I found him in the living room, staring into the fireplace with a glass of something clear in his hand. I sat down beside him, but didn’t touch. “Are you all right?”
He put aside the glass and fixed me with an intense stare. “I’m pretty far from all right, love.”
The endearment made my heart jump, but I tried not to read too much into it. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He shook his head as he turned to face me. “I just want to hold you. Is that okay?”
I nodded. “Very okay.” When his arms came around me, mine enfolded him gladly.
He did just hold me for several long, silent moments. I could hear a hitch in his breathing, and wondered what it was like for him, to have to be strong all the time. I rubbed his back and murmured soothing words. I could only imagine how the day had wrecked him, and I was honored that he trusted me enough to show me a little vulnerability.
Or maybe I could have been anyone, and he still would have. I didn’t want to believe that, and I really didn’t, so I pushed the idea aside.
“I need you,” he said against my temple.
“I’m here for you.”
“I want you.”
I nodded, but still wasn’t entirely sure just what he wanted until his hand slipped under the hem of my shirt to trail up my stomach. When he cupped my breast, I nodded and pressed against his palm. “Yes.”
That was all he needed, and the last word I spoke. His hands moved over me with urgent intensity, almost as if he was assuring himself I was there. I hadn’t been the one he could have lost, but he seemed to need to be certain I was there too.
I pushed him back on the sofa and started stripping him. I had the need to heal him, though I didn’t know if sex could do so. I was using every weapon in my arsenal to make sure he felt cherished and cared for.
When I slid to my knees on the floor a few minutes later, he moaned and arched his back. I’d never done this before, but I acted on instinct as I wrapped my mouth around his shaft and slowly sucked it deeper inside.
As I swirled my tongue around him, he arched his hips and let out a stifled sound of pleasure. I nibbled and sucked as drops of pre-cum fell onto my tongue and down my throat. Each one was like a victory that I savored.
I could feel him on the cusp as I cupped his sac in my hand and rolled gently. He stiffened and cried out what could have been my name as his cock twitched and quivered in my mouth.
The first wave of release filled my mouth to capacity, but I did my best to swallow it down. He spurted seed again and again, but I kept it all from dripping down my chin.
When he was spent, he leaned forward to cup my cheek in his hand. He still didn’t speak, but when he held out the other hand, I took it.
Ben helped me to my feet and stripped off my pants and underwear in a confident motion. I tossed the shirt over my head, followed by my bra, and sat on his lap when he pulled me down to him.
Hard again, his cock pressed against my sex, and my body opened to him. His bare skin against mine was the best thing I’d ever felt. I knew I should stop him and insist on a condom, but I didn’t want to. I just wanted him inside me.
He was there a moment later, his hands biting into my hips in a possessive way that made me wetter. He thrust in and out of me, pulling me down to meet him each time he bottomed out inside me. I squirmed and writhed as he stroked the right spots with his cock to make my heart race and make me wet.
We moved together in an ever-increasing tempo as we strained to get closer, to come with each other. I was amazed and impressed by his stamina, and the expert way he worked my body.
My stomach quivered as waves of energy radiated outward from the center of my core. I clung to him as I came, burying my face against his shoulder to stifle my cries. He held me with steadfast support until the last spasm faded before allowing himself to come. I held him in the same way, or tried to. I never wanted to let go.
Chapter 17
Lindsay
I woke first and slipped off the couch, where we must have fallen asleep last night. I remembered him wrapped around me, so entangled I didn’t know where I ended and he began, but I didn’t recall falling asleep. We had definitely worn out each other physically on top of an emotionally exhausting day.
After finding my scattered clothes and dressing, I took a moment to cover him with an afghan lying over the back of the couch. I stared down at him for a moment, taking in his beauty. He looked so open in sleep, and his vulnerability sent a pang through my chest. I rubbed it absently as I stood up and left him.
I’d planned to go to my room to shower and change, but the sound of Elle’s feet coming down the stairs made me pause. I waited for her to come into sight, feeling self-conscious in the clothes I’d worn last night.
She flashed a bright smile, and she looked so adorable in her purple gown and crooked pigtails she must have styled herself. There was a new lightness in her step, and she was bouncing when she reached me. A lump in my throat surprised me, and I cleared it with a cough. I was optimistic she was going to be fine now. It wouldn’t be an overnight process, but she was going to heal and have a childhood again.
“You’re up earlier than I expected.”