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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Vera couldn’t believe Ben forgave her. She thought for sure he would yell and scream, but he’d only raised his voice once, and he hadn’t really been that loud. It was so different from what she knew in past relationships.

She leaned back and met his gaze. “You’re so nice.”

He shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t yell at me.” A look of disappointment crossed his face, and she wondered if she’d said something wrong.

“You deserve to be treated well. Whoever made you feel like you deserved to be yelled at was wrong.”

“I feel awful about it.”

“I know. And I feel awful that I didn’t set up something to help you so you wouldn’t be alone if you traveled to Texas for work. We could have come up with a disguise or made sure he wouldn’t run into you. We need to take precautions if you travel again.”

She nodded. He was right. She needed to really think about her safety. She couldn’t just go anywhere, not until Logan gave up. Maybe he wouldn’t give up. Could she stay lost from him forever?

Ben trailed his fingers over her shoulders and down her arms. A shiver snaked through her. She met his gaze, seeing the heat in his depths. She needed to feel him pressed against her body.

She pulled at her shirt, tugging it up, then over her head. She’d ditched her bra before she’d fallen asleep, so she stood in front of him naked from the waist up.

His gaze raked over her body before he moved his hands to cup her breasts. His thumbs ran over her nipples, sending a shot of pleasure through her. Heat shot straight to her pussy, and she moaned as he pinched her nipples.

“Do you want more?”

“God, yes. I need you. I need to feel you inside me. I want you, Ben.”

His lips were on hers as he dragged her closer. She reached for his pants, tugging at the button and then unzipping his pants. It only took him about five seconds to shove his pants low and tug off her shorts. He lifted her and helped her wrap her legs around his waist before he lowered her, and his cock slid in.

She clung to him as he pumped her on his cock, filling her so well she cried out with pleasure. He didn’t have to do much for her orgasm to hit. Pleasure pulsed through her as she clung to him.

He pumped her on his cock, his body shaking as he held off on his orgasm. She cried out again as another shot of pleasure ripped right through her.

His cock felt so huge inside her. Then he shouted her name as he held her close, his muscles tensing. When he pulled out, panic filled his face. Worry hit hard.

“What’s wrong?”

“No condom.”

“It’s okay. I have an IUD.”

He blew out a breath, relief filling his face. “Sorry. I don’t want to not have kids with you, but?—”

Laughter spilled from her. “I don’t want any surprises either. That’s why I have the device. I don’t want any swimmers getting to eggs and doing their thing.”

They headed in to shower. When they were almost done, she met his gaze. “So, kids. You want some?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Maybe. I don’t know. They are a lot of work. Even with the military benefits, it’s expensive. There’s this one guy in the regular Navy, not a SEAL, who has five kids. He got a vasectomy last year, and his wife got her tubes tied. They both talk about how expensive it is and how they are barely making it. But five is a lot.”

“Yeah, that is a lot. The expense thing is daunting. I mean, I may want kids, but there’s also the time thing. I don’t know if I’ll have time to give. The worst thing in the world would be to have kids and then not spend time with them.”

He nodded and shut off the water. They dried, and he yawned.

“Did you get any sleep?” she asked.

“A little on the flight back. I was honestly worried about you.”

“You should take a nap.”

“First, I need to take care of something.”

“What?”

“Finding someone to track Logan. We need to know if he buys a plane ticket or uses his credit card to drive out here.”

She wrapped her hair in a towel and turned to face him. “Is that legal?”

He shrugged. “Laws are bendable.”

Laughter bubbled up. “You are too much. For people like me, laws are never bendable. No one helped me.”

“Well, you have me on your side now. I’ll make sure we keep you safe. I know I promised that before?—”

“But I went off and messed that up.”

“Hey, you didn’t mess anything up. If anything, he thinks you’re in Phoenix, and we can keep track of him better.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“We’ll get Thario to up his tracking of Logan.”

“Oh gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve talked to him. I should have called.”

“Let’s call him now.”

She nodded, feeling guilty for not going to see or talk to Thario recently. When Ben got Thario on the phone, she was surprised the guy sounded genuinely happy to hear from her.

“Of course, I’ll do more digging on Logan. I should have done it before. Now that we know the guy is still a problem, we’ll make sure to keep an eye on him.”

Vera breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

“We want you to come over for lunch or dinner this weekend. And, of course, Frog is welcome.”

“Thank you. I’ll send you a text about when I can. And Vera, don’t hesitate to call. I want to help.”

“I can’t thank you enough. You’re a good friend.”

“Same back at you. I’ll see you all this weekend.”

They ended the call, and she felt better. She should have called Thario before her business trip. She didn’t want to be a bother, but she was getting the idea that she wasn’t a bother at all. Ben and his friends were really good people. They accepted her, and Ben really loved her. It wasn’t some fake version of love, but true love where he wanted good things for her.