Page 70 of Home to Me

Without realizing what she was going to do or really sure why she did, Lauren threw her head back and laughed. It was a robust laugh, full of every bit of giddiness and lightheartedness she was feeling and every bit of contentment and bliss.

Ben stroked her hair, watching her with affection clearly visible in his face.

“Should I be offended?” he asked, his voice lightly playful.

She looked into his eyes, her hands on the sides of his face, and her own eyes misted over for a moment. “I'm just happy,” she said simply, sliding her hands back into his thick, magnificent hair and leaning up to kiss him again, harder this time.

Ben slid his hands around her waist and squeezed, holding her tight and making her feel tiny when engulfed in his strong hands.

He took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom, smiling back at her seductively as they walked.

When they got to the bedroom, Lauren reached up to her tiptoes so that she could whisper in his ear, “I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go freshen up.”

Lauren ducked into Ben's bathroom and shut the door behind her. She should freshen up, sure—and she would—but right now, her immediate interest was getting a look at herself in the mirror.

There hadn't been a good time all day to touch up her makeup, pay any attention to her hair, straighten her clothes—and the stuffy taxi ride and dash across the hospital parking lot couldn't have done her any favors either.

Lauren eyed herself critically. Hmmm... It wasn't how she would’ve chosen to look while having a romantic dinner with Ben, but it wasn't as bad as she had expected either. Still. She was going to need to make some cosmetic adjustments if she wanted to be able to surrender to this experience and not feel self-conscious about her state of disarray the whole time. Hey. Maybe it was shallow, but it was true.

Lauren tried to get her hair into place with her hand and then turned her attention to smoothing the wrinkles out of her clothing. She sighed. Very little success on both counts.

She looked around the bathroom to see what she had to work with. It was a man's bathroom, so obviously very little. She started to feel a little depressed. She wanted to look beautiful for Ben, but she didn't have the tools.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Remembering Karina's words about the 'power of female nakedness' she quickly stripped down to her bra and panties. She eyed her hair. Wrangling it back into its sleek style was not going to be an option, so she quickly took the pins out and fluffed it out with her fingertips so that it fell in soft waves around her shoulders.

With no makeup to work with, she had to go old-school. She licked her lips to give them a sheen and pinched her cheeks to help them color. She felt like she was in the Old West or something.

She looked herself up and down, pleased. Just one last decision to make. Keep the heels or go barefoot?

She smiled wickedly at herself in the mirror.

Oh, heels—for damn sure.

After one last spot-check, she opened the bathroom door and strode seductively back into the room. Ben watched her, clearly mesmerized.

She smiled, liking that reaction.

He had also been busy while she was occupied in the bathroom. He lowered the lighting to a sexy, soft hue and chose some soulful jazz, which was currently playing on low through his high-quality sound system. She also spotted a shiny, square condom in its wrapper lying on his nightstand that wasn’t there before. She smiled. Good. No more interruptions.

Ben walked slowly over to her, his eyes drinking her in, and stopped when he was about a foot away.

“My God,” he breathed reverently. “You look amazing.”

He reached out and ran his fingers gently down the side of her torso, almost as if he had to touch her to believe that she was real.

Lauren felt her flesh jump under his light touch, and she drew in her breath. Even at this soft touch, her body was responding. She felt her breath quicken, felt the muscles in her limbs melting and growing shaky.

She took the final step towards Ben, closing the gap between them and pressing her body hard against the length of his. She loved the way they seemed to notch together so seamlessly, as if their bodies were molded in a factory, created for the very purpose of joining flawlessly. They were like puzzle pieces finding their true mate for the first time.

Lauren began to kiss Ben's neck as she moved her hands over the length of his body. His muscles were an alluring landscape of peaks and shadows set off by the soft glow of the lighting. She wanted to explore every inch of that tantalizing territory.

She felt the quickening pace of his thudding heartbeat under her touch as her hands explored his chest; she felt the blood rushing through his veins under her lips as she kissed his neck. His growing passion fed hers, and her skin became flushed with desire as she kissed and touched him with ever-growing urgency.

Ben placed his hand flat on her lower back and guided her firmly to the bed. Lauren was beside herself with desire. Touching Ben's body had that effect on her, without fail. She marveled at the fact that, although it magnified her arousal tenfold, it wasn't even actually necessary for Ben to touch her—the simple act of exploring his body would send her into a blurry haze of desire each and every time.

Smiling at her in between placing soft, gentle kisses on her face and neck, Ben laid Lauren back onto the bed, taking care to cushion her body inch by inch.

Lauren felt treasured, cherished, and desired. It was a heady combination. Every muscle in her body was trembling, and she found herself feeling grateful that Ben displayed the foresight to lay her down on the bed—she didn't know how much longer her quaking muscles would’ve kept her on her feet.

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