Yours for the Taking (23 page)

Gina ran her hands over Ben’s chest and down toward his stomach as he rose above her. Her legs wrapped around his waist urging him on. He entered her in one long, slow thrust. A feeling of completeness washed over her. They stilled, their eyes met, and she found everything she never knew she’d searched for. “I love you.”

He looked as surprised as she was. She hadn’t planned to say it, especially while they were making love. She’d never said those words to any other man. Okay, she’d told Joe she loved him, but that was a totally different kind of love, so it didn’t really count.

A slow grin spread across Ben’s face. “I know.”

“You know? I tell you I love you and that’s all you have to say?”

He slid out of her and then reaching beneath her, held her hips and slid back deeper. “Sweetheart, if you didn’t love me, I wouldn’t be making love to you now.” And he did, he loved her slow and gentle. Teasing her, caressing her inside and out, driving her to the brink of sanity and letting her hang there, still wanting more. He drove her up and then higher. His slow and steady pace keeping her from reaching her climax. Gina raked her nails across his shoulders and bucked beneath him, arching her back, urging him on. When she kissed him and sucked his tongue into her mouth, he lost all control thrusting deep and hard, sending her over before finally groaning her name, stiffening in her arms, and coming. He thrust within her twice more before collapsing on top of her.

Still inside her, he kissed her softly, and then rolled onto his back. She rested her head on the pillow of his shoulder and listened to the beat of his heart slow to a normal pace.

“Do you think Joe’s going to be okay?”

He trailed his hand down her side. “Yeah, he’s too stubborn to die.”

“That’s good. I hope you’re right.”

“Gina?”

She raised her head so she could look him in the eye. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

She kissed him and settled her head back on his shoulder. “I know.”

***

The knock on the door woke them. “It’s getting late, guys. Are you ready to go to the hospital?”

Ben rolled, pulling Gina along with him. “What time is it?”

Gina pulled her sleeping mask off and looked at the clock. “8:30?”

“Shit.” He rolled off the bed. “We gotta go.”

They quickly showered, dressed, and ran downstairs. Trapper looked up from the paper he was reading. “Sleep well? Or maybe I should rephrase that, sleep at all?”

Hunter spit out his coffee, and Fisher looked over at Karma. “You owe me twenty.”

Kate walked out of the kitchen and smacked all four of her kids in one fell swoop. “Hush. You leave Ben and Gina alone.” She turned to Ben. “It’s about time you two got up. There’s coffee in the kitchen and then we have to leave.”

There was a knock on the front door and Gina went to answer it. “Can I help you?”

“Gina Reyez?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

The man handed her a manila envelope. “You’ve been served.”

“What?”

Ben swore under his breath. “Gina, don’t.”

He moved as if in slow motion as she opened the envelope and pulled the papers up. Her eyes widened, she nodded, and shoved them back in the envelope.

Karma went over to her. “What’s that?”

Gina shook her head and stuffed the envelope into her bag. “Divorce papers.”

Kate turned. “What?”

Everyone in the room turned on Ben, but at that point, he couldn’t care less what they thought. He cleared his throat and addressed his family. “Why don’t you go over to the hospital? Gina and I will be along in a few minutes.” A horn beeped outside. “The cab’s here. Go on.”

Everyone gave him nasty looks as they hugged Gina on their way out. The door closed behind them, and the silence was enough to choke him. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?”

“Gina, I was afraid you were going to move out if I didn’t file for divorce right away. I wanted to make sure you kept the house and the money. I just wanted you to be okay.”

“And you thought I’d be okay without you?”

Sam, who’d been silent the whole time, stepped forward. “Gina, it’s not like you gave the man much of a choice.”

She turned on him. “Sam Corrigan, stay out of this. It’s between me and Ben.”

Tina moved in front of Sam and put her hands on her hips. “Like hell it is. We’ve been here from the beginning. We’re your family. Believe me, dealing with you for the last week hasn’t been any fun. You gave the man no alternative, so you have no right to hold it against him now that you’ve changed your mind.”

Sam looked out the front window. “Ben, your family is still outside. Why don’t you go to the hospital and let Gina calm down a bit. I’ll make sure she doesn’t pull another disappearing act. You need to be with your grandfather now.”

Ben was torn. He couldn’t believe his luck—all bad. Gina still hadn’t looked at him. He turned to Sam, “Okay, I’ll go, but if she isn’t at the hospital in an hour, I’m coming after her.”

He took one last look at his wife and left.

***

Gina walked to the window and watched Ben leave. She took a deep breath and thought about all her options. When she turned around, Sam and Tina were staring at her. She smiled knowing exactly what she was going to do.

Tina’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God. I know that look.” She shook her head. “That look is trouble. That’s the look of determination.” Tina turned and pointed. “Sam, lock the door.”

Sam stood in front of the door. “What are you going to do, Gina?”

Gina looked over her shoulder and cocked her head as she headed upstairs. “I’m going to put on my best suit. I have an appointment to make with my lawyer. After all, a deal’s a deal.”

Ben paced the halls doing his best to avoid all the nasty looks from his family. He checked his watch. Gina should have been back hours ago. As soon as Gramps got out of recovery, Ben was going back to Brooklyn to try to find her. Just when they’d gotten things worked out, fate stepped in again and blindsided him. He turned to pace back, and found Trapper leaning against the wall twirling his hat on his finger.

“You really did it this time, Benji. How the hell are you going to get out of this one?”

“Damned if I know. She’s the one who insisted on the divorce. I only put the wheels in motion to make sure she stayed in the house and kept the money.”

“You should know it takes more than a week for the average woman to calm down. And Lord knows, Gina is anything but average. I think it would take a lot longer for a hot-blooded Latin woman like her to get over it.”

Ben stood in front of him and tossed his keys up in the air, catching them. “As if you would know.” Ben gave his keys another toss. “You’ve never spent any more than seventy-two hours with any woman, and I’d bet that most of that time was spent in bed not talking.”

Trapper nodded and twirled his hat. “You’d be right. I’ve never done anything as dumb as marrying one of them with a prenup big enough to choke a horse, and then gone and fallen in love.”

“Why do you look like you’re enjoying yourself?”

Trapper smiled. “Maybe because I am. I told you it was a bad idea.”

“That’s really helpful, Trap, thanks.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Maybe you could help me get out of the mess I’m in.”

Ben tossed his keys, only to have Trapper catch and pocket them. “That’s annoying as hell.” Trapper moved over as Fisher and Hunter joined him against the wall. “You’re going to have to do a whole lot more than grovel.”

Fisher nodded. “Oh yeah, you don’t file for divorce and say ‘Oops, sorry, my mistake.’”

Hunter snorted. “I’ll say. I don’t know what you’re going to do to make it up to her. You already bought her the biggest house in Brooklyn, and even that didn’t impress her.” He rolled the brim of his baseball cap. “I got this on the street corner for ten bucks. It’s nice, huh?”

Fisher rolled his eyes. “You look like an idiot.” The elevator down the hall beeped. They turned, and Hunter, Fisher, and Trapper whistled simultaneously.

Gina strutted toward them wearing a black power suit. Her skirt was so short, Ben wondered if the red garters he knew she wore beneath it would show if she quickened her pace. Her red five-inch heels clicked over the linoleum floor. Her low-cut silk blouse showed an abundance of cleavage, and the look on her face was one of pure victory. Ben’s heart sank. He was completely fucked.

“Hi, boys. How’s Gramps doing?”

Trapper turned and smiled. “Not as good as you, but he came through the double bypass like a trouper. He’s in recovery now. It’ll be a while. Where have you been?”

“I had a meeting with my lawyer.” She turned to Ben. “It’s all taken care of. Our divorce should be final in about sixty days.”

Ben felt as if he’d been sucker punched. Gina walked up to him and slid off her suit jacket, handing it to Trapper to hold. When she turned, he saw that her blouse was completely backless.

Trapper smiled. “So, what are your plans?”

Gina shrugged and placed her hand on her hip. “I don’t know. I liked being married more than I thought I would. I just might do it again with the right guy.” Her eyes trailed over Hunter, Trapper, and Fisher. “He’d have to be able to cook and clean because I just don’t have the time or the inclination.”

Trapper stood too close to Gina twirling his hat. Ben wanted to take that hat and wrap it around Trapper’s neck until his face turned blue.

Trapper folded Gina’s jacket over his arm. “I’m not looking for a wife, but since Gramps is on the mend, I have seventy-two hours to spare.”

Ben elbowed him in the gut hard. Trapper grunted and dropped his hat. When he bent down to pick it up, it was all Ben could do not to kick him in the ass. Unfortunately, Trapper was not the only man Gina was looking over.

Gina crossed her arms and shook her head. Ben wished she’d put her jacket back on.

She tapped her finger against her lips. “I like dark-haired men who look as good in a baseball cap as they do in a Stetson.”

Hunter rolled the brim of his new hat. “I got that one covered.”

Fisher ran his hand through his blond hair. “I left my hats at home, but take my word for it, I look good wearing just about anything… or nothing.”

Gina winked. “Good to know.”

Kate and Karma came into the hallway. Kate’s eyebrow winged its way up trying to assess the situation. Ben wished her luck. All he could think of was that his marriage was over. Every breath he managed to take hurt.

Kate hugged Gina. “You’ve been gone for hours. What are you up to?”

Gina returned Kate’s hug. “I’m happy to hear Gramps is on the mend. I met with my attorney and since the divorce is imminent, I’m planning my future. I’m considering acquisitions.”

Karma made a face. “What are you looking to acquire?”

“A husband. Trapper offered seventy-two hours, which, although tempting, isn’t what I’m looking for. If I wanted something temporary, I could have just stayed married to Ben.”

Ben couldn’t take any more of this. She was killing him. He felt sick and needed to sit down at the very least. He shook his head and turned back toward the waiting room.

He heard Kate talking about finding the cafeteria as the waiting room doors closed behind him. He sat down hard on the couch he and Gina shared the night before and held his head in his hands. If she was out to kill him, talking about her future without him was a great way to get the job done—slowly and painfully. Her red shoes appeared in his line of vision. He waited for the deathblow.

She laid her jacket on the chair beside the couch, pulled her BlackBerry out of her purse, and set her bag down. “I was looking at my schedule. The divorce should be final by mid-August. What are your plans for the autumn?”

“Plans?” He couldn’t believe her. First she told him in front of his entire family that she was going through with the divorce, then she talked about shopping for a new husband, and now she wanted to know his plans? Was she insane or just sadistic?

“Yeah, well you see, I just happen to own this ranch in Three Whores Bend, Idaho, and I swear, it’s the most beautiful place on earth. I thought that would be the perfect place.”

Ben stood and looked her up and down. “The perfect place for what? The new season of
The Bachelorette
?”

She snapped her fingers in his face. “I know it’s difficult, but try to keep up with me here, Ben.”

“Gina, I’m trying to do a number of things, the least of which is keeping up with you. It’s not as easy as you think when I’m still trying to process the fact that you went ahead with our divorce, even after last night, and then you were kind enough to start interviewing for my replacement right in front of me, with members of my family no less.”

Her eyes went wide, maybe because he was speaking loudly, so loudly one of the nurses poked her head in and gave him a look followed by a “Keep it down, will ya?”

Gina took a deep breath and looked up at him with guileless eyes. “Ben, we got married for all the wrong reasons. This time I want a real wedding—not one where one of my exes is the best man. I want all the bells and whistles and this time I want to get married for all the right reasons. I’m thinking about the first Saturday in September, September 4th. Grandpa Joe will be better by then. Will that work for you?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking you to marry me. At the ranch. On September 4th.”

He didn’t know if he wanted to strangle her or kiss her. At this point both, but probably in the reverse order. “You want to get married? To me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Duh, what the hell did you think I was doing out there? Checking out your competition?”

Ben rolled back on his heels and shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.”

She stood so close, her feet went in between his and she wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling his face down to hers. She grinned like a cat that had just eaten a canary. “I had you goin’ there for a while, didn’t I?”

“You certainly did.”

“It’s not like you didn’t deserve it. You didn’t waste any time trying to get rid of me. Besides, it serves you right. You were always about ten steps ahead of me, but not anymore.”

“No? What’s changed?”

“Me. I think all along I never believed I deserved you. I wasn’t good enough for you—”

“What?”

Gina put her fingers over his lips to quiet him. He was tempted to kiss them and then work his way over her palm, up her arm…

“Calm down, I got over it. It just took a while.”

Ben blinked twice, bringing himself back from the path one part of his mind was going down.

When he just stared, she continued. “Ben, look at your family and look at mine. My mother was a whore; my father sold his own child for drug money. What could I bring to the table?”

Ben wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “You. I love you. I need you. I don’t care who your family is. I love you.”

Gina smiled, but her eyes were glassy. “Yeah, I figured that out.”

“Gina, I only gave you divorce papers because—”

She cut him off with a kiss and for the first time since she opened that envelope that morning, Ben was able to take a deep breath. He straightened and pulled her along with him. Kissing her like his life depended on it. He was pretty sure that it did.

Gina tapped his arm to get his attention and pulled her mouth from his. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Are you going to marry me the right way? No prenups, no exes as the best man, just you and me, and our whole family, getting married for all the right reasons at the ranch?”

“Sweetheart, I’m yours for the taking.” He kissed her wishing they weren’t standing in the waiting room of a hospital. “I’ll marry you as often as you want. I love you.”

“You’d better love me, because if you haven’t noticed, I’m not the easiest woman to deal with and I don’t take crap from any man, not even the one I marry.
Comprendé?
”

“
Comprendé.
”

***

Ben wondered how long the reception had to last before he could carry Gina back to the house and have his wicked way with her. They’d been married for three hours, they’d done the whole picture thing, had a big dinner, and even cut the cake, some of which he could still feel in his ear. He wanted to pick up his wife, carry her back to the house, and lock the family out. Hell, they could always use the outhouse if need be.

He watched Kate, who had caught the bouquet, dance cheek to cheek with Buck who had scared everyone sufficiently to be the only man vying for the garter. Gina danced with Grandpa Joe who must have said something about children because she turned bright red. Ben decided it was a good idea to separate his wife and his grandfather. Lord only knew what the old guy would come up with next. Maybe now he and Gina were married, Gramps would finally turn his attention to one of the cousins.

As much as Ben loved his family, he’d heard all the wedding night advice he could handle. Trapper handed him a beer and Ben took a long pull. “I’ll give you a thousand bucks to get rid of everyone so I can take my wife home.”

Trapper laughed. “I’ll cover you if you two want to sneak out in the next half hour. We have a pool going on how long you’d last. I said between 3 and 3½ hours. I gotta tell you though, adding a grand to it would certainly sweeten the pot.”

Ben was about to say something when he saw Gina and Gramps heading his way. Thank God. He couldn’t wait to get her alone. He’d hardly slept the night before because for some stupid reason, Gina insisted on sleeping apart so he wouldn’t see her on their wedding day. It was the most insane tradition he could imagine, but she insisted, and the last thing he wanted to do was spoil it for her. He figured it was just one night, but he’d gotten so used to sleeping with her curled up next to him, he spent the night reaching for her. It didn’t help that he woke hungover from the bachelor party Delbert and the guys threw him while he was kicked out of the cabin. And it wasn’t as if there was any other place to go. The family had taken over the bed and breakfast in Atlanta, as well as a few of the other part-time residents’ cabins, leaving him and the boys to bunk with Delbert.

When Gramps handed Gina back to him, Ben could tell by the look on her face she was done. Gramps smiled at the two of them. “So, when are you two gonna start working on making me some great-grandbabies?”

“Right now.” Ben bent down and picked up his wife. “Come on, sweetheart, we’re going home.”

Gina felt herself being lifted, which was really no surprise. Ben had a habit of carrying her around and, although she’d never admit it, she was beginning to like it. Usually when carrying was involved, making love came soon after, so who was she to complain?

As soon as he lifted her off the ground, she was pummeled by birdseed. That was one tradition she could have definitely done without. She swore someone shot a handful right down the front of her dress. She held on for dear life until Ben shouldered his way through the door and locked it before setting her down.

“Damn.” She brushed off her hair and shook her dress, dislodging birdseed from a number of interesting places.

“What’s the matter?” Was she the only one who got hit by birdseed? Wasn’t that just typical? He looked all chivalrous when really, he was just using her as a shield—not that she’d mention that to him… yet. Gina looked around because she felt as if she were missing her purse, when she realized what it was. “We locked Jasmine out.”

Ben stuck his head out the door and whistled for Jasmine. She ran in and went straight to her bed. “She has the right idea.”

Every time Gina moved, she felt birdseed falling deeper within her dress and under things. She shimmied around.

“What is it?”

“I have birdseed down the front of my dress.”

Ben smiled that smile of his that never failed to make her catch her breath. “I can help you with that. Here, turn around.”