Yours for the Taking (12 page)

“Ben, please.”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want it all.” Her nails bit into his shoulders, she swiveled her hips and dug her heels into his back. He grabbed the headboard above and let loose. Her orgasm crashed around her as his hips pistoned. One orgasm rolled into the next. She’d never experienced anything like it. It was unbelievable. “Oh God. Yes!”

Gina met him thrust for thrust, and every time, he seemed to go deeper, hitting her cervix, filling her with a combination of pleasure and pain. Her whole body spasmed, she arched her back as his control snapped. His jaw clenched, his face shined with sweat, and his muscles quivered. Ben groaned out her name and came, thrusting again and again until he collapsed on top of her.

She held him as mini-explosions shot through her. He was heavy, but a good heavy. Her body felt as if it melted into the mattress, and when he tried to move, she stopped him. “Stay for a little while.”

“I’m crushing you.” He rolled them both over as if she were weightless. She scooted lower, feeling him grow inside her as he tried to hold her still. “Gina, if you’re ready for round two, I have to get rid of the condom.”

“No, I’m just getting comfortable. I’ll behave.”

“Right, like I believe that one. I was born, just not yesterday.”

His hands massaged her back and her ass, causing sparks to shoot up her spine and her breath to catch. She looked up at him and smiled. “You keep that up, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

He eased himself out of her and left her feeling empty. “Promises, promises.” He gave her a sweet kiss before he scooted out from beneath her and walked naked to the bathroom. Her eyes closed and she listened to the water running. She must have fallen asleep and awoke with a start when she felt the warmth of a wet washcloth gently wiping her off. Her eyes shot open and heat ran to her face as embarrassment hit her. “What are you doing?”

“I hogged the bathroom, I thought you might like to freshen up.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Sure, but why should you?” He actually looked mystified.

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just took the cloth from him and ran into the bathroom, grabbing his shirt on the way. When she returned to bed clad in his jersey, he was waiting for her. Why couldn’t he just fall asleep after sex like every other man? There was no escape.
Madre de Dios
, what had she gotten herself into?

“Are you coming back to bed?”

“Where else is there to go?” She really wished there was someplace. She wasn’t used to having a guy stay with her.

Ben looked concerned. “You’re not getting weird on me, are you?”

Gina sat down on the bed and pulled the covers over her legs. “No weirder than usual. I’m just not used to this.”

Ben scooted closer, pulling her into his arms. “What?”

Gina threw her hands up. “You know, talking after sex, sleeping with someone. All of this togetherness crap. It’s just not natural.”

He scooted down in bed pulling her along with him. “You slept with your sister.”

“Yeah, but you’re definitely not my sister. I don’t sleep with men.”

Ben pulled her against him so they were spooning, his arm cushioning her head. “You slept with me last night.”

“That’s when I thought you were gay. Now I know you’re not.”

“And that’s a problem because?”

“Because you have an erection pressing against my ass and you’re talking to me. I don’t usually have conversations with men I have sex with.” She scooted back against him as his hand slid into the v-neck of her shirt, toying with her breasts. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Talking can be highly overrated.” He pinched her nipple and slid his erection between her legs, teasing her.

“Exactly.”

***

Ben awoke slowly, reached over to grab Gina—wishing he’d brought more than two condoms with him—and encountered nothing but cold sheets. He cracked his eyes open, wondering if she’d gone to the bathroom, but the door was open and the shirt he’d ripped off of her within minutes of her putting it back on was still lying on the floor. “Shit.”

He got out of bed and stomped to the bathroom. The shower was still wet. She couldn’t have gone far. He brushed his teeth, threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and went looking for his wife.

He walked bleary-eyed to the coffee pot and poured a cup.

“Your wife is in the office.”

Ben looked up to find Kate standing beside Buck, a long-haul trucker who had been trying to win Kate’s affection for as long as Ben could remember. “How’s it going, Uncle Buck?”

Buck, a bear of a man, twirled the ends of his red mustache. “Pretty good, Ben. Though Kate’s not too happy.”

Ben nodded and smiled at Kate. “I take it you met Gina?”

Kate had her arms crossed looking like a bear ready to roar. “She made coffee. No one makes coffee in my kitchen but me. She and your grandfather have had their heads together all morning. They’re like peas in a pod, those two. They wouldn’t even let me fix them breakfast. They said they were too busy working.”

Ben’s hackles rose. What was Gina doing with his grandfather? He and Gina were supposed to be on their honeymoon, for God’s sake. She was supposed to be in bed with her husband, not getting involved in the family business. “What the hell are they working on?”

Kate shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me. All I know is I have better things to do than wait around for all of you. I’m making breakfast. If you’re too busy to eat it, that’s your problem. You can just tell that to your grandfather and your wife.”

Ben held up his hands in surrender. “They’ll stop what they’re doing to eat whatever you serve. I’ll make sure of it.”

Buck finished his coffee and rinsed the cup before setting it on the drain board. “I better be off; the truck won’t drive itself.”

Ben nodded to Buck and left them alone to say their good-byes. He stepped inside the office, and sure enough, Gina sat at the desk wearing another ridiculous cowboy outfit. This time it was painted-on jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt that fit her like a second skin. She had cat’s-eye, rhinestone glasses perched on her cute little nose and was running her long, red fingernail down the column of a spreadsheet.

“Here’s your problem, Joe. The receivables are off. See?” She moved closer to his grandfather and highlighted the line.

Ben cleared his throat and the two of them flew apart.

“Ben, hi. I was just helping your grandfather with one of his underperforming companies.” Gina rose and started talking with her hands, which meant she was uncomfortable. Well good. She should be.

Ben caught the title of the spreadsheet. Oh, yeah. He’d looked the very same spreadsheet over two weeks ago and told his grandfather the exact same thing. What was the old man up to? “I see.”

Gina wrapped her arms around his waist so he bent down for a kiss.

“I was up early and you were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you. I got up because I needed coffee. I think I might have made a bad impression on Kate, though. I take it she doesn’t like anyone in her kitchen.”

“She’ll get over it. She’s making breakfast. If you want to get out of the doghouse, you’d better eat. Kate’s a little sensitive about that.” He looked at his grandfather. “Gramps, you know better than to piss Kate off first thing in the morning.”

“Well, shit, son, what’s the point of eating? That woman won’t feed me anything but tree bark anyway.”

“At least someone is listening to your doctors.”

Gramps took off his glasses and smiled. “Gina’s got one hell of a business head on her shoulders. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t hire her?”

“Because she has a job she loves in New York and she’s not here to work. We’re on our honeymoon, remember?”

Gina stiffened in his arms. “Joe just asked me to look over a few things. I’m not working. I’m just not used to sitting around doing nothing.”

“If you were in bed with me when I woke up, you’d have your hands full, believe me.”

Gina rolled her eyes.

“Breakfast is ready,” Kate yelled down the hallway. “Come and get it before it goes cold.”

Ben turned toward the door. “We’re on our way.” He took Gina’s hand. “Come on. I hope you’re hungry.”

Kate had gone all out on a traditional Irish breakfast. There were two plates set for Gina and Ben and a bowl of bran flakes, a glass of tomato juice, and a pill sitting at the head of the table just waiting for Gramps. No wonder he wasn’t looking forward to eating.

Gramps sat, pushed the bran flakes away, and snarled. “Give me a damn plate, Kate. I can’t eat this crap.”

Kate stood beside him and huffed. “You’ll eat what I serve you and you’re lucky to get it.”

Gramps leaned over and whispered something in Gina’s ear that had her laughing as she served herself a plate full of bacon, sausage, potatoes, and eggs and moved her plate closer to Gramps. Every time Kate’s back was turned, Gramps would steal a bite of Gina’s food, leaving Ben feeling like the odd man out. He told himself he was being ridiculous, but shit, it rankled him to see Gina getting along better with his grandfather than she did with him.

Gramps stuffed a piece of Gina’s sausage in his mouth and swallowed it before Kate turned around. The old guy was lucky he didn’t choke.

“Ben, what are your plans? Are you gonna take Gina up to the ranch?”

“I have to call Delbert to make sure the bridge is passable, but yeah, I’d hoped to. We need to do some shopping before we go, though. Gina didn’t come prepared to go up to the mountains.”

Gina took a sip of her coffee and set her cup down. “I packed exactly what you told me to—jeans, boots, shirts I can layer. I even brought a jacket.”

Ben sat back in his chair and tried not to laugh at her. “Sweetheart, you brought boots with four-inch heels. You won’t last an hour wearing those in the mountains. No, you need a whole new wardrobe.”

Gina’s brows drew together and she squinched up her nose. “Don’t expect me to wear ugly clothes.”

Gramps stole a piece of bacon off her plate and pointed it at her. “Shit, Gina. You could wear a damn potato sack and make it look like it just came off the rack at Saks Fifth Avenue.”

Kate stepped over to him, took the bacon right out of his hand, and pushed the bran cereal in front of him.

“Kate, would you let me be? Can’t a man steal a little bit of bacon from his granddaughter?”

“Not if you’re gonna use it as a pointer. You’re gonna have to be quicker than that. You’re getting slow in your old age.”

Gramps threw his spoon on the table. “Tell me about it. You ain’t gettin’ any younger either, Kate.”

She smacked his shoulder right before she took a bite of the bacon and walked toward the stove.

“Smart-aleck woman.”

“Ornery old goat.”

Ben took Gina’s hand. “You about done there?” He really hoped she was because all he could think about was kissing her everywhere.

She pushed her plate closer to Gramps, nodded, and wiped her mouth on her napkin, taking off all of her lipstick.

Ben pulled her out of her chair. “You look good like that.”

“Like what?”

“You wiped off your lipstick.” He stole a kiss. “You don’t need it.”

“You need glasses, cowboy.”

Ben picked up their breakfast dishes, leaving Gina’s for his grandfather, and took them to the sink. “No, but we do need to clean our room before Kate sees it. She’ll start yelling about how she’s not a maid.” He rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher.

Kate went back to the table, gave Gramps a cup of coffee—probably decaf knowing Kate—and took Gina’s plate away from him. “At least one man in the family has a few brain cells left. Of course, it’s because I pounded it into him. You need to tell Gina about the time you had to clean the entire house for a month after that party you threw while your grandfather was out of the country.”

Ben shushed her. “Kate, I thought we had a deal.”

“Ha, shows how much you know. I called him the very next morning and told him all about it.”

Gramps threw his napkin down on the table. “I’m old, but I’m not deaf. Don’t be talkin’ about me like I’m not here. And hell, I was proud of the boy. It was about time he loosened up and had a little fun. You were what, fifteen?”

“Sixteen. I hated having to clean the house, but it kind of grew on me.”

Kate winked at Gina. “You can thank me later. I made sure all my boys pulled their weight around the house. They’re all great cooks, they clean, and Ben even seems to enjoy it.”

Gina laughed and leaned on the counter beside him. “That’s a load off my mind. I was wondering how I was going to clean a five-story brownstone. Now you’ve given me ideas. I’m sure Ben’s going to look great wearing an apron.”

If someone was gonna’ dress up, it certainly wouldn’t be him. But he’d have no problem with Gina putting on some of that lingerie he’d seen peeking out of her suitcase and drawers. Ben grabbed Gina’s hand and pulled her from the kitchen, hurrying her to the bedroom. Kate’s and Gramps’ laughter followed them down the hall. He pulled Gina into the room, kicked the door shut, and backed her up against it before he slid his mouth over hers, lifting her off her feet.

Gina let Ben pull her into the bedroom and kiss her like a man just released from ten years in solitary confinement. Once his lips slid down to her neck, she took a breath. “I thought you wanted to clean and go shopping. You’re getting me all worked up here when there’s not much we can do until you hit the nearest drugstore, cowboy.”

“You just don’t have as good of an imagination as I do.”

Gina tightened her legs around his waist; his hands grabbed her ass as she wiggled against his erection. Damn him. “I have a great imagination, but I don’t have sex without protection. Ever.”

“But you’re on the pill.”

Gina dropped her legs from around his waist. “How do you know that?”

“You threw them on top of your makeup case. They’re pretty hard to miss.”

He still hadn’t put her down. “Just because I’m on the pill doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you without protection.”

Ben shrugged. “Shit, Gina, we’re married. I’m clean, I assume you are too.”

“Of course I’m clean. But our marriage is temporary, remember? That hasn’t changed just because you’re not gay. As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed.”

Ben finally put her down and stepped back. “How can you say that after last night?”

Gina shook her head. “Do you actually think our having sex changes anything?” When he just stared at her, she knew she had to be honest. “Ben, sex with you is great, but it doesn’t change anything about our deal, except that we’re having more fun than we expected. That’s all it is, meaningless fun.”

“As long as we have protection.”

The look on Ben’s face made her want to take a step back. She couldn’t tell if he was angry because she’d refused to sleep with him or because she’d made a point. Still, it wasn’t her problem.

“Fine, then. I’m going to take another cold shower. I cleaned out the drawers on the left hand side of the dresser if you feel like putting your clothes away, go for it.” He went into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Crap. She picked up her phone and dialed Rosalie. When she answered, Gina took a deep breath. “Thanks a lot for selling me down the river. Some best friend you turned out to be.”

“Ah, I assume you’re calling me from Idaho. How’s the honeymoon going?”

Gina threw herself on the bed. “You were right, Ben’s not gay.”

“And it took you a month and a half of marriage to figure that out? I guess you’re not as bright as I thought you were.”

“He lied to me.”

“He did?”

“Well, not technically. But he didn’t tell me I was wrong when I said he was gay.”

“That’s a lie, but it sounds like you forgave him. So, was it fun?”

“What?”

“The sex?”

“I’m not going to talk to you about sex.”

“Why not? You always have before. Even when it was with my own brother, remember? I had to stick my fingers in my ears and sing loudly.”

Gina laughed. “Yeah, but that was just because I wanted to watch you make an ass out of yourself.”

“You would. So, if everything is so rosy, why are you calling me?”

Gina rolled over on her stomach and pulled her feet up over her butt so she didn’t get her boots on the covers. “We kinda had a fight.”

“What did you say now? Didn’t I tell you to be nice?”

“He knows I’m on the pill.”

“So?”

“So, he found my pills and just assumed I’d sleep with him without protection.”

“Sheesh, Gina. You are married to the man. As long as you’re both disease free—”

“Don’t you think that’s just too… I don’t know… intimate?”

“Gina! You’re having sex with him. Hell, I know you’ve examined his tonsils not to mention his… well, I’m assuming you’ve inspected the other interesting parts of him too. But having sex without a condom is too intimate? Are you serious?”

“You think I’m being—”

“Ridiculous? Yeah. I do.”

“Come on, Rosalie. Don’t hold back. Tell me what you really think.”

“Look, why don’t you get off the phone with your best friend and go apologize to your very cute but temporary husband. You might as well enjoy him while you have him. Oh, and be nice. You need to practice being nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

“Except when you’re not, which is usually. Look, I’m not lounging around on my honeymoon; I actually have work to do. It sounds as if you might too. Now go try to be nice, please.”

Gina rolled her eyes. “I guess we’re going to his ranch, so if I have cell reception, I’ll call you.”

“You’re on your honeymoon. Tell me, did I call you during my honeymoon?”

“No. What’s your point?”

“My point is, oh Slow One, when you’re on your honeymoon, you’re not supposed to call your friends. You’re supposed to have copious amounts of sex and spend time with your husband.”

“Maybe in a real marriage, but ours is not real. Besides, I’m not even sure I like him.”

“Gina, use your head. Ben is funny, gorgeous, rich, and probably great in bed. What’s not to like? Oh, and in the eyes of the law, your marriage is as real as mine. Try to enjoy yourself and for God’s sake be nice. I have to go back to work. Bye, I love you.”

Rosalie disconnected the call. Gina hit end and tossed her phone on the bed. She really had to re-think the whole best friend thing. Weren’t best friends supposed to tell you what you wanted to hear and make you feel better? Then she thought back to what she’d said to Rosalie about Nick when they were dating. Gina figured she hadn’t told Rosalie what she wanted to hear either—not that Gina would ever admit it. Still, no matter what Rosalie said, this was different. She and Ben may have had sex, and they may be married, but that didn’t change the fact that they were just bed buddies. Nothing more.

Gina nodded to herself and threw her suitcase on the bed to unpack. She yanked open the top drawer a little too hard and pulled it right off the rails. Okay, she was angry. She couldn’t believe Ben had the nerve to be pissed at her because she insisted on using protection. The boy was just going to have to get over his bad self. She slid the drawer back on its tracks and threw her socks and underwear in before slamming it shut. It would serve him right if last night was the first and last sexual experience they ever shared. It would be a real shame though, because he rang her bells like St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas morning.
Madre de Dios
, if the first and second time they had sex were that astounding, she could just imagine what it’d be like after the break-in period. She sat back on the bed and swore her nipples perked up at the thought. What was wrong with her? She liked sex as much as the next person, but she never sat around thinking about it, no less getting herself all hot and bothered. Gina threw her nightgowns in the next drawer, turned around, and found Ben walking toward her wearing nothing but a towel. She had to hand it to him. He sure looked good wet.

Ben opened his top drawer, took out a pair of boxer-briefs, and dropped the towel.

He looked really, really good.

“Are you almost ready to go? Or should I just write down your sizes and buy what you need?” He bent over and pulled on his boxer-briefs, giving her a great view of his ass. Gina was never an ass girl; she was more of the broad-shouldered, thin-waist lover. Unfortunately for her, Ben had it all.

She blinked her eyes and reminded herself she was pissed at him and he was pissed at her. “I’m not the one standing around in his underwear. I’ll go but only because there is no way in hell that I’m going to trust you to buy me clothes when you’re in such a lovely mood.”

Ben pulled on a pair well-worn Wranglers leaving the fly unzipped as he pushed his head through the collar of a white T-shirt, buttoned, tucked, and zipped. “Suit yourself. I’d rather have you with me anyway. God only knows what would happen if you and my grandfather are left to your own devices.”

Gina grabbed her jeans and went to the closet to hang them. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Ben joined her in the walk-in closet and cornered her against the wall. “Just what I said. I wake up to find that you’ve slipped out of my bed and the next thing I know, you’re conspiring with my grandfather.”

“Paranoid much?” Gina pushed her pants into his arms and gave him a shove back before she took a hanger off the rack and hung them. She took the next pair out of his arms, and holding them by the waistband, gave them a snap before folding them over another hanger. “Do you honestly think I have any interest in your grandfather’s companies?” When Ben didn’t say anything, she gave him a hard look. “He asked me to take a look at the spreadsheet because his eyes weren’t as sharp as they used to be. Not that I believed a word of it. There’s nothing wrong with that man’s vision or brain, which is more than I can say for yours.”

Ben straightened the two pair of jeans she’d hung and hung the last pair himself. “Okay, I admit I overreacted.”

Gina watched him separate each hanger by one inch on each side; the man was too neat for words. Shirts hung equidistant from each other, all the blue oxfords together, blue striped, whites, yellows, pinks, reds, and red pinstripes. She hadn’t even started on his suits and blazers. His shoe racks were full of everything from shined loafers and oxfords to dress boots, cowboy boots, and what she heard someone at Shorty’s refer to as shit-kickers. She shook her head. Ben’s closet looked as if it belonged to someone with multiple personalities. She just didn’t get him.

He pulled a light sweater off the shelf, tossed it over his head, and slid his arms through the holes, making sure he straightened the suits his hand had hit. When he finished brushing invisible dust off the shoulder of one of his suit jackets, she faced him. “Look, Ben, what goes on between you and your grandfather is none of my business. I just don’t want to be pulled into the middle of it.”

“Okay.” Ben held her waist and tugged her closer but she put her hands on his chest and stood firm.

“And just a warning, cowboy. You had better think twice before you ever accuse me of something again. I don’t like it.”

Ben tugged her closer still; she left her forearms resting on his chest, separating them. “I didn’t accuse you.”

Gina gave him a little shove; he didn’t move a millimeter. “Yeah, right. When you use the word conspire, no matter how you slice it, it’s an accusation. I’m giving you a pass this time, but this is no baseball game. You’re not gonna get three strikes with me. If you want to put an end to all this marriage bullshit, fine. I’ll hop the first bus home and have my lawyer call yours. If not, then you live up to your end of the deal and let me live up to mine.” Gina stepped away and went to finish unpacking.

Ben followed her out. “I said I overreacted. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t know what to do with him. No matter where she went, he was in her way. He either had his body crowded close to hers, or he was touching her as if he did it unconsciously. The whole touchy-feely thing was a little disconcerting, not to mention arousing.

“Your threat is unnecessary.”

That threw a wet blanket over the warm and fuzzy feeling she’d been fighting. She poked him in the chest to get his attention. “Make no mistake, Ben. That wasn’t a threat.”

***

Ben glanced at Gina who was doing a good job of pretending to ignore him as he drove down Castle Rock Road to the sporting goods store. Normally he’d have walked down the hill, but with Gina wearing those boots, he wasn’t sure she’d make it. Besides, Ben planned to buy too much to carry. He checked his watch, pulled his cell off his belt, and dialed Delbert in Three Whores Bend.

“Yeah?”

“Del, it’s Ben. How’s it going up there?”

“Good, are you coming up?”

“I’m thinkin’ about it.” The tricky thing about Delbert was ascertaining his state of sobriety. He could be three sheets to the wind and sound as if he were sober as a judge—well, a judge that wasn’t Trapper. Ben wiped the thought of Trapper out of his head. That was just one more headache Ben didn’t want to think about or see anywhere near Gina. “Is the bridge passable?”

“It was about a month ago when I made my last trip to town for liquor.”

“Are you sober enough to make a run to the bridge in the next hour or so?”

“Have you ever known me not to be sober enough?”

“Del, do you really want me to answer that?”

“No. Okay. I’ll take a run down to the bridge. I was at the bar all night and no one said nothin’ about the bridge being out. Of course, no one was there who actually uses the bridge that often. You should have seen Twyla doing shots. She took her teeth out and left them on the bar. I tell ya, if that woman was twenty years younger—”

God, the last thing Ben wanted to think about was Twyla with no teeth. It was bad enough thinking about her at all. “Call me in the next hour and I’ll stop at the liquor store on the way.”

“You got it, Benji.”

Ben disconnected the call and pulled into a parking spot. “Are you ready to shop?”

“I don’t know why you insist on buying me clothes when mine are just fine. I’ve walked all over New York in these boots. If they can make it there, they’ll make it anywhere. I’m sure they can handle a mountain or two.”

“Yeah, Sinatra probably said that before he ever saw any real mountains. If you don’t want to break an ankle, you’ll get a good pair of hiking boots with decent support.”

“Do they have any with at least a four-inch heel?”

Ben took the key out of the ignition and couldn’t help but smile. No matter how irritated he was with Gina, she could always make him laugh and make him hot, even when she threatened him. “I don’t think so.”

“Then I can’t wear them. I’ve been wearing high heels since I was old enough to swipe them from the Salvation Army. If I don’t wear heels, I’m going to rip my calf muscles.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“My calf muscles are shortened. Think about it. It makes sense.”

Ben got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her. “Let’s buy a pair and you can try wearing them. That’s all I’m asking.”

Gina raised an eyebrow. She was right—that’s not all he’d ask of her. If she was trying to make him feel guilty, it wasn’t working. She looked him up and down before she shrugged. “Fine, if you want to waste your money, that’s your prerogative.”