Page 40 of Thea's Hero

Dipping his head, Ben presses a kiss to my neck. “All of you, Thea. Every inch of you is perfect.”

Courage kindles inside me. Seeing the intensity of his gaze, the rough timbre of his voice, the evidence of his growing arousal…

“Can I see you, too?” My hands move to the hem of his shirt, hesitating.

But there’s no need, because Ben whips his shirt off and tosses it on the floor. “Of course. You can see whatever you want.”

Now that I’m looking at his bare chest, at all the smooth planes of muscle, his broad shoulders and those biceps and yes, that’s at least a six-pack, maybe more…

I can’t stop myself from touching him. Stroking my fingers across his skin, feeling the tiniest bit of roughness from the dusting of hair, moving my hands downwards to his waistband and tracing the V of muscle there.

“Thea,” Ben groans, his abs flexing and jerking.

I’m fascinated by the growing bulge beneath the stretch of fabric.

His hands move over my body, one palming my breast, the other dipping to the apex of my thighs.

As I unbutton his pants and reach inside, Ben sucks at my neck, the pull of his lips sending a jolt of desire straight to my core. Fingers flick lightly at my nipple, and it tightens to a sensitive peak.

His length swells in my hand, hot and velvety and slick with excitement.

Ben’s mouth dips to my breast, his tongue laving at my nipple through the fragile layer of lace. I moan, arching into him, wanting to feel more.

My panties are pushed to the side, and his thumb finds my sensitive bundle of nerves, exposed and waiting for him. While he plays with it, pressing and rubbing, a thick finger plunges inside me. My hips jolt toward him as the ache at my center increases.

It feels incredible to have part of Ben inside me, but there’s an instinctive need to be filled. To feel us joined together completely.

Any earlier hesitation is completely gone. With Ben’s hands and mouth on me and the riot of sensations rampaging through my body, all I feel is desire. This unbelievable lust and hunger for a man that I’ve never felt before.

Not until Ben. All the years I held back, it wasn’t because there wasn’t a man out there for me. He was. I just hadn’t met him yet.

I’m stroking him, adding pressure and a little circular motion, brushing my thumb over his tip, and Ben groans, “Sweetheart. I want to be inside you first.”

Yes. This is wonderful, but taking him inside me will be even better.

Pulling at his pants, I wiggle them down his hips, letting them puddle on the floor by his feet. Ben follows suit and slides my panties off, glancing at the tiny piece of lace before dropping it. “I’m buying you more of these,” he promises. “In every color.”

A giggle bursts out of me. “Okay. But they’re really expensive.”

Ben lifts me in his arms, one hand cradling my ass, the other supporting my back. “I don’t care.” He kisses me desperately, his tongue plunging deep, stroking and twining with mine. When he pulls away, his eyes burn into mine. “Bedroom?”

“No.” I don’t have to think about it. “Here. Now. I can’t wait any longer.”

He pauses for a second, inspecting my face. Apparently reassured by what he sees, he sets me on the kitchen island and notches himself at my center. I scoot forward so his tip slips inside, just the slightest bit. And it already feels wonderful.

Ben starts to move, but freezes. “Protection?”

“I’m on the pill,” I say quickly. “And it’s been years. I’m clean.”

“Same. But are you sure?”

“Yes.” I hold his gaze. “I’m sure.” And then I grab his hips and pull myself to the edge of the island, taking him inside me completely. He’s big and I’m tight and there’s a tiny pull that’s immediately replaced by pleasure.

“Thea, shit,” he bites out. “I was going to go slow.”

“That’s okay.” Still clutching his hips, I start rotating mine, feeling the exquisite sensation of Ben inside me. “We can do slow later. This is perfect.”

And it is. Ben supports me as he pumps in and out, holding my back, canting my hips to sink even deeper. He presses at my little bud while he moves inside me, drawing me closer and closer to completion.

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