Page 69 of Reason to Believe (White Lace 2)

I smiled back. Thankful that at least Marta didn’t think the worst of me.

Ben and I walked to his car in silence, and it gave me time to think about what had just gone down. I should be devastated. I should be humiliated. And I was. My worst nightmare had just become a reality—but, really, the only thing I could think about was Ben.

He’d come to my rescue, even though I didn’t need him to. He’d defended me, even though I needed no excuses for my past.

Now he opened the car door for me and I lowered into the seat. Before he shut the door, I whispered, “Ben?”

When I looked up, there was a strange expression on his face. I wasn’t sure if it was worry, or sadness, or irritation. I had no idea what was going on in his head. And that scared me to death. Especially now that I had just admitted to myself that I was falling in love with him.

“Can I stay with you tonight?”

“Grace.” He reached out, rubbing the back of his fingers across my cheek. “I didn’t plan on taking you anywhere else but right to my bed.”

He closed the car door and for the few moments it took him to get into the car, I sat in complete silence, my ears ringing slightly at the loss of background noise.

Ben Lockwood was my knight in shining armor. He’d been right in front of my face this whole damn time.

As soon as we got to his house, Ben rushed out of the car to unlock the front door, but instead of granting me entry, he picked me up and carried me over the threshold.

“Ben!”

He kicked the door behind him with ease, as if he’d done this a thousand times before. He carried me into his bedroom, gently laying me on the mattress. The gray sheets still ruffled from when we’d left them this morning. I turned my face into them, the material still smelled like Ben—fresh and a bit musky. Whatever aftershave he wore did me in every time.

He prowled over me and I couldn’t stop it, the gratitude escaping from my lips. “Thank you, Ben. I can’t even—”

He pressed one finger against my lips. “You never have to pretend with me, Grace. None of it matters.” His finger lowered, along my chin and down my neck into my cleavage.

Three weeks ago, I would have laughed if someone had told me it would be the man who didn’t believe in love who would help me realize the woman I wanted to be. Who would show me that it was okay to be myself, whoever that may be.

Ben Lockwood was the man who’d taught me to enjoy the moment. And I never wanted this one to end.

But if we were going to do this, I needed more from him. This time, he wasn’t keeping me at a distance. This time he was not going to look away.

“Do you trust me?” I whispered as his finger circled my nipple over the fabric of my dress.

He nodded.

I shimmied out from under him and walked over to his closet, picking up the only tie he owned, the one we’d picked out together to match his new suit.

When I returned to the bed he looked genuinely confused.

“Grace?”

I shuffled him across the mattress until he was diagonal. The headboard didn’t have bars or slats, so I had to improvise and tie him to the leg of the end table.

“What are you doing with that tie?”

I slid the tie around his wrists. “You said you trust me. Just go with it, please.” I tugged on the silk, making sure it was sufficiently locked in place.

I wasted no time taking off his pants and boxers. There was no seduction. No foreplay. I didn’t even offer a playful twinkle in my eye before I tugged them from his body.

I slipped out of my dress, letting the fabric fall forward and down my arms, then tugged at my waist until it pooled around my feet. I slipped out of my pantyhose and panties, then my bra, but I put my black stilettos back on, just for the hell of it.

Ben tested the tie holding him in place and the nightstand banged against the bed and wall. “Are you going to untie me?”

I held out my finger, moving it back and forth, letting him know I had zero intention of untying him. Not until I was done with him. Not until he looked me in the eye while I moved on top of him.

I crawled onto the bed, loving the way he took in the sight of me. His breathing had quickened, and the closer I got, the more his arms tensed and pulled at the tie. When I finally straddled him, sliding my center over his thick erection just to tease him, he groaned, bumping me with his pelvis.

---