I loved that about him.
There was that word again. I needed to be careful. Even though we were possibly taking the next step, that didn’t mean it was time to start dropping L-bombs.
Ben opened my door, offering his hand like he always did, and I took it. He yanked me against his chest, and the next thing I knew, he crashed his lips against mine.
Finally!I crowed to myself as I melted into him, going nearly boneless at his touch. God, we’d only made out a handful of times, but each instance was just as thrilling as the first. I loved how strong he was, loved that I could lean my full weight into him. I loved how warm he was, like a heating pad but a million-and-one times better.
The way he gripped me! Held me! It was always like he was worried I’d vanish in a moment, so he held tight enough to make sure I couldn’t be swept away.
When he pulled away slightly, I was panting, my eyes half-lidded. Despite the advertised non-transfer powers of my lipstick, there was still a faint hint of coral on Ben that made my stomach flip.
“Here,” I murmured, lifting my sleeve to his mouth. “Let me wipe that off.”
It took a couple of passes of the fabric, and he was right as rain, but the entire time he was staring at me so intensely, it was like a physical force. Goosebumps rose along my arms at the sheer sensation of it.
“Good girl,” he rumbled, andfuckif that didn’t do something for me.
I must have whimpered, and just like that, his mouth was on me again, but instead of lifting me up, we were walking backward until my back collided with the wall.
It wasn’t painful. In fact, I barely felt it, because Ben had a hand on my back to cushion me. I didn’t understand how he could kiss me so wildly and still be so thoughtful, but God, it made me feel so incredibly precious.
Treasured,even.
Our mouths moved against each other, his tongue begging entrance, our chests rising and falling against each other in an increasing rhythm. Although I hadn’t been able to drink in years, I felt a little drunk, my every sense consumed by Ben.
It was everything I wanted and more, and I could feel my panties growing wetter by the second. I knew without a doubt that Ben could smell it. His grip on me tightened, and an actual growl sounded from him as he caught my bottom lip between his teeth.
As much as it pained me, as much as it went against my every desire, I had to break the kiss.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked, and I loved how wrecked he sounded. The thought that I could affect someone like him so thoroughly was a huge stroke to my ego. But I had to put my ego aside. Right now, I wasn’t the concern.
“I’mperfect,” I murmured. Jeez, I sounded wrecked too, which made sense because Ifeltwrecked. “But I want to check in. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Ben licked his lips, then nodded. My eyes followed every movement of his tongue, thinking of other things it could do. “Yes. I’m more than okay.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” It was so hard to keep my thoughts straight, but I had to. For Ben. Despite how turned on I was, his safety came above all else. No matter what. “But you know that at any moment, if you change your mind, you can. No questions asked.”
“I know,” he said, resting his forehead against mine. “And I’m still terrified, but I want this. Seeing you at the jamboree, it was like you were always meant to be in this world.”
I swore my heart was going to give out at any moment, but what a way to go! “I want to be a part of your world,” I whispered, as if any more volume would break the moment between us. “I want to go to more jamborees. I want to make breakfast for us in the morning after a long night. I want to watch Benny grow and hear Veronica learn even more words. I wantallof that.”
That was a big thing to say when we were on the precipice of being intimate, but my words were getting away from me. I’d spent so many weeks holding myself back and measuring my words, that it was such a relief to admit what I’d been longing for.
Even if that was too much to ask, at least I was still being truthful with Ben.
“I want that too.”
And then Ben picked me up off my feet with one arm, and I wrapped my legs around him just as I had fantasized about before. I marveled over the reminder of how strong he was as he reached behind me with his free hand, opening the garage door and heading straight towards the stairs.
I didn’t want to block his vision by trying to lock lips with him, so I kissed my way down the side of his chiseled jaw to his neck, adding little nips and sucks as we ascended.
When I hit a particular spot, Ben’s knees almost buckled, jolting the both of us.
“Don’t!” he said sharply, but it seemed more out of shock than anger. I froze, scared I’d done something wrong, something that went past his boundaries. A ragged chuckle from Ben soothed me, however, especially with the way it reverberated through my body. “Sorry, just a sensitive spot.”
“For you or for shifters?” I managed to ask, and I was a bit shocked that I could still articulate anything coherently. My head was heavy with desire and lust, and the rest of my body simmered in anticipation for more.
“Shifters. It’s called a mating gland. We bite it when we want to seal a union. Like a wedding ring, but more.”
