Cowboy Casanova - Lorelei James [102]
“Some idiot forgot to turn the water off before he started fucking with the pipe.” He grunted. “That was fun. Can you hand me a towel?”
“Here.”
“Thanks.” When Ben backed out from beneath the sink, Ainsley gasped because he was soaking wet—hair, face, neck and shirt.
“Look at you. I’m so sorry.” Ainsley ducked into the cabinet and used a bath towel to sop up the mess. “What’s the diagnosis?”
“The pipe threading is stripped because the calcium deposits are abrasive. You’ll have to use the kitchen sink until your landlord can get this fixed. I don’t have the right plumbing supplies.”
When she backed out and stood, she noticed Ben had removed his shirt. Look at that. Broad shoulders, pumped-up biceps. Smooth skin. Even as her brain yelled stop, her fingers heard go. She traced the hard ridge of pectoral muscle. “You never really let me touch you however I wanted.”
Ben tipped her chin up and gazed into her eyes. “I didn’t?”
“No. You were always making our…encounters about furthering my education about the Dom/sub relationship.”
He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’d let you touch me now.”
“Ben.”
“But you’d much rather I commanded you to touch me, wouldn’t you? Should I? Ainsley, put your hands all over me.”
That deep, Dom voice traveled through her ear and unfurled inside her like liquid heat, like a drug. She had to twist away from him to hide the longing in her eyes. But longing for what? “I can’t.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “I should go.”
“But your shirt is soaking wet. You might catch cold if you go home with a wet head. The least I can do is wash and dry it for you, while saving you from possibly getting sick.” Did that sound like a flimsy excuse to him?
“I never get sick.” He raised an eyebrow. “Besides, you think that’s a good idea, given what we were? Just last night?”
Of course he reminded her of his Dom role at every opportunity. “I believe we can keep our hands to ourselves for an hour or so, don’t you?”
He shook his head no and said, “Yes.”
Ainsley laughed and snatched the shirt. She was surprised Ben followed her to the small laundry area.
“On the way over here I was kinda hopin’ you’d answer the door in heels and an apron. Then you’d say something like, I need a guy with a big tool to check out my plumbing. And I’d reply, I know how to plunge deep.”
“You imagined I’d lured you over here with a fake porn scenario?” It boosted her ego Ben believed she could conjure up such a sexy scene. “I didn’t know you watched porn.”
“All guys watch porn.” He grinned and towel dried his hair. “Them guys that say they don’t are lyin’. We never watched porn together. Pity. There are lots of scenes I would’ve loved to act out with you.”
She started the washer and her focus caught on his incredible chest again. Right. He needed to cover up. “I’ll find you a shirt.”
Just to be ornery, she picked her Cat Lover T-shirt.
Ben caught it one handed and slipped it over his head. “Speaking of cats…they raced outta the room the instant I stepped foot inside. They hate me.”
“Because you smell like dog. Your dogs hate me because I smell like cat.”
“Mmm. But I like how your pussy smells.”
“Bennett McKay.”
He laughed. “Hand me the remote. We’ve already missed ten minutes of Wheel.”
Ainsley sat next to him, like she always did. Bennett jerked her close to his body like he always did. Only when the show ended did she remember they weren’t supposed to be twined together. He wasn’t supposed to be touching her. She wasn’t supposed to have her head on his shoulder.
Almost as if he’d read her mind, he murmured, “Sorry. Habit.” His fingers trailed across her forearm three more times before he released her.
She stood and retreated to the kitchen. He followed. Closely. “Look, your shirt still isn’t dry. Why don’t you stay for dinner? It’s nothing fancy. Just a skillet pot pie.” When Ben didn’t respond, she backtracked. “But don’t feel obligated. I’m sure you have better things to—”
He growled that Dom-like warning, curling his hand around her jaw, destroying her protests and her mind with a prolonged,