Ben
Watching as Sami’s face paled and her lower lip trembled, Ben felt his broken heart begin to repair itself. Because no one that claimed to hate him as much as she did should be carrying around this much emotion. This wasn’t just sex. It was more. His Samantha was still in there; he just had to pull her out
“Love,” Sami echoed, shaking her head against the pillow as she struggled against his hands. “This isn’t love, you romantic fool. It’s fucking! Or it was until you let yourself get distracted by a bunch of freaking feelings. Jesus, Ben, do I need to check you for a vagina? Because seriously, right now you’re acting like such a fucking girl,” she insulted him as she continued to squirm beneath him as her, her body bucking against his. “Just get off me,” she ordered, using her hips to try and throw his body off hers.
Normally, having a chick question his manhood would piss him off to no end, but this wasn’t just any chick. This was his Sami, the woman that had somehow managed to hold onto his heart even when he’d loathed the very thought of her. And his woman often got mouthy and said outrageous shit when she was placed in a situation she couldn’t control. “Vixen, I strongly suggest you settle down before I decide to go find Zeke’s handcuffs again,” he chuckled as he managed to wrangle both her wrists above her head to hold them against the mattress.
“Don’t you fucking dare, you dick,” Sami warned with narrowed eyes as she tried to pull her wrists from his unbreakable hold.
Damn, he’d always enjoyed his vixen’s flashes of temper, but seeing her truly angry had always gotten him harder than a rock. It was like her rage amplified her beauty, making her truly radiant. “Then perhaps it would be best to stop questioning my masculinity, babe,” he retorted as he levered himself over her and stared down into her hypnotic green eyes. “You’re lucky I know you’re just blowin’ smoke to try and get a reaction out of me,” he scolded softly, his lips slowly descending toward her mouth.
“I am not,” Sami returned snottily, twisting her head so that his lips landed against her cheek rather than his intended target of her mouth.
“You are,” Ben chuckled, playfully nipping her ear lobe. “You’re lucky I love that particular character flaw, Princess. Otherwise we’d have a real problem on our hands. As it is, I think we both know that I’m all man, don’t we? Your man,” he added huskily as he nuzzled her ear and pressed a kiss to the pulse he could see throbbing in her neck as he rubbed his thick length against the juncture of her thighs.
“You aren’t anything to me other than a current pain in my ass, you egotistical jerk,” Sami retorted as she continued trying to resist him. Her escape efforts, however, were remarkably half-hearted and it was more than obvious that his girl was exactly where she wanted to be… even if she didn’t want him to know it.
Lucky for her, Ben had always been able to see right through her, and he was both a persistent and persuasive guy. “Well, since you seem to have forgotten how fucking hot we burn when we’re together, I’ll be happy to remind you,” he informed her smoothly as he slid his still hard cock back into the steamy heat of her tight cunt as he lowered his lips to hers, covering her surprised mouth before she could deny him. Feeling her body quicken beneath his as her slick pussy embraced his cock like a long lost friend, he smiled while her lips parted in wonder and her neck arched against the pillow behind her head.
“Oh, God, Ben! She moaned as her slender legs lifted to wrap around his hips, drawing his bigger body closer. “Don’t stop,” she whispered breathlessly.
“No? You sure?” He questioned deliberately, raising one inky eyebrow as he stared down at her with gleaming, predatory eyes.
“S-sure,” Sami gasped as he gave her a few more inches of his length.
Nearly groaning as the velvety walls of her pussy stretched to accommodate him, Ben focused on watching Sami’s pleasure flood her face. “That feel good?” Ben whispered as he carefully flexed his hips, watching her beautiful face for any sign of discomfort. “No pain this time?” he questioned gently as he braced on his elbows, keeping his weight off her as he held her pinned to the bed with just his cock buried inside her.
“No pain,” she confirmed breathlessly, smoothing her hands up and down the firm muscles of his back and ass as her pussy contracted around his thick cock.
“Good,” Ben murmured, lifting his head to smile down at her as the acute pleasure of being inside her became almost painful as he fought the urge to fuck her through the mattress. He knew he needed to go easy… to give her time to adjust to his possession of her delicious body. But remaining still was swiftly becoming a losing battle as her molten walls hugged his aching flesh. “So, this sweet body is ready for more?” he asked tightly, cautiously thrusting himself a little deeper into her slick passage as he slid his hand between their bodies to brush his thumb in slow circles around her swollen clit.
“Mmmhmmm,” Sami hummed as her nails clawed at his shoulders. “Please don’t stop, Ben” she begged, opening her eyes and giving him a needy look that made his heart ache. Making a low, desperate sound, her hands clutched his shoulders as all artifice fell away from her face, leaving her gaze naked and vulnerable. “I need you,” she confessed raggedly, her eyes pained as her nails scored his shoulders. “I need you so much.”
Bending his head until his forehead rested against hers, Ben’s eyes stared into hers. He could see her fears, feel how much it was costing her to admit that she needed him. “You have me, vixen,” he reassured her softly as her body softened underneath his. “You always have. Even when we weren’t together, you carried a piece of my heart with you.”
“I’m scared,” she shared reluctantly, her confession hushed and quiet in the stillness. “This thing between us… I don’t think it can ever work no matter how much I wish it could. Problem is, I don’t have the strength to push you away any more.”
Hearing the heartbreaking honesty in her statement, Ben shook his head. “Sorry, baby, but I personally don’t see that as a problem at all. I love you, Sami, and this thing between us will work. I won’t let it not work. Failure isn’t something I’ll accept. I’m not letting anything tear us apart again. All you have to do is believe in us,” he urged as he bent to sip at the tears slipping from her eyes. “Just believe in me,” he ordered against her ear before covering her lips and pulling her tongue into his mouth.
Kissing her deeply, Ben slowly flexed his hips, sinking all the way inside her before slowly withdrawing only to do it all again seconds later. Her body responded almost instantly, following his lead, taking what he offered. Low moans filled the room as his hands roamed over her, mapping every curve and dip of her body. She felt like silk underneath his palms, and even as he fucked into her again and again, he grew desperate to get even closer. “Christ, it’s not enough. I wanna get so deep you feel me in the marrow of your bones,” he groaned against her ear as her legs tightened around his waist.
“Yes,” Sami moaned, her hips tilting to take his cock even deeper.
Feeling his dick bottom out inside her, Ben growled against her neck. “Fuck, yeah! That’s it,” he bit out as he thrust inside her heat again, her body blossomed, opening up to him like the petals on a flower at the first light of dawn. With every downward surge of his hips, her body reached for his, her arms curling around his neck as her heels dug into his flexing ass.
“Yes, Ben! I’m so close,” Sami whimpered, her sweaty flesh sliding against his as her body began to tense as her release hovered just beyond her reach.
Grunting as her core tightened around his aching length, Ben felt his balls begin to tingle as his own orgasm hurtled toward him. Sami’s pussy felt like liquid fire around him and he wanted to drown in the white-hot pleasure of being inside her. Thrusting faster as her legs trembled around his hips, Ben groaned as her cunt grew hotter, slicker. “That’s it. Let yourself go,” he ordered roughly against her damp neck. Her skin tasted slightly salty as he pressed a kiss to her throat as her body began to convulse around his.
“Ben!” Sami screamed as her arms constricted around Ben’s neck while her body surrendered to the euphoria flooding it.
Gritting his teeth against the painfully amazing sensation of her body climaxing around him, Ben surged deeper inside his beautiful woman, his own body growing taut as he felt his cock begin to erupt as pure bliss shot through his bloodstream. “God, yes! Samantha!” he groaned deeply as his hips jerked involuntarily, his body emptying its seed deep inside her. Long moments later, Ben rolled to his back, careful not to crush Sami as he fell heavily to the bed. Feeling both sated and satisfied as he stretched out beside the lax heap of her naked body, he curled one arm around Sami’s narrow waist as he pulled her to him. Spooning her from behind, he couldn’t help his smile as listened as his woman concentrated on regaining her breath. He couldn’t blame her. They’d both had quite a workout.
“You okay?” he asked, trailing one finger down her bare arm as he dropped a kiss to her shoulder blade. “Grunt once for yes, twice for no,” he directed teasingly, frowning when Sami seemed to stiffen against him. “Sami, babe, say something,” he demanded, more seriously this time.
“This was a mistake, Ben,” Sami replied tonelessly,
Ben winced as he silently cursed. He couldn’t complain. He’d told her to say something. It’s his fault he wasn’t more specific. Sighing as he stared down at her, he frowned when he could only see the profile of her face. “Sami, look at me,” he demanded quietly, keeping his eyes on her motionless body. Waiting until she slowly turned over to face him, Ben’s gut clenched at the strangely vacant look on her face, almost as if she was keeping the real Sami hidden away where she couldn’t be hurt. Gently lifting a hand to brush her long hair over one shoulder, Ben offered her a gentle smile. “This was anything but a mistake, Vixen. This was us reconnecting.”
“No,” Sami denied shakily, blinking quickly as she tried to keep her eyes emotionless. “That was us fucking, Ben. A good fuck, but still. Just a fuck.”
Ben laughed, loud and long, before slowly shaking his head. Lifting a hand to readjust the pillow behind his head, he shot Sami an amused look. “So we’re gonna start this bullshit again, huh?”
“It’s not bullshit,” Sami denied softly, wrinkling her nose as she reached for one corner of the dusty sheet covering the bed they were lying on before dropping it with a small shudder.
“It is,” Ben snapped impatiently, reaching for the sheet she’d discarded and yanking it over them.
“Ewww, Ben!” Sami squealed, slapping the sheet away from her before attempting to throw her legs over the side of the bed.
“Don’t ewww me, Samantha. As you like to say, we just fucked all over these sheets. There’s no sense bitching about their cleanliness now,” he pointed out before yanking her back down, catching her as she toppled back to the bed. “Now, let’s get some things straight,” he began, quickly rolling over so that he held her pinned to the bed. “What happened between us wasn’t something as cold as a simple screw. Yeah, so it wasn’t quite the graceful dance of bodies that it used to be when we got together, but we were both a tad rusty. You can’t deny, though, that what we shared was passionate. And real. Genuine and honest in a way I haven’t experienced since we separated. So do not piss me off and mar what just transpired in this room by putting a bunch of lies between us now. You got me?” he growled, shaking her slightly as he stared down into her surprised eyes.
Pursing her lips, Sami gave him a jerky nod before muttering a resentful, “Fine.”
Releasing her arms, Ben moved back to kneel beside her while he kept his eyes on Sami’s face. “Good,” he declared tersely. Taking a deep breath, he ran a tired hand down his face. “Look, it’s late and I still need to bring in some wood for the fire to get us through the night. Can I trust you not to bolt or do I need to handcuff you to the bed?” he asked wearily, wishing like hell she could just get past this idea that this was simply a physical thing between them. Couldn’t she see that he was as hung up on her today as he’d been when he’d left her three years ago?
Sami shrugged. “I’m not stupid, Benjamin. It’s dark, cold, and I have no clue where the hell I am. Add that to the fact that being kidnapped has seriously depleted my energy levels, and I think it’s safe to say I’ll be staying put,” she replied sassily, quickly narrowing her eyes to add a pointed, “For now.”
“Good to know,” Ben returned with a smirk as he climbed out of bed and crossed the room to the chest of drawers in the corner. Tugging it open, he quickly located the spare set of plain white sheets and tossed them toward her. “While I’m gone, make yourself useful and change the bed,” he directed as he reached for his abandoned jeans and pulled them on.
Sami’s eyes lit up as if he’d offered her the Hope diamond, and she caught the sheets in mid-air, hugging them to her chest gratefully as she leapt out of bed. Her hands moved with a surprisingly fast agility as she set about stripping the soiled bedding from the mattress. “You should know I’m following your orders for strictly selfish reasons,” she informed him over her shoulder as her hands efficiently tucked the fitted ends of the sheet underneath the corner of the mattress. “I just can’t stomach the thought of sleeping in somebody else’s filth tonight.”
Chuckling, Ben crossed the room and pulled one of his soft, worn Henley shirts from his bag in the corner. “Yeah, I remember your exacting standards where hygiene and cleanliness are concerned, princess,” he taunted as he tugged his shirt over his head. “I’m surprised you didn’t insist on changing the bed before we….”
“Don’t even say it,” Sami snapped, spreading the flat sheet over the fitted one with a flick of her wrist as she stood beside the bed, completely unconcerned by her nudity. After spending years constantly changing clothes as she modeled, she was used to being caught in front of people. “I don’t want to talk about what happened between us right now nor do I want to dwell on the fact that my naked body spent an extended amount of time on those dirty sheets,” she muttered as she quickly pointed to the pile of soiled linens in the floor. “Just do me a favor and let it go for now, Ben. Please?” Sami requested softly as she stripped the pillowcases from the two pillows on the bed, efficiently replacing them with the laundered ones.
Catching the small yawn she tried to hide with a hand over her mouth, Ben’s face softened as he watched Sami’s still nude body climb between the crisp, clean sheets she’d replaced on the bed and stretch out, curling one hand beneath the pillow she’d claimed as her own. Slowly walking back to the bed, he stared down at her. With her hair spread over the pillowcase and her eyes half-closed, she looked almost relaxed. Gently reaching down to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, Ben smiled. “Even after all these years, your beauty still has the power to stun me, Sami.”
Sami snorted indelicately as she opened her eyes to look up at him. “Yeah? Tell that to my agents,” she scoffed.
“Like I mentioned earlier, Viv told me about those asshats,” Ben grumbled, his jaw clenching as he recalled everything Vivian had shared with him about Sami’s life recently. The fact that those fuckers had hurt his girl pissed him off to no end. And it really stung that he hadn’t been there to protect her from those vultures. “Those men are idiots Sami. You’re as gorgeous today as you were on the day I met you. More so, if you ask me. Because now you have a wisdom in your eyes that makes that beauty even more potent. If those fuckers can’t recognize that, they don’t deserve to have you on their label.”
“Maybe,” Sami allowed with an uncertain shrug. “It doesn’t change the fact that the Cordova Agency doesn’t want me any longer. Once that word gets around, I’m pretty sure my modeling career will be over. Nobody wants a model whose beauty is fading.”
“That’s crap,” Ben stated flatly. “If you still want to model, there are other agencies. Reputable agencies. I may have been out of the fashion industry for a little while, but I still have a lot of connections and am owed more than a few favors. I’ll get you a meeting with ten fashion houses with one phone call if that’s what you want for yourself, Sami. Don’t you dare let those bastards at Cordova shake your confidence. They do NOT get that power,” he snarled, his eyes flashing with anger at the thought that those mercenary pricks could make his woman doubt herself.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I want anymore,” Sami acknowledged with a heavy sigh. Blinking slowly, Sami focused on Ben’s harsh face, his jaw stone hard as he gazed down at her and smiled sadly. “What stings most is that they don’t want me anymore. They just cast me aside. Like trash.”
“It’s their loss, baby,” Ben growled, cupping her cheek and catching a tear as it escaped her eye.
“Y’know, it really hurts to be beautiful sometimes, Ben. Especially when that beauty starts to wane. So, I guess the poets got it right, huh? There’s a price to be paid for everything in this world. Even beauty. Maybe how I feel right now….maybe that’s my cost.”
Ben scoffed. “No. Absolutely not. And even if it is, I refuse to allow you to go emotionally bankrupt paying that cost, Sami. Not if I can prevent it.”
Lifting a hand, Sami’s fingers tugged playfully at Ben’s beard. “There are some things you can’t control,” she informed him gloomily, her usually bright eyes dimmer. Eyeing her closely, Ben could almost feel her desolation like a tangible entity. And he hated it.
“And there are some things I can,” he stated firmly. And his first order of business once they came back down the mountain would be to find her sleazy agent and throttle the bastard within an inch of his life for putting these shadows in his vixen’s eyes. “For now, I want you to get some rest. There’ll be time to hash out everything over the next few days. First though, I want you to listen to me very closely, okay?” Waiting until she nodded hesitantly, he continued. “Over the next couple of days, I’m gonna ask you to not only think with your mind about what I’m saying, but also listen with your heart. I want you to try as much as you can to put aside all those worries that are trying to invade your mind and focus on this: I love you, Samantha. Three years ago, we fucked our relationship up. We didn’t communicate and we let emotions control our actions. Because of that, we lost three years together. Lucky for us, fate – and a few of our friends- have finally fucking intervened to give us another chance to get our shit together. We’ve got another shot at being us again. The real us, baby. Not the people we’ve been pretending to be for the last few years. I want this chance, Sami, and I think, deep down, you want it, too. Tonight, my body reminded yours how good we are when we’re together. Over the next few days, I’m gonna do my best to get my heart to remind yours about the same thing. We’ve had three years to move on, baby, and I might have moved my livelihood to another state, but my heart? It’s the same place I left it three years ago…. In your hands. And I’m pretty sure I’ve still got yours, too, don’t I?” Seeing the panic flaring in her eyes, Ben held up a hand. “You don’t have to answer that. Well, at least not yet. Just think about it for me. Can you do that for us? Please?” he implored, hoping against hope that he was making some headway with his stubborn vixen.
Slowly, Sami inclined her head. “Yes,” she affirmed, her voice making only the barest of sounds.
“Thank you, baby,” Ben replied with an appreciative smile before he bent to place a sweet kiss in the center of her forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered again against her warm skin as Sami’s eyes slowly drifted shut.