Tamati would be waiting at the bottom to catch me.
"Your place it is then," I managed to murmur back.
Ben didn't even try to hide his reaction, his breath came out in a kind of hiss. He shook his head, released and then re-gripped the steering wheel tightly, and actually shifted in his seat. From the corner of my eye I could see why. I didn't even attempt to tell the blush off, as it stole up my neck and cheeks.
I started smiling, the grin just got bigger and bigger, it had a mind all of its own.
"Don't be so smug, red," Ben drawled.
A giggle slipped out.
"Fuck," he murmured, re-gripped the steering wheel and shifted in his seat again.
The giggle morphed into a chuckle.
Ben huffed an incredulous sound out. "Now, see, you got me wonderin' whether I can make you laugh like that when you're in my bed."
I sucked in air.
Ben chuckled.
Then I forced myself to turn just my head to look at him from under my eyelashes. He wore a grin and even in the dim lights of the dash, I could see how handsome he was. My eyes grazed over his upper torso. I think I leaned forward slightly to get a better view. His T-shirt stretched across his chest, he'd removed his jacket earlier, and the sleeves were tight around the muscles of his upper arm.
I could see that tattoo along the window ledge, too far away right now for me to touch. But the knowledge that I could be tracing it before this night was through, had my breath escaping on a sigh.
The car veered to the left of the road and suddenly stopped after bouncing up on the shoulder. Ben unlatched his seatbelt, turned around as far as the steering wheel would allow him, and reached over to wrap a hot hand around the back of my neck. I didn't even have a chance to utter a sound before his lips crushed against mine.
Firm, yet melding with me as though they were pillow soft. A growl worked its way up from the back of his throat. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip encouragingly. I moaned, let out a breath of air and his tongue charged in.
Sweet nectar of the gods, but he was glorious. My fingers dug into his shoulders, my body arched to bring my breasts against his chest. One of his hands wrapped around the back of me and hauled me tighter still. All the while he tasted, suckled, licked, and lavished my mouth.
"Ben," I managed to whimper, when he pulled back to lay kisses across my jaw and, I was thinking, to allow us both to breathe in much needed air.
"I've wanted you since the first moment I laid eyes on you, red," he rasped against my skin. "And those fucking beads," he added, twining a finger around a string of beads at the side of my face and gently tugging. "Abi keeps them, yeah?" he demanded, and my heart opened up a fraction. A feeling so foreign I almost made a sound.
But then he was kissing me again; slower, sweeter, as though he'd taken the edge off and now he was just enjoying the ride. As though we had all the time in the world to savour the taste of each other. As though he'd done this exact same thing a million times before inside his head, and finally got the chance to act it out.
"Ben," I said again, the words swallowed by his tongue and lips and mouth.
"Red," he finally replied, "I'm takin' you home to bed."
Chapter 8
And Not Just In My Dreams
"Red, I'm takin' you home to bed."
It was on a permanent loop inside my mind. And I didn't care. For the first time in my life I was doing something truly reckless. And I loved the feeling. I could become quite addicted to it, in fact. Sarah Monaghan wasn't reckless. Neither was Abi Merchant, or any of the other six identities I'd acquired throughout the years.
And I... Didn't... Care.
It was stupid and silly and made no sense at all. But it felt like my insides were bubbling up in a well of champagne. I was drunk on the feeling he'd created and I wanted more. I felt dizzy and carefree and I couldn't stop smiling, even though I tried to keep the grin to myself. Whoever this man was, whatever he meant for my future - good or
"Your place it is then," I managed to murmur back.
Ben didn't even try to hide his reaction, his breath came out in a kind of hiss. He shook his head, released and then re-gripped the steering wheel tightly, and actually shifted in his seat. From the corner of my eye I could see why. I didn't even attempt to tell the blush off, as it stole up my neck and cheeks.
I started smiling, the grin just got bigger and bigger, it had a mind all of its own.
"Don't be so smug, red," Ben drawled.
A giggle slipped out.
"Fuck," he murmured, re-gripped the steering wheel and shifted in his seat again.
The giggle morphed into a chuckle.
Ben huffed an incredulous sound out. "Now, see, you got me wonderin' whether I can make you laugh like that when you're in my bed."
I sucked in air.
Ben chuckled.
Then I forced myself to turn just my head to look at him from under my eyelashes. He wore a grin and even in the dim lights of the dash, I could see how handsome he was. My eyes grazed over his upper torso. I think I leaned forward slightly to get a better view. His T-shirt stretched across his chest, he'd removed his jacket earlier, and the sleeves were tight around the muscles of his upper arm.
I could see that tattoo along the window ledge, too far away right now for me to touch. But the knowledge that I could be tracing it before this night was through, had my breath escaping on a sigh.
The car veered to the left of the road and suddenly stopped after bouncing up on the shoulder. Ben unlatched his seatbelt, turned around as far as the steering wheel would allow him, and reached over to wrap a hot hand around the back of my neck. I didn't even have a chance to utter a sound before his lips crushed against mine.
Firm, yet melding with me as though they were pillow soft. A growl worked its way up from the back of his throat. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip encouragingly. I moaned, let out a breath of air and his tongue charged in.
Sweet nectar of the gods, but he was glorious. My fingers dug into his shoulders, my body arched to bring my breasts against his chest. One of his hands wrapped around the back of me and hauled me tighter still. All the while he tasted, suckled, licked, and lavished my mouth.
"Ben," I managed to whimper, when he pulled back to lay kisses across my jaw and, I was thinking, to allow us both to breathe in much needed air.
"I've wanted you since the first moment I laid eyes on you, red," he rasped against my skin. "And those fucking beads," he added, twining a finger around a string of beads at the side of my face and gently tugging. "Abi keeps them, yeah?" he demanded, and my heart opened up a fraction. A feeling so foreign I almost made a sound.
But then he was kissing me again; slower, sweeter, as though he'd taken the edge off and now he was just enjoying the ride. As though we had all the time in the world to savour the taste of each other. As though he'd done this exact same thing a million times before inside his head, and finally got the chance to act it out.
"Ben," I said again, the words swallowed by his tongue and lips and mouth.
"Red," he finally replied, "I'm takin' you home to bed."
Chapter 8
And Not Just In My Dreams
"Red, I'm takin' you home to bed."
It was on a permanent loop inside my mind. And I didn't care. For the first time in my life I was doing something truly reckless. And I loved the feeling. I could become quite addicted to it, in fact. Sarah Monaghan wasn't reckless. Neither was Abi Merchant, or any of the other six identities I'd acquired throughout the years.
And I... Didn't... Care.
It was stupid and silly and made no sense at all. But it felt like my insides were bubbling up in a well of champagne. I was drunk on the feeling he'd created and I wanted more. I felt dizzy and carefree and I couldn't stop smiling, even though I tried to keep the grin to myself. Whoever this man was, whatever he meant for my future - good or
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