Letting Go

Chapter 2

Lori

The burn of the alcohol has every nerve in my body alive and tingling. I can smell his clean scent and I fight the need to lean in close and breathe him in. His warmth is pulling me into him, and I let my eyes drift across his strong jaw and broad chest. When I trail my eyes back up to his, he lifts the corner of his mouth into a smile. This is not what I expected when I came here tonight, but I'm too sucked-in to end this little game before I see where it takes us.

I have so much work to do, but I can't get my legs to take me back to my table. His eyes leave mine to work their magic with the bartender, who rushes over with two more shots of tequila. I know it's only been three weeks since my break-up with Max, but I guess now is as good of a time as any to get back on the horse. Mr. Appendage is not Mr. Forever, but I bet I won't be disappointed if I let him be Mr. Tonight. Let's see if he is interested.

"So what's your name, Beautiful?" he asks, before I can say anything.

"Lori. What's yours, Mr. Appendage?" He chuckles as he holds his hand out to shake.

"Ben." He shakes my hand and then quickly lifts it to his mouth to brush a kiss across my knuckles. "Nice to meet you, Lori." The warmth of his lips across my hand sends lust through my system. It settles low in my stomach, causing me to slightly arch my back and brush my thigh a little closer to his, out of a primal need to touch him.

He holds up the salt shaker and I take it from his hand and spin it slightly in my fingers. It's now or never, and I can't wait to see if he's going to play or run. I reach out for his arm and flip his wrist up, bringing it close to my mouth. I don't break eye contact with him as I slowly lick my lips and brush my tongue across his smooth skin. I'm rewarded with a sharp intake of breath as he watches me moisten his flesh. I shake some salt onto his wrist and then grab my shot.

Once more, I lick his skin, feeling his pulse jump beneath my tongue as I lick up all the salt and then down my shot, biting quickly into the lime as the tequila races through my system. I think I've rendered him speechless, but he only stays stunned for a minute before I hear his low growl. "Fuck, that was hot." I smile up at him and take a moment to enjoy my victory. "My turn."

I extend my wrist so that he can lick it, but he shakes his head with a little chuckle. "I'm sure that little piece of you is delicious, but there are a few other areas that have piqued my interest a little more." Ben leans in and brushes my hair off my shoulder. The rasp of his large fingers along my skin causes goose bumps to run down my body, calling to attention every inch. His eyes rake down my body as he follows the clear line of arousal the bumps have mapped out.

Ben's eyes return to mine for a moment before returning to the soft skin that he's made vulnerable by moving my hair. The roughness of his slight 5 o'clock shadow on my shoulder is thrilling as he breathes me in while running his lips lightly across the exposed flesh. I arch into him against my will and he pulls me closer before moistening the skin at the base of my neck and shoulder with his tongue. His face is serious as he retrieves the

I'm already anticipating his warm tongue on my skin again and it feels like he's taking forever to lick the salt off of my hot flesh. This time, he reverses his direction, starting at the furthest point of moisture on my shoulder and slowly trailing his tongue back towards the crook in my neck. Without thinking, I tip my head to the side, exposing more skin. At my invitation, Ben thrusts his fingers into my hair with the hand that's not tightly gripping my hip, pulling me into his hard body. His tongue reaches the end of the salt, and his lips close around my skin as he sucks my neck for a second before pulling back to watch me.

My knees are weak and I open my eyes when I realize they've been closed the whole time he's been exploring my flesh. He smoothly downs his shot and then runs his slice of lime across my lips before pressing it into my mouth. I bite down on the lime and remind myself to breathe as he moistens his lips and then traces the path the lime took across my mouth. He closes his soft lips around the lime and tugs it free.

"Are you staying at the hotel?" he asks, his eyes heavy with desire. I nod because I'm too turned on to form words. He reaches down to grab my hand, but before he can make contact with my skin, my sister Amber grabs my elbow and, slurring, yells something about our older sister being trashed and throwing up in the bathroom. She's going to make a beautiful bride tomorrow with the dark circles and pounding headache she's going to have.

I want to leave with Ben, to spend the night discovering what other areas of my body have piqued his interest, but I can't leave my big sister alone and Amber is too trashed to be of any real help. I mouth "Sorry," to him and start to back away. He nods, but mouths, "Soon," and I smile at him and wink before leaving. What an interesting turn this night has taken.