“Thank you for being with me, Heather. You have no idea what this means to me.”
“I’m sure I can guess.”
She didn’t say anything else. The movie played, and Ben watched it without really seeing what was happening. He was too aware of the woman in his arms.
Her body was so curvy, and he found himself stroking her stomach or trying to touch her thighs.
He held himself in check when he became aware of it.
Two hours later he felt her drift to sleep in his arms. He was comfortable, and from her gentle snores he imagined she was just as comfortable. Her hands lay on his thighs, holding him.
Should he move and leave her alone?
He didn’t want to leave. Having her in his arms was like walking through heaven.
Watching the movie credits go up, he closed his eyes. Her gentle snores soothed him. For the rest of his life he’d gladly hold her in his arms and never let go.
Ben knew he was falling for her. His thoughts were consumed by her on a daily basis, but those thoughts were turning into something more. Dana and her family had warned him about his growing feelings, John being the main person who had warned him about how he’d change toward her.
His feelings for her were only getting stronger. The mating was not part of it. Ben was starting to fall for Heather, the woman.
She was strong and loving, everything he wanted in a partner.
Holding her in his arms, Ben drifted to sleep.
Chapter Eight
Heather woke up to the sun streaming through the window. She heard everyone downstairs preparing for breakfast. Within seconds she became aware of the large muscular body she was lying on. Staring up the length of the body she saw Ben asleep on her bed. His arms were wrapped around her. She remembered the conversation from last night and grew instantly comforted.
His past made him nervous. She’d seen it in his eyes when he looked at her. What happened between his parents, terrified him.
Settling down, she watched him sleep, all the time becoming aware of the hard length of his cock pressing against her side. Looking down, she saw the outline pressed against the front of his pants.
The only person she’d been with was Mark. The experience had been less than pleasant. In fact, it had been downright horrible. It had hurt, and he’d been done and finished within five minutes.
When he’d tried to brag about it with friends she couldn’t help but complain about his lack of excitement. He’d hated her and made her life a misery.
Shaking her head, Heather stared at Ben’s cock, wondering what he’d look like naked. Reaching up, she stroked the length, jumping as Ben groaned.
Quickly glancing up she saw his eyes were open.
“You can’t start touching me, baby. I’m not going to be able to handle it.”
Scrambling out of his arms, Heather stood staring down at him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to touch … it.”
Yes, I did.
Crap, her thoughts were all over the place, and she didn’t know what she was thinking.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
Turning away she headed toward the door. She never thought going to the bathroom would keep her safe.
“Heather,” he said.
Not wanting to be rude, she glanced over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“I liked you touching … it.”
She had to be blushing. There was no other word to describe how she was feeling.
“I’m going to get dressed.”
Without waiting for another sound to come from him, Heather closed and locked the door behind her.
Going over to the mirror she stared at her reflection. For the first time in the past two weeks, Heather saw beyond the scar. She stared into her eyes and saw the original glow of happiness that was usually there.
She heard Ben leave as she was brushing her teeth and washing her face. Later in the week Malcolm was going to visit her to check out her scars. She knew the others wanted to leave, but she needed to ask Ben something first.
After she changed and ate breakfast with them all, she and Ben headed out into the crisp morning air.
“Before you know it, it will be Christmas,” he said.
“I love Christmas.” She rubbed her hands together, jogging to keep in step with him.
“I’d pictured you as a bubbly Christmas person.”
“That’s me. Every year Dana and I have this tradition of spending an entire day shopping. It’s intense, fun, and exhausting, but afterwards we can enjoy the season without worrying.”
She usually took odd jobs because of how much she liked to travel. Thinking about her plans made her freeze.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, taking her arm in his.
“Money. I can’t go back to my family, and I don’t know how to explain this. How am I going to work?” She was thinking about everything wrong.
“I’ll take care of you. In a couple of years your scars will fade. They won’t go altogether, but they’ll still be there.”
The night she’d gotten them played through her mind. “There’s something I need to ask you, and you can say no if you want.”
He stopped, turning toward her. Ben stared into her eyes, but just recently she’d noticed his gaze would drift down across her curves. Was his erection this morning for her?
“John and the others are growing antsy. I’ve known them my whole life, and they’ve never been the type of people to stay cooped up all day.” She glanced behind her. “I’m not ready to go to my parents, and I was wondering if I could stay with you for a little while, until I get on my feet.”
Ben toyed with a strand of her hair that had fallen over her breast. “You’d always be welcome in my home. I’d love to have you.”
She let out a breath, feeling ecstatic. “Really?”
He dropped her hair, taking her arm through his again. “Yes. Really.”
They headed out deeper into the forest.
“So, there won’t be a Mrs. Bryce for me to worry about?” she asked, cringing as she did. Why was she asking these questions? She could only just get by with him touching her hair or hands. Whenever he reached over to actually touch her face she flinched. Would she ever get past that?
Being around Ben had showed her he wasn’t really dangerous. No matter how many times she tried to fight her feelings for Ben, they’d started to grow. Yes, he’d scarred her and his tiger was dangerous, but in the last few weeks he’d shown her more attention and consideration than her ex ever had.
“No, there’s no Mrs. Bryce. I’m hoping you’ll take up the name soon.”
Heather stopped. “Me?”
“You’re my mate, Heather. That means far more than a conventional marriage.”
“Why?”
“There’s no chance of me straying. It’s a lifetime, full-time commitment.”
She didn’t know what to say about that. It must be nice for John and Kathleen along with all the other mated couples that they were never going to stray. Ben started walking again.
“Tell me about your ex,” Ben said. “He clearly did a number on you, and I want you to know there’s no judging here.”
“Wow, I thought you were going to let me talk about it in my own time.”
“I was, and then I thought I’d show my support. We can talk about anything,” he said.
“Like friends.”
He nodded, and they kept walking. She didn’t know why she was keeping it all locked up inside. “I met Mark in college. I was a virgin, and I’d not really dated anyone. I went to prom with Dana, and other guys were never interested in me. Mark was handsome with the boy-next-door look. Dana hated him, but I liked him. He was charming, sweet, and everything I thought I should have in a man.” It no longer hurt to talk about him. “I thought he was the one. I was so wrong. After he’d taken what he wanted—you know what I mean by it—he threw me aside.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be. You’re not the one responsible for it. It wasn’t even worth it. He was awful and painful. I hated every second of it.” She shrugged. “I’ve never let anyone close.”
****
If he ever met this Mark, he was going to hurt him. Her scent was communicating a lot more than her words. Mark had really hurt her, and she was trying to keep it to herself. The smell coming from her emphasised the betrayal she felt.
“You shouldn’t think about all men like your ex. We’re not all awful people.” He winced at his own words. “That probably sounds awful coming from me. I promise you I’m not usually the type of guy who hurts a woman.”
“I know.” She kept hold of his arm as they walked around the grounds. This was his favourite time of day. After they finished breakfast, they always went for a walk together in the morning. Lunch time he’d do some odd jobs around the home or outside, and she’d come and sit with him. He liked her company. Heather was the first woman he’d ever gotten to know. With Dana it had been all about the sex or the potential sex he could get. Heather was different. He wasn’t waiting to get her in the sack.
He enjoyed getting to know her. She was the first person he’d ever been really open with.
“Dana always talked about you. When I was away, we’d write to each other through email, and she’d tell me about the tiger she’d met. You were a celebrity in her world.”