“Yes, Bennett, I understand.”
He teased, tortured and tormented her. Taking her to the edge several times, seeing if she’d disobey and throw herself over. He skimmed her jawline with light kisses. “How close are you?”
“Very. God.”
Ben flipped her onto her back and started kissing down the side of her neck.
“Don’t. Please.” Ainsley twisted her head away.
Which caused Ben to grab her hair and pull slightly. “Stay. Still.”
She whimpered softly.
“I adore your body, angel.” Ben kissed the hollow of her throat. The tops of her br**sts. “I intend to play with it, however I want, for as long as I want. Testing your limits and mine.” He kept finger f**king her, studying her reactions, from the anxious expression on her face, to the hard tips of her ni**les, to the flexing of her toes and the clenching of her jaw. When he heard that swift intake of breath, he removed his hand from between her thighs.
Her entire body drooped against the mattress, but she wasn’t relaxed.
“You did good.” Ben turned her on her side so they faced each other. She sighed as he continued to intersperse tender kisses with languorous caresses. “You ready to talk?”
Ainsley slowly opened her eyes. “Talk? Aren’t we going to…” Her gaze dropped to his crotch and the outline of his fully erect dick.
“Fuck? Make love? Have wild sex? Not tonight.”
“Oh.”
“You’re gonna tell me your hard limit. One thing that’s an absolute no.”
“Only one thing?”
“Yep. You won’t know if other things on your very long dislike list would actually be a like unless you try it. Fair warning: I’ve only got a month with you, so I wanna give you a taste of everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything but your one thing. So what’s it gonna be?”
She blurted, “You using one of those scary bullwhip or snake whips on me is an absolute no.”
Damn. No single tail. “Okay.”
“You just accept that?”
“Yes. Because you only get one. Everything else is a possibility.” Ben smooched the frown between her eyebrows. “Tell me something you’ve never told anyone.”
“Like what?”
“Anything.” He traced her cheekbone with his knuckles. “Big secret, little annoyance. Give me a piece of yourself you’ve never shared with anyone else.”
She focused on his chest and those tiny furrowed lines appeared on her forehead. “I had lasik surgery on both my eyes four years ago. People knew about it because I’d been wearing glasses for twenty-two years, but I never told anyone why I did it.”
“Why?”
“I thought losing the glasses would make me more attractive to my husband. Obviously it didn’t work. He just bitched about the price of the surgery.”
“Were you happy with your decision?”
“Yes. I felt younger, freer. I liked the change.”
Ben kissed the corners of her eyes. “You should. I’m guessing it was the first of many changes.”
“It was. It is. Same question back at you, Ben.”
Not Bennett. Interesting. He didn’t answer, just kept touching her how he pleased.
“You constantly harp about honesty. You expect mine but don’t offer yours? That’s crap. Sir.”
He held back a Dom-like retort. “You’re right.”
“So tell me something you’ve never told anyone.”
That’s when Ben knew he’d have to up the stakes. Ainsley had given him what he’d asked for, but her answer wasn’t anything really personal. Or if that was her idea of exposing an unseen part of herself, he’d need to convince her to mine deeper. She was still far too guarded with him, and he needed to break that first barrier. Show his vulnerability on a level that made him slightly uncomfortable.
“I ran away from home when I was eight. I remember feeling ignored, invisible, that no one would care if I just left. I had these visions of my mom and dad frantically searching for me. They were screaming my name, regretting their treatment of me, while my brothers cried. So I took off early one mornin’, making sure I didn’t go to any of my favorite spots. I waited for them to come find me. But no one ever did. I spent the night by myself. Alone. Every fear realized. Around dawn, a solid day after I’d left, I snuck into my bed. Nothing had changed for them, but it seemed everything had changed for me. I’ve always felt that day cemented my place in the family. The middle child but in last place.”
A beat passed and warm lips connected with his. Ainsley kissed him with the perfect mix of fire and sweetness. When she angled her head to take the kiss deeper, Ben realized her cheeks were wet.
His brain did a victory dance. Although he never wanted any woman to see him as the forgotten boy in Dom’s clothes, he was humbled and touched by her honest tears. And he knew the next time he asked her to share something emotionally personal, she’d be less hesitant. “Let’s get you untied,” he said gruffly.
Ben checked her circulation, falling back into Dom mode. He remained stretched out on the bed as she put her clothes back on, not caring if his staring made her uncomfortable. She’d said as much. His response? “Tough.”
He’d kept her flustered, rebuilding that passion between them as he herded her back to the living room. Kissing her. Biting on her neck. Stroking her ni**les through her clothing. Then he helped her on with her coat. “Remember. You don’t get to come. And if you do get yourself off? I’ll know.”
“How?”
“Because you are a bad liar. Don’t push me on this, Ainsley.” He bestowed one last, hot kiss. “See you tomorrow night.”
Chapter Thirteen
Since Ben intended to keep her off balance, Ainsley decided she’d do the same to him. Accepting her submissive side didn’t mean she had to be malleable or predictable. She could be a temptress. She could feed the soul of the dominant man. And she could damn well cook him dinner too. They both had to eat.
She arrived at his house, bearing a Crock-Pot filled with a pork roast and potatoes. His rowdy dogs nearly jostled it out of her hands as she waited for him to answer her knock.
Oh my Lord. She watched Ben approach through the glass-paned front door, wearing a towel and a scowl. A tiny shiver worked free. She never wanted that displeased look aimed at her. Luckily his glower was focused on his unruly dogs.