Page 15 of One Weekend in Perth

“Just thinking about work,” she fibbed. It was kind of true, she had been thinking about a future new job.

“Well, I think you should quit if it gets you this stressed.” Ben flexed his fingers on her belly, but didn’t move them away.

Why wasn’t he moving?

Was he even aware of the fact that he was smushed up against her back and she could feel his hard cock against her ass?How she was able to stop herself from wiggling her butt against it amazed her.

He was right there. All she had to do was roll over and she would be facing him. She could place her hands on his hard chest. Lift her face, and he would lower his, and their mouths would meet.

No! Can’t happen!

“I think it’s time we got up.” She launched herself out of the bed and willed herself not to look at him lying amongst the creased sheets.

She turned around and her breath caught. She used all her willpower to get out of the bed, now she had none. She couldn’t look away. The sheet lay low on him, barely covering the bottom half of his body. His muscled chest was on display. He looked delicious and sexily rumpled, and she took a step toward the bed.

One step before she dredged up a sliver of control from deep inside of her. “I, um…” She looked away from Ben because staring at what was on display was fritzing her brain. “I’m going to shower.”

Ben sat up, fortunately he grabbed the sheet at the same time so it didn’t drop any lower, giving her a chance to see what she felt brushing up against her. The devil inside her was disappointed that didn’t happen. “I’ll order some breakfast, then we can do something.”

“Sure. Sounds great.” Clara grabbed an armful of clothes that were dumped on the small couch and raced to the bedroom, hoping she’d collected some clean underwear and something decent to wear.

She slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Ben wanted to spend the day with her. What did that mean?

What did all of it mean? He hadn’t moved away from her when he’d woken up. Apart from that brief moment, he’d acted like waking up with her was an everyday occurrence.

“He can’t?” she whispered, not daring to speak out loud the hope that refused to die within her.

Did Ben want her like she wanted him?

Ben flopped backon the bed the second the bathroom door slammed shut. He squeezed his eyes close, trying not to imagine Clara wet and naked as she took a shower.

He should’ve put some space between them when he’d woken up and realized he was clutching her like she was a life preserver in rough seas. Yet he couldn’t make himself move. Hadn’t wanted to. He loved having Clara in his arms. The scent of vanilla now filled his senses. A scent he knew came from the shampoo she’d used for the whole time he’d known her.

He groaned when the shower started and, against his will, his imagination taunted him with what Clara could look like. Water rushing down her body, between her breasts. If possible his cock got even harder than it was when he’d woken up and it had been nestled against Clara’s shapely ass.

What had she been thinking about when he held her?

He didn’t believe for a second that she’d been thinking about work. Had she been thinking about them? With the way her body had become so tense in his embrace, had she wanted to get away but hadn’t known how to do it?

Then again she’d jumped from the bed as if it had turned into a pit of snakes so maybe she had wanted to get away from him asfast as possible. But he hadn’t imagined the way her eyes flared with desire when she looked back at the bed and saw him lying there. Nor the way she took one step before she’d gotten control over her body’s actions.

He flung an arm across his eyes, wishing that he could ask her what was going on. What she was feeling.

“The shower’s free.”

Ben put his arm down and found Clara standing at the foot of the bed. Her hair was damp and curling softly around her shoulders. The blue flowered dress she wore was cute and short, displaying her long legs. Legs he could easily picture wrapped around his waist as he slid in and out of her slowly.

Fucking hell, get a grip.

He should listen to his inner voice, but now that he knew he was free and Clara was free, what had once been elusive between them could be a possibility. Ben was convinced Clara wanted something too, because her gaze hadn’t strayed from his chest. If she tracked it a little lower, she’d find out just how much he wanted her. Which was why he couldn’t get out of bed at this moment. There was no hiding how turned on he was, and if he wanted to have a chance with Clara, he had to convince her that what he was feeling wasn’t a rebound from his failed almost-wedding, but from feelings he’d long since buried and not allowed himself to feel.

“Ben? Are you okay?” She glanced down at her dress, as if looking for a reason why he was gazing at her.

How much time had stretched between her letting him know the shower was free until now? Plenty, by the way her brow furrowed.

“Umm yeah, I just remembered I forgot to order breakfast. Can you pass me the menu?” he asked, adding an impish grin in the hopes that she wouldn’t delve more into why he’d been staring at her and not saying a word.

“Sure.”

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