Tessa smiled. “I’m not hungry. For food.”
Ben’s boyish grin turned dirty old man. “What are you hungry for?”
When it came time to ask for what she wanted, Tessa suddenly became shy. After a few starts and stops, she finally just blurted it out.
“You have mad sex skills Ben Larsen, but what I really want is to fall asleep next you, my head on your shoulder and your arms around me. Is that…permitted?”
Tessa knew her past was an open book to Ben, since he was part of her therapy team. He probably knew that it had been years since she’d fallen asleep in a man’s embrace. She hoped he understood her ache for that connection.
“Do you also want to wake up with me in your bed,” he asked.
“It would feel a little sleazy if you just disappeared in the middle of night.”
“Agreed. So, what is rule number one?”
“Ask for what you need.”
“And number two?”
“Give what you can.”
“You asked for something that’s easy enough to give. Why would it not be permitted?”
Tessa laid her head on Ben’s shoulder. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so at peace. When they pulled up to Tessa’s hotel, she was softly snoring.
Ben picked up a fresh toothbrush at the concierge desk before escorting Tessa to the elevator. As soon as they stepped into her room, he headed for the bathroom. A minute later, Tessa heard running bath water.
Tessa was bone tired. Was it the sex or the emotional roller coaster she’d been on since arriving in Sydney? Probably both, she decided, as she sat frozen in the chair she’d plopped in the moment Ben had entered the bathroom.
“The bath is drawn,” he said, kneeling down in front of her. “You look beat. Are you feeling alright?”
“I feel good. Actually, very good. But I feel like every drop of energy has been sucked right out of me.” She wiggled a shoe off, and then stopped, as if the process of removing footwear was exhausting.
Ben slipped the remaining shoe off and placed Tessa’s foot against his thigh. He began to massage the balls of her foot. Tessa sighed.
“Part of giving what you can,” Ben said, smiling.
Tessa leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
Ben gave Tessa’s other foot a short massage and then held his hands for her to stand. “C’mon, that’s a girl,” he said as Tessa hoisted to her feet. He turned her around and unzipped her dress. Tessa’s hand flew to her chest, pinning the dress against her to prevent it from dropping to the carpet.
Ben gently pulled Tessa’s hand away and the dress fell to the floor. “Trust me,” Ben said. Then he unhooked Tessa’s bra, and it fell to the floor as well. He slid the panty, what there was of it, over Tessa’s hips. He freed her ankles from it, wrapped his arms around her naked back, and carried her into the bathroom.
The scent of ginger filled the room and Tessa gratefully slid from Ben’s arms into the waiting water. “What do you sleep in?” he asked.