so slow that you are going to be begging me, begging me, Silver, to let you come.”
“I think I’m ready to come right now, actually,” she murmured between his kisses, pushing shamelessly against the palm of his hand. “Just stay right where you are. . . .”
He removed his hand and slowly shook his head. “Not happening yet, babe.” His appreciative gaze swept her body. “I’ve got a lot of territory to cover before I get to there, so settle down, and buckle up.”
* * *
Ben woke up in Silver’s bed and smiled into the darkness. They’d made love three times. Once on the couch and twice in the vast California king-sized bed. He was tired, but also deeply happy. He wasn’t sure what to make of their current relationship, but as Silver said, if it worked for them then it was no one else’s business.
He glanced down at her tousled blond hair and kissed the top of her head. She was special and he didn’t want to lose her. He hadn’t heard back from Adam yet. He wondered whether he’d get the all-clear to return when he checked his phone in the morning. There was no reason for anyone to hang out at their ranch now that the media had met him and heard the true story of where Silver had been. Hopefully she’d get the movie role she’d been after, her reputation restored, and he’d get to go home and get shouted at by his father.
Unless he took the job at Pablo’s place....
He’d told Silver about it earlier, and she’d thought he should take it, too. If he had his own place, and if she could get away, maybe she could come and see him occasionally.
The realization that they still hadn’t really solved anything except the sex hit him hard. Could he live with it? Did he have a choice? If they stayed together could they somehow find a way to make it work? He was a world champ at not stirring the waters and of letting things slide so he should be good at this. No one at home would understand what he was doing, and his father would pick at him endlessly.
“Are you awake?” Silver whispered.
“Yeah.”
“I thought so.” She stroked his chest. “I could hear you thinking too much. Your body got all tense.”
“You know me, always looking for ways to make myself miserable,” he said lightly, which didn’t even fool himself.
“So, tell me.” She rolled onto her side and looked at him, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
“There’s no point in making you miserable, too.”
“Ben... if we’re going to make this work, we’re going to have to be honest with each other, okay?” She reached out and stroked his nose. “If you’re worried about something, just say it.”
He took a deep breath. “Okay, what do I tell my family? Are we keeping this a secret?”
“I wasn’t planning on mentioning it to mine, but I think that’s up to you.”
“Why won’t you tell your family?” Ben asked. “Don’t you think they might notice that we’ve been holed up in here together for two days?”
“I’ve sort of told my mom,” Silver admitted. “I’ll probably tell Aaron and Spring later, but not my dad.”
“And how come Aaron didn’t get a stupid name like you and Spring did?” Ben demanded.
“Oh, he did.” She grinned. “He just refuses to answer to it, and this has nothing to do with him, so please stop changing the subject. What else?”
“The logistics.”
“Of getting together?” She nodded. “Yes, I can see where that might get a little complicated, but you’d be amazed what money can do for your privacy and security. The Morgans have a fully functional landing strip on their ranch, don’t they?”
“Yeah, Chase Morgan has a private jet and he flies back and forth from the Bay Area all the time. Daisy sometimes hitches a ride. What about it?”
“I can arrive there with no one the wiser. You can meet me and we can go back to your place.” She shrugged. “Or I can send the plane, you can get on it, and we can meet anywhere you like.”
“You make it sound so easy, but how am I going to explain that to my dad?” Ben asked.
“That’s up to you.” Her smile dimmed. “As I said, if you want this to work, you’re going to have to make some choices as well.”
“What if it all gets too much?” Now that he’d started yakking Ben didn’t seem able to shut up.