A Mess of a Man (Cruel & Beautiful #2)

When we finally stop, he looks down and my gaze follows. He’s sporting an impressive erection again.

“Jesus, Sam.” He shakes his head and laughs. “Don’t go anywhere.” He gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom but is back before I can think of doing a thing.

“I want you on top.” He reaches for a condom and I grab his hand.

“I want to do that.”

His grin is one for a toothpaste commercial as he hands me said item. I stick the end in my mouth and use my teeth to tear into the foil packet. Once his cock is fully protected, I prepare to mount. Then I laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“I just thought how I was preparing to mount you. Like a horse.”

“And?”

“I thought it was funny.”

“Wait.” He runs a finger around my opening. “Just wanted to make sure you were ready.”

That was nice. Trevor never would’ve done that.

“The verdict?”

“Mount up, cowgirl.” Now he laughs.

I lift up and insert the tip but I don’t wait and do it little by little. I fully seat myself on him and he lets out the sexiest damn groan I’ve ever heard. Then he grabs my hands and puts them on his hips.

“Go. Ride me hard, Sam.”

And I do. I hold nothing back. But he tells me to stop and face the other way.

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

And he’s right. The pressure, holy cow. Or horse. Or whatever. And then he starts to play with my ass. And I freeze.

“No?”

“No.”

“Okay.” His hands are gone from that spot. “For now. One day I’ll change your mind.”

I don’t pay attention; I’m only focused on one thing.

“Sam, are you close?”

“Yeah.”

Then he surprises me when he sits up, but not all the way. His hand reaches for me and starts with a nipple. Then he moves to my clit and that’s all it takes to push me over the edge. He follows and after, lays me down right on top of him, and rolls on his side.

“Next time will be like this.”

“Mmm.” I can’t keep my eyes open. I feel him slide out, but I drop off.

I wake up later, after eleven, and the bed is empty next to me. I get up to pee and when I’m done, I walk downstairs with a beautiful ache between my legs, and go hunt for Ben. The kitchen is empty, but I find him outside on the deck, looking over the marsh.

“Hey,” I say.

“Did I wake you?”

“No. I had to use the bathroom. I think I’d better get going, though,” I murmur.

“No, you don’t. You’re not going anywhere. Didn’t you know?”

“Know what?” Now I’m curious.

“Fuck buddy rules? You have to spend the night.”





How had I let those words leave my mouth? Spend the night? When had I ever asked a woman to spend the night? It isn’t like I hadn’t spent the night with a woman before. Karen stayed over plenty of nights as well as a few others. But it hadn’t been planned. It had been because the night ran late and fatigue won out.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says.

I blink, feeling my jaw slacken as I grope for words to dissuade her.

She purses her lips. “I can see you really didn’t plan on asking me to stay?”

Honesty wins out over reason as I nod.

“Oh,” she says.

I watch as she obviously expects me to give her another answer. She walks back in the house and her curves wake my cock.

Watching her leave catapults me out of my stupor. I leave the deck and catch up with her in the kitchen.

“Sam, I didn’t mean that. Come, let’s get back in bed. I want you to stay.”

When she faces me as she yanks her clothes from the floor, I can see I’ve pissed her off.

“Ben, this is never going to work unless we are honest with each other. Besides, I have to go to work in the morning, as do you. I’m more than okay with going home tonight.”

I reach out and pull her to me. “Stay.”

Not giving her a chance to respond, I take her mouth as I weave my fingers in her hair.

“Stay,” I say again, walking her back to my bedroom.

She eventually relents and lets me lose my mind inside her again. I rush through clean up, afraid she’ll bolt, and find myself pulling her close. Her bottom fits against me as I wrap a possessive arm around her.

The next day I wake up from one of the most peaceful night’s sleep that I’ve had in a long time. Most nights some version of Drew in his final days haunts me. I reach out and find air and the spot next to me is cold. After a quick investigation, Sam must’ve left sometime during the night as dawn has yet to arrive. I’m annoyed that I’m annoyed she’s gone.

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