“Chris.” She spoke his name with a sigh on her lips. He smiled, kissed the red roughened area, then pulled away.
Her hand went to her neck where he’d given her the love bite. “You did that on purpose,” she said.
“I want you, Erica. This time I’m not going to screw up.” Chris moved her hand away and stroked the spot. “Give me a chance. Give us a chance, and I swear I’ll make it worth your while.”
Chapter Four
“I’ll see you soon,” Chris said. He turned and moved back towards his car. He’d dropped her off at her front door like a true gentleman. She watched him get inside his car before opening the door to the beach house, where she was staying with friends.
Erica looked back at Chris and gave him a wave. Her body hummed with excitement from his kiss. This was how she remembered her crush on him, the scalding heat of his touch on her lips and neck never failed to make her pant for more of him. She held her neck where he’d bitten her. The claiming from the touch could not be mistaken for anything other than a possessive man showing the world who she was. Erica closed the front door as his tail lights faded in the distance. She leaned against the closed door with a smile on her lips.
“So, you’re just going to give yourself to him again?” Ben asked. He sat at the counter with a beer in his hand. The sight of him sent the happiness away from her. In the moments with Chris, she’d forgotten about him. It was easy to do as Ben never made her feel wild with need. Chris was different.
“I don’t really think that’s any of your business,” she said.
“Not my business? For fuck’s sake, Erica. I asked you to marry me. I thought we had a thing going.”
He had a point, and the shame of her actions made her turn, pulling her hand away from her neck. Ben got up, shoving her hair off her shoulder. His were actions so rough and not like Chris. Why was she suddenly comparing him to Chris and finding Ben lacking?
“Ben, I care about you—”
“Bullshit. If you cared about me you wouldn’t have let that fucker mark you.” The anger was so unlike the Ben she knew.
“Bullshit?” She screamed the word at him. “Bullshit is what we’ve been doing for the last year. Can you really tell me you find me irresistible? What kind of man leaves a woman for a year without fucking her?” She saw the guilt on his face and knew she’d hit the mark. “What kind of man asks a woman to marry her when his best friend is the real guy he wants?” Erica had noticed the way he’d looked at Martin. At the time she hadn’t wanted to think about Ben being gay, but now looking at his red-stained face and knowing her own feelings about Chris, she no longer had a choice.
“Don’t, Erica. You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said. He turned to look in the direction of his friend’s bedroom.
Erica knew she couldn’t let him hide anymore. If Chris ever found out about what she was about to do, he’d have a fit, but this was to prove a point to her friend. There was nothing sexual in what she was going to do.
“No?” She stood before him and pulled her dress off her body along with her bra. She stood in her panties and shoes with the front door at her back. Her body was full, but he’d complimented her on her curves in the past, even though he’d never gotten hard while looking at her.
She gave him a second to look his fill and then touched his cock. He lay flaccid in her hand. There was nothing to him. Erica knew she was being a bitch. She needed to end this now between her and Ben. In truth, she knew there had never been a chance for him and her. “Think about Martin, on his knees right now in front of you.” His cock started to thicken. “You’d love to feel his lips wrapped around your dick, sucking on you.”
He let her talk to him for several moments then his hand covered hers. “Enough.” She let him go. They stayed close together, staring at each other. Ben leaned down, grabbed her dress and helped her back into it. “You made your point.”
Erica took his hand and hugged him close. Her intention hadn’t been to hurt him. She wanted to show him why they never stood a chance together. He wrapped his arms around her. Wetness coated her shoulder, and she pulled back to see Ben crying. Movement distracted them. She took Ben back to her room. He sat down on the edge of her bed, a small smile on his face.
“I wondered what I’d do if you ever invited me back to bed. When we messed around I always thought about Martin.” He confessed to her. They’d messed around, and deep in her heart she had known he was looking at someone else. Time had changed the way she felt.