Hungry Heart: Part Two Read online

  “Maybe I’m making myself hot.” He relocates his hands to my hips, pushing down as he moves his hips, grinding his hard and ready to go cock against me as he demonstrates his desires. Gasping, I wiggle and return the favor, teasing him as much as he’s teasing me, saying, “Don’t you hate that I’m wearing pajama pants right now? I do. There’s something to be said for always having a skirt on because this is fucking inconvenient.”

  One of his hand leaves my hips and slips under my shirt, cupping and massaging my breast while he grinds against me again, using two fingers to pinch the nipple to make it perk up. He chuckles at my gasp, grinding against me once more before capturing my lips with his, and in what can only be described as one hot, swift, and sexy move, he adjusts position until I’m lying flat on my back on the couch with him between my legs. Our tongues continue to tangle as the hand he uses both hands to pull off my pants, spread my legs, and thrusts into me, making us both moan as he pauses once he’s as deep as he can go.

  Gripping my hip with one hand again as I wrap my legs around him, I feel his other hand move behind my head and grab a fistful of hair. Dragging his mouth away, I whimper as he tugs on my hair until my neck is exposed, followed up with him kissing down my jaw before heading back toward my ear. He nips at the lobe as pulls his cock to the tip, pauses, and then plunges back in, making my back bow with the force of it and my eyes flutter shut. For a split second, I actually worry he’s going to break the couch from the force of it, and then he laughs softly into my ear.

  “I don’t know what it is, Caroline, but I just realized we do a lot of fucking on couches.”

  “We,” I say with a lick of my lips, enjoying the feel of him surrounding me but wishing he was still kissing me. “We do a lot of fucking in general. I didn’t notice a particular interest in couches.”

  “No? Perhaps now you will now since I’ve pointed it out.” He moves again, thrusting hard enough the couch moves a little beneath us, and he full on laughs as I squeak in surprise. “Don’t worry, this couch is sturdy as hell, or at least it better be considering what I paid for it.”

  “Oh god.”

  “Don’t worry if it isn’t. I’ll just buy a new one and we can break that one too.”

  Now I laugh as he starts kissing down my jaw and back to my lips, brushing them against mine in a soft tease as if he wants me to look at him, but I don’t since I’m pretty sure my face is flushed. “Isn’t it awkward to fuck me like this with one leg on the ground and the other squished against the back?”

  “Not really. I’m rather focused on the feel of your pussy around my cock and the noises you make while we fuck.” My eyes pop open at that only to see him gazing down at me with a naughty glint in his. “There you are, beautiful. Now keep them open.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  His lips twitch with amusement. “Then I’ll quit fucking you, and that wouldn’t be nice for either of us, would it?”

  “I can’t help if you fuck me so hard my eyes can’t stay open from the pure pleasure. Now shut up and fuck me like you mean it.”

  “Ooh, bossy.” He tests me by thrusting hard and fast a few times, and when I keep my eyes locked on his the whole time — just fucking barely! — he leans down as he pauses again to kiss my lips and murmurs against them, “I thought about you all night last night. How you were in my bed, naked and waiting for me, and I couldn’t be with you. I’ve liked having you all to myself, and I’m going to fucking miss you sleeping with me every night.”

  His statement has me sucking in a breath. “Benedict—”

  “I know.” He shuts me up with the thrust of his cock and of his tongue, kissing me deep while fucking me hard, and continues talking once I’m gasping for air while he speaks as if he isn’t exerting himself at all. “I know you’re more complicated than me, but I meant what I said last night. It’s all I could think about and honestly, I enjoyed the look of absolute fucking surprise on your face when I told you I love you.”

  “We haven’t known each other very long,” I finally manage to say, feeling as if I want to cry but not knowing why. “I didn’t expect you to say it so soon.”

  “Since when does length of time have any control over the way someone feels?” He smiles as I feel my face flush and his gentle kiss makes a tear leak from my eye. “I know how I feel, and I fucking love you Caroline. Whether you feel the same or you’re on the way to feeling the same, you tell me when you want to, not when you think you should.”

  I’m so beyond words at this point, surrounded by this man in every way possible, that I simply give him a nod as he gazes down at me. And he makes it clear he understands how tumultuous my feelings are by giving me a wicked grin and saying, “Now, I’ll fuck you like I mean it.”

  And he does.

  11

  “Two minutes until midnight! You ready, Caro?”

  Held close in Benedict’s arms in his club, which is packed as it is every New Year’s Eve, I give Ethan a happy smile. “Hell yeah. I think this is the best party yet!”

  “Of course it is, I’m here!”

  Destiny and Ethan cling to one another, and the looks on their faces make me so happy for them. You can tell they are in love, and I guess Benedict sees what I do because he puts his mouth real close to my ear and says, “You’re welcome.”

  I know he’s saying that because he introduced them, and for a split second, I wonder if it’s hard for him to see them together like that since she’s Len’s sister, but then shove the thought aside. We’ve seen Len and Miranda a few times since then, and each time it’s gotten a little easier, a little less awkward as they seem so genuinely happy.

  They came to the party tonight, and while Benedict had hugged Miranda earlier, wishing her a happy new year, Len had only gotten a nod in greeting and not much else. Once they walked away, Benedict explained that Miranda and all her issues meant he blamed Len more for keeping the secrets because it wasn’t something he expected of him, and I got it. It was harder for him to forgive Len than it was to forgive Miranda because Len had never betrayed him before. I imagine it would work the same way with Nathan, especially if I were the one to betray him and not Rissa. And that thought is when I notice something.

  “Benedict, have you seen Rissa lately?”

  He furrows his brow as he gazes down at me, probably wondering why I am suddenly asking him such a random question, and then shakes his head along with a shrug. “No. I figured she went home for the holidays.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I guess that would make sense since she’s not from around here.”

  “I’m glad you live here.” He moves so my back is against the bar and he’s got me trapped with no way to escape. Not that I would want to anyway. “I don’t think I would like you being gone for weeks, leaving me with nothing but my hand for company.”

  “Hey, even your hand needs a little love every now and then. I’m sure it’s feeling rejected lately, you focusing your attention on me and all. Give it a little love already!”

  As his lips curve, his eyes light up, and his lips move dangerously close to mine, he grabs one of my hands with his and slides it down the side of my body before moving them in between both of ours. He uses his hand to press my palm against the bulge in his pants, holding it in place as he gives tiny thrusts of his hips to encourage me to play, and that’s when the countdown starts as everyone in the room starts yelling.

  “Ten!”

  Benedict moves his hips to trap my hand there and uses both of his hands to hold my head still, our lips barely a breath from melding, and says, “Tell me Caroline.”

  “Nine!”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Eight!”

  “I see it in your eyes sweetheart,” he growls, using his teeth to give a gentle bite to my bottom lip. “You look at me like Ethan looks at Destiny, so say it.”

  “Seven!”

  “Benedict—” I don’t know how I look at him, but I do know how I feel. I’ve been falling in love with him from the mo
ment we’ve met and if anything, the way he makes me feel only gets stronger every day we spend together. And I want to tell him, but the words just stick in my throat and I’m not sure I should say them. Because once I do, there’s no going backward; there’s no letting him go no matter what.

  “Six!”

  He drops one of his hands, causing my eyes to widen as I feel him grip the bottom of my skirt and yanking it up until I’m close to being bared, even though the fact we’re surrounded by people and closed in means nobody knows what’s going on except the two of us. I spread my legs a little to give him better access, closing my eyes with delicious anticipation.

  The thrust of two of his fingers into my pussy while his thumb stimulates my clit is simultaneous with the room as it yells the next number in unison. “Five!”

  “A kiss and an orgasm at midnight, Caroline. Who d’ya love?”

  “Four!”

  “Oh…you—you play dirty.” I can’t drop my head back because he’s holding it in place, and he chuckles against my lips as I gasp because he’s touching and stroking me just right, winding my body tighter and tighter to the point I know I can’t fight it. He’s going to get me off right here at the bar in his club and I don’t care. I don’t want him to stop. I want him as much as he wants me, all the time. “Fuck.”

  “Three!”

  “Yes, I do. And I’ll fuck you later, Caroline, promise.”

  “Two!”

  “Benedict?” I feel him smile against my mouth at my high pitched voice as my body hovers on the edge of orgasm, and as it starts to roll over me I give him what he wants and what I want too as I say against his mouth, “I love you.”

  “One!”

  Time doesn’t matter anymore as I come around his fingers and he covers my lips the moment I make a sound, which is a split second before the room erupts into yells of ‘Happy New Year!’ but we aren’t paying attention. I’m wrapped around Benedict, the pleasure he’s given me in one of the most perfect moments of my life shooting through me, and he’s kissing me like he’s the happiest man in the world while he removes his fingers from inside me and puts my skirt back into place.

  When we finally stop kissing, I let him know what I think of his tactics by taking his bottom lip between my teeth and nipping it. Of course, he doesn’t care as he laughs softly and slips a hand to my ass before giving it a pinch, which makes me object just like he knew it would and I let go of his lip to object. “Hey!”

  “Hey.” The smile on his face is wide and happy, his eyes warm and filled with tenderness as he pushes my hair behind my ear before saying with a wink, “I love you too, Caroline. Here’s to a wonderful new year.”

  “Yeah!” Ethan jumps into the convo, stepping close to kiss me on the cheek. “Happy New Year, Caro. Sounds like you’re off to a good start.”

  “I am.”

  “Me too.” Destiny comes up beside him and he wraps his arm around her waist, then tosses me a grin. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  Destiny holds up her hand, but it takes me a moment to register it’s her left hand, and she’s showing me a ring.

  A ring.

  And it takes Benedict saying, “Wow, congratulations you two,” before I register Ethan is engaged to Destiny, and he’s standing there grinning at me, waiting for a response.

  I open my mouth and then shut it, realizing that saying I love you is nothing compared to Ethan proposing to Destiny, whom he met after I met Benedict. I’m so shocked by this I’m not even sure what to say to Ethan. I mean, he didn’t even tell me he was going to propose or anything, and I wonder why the hell not. We usually tell each other everything, especially something like this, and even if it doesn’t make sense really, I’m hurt at not knowing he was planning to do such a thing.

  But now is not the time or place, so I force a smile to my face and step forward to hug him before he guesses something is wrong. “Congratulations you two! This is such a surprise!”

  “Well,” Ethan says into my ear, hugging me back. “When you know, you know, right?”

  “Definitely. I can’t believe it though!”

  “Me either!” Destiny leans in to give me a hug when I let go of Ethan and I pat her back awkwardly. “He completely shocked me but oh god, I can’t wait!”

  Lucky for me, my phone buzzes on the counter behind me, which I pick up once she lets me go.

  “Oh, it’s Nathan! I’ve gotta take this.”

  “You can use my office Caroline.” Benedict steps out of my way and gives me a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll wait for you here.”

  I acknowledge him with a smile even as I put a finger in one ear to block out the noise while I answer the phone with my other hand, lifting it up to my ear as I walk toward his office.

  “Happy New Year, baby,” he says the moment he realizes I’ve picked up. “You at the club?”

  “Yeah, I am. Wish you were here.”

  “Actually,” he says with a laugh. “I am. I’m standing near the front entrance, inside the door. I’m super tired and want to go home to sleep, but come and give me a hug real quick?”

  With a squeal of happiness, I hang up the phone and turn around, looking for the quickest path to the front of the club. Finding it, I take off at a run, squeezing past anyone and everyone I can until I do exactly that. One of the bouncers nods at me as I walk out of the second entryway and that’s when I see Nathan standing right inside the main door. The blatant look of relief he gets confuses me, but then he opens his arms and I walk right into them.

  Enveloping me in his arms, our lips find one another with ease, and he smiles down at me when he pulls back a second later. “Hey. So fucking happy to see you, baby.”

  His exhaustion practically pours from him, noticeable even in his voice, and his eyes have dark circles around them, but he still looks thrilled to see me. And I’m equally as excited to see him.

  “Let me go get my coat. We can go home together.”

  With a shake of his head, he gives me another quick kiss before dropping his arms from around me. “I’m just gonna go home and pass out, baby. That’s why I came here so we could see each other. I was just gonna go home but I didn’t want you to find me there in the morning and get upset I didn’t tell you I was back. So, stay here and have fun with everyone, for me, okay?”

  I wish I could say I understand, but I don’t. I’d lie next to him even if I’m wide awake if it meant I would be close to him. But — and I don’t know what it is — something tells me he wants me to do as he asks and not take it personally. He’s tired, he looks it, and he just wants to go to sleep. I try to turn my frown back into a smile, but it’s hard because I just want to go home with him.

  As always, he knows what’s going on in my head, lifting a hand to stroke my cheek as he gives me another soft smile. “I love you. We’ll spend the whole day together tomorrow, and it’ll be way better than right now when I’m so exhausted I can barely see straight, all right?”

  “Yeah.” I nod, trying to convince myself more than him that I’m okay with this. “Yeah. I love you too.”

  “Caroline, what the—” Benedict’s voice from behind me has both me and Nathan jumping. Whirling to face him, his eyes widen when he recognizes exactly who I’m talking to. “Oh, hey man. I wondered why she took off running like a crazy person. Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “Nah, it’s okay. I’m going home to pass out anyway. See you in the morning baby.” Nathan brushes his lips against mine, then looks over at Benedict as he says, “Take care of her man.”

  “Always.”

  With a final lingering glance at me, Nathan turns and walks out the door into the night, leaving me there staring at his back as tear fill my eyes.

  “I don’t understand,” I whisper as Benedict steps close and pulls me close to his side. “He didn’t want to me to go home with him. Said he just wants to sleep and I should stay here and have fun.”

  “He looked pretty tired, sweetheart. He probably di
dn’t want to put an end to your night just so you could go home and watch him sleep.”

  I wish it were that simple, but something about this whole thing bugs me, as it has since he took his trip in the first place. And even though he left me here, now all I’ll think about is how he’s at home and I’m not with him.

  Something I’m pretty sure Benedict realizes because he sighs and says, “If you’re that worried, let me make sure the staff can take care of things here and I’ll take you home.”

  “Thank you.”

  It’s not even thirty minutes later when we leave the club to take me home, Benedict holding my hand the whole way.

  12

  When we get to the house, Benedict insists on walking me up to the door, and even though it’s not a far walk from the driveway, it is pitch black out. I’m not really sure why Nathan hadn’t turned on the porch light like he always does, but I suppose that’s the least of my concerns right now.

  It’s real quiet as I enter after unlocking the door with Benedict right behind me, and when his body tenses against mine, his fingers tightening on my shoulders, I’m instantly on alert.

  “What?”

  “Shh. Do you hear that?”

  After listening for a few seconds, I whisper, “No. I don’t hear anything. Are you trying to scare me?”

  “Of course not. Maybe it’s just the tv.”

  “Probably. He likes to watch it to go to sleep.” Shrugging out of my cold with a roll of my eyes, I hang up my coat in the closet while Benedict shuts the door softly behind him. When I finish doing that, I turn to face him with my hands on my hips and raise a brow. “Planning to spend the night?”

  “Course not. You want to be alone with Nathan and I completely understand. I will miss you though.” He steps real close and backs me up against the wall, planting his hands palm down while lowering his head toward mine. “Give me a kiss goodbye.”

  Slipping my hands inside his jacket, I slide my hands up his chest slowly, locking his hot gaze with my own naughty one accompanied by an equally wicked grin. Then, lifting one hand to each side of his face so each cups a jaw, I move in enough to press our lips together, and he’s instantly taking advantage of our position.