Page 31 of Savage Romance
Sitting with Zoe tucked against him on his large sectional in the mansion’s living room, Ben was able to haul air into his lungs to their full capacity for the first in almost a week. Dealing with the sheik had cost him more time than he was willing to spend on the asshole, but at least the bastard had acknowledged defeat and agreed to leave Zoe be. Now, with his woman in his home and in his arms, all the words he’d practiced had evaporated from his mind.
Ben pressed a kiss to her head, and she tipped back her head. “Hey.” Her smile scrunched up her nose and made her freckles blend.
“Hey.” Amusement made his heart lift, and his cheeks rise. Even with a tear-streaked, pale face she was gorgeous, and—if he played his cards well—all his.
“Darlin’, we need to talk.”
The lines beside her eyes tightened, and against his side her body stiffened before she let out a long, audible breath. “Yes, I know.”
Ben inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry that I overreacted.”
“You’re sorry?”
Her incredulous expression would have made him laugh if the situation wasn’t as serious as it was.
“I’m the one who came into your life based on half-truths and deceit. I think I should be the one who’s sorry.”
“Yes, you did, and you should. But I should have given you at least a chance to explain. Instead, I blew up in your face at a moment when you were vulnerable. I’m sorry for yelling at you and not listening.”
“You were so angry,” she whispered.
He waited for her to continue but she didn’t speak.
“I was. Discovering you withheld important information from me—hell, maybe even entered into a relationship with me on false pretenses—was like a slap in my face. Let’s say the discovery triggered a shitload of ugly memories.” Ben massaged his forehead with his free hand and curled the other possessively around Zoe’s shoulder. “Finding out the woman I fell in love with might not be real was like a punch in the gut.”
Next to him, Zoe struggled onto her knees on the couch and laid her palm against his cheek. “Everything between us was real and genuine. It was just that I was so confused and sad and angry. At first, I did want to hate you, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. Each day I fell a little bit more for you and… wait.” Her mouth fell open. “You love me?”
He chuckled, took hold of her hand, and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I do. Zoe Dennehy, somewhere during the last couple of weeks, you’ve melted my iron heart and made me fall in love with you.”
“I love you, too, you know.”
They had a lot to talk about, but it could wait. Right now, Ben wanted to connect with his woman. He fused their mouths together and closed his eyes in bliss when Zoe straddled his waist and kissed him back with all the love and passion she had buried inside. Yeah, we’ll talk later. He sank his hand in her hair and angled her head so he could devour her mouth.
The crinkle of a foil wrap made her open her eyes and press up onto her elbows. She admired the play of muscles over his forearms as he rolled the latex over his length.
She didn’t want to stare but he was magnificent as he squirted lube on his hand and liberally spread it over his condom-covered cock.
She was wet enough to drench a desert, so it could only mean one thing. She licked her lips. They occasionally indulged in anal sex, and she loved it.
He twirled his finger. “Turn around,” and squeezed more lube from the bottle.
She rolled to her belly.
“Play with your clit, but don’t come until I’m balls-deep inside you.”
Eagerly, she obeyed and moaned as he used his fingers to stretch and lubricate her. The muscles in her belly fluttered like the wings of a hovering bird of prey.
“Don’t come.” A resounding smack on her ass accompanied the order, and he chuckled when she pushed against his hand. “Minx.” He squeezed the spanked flesh, pain mingling with the pleasure.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zoe woke up with the comforting heat and weight of her husband’s body against her. During the night they’d shifted and—instead of spooning—her head now rested against his chest. In his strong arms, she was finally home, feeling safe and taken care of for the first time in a very long time in her life.
“Good morning, darlin’.” His sleep-roughened voice rumbled in his chest, and Zoe cuddled closer.
“I never came to ask you, but you had me followed by a private investigator like the sheik?”
“Ahh.” She could hear the scrape of Ben’s morning stubble as he rubbed his chin. “I actually tried a PI but his investigator must have been better. Mine couldn’t locate you.”
