The Stillness Of You(20)

It was a hungry kiss, one filled with the need to connect, and I groaned   into him when he suckled on my bottom lip, his eyes on me. I couldn't   look away. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of chocolate eyes, hard   bodies and desire.

He let go of my lip, his hands sliding down my back until he cupped my   ass and pulled me as close as he could. "God, I've thought of this every   day."

His mouth slid to my jaw and then he nibbled his way down my neck to   that place beneath my ear. The place that drove me crazy. I shuddered   when his hot breath rolled across my skin and when he began to suckle   me, his lips and mouth pulling on my skin, I closed my eyes and went   limp in his arms.

"Ben," I breathed.

"Feel good?" he whispered, his voice hitting low and intimate in my ear.

"Yes." I was awash in sensation and god, it had been so long since I'd felt alive.

He picked me up, laid me on the bed and then stood back a few inches,   his dark eyes staring down at me, while he raked his hands through that   long tangle of hair at his nape.

"Georgia, you're … "

A day's worth of stubble shadowed his jaw and chin and I wanted to run   my fingers across him, taste him again. I wanted to feel more.

My dress was bunched high on my thighs and when his gaze rested there   briefly, the ache between them erupted and I squirmed, needing more.

"Where's your sister?" I asked breathlessly.

"She won't come back here if that's what you're worried about."

"Good, take your shirt off." My voice sounded low and throaty and a   thrill shot through me when he reacted instantly and tossed his T-shirt   onto the floor before crawling onto the bed beside me.

This man was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful.

I rolled over and pushed him onto his back, my eyes on his as I lifted   my dress just enough for him to catch sight of my baby blue panties, and   to allow my legs enough room to straddle him. I had no idea where this   was leading too-scratch that, of course I knew where this was leading   to, but I didn't know how far we were going to go.

Was I really going to sleep with him tonight? Could I give in and do it?   Would I regret it? Would he take what I offered and then end this?   Whatever this was?

His hands settled on either side of me, his fingers caressing my bare   thighs as my gaze rolled over every indent and muscle that I could see.   He was hard, I felt his erection against my crotch and an almost pained   expression crept across his face when I bent forward.

"Jesus, Georgia," he said harshly when I reached down and licked a nipple.

I kissed my way over to the intricate tattoo that graced his left   pectoral, my breath hitching when his hands claimed my hips, his fingers   digging in as he held me against him. He thrust upward and I knew he   could tell how turned on I was.

"What's the tattoo mean?" I barely got the words out.                       
       
           



       

His eyes glittered and my heart skipped, it fumbled and took off again. "Courage."

My fingers traced the outline of it, taking a moment and trying to get a hold of myself. "I like it."

"Take your top off," he rasped.

My eyes flew to his and a low, sexy grin spread across his face, though   his gaze remained intense. "It's only fair, don't you think?"

Slowly I reached behind my neck and undid the ties of my halter dress.   Once they were loose I let them fall forward and then tugged on the   ends, inhaling sharply as the material rolled over my erect nipples,   until I was exposed fully.

I had been naked with guys many times before. But he made me feel as if   this was the first time that mattered. And I couldn't believe it, but I   was nervous. Damn nervous. And this was coming from the girl who had   doffed her top in public more times than she could remember.

"Holy fuck, you're beautiful." He sounded as if he was in pain and he   shifted abruptly, his hands traveling up my waist as he righted himself.   No longer was he on his back, but now he was sitting, facing me.

The look in his eyes was something fierce and I think I forgot to   breathe because when he dipped his head and slid his hot, wet mouth   across my nipples I exhaled sharply and grabbed his shoulders for   support.

"So fucking beautiful," he murmured.

His hands were on my ribcage and I couldn't move if I wanted to. He   kissed every inch of my breasts and when he closed his mouth over one of   my nipples and suckled, hard, I nearly lost it. Each pull shot through   my body and hit me hard in gut, churning everything hot with need. A   need that traveled lower.

A need that burned.

"Ben," I whispered, my hands now in his hair, holding his head in place because I didn't want any of these sensations to end.

I wanted more.

I moved my hips suggestively, grinding my body on him. Loving the feel of his erection pressed into me.

More.

"We gotta stop."

Wait. What?

"No," I said on a half moan. "It's okay. I won't freak out like last time."

He looked up at me, his eyes soft, his breaths ragged. "Well that's good   to know." His eyes fell to my bare breasts and with a groan he  gathered  up the ends of my halter top and leaned over my shoulder.

I rested my forehead on his chest, not really sure what had just   happened. Maybe he didn't want me. Maybe this was a game and he was   seeing how far he could go?

When was the last time I had been with a guy who wanted to wait? Had he   somehow figured out how screwed up I was? Was this his way of letting  me  down gently?

My fingers splayed out along his chest as he carefully lifted my hair   off my neck. I heard his heart beating. Rapidly. Hard. Fast.

And it confused me more than ever.

"Ben," I said shakily.

"It's okay, peaches."

Peaches. I loved that.

My dress was tied and his breath was warm along my exposed neck. "I   don't want you to think this is easy for me. Fuck, I've dreamt of   getting you naked in my bed for days now." His fingers caressed my skin   and I shuddered. "But we're not quite there yet."

"I don't … I don't understand. Don't you want me?" I yanked my head back   so that I could see him. Shadows fell across his face and I hoped I   didn't look as pathetic as I sounded.

"Georgia, it's easy to give in to something that feels good." His eyes   smoldered. "But I don't want easy. I've had easy. I want something worth   a hell of a lot more than easy."

Oh.

Oh. Wow.

It was then, in that moment, that I knew I was in deep trouble. Ben Lancaster was going to break me and I didn't care.

I didn't care at all.





Chapter Fifteen





Ben





"You've got it bad, bro."

I was at the airport with Eden waiting for her flight back home. It was a   week since Georgia had moved her stuff into the barn and made it into a   cool studio. A week since I'd covered those luscious breasts and put   the brakes on what had to be the hottest make out session I'd ever had.

A week of endless fucking cold showers.

I glanced at my sister and scowled, but she just smiled and shook her head.

"Bad," she repeated.

"No thanks to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't play games, Eden. You made it pretty much impossible for me to   get Georgia alone all week." She opened her mouth to say something but I   didn't give her the chance. "No, don't bother denying it. I just don't   get why."

"You need to be careful, Ben."                       
       
           



       

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Eden shrugged and grabbed her bag off the floor as her flight was called   to board. "Don't get me wrong. I like her but she's holding something   back. I can't figure it out and I just … "

I got to my feet and shoved my hands into the front pockets of my cargo shorts. "You just what?"

She glanced at the ticket counter and sighed. "I don't want you to get   in too deep with her until..." At my raised eyebrows she paused, her   brows furrowed. "I'm serious, Ben. I can't read her. She's really good   at deflecting and I don't know where she's at. I don't know anything   about her all, except that she lives with her brother and she dropped   out of college. Don't you find that kind of weird?"

"College isn't for everyone, Eden."

"That's not what I mean and you know it. I don't know anything else   about her. She never talks about her family or her friends. Doesn't she   have any girlfriends? She paints a lot and yes, she's talented but what   are her goals? Is she just going to fill up your barn with her  paintings  and leave them there for the mice to admire? I'm not the one  sleeping  with her so that's fine if she doesn't want to share that shit  with me,  but you? Has she shared any of that stuff with you?"