Benjamin pulled the fish out of the tank and threw it into a small bucket to carry up the hill to his kitchen. He left the bucket on the back porch. He found Samantha a place to sit with a cup of soothing tea in the living room with the remote and a throw blanket. She curled up on his couch and turned the TV to a sentimental movie. She let out a deep sigh of contentment, feeling so comfortable in his home.

“I’m going to prepare that fish for dinner. You get cozy and relax.”

A few moments later she heard the backdoor close and saw Benjamin moving about in the kitchen. He smiled at her from behind the granite counter as he pulled ingredients out of the cabinets. A few moments later, she took her tea from the coffee table and went to watch him in the kitchen. He had a big bowl of potatoes sitting next to his freshly-carved fish fillets.

“Is there anything I can help with?” she asked.

“How are you with a potato peeler?” he asked.

Samantha didn’t cook much, but she knew she could handle peeling potatoes.

“Fantastic,” she said, accepting the implements.

Samantha came around the counter into the kitchen and stood beside Benjamin. She peeled the potatoes into another bowl. When she was done, Ben chopped them into strips. He sprinkled them with big chunks of salt and rosemary and oil and popped them in the oven. He then prepared the breading for the fish. He pulled green beans from the fridge and tossed them into a pot of boiling water. After that, he breaded the fish.

Benjamin turned on low music with an upbeat rhythm as they cooked side-by-side in his big gleaming kitchen. It was so fun to be with him.

“I don’t cook much,” she admitted.

“I cook all the time, so that makes us even,” he said, with a wink and a smile.

She giggled. He pulled the fish out of the bubbling oil and put it on a wire rack to strain before he pulled the sliced potatoes out of the oven.

His beefy french fries looked absolutely delicious and smelled even better. He stirred the green beans in a pan before adding garlic and a little more butter. When their meal was done, they carried everything out to his dining room. A modern chandelier gleamed over the pale pine table, and a big window looked out on the lake. They sat next to each other as they dished up their meal. Samantha took her first bite of fried fish and groaned. Her mouth burst with the delicious juicy flavor.

“This is so good,” she said. “I love that we caught it today.”

“That’s why I like fishing so much. It’s one of the only sports where you get a meal afterwards. We grizzly bears love fish.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had fish that was just fresh out of the water. It’s a brand-new experience for a city girl like me.”

“I’d like to share a lot of new experiences with you,” he said, reaching over and threading his fingers around her palm.

Feeling his warmth and affection radiate across the space between them was so lovely that she didn’t have words for it. She took a bite of french fry. It was tender and cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of salt, oil, and seasonings. She gazed out at the water as she drank her Chardonnay. She could definitely get used to a life like this.

“That was so good,” she said when they were done.

She helped Ben carry everything back into the kitchen, and then they tidied up, and returned to the living room with fresh glasses of wine. Benjamin lit a fire and turned up the music as they snuggled together on his big comfortable couch. He pulled a box of chocolates from the side table and opened the lid, offering her first choice.

“These are from my premier truffle line,” he said.

She chose one of the chocolates from the box and popped it in her mouth, not knowing what to expect. Benjamin’s premier chocolate truffle was a like an oral orgasm.

She groaned at the amazing flavor. Cream and spice and caramel, mixed with the most decadent chocolate, swirled over her tongue. She closed her eyes, moaning again. She had to fan herself as the remains of the chocolate slid down her throat. She took a sip of wine to wash it down and then snuggled back against Benjamin’s chest. He chuckled at her and popped a chocolate into his own mouth.

“You’re killing me,” she said. “That was the most delicious chocolate I’ve ever eaten. Even better than the ones you brought to me before. I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” He set his wine on the side table and pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips against hers. The taste of chocolate mingled between their mouths as their tongues tasted each other.

She groaned and he cupped her face, pulling her onto his lap as they embraced in the warmth of the fire. They kissed tenderly, their passion growing deeper with each movement. He caressed her arm down to her thigh and back again. When his hands came up her body again, he cupped her breast and gently squeezed. Their tongues pressed against each other, and Samantha groaned, gushing her desire like liquid heat.

Ben picked her up in his arms as if she was weightless. He carried her through the living room and up the stairs to the second floor. In his bedroom, he laid her down on his king-size bed. His room had high ceilings with big paintings of the Ozarks on the walls. She didn’t notice the rest of the details of his decorating. All she saw was the look of hunger in his eyes.

He pulled his shirt off and sank between her legs, pressing his hardness against her heat. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her ravenously, moving against her core in slow agonizing waves.

“Oh Benjamin,” she said. “I didn’t know it could be like this.”

She felt so loved, so protected, but at the same time, she felt like a wild thing, ready to tear her nails down his back and across his chest. She tried to contain her deep need to have him inside her. He pulled her out of her sweater as she kicked her boots off. He kissed her naked chest and pulled her bra straps down, unhooking the back and slowly pulling it away.

He revealed her breasts. Her dark areola and chocolate-colored nipples pointed straight up at his mouth. He devoured them like he devoured the chocolate from his box. He sucked and nibbled at her breasts, teasing out her desire until she was burning with need for him.

He pulled her pants down and slid out of his own. He was in nothing but his boxer shorts, and she was completely bare and open to him. The only light in the room was the dim bedside lamp that allowed her to look into his beautiful eyes as he kissed so slowly and so lovingly across her body.

His hands caressed her most tender spots as he kissed down her breasts, across her stomach, and between her thighs. Her body shivered and ached as she arched her back. He licked up the slit of her core, wetting her already soaking sex. He focused on her arousal, sucking her clit into his mouth as he wiggled it with his tongue.

Samantha groaned, mindless with need. She ran her hands through his thick hair as he held her thighs open for his hungry mouth. She never had a man devour her like this. It was like he was starving for her. He seemed to love the flavor of her. The smell of her. The feeling of her body against his tongue. He dipped inside her channel and slid up to her clit, over and over, until the thrilling tendrils of orgasm gripped the base of her spine. It radiated out from that tight spot at the tip of her sex. She groaned.

“Benjamin!”

Her orgasm erupted like fireworks in the dark night. The pleasure poured from within. A deep well of emotions she’d been holding back for so long exploded all around her. He lifted himself up to kiss her again. The flavor of chocolate and her body slid over her tongue as he kissed her. He reached into the bedside table and pulled out a condom, quickly sliding it over his shaft. He rocked his hardness against her. She wanted him so badly in every way. Even without the protection she would have taken him, in that moment. She wanted to be as close to him as she possibly could be. As he inched inside her, he looked deep into her eyes. His thumb caressed her cheekbone, and he whispered into her ear.

“Do you want me?” he asked.

“Oh God, yes,” she said.

He slid all the way in, sinking deep into her core. Deeper than any man had ever been before. His cock was exquisite as it filled her. She groaned and clung to him, her fingernails digging into his flesh. She called out his name and called to the gods and to fate and to anyone who would listen, to tell them how grateful she was. How full of pleasure she felt in this moment as she and Ben became one for the first time.

Her body quaked, breaking into an ecstatic climax, quivering and clenching around him. He held her close, holding her tight and letting her breathe into the glorious pleasure of their connection.

He pulled back and slammed inside of her. He kissed her deeply, his tongue in her mouth, as he pumped into her softness. All she could do was hold on and let him take over, let him show her all the pleasures possible in this world. She held onto his shoulders and then let her arms fall back. She laid languid and breathless below him. He moved her body like an instrument of pleasure, pumping into her with slow, precise thrusts, pushing her to climax, half a dozen times. He kissed her neck and licked her ear as he growled.

“I love you, Samantha,” he said.

He groaned and pumped three more times before he let himself loose deep inside her. The heat of his climax triggered another reeling climax of her own. She wrapped her arms around his chest. His sweat mingled with hers as he shuddered inside her.

“I love you too,” she gasped, tears falling from the corners her eyes. “Oh God, I love you so much Ben. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

He pulled back, and gazed at her in the lamplight. He kissed her gently, as they stayed together like that, their bodies throbbing together in that deep moment of passion and love.

“I’ve waited my whole life for you, my darling,” he said.

He slid the condom off and threw it in the wastebasket, before resting his back against the mattress. He pulled her toward him and she rested on his chest. She pulled the blanket up over them both. He held her gently, kissing the top of her head.

“You make me the happiest man alive, Samantha,” he whispered.

He snuggled her body against his, kissing her gently on the top of the head.

“I never knew how much I needed this. But now that I have you, I never want to let you go,” Samantha said.

“And I never will let you go.”