35. Luna
CHAPTER 35
Luna
Parvati
The city processed the permit. Whatever magic you worked sealed the deal.
I placed the phone face down on my lap, replaying the ugly scene in the bathroom from the other night.
I'd barely even remembered it since the after party in my bedroom had been a delicious distraction.
Now, with the text in black and white, all I could do was shake my head. Delaney was withholding the permit because of me and my past relationship with her boyfriend who she was convinced still wanted me.
That solved that mystery.
But, damn. And all because of a man I didn't even want.
I inhaled deeply, counting slowly to eight as I released my breath through my mouth.
At least that was over. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I decided to take the win with as much grace as I could muster.
“Can we stop at a coffee shop on the way to the club?,” I asked as we drove. “The Coffee Library is around the corner.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Darnell put on his blinker.
It had been two days since the gala. Two days since Beck let me use his body, handing over the control on a silver platter. I couldn’t quite believe that I’d finally broken the seal. I’d finally had sex after so many years of celibacy, of playing it safe. Of protecting my body and my soul.
And of course I’d broken that spell with him . My body still ached from our joining. It had been a shock to the system and my system was still trying to figure out how it felt.
If I closed my eyes, I could still feel him inside me. Could feel him throbbing, aching, and releasing inside me.
To see his cum slide down my thigh afterward… I don’t think I’ll forget that anytime soon.
Eventually, I released him from the cuffs, gently kissing the angry red marks circling his wrists.
Beck had made it very clear he didn’t give two shits about his wrists.
Like magnets, our bodies found each other in the middle of the night. Beck finally gave up on the ruse of trying to build a wall between us.
I woke up with my hand on his cock. His very hard, long, girthy cock. My kitty clenched, wanting more. Wanting all of him. I was fucking ready to go.
Beck hesitated, still treating me with kid gloves despite our evening activities. Then he slipped out at the crack of dawn, placing a quick kiss on my lips and darting back to his place before Alice got up.
The next night we spent at his house, just holding each other. He didn’t want to push it and while my body craved his, we didn't have a repeat performance.
It was almost as if we both knew that we needed to have deeper discussions before that happened.
Parvati
Did you get the latest designs for the restaurant?
Ahh, work . Where I needed to focus my attention.
Luna
Not yet. I'll review them ASAP.
Parvati
Faith helped a lot. I just glanced at them and the mock up is a huge improvement over last time.
Luna
Thanks for flagging.
Parvati sent a photo of the construction site. These daily pictures quelled my nerves, alleviating some of the pressure on my shoulders. At this point the changes were significant.
I closed my eyes, took some deep, centering breaths and realized that I felt good.
No migraine on the horizon. No increased heart rate associated with my tremendous workload. The only flutter I detected was courtesy of one Beck Bennet.
Beck
Want to have dinner with Alice and I today? She’s requested Hawaiian pizza.
Luna
I thought I taught her that pineapple wasn’t the best topping for pizza.
Beck
Turns out kids like what they like. In fact, sometimes they dig their heels in even deeper when you suggest they like something.
I smiled.
Luna
Ahh, that’s where I went wrong. I didn’t play it cool enough. I made too big of a deal of her liking pineapple on her pizza.
Beck
Exactly. Now it’s bound to remain her favorite and I’ll forever need to order a second pizza with toppings I like.
Luna
Seems like a you problem ??
Beck
So, dinner? We plan to eat at six.
I opened my calendar. Tonight was college night at the club, which meant we didn’t have a lot of VIPs that required my attention. It did mean that I wanted to sweep to check out the floor and make sure our safety procedures were on lock, but that didn’t require me until way past dinner time.
Luna
Count me in.
Beck
Alice can’t wait to see you.
Luna
And what about Alice’s father?
Beck
I’ll have to ask him.
Luna
??
Beck
I’d be happier if YOU were dinner.
An image from the other night popped in my head. Beck devouring me like a starved man. I could only imagine what he would have been like had I granted him full use of his hands. He’d probably crush me to him, kneading my ass as he held me against his tongue.
I found myself instantly slick. If I touched my cheeks, I’m sure I’d find them flushed. Not great timing, considering I was on my way to work and had no way of alleviating the ache.
Luna
If you’re good, you can have me for dessert.
Beck
Is that a promise?
Luna
Only if you make it worth my while.
Rather than a responding text, my phone began to ring with Beck’s name flashing across the screen.
I answered on the first ring. “Well, hello.”
Beck grunted. “You’re sleeping in my bed tonight. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you left in the middle of the night.”
I slunk down in my seat, as Darnell pulled up to The Coffee Library. He exited the car to give me some privacy.
“And here I thought you were calling to explain how you were going to make it worth my while.”
“If you want to wake up with my head between your thighs, you’re going to need to stay the night. I changed my mind. I don’t just want you for dessert, I want you for breakfast too.”
I tugged on my silk blouse. “You drive a hard bargain, Bennet.”
“That’s not the only thing that’s hard,” he said, his voice low.
I frowned. “Where are you?”
He chuckled. “The office stairwell. You were teasing me in the middle of a meeting. I had to excuse myself.”
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “You’re obsessed with me.”
“I am,” he said with a seriousness that hadn’t been in his voice just a few seconds earlier.
I unbuckled myself and sat forward, hand on the passenger seat in front of me. “You really like me, don’t you?”
“I think it’s a little deeper than that,” he confided, his voice serious.
My throat constricted. “For me too.”
It was the closest we’d come to saying I love you. The words were on the tip of my tongue. I definitely didn’t want to say them for the first time on the phone.
No, those words should be shared in person. They were precious. And I’d never said them to a partner. Ever.
For the first time ever, I wanted to. But in person. Not over the phone.
Beck cleared his throat. “Alice keeps asking me if we’re together.”
That warmed my heart. I loved that pineapple-pizza-loving kiddo. “And what do you tell her?”
He sighed. “I tell her I need to talk to you.”
This man. This bossy, annoying man who thinks he knows what’s best for me drew the line here because he knew it was important to me.
I pretended to scoff. “You don’t just make up an answer? I’m shocked, Beck Bennet.”
He hummed, like he could see through my bullshit. “And what, exactly, would you have me say?”
Playful banter. We fell back into our playful banter despite the heaviness in the air. A raw and real conversation that needed to be had.
I couldn’t do this now. Not over the phone.
So I hung up on him. Oops.