Accidental Sex Goddess (16 page)

“Thanks,” she said woodenly.

Ben turned to her, blatantly ignoring Lance. “So, want to get a beer at Luke’s place after? Maybe we can get Trish to tag along?”

“Sounds good.” She needed the beer
now
.

Lance began massaging her shoulders and Reese snapped around, glaring. “Do not touch me.”

Lance drew back. “I thought you missed me?”

Gaping, “You thought I what?”

“Lance, man,” Mark said. “Take your creep factor down a notch.”

Turning front again, Reese tried to make herself relax. She was biting back a maniacal giggle when Lance said, “Nothing changes, does it?”

She turned awkwardly in her seat. “Excuse me?”

“You’re still following him around like a sick puppy,” Lance said under his breath.

Lance had tried to share the words for her ears only, but Ben stiffened beside her.

“It’s not your business anymore, Lance,” she said.

Before she could say more, Ben caught her face in his hands and kissed her.

Warm lips against hers, the kiss was gentle and brief and relatively chaste, but it left her heart pounding and body wanting more. When he drew back, his eyes were hot on hers.

The crowd applauded as the band director took the stage. He signaled for silence and they began, the auditorium filling with the crooning beat of the jazz band.

Reese listened, aware of every move Ben made next to her, every breath he took. She wanted to be in his bedroom again, his body so close to hers, his eyes on her mouth as his fingers skimmed over her collarbone. She’d gotten dressed and gone home, but she wanted a do-over. Wanted to go back and take what the moment had offered them both.

She wanted. And she didn’t want.

Ben leaned over and whispered, “She’s amazing,” his breath hot against her ear.

Sydney played with the passion and intensity of someone who has found her calling, her fingers flying over the keys. Sydney. An eighth grader who knew exactly who she was and what she wanted. Reese envied that.

“I know,” she said softly.

Ben reached for her hand, and when his fingers laced through hers, she didn’t know if it was for his benefit or for Lance’s. All she knew was how good it felt to have him by her side, how right it felt to have his calloused fingers twined through hers.

***

“You dirty, dirty slut!” Tricia screeched.

“You’re just jealous you didn’t get to see Lance’s face,” Reese protested between laughs.

“Damn straight,” Trish said.

Ben grinned as the sisters sparred. Everyone had decided to come to the bar after Sydney’s recital, and since Sydney had begged to have dinner with a friend, Tricia had gotten to come too.

“But Lancelot got the message?” Trish asked.

“I can only assume so,” Reese said. “He slipped out before the end.”

“Unfortunately, he was gone before I could do my part to help,” Mark said.

Ben grunted. “Over my dead body.”

“Well, on
that
note, I need another drink,” Tricia said, grabbing her purse. “Can I get the rest of you anything?”

Reese shook her head. “I’m done. I need to get going anyway.”

“I’ll go with you,” Mark said to Trisha, pushing away from the table.

When Ben and Reese were alone, the silence stretched between them. Not awkward. Not tense. More like a long, bittersweet moment between lovers waiting for the right moment. That’s all he needed with Reese. The right moment.

She’d let him hold her hand. He wasn’t sure what it meant to her, but somehow it had felt more intimate to him than their time on her couch the night they met. More intimate than the words they’d exchanged on the phone last night.

With a forced smile, Reese withdrew an envelope from her purse and handed it to Ben. “Apparently, Sex Goddess equals dirty.”

“Is this your next step?” He stifled a grin. “Please tell me she’s making you burn your bras.” He signaled to the door with his thumb. “I think I have some lighter fluid at the house.”

“What? Of course she’s not.” She scowled. “I hope not.”

Ben’s eyes dropped south for a second. “You know, bras are a sign of repression. Liberate the breasts and liberate the woman.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stop being a dork, and read the letter.”

Ben frowned. “You’re taking this program more seriously than I thought you would.”

Reese snorted. “No, I’ve just gotten really good at faking it.”

“The new outfit doesn’t look fake. Or the makeup.”

Balls clacked at the pool table behind them and the Bears game played on the big screen.

“So, I like looking sexy. Women like to be wanted, Ben. It comes standard with the estrogen.”

“And men didn’t want you before you started taking Halie’s Holy Steps?”

“Most of which I’m
faking
,” she reminded him. She waved a hand dismissively. “Just read it.”

“The phone sex didn’t seem fake,” he said softly. Neither had her hand in his or the way she’d squeezed when Sydney played her solo.

A red tinge crept up her cheeks. Satisfied, Ben turned to the letter.

Say goodbye to your panties. For the next week, you’ll be going commando, forcing your mind to acknowledge the parts of your body too often left as an afterthought
.

He grunted. “No wonder my guys want their wives to sign up.”

“Spoken like a true male. Foregoing underwear isn’t sexy, it’s
unsanitary
.”

He shook his head. “It’s sexy.”

“What if I’m doing yard work?”

“Sexy.”

She crossed her arms and her cheeks flushed. “Or I’m working out?”

“Still sexy.”

Reese leaned forward. “Or I want to wear a skirt?”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “Now you’re just tormenting me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t need to go commando to acknowledge my female parts.”

Leaning back in his chair, Ben folded his arms across his chest and studied her. Why was she taking this program so seriously? The kiss? The phone sex? He wasn’t complaining, but couldn’t she have just as easily fabricated a story for Halie?

They were the questions that were starting to niggle at him. Despite what Reese said, this was about more than a job.

He handed back the letter and only let himself ask one question. “So, when do the panties come off?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Someone was lifting up her skirt.

Smacking away the unwelcome hands, Reese spun around, her coffee sloshing all over the floor. “What the—” She froze when she saw Halie, arms crossed, glaring at her.

Halie’s manicured nails tapped her toned bicep. “Busted.”

Reese closed her eyes, willing herself to disappear.

“These steps aren’t optional. You either want to complete the program or you don’t.”

I don’t
. Even as Reese thought the words, she knew they weren’t true. Because as much as she’d dreaded Halie’s program and its steps, something was changing in her. And she liked it. Liked the way people looked at her, as if they were actually
seeing
her, as if before this program, people had only dismissed her. She liked the way
Ben
was looking at her.

She swallowed hard. “I’ve only been wearing underwear in public. When I’m at home alone—”

“Do you only want to be a sex goddess when you’re at home alone?”

“That’s a rhetorical question, right?”

Halie narrowed her eyes and Reese noticed for the first time that her boss looked like hell. Halie was dressed impeccably, as usual, but even her expensive concealer couldn’t hide the dark circles under her eyes. Her carefully applied lip liner only accentuated her frown.

“I don’t suppose this is a good time to tell you my progress on step six?”

“What?”

“Step six.” Reese realized she was twisting her hands together and dropped them to her sides. “A date with a man I’d never marry. I have plans with Mark for this weekend.”

Halie raised a brow. “Mark?”

Reese took a step back at the hardness in the woman’s tone. “Mark Hawk.”

Halie stepped to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. “His brother is your best friend, right?”

I think.
“Yes.”

“Do you want to be more?”

“With Mark?”

“With Ben.”

“No. I mean, I didn’t think so.” She took a long sip of her coffee but it turned to dust in her mouth. She hadn’t stopped thinking about Saturday night’s phone conversation or the heat in Ben’s eyes when she’d emerged from his bathroom. She hadn’t stopped imagining what he must have looked like, hard shaft in his hand as he stroked himself and spoke the words that made her come.

And even though it was so innocent against the rest, she hadn’t stopped thinking about the chaste kiss he’d given her in the middle of the auditorium or the way he’d held her hand.

“I don’t know what I want.” Reese bit her lip.

There hadn’t been a reason for her to share the step about going without panties. It wasn’t anything she needed his help with. It wasn’t anything he needed to know. But she’d shared it anyway.

She’d wanted to hear what he’d say, sure. She knew he’d make her laugh. But, more, she’d done it because she’d wanted him to think about it. Next time he saw her, she wanted him to wonder what she wore under her skirt. She wanted him to run his eyes over her and grow hard. She wanted to be the first thing that came to his mind next time he wrapped his hand around himself, the last thing he thought about as he found his release.

She wanted Ben to want her. She wanted him to push the boundaries between them, and she wanted to let him.

Halie’s lips curved up in a smile, and for the first time, some light came into her eyes. “Well, there’s your next step.”

Reese looked around. What had she missed?

“Go have lunch with your friend today.”

Reese frowned. “My next step is having lunch with my best friend?”

Halie’s face softened. “Your face lights up when you talk about him. I know my program has a reputation for making women do crazy things, but it’s really about giving women permission to be who they want to be. Your next step is having lunch with your friend because he brings you joy. It doesn’t have to be complicated.”

Reese’s stomach flipped. Because it was complicated. Her mind and her heart and her libido were at odds with each other. She wanted Ben and she didn’t. She wanted more from him and she didn’t. She knew what was at stake if they went any further down this road, but she also knew how he made her feel. She knew he wanted her, but she also knew she’d spent years waiting for him. He’d never wanted her in return. Not until her makeover.

“Stop over-thinking it. It’s just lunch.”

“Just lunch.”

“Yes.” Halie grinned. “Lunch without panties.”

***

“This house is gorgeous,” Reese said as she followed Ben into his latest renovation. “I love the beams and the vaulted ceilings. Did you do that?”

“Sure did.” His chest swelled with pride as he led her through the house.

When she’d texted and asked if he could meet her for lunch, he suggested she come here. He’d wanted Reese to see this. She’d seen some of his work before, but never a project as extensive as this one. Her opinion has always mattered but never quite this much. “It wasn’t always like this. The house was built in the seventies so it was chopped up in a bunch of tiny rooms, walls everywhere, the kitchen isolated from the rest of the house.”

“You’d never know,” she said, turning a slow circle as they entered the kitchen. She moved her gaze to meet his and smiled. “Thanks for inviting me.” She dropped her purse on the counter. “I needed to get out of that office.”

“Trouble in Sex Goddess Paradise?”

She shook her head. “Halie’s in a mood and I get the feeling she’s the type that likes taking it out on someone.” Her teeth sunk into her plump bottom lip. He wanted to take that lip between his teeth and suck.

He let out a slow breath. “You hungry?”

“Not exactly.” She gave an unsure smile. “I thought maybe we could talk.”

His stomach burned. They had talked plenty since the night she’d used his tub, but they hadn’t had
the talk
. “You know, guys don’t like it when pretty girls say those words.”

“You’re not going to sweet talk your way out of this conversation, Ben.”

Sure, but he couldn’t just stand here, not when he wanted to press her against the fridge and put his mouth on her. Not when his hands itched to touch her, to feel the slick heat between her legs, to whisper dirty words like he had Saturday night, but this time while he could see her face.

Her phone buzzed from inside her purse, and she flinched. “That’s probably for work.”

“Turn it off for thirty minutes.” He pulled the black handbag from the counter. “You deserve a break.”

She smiled. “You do it. If I see anyone I recognize on the caller ID, I won’t be able to resist.”

He lifted the flap on her purse to retrieve her phone.

“Wait! Stop!”

Ben ignored the buzzing cell and pulled out a lace thong. He held it in two hands, examining. A grin tugged at his lips as her face fell.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“You just cussed,” he said, peering at her through the lace.

Her shoulders dropped. “Sorry.”

“Why? Dirty looks good on you, Reese.” He extended the panties toward her. “And I bet these do too. Do I want to know who was lucky enough to peel them off you?”

She hoisted herself up on the counter and crossed her ankles. “Halie McCormack.”

He slammed his fist to his sternum and groaned. “Damn. I’d be jealous if I wasn’t so turned on.”

“Don’t be a pig. What you’re imagining is way sexier than the reality.”

He crossed his arms. “Why do you have to do that? Was my little fantasy hurting anybody?”

Reese rolled her eyes. “She busted me for wearing underwear when I was supposed to be going commando.”

All the blood left Ben’s brain and traveled south. He dropped his gaze to her legs where her skirt had bunched around her thighs. He zeroed in on the spot where flesh met hem. “So if I slid my hand up your skirt right now…”