5. Acacia
ACACIA
T he smell of sizzling bacon and woodsmoke pulls me from a sleep so deep it feels like I’ve been underwater for years.
I’m warm - heavy, bone-deep warm - and for a moment, I forget the crash, the snow, and the giant who carried me through it.
Then I feel the weight of the quilts and the scent of cedar on the pillowcase, and it all comes rushing back.
I slip out of bed, my feet sinking into the thick rug. Bennett’s flannel is still draped over me, the hem brushing my mid-thighs. It’s huge, and every time I move, the fabric rubs against my skin, reminding me of him.
I find him in the kitchen, his back to me as he stands over the stove. He isn't wearing his heavy coat today. The exact opposite, in fact. Bennett is shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.
I stop in the doorway, my breath hitching.
His back is a roadmap of his life. There are long, jagged white lines that crisscross his shoulder blades, and a deep, puckered indentation near his left ribs that looks like it came from something much sharper than a branch.
But it’s his right shoulder that stops my heart.
A massive, swirling pattern of scar tissue reaches up toward his neck, the skin pulled tight and shiny.
He’s a warrior who survived the unthinkable, and he’s carrying the proof of it on every inch of his body.
Bennett senses my presence, like he always does, and he tenses, his hand pausing as he flips a piece of bacon. He doesn't turn around. It’s like he’s waiting for me to gasp, to recoil, or to ask questions he isn't ready to answer.
Instead, I walk forward. My heart is hammering against my ribs, but it isn't fear. It’s a fierce, overwhelming need to comfort him.
"Bennett," I whisper.
He finally turns, his jaw set in that familiar, grumpy line, but his blue eyes are guarded. He looks down at me, his gaze flickering to the way his shirt hangs off my shoulder, then back to my face.
"Breakfast is almost ready," he grunts, his voice rougher than usual. "You should sit."
"I don't want to sit," I say softly. I take another step, putting me well within his personal space. He towers over me, a wall of scarred muscle and heat, but I don't move back.
I reach up. I see him flinch, just a tiny, microscopic twitch, but I don't stop. I press my palm against the massive scar on his shoulder. His skin is hot, the scar tissue a different texture under my fingertips, and I feel a violent shudder ripple through his entire frame.
"Acacia," he warns, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low growl. "Don't. It’s not... you shouldn't be looking at this."
"Why?" I ask, my voice steady even though my knees feel like jelly. I move my hand up, my thumb grazing the scar that cuts through his eyebrow. "They’re a part of you. And I think they’re beautiful."
He lets out a choked sound, a half-laugh, half-sob, and his restraint finally snaps.
He doesn't kiss me, not yet, but he grabs my waist and hauls me against him, burying his face in the crook of my neck. He’s breathing like he’s just run a marathon, his massive hands trembling where they grip my hips.
"You’re going to ruin me, little bird," he mutters against my skin. "I’m a wreck, and you’re looking at me like I’m the sun."
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him as close as I can. I want him to know that I see all of him - the scars, the grumpiness, the beast - and I’m not going anywhere.
"Maybe you are the sun," I whisper into his hair. "At least, you are on this mountain."
The air in the kitchen is thick with more than just the scent of breakfast; it’s heavy with the weight of his acceptance and the simmering, undeniable heat of two people who are tired of being alone.
The big sexy beast looks down at me, heat and hunger pouring from his gaze. It's a palpable thing, his desire. I feel it drip down my skin, coating me in anticipation, and setting my nerves on fire.
Bennett cups my cheek and brushes his nose against mine in a surprisingly sweet gesture. I tilt my head, silently begging him to close the distance between us. His breath tickles across my lips for a fraction of a second before he finally claims my first kiss.
I hum in approval, opening up for his eager tongue. Bennett explores me with slow strokes, the hand at my cheek trailing down my chest and landing on my hip. His fingers curl into my soft flesh, and I grind against him, moaning when I feel him harden at my touch.
“So sweet,” he murmurs before taking my lips once more. This time, he dives into my mouth, the kiss growing hungrier and needier with each passing second. My hands wander all over his body, and I pause to graze my knuckles across his growing erection.
Bennett groans and breaks our kiss, his labored breaths tickling the shell of my ear. I whimper as I continue to explore the contours of his muscled chest and abs. “I want you, Bennett.”
“How do you want me?”
“However you’ll have me.”
“Shit, you have no idea what that does to me.” He wipes a hand down his face, then focuses those blue eyes back on mine. “Need to taste you, Acacia. Please? Can I?”
“Taste…?”
Bennett nods, a dark, desperate gleam in his eyes. Instead of answering him with words, I unbutton the flannel I’m wearing, letting the fabric fall away and reveal that I have nothing else underneath.
“Jesus,” he says more to himself, his eyes roaming over my exposed skin. Bennett traces a line from my neck down to my shoulder with his finger, then he slips the shirt off of me. “You’re incredible. So damn sexy and curvy and perfect and mine. ”
My mountain man groans before ghosting his lips down the side of my neck and thrusting two fingers inside me.
“Has anyone ever touched you here?” he asks, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly register that makes my knees tremble.
I shake my head no as my wet, sticky arousal spills out of me, coating his hand. “Say it,” he demands.
“No one has touched me there. Or anywhere.”
“I’m a sick fuck for loving that so much,” he grits out. “You’ll be mine and only mine, isn’t that right, Acacia?”
“Yes, I’m–”
Before I know what’s happening, Bennett has me in his arms. He sets me down on the counter, stepping between my spread legs. My heart is pounding in my chest, the frantic beat mirrored in my clit. I squirm in his arms, feeling restless and achy.
Bennett chuckles darkly before placing open-mouthed kisses over my breasts, my collarbone, and up my neck. I moan into his mouth as he kisses me with fire and fury. His hands roam all over my body, eventually landing on my hips, where he stares at the treasure between my thighs.
“Lay back, baby,” he murmurs. “Let me taste what’s mine.” Bennett spreads one large hand over my stomach, urging me to lay down on the counter. I obey, ready for whatever comes next. “God... Acacia…”
My core clenches, knowing he’s staring right at me, at my most intimate, private place. Bennett looks more than hungry. He looks fucking feral.
He grabs my hips and jerks me so my ass is on the edge of the counter. He digs his nose between my legs, parting my folds and inhaling deeply. My thighs shake as he slowly licks me from bottom to top, rolling his tongue against my clit and making me moan.
The next thing I know, Bennett slings my legs over his shoulders before shoving his face in my pussy.
“Oh! Bennett, God, I…”
My senses are flooded, overwhelmed in the best way possible. His tongue darts in and out of my entrance, his nose circles my clit, and his bearded chin tickles the insides of my thighs. When he growls into my pussy, I gush for him, making him growl again.
Bennett lifts his head and I stare down at him between my legs. He’s covered in my juices, the sight sending shivers of pleasure echoing around my body. His hands hold me steady when my hips jerk involuntarily, trembling with pleasure.
He sucks on my folds, first one side, and then the other. Bennett turns his head and nips at my inner thigh before kissing the sting away. He gives the same attention to my other thigh and then licks up my slit. He's avoiding my clit, licking me everywhere except where I need him most.
“Fucking delicious,” he groans, staring right at my core. My walls pulse under his scrutiny. “Jesus, you’re throbbing for me.”
“Please.” I try finding my voice, but I know it’s barely a whisper.
Bennett grins and then dips his head, working me up again. My juices trickle down my slit, tickling me and causing me to cry out. Bennett’s tongue follows the trail, licking my ass and causing me to jump. He chuckles and resumes his attack on every single part of me.
My head falls down to the counter as I grab his hair, riding his face, needing to find release for the orgasm he’s been teasing me with for what feels like hours. He sucks my clit into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth, and I break.
“Bennett!” I shout. He licks me through my orgasm, sending me up and over, again and again. “God, I can’t… I can’t stop,” I cry out, gripping his hair.
I tremble as I come, pleasure rolling through my body and blocking out all thoughts. All sights. All sounds. The world disappears and there’s nothing left but my body gushing for him as he demands my orgasm.
Every bit of strength has been wrung out of my bones, and now drips down Bennett’s face.
He stands up and leans over me, kissing me long and deep.
I taste myself on him, which is so much hotter than I thought it would be.
He tries to pull away, but my mouth follows his.
I bite his soft lips and lick my juices off the tip of his nose.
“Fuck,” Bennett growls, gathering me up in his arms and kissing me wildly. “You like that? Like when I kiss both of your lips?”
“Yeah,” I gasp before he bites my shoulder.
“Jesus Christ, I want to devour every inch of you.”
“Yes, please. Do that to me.”
The tension between us is suffocating. I want all of him, but he’s still holding back.
Finally, Bennett cups my face in his hands, his gaze never leaving mine. It’s softer this time, the wild lust receding with each breath. “I want all of you, Acacia. Trust me. But I’d never take advantage of you or our situation.”
I pout. “What if I want to take advantage of the situation?” I counter. “I trust you, Bennett. Since being here in your home, I feel seen and wanted for the first time in my life. I want to share another first with you. Will you let me?” I bite my lip, giving him what I hope is a seductive smile.
“Shit, when you put it like that…” Bennett tilts his head back and groans, his hands sliding from my face to my hips. He tightens his hold, kneading my flesh as if he can’t get enough.
My beastly mountain man focuses back on me, his blue eyes blazing with lust. He lifts me up in his arms and easily carries my plus-sized frame through the house and into his bedroom.
“I’m going to make you feel so good, baby. I’m going to ruin you for everyone else.” His voice is thick with sweet, dirty promises.
“I don’t want anyone else. Just you, Bennett.”