Born Into Trouble (Occupy Yourself Book 1) (26 page)

Benny grinned, pressed into her and found himself surrounded by the scent of her hair.
Danger
, he thought, watching her character onscreen forge forwards. It had become harder and harder not to take things to the next level between them. Body jolting, he quietly snorted at his internal
harder and harder
and she muttered, “Nearly there,
bebe
.
Un momento
.”

They were ass to the floor, him leaning against the couch and her leaning into him. He sat with knees cocked, thighs spread, and she nestled between his legs as if she belonged there. Totally focused on what was happening on the screen, she seemed oblivious to his physical reaction to her natural closeness even as he did his best to ignore his hardening cock.
Remember this is a bad idea
, he thought as his grip tightened around her, feeling the softness of her breasts resting on his arm, the soft curves of her ass right
there
.

They were alone in his apartment as they’d been a number of times, but tonight he couldn’t seem to put his awareness of her aside. Last night, he’d again listened on the phone as she brought herself to orgasm and he wanted to be there with her, wanted to be touching, tasting…

Not helping
, he thought, shoving the memories aside. She wanted more, he knew. Had wanted for a while, asked in her quiet, shy way more than once, but he’d put her off, touting the doc’s words time and again.

The truth was, he was afraid.

It had been a long time for him. Probably the most prolonged dry spell he’d had since he was fourteen. A long time and things were different in his life now. He was sober for one thing. And Lucia, she mattered in a way no other woman ever had. His dreams about her wrapped around themselves in his head, but the overriding emotion was always fear. Fear he’d lose what he had of her, small as that was. Fear he’d fuck it up, and not make it good for her. So much fear, it was paralyzing. Like performing onstage, only a million times a million on the importance scale.

You got past the performance anxiety with the music
, he thought. And he had. Taking a chance on the anthem for Jase’s game was the first real step. Followed by a dozen baby moves on the stage at Marie’s. Then the band had branched out, going to radio stations and doing on-air performances, booking into tiny bars and lounges, where the energy of the band felt like it had when he was first starting out with OY. Jazzed and excited, but wary. That was back when he didn’t know how desperate playing places like that really was. Now he knew the truth and enjoyed seeing surprise in the faces of the patrons when the band didn’t suck. Watched as the phones came out, friends were called to come out for a good time, and the place would fill up in a way the bar didn’t anticipate. At least the first time. That felt good, but still held an edge of desperate.

Luce moved, shifting to one side as her character crept around the corner of a building. He pushed the joystick on his controller, running to catch up, getting there just as the sound of a blast filled his headphones, followed by her lilting curses. “
Idiota.
Sorry, Chase. I am dead.”

Keying the mic on his headset, Benny said, “And I’m tired.”

“Don’t know why,” Chase chimed in. “You didn’t do anything that last round except stand around with your thumb up your ass.”

“Hey, I’m tired,” he protested, seeing Luce’s grin reflected on the surface of the TV screen. “See you at practice in the morning. We’ve got a new song Bear and me been working on. I want to see if we can be ready to cut a demo soon. Book some studio.”

“Okay, old man. You get some beauty sleep. You need—” Chase was cut off in midlaugh when Luce pushed the button on the console. She shifted to look up into Benny’s face, and he knew what was coming. Knew what he should do, even as he knew he was giving in this time. He didn’t have it in him to deny her. To deny himself any longer.
I want her so bad
.

“I’ll lay down with you for a bit?” Couched as a question, the statement revealed the longing he knew she had inside. Something she wasn’t confident enough to ask for, but the things she did ask about were tough to answer.

Tonight, he wouldn’t put her off, wanted her as close as she could get. Standing, he reached out a hand to pull her to her feet, leading the way to the bedroom. “Love it, baby.” Stripping his shirt over his head, he tossed it towards the closet. He then hesitated a second, hands hovering over the waistband of his jeans. With a half decision, he pulled his belt free from the loops, tossing it to the floor next to the bed. By the time he had crawled up the bed, turning to put his back to the mattress, he had expected she’d be already on her way towards him and the bed, but his gaze found her frozen in place.

“Come here, Lucia.” He lifted one hand to her, pleased he could hold it steady as he waited for her to accept his offer. She broke from her stillness, her eyes holding his captive as she put a knee to the bed, sliding up to nestle into his side. “Love it.” He sighed, curling an arm around her shoulder, feeling how she fit him. Cheek to his shoulder, palm to his chest, she curved into him. He twisted in the bed, shoving his arm underneath her, rolling them to their sides, facing. Holding her close, tangling his legs with hers. “Better.”

He got a wordless hum in response and grinned, waiting. If she followed the usual script, she’d be content for about three minutes, then start pushing and pressing to see if he’d be interested in more. Of course he was interested, but the fear always crept in. In less than that amount of time, he felt her shift and take a breath, but then she stilled, and he felt the heat of her exhale along the skin of his throat. Both palms pressed to his chest, her fingers flexed, then didn’t move again.

He bent his neck, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “Comfortable?” Voice deliberately quiet, he waited, getting another hum in reply. “Can I have a goodnight kiss?” Wordlessly, she tipped her head back, lifting her lips to his. She moved as if to break the kiss, but he deepened the connection, angling his head, slanting across her mouth, the tip of his tongue stroking along her lips.

Fingers twisting in her hair, dark silk flowing across his hands and arms, he kissed her, teasing for entrance, nibbling and licking until she relented, opening for him, and he plundered what she offered. Tongue slipping inside, tangling with hers, he took her mouth, not breaking the way they fit together even when he pulled back, panting for breath. “God, Luce.” He groaned, resting his forehead against hers. “You make it hard to be good.”

Fingers moving restlessly across his bare chest, her touch was driving him mad, his mind imagining, wanting it everywhere. When she pressed close, the tip of her tongue flicking across his bottom lip, her words took a moment to register. “Then be bad, Benny. Be bad with me.”

As if she’d lit a fire inside him, he felt his blood heat. His skin, already sensitive from her touch, became more so, and everywhere their skin connected blazed hot and fierce. He moved, rolling her, positioning himself so he was lifted on one arm, the other driving his hand up underneath her shirt, fingers and thumb honing in on her nipple as if guided there.
Be bad.
Through the lacy texture of her bra, he felt the pebbled surface perched on the peaks of her breasts, palming and plumping them as he caressed her. “God.”

Rocking against her, he ran his mouth down her neck and across her shoulder as far as he could, exasperated when fabric interfered with his ability to retain access to her skin. With frustrated movements, he worked the shirt over her head, tossing it to one side, staring down in awe at what he had uncovered.
Be bad with me
. Ivory lace covered her brown skin, and he had a sudden, overwhelming desire to see if she had on matching panties. Fingers to the button of her jeans, he jerked it through and loose, then shoved them down, letting her help him remove them. “Beautiful,” he murmured, gaze tracing up and down her frame.

Lace panties framed by the strength of her thighs, dark curls captured underneath. Her ample hips dipped to her waist, then flared out to her ribs, breasts on display except for the sheer coverage of her bra. His cock thudded behind the fly of his jeans, pulse pounding, rushing, and he was already hard as a rock, wanting to be inside her. “My Lucia.” Nose to her cheek, he nuzzled her.
Slow down
. “
God
, baby. My Lucia. So beautiful. Gorgeous woman in my bed.”

Gliding touches up her side, pad of his thumb brushing the curve of her breast, pulling a shiver and a soft moan from her. She curled her hand around his neck, pulling him close and he kissed her, delving into her mouth again, tracing all of her with his tongue. Groaning down her throat when her fingers trailed along the edge of his jeans. Pressing into her, trapping her hand with his hips, the movement across the covered head of his cock excruciatingly beautiful.

Breaking the kiss, pushing his head into her neck, he was focused on the sensation when her hand flattened, pressing against his belly before sliding into his pants, her fingers wrapping around his throbbing dick. “Luce,” he encouraged softly, hips moving with her touch. “Yeah, touch me.
God
.” His hand went down, curving around her hip and diving between her legs. Voice rough, gruff, rasping when he spoke, “Baby. Want that? Yeah? Want me to have that?” Shoving the gusset of her panties to the side, he found her wet, knew from the mewls falling from her lips she was wanting. Had been wanting for a while, as he made them both wait.

Wait for this time
, he thought,
wait for me to be solid. Ready. Selfish, but she waited for me
. “So beautiful. You can’t imagine what I see. The beauty, Luce.” He groaned again, fingers sliding in her wetness, twisting his hand down, curling his middle finger in, deep, pushing hard as she cried out and moved against him. “So wet,
fuck me
. Wanting me. My baby.” Her hand stilled on his cock while he finger-fucked her, kissing and biting her neck, feeling her arch against him, hips pushing up and away with his movements. “Yeah, God. Yes, Luce. Take what you need, baby girl.”

Her head turned, mouth to his ear and he listened, waiting, and then she gave it to him. What he knew she had inside, how hot she ran. Comprehending none of what she said, those phrases she gave him in bed were nothing he understood, but spoken in her voice, in her fucking sexy-as-hell accent that grew thick when she lost herself like this, she could have said anything, and he would take it. “Ben,
te amo, tu eres todo para mi
.”

“Like that, baby?” He added a finger, teasing and tweaking her clit before slipping them back inside. “You like me? Like that?”

“
Jesucristo, tu no me gustas me encanta usted. Mi amor
.” He felt the edge of her teeth on his neck, and then her fingers tightened around his cock before releasing. She had one arm shoved under him, fingers playing with the hair at his neckline, ghosting across his skin, those finger touches so barely there they made him shiver. “Benny, please.”

“Tell me what you need, baby girl. Tell me what you want.” Cheek-to-cheek, he whispered to her, feeling her body as it moved under his hand, chasing her orgasm. She jolted beneath him when he tweaked her clit with his thumb, and he played on that response, rolling it under his touch, and then pressing hard, slipping up and down over the nerve-filled flesh.

“
Dios, deja perder el tiempo y besame
. Kiss me, please, Ben. Kiss me.
Dios
, just kiss me already.” Her neck twisted and lips pressed to his, she kissed him hard. Her fingers paused in the act of unbuttoning his jeans, and he felt the wave moving through her, knew it blazed a path when she tightened on his fingers, when he felt the throbbing in her clit as she came. He worked her, thrusting in slowly, sweetly, watching as it peaked and slowed. Carefully, he slipped his fingers from her, then his pants were history, and he had a condom in hand, rolling it on while he knee-walked up between her legs.

“Lucia.” Calling her name, he waited, watching her lids fluttering, hips still dancing in place. “Lucia.” This got him a soft hum, and he grinned because this one was different from the last he’d heard from her. Sated, satisfied, filled with pleasure. Better. So much better.
Something I’ll work to hear from her every day
. Throaty and sexy, the vibration rocked through him, and his cock pulsed in response. Bending, he put an elbow to the mattress next to her head, resting on her, covering her with his body until she was all he could see. Her face filling his vision, everything he’d ever wanted. His head tipped forward when her legs instinctively fell open in invitation. Welcoming him. Taking anything he would give her. Offering everything in return.
Fuck. I gotta do this right
.

Lacy bra scraping on his chest, corners of her lips tipping up, a flash of her beautiful browns as she blinked dreamily. Everything in him screamed to push forward, take her, make her his, but he needed to know something first. He knew she’d had lovers in the past, as young as she was. The life her family led meant she’d grown up fast. Far faster than she should have. But he was confident since he’d been in her life, she’d been holding tight. Marking time until he found his place.
Waiting for me, like I’ve been waiting for her
.

“Baby girl,” his soft call finally captured her attention, and he asked his question. “You sure about this, Luce?” Once they took the plunge, things between them would forever change, and he needed to know she was ready for this. “I’m not pressuring, not pushing. All you. Your choice.” Now his words were staggering, and he had to find a way to steady himself. “Want you to be sure, baby girl.”