Business as Usual (Off The Subject) (27 page)

“Thanks.”

“Did I mention I can grill?” he gives me a teasing grin.

I laugh. “You might have.”

“Next time I’ll grill steaks and bake potatoes.”

“But it’s freezing outside.”

He looks at me like I’m crazy. “So?”

“You grill in thirty-degree weather?”

He cuts a piece of chicken and stabs it with his fork. “Hell,
yeah
.”

“Okay,” I say, suddenly feeling shy. “You can cook next time.”

“You’re agreeing to a second date when we’re not done with the first one yet?” A grin spreads across his face. “I feel like one of those bachelor dudes on TV who get a rose on a date.”

“
You
watch The Bachelorette?” I ask in disbelief

“Oh, yeah.” He nods in mock seriousness. “Every Friday night. I own the first five seasons on DVD.”

I laugh. “I may have to reconsider that second date.”

He holds up a hand. “Wait. Don’t cancel yet. They belong to one of my roommates. He tied me up and forced me to watch them. It was a form of torture for missing my turn with the dishes.”

“I’ll let it slide this time, although I’m still slightly troubled that you know about the Bachelorette.”

We continue eating and joking around and I’m amazed that I can feel this elation considering everything else that’s going on around me.

“That was delicious, Alexa,” Ben says, pushing his plate away from him. “Although I may need to have more to be sure. Two helpings wasn’t enough to completely convince me.”

“That can be arranged.”

He looks up at me, his expression turning serious. “We’ll have to wait until next week for me to cook for you. My nights off are Monday and Wednesday.”

“How long have you kept this crazy schedule?” I ask.

He tenses, the smile falling from his face. He picks up the wine glass and studies it. “Only since December.”

While I’m relieved to hear that, I’m curious too. “So why start right before your last semester?”

He takes a deep breath and looks into my face. “I had a full-ride scholarship, but they took it away from me at the end of last semester.”

“Budget cuts?” I ask. When he doesn’t answer, I shake my head. “I’m sorry. That sucks. So you’re working to pay for your last semester?”

He nods. “I could have transferred somewhere cheaper, but not all of my credits would have counted.” He takes a sip of wine and then raises his glass. “Either way, I would have been in debt. So I sucked it up and took the six months of hard labor.” He looks at me. “I figured I could do anything for six months.”

“And you’re halfway done.”

“Yeah.” His face softens. “That’s a good way of looking at it.”

I stand and pick up my plate. “Do you want dessert?”

He shoots me a devilish grin as he stands too. “Not yet.”

I shake my head. “Then you can show me your dishwashing skills. Have I mentioned how sexy it is to see a man washing dishes?”

“Will there be dirty talk involved?”

I put a hand on my hip, smirking. “Do you want dirty talk to be involved?”

“Ah, I guess we’ll see.” He picks up his plate and carries it into the kitchen then he stands in the middle and looks around, gesturing the plate toward the dishwasher. “Now I’m a bit rusty, but if you put dirty plates and silverware in there, I think it will miraculously clean them for you.”

“No wonder your roommate tortured you.”

He moves past me and grabs both wine glasses and the half-full bottle.

I start to rinse off my plate, but he reaches around and takes it from my hands. “Oh, no, Ms. Pendergraft. You put on a show for me last night that nearly made ejaculate before you even touched me. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.” He puts the plate in the sink and lowers his mouth to my neck, wrapping one arm around my waist and planting his palm on my lower abdomen. His other hand skims my waist, brushing against the underside of my ribs.

“You want me to ejaculate prematurely?” I ask as a tingling shoots to my pelvis.

He laughs and spins me around and happiness spreads through me with a fizzy effervescence. “You have no idea how much I need you.”

Before I can figure out what he means, let alone how to respond, he’s gripping my waist and lifting me up. I shriek and grab his shoulders. “Now you sit there,” he says, setting me on the counter. “You said watching a man doing dishes was sexy, so I aim to please.” He grabs the wine bottle and pours more into my glass and hands it to me.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” I ask, chuckling.

“Yes, if it helps.”

I turn serious. “I don’t need to be drunk to want to be with you, Ben.”

His grin fades and a certain gentleness fills his eyes. “Are you still nervous?”

Am I? “No. Everything’s perfect.”

His eyes fill with lust and I’m sure he’s about to kiss me, but he grabs my glass. “Then I need your wine.” He takes a gulp.

“You’re nervous?” I tease.

“Hell,
yeah
,” he says as though I’ve lost my mind. “Do you know how many sexy dishwashing shows I’ve put on?”

I laugh. “Two?”

“Ha!” He points a finger at me. “See! I’ve fooled you into thinking I’m an expert, when really I’m a virgin.”

I cock my head to the side. “You don’t have to do this, Ben.”

“Just stacking up those bonus points.”

“Then let’s get this show on the road,” I say. “Why do I think I’ll need dollar bills?”

His eyes bulge in mock-insult. “Dollar bills? I’ll have you know I’ll accept nothing less than a five.”

“Good to know, but so far all I see is talking, no washing.”

He turns on the water and picks up a plate, then looks at me with hooded eyes. “There’s a way to washes dishes and a way to seduce a woman with them.”

“And which are you going for now?” I ask.

He picks up the wine glass and shoves it in my hand again. “If you’re going to talk smart, you might as well drink some wine to keep your mouth busy,” he says with a smirk to let me know he’s joking.

Narrowing my gaze, I say, “I can think of better things to keep my mouth busy.”

Ben leans forward and grabs the edge of the counter in front of the sink. “If you keep talking that way, I’m going to say fuck the dishes.”

“Maybe I want you to fuck something else.” I’m astounded by my boldness, but Ben brings out a confidence in me that I didn’t even know existed.

He stands up straight and spins around, then steps between my open legs and pulls my body flush against his. His erection is pressed firmly against my crotch.

His eyes darken as his mouth lowers to mine. “As I said, I aim to please.”

Lexi

Ben kisses me as though he’s a dying man and I’m his lifeline.

He scoops his arms under my butt and picks me up off the counter. His mouth lifts long enough to ask, “Where’s your room?” But then he’s plunging in again before I can answer, dragging me under a wave of lust.

When he comes up for air, I force out, “Down the hall. Second door on the left.” Then he’s kissing me again, but he’s on the move. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

My bedroom door is open and I left the lamp on next to my bed. He unwraps my legs and slides me down the front of his body. “God, Alexa. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

I smile up at him. “It’s probably somewhat similar to what you do to me.”

He grabs my face and kisses me with tenderness this time. “I want you to know this isn’t just sex to me. I want more with you.” He kisses me again, then lifts his face, a grin lighting up his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I want the sex, but if you told me you wanted to wait, even after last night, I’d do it.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to wait.” I grab the bottom of his shirt and pull it up. He tugs it over his head and drops it on the ground. I place my palms on his chest and slide my fingertips up to his shoulders. “About last night…” My voice trails off. “I’m not sure what you think of me after that.” I look up into his face. “But I want you to know that I don’t sleep around.”

His eyes soften. “Alexa. You don’t have to—”

“Yes,” I say firmly. “I do. I’ve had sex with four guys. One in high school and two other guys in college.” I take a deep breath. “And you.” Does it make me a liar that I didn’t include Todd in that list? I don’t care because I refuse to include him.

His hands slide up and down my arms. “Alexa. We both have experience. I didn’t expect you to be a virgin.” He grins. “Hell, I don’t
want
you to be a virgin.”

My fingertips glide across his chest, exploring. “That’s just it. I’ve had sex before, but I’m not that experienced.” I pause. “Contrary to what I may have insinuated with my actions last night.”

He doesn’t say anything for several seconds. “I don’t expect anything from you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just want you to be you.”

“I just want you to know that I’m not usually like that.”

“Then I’m even happier that you felt safe doing it with
me
.” He hands reach for the buttons on my shirt and start to unfasten them from top to bottom. “I love this color on you. It makes your eyes even more beautiful, something I didn’t think was possible. All through dinner I couldn’t figure out whether to look at your eyes or your cleavage.”

My shirt hangs open, exposing my lacy navy blue bra. His fingertips slide from my cheek, down my neck, and to the valley between my breasts.

“It’s almost a shame to take this shirt off.” He grins as he slides it off my shoulders and down my arms. “Almost.”

I laugh softly, loving that he’s taking his time and that he’s taking charge. I’m shocked by how comfortable I feel.

He reaches for the button on my jeans and I close my eyes, reveling in the joy of having him undress me…and the fact that I’m actually enjoying it. He pulls down my zipper and slides the fabric over my hips until the jeans fall to my feet. I step out of them and reach for his, which I remove in a matter of seconds.

We’re both standing in my bedroom in our underwear, something I never even imagined would be possible without that damned wig. I trail my fingertips up to his face and across his lips and then stand on my tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss.

One of his hands lifts to the back of my head and the other wraps around my back. He’s holding me firmly against him, trapping my mouth against his, but I feel no anxiety, only electricity humming across my skin.

Desire rises up in me, making me hungry for more. My tongue becomes bolder as it explores his mouth, tempting his tongue to join mine.

His grip tightens as he groans, and then he’s pushing me down to the bed. He lies next to me and rolls me onto my side to face him. He tugs the straps of my bra from my shoulder and unfastens the hook in the back. After he tosses the lingerie to the side, he stares my breasts before meeting my eyes again. “God, Alexa. You’re so beautiful.”

I smile as his fingers skim across my chest, making me squirm as they outline my areola.

“Am I driving you crazy?”

“Yes.” My answer comes in a breathless rush.

“You drive me crazy even when you’re not with me.” Then his mouth finds my nipple and his arm wraps around my back, holding me in place. His other hand slides down my abdomen and inside the front of my panties.

I gasp and sink my hand into his hair, overwhelmed with sensation. I reach down to touch him through his underwear and rub the heel of my hand up and down his length.

Groaning, he rolls me onto my back and props himself on an elbow. He tugs my underwear down and I lift my hips to help. Then he pulls his own off and we’re both naked.

He’s still on his side when he presses his right palm on my abdomen. Anxiety prickles the back of my neck, but before I can begin to panic, his hand slides between my legs and finds the spot that makes me ache for more.

I roll onto my side and stretch my neck to kiss him, taking his erection in my hand and beginning to stroke.

A low rumble emits from his chest. “I want to be inside you.”

His words shoot a jolt of desire to my core.

Ben sits up and leans over to pick up his jeans. Within seconds, he’s holding a condom package and ripping it open. He quickly puts it on and spreads my legs apart.

The panic that floods my head catches me by surprise, but I recognize the reason why. “I want to be on top.”

He hesitates, then smiles. “Okay.” He drops to his side and rolls onto his back. I straddle his waist and lean over him to kiss him and then reposition myself and guide him to my entrance. As I lower myself on top of him, he releases a low groan and his pelvis rises so that he sinks deeper.

We begin to move, quickly becoming attuned to each other’s bodies, and soon I’m climbing. I need him deeper. He grabs my hips, pulling me down as he grinds into me.

Soon we’re both panting and I’m soaring higher, close to coming. When he gives another deep thrust, it pushes me over the edge. I cry out and he takes over, becoming more desperate in his thrusts until he releases a loud grunt and pulls my hips down, holding me on top of him. Seconds later he loosens his grip and pulls me onto my side, rolling with me, still inside me.

He touches his forehead to mine. “My God, Alexa. You are so perfect.”

I grin and kiss him. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

We lay still, staring into each other’s eyes. After a while, Ben releases a sigh. “I need to clean up. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

He gets up and disappears around the corner and I realize we were lying sideways on the bed. I crawl to the top and pull the covers down, then slide inside and lie down, my head on the pillow.

He returns within seconds and crawls into bed next to me, taking me in his arms. His hand strokes my hair, fingering my curls.

“You’re really not curious about why I was wearing a wig at the bar?” I ask.

The corners of his mouth tip up. “I am and I’m not.”

“That’s not really an answer.”

“Yes, I wondered why you would hide your beautiful hair, but I was mostly curious about who you were.”

“The first two times were after the play. Caroline did my makeup and hair for my very small part and she put me in a wig. She thought it would be fun. I was kind of in a rut, so when I saw how different I looked, I liked it. But the real reason I wore it to the bar was because my hair would have been a disaster if I took the wig off. So I did it out of necessity.”