4
Itouched my fingertips to the center of his chest. I could feel his heart speed up beneath my hand and I liked that he had such a strong reaction to my proximity.
"I think I'd like to do both," I said.
"You sure?" Ben asked. "I can take you home if—"
I lifted my hand from his chest and laid my fingers over his lips. They were softer than I expected, but I could still feel the slight rasp of his five o'clock shadow. He stopped talking and stared down at me.
"I'm staying." I paused, realizing that maybe all his offers to take me home were because he was the one who'd changed his mind. "Unless you don't want me to."
His response was to open the door to his bedroom.
"Is that a yes?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"Definitely a yes." His mouth moved against my fingertips. Ben curled his fingers around mine and lowered my hand back down to his sternum.
I closed the miniscule distance left between us until our bodies touched. My breasts brushed his ribs just below my hand. I lowered my eyes and watched as my palm moved from the center of his chest to where the vee neck of his shirt revealed his collarbone. He inhaled sharply when I traced the line of his collarbone with one finger, curious about the texture of his skin. Whether it would be hot or cool.
He was warm and his skin was soft. A light dusting of chest hair peeked out of the neckline of his tee and I trailed my finger lower, touching the center of the vee.
Ben's hands closed around my waist, lifting me up on my toes. I raised my other hand and cupped the back of his neck as he lowered his head. It had been a long time since I'd anticipated a kiss this much, so long I'd forgotten the sweet torture of wondering and waiting. Of wanting to taste and touch.
His lips stopped just short of mine, as if he was giving me one last chance to change my mind. I didn't wait for him to realize that I was all in. I used my hold on his neck to tug him the final inch closer and pressed my mouth to his. His lips molded to mine, firm and confident. But he didn't go deeper, which surprised me. It was the type of kiss you'd give a guy on a first date, not a hook-up.
It wasn't until I ran the tip of my tongue over his bottom lip that the kiss went from searching to scorching.
His mouth opened and our tongues tangled. He tasted like vodka—strong, sharp, and intoxicating. I leaned further into him and his hands gripped my waist harder, plastering me to his body.
His heart was thundering beneath my palm and mine echoed it. Heat bloomed in my belly, spreading throughout my torso and shooting up my spine. God, the man couldkiss.
The tips of his fingers slipped beneath my shirt, stroking the skin on my back where the waistband of my leggings hit. We were both breathing hard when he released my lips.
"I want to touch you," he whispered.
"Then, do it," I said, laying my mouth on his collarbone. I kissed his chest and then his neck, touching his skin with the tip of my tongue. His skin was hotter than before beneath my mouth and I felt the wild urge to take a bite out of him. I settled for nipping his throat with my teeth.
Ben groaned and spread his hands against my spine, running them up my back. My shirt rose with his movements so I grabbed the hem and yanked it off. I wanted it out of the way because I was burning with the need to be touched.
My bra wasn't anything special, just smooth black material that cupped my breasts. I was too busty for pretty bras because they often weren't supportive enough.
But it was obvious that Ben didn't give a damn about the type of bra I wore because his eyes were glued to my breasts. His hands had moved back to my waist when I took off my shirt but they remained locked there as we looked at each other.
"I thought you wanted to touch me," I said as he continued to devour me with his eyes. I needed him to touch me. I craved it. I dropped my shirt to the floor and arched toward him.
"I'm enjoying the view."
"Then it's only fair that I get a view too." I slid my hands beneath his tee and ran them up his abdomen to his chest. His muscles were firm under seeking palms and I dug my fingers into his pectorals just a bit. Suddenly, I had an even stronger urge to bite him, this time on his pectoral. I wanted to mark him so that he would look at it and think of me.
What the heck was going on with me? I'd never felt quite this animalistic before.
I wasn't tall enough to take his shirt off without help, but Ben reached behind his head, grabbed the back of his tee, and pulled it off. I had only ever seen men do that in movies but it was fucking hot in real life.
Still, it was nothing in comparison to the sight of his body. He wasn't joking when he said he worked out most mornings because he was built like an athlete. His upper body was a work of art, not only the shape and cut of his muscles but his tattoos as well.
"I don't know where to start," I muttered. Then, I clamped my mouth shut because I really hadn't meant to say that.
Ben took my hand from his waist and pressed it to his stomach. "Wherever you want."
