OH. MY GOD.
I never knew it could be like that.
He fucked me. He made love to me. He touched every inch of my body with his lips.
He dominated me all night.
My legs shook, my core quivered, and he made me come again and again. The sun was rising out of the ocean, and I was so sore, but all I could think about was him taking me again. Touching me in ways I never knew were possible, he played my body like he played his drums. Furiously, rhythmically, persistently, his hands flew across my body and his lips whispered dirty and loving words that tangled all together and made me so wet, I couldn’t breathe.
I loved every second of it.
“Good morning, beautiful.” Rough, hoarse, his voice whispered across my shoulder.
I shivered. “I love the sound of your voice.” Deep, hypnotic, and now I knew, so, so dominant.
His finger drew a lazy line from my stomach and landed directly on my clit as if he knew exactly where it was. “I love when you say my name as you come.”
I blushed. “You swear… during….” I trailed off, still so shy around him, despite every position he’d manipulated my body into last night.
“During sex?” He circled my clit. “Or when I fuck you.”
Chills raced up my back. “The latter.”
“Is that a problem?”
By the hint of humor in his voice, I knew he was teasing me. “No.”
He shoved two fingers into me. “You got wetter every time I did.”
I blushed so hard, the sheet under my cheek got hot. “I like it,” I barely whispered.
“And I love how your body responds to me.” He kissed my neck like he’d done last night. His mouth open, his teeth grazing, he bit and sucked and moved to the next spot he knew would drive me crazy.
“I love you.”
“Fuck,” he breathed out. “I love hearing you say that.”
I smiled and said it again. “I love you.”
“You want to be fucked, don’t you?” He stroked his fingers in and out of me.
Wet, achy with need, sore, I wanted him so bad. “Yes, please.”
He sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, baby. You know what begging gets you.”
I did. “I do.”
“That’s it.” He bit my neck. “Keep practicing those two words.” His thumb circled my clit hard. “I’m going to make you come, but your tight little cunt is swollen from last night. You’re not getting my cock this morning.”
I groaned, in frustration, in pleasure, as he fingered me with expert precision.
“Come,” he whispered, deep and sexy.
As if my body was already conditioned to do exactly what he commanded, a slow, low, rolling orgasm flooded my core and burst through like the sun rushing the sky.
I groaned, I writhed, I called out his name, and he fed it. Every second, every burst of nerves, every ounce of my orgasm, he fed my release with his hands, his mouth, his breath, his heart.
Whispering in my ear, “I love you,” he fingered my pulsing core until the very last contraction gripped his fingers then let go. Slow, gentle, he pulled out and kissed my neck. “That’s how I’m going to wake you every morning.”
Oh my God. How had I lived so long without this? Without him? I rolled over to face him and his huge erection that’d been digging into my back. “I want to make you feel good like you make me feel good.”
Stroking my face with the same fingers that’d been inside me, he had no shyness, no reservations about anything. “Do you know what you gave me last night?”
My body? My heart? Everything I had to give? I shook my head, not sure what the right answer was.
“Trust.” His thumb coasted across my bottom lip. “I couldn’t ask for more.”
Tears welled. Everything between us was so new, and I felt so vulnerable, but he was right. I did trust him. I trusted him with my life and with my heart. I gave him the only words I knew how to give him because I knew he’d never heard them from anyone except me and my mother. “I love you, Bennett Abraham Stark.”
“I love you, Elyssia Lauren Maher.” He smiled. “But we need to get that last name fixed.” He brushed my hair off my shoulder, and his phone rang. Without taking his eyes off mine, he reached behind him to the nightstand and brought the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
My heart jumped to my throat, wondering if it was Tyler with news of my brother. Marcus? I mouthed.
Ben’s gaze drifted. “Okay… understood.” He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “How much?” He sat up and frowned, throwing his legs out of bed. “No fucking way.” He looked back over his shoulder at me and tipped his chin toward the bathroom then made a hurry up gesture with his finger.
I rushed to the bathroom and turned the shower on. My hands suddenly shaking, I stepped in before the water was fully hot, and I quickly scrubbed the bar of soap all over my body. Frantic that Marcus was awake, but not wanting to show up at the hospital smelling like sex, I dumped Ben’s shampoo all over my hair and was lathering it in when I felt his hands on my waist.
I yelped in surprise, and his hands tightened.
“Sorry, I should’ve let you know I was coming.” He took over washing my hair.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice cracking.
He didn’t answer.
I shoved his hands away and opened my eyes. “Ben? Damn it, don’t do this. Is Marcus okay?”
He was staring at me, but not at my eyes. His gaze intense, he studied me. “Marcus is awake.”
“And?” I was going to have a heart attack.
“He’s going to be okay.”
“Oh my God, then why are you staring at me like that?”
“Killian Crowd. Marcus owes him. Big.”
“What are you talking about?”
He finally looked at me. “I want to pay him off. André disagrees. He wants to get the cops involved.”
“Then that’s what we should do.” Why was this even a question?
Ben held my gaze. “Marcus could go to jail. Or worse. Crowd could get to him first.”
Shampoo in my hair, soap on my body, I just stood there.
Slow, as if he were afraid I would freak out, Ben took the showerhead out of its holder and rinsed my hair and my body. “Dry off, and get dressed. We’ll go see him.”
Jail. After all I’d done to keep Marcus alive.
I couldn’t process it.
Then anger, bright and red, flooded my veins.
I didn’t remember drying off or getting dressed. I didn’t remember walking through an enormous luxury penthouse steeped in daylight with an ocean view sparkling from every window. I didn’t remember the ride to the hospital.
All I felt was anger.
And the steady hand of a man I was dragging down with me as he led me to my brother’s room.
A few feet from Tyler, Ben stopped and turned to face me.
He took my face in his hands. “You’re going to wait out here while I talk to him first. Then, if I think he’s going to be civil, you can see him. I’m not coming between you and your brother, I’m protecting what’s mine.” He kissed my forehead. “I know he’s your brother, but I’m not going to let him abuse you anymore. Understand?”
I understood I didn’t deserve Ben, and he didn’t deserve to have to deal with this.
“Don’t,” he warned, as if reading my thoughts. “You protected me. Now I’m protecting you.” He dropped his hands and turned toward Tyler. “She stays out here unless I say otherwise.”
“Understood, sir.”
Ben strode into my brother’s room.