Wilde Chase (13 page)

The tears she’d
fought so hard to keep back finally fell, coating her cheeks in a salty torrent.
She had withstood threats, violence, and pain, but hearing Ben say that he
loved her cracked her walls and sent them tumbling into ruin. “I love you too,
Ben.
So much.
Yes, I’ll move in with you. This place
is already more of my home than my apartment has ever been and it’s because
you’re here. You and Chase
are
my
home.”

“Say it again.”
 
He was grinning at her now.

“I love you,
Benjamin Wilde. I love you and I’m going to move in with you…on one condition.”

He blinked at
that. “What condition?”

“Once a month, you
have to cook me pancakes. Just like you did the first time I stayed the night.”

His grin turned
wicked and his eyes gleamed with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.
“Oh, baby. You have yourself a deal.”

* * * *

How had he gotten
so lucky?

Ben kept wondering
that as he carried his beautiful Kelly upstairs. She was lovely, compassionate,
sexy, and smarter than hell, and she loved him. Somehow, he’d managed to win
the only lottery that really mattered.

He carried her to
his bedroom. No, it was their bedroom now.
Their room, their
house, their life.
He liked the sound of that. Chase followed them
upstairs, curling up on his bed at the end of the hall. Ben paused at the door
and Kelly gave him a small smile.

“He earned it,”
was all she said, but Ben knew what she meant.

“Come on, boy.
Special occasion.”

Chase was up on
the bed before they got two steps into the room, and Ben could only hope that
he hadn’t pulled on his stitches jumping up there. Well, if he had, Kelly would
be able to deal with it, right after they all managed to get a few hours of
sleep.

Kelly was already
yawning as he set her down on the edge of the bed, and she put up no resistance
as he helped her out of her clothes. He cataloged every bruise, scrape, and
bandage on her delicate skin as he went. Seeing the bandages over her ribs made
his gut clench. He’d come terrifyingly close to losing her today.

The thought of not
having Kelly in his life any more brought a dark veil over everything. If he
was being honest with himself, he’d nearly lost her twice tonight, once to the
criminals and once because of his own demons.

Life was better
when Kelly was around. She kept the darkness away. There was more laughter,
more light, and now he knew there would be more love too. He was just going to
have to find a way to balance the job he loved with the woman who had laid
claim to his heart.

She was more than
half asleep already as he tucked her into bed and then stripped off his own
clothing before joining her under the covers. Chase had curled up at Kelly’s
feet with what Ben was certain was the canine version of a grin on his face.

“Don’t get used to
it, buddy. Once those stitches come out, your furry butt is back on your own
bed.”

Chase just wagged
in response and settled his big head down between his paws with a contented
sigh. Ben knew just how he felt. He gathered Kelly into his arms and held her
as she drifted off to sleep. She was the soul mate he’d needed and never had
the words to describe. The answer to a prayer he’d never dared to speak.

As dawn broke
outside and the birds began to sing, Ben finally closed his eyes and let sleep
take him. He knew that when he woke up again, Kelly would be there beside him.
Right where she was always meant to be.

Chapter Eleven

“What have you
done to my
house!
” Ben’s horrified tone carried up the
stairs and into the bedroom where Kelly was busy unpacking the last of her
clothes. She heard him taking the stairs two at a time and turned around just
in time to see him barrel through the door.

“Hi,
sweetheart.
You’re home early.”

Ben pulled her in
for a hug, spinning her around until she was giddy and they were both laughing.
“Don’t tell me you thought you could undo the wreckage downstairs before I got
home. There’s a mountain of boxes in the living room and…” He stared around the
room and groaned. “Why are there frilly extra pillows on my bed, woman?”

“All the boxes are
empty. I just need to break them down and then they’ll be out of the way. As
for the pillows, they’re just for show. You can take them off when you want to
sleep.”

“You haven’t been
moved in for a day yet and already you’re girlifying the place.”

“Not to worry,
throw pillows are the extent of my evil makeover plans.” Kelly stood on tiptoes
to brush a kiss to his lips. “I like this place as it is. Just like the owner.”

“I’m glad to hear
that.” He was grinning as he started backing her toward the bed.

“Where are we
going?”

“I’ll give you a
hint, those pillows are about to get moved.”

 
“Such a romantic you are,” she
teased,
her hands already busy tugging at the buttons of his
shirt. It had been a month since the night she’d been attacked, and while her
physical injuries had healed quickly, it had taken longer for her to come to
terms with everything else. Nightmares had plagued her sleep for weeks after
the attack. She was no longer comfortable going out alone at night. It was
slowly getting better, but Kelly knew that it would take more time before she
was back to the person she’d been before it happened.

Right after the
first nightmare, Ben had gotten her an appointment with a counselor who
specialized in victims of violent crime. Just talking with her and finding out
that what she was going through was normal had helped a lot.

Ben helped too, in
a thousand little ways. He bought her several flashlights for the house, the car,
and even her keychain, so she was never in the dark. He encouraged her to get
back into her routine, even when it meant returning to the parking lot after
dark, or just walking down the alleyway that led from her apartment building to
the street.

The nightmares
were much worse when she tried to sleep at her place so she’d stopped trying.
The move may have officially happened today, but she’d been unofficially living
at Ben’s place for a while now. Ben’s family was ecstatic, and Meg had already
managed to point out that the backyard would be a wonderful space for any
grandchildren that might come along. Brian had dragged her away after that,
telling his wife to leave the young couple alone, but Kelly really didn’t mind.
Meg was right. This place was made for a family, and she hoped one day they’d
have one.

Jenny had been
less thrilled to hear that her big sister was moving in with a cop, but she was
trying. For now she planned on staying in
Colorado
, but had promised to come out and
visit for Christmas. It was a good start.

The back of Kelly’s
knees hit the mattress and she stopped, expecting Ben to do the same. He
didn’t. Instead he kept prowling forward, his hands stroking down her back to
cup her ass, as he sent a trail of fiery kisses from her ear to her shoulder.
She lost her balance and started to tumble backward, grabbing at his shirt so
she could take him down with her as she fell.

“I don’t think
so,” he said, his voice a deep, sensual rumble as he pried her hands off his
half opened shirt and let her drop to the bed alone. “I had a chat with Tag when
I was on my lunch break. He happened to mention that he gave you a ride to pick
up some more boxes.”

“Yes, he did. He
dropped by to make sure I was managing alright since you and Chase got called
into work.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed
and his nostrils flared as he raked his gaze down her body and then lifted her
up, tossing her into the middle of the bed. Before she could move a muscle, the
pillows she’d just bought went flying and she found herself flipped onto her
stomach. “What did I tell you would happen if I caught you in one of my
brothers’ cars again?”

His words made her
inner walls pulse and her pussy flood with the slick evidence of her arousal.
She loved him in every mood, but there was no denying the fact she found him
sexiest when he became her caveman. He slapped a hand across one cheek of her
ass, just hard enough to get her attention. “Answer the question, baby.”

“You said you’d
spank me.” Kelly didn’t even bother to hide the telltale huskiness in her
voice.

“I said I’d spank
your ass pink, and that’s just what I’m going to do. Don’t move until I tell
you to.” Strong hands tugged at the waistband of her pants, peeling them off of
her slowly. She did as she was told, not moving at all. Kelly knew Ben would
never hurt her, and a part of her was so turned on by what he was doing that she
could barely think straight.

When he had her
naked from the waist down he ran a hand up the back of each thigh, making her
shiver with anticipation. “Hands and knees, baby. Up you get.”

She got onto all
fours, her head bowed so she could peek at him from under one arm. Somewhere in
the last few minutes he’d stripped naked. She’d been so distracted by thoughts
of what he was going to do that she’d missed it. It was a shame, because
watching Ben get naked was one of her favorite pastimes. He was so sexy and it
always amazed her that this handsome, loving man was all hers.

His hands stroked
over her bottom and she had to bite back a soft moan of anticipation. She
didn’t manage to muffle it enough though, because Ben chuckled. “This is
supposed to be a punishment. So why am I getting the sense you’re going to
enjoy this?”

“Because I think I
am,” she confessed. The admission made her blush hotter than ever before, but
it was worth the embarrassment to hear Ben’s low groan of arousal.

“Have I mentioned
how much I love you today? You are so damned sexy, Kelly. And every day you
find new ways to turn me on.” He slid a finger along the crack of her ass,
following it down between her legs. For a brief second he penetrated the folds
of her pussy, giving her clit a single flick before withdrawing his hand
completely. Kelly turned her head to protest and then jumped as his other hand
arced down and smacked her right cheek just hard enough to sting. “I told you
not to move.”

Kelly stuck her
tongue out at him, well aware of the price she’d pay. A second later his hand
came down again, this time on her left cheek. Her pussy was nearly dripping
now, her clit was throbbing, and her skin tingled with heat where his hand had
struck her skin. It didn’t hurt at all. It felt so good she wanted him to do it
again.

Three more times
his hand came down and Kelly moaned as the pleasure grew more intense. When his
fingers slid into her pussy again she quivered, so close to orgasm that she
nearly came apart at his very first touch. He slid two fingers deep inside and
she ground her hips against his hand, craving the contact. She wanted to come
so badly it was almost painful.

“You are so
fucking sexy,” he murmured, adding a third digit as he began finger fucking her
with long, slow strokes. Just as her inner walls clamped around him, heralding
her fast approaching release, he brought his hand down on her ass one more time
and she went hurtling into a pleasure-filled abyss with his name on her lips.

Kelly was still
dazed and dazzled by the aftershocks of her orgasm when she found herself back
in Ben’s arms. The world tipped and spun for a moment, and then she was lying
atop him with her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist. His
heart was hammering against the wall of his chest, loud enough it drowned out
every other sound.

His cock was
trapped between them, every hard inch of him pressed against the swollen lips
of her pussy. Kelly shifted her hips a fraction and they both moaned in unison.
She moved again, spreading her thighs to straddle him so that her labia parted
and she could rub her clit along his length, soaking him with her juices.

“I want you inside
me with nothing between us,” she said and his cock twitched in response.

“Has it been long
enough?” he
asked,
his voice thick with yearning.

“It has.”

“I’ve been waiting
for this. Fuck, I want you so bad, baby. Let me in.”

Kelly arched her
hips and reached between them, guiding his cock to her entrance. The birth
control she’d started taking would be working now, meaning they could finally
forgo condoms. It would be a first for both of them.

As their bodies
came together, Ben shuddered and growled in pleasure, his eyes closing as she
took him in, inch by satisfying inch. Kelly brushed a kiss to his mouth and
then sat up, rolling her hips in a slow figure-eight that made her toes curl.
Skin to skin felt better, more intimate, and every movement sent another
sparkling wave of pleasure crashing through her.

Hazel eyes opened
to stare up at her, lust blazing in their forest shaded depths. “You and I were
meant to be like this.
Nothing between us.
You feel so
good around me. Fuck, this is better than I ever imagined. Ride me, baby. I
want to watch you fuck me.”