Finding Katie

Chapter 16

Katie

Ben returned, and I took the glass of wine he held to me. And all but gasped when his fingers brushed mine. My eyes flew to his.

They were sparkling with mischief and danced over his smile when he lifted his own glass. "I'm really glad you're here." He held my eyes over the rim of his glass as he drank.

Heat flooded, me and I only just resisted the urge to hold the cold glass to my warm cheeks. Instead, I took a sip of the cool, crisp wine before I spontaneously combusted. Only, my gaze fell to Ben's colourful socks and I almost dropped the glass.

Oh, but I was falling hard.

I looked up and met Ben's gaze. "I would like this to be our third date."

The words were so easy. I didn't need to think anymore, I only needed to acknowledge what I was feeling.

His glass slowly lowered and his eyes flared. He swallowed hard. "You do?"

Placing my glass down on the low table, I lifted his from his grasp and put that down too. Then stepped closer to him. "Definitely," I said, and then I kissed him.

It took a few seconds before Ben caught up and kissed me back, and my hands were sliding up the hard plane of his chest when he surged into my mouth and made my fingers curl in his shirt.

Shivers and sparks were racing each other up my spine. I needed to get closer. Now that I'd made my mind up, I wanted it all, now. I needed it.

The buttons on his shirt were no hindrance at all and it took no time before I pulled the fabric from his trousers and pushed the two halves apart. Then stilled. My hands were telling me what I'd uncovered, but I needed to see for myself.

I lifted my head. And stared. Finally I was able to put my hands on Ben's bare chest, and it was even more magnificent than I had imagined. The warmth from his skin and the firmness beneath was all but searing my palms.

His nipples were already hard, little buds in the light sprinkling of hair only a touch darker than that on his head and trailing down the muscled expanse to disappear beneath the waistband of his trousers.

My core contracted. I leaned in to kiss him again, but Ben caught my hands and gathered them at the small of my back. Held me just enough away from him that I couldn't reach his lips.

His chest was heaving and his cheeks were flushed. "Now?" he asked in low rumble. "I was supposed to feed you first."

I tried to tug on my hands, but there was no give. I rather liked the feeling of being held so firmly by this man, but that didn't mean I was meekly going to accept it.

I placed a kiss on the side of his jaw, as that was all the option I had, then moved my lips down his throat, the scruff teasing my lips. I found his pulse point and used my tongue, and the hold on my hands loosened.

Enough that I could reach for the zip in the side of my dress. "I suppose," I took half a step back as I slowly pulled the small lever down and then wriggled the fabric off my shoulders, the sleeves down my arms, "that we could wait till after dinner." The dress slithered down my body to pool at our feet. "Or you could go get a condom now."

Ben audibly exhaled as he took in my almost naked body. All I was left with was my heels and a pair of black, lace panties that only just covered my pussy and butt. My nipples rose to attention under his gaze.

He didn't move.

"Ben?"

"Yes?" He dragged his gaze up though it took a while before he met my eyes.