The Promise (The 'Burg #5)(81)

I go to him.

That didn’t make me feel terrified.

That made me feel warm and safe and happy.

But that made me feel terrified.

“You with me?” Ben prompted when I didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, Benny,” I whispered.

“While you’re here, we’ll talk, we’ll f**k, we’ll sort things out and make a plan. And, heads up, Frankie, we’ll be f**kin’ a lot ’cause I only had you once, but we clearly already got that down. And my guess is, we f**k enough, shit will sort itself out.”

“That would be your guess,” I mumbled, and he grinned.

“One good thing about the five-month lag, baby. You’re fully recovered so I didn’t have to hold back and could ride you hard. Better, you could ride me and do it really hard.”

Another belly dip, which, in turn, made me glare at him.

Unfortunately, Ben kept speaking.

“Personal best, gettin’ a woman to come that fast…twice.”

“Um…I’ll just point out the first time was due to my activities.”

The grin came back.

“Bullshit, baby. You were workin’ hard to find it, but you didn’t get it until you got my thumb.”

That was true.

And annoying.

I shut my mouth and kept glaring.

Benny’s grin turned to a smile.

The smile faded as his gaze roamed my face and finally came back to my eyes.

When his caught mine, he whispered, “Leave it to my Frankie. When she does somethin’, even when she doesn’t intend to do it, she goes big.”

He sounded like he liked that.

Then again, we were where we were after what we’d just done so that wasn’t a surprise.

Still, I liked that he liked that about me. I also liked that he let me off the hook so easily. Of course, the sex was great and an awesome motivator to get a man to let you off the hook. But I’d f**ked up huge, and still, he opened it up for me and gave me another shot without making me work for it at all.

Then again, back in the bathroom, he told me if I came back, he wouldn’t make me work for it.

And he was true to his promise.

I still was not certain what the hell I was doing. Worse, I was worried that eventually I wouldn’t do right by Benny.

But I just couldn’t seem to stop myself.

“It’s late, Ben,” I reminded him quietly.

“Yeah,” he replied, slid down, kissed my shoulder, and rolled to the side. He allowed himself an eye sweep of my body before they came back to my face. “Like the nightie, Frankie.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.

Ben grasped a hip, rolling me to my side, and he pulled the covers over me. Only then did he exit the bed.

I watched him from the back adjusting his jeans on the way to the bathroom. More aptly, I watched the muscles of his back move as he made his way to the bathroom.

Mere minutes later, I watched him, wearing nothing but white boxers, sauntering back to the bed.

The light went out before he slid in beside me. The instant he was in, he pulled me in his arms.

I closed my eyes and did it hard.

I’d missed this. I’d spent months, every night, every single one, wondering what the hell was the matter with me that I ran away from it. Wanting it back. Wanting it forever.

Now, having really had all of Benny, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to give it up.

Even if I made it so that Benny wanted to give up on me.

“I’m scared as shit,” I said into his throat, pressing my face there.

“Know that, Frankie.”

“I don’t know how to get over it.”

“Know that too.”

“I don’t wanna f**k you over again.”

“So don’t.”

“It’s not that easy,” I whispered.

His hands moved over my back, and he dipped his chin so when he said, “I know that too, honey,” it was in my hair. “I also know we are not gonna beat whatever is f**kin’ you up tonight. Wrestled with whether or not to come here for hours, couldn’t beat back the urge, and now I’m glad I didn’t. But it’s three o’clock in the morning. You got work tomorrow. So now, you sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll set about figuring out how to beat it.”

I took in a rough breath and let it out, saying, “Okay, Benny.”

“Now go to sleep.”

“Okay, honey.”

I snuggled closer, pressing my hands to his chest and turning my head to press my cheek against his collarbone.

His arms around me got tight.

I closed my eyes, and apparently the miracle of Benny (not to mention two orgasms) was enough to quiet all the shit in my head clamoring to be heard that I was scared to face. My body relaxed and I started to drift to sleep.

I stopped when Ben’s arms gave me a squeeze and he murmured, “Fuckin’ thrilled you healed the breach, baby.”

So Benny to give me that, straight-up honest.

“I hope you stay that way,” I murmured back.

“Eyes on the prize, Frankie,” he whispered.

The prize.

Having Benny.

The best prize there was.

“Right, Ben,” I whispered back. “Eyes on the prize.”

He shifted me closer, tangled a heavy leg in mine, and slid a hand up to play with the ends of my hair.