Yours for the Taking (11 page)

“Yeah, but that’s not saying much. Look at who you married.”

Ben gave him a shove. “I’ll get our drinks. Do you guys want another pitcher?”

They didn’t bother answering. They just divvied up what was left of the pitcher and handed him the empty.

Ben leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Don’t move.”

“Where do you think I’m gonna go? I don’t even know where I am.”

“You’re in Boise. I’ll be right back.”

Ben turned to leave as Trapper sat and pushed his hat back. “Ben’s the real deal, huh? He’s turning into a regular ball and chain.”

Gina decided it was best if she kept her thoughts to herself. She looked around. “Karma, do you know where the ladies room is?”

Karma pointed at the far corner of the bar, on the other side of the dance floor.

“I’m just going to go freshen up, it was a long flight.”

The guys all stood as she left. At least they had manners in Idaho. She walked around the dance floor and begged out of a half a dozen offers for a good time, not likely, as well as dances, as if she knew what the hell they were doing on that dance floor. She finally made it to the restroom, did her thing, freshened her makeup, and when she exited she ran into a mountain of a shaggy man. He smiled and a gold tooth winked out at her. “Excuse me.” She moved to her left to get past him and he blocked her.

“I was wait’n for you.”

“That’s a shame. I’m not interested.”

She stepped right and he blocked her again, but this time he wrapped his paw around her waist.

“Look, I said I’m not interested. Now I’m warning you. Get your hand off me or I’ll be forced to hurt you.”

The man laughed at her. “Why, a little thing like you couldn’t hurt a fly.”

She put one hand on his neck, pushed down on that spot Sam had shown her and, at the same time, pulled his thumb back with her other hand. It worked like a charm; the man was on his knees in less time than it would have taken her to kick him in the balls. “Told you.”

As soon as the brute dropped, she saw Ben hurrying toward her with a look on his face that made her want to go back to Hairy—almost.

“I told you not to move! I knew something like this would happen.”

Gina put her hands on her hips to keep from giving Ben the same treatment she gave Hairy. “I’m more than capable of going to the ladies room on my own.” She looked down at the guy who was pulling himself off the floor. “I’ve wrestled bigger cockroaches than him in Harlem, so don’t you dare give me any of your crap.”

Someone behind Ben started clapping and Gina looked up to find Hunter, Fisher, and Trapper backing her up. Trapper tipped his hat at her, which she took as some kind of cowboy salute, so she smiled at him, walked past Ben, and went back to the table.

The guys taught her some strange dance called the two-step, which entailed walking backwards most of the time, something at which she excelled, while Ben spent the night stewing. Karma pulled her into a line dance, which was easy to pick up, and then Gina accepted dances from a few other guys who’d asked nicely. The entire time, Ben looked on from the edge of the dance floor as if he wanted to kill someone. Since it wasn’t her problem, she didn’t waste time worrying about it. It occurred to Gina the only man she hadn’t danced with was Ben, which was just as well; she figured he’d just spend his time lecturing her. Frankly, she got enough of that from her brother-in-law Sam, although she’d have to thank him for showing her that pressure point move. It certainly came in handy.

Ben wanted to pick his wife up off the dance floor where some guy had his hand too damn close to her ass, throw her over his shoulder, and leave, but she was already dancing with someone else. When he went back to the table, Trapper gave him a look and Ben was tempted to leave to avoid what he knew was coming, but he had nowhere to go.

“Gina sure is having a good time. Who’d have thought your big city girl would get along with all of us rednecks so well.”

Ben watched some guy twirling her around the dance floor and growled.

“Wanna tell me why you’re sittin’ here when your wife is out there having a great time with everyone but you?”

Ben took a sip of lukewarm beer and refilled his mug.

“You could get off your fat ass, change that scowl you’re wearin’ into a smile, and cut in.”

Ben took a long drink from his beer and ignored Trapper. What did he know?

“You’re just pissed you weren’t there to save the damsel in distress. Well, shit, Ben. I hardly know Gina, but even I know she can take care of herself. Looks to me like she’s been doing it for years before she met you, and that was in New York. Shorty’s hardly compares to Spanish Harlem, even on a night like this.”

Trapper tipped up his hat and looked Ben in the eye. “Ignore me all you like, but you’d get a whole lot farther with your wife if you were more proud of her standing her ground than pissed off at yourself for not being there to protect her. I don’t know when you turned into such a horse’s ass, but if you want the little lady talking to you for the rest of your so-called marriage, you better change your tune.”

Ben had about as much of Trapper’s advice as he could stand without planting his fist in Trapper’s face. If he did that, he’d have to answer to Kate, which was never a good thing. He got up, stalked to the dance floor, and cut in. Gina looked shocked to see him. He tried for a smile as the song changed to a slow one, pulled her close, and for the first time all night, relaxed.

“You want to tell me who pissed in your Cheerios?”

“What?”

“You heard me, you’ve been sitting at the table grimacing or standing on the edge of the dance floor looking like you were… what was it that guy said? Loaded for bear? Whatever that means. I guess it’s Idaho vernacular. You can explain it to me.”

“I was worried about you when that guy—”

“Fell to his knees? Oh yeah, I was in some danger there. Give me a break. You’re going to have to come up with something better than that.”

“I told you not to move.”

“Do you mind telling me where in the marriage vows it says I’m supposed to obey? Here’s a clue—it doesn’t. I think that was taken out of the vows in the ’70s. You really have to keep up with this stuff, Ben.”

“Can we stop fighting and just dance?” He tucked her head under his chin.

Gina pulled away. “Sure, I’d be happy to, just as soon as you apologize for acting like a Neanderthal.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.”

Gina looked up at him and smiled. “There, that’s better.” Then she tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He took a deep breath of relief and got a big whiff of her perfume. She smelled like blueberries and vanilla. He hadn’t expected that. The scent was soft, subtle, and so unlike Gina but it definitely worked for her. “You smell amazing.”

“It’s pretty sad we’ve been married over a month and this is the first time we’ve gotten close enough for you to notice my perfume.”

Ben didn’t bother to tell her that it was the second time he’d noticed how great she smelled. Just that morning in bed, he’d gotten a good whiff of it too, but he’d been so worried she’d notice his hard-on that he hadn’t mentioned it, which was probably for the better. The discussion made him wonder how he was going to survive sleeping with Gina for the next month without touching her.

***

Five minutes into the drive home from Shorty’s, Ben saw Gina had fallen asleep in the back of Trapper’s Sequoia. As soon as Trapper noticed, he smiled at Ben. “I see you took my advice and apologized for being an asshole.”

“Yeah, don’t let it go to your head.”

“I was just going to tell you that you’re a fool. You married her, and you’re not going to sleep with her? What are you? Gay?”

Ben was already busy kicking his own ass for letting her believe he was gay. The last thing he was going to do was admit it to Trapper. He’d never live it down, not to mention that Trapper would tell the rest of the clan which would mean he’d have to hear it times four. He might not be too bright, but he wasn’t stupid. “Our sex life is none of your business.”

“Ben. If you don’t want her, can I borrow her? I wouldn’t mind spending a very memorable seventy-two hours with a girl like Gina.”

“If you so much as look at Gina sideways, I’ll kick your ass from here to Montana and back again. Are we clear on that?”

Trapper let go of the wheel long enough to throw both hands up. “Crystal. I was just saying, a girl like Gina doesn’t usually go without.”

“I’m not discussing my wife’s sex life with you.”

Trapper shrugged. “Or maybe you have a few plans of your own. It’s gonna be awful hard to explain to Grandpa Joe why you and the missus are sleeping in two different bedrooms. Not to mention explaining it to my mom.”

“Get your head out of the gutter and drive before I’m forced to hurt you. Then you won’t be worth the trouble to any woman, not even my wife.”

“Well, I for one am very glad you’re home. The two of you are gonna be really interesting to watch. We’ve been a little short on entertainment around here lately.”

Trapper drove up to Grandpa’s house and parked by the front door. “Why don’t you wake up your wife while I drag the bags in? I assume you’re going to your room.”

“Yeah, we are.” Ben got out and opened the back passenger door. Gina was all curled up and sleeping soundly. He didn’t want to wake her, but he’d be damned if he’d carry her and let Trapper get a glimpse of what was under that skirt. “Gina, we’re home, sweetheart. Time to wake up.”

Her eyes winked open and she smiled such a warm beautiful smile, he just stared. “I was just dreaming… it was nice.”

Ben wrapped his leather duster around her. It was so long, it dragged on the ground, but he didn’t care. It was worth it to keep that smile on her face.

“Come on, let’s get you inside and put you to bed.” He steered Gina through the house and into his room. Trapper had dumped their bags on the floor beside the closet and gave them a quick salute as he left the bedroom and closed the door behind him. Alone, finally. Ben pulled the bed covers down before he took the coat off her shoulders. She leaned toward him as he caught her in his arms. Gina had definitely hit the wall. “Where are your nightgowns?”

She shrugged. “Can I just have one of your T-shirts to sleep in? I don’t want to go digging through both suitcases.”

Ben pulled one out of his dresser and when he turned around to hand it to her, she’d already stripped down to her bra and thong. He blinked to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. She was even more gorgeous than he’d imagined, and he’d spent a whole lot of time imagining how Gina would look naked. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending upon how he looked at it, his imagination didn’t do her justice, which was hard to believe, because he had one hell of an imagination. It didn’t help that she wore a bright red bra that barely covered her exceptional breasts. He swallowed hard, and although he’d tried to make himself turn around, it seemed as if all parts of his body stopped functioning except his dick. “The bathroom is through there.” He nodded in the direction, so okay, both his heads were functioning.

Gina took the jersey from him, turned around, showing him her back and her amazing ass, and unhooked her bra. “What does it matter since you’re gay and all? I’m not shy. Besides, we’re married and we’re stuck sleeping in the same bed. Believe me, I won’t complain about you changing in front of me.”

She probably would if she saw the condition his dick was in. She slipped the blue Boise State Broncos v-neck jersey over her head and turned before she managed to get her arms through the armholes. The nipples that peeked out from beneath the hem were dusky rose and puckered. Ben’s mouth watered.

Gina smirked. “Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to get in bed? Which side do you want?”

“You go ahead. I think I’ll grab a quick shower.” A cold one, but she didn’t need to hear that. “Take whichever side you prefer.” He went through his drawers and found a pair of sleep pants Kate had bought him for Christmas a few years ago. He’d never worn clothes to bed, but that was before he started sleeping with Gina. God help him.

Gina lay in bed thinking about Ben. When she’d danced with him, she snuggled close and she thought she felt a subtle pressure on her belly. When she’d moved closer, she’d been sure of it. Then when she stripped, the poor guy’s eyes practically bugged out of his head. He was either lying about being gay, really, really confused, or bi.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made that he had lied to her about his sexual preference. None of his friends seemed shocked that he’d married a woman. And she’d seen a few women approach him at the bar, women he obviously knew, and they left looking depressed when he’d turned them down. Gina formed a plan while he was in the shower, and she couldn’t help but pray she was right. If she was, this marriage thing might actually work out, temporarily.

Ten minutes later when Ben emerged from the bathroom, Gina pretended she was asleep. He tiptoed to bed, staying clear on the other side and laying so still, he hardly breathed. A few minutes later, he slid farther down, punched his pillow, and snuggled in. She let him lie there a moment before making her move. Resting her head on his shoulder, she threw her leg over him, making sure it landed right on his dick.

Let the fun begin.

Gina trailed her hand to the waistband of his sleep pants. His abs tightened as her hand roamed back to tangle with his chest hair. God he had a great body.

She snuggled closer, her breasts pressing against his chest. He tried to scoot away, but there was no room, she’d made sure of it. He was stuck. She ran her hand over his chest again. Ben groaned, his nipples hardening beneath her fingers as she raised her head, brushing her lips against his neck.

“Gina, for God’s sake, roll over.” He gave her a gentle push as he rolled onto his side.

Sure, no problem. She scooted back against him, wiggling her bum, spooning, and stirring things up even more. The hard ridge of his erection rested between her cheeks. She really hoped he wasn’t gay. If he were, he wouldn’t have a hard-on, would he?

Ben got out of bed grumbling and got in on the other side. Fine, she’d just move back over there. This time, when she threw her leg over him, she felt his hips lift. Gotcha!

He rolled onto his side, but he made the mistake of facing her. When his erection came in contact with the crotch of her thong, it was her turn to groan. Her breath caught in her throat as she nuzzled his neck, waiting for his arms to come around her, but they didn’t. He lay stiff as a post, barely breathing. She had half a mind to just pull those pajama pants he wore down and take things in hand, but no, that would be too easy. She wanted him to lose control and fess up, if there were something to fess up to. If not, she’d be sorely disappointed, not to mention frustrated.

Ben went right from Dante’s second level of hell, to the eighth. The second, he knew, was lust. He’d spent the last month feeling the heat—firmly entrenched in level two. If he remembered correctly, the eighth level was fraud. A fraud would be the perfect description of him at that moment. The woman of his dreams was quite literally wrapped around him, his erection was hard enough to drive nails, and he was supposed to be gay. For the first time in his life, he wished he were. He blew out the breath he’d been holding and bet that even a gay man would have a difficult time in his position. He wondered how many nights a man could go without sleep and sex and stay sane while sharing a bed with a woman like Gina. Right now, he’d settle for two.

The scent of her perfume filled his head, along with the scent of hot, wet woman. She slid closer and the jersey she wore opened to show a huge expanse of chest. He shut his eyes and began counting backward from 1000 by threes. 997.

Gina bent her leg, causing her foot to press against his ass, which in turn pressed her pelvis against his.

994. If he woke her, the jig would be up, which could prove to be positive or very negative. With Gina, one never knew.

“Ohhh…”

Ben swallowed hard, she ground against him, and her foot trapped him. 991. Shit, he couldn’t think. All he could do was feel the heat of her body. He wasn’t sure if the dampness he felt was due to him or to her. He had to count backward by ones to figure out the next number, 988.

His heart pounded as he tried to figure out if he’d be able to extricate himself if he rolled Gina onto her back. That would put him on top of her and maybe then he could get out of bed and sleep on the floor.

985. Taking a deep breath, he rolled on top of her and immediately realized his mistake. Gina wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down. Shit. When her arms came around his neck, he gave up and kissed her like he’d wanted to since he left her on the stoop of their Brooklyn brownstone. Gina sucked on his tongue like a Hoover, causing his erection to jump. He broke the kiss and gave her a shake.

“Gina, please tell me you’re awake.”

She ran her hands down his back and grabbed his ass. “Please tell me you’re not gay.”

“Fuck.”

She opened her eyes. “Is that a yes or a no?”

“What the hell do you think?” He ground his pelvis into hers. “Does this feel as if I’m gay?”

“No. You might be a liar, but you’re definitely not gay.”

He laid his forehead against hers and squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry.”

“That you lied, or that you’re not gay?”

He raised his head to look her in the eye, which only pressed his very happy erection harder against her. He swallowed his urge to move and tried very hard to concentrate on the conversation. “I’m sorry I lied. I never meant for this to happen.”

“Ben?” Her hands ran down his back and beneath the waistband, then over his ass before sliding his pants down. “Do you think we can discuss the whole lie thing later?” She must not have expected an answer because as soon as he opened his mouth, she stuck her tongue in it.

Damn, he never expected a wife to kiss like that, nor had he expected her to feel the way she felt beneath him. He never imagined marriage had any perks. Hell, he never thought he could think of the word marriage and still have a hard-on. With Gina, all things were possible.

He drew out the kiss, tongues and teeth clashing, warring for control. She tasted sweet and spicy, and hot all over. God, he wanted her.

She broke the kiss, licked her lips, and nudged him. “Um, we need protection. Ben, please tell me you have something close by.”

“What?”

“A condom, a rubber, a raincoat? I don’t care what you call it in Boise as long as you have one.”

“Right.” He tried to engage his brain. Did he have any in his bedside table? He never brought women to his grandfather’s house, so he didn’t think so. His shaving kit? Maybe. He stumbled out of bed, forgetting his pants were around his knees and he barely kept from falling as he kicked them off.

Gina didn’t bother hiding her laugh, but at that point, Ben didn’t care. He switched on the closet light and clawed through his luggage to find his shaving kit, which contained two condoms. “Thank you, God.”

The Bronco’s jersey she wore hit him in the chest as he turned toward the bed, her thong followed, and Ben found himself staring. She was simply amazing. “You’re incredibly beautiful.”

“And you’re still not forgiven. It’s going to take a whole lot more than two condoms to make up for the hell you’ve put me through this past month.”

“I promise, I’ll buy out a store tomorrow.”

She blew the hair out of her eyes. “Are you going to stand there staring at me, or are you gonna use those?”

Ben threw the condoms on the bed and sat beside her, not sure what part of her to sample first.

Gina ripped open the condom. Okay, she obviously knew what she wanted. He’d forgotten who he was in bed with. “Hold on, what’s the rush?”

“Rush?” She spit out something in Spanish, and not for the first time, Ben wished he’d paid more attention in class, but he also surmised the kind of Spanish she was speaking would not be taught in school.

“We have all night, and I for one don’t want to waste a second of it, especially not arguing.”

Gina looked perplexed. Obviously she was used to ordering men around in her bed. What she’d forgotten was that this was his bed, and he wasn’t the type of man to do as he was told. Gina was in for a real surprise. He pushed the pillows up behind him and lay back against them. “Why don’t you come over here?”

She rolled her eyes. “I want to get to the good stuff.”

“Sweetheart, with me it’s all good stuff.”

In an obvious attempt to humor him, Gina threw her leg over his, and sat on his thighs facing him.

“There now, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

“Don’t push your luck, cowboy.”

Ben could spend hours just looking at her and be satisfied. She, however, didn’t look as patient. He cupped the back of her head in his hand, his fingers scissoring through her hair as he ate her mouth, slow and easy. He nibbled her lips, exploring her mouth, chasing her tongue, wrestling for control.

Gina scooted up and her breasts brushed his chest. God, he loved kissing her. He moved from her mouth to her neck and rolled them over. Ben expected her to fight him, but no, she went with it as he roamed her neck, nipping and licking, listening to her sighs and moans. He kissed a trail to her breast, and she took a deep breath and held it as he teased the first dusky peak. When he sucked her nipple into his mouth, she purred and anchored his head as if she thought he might move. No chance of that, he could do this all night.

Ben lay on his side, his hand exploring her soft skin, her other breast, and then blazed a path down her rib cage. Her hips rose with every tug of his mouth on her breast. Her moans grew louder and her scent grew stronger as her hand trailed down his chest, toward his erection.

Oh no, he wasn’t sure he could take that now. He moved lower, out of reach, kissing the underside of her breasts, trailing his tongue down over her stomach as his hand slid over her mound and teased the soft skin of her inner thighs. Ben pressed his erection against the mattress to keep from jumping her. He felt like a damn teenager. He was so close, it was embarrassing.

Taking her hips in his hands, he positioned himself between her legs and lifted her to his mouth, licking and sucking the hot, swollen flesh. Her legs spread, opening to him. His tongue speared into her, tasting, sucking, tormenting. Ben flattened his tongue against the sensitive bundle of nerves as she vibrated beneath him.

He slid one finger deep inside her, withdrew it, and then slid a second in. Her every muscle tightened around them as she grabbed his hair. She tasted like heaven, sweet and hot. He curled his fingers inside her as his tongue continued its torment.

She screamed his name before she came hard and fast; it took both of them by surprise. There was intense heat and wetness, his fingers slid in and out, her inner muscles flexed, drawing them deeper as he let off the pressure of his mouth, letting her ride out the climax to the fullest. When he raised his head to look at her, her face and chest were rosy and her eyes looked almost gold. “You’re so beautiful.”

Gina couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think, all she could do was stare at Ben, stunned. She’d never been with a man whose only agenda seemed to be pleasing her. Ben pulled her into his arms, held her close, and stroked her lazily. When she recovered enough to move, she rolled toward him until they were nose to nose and kissed him, tasting herself on his tongue and lips. Just one kiss and she wanted him even more than before. The incredible orgasm he’d given her hadn’t sated her in the least. She smiled as she sucked his earlobe into her mouth and bit down. She just wanted to eat him up.

Gina gave him a nudge and he rolled over onto his back. She kissed him softly as she scooted down his body. Ben reached for the condom but she just shook her head and stared at his erection. “There’s no rush, right, cowboy?”

She lowered her head and sucked on his flat nipple, eliciting a groan from him.

“It’s not fair to use my own words against me.”

“No one said we had to play fair.” Her tongue trailed down his chest, tracing the contracting ridges of his stomach muscles.

“Gina, sweetheart, I’m kind of on the edge here.”

“Oh good. I love to see a man lose control.” Wrapping her fingers around his erection, she nuzzled it, taking in his musky scent and traced the throbbing vein from base to tip with her tongue, tasting him. She swirled her tongue around the head before sucking him deep into her mouth.

Ben’s hand cupped her head as he groaned.

Tightening her grip at the base, she stroked the length of him, her mouth following her fist, taking him deep. His erection throbbed against the back of her throat.

Ben’s hips raised off the mattress, and when she cupped his balls in her hand, he pushed her away. “Gina, stop or it’s going to end before it even gets started.”

She lifted her head and licked her lips. She loved the feeling of power, she loved the taste of him, and she wanted to see him lose control. “Don’t tell me you’re a one-shot wonder. If you come, we’ll just play around until you’re ready for round two. It’s all good. Remember?”

“Oh no. I want to be inside of you, and I want it now. I’m sorry, sweetheart, but this time I’m on top.”

Gina wasn’t quite sure how he managed it, but before she knew what happened, she was flat on her back looking into the eyes of one very determined man. Ben’s jaw clenched as he rolled on a condom. His mouth covered hers, stealing the air from her lungs, breathing the breath that escaped as he entered her in one long, slow thrust. Ben stilled, staring at her, searching for something, as if he wanted to see into her soul. Too close, too much. She closed her eyes, shutting him out and kissed him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she moved beneath him.

“Gina, look at me.”

Her eyes locked on his as she reminded herself this was just sex. The fact that they were technically married didn’t make a bit of difference.

He slid out slowly and thrust back filling her to the hilt. “God, you feel so good.” His kiss stole her thoughts and filled her with feelings she couldn’t name, feelings she didn’t want. All she wanted was more. More of him. She sucked on his tongue, urging him on to no avail. He kept up a slow, almost leisurely pace, tormenting her, driving her up, and keeping her on the edge of madness.