Chapter 14
Tristan
An awkward atmosphere descended between Ben and me when I arrived in the morning and handed him his coffee. I didn’t know what had happened to cause it; we’d cleared the air yesterday, and when he’d arrived home from work in the evening, he’d seemed fine.
He even commented on how dedicated I was to getting the work done, and I swear, my heart almost beat out of my chest at the exhilaration that ran through me at his praise.
But this morning, he could barely look me in the eye, and he couldn’t leave for work fast enough. I hated the tension. I’d rather have gone back to when I was an annoying bug; at least then, I was getting his attention.
I didn’t understand the pull I had to him; everyone saw him as a stingy, selfish asshole, and don’t get me wrong, there was that side to him. But the more I was getting to know him, I was seeing another side, and I wanted to know more.
If only he would let me in.
Now that I’d finished decorating his bedroom, I’d moved into the hallway to start painting over the red line Bella had sprayed along the length of it during her rampage.
I was making excellent time on the project.
I’d be finished way before the end of the month, but a little part of me knew I was dragging out the work to extend my time at the house.
My music blasted through my headphones as I concentrated on the edging, but it was interrupted by the beeping of a WhatsApp message. I put the paintbrush back into the pot before grabbing my phone from my pocket.
Ben:
How’s it going at the house?
My brows shot up at seeing the message from him. He’d had my number for a week now and not once had messaged. So why was he messaging now?
Me:
All good. What’s up?
Ben:
Nothing. Just wanted to see how you’re getting on?
I smelled bullshit, and I wasn’t afraid to call him on it.
Me:
You’ve had my number for a week now and not checked up on me.
Deliberating whether I should risk my sanity or embarrassment, I quickly typed out another message and hit send before I could think better of it.
Me:
Are you really checking up on me, or are you thinking about me, the way I’m thinking about you?
I waited with bated breath as three dots appeared, indicating he was typing a reply.
Ben:
What are you thinking about me?
A little alarm bell rang in my head, warning not to push. But I couldn’t help myself. Our encounter in the foyer a few days ago had been front and center of my mind, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a repeat. Or maybe something more…
Fuck it.
Me:
How good your hand felt wrapped around my cock.
Me:
How much I’d love your cock stuffed down my throat.
Me:
How incredible it would feel if you fucked me with that beautiful cock of yours.
I stared at the message I’d just sent, the WhatsApp ticks turning blue to tell me he’d read it. Nerves swirled in my stomach as I waited for the dots to appear, desperate for his response.
And then he went offline.
Shit.
Regret slammed into me like a freight train, and I cursed myself for getting carried away. I waited to see if he came back online, but when a solid five minutes passed and he hadn’t, I pulled up his name with my finger hovering over the call button.
Chickening out, though, I sighed heavily and closed my phone, opting to wait until later so I could apologize face to face.
Maybe he’d gone into a meeting, or his battery died.
There was no need to panic. Yet. Repocketing my phone, I turned to pick up my paintbrush, only to freeze at the broad figure blocking the hallway.
Ben’s eyes blazed, but I couldn’t tell if it was from fury or heat. His chest heaved as if he’d just run a marathon, and without meaning to, my gaze dropped to the bulge in his pants.
Holy. Fuck.
“Did you mean that?” he growled.
“Mean what?” I replied, playing it cool and not wanting to spook him.
“What you said in your message?”
Braving several steps toward him, and hoping I wasn’t crossing a line, I let my hot breath brush across his lips. “Which part? The bit about your cock stuffed down my throat, or you fucking me?”
“Dammit, Bug,” he snarled a second before his lips crashed into mine.
There was no hesitation as his tongue forced its way into my mouth and his hands grabbed my hips so he could thrust against me.
My cock twitched to life, turning rock solid as he claimed my mouth with a ferocious kiss that sent my pulse into a frenzy. Shoving him back against the wall, I broke our kiss. “Tell me what you want.”
His eyes darted between mine as if gauging how serious I was. “I want to fuck you.”
“Then fuck me,” I hissed, grabbing his tie and yanking him toward me.
The two of us stumbled down the hallway, not breaking our frantic kiss, and somehow managing to avoid knocking over the paint pot or brushing against the wet walls. When we reached his room, I ripped his shirt open, buttons pinging everywhere.
“Holy shit. You have a fucking fine body hidden under your suits.” If it were possible, my cock thickened as my eyes traveled over his sculpted abs and defined pecs.
I couldn’t wait to run my tongue over every inch of him.
At finding a smug smirk playing on his lips, I added, “It’s almost as hot as mine. ”
His hand whipped out to wrap around my throat, but he didn’t squeeze like before. “You’re a cocky little shit, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but you like me,” I winked.
A moment of vulnerability washed over his features before he admitted, “Yeah. I do.”
His response cooled the fire scorching my veins, and I took a step back, self-preservation warring with insatiable lust. “Before we go any further, and believe me, this is taking a whole lot of restraint, but I need to know what this is.”
Ben’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not asking for declarations of love or even a relationship status. I get that you might be exploring, and I’m okay with that. For now. But what I can’t deal with is being told to fuck off out of your house every time something happens between us.”
I held my breath as he took a few seconds to respond.
“That’s fair.” He blew out a breath before running a hand through his hair.
“I guess I’m still sorting a lot of things out in my head, but I know I want this, and I want this with you.
” He closed the gap between us again. “All I ask is that we keep this, whatever this is, between us until I deal with my shit and figure out a few things.”
A little voice screamed in my head to end this before it even got started because it would only end in me getting hurt.
My ex, Jase, hadn’t told anyone he was gay when we were together, and sometimes, he openly ignore me when we were out in public.
I vowed I’d never let anyone treat me like that again, yet I found myself saying, “I can do that. I’ll be your secret. ”
I caught his lips with mine, not wanting to hear his reply as I yanked his shirt down his arms and tossed it on the floor. He copied my movements, yanking my shirt over my head before cupping the back of my neck and devouring my mouth.
When he pulled away, his eyes dropped to my chest. “What’s with the tattoo?”
I glanced down at the ink that ran across my pecs, the Old English words ‘This too shall pass,’ a permanent reminder of the motto I lived by.
“You want to talk about my tattoo now? Personally, I’d rather be on my back with your cock buried inside me.”
A growl rumbled low in his chest before his mouth was on mine again, our tongues battling for dominance.
Our hips rolled against each other, our solid cocks grinding, and when the pressure in my shaft became too much, I broke our kiss so I could shove my pants and boxers down, kicking them off along with my socks and boots.
Seeing Ben had done the same, the two of us paused, each taking the other’s body in. Christ, he was sheer perfection. Every muscle was defined, his skin smooth with only a smattering of dark hair covering his pecs. My mouth watered when my gaze landed on his thick cock, demanding attention.
My tongue darted out to lick my lips. “I really want to taste you, but I need you inside me. Right fucking now.”
I reached out and wrapped my hand around his shaft, pumping my fist twice. He hissed between his teeth, his hooded eyes holding mine. “On the bed, Bug.”
Exhilaration pounded through me, my cock throbbing with the need for him to touch me, but before I crossed to the bed, I picked up my pants and rummaged through the back pocket, pulling out my wallet.
Ben watched with curiosity as I pulled out two small packets, throwing one at him, which he caught with ease.
His brow quirked. “You always carry lube with you?”
I smirked. “No. I put it in after Saturday in hopes that this—” I waved my hand between us “—would happen.”
His body seemed to sag in relief, and I made a mental note to reassure him that I didn’t sleep around. I’d only been with two guys and had never had a one-night stand. I held the other packet out to him. A scowl formed on his face as he looked at the condom like it offended him.
“I’m clean, Bug.”
My eyes dropped to the packet. I’d never been with a guy without one, but did the thought of Ben fucking me bare and filling me with his come excite me more than I already was?
Yes, it fucking did.
“I’m clean, too,” I whispered.
“Your choice.”
Before I could second-guess myself, I tossed the packet on the pile of clothes. “I want to feel you.”
I moved onto the bed, sitting as I watched Ben open the small packet of lube before squirting some on his hand. The sight of him rubbing his hand over his length had pre-cum leaking from my tip. Unable to resist, I groaned as I wrapped my hand around my shaft and pumped it a few times.
“Jesus, Bug. Just watching you do that makes me want to come right this damn second.”
“You best get over here then, I’m not sure I can wait much longer either.”