Page 11

Sherry
Okay, so it wasn’t enough.Family was great, but there were some things even they couldn’t fix.As soon as the hugs and wishes of a happy new year settled, everyone returned to their partners, and I was left alone, Ben’s invitation swirling in my mind.I checked on everything before slipping out and heading down the stairs to the cellar.It had taken more time than I had anticipated, and I wasn’t sure if Ben would still be here, but with each step, I could sense him.
He could have left through the tunnel and been completely undetected.The tunnel out of the cellar led under the property to the warehouse as well as the barrel room.As kids, my brothers and sisters would play hide and seek in the tunnels.They were part of the vineyard’s original design, built to transport barrels and supplies without disrupting the land above.What once had been a practical necessity had become an unspoken piece of our childhood—our own underground maze where we whispered secrets and shared laughs and a few scraped knees.
I stepped into the main area, my eyes darting around, dancing across the rows and rows of bottles before landing on Ben.He leaned against a far wall, tuxedo jacket draped over a chair used for private tastings, his arms crossed over his crisp white shirt, and a glimmer of a smirk toying with the edge of his mouth.
“I almost started to think you wouldn’t come,” he said, tilting his head slightly, confidence practically dripping off him.“But I knew you would.”
A short, humorless laugh burst from my lips, and I crossed my arms.“And how exactly did you know that?”
“Because I could feel your desire, the heat radiating off you the closer I got.One night wasn’t enough for you either, and we both know it.”
“Maybe,” I said with a lift of my chin.“Which is why I’m agreeing to one more night, and then we’re done.We get it out of our systems and move on like nothing happened.”
Ben pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us in one, two, three strides.“If that’s what you need to tell yourself, I’ll go along with it.”His voice was low, not forceful, just honest.His finger traced a line from the crook of my ear down my jawline, eliciting an uncontrollable shiver.“We can try to move on after tonight, but something like this doesn’t just disappear.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”
“My father,” he said with a chuckle that wasn’t at all humorous.“He said charm was useless if you couldn’t back it up with action.”His hand dropped from my face and grabbed my waist, yanking me to him.His eyes never left mine, a dark intensity full of promises.“Lucky for you, I’m very good at both.”
His mouth crashed down on mine, stealing the breath from my lungs and every thought from my head.The rebuttal I had forming was lost to the way his tongue didn’t hesitate to penetrate my seam.There was nothing soft about this kiss—just heat, hunger, and weeks of unspoken tension exploding.
My hands fisted his white shirt as he backed me against the stone wall, his body pressing into mine like he couldn’t get close enough.His desire throbbed between us, reminding me of how much I craved him in those days since.
This was reckless and not my usual conduct.I was the nice sister.The quiet one.A good listener.But when it came to Ben Wright, he brought out every impulsive, rule-breaking, amorous thought I tried so hard to keep buried.
The part of me that didn’t care about consequences and only cared about how good he made me feel.How desperately I craved his tongue on me, his fingers in me and his name spilling from my lips.He turned me into a carnal monster, and after months of containing the beast, I was done.
I fumbled with his belt, yanking on his zipper and forcing his pants to the floor.I needed to feel his cock harden with each stroke of my palm.He moaned against my lips as I encircled his girth, tightening my grip as I drew my hand up and down his length.
His hand slammed against the wall above my head, his mouth ripping from mine as he kissed, sucked, and nipped his way along the sensitive skin of my neck.His tongue traced the crook before his fingers brushed aside the strap of my dress, revealing my black lace corset bra.A rumble sounded in his throat as he pulled his head back and stared down at the expensive Christmas present I had bought myself, making it worth every penny.
“Fuck me,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing with his swallow.
The dress pooled at my midsection as he grabbed my leg and hooked it around him.He met my gaze, eyes filled with a lust so strong, heat surged through me.He didn’t just turn me into a lustful beast, he made me feel sexy.
I didn’t have the confidence or the attitude like Char or the playful, adorable side like Rose.No, I was the girl who took out an entire family of five—Grandpa included—on a bunny hill.Who face planted on the dance floor during the junior formal.I was also the woman who never had a one-night stand in my life until this sexy man showed up to a Halloween party dressed as the Mad Hatter to my Alice.
From the moment he approached me, I was a goner.
His hand ran up my leg, stopping on the top of my pantyhose that linked to a garter.Maybe a part of me expected this night to end with Ben.One last bang—literally—to close out the old year and bring in the new.We had already been electric once.What harm was one more time?
Ben shushed the voice in my head with his fingers as they slid along the trail of material to my barely there thong.
Another rumble in his throat made me feel sexier than ever.I kissed him harder, popping the buttons of his shirt free until I was able to discard the barrier to the floor.He ripped his undershirt over his head, tossing it with his shirt.
Hard, hot muscles rippled beneath my touch as I lavished in his taut skin and peppered hair.I focused on the look, the feel, burning them into the recesses of my mind, so after tonight, when we went our separate ways, I could at least have him in my dreams.
“One last time,” I said against his mouth.
Just as I dragged my fingers along the hard curve of his pec, his thumb found my clit.My body tensed as he circled the sensitive nub, teased it until I clawed at his shoulders, attempting to bring myself closer.I needed his finger inside of me, and my hips rocked, seeking him out.
A pathetic plea sat on my tongue, but I refused to let it go any farther.He’d already turned me into a puddle of desperation.I wouldn’t add a voice to it.I had to maintain some sort of control.Instead, I dragged my mouth along the corded veins of his neck, my breath coming in hot bursts.
His body tightened beneath me just as he slipped a finger into my slick heat.A cry burst from my lips, and I nuzzled into his neck to keep the sound from echoing off the brick walls.We were locked in a dance of give and take now.Just as I was about to get the upper hand, he regained it.I didn’t fight back, relishing in the overwhelming sensations.
My walls tightened around his finger, as if begging him to stay.Pleasure expanded in my core and exploded out of me as he hooked his digit, hitting just the right spot.