Unexpected Opportunity
Chapter 7
by
Layne Richards
In the short walk to the bedroom, Lacey's mind raced. What was she doing? This went against everything she'd ever been taught. To share a bed with a man without being married to him.
But this felt right. She felt as though she were exactly where she belonged. This had to be the way things were meant to be. This man felt right in a way that Tom Wells had never felt to her.
Ben set the lamp down on the dresser and turned the flame low. Lacey leaned to blow it out, but Ben's hand stopped her.
"No," he told her quietly. "Leave it. I want to see you."
Still holding her hand in one of his, he ran the fingertips of the other lightly up and down the back of her neck.
"Ben, I-" Lacey's voice was breathless, barely a whisper.
"Shhh." His fingertips had moved around to her throat, caressing it softly. "It's okay, Lacey. We're gonna go slow. As slow as you need. We got all night. We don' need to be in any hurry, now do we, darlin'?" That strong, deep voice was a caress all its own.
The voice, as well as the warm, slightly rough fingers against the tender skin of her throat sent shivers up and down her body. Ben felt them, smiled to himself. He moved leisurely around behind her, allowing one hand to run slowly and sensuosly down her arm, as he moved.
Sweeping her silky brown hair off her neck, he leaned in to kiss her nape, his lips traveling slowly over it. He breathed in her sweet scents--a soft, floral aroma to her hair, the gentle perfume of her skin--and realized that those soft, natural scents were the only ones about her. None of the heavy colognes or perfumes that most of the women he'd known used.
Feeling her trembling, Ben grasped her waist with one large, strong hand. Gently enough not to make her more nervous, firmly enough to convey to her that he was in control. About that, Lacey had no doubts. Her body felt totally under his spell, responding to every touch, every breath he took, every sound he made. She wasn't sure she could have moved at that moment without him to guide her.
"Relax, darlin'," he whispered into her ear, his breath warm against her skin. "I promise you're gonna enjoy this. And just forget what anyone's ever told you about this bein' wrong." His mouth had moved around to her other ear, caressing it with his warm breathing and sensuous voice. "It's not. Does it feel wrong, sweetheart?"
"N- No." The one word came out with difficulty, the muscles in her throat not seeming to be working any better than any of the others in her body.
Ben smiled to himself again. "No. 'Cause it's not." Both his hands were at her waist now, the fingers caressing gently through the soft, green fabric of her dress. Still standing behind her, he murmured into her ear again. "Too many feelin's between us for this to be wrong, Lacey."
Oh, God... Her eyes dropped closed for a second. Was he saying he loved her? This had to be love, didn't it? Could anything other than love make her feel this way?
Feeling her response to his voice, to the nearness of his body, Ben grinned. She was his now, needing only his direction to guide her through what they were about to do. Close against her back, he allowed one hand to slide from her waist to just below the curve of her breast.
Lacey placed her hand on top of his there, gripped it tightly. Not denying him--she didn't think she could ever have done that--but needing something to hold on to in a world that had become dizzy with feelings. Feeling his breathing against her ear again, she turned he head slightly to meet his, and felt the warm softness of his beard against her cheek. It prickled her skin slightly as she moved, arousing her further.
At her indrawn breath, Ben finally turned her to face him. He searched her eyes, looking for hesitation and found none there. Satisfied, he lowered his mouth to hers.
This was what drowning felt like, Lacey thought to herself. This inability to breathe, being swept under by a current that was so strong it prevented her from getting her head above water. Her hands were at his shoulders now, gripping his shirt between her fingers as though it were a lifeline.
"Lie down for me, Lacey," Ben whispered against her lips, using his hands at her waist to guide her back to the edge of the bed.
She obeyed, her mind as much in his grip as her body. As she lay back in the center of the bed, gazing up at him with clouded eyes, she murmured, "Come with me, Ben."
"Oh, I will, darlin'," he grinned, that quiet voice rippling across her body, making her shiver again. He was removing his vest, unbuttoning his shirt as he looked down at her--waiting for him, inviting him with her body and her eyes.
When he moved to the bed beside her, Lacey laid one hand against his chest that was half-exposed by the unbuttoned shirt. She traced her fingers over his skin there. With a groan, Ben leaned down to kiss her deeply again, rising slightly to slowly undo the buttons down the front of her dress.
She rose to allow him to slide the dress off her shoulders and then down past her hips, finally discarding it altogether on the floor at the foot of the bed. Her petticoat and chemise, the rest of her underthings joined it, as slowly as Ben could make himself undress her. Her body fully revealed to him, his eyes took in the sight eagerly.
Creamy white skin with soft shadows just beneath the curve of her breasts and between her slightly parted thighs. He could already see himself sketching those curves and shadows. Later. After he'd shown her the delights her body could bring her.
Reaching out, he laid one large slightly rough hand flat against the skin of her stomach. Enjoyed the silky feeling of her skin beneath his palm. Then, watching her eyes, relishing the look of wonder and desire in them, Ben leaned to take the rosy tip of one breast between his lips.
Lacey gasped, the feeling of his warm, moist lips and tongue against her heated skin making her dizzy. Her hands threaded into his soft brown hair, trying to somehow anchor herself against the feeling she had that her body might simply float away. As his mouth moved from the tip of one breast to the other, the feeling intensified, despite her grip.
"Ben-" she breathed.
Raising his head to look into her eyes, he smiled at her. "What, sweetheart? Somethin' the matter?"
"I don't know-" She licked her lips, drew in another breath. "I don't know if I can stand it." Her voice was almost pleading.
"Oh, I think you can, darlin'," he said with a grin. "For awhile at least."
His hand smoothing her hair back from her face, he murmured, "Just enjoy it. Let things happen and don' try to fight it."
Ben's lips moved to hers again, intent on helping her relax. This time he let his hand rest lightly at her knee, making sure she was lost in the kiss before allowing his fingers to steal upward gradually. Her legs were relaxed, permitting him the freedom to find what he sought.
When Ben's hand touch the sensitive flesh at her core, Lacey couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. If she'd thought his touch like fire before, it was nothing compared to this. Her body arched upward, seeking more of that touch. More of the pleasure it gave her. Seeking, ultimately, to end the ache inside her that grew stronger with each passing minute.
The sound of her moan and the movement of her body brought another smile to Ben's face. Another soft kiss to her lips, one more movement of his lips down the smooth skin of her belly--and then he rose from the bed to finish undressing himself.
When he lowered himself to the bed again, it was to hover just above her. Letting his body press down on hers slightly, he again gazed into her eyes, liking what he saw there. Lacey was still a little afraid, but the passion and desire in her eyes overshadowed the fear. As his body touched hers, he felt her arch again, pressing herself against him harder.
"Please, Ben-" She was too aroused to stop the plea that came from her lips. That ache--which she had finally recognized as a need, a need to share her body with this one man--was too strong, too all-consuming.
Smiling down at her, his own eyes drowsy with desire, Ben paused. He was touching her wetness, only a brief thrust away from taking what he wanted, when he had a realization of his own. When what was different about Lacey Miller came to him suddenly.
The eyes he looked into contained two things he'd never seen before in a woman's
eyes--trust and love. She was stepping into something she'd never experienced before and she was offering herself out of love, and trusting him to lead her through it. He hadn't expected to be so moved by her.
Constantly searching those eyes, he entered her slowly, watching closely for every physical reaction, every emotion she was experiencing. When he felt the tearing inside her, he saw her flinch, briefly squeeze her eyes closed.
"I'm sorry, darlin'," he soothed, kissing her gently.
"It's o- okay." Lacey opened her eyes again to gaze up at him, the pain going away quickly as she clasped her hands around his neck.
Again seeing that love and trust in her face, Ben moved carefully, allowing her to get used to the feel of him. Her responses--soft moans and movements--told him when it was time to increase his pace. Those responses were passionate, more passionate than he had ever felt with women who were more experienced than Lacey. The love, he realized. The trust in her eyes.
As their movements neared a crescendo, Ben found himself relaxing that control which was so all-important to him. Allowing himself to fully experience the moment, to drown in his own physical sensations and the emotions that he could feel from her.
"Lacey-" he groaned softly.
In response, she kissed him again, her shyness gone right now. Lost in the tide of feelings, both emotional and physical, that had taken over.
Ben saw the climax in her eyes even before he felt it in her body. Saw the look of passionate wonder that appeared there a moment before her body arched and exploded around him. His own release was lost in hers, combined with it, a shared feeling that went deeper than anything he'd ever felt before.
As he lay beside Lacey, stroking her hair in the aftermath, Ben wondered what to do. Mexico was out of the question. Not with her. This was a woman who didn't know his real name and, if she had known, would have even more reason to hate him than most.
Was there any way he could keep her?