cloud. I love the flare of his nostrils that tells me he’s uncertain for the first time.
The power switch turns me on even more. I know he wants me, but he’s restraining myself, letting me make the choice, because he cares about me and respects me.
I lift my chin. “In this fantasy of yours… where did you picture me?”
Ben’s expression turns molten. He shifts back, watching me from half-lidded eyes, and my gaze flicks to the carpet at his feet. “Where the fuck do you think?”
I’m soaked and there’s a good chance I’ll leave a mark on this desk when I get up, because now his fantasy is mine, too.
Me taking him out of those dress pants, running my nails lightly along his underside before I take him into my mouth.
I want to feel him slide against my tongue, to learn what makes him twitch, and praise me, and curse me.
“And here I thought you liked my mouth for its opinions,” I say, my heart hammering in my ears.
His slow grin is hot as sin. “I can like it for both. You can be smart and sexy. Sweet and powerful. Awkward and irresistible.”
The growing tent in his pants provides evidence of his words, and I love the idea of him using me that way.
He reaches for my knee and pulls me closer. “I know we’re friends first, and we always will be. But don’t pretend the other night in that hotel room wasn’t the best sex you’ve had in a long time. Because it was for me. When I saw you talking to Xavier, winding him around your finger, it turned me on even more.” He brushes a thumb over my lower lip, and I want to suck it into my mouth. “Our friendship will always come first. But when I close my eyes, it's you I think of.”
My chest tightens. I’ve wanted so damned long to hear those words, to know he wants me so powerfully.
I meet Ben’s expectant gaze once again, my heartrate almost back to normal. “What about the rest of the time?”
It’s a question I need him to answer not only for my sake, but for his.
He frowns. “What rest of the time?”
“When you’re stressed. When you’re frustrated. When you see something that surprises you. Who do you think of then?”
His eyes cloud.
A notification dings on his computer, and he curses. “That’s my video call. Thank fuck it's from the chest up.” He exhales hard. “To be continued?”
I nod. “To be continued.”
I turn to leave, aroused by our exchange and disappointed at once. I set Jet back on the coffee table as I head for the door.
A few keyboard and mouse clicks behind me say he’s preparing for his call.
But before he does, he answers me.
“It’s always you.”
The three abrupt words have me turning back at the door.
Ben’s switched into full-on business mode, introducing himself in that low, commanding voice. His gaze meets mine for a moment over the computer.
It’s always you.
This isn’t college anymore. Maybe he’s not in love with me, or the kind of man who’d rearrange his life for love anyway… but I’ve seen him be vulnerable. There are cracks in his armor, and I want to see more.
Instead of opening the door, I flick the lock.
His attention snaps to me.
I cross back to him, one slow step after another.
When I sink to my knees, the desk blocks out his face so I miss his response.
But as I crawl under his desk, placing a hand on each of his shins when I reach the other side and lifting my gaze, I’m struck by it.
Ben’s face is full of disbelief and admiration, plus a wanting to intense it might scorch me from the inside out.
The idea that he wants this as much as I do, more even, has my throat going dry.
The other night I felt him inside me, but I didn’t get to taste him, to learn his shape with my lips and tongue.
Now, I get to.
Ben hits a key on his keyboard, presumably muting himself. “The fuck are you doing?”
His voice is gravel, an octave lower than usual and twice as rough.
I answer without words, my palm stroking experimentally up the bulge in his dress pants. His cock twitches under my hand, but his gaze stays locked on the screen in front of him.
So I do it again.
This time his thighs clench and his gaze flicks down to meet mine. It’s full of warning and challenge. Don’t you dare.
An illicit thrill races