Once in a Lifetime Read online

Page 16

  Author: Jill Shalvis

  But he still didn’t move.

  She raised her chin, looking him straight in the eye. “Don’t play hard to get, Ben. It doesn’t suit you. ”

  His jaw tightened, and she couldn’t help but be a little maliciously pleased at making him as frustrated as she was. “I’ve just said I want you,” she murmured. “So what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is—” His eyes dropped to her coat, the one covering her from neck to thigh.

  “Yes?”

  “Shit. ” He shoved his fingers through his hair again, the muscles in his arms taut as he stood before her, the image of hot and temperamental, with testosterone and pheromones pouring off of him, and her stomach cramped.

  He was going to refuse her.

  Reject her. She started to turn away, but he slapped both palms on the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. “I don’t need you,” he said succinctly.

  “Already established,” she managed, her body already humming, yearning, aching for him. Her body was a hussy.

  Still holding her caged against the wall, his gaze dropped to her mouth. “This changes nothing,” he said. “We do this, we’re over it. ”

  “So over it. ”

  He nodded, gaze on her mouth. His own quirked very slightly. “You want me. ”

  “In spite of yourself,” she said, annoyed all to hell. “Yes. ”

  He stared down at her for what felt like an eternity. “Lose the coat. ”

  Chapter 12

  Aubrey’s bones liquefied. “What?”

  “You heard me,” Ben said, voice so low and rough as to be a growl.

  She had no idea what it said about her that she reacted to this with a shudder that was a mere millimeter below orgasm. Not taking her eyes off Ben, she reached up and slowly began to unbutton her coat. There were a lot of buttons. Each one she popped open made his eyes darken further.

  After the last one, she let the coat fall. Before it hit the ground, Ben slid a hand on the nape of her neck and drew her in, his mouth closing over hers. Soft, then sure and demanding, and the hunger consumed her, hot and terrifying.

  As if he felt the same, he let out one low, mirthless laugh and whispered, “Damn, you drive me insane” against her mouth.

  There was a note of dazed frustration to his tone, and Aubrey absolutely knew the feeling. He wasn’t in her future, and yet he tasted better than her wildest fantasies. And God help her, but she wanted more.

  Leaning in again, his mouth hovered near hers as his gaze raked down her body, sending sparks racing along every nerve ending. “In those fuck-me boots, you’re as tall as I am,” he said.

  “Is that a problem?” she asked.

  “Hell, no. I like it. We’re all lined up. ” Proving it, he hauled her in against him, one hand sliding up to sink into her hair, the other low on her back, nudging her even closer. She let out a low moan at the contact, and his lips curved in a sinful smile. His mouth should be illegal in all fifty states, but she bet he could do things with it. Things she wanted.

  Bad.

  He nipped at her lower lip, and she parted for him, but then he bypassed her mouth, skimming along her jaw. She heard a needy whimper. Hers, of course. Her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed a hot path to her ear and ran the tip of his nose along her lobe. “You sure this is what you want?” he asked.

  Was he kidding? She was clutching him, her hands fisted in his shirt, rubbing against him like a cat in heat.

  “Aubrey. ”

  She didn’t know why, but the sound of her name on his lips did something to her. Something sinfully wicked, but more, too. She took a deep breath, wrapped her arms around his neck, and melted into the planes of his hard body. “Yes. This is what I want. ”

  “I’m not sweet,” he reminded her.

  “Or beta,” she said. “But I’m not looking for that kind of man right this very minute. ”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “You. This. ”

  He traced her spine with his fingertips, leaving a trail of fire that she felt all the way to her toes. Holding her gaze prisoner, he brushed his lips across hers, his hands sliding with purpose from her back southward, until he was cupping a cheek in each hand, rocking her into a most impressive erection. There was a jolt of electricity as he skimmed further south, beneath the hem of her dress.

  She arched back as his clever fingers traced the edge of her thong, teasing, stroking up, and then down, and then further, between her legs.

  Less clothes. She needed less clothes between them and more full frontal contact. As if reading her mind, he gave a quick yank and her thong tore free and slithered to the floor.

  His eyes were black with desire. “Do you have a condom?” he asked.

  “Bathroom. ”

  He scooped her up so that she could wrap her legs around him and carried her there. He set her on the counter and flicked on the light.

  “Bottom drawer,” she managed.

  He found the box, not commenting on the fact that it hadn’t been opened. In return, she didn’t comment on the fact that he obviously didn’t have a condom on him. She reached out to turn off the light but he put his hand over hers. “On,” he said.

  Contrary to what anyone might think, she hadn’t actually done this in a while. She assumed it was like getting back on a bike, but just in case it wasn’t, she wanted room for error. “Ben—”

  “On,” he said firmly, and before she could say another word, he pulled off his shirt and she found herself sighing in pleasure at the sight of him, all lean, tough planes delineated with muscle born of years of hard physical labor.

  Watching her watch him, he kicked off his work boots and finished stripping with easy, economical movements.

  He was hard.

  Everywhere.

  Okay, well, if this was her view, he was right—the light could absolutely stay on.

  “We good?” he asked, clearly amused by the fact that he’d just caught her drooling over him.

  Yeah, she was good. So damn good…“I didn’t know I was going to be so attracted to you naked,” she admitted.

  “Liar. ”

  Yeah, he was right. She was a big fancy liar. She’d known she was attracted to Ben for a very long time. Possibly forever.

  “Now you,” he said, reaching for the zipper on her dress.

  She held him off. “Maybe we should move to my room. ” Which would have more forgiving light than these harsh fluorescents…

  In answer, his mouth came down on hers. She opened to him completely, not that he gave her a chance to do anything less. Still kissing her, he shifted to stand between her legs, opening them wider, then wider still. She lost herself in the way he devoured her mouth, so that when her dress fell to her waist, she gasped in surprise. She opened her eyes and looked into his.

  “I wish you could see yourself the way I’m seeing you,” he said hoarsely. Her heart clenched because she caught something in his gaze she didn’t often find when people looked at her.

  Raw desire.

  This worked for her, but there was something else as well, possibly affection—not that she wanted to acknowledge it. Still, it was there, as apparent as the racing of her pulse. Then he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers as his hands stroked her heated flesh.

  Her plan had been to infiltrate his defenses, get him naked, and—she hoped—get an orgasm while she was at it.

  Stick to the plan, Aubrey.

  But…but what if this was his first time since Hannah? She opened her mouth to ask, but he kissed her until she lost her train of thought. He kissed her as though he knew exactly what he was doing. If he was just getting back on the bike, he was having no problems. “Ben?”

  He dragged that hot, talented mouth down her throat, along her collarbone, to a breast. She stopped breathing. But when he sucked her nipple into his