* * *
A powerful wave of desire rushed through Ben’s veins. He closed her hands inside his and raised her arms above her head. The action brought their bodies into more intimate contact, sealing their damp skin together, forcing him deeper inside her. Cocooned in her warmth, Ben wasn’t certain where he left off and she began.
He gritted his teeth, knowing he was mere seconds away from release. She trembled beneath him, her entire body in a slickened, fevered state identical to his own. Needing the leverage, he released her hands, but before he could move, she reached for his shoulders and pushed against him.
“Sit,” she whispered, her breath hot against his ear.
Curious, he met her gaze. Somehow, he stayed inside her as they juggled into the position she’d commanded. Her legs straddled his waist while he sat with her on his lap. Their bodies meshed, his penetration deep, their top halves aligned. Her lush breasts crushed against his chest and her nipples pressed into his skin. The result was the most consuming intimacy he’d ever experienced with a woman, one he’d never forget.
Her wide-eyed gaze met his, telling him she, too, felt the awe-inspiring sense of completeness. “I guess those articles don’t lie.”
“You’re bad, Gracie.” He brushed her long strands of hair off her face. A flush of desire along with embarrassment stained her cheeks. He gazed directly into her eyes. Another unique result of their position was the ability to wholly focus on her delicate features. “Have you been reading up on this?”
“Would you believe I discovered the article by accident?” She licked at her lips.
“Not a chance, sweetheart.” He leaned forward for a taste of the dampness she’d created, drawing her lower lip between his teeth and nibbling before letting go. “I’d rather believe you were getting ready for me.”
She wrapped his arms around her waist and that threatening wave rose once more. His body shook with the effort of restraint, but he didn’t miss the dilation of her pupils or the tremors beginning to engulf her body. She was beyond ready and so was he.
He enclosed his legs around her ass, pressing his hips against hers. Arching her back, she met his movements as they began a pulsing, grinding reach for completion. He reached out and cupped her breasts, flattening her nipples against his palms and squeezing her plump flesh with his hands.
Without warning, she threw her head back and moaned, bucking her lower body against his. His cock slid out a fraction, then back in, deeper, harder than before. Her undulating, frenzied motions drove him mad, and he lost control, ceded command of their lovemaking to the wild bucking of her hips and the grinding of her slick body against his own.
He wanted to watch her when she came, wanted to see her face as he exploded inside her, but she caught him off guard. Her climax hit without warning, engulfing her entire body in a quaking release that started inside her but traveled to him until he was absorbed by the power of his orgasm and consumed by the shuddering vibrations racking her body.
When it was over, he found himself staring into her brown eyes, darkened by need and rounded by wonde
r. “That was… unbelievable,” she said.
And a hell of a lot more, Ben thought. He ought to know. She’d picked the position and it had been incredible, but it didn’t allow for retreat. He hadn’t counted on the tenderness he’d feel afterward, and now, still enclosed inside her, her face mere inches away, he was experiencing a whole host of emotions he was afraid to look at too deeply, afraid of identifying.
“Glad you enjoyed it.” He forced a lightness to his voice he didn’t feel, but even he heard the strain.
Time to go. He started to push himself backward, but her legs tightened around his waist and the squeezing sensation sent tremors of awareness shooting to his dick, starting the pangs of arousal all over again.
“You don’t have to run anywhere. Physically or emotionally, you don’t need to withdraw from me.” Understanding softened her features and she cradled his face between her palms. “I’m not going to ask or force you into anything other than what we have here. Now. And if I do say so myself, it was pretty damned good.” She wiggled her hips provocatively against his.
He let out a groan. “It was great.” They were great.
And though he ought to be relieved at her cavalier acceptance of how little he wanted from her, how little he was willing to offer, he wasn’t—not by a long shot. And a ridiculous pang of regret twisted at his gut.
“Yes, it was great.” She leaned closer and her breasts brushed his chest. “And you have nothing to worry about. Frankly, I can’t see my daddy running after you with a shotgun, so why not just relax and enjoy the rest of the night?”
He laughed. A brittle sound because her words cemented what he’d always known. He wasn’t worthy of Grace Montgomery and her privileged, elitist background. No father of hers would chase after him, demanding he marry his daughter.
They were different people from divergent, clashing backgrounds—not to mention that he’d entered her life under false pretenses. He couldn’t undo his lies any more than she’d forgive him if she knew.
He shook his head. All this damn thinking wasn’t like him. And it had to stop. He’d take what he could in the short time they had and walk away. No more analyzing, no more regret.
“Ben?”
He grasped her around the waist, holding her slender hips in his hands and sliding his palms around to her flat belly. She sighed and his fingers dipped lower until they rested atop the coarser hair and secrets lying beneath. “Enjoying now sounds good to me, Gracie.”
“I knew you could be persuaded.” She brushed her mouth over his cheek.
He tilted his head toward her table of jars and bath gels. “How about a shower and some more fun?”
“Sounds good. Wickedly good.” Her lips lifted upward.