Page 89 of Between Love and Honor

He reached for the buttons of her shirt and began to undo them. At the same time, he tugged her body flush with his. She let out a soft moan at the contact. Forgetting the buttons, he pushed her shorts and her panties past her hips. This time her moan sounded a bit more impatient.

His chuckle held a ruthless edge when he eased her down onto the mattress.

She struggled to free herself from her clothes, but Ben was no help. Instead, he rained kisses on her with an urgency that had her stomach fluttering with multiple emotions.

“It’s okay,” she breathed. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here.”

But her attempts at soothing him only spurred his fervor higher. He tore at her blouse, pushing the sides of her bra away to expose her breasts. Growling something obscene, he took her nipple into his mouth. She arched into him, the heat of his body searing her skin.

“Oh,” she cried trying desperately to shimmy out of her shorts.

He finally took pity on her and shoved the denim and silk down to her ankles where she kicked them off. She twisted out of her bra while he rolled on a condom. He entered her with a single thrust before he stilled, hovering above her in a plank position. She gazed up into his stormy eyes. It was costing him to rein in his lust. But he was a gentleman at heart.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered.

Caught up in the moment, she did as she was told. He began to move within her, all the while whispering naughty, erotic things in her ear. The sway of the boat and the feel of his teeth grazing her skin added to the sensual bombardment. It wasn’t long before she was soaring toward the edge.

“I—”

“Let go,” he growled.

And she did. A thousand pinpricks of light danced before her eyes while her body convulsed around him. It was as if all the pent-up emotion of the day had formed a vapor that now drifted out of the cabin. A moment later, he threw his head back with a grunt before collapsing on top of her. The beat of his heart pounded against her ribs.

Noise from the nightspots in the harbor wafted through the windows. The bed continued to rock gently beneath them lulling her into a semiconscious state. She ran her fingers over his back, surprised to feel the tension still bunched there.

“What is it?” she asked softly.

He didn’t bother lifting his head, leaving his cheek resting against the fevered skin of her breast. “We have to disappear.”

His words made her heart stutter. “You can’t be serious?”

This time he did turn to face her. His expression was resigned. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. And if that means going dark until we find this traitor, then that’s what we’ll do. I have enough provisions and bona fides at the Think Tank to sail away for a couple of years.”

“You keep false identity papers?”

“I had to be prepared for something like this to happen. No doubt you have multiple sets of your own.”

She did. But then going dark was a common practice for her. She was adapted to it. No, born to it. Used to the isolation and loneliness that went along with weeks or months living in the shadows. Ben, however, was not.

“I don’t think you’ve thought this entirely through,” she cautioned him. “If we did that, you wouldn’t be able to see or communicate with your family. Rebecca, Rich, and the kids would miss you. So would your mum. Even your crazy aunt Marnie. Adam and Josslyn are getting married in a week’s time. You have to be there for that.”

He had much more to lose than she ever did. And he was so cavalier about leaving it all behind. Except she now knew the value of all the things Ben would be giving up.

She wasn’t sure if her heartache was for him or for all the things she’d missed over the years by not having a large family and a circle of friends. Either way, she was determined he would not walk away from his happy life.

Not even for her.

“My family and friends will understand. The only important thing is that we’re together.” He rolled off her and went to dispose of the condom. A moment later, he wandered back with a box of Teddy Grahams.

“I hate to break it to you, but those things are only found in America,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood when he slipped back into the bed.

“Then I better enjoy them while I can.”

“Ben—”

He shook his head then draped an arm around her shoulder pulling her close. “This isn’t up for debate. I won’t lose you again.”

She swallowed painfully. He was choosing her over everyone else in his life. The very idea was overwhelming.

---