that passed. He was savoring her, but she wanted his wildness. She wanted
him.

Maybe it was time to shatter his control. Maybe it was time to let their desire take over.

She let go of the covers. She grabbed him.
“Bennett.”

His head lifted. His eyes gleamed.

She pushed against his shoulders, and he rolled, lying back against the mattress. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. “It’s been too long.”

“Yes…”

She pushed her sex over him. She was wet and ready and she wanted him inside.

She bent her head and licked his nipple. Bennett hissed out a breath. Good, so good…

But they could do better. His hands reached for her, but she grabbed them and pushed them back against the bed. “No, I get to touch now.”

And she was touching all of him. Licking his flat nipples. Kissing the scars that sliced down his stomach. Moving on down, down to the heavy length of his arousal. Her fingers curled over him. Her mouth pressed to him—

“Ivy.”
It was a guttural demand.

She ignored it. She savored. She took. She—

Was on her back. He was over her.

“Don’t. Move.” Such a fierce, hot demand.

One she ignored. Because when he leaned to the side, reaching for the nightstand drawer, she ran her hands over his chest and she felt the quick, hard flex of his muscles.

“Ivy.” A warning edge entered his voice.

She ignored the warning and pressed a kiss to his skin.

He pulled away from her.

“No!” Ivy cried. He’d better not be stopping.

But then she saw that he was just ripping open the foil packet he’d grabbed, and when he had the protection in place, he reached for her again. He caught her hands and pinned them above her head. “You have trouble following orders,” Bennett said, his voice a sensual rasp.

Guilty.

“Let’s see if you can follow this order.” He kept her wrists imprisoned with one hand while his other moved down her body. Stroked her sex. Then Bennett positioned his cock at the entrance of her body. “I want you to come for me, Ivy.”