The Stillness Of You (18 page)

I
couldn’t believe it—this had to be some kind of record—but I
seriously could have bent her over the chair and taken her again. I
was that hard and horny for her.

I reached
forward and kissed her, my hand in that hair, my tongue in her
mouth. My plate crashed to the deck but I didn’t give a shit and
pulled her out of her chair and onto my lap because I needed to
feel her. Touch her with my hands and my mouth.

She
squirmed against me and my fingers roved up her shirt, feeling for
her breasts—wanting to touch every inch of her body again. She made
me crazy, so damn crazy, and we were just getting
started.

We came
up for air and I took a breath and then whistled, low and
suggestively. My T-shirt had ridden up past her chest so she was
basically naked, and my cock was so hard it was standing on end
like a fucking flag pole.

“Ben,” she
whispered, her mouth swollen from mine. “We can’t.”

“We can,” I
grumbled against her.

“You’ve got
more stamina than a horse.”

“
Well,
I’m hung like one. What did you expect?”

She
giggled and I decided that if I could hear that sound every minute
of every day, my life would be complete. That’s what this girl had
done to me in the space of a few weeks.

I went
silent and just looked at her. I knew that what I was feeling
wasn’t just that excitement you got when you had hot sex with
someone new. I’d been there and done that many times. Whatever this
was, it was more than that. A hell of a lot more than
that.

“
I should
go,” she said slowly, stretching her arms above her head. Her
nipple was right there and I flicked my tongue over it, loving the
whimper she made when I did it again.

“Do you have
plans today?” I asked lightly, tracing her nipple with my finger
while I held her squiggling body prisoner.

She
stopped moving and bit her lip, her eyes shadowing a bit, which had
me sitting straighter and pulling her shirt down.

“I have to go
home and shower,” she shrugged. “But other than that I have no
plans.”

“Good.”

A small
smile tugged the corners of her lips. “Why?”

“Do you
golf?”

I could
tell she was surprised, but she nodded. “Why?”

“
I’ve got
a buddy who’s visiting family in the area and he invited me for a
round with him and his girlfriend. I was hoping you’d come with
me.”

She
didn’t say anything for the longest time and I was starting to get
nervous thinking I’d somehow blown it already. What kind of guy
invited a girl he’d just spent the hottest night of his life with
to go golfing? I should be taking her to an expensive restaurant or
something.

But the
thing of it was, I wanted her there. I wanted my buddy Jason Gills
to meet her. We’d played college hockey together and now he was
goaltending for the Minnesota Wild. I hadn’t hung with him since
the All Star break, but more importantly, I wanted him to know
Georgia. I wanted him to meet this girl who’d turned my world on
its head in ways I couldn’t even describe yet.

So I
waited, more than a little tense, and when that pretty smile poked
through I grabbed her face and kissed her again. I couldn’t help
myself.

“
Okay,”
she said slowly. “But I have to go home and take care of a few
things first.” She cocked an eyebrow. “What time is
T-off?”

“Jason made it
for two o’clock at some place called The Greens.”

“
Good.
That gives us enough time.” Her voice hit a sexy low note and I
couldn’t help but think that this girl was going to kill
me.

“Time for
what?” I asked roughly, my heart speeding like a fucking freight
train as she slid off my lap and onto her knees.

She
reached for my boxers and pulled them down, tossing them to the
side along with her T-shirt. She slid between my legs and bent
forward, though she paused, her mouth near my dick and my balls in
her hands.

“It gives me
time to thank you properly for giving me the most orgasms I’ve ever
had in the space of twelve hours.”

I stared
down at her helplessly because for the first time I realized just
how much this girl meant to me. I knew in this moment that the line
we’d crossed the night before wasn’t just a line. We’d hopped over
a goddamn mountain and it was one I’d never climbed before. It
involved giving and taking, and I had never really been one to
give. Or at the very least, I hadn’t
cared
about giving.

But last
night had been all about giving and I did everything in
power—pulled out all the stops—to give her as much pleasure as I
could. Not once did I expect anything more in return than the gift
of spending the night with her.

And now here
she was, giving back, staring up at me like a goddess.

Her lips
closed over me and I groaned, sinking back into my chair. This
wasn’t just about sex anymore, but, holy fuck, the sex was better
than good.

It was
mind blowing.

I closed my
eyes and rode the wave and it was hours before I came down.

Georgia

Matt was
gone when I got back to his loft. He’d left a note saying he was
out for the day with some friends and that he’d text me
later.

I loved my
brother but I was happy for some alone time so I could digest the
last twenty-four hours. Because without a doubt, the last
twenty-four hours had been the most intense I’d ever had. And
considering the fucked up status of many of my nights in the
past…that was saying something.

Not that
anything about what had just happened with Ben was fucked up. It
was just the opposite. It had been crazy, tender, sensual, and
light hearted. Ben Lancaster was as good in bed as he was on the
ice. He was fearless and confident and all sorts of things happened
inside me when he looked into my eyes.

And it
was all that stuff that had me worried. I’d never been in love
before. Oh, I’d had several infatuations—some had left me bruised
and wounded for weeks—but none that had left a lasting impression
on me.

I had a
feeling that Ben Lancaster had just tattooed himself onto my soul
and the thing about tattoos? They’re painful to remove.

So was
this love? Or was I just infatuated? How the hell was I supposed to
know the difference?

And if
this was love what was I going to do about it? I knew I was no good
for Ben and eventually he’d figure that out on his own. Once the
hockey season started he’d be riding that damn shooting star again
and there wasn’t room for me on it.

Fresh out
of the shower, I scrubbed at the mist on the mirror and stared at
my reflection. My eyes glistened and a flush stained my cheeks, one
that wasn’t from the hot water either. I looked good. I looked
healthy and happy and…

“
Oh,
Georgia. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” I
groaned.

I heard
my cell phone ding and scooped it up from the table beside my bed.
It was Kendall.

‘
what the fuck, G. where are u
’

I smiled.
Leave it to Kendall to get right to the point in style.
I scrolled through my messages
and noticed that she’d sent more than a dozen texts. I paused and
then answered.

‘
going on a date
’

She answered
before I had time to grab clean underwear.

‘
date
?
With hockey boy
?’

‘
yep’

‘
u guys fuck
yet?’

‘
u have no
class’

‘so u have?’

I shook
my head and laughed. God, she was persistent.
‘yep’

‘
does he
have a big stick?’

‘
u r an
idiot.’

‘
I know. Glad u r getting some
’

I snorted
and slipped into my bra.
‘ttyl’

‘
I want deets 4 sure
’,
and then one last text,
‘
about
his big stick
’

I tossed
my cell and perused my closet, settling a black sleeveless golf
shirt and a pair of black shorts that were a tad too short for
golf, but whatever.
My
family had been members of The Greens golf club since I was a
little kid and though I hadn’t golfed in a few years, my clubs were
still there and as far as I knew, our membership was still
valid.

The Kings
had poured a shitload of money into the place and I doubted they’d
have a problem with the length of my shorts. I turned around so I
could see my butt from behind and shrugged. It’s not as if my
cheeks were hanging out.

I pulled my
hair into a one-sided low ponytail, threw on some gloss and mascara
and then grabbed my meds out of the top drawer of my dresser.

I stared at
them for a few moments, that familiar feeling of resentment washing
over me.

These two
little bottles told the world that I was defective and I hated how
that made me feel. Would I ever be able to get over the feeling
that I was somehow less than anyone else? That I deserved less than
say, Kendall or Joe?

That Ben
deserved someone better than me?

With a sigh I
popped my lithium and after a few moments popped a klonopin as
well. What the hell. I may as well stick to the program.

After
washing them down with a swig of water, I stuffed them back in my
underwear drawer, grabbed my purse and headed for the lobby.
It was just after one and Ben
was due to pick me up any minute.

He was waiting
for me near the front desk chatting with Joe and glanced up just as
I exited the elevator. Seeing him was like a punch to the gut and
when a slow, sexy smile drifted over his face heat curled in my
stomach.

I think I
stumbled a bit, in fact I’m sure I did, and when he nodded to Joe
and headed toward me, something pressed into my chest. Something
heavy and scary and it took my breath away.

Ben Lancaster
did that to me with just one look.

He didn’t
stop until his lips were on my mouth, his hands around my waist.
The kiss was slow and lingering, his tongue lazy, meticulous. I
folded like a house of cards and melted into him like a
marshmallow.

“I missed you,”
he said into my mouth.

I bit his
bottom lip and smiled, enjoying the way his hands moved down my
back until he cupped my butt possessively. “It’s only been a few
hours.”

“I know.”

We stared
at each other in silent understanding because I felt exactly the
same way. Fingering the collar of his oat colored shirt, I splayed
my fingers near the base of his neck. “Do we have to go? Matt’s
gone for the day so the loft is empty.”

“Is it?” he
said softly.

I nodded.
“We could hang out and watch movies.”

“Hang out,” he
said with a grin.

Again I nodded,
pushing my hips into him. “Yeah, and watch movies.”

“Or we can go
play a round of golf with Jason and his girlfriend and then go back
to my place where I’ll,” he bent low and shivers exploded over my
skin when his warm breath hit my neck. “Make sure you’ll have a
good time.”

“A naked good
time?”

“A naked good
time,” he answered with a low growl.

“Promise?”

He dropped a
kiss on my mouth and grabbed my hand. “Promise.”

Our
afternoon of golf wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. First
off, Ben’s buddy, Jason was a nice guy and his girlfriend, Cherry
(the name was real, I asked) while on the quiet side wasn’t bitchy,
or stuck up. She wasn’t a groupie who’d snagged an athlete—she was
the real deal.

Cherry
and Jason had dated through high school and managed to stay
together during his college years and then his draft to Minnesota.
She was a Southern girl and though she wasn’t fussy about living in
St. Paul, she loved her guy and the sacrifice was worth
it.

We played
18 holes of golf and then spent a few hours in the clubhouse,
drinking (them, not me) and eating. Everyone was relaxed and happy
and I couldn’t remember feeling this content in a long
time.

Every so
often Ben’s hand would caress the back of my neck, or whisper along
my bare thigh. He’d even tried edging up my shirt but I shut that
down right away. I’d caught a few members staring and though the
old Georgia would have been more than happy to snub her nose at
their stuffiness, the new Georgia cared about that shit.

I was on my way
back to the table from the bathroom when a hand snaked out and
caught my shoulder, spinning me around so fast I nearly fell on my
ass.

“What the…”

Brilliant blue
eyes stared down at me from beneath midnight black floppy bangs,
and an otherwise shaved head.

“Jesus fuck,
Georgia King! Who the hell let you out of the loony bin?”

A wide
smile on a handsome face that was framed by more than a few
piercings, including nose and lip rings, bent toward me. His neck
that was shrouded in tattoos that matched the intricate ink on his
forearms.

Travis
Barlett.

Travis
Barlett, a guy whose father owned half the county and a guy who had
more money than anyone I knew. Probably more money than
God.