Page 21 of Benjamin and the Thief

She nodded, a sign that she wanted to hear them.

“I want sex daily for as long as I help you look into whether Santiago was wrongly convicted. There’ll be no sneaking out of my bed in the middle of the night. And you won’t do any breaking or entering or any other illegal activities on your own. You’ll follow all my orders, and you’ll always tell me the truth. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He slid his arms around her and pulled her flush to him so he could feel her breasts touch his chest muscles. He dipped his face toward hers, his mouth now hovering over her parted lips.

“Oh, and I require payment in advance. I hope that’s not a problem.”

“Not a problem at all,” she echoed, her heartbeat now drumming against his chest.

Benjamin sank his lips onto hers and began to reacquaint himself with her delicious mouth. Feeling her in his arms again made him realize that even if Catalina hadn’t offered him sex in exchange for helping her prove her brother’s innocence, he would have helped her anyway—just so he could spend time with her and make sure she didn’t get into any trouble.

Her body molded to his as if she was made for him. He could feel every muscle and every curve and loved how every touch turned into a sensual caress. Despite his need to have her underneath him and bury his cock inside her sweet body, he didn’t rush things. Instead, he explored her mouth with his tongue, sliding it along her teeth as if she could magically grow fangs. It was an odd thought, but the idea sent a shockwave into his balls. Lust charged through him.

Her moans and sighs mingled with his as he slid his hands underneath her baggy sweatshirt. To his surprise, she wore nothing beneath, and he was free to caress her luscious breasts. When he squeezed them gently and played with her pert nipples, Catalina gasped, ripping her lips from his.

“Take it off me,” she demanded, her eyes deep pools filled with passion and desire.

He shoved the sweatshirt over her head and tossed it on the floor. But before he could return to caressing her breasts, she unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket. He shrugged it off his shoulders and freed himself from it. He reached for her again and pulled her to him, one hand sliding down to her butt. She wore jogging pants, and he could feel her shapely ass beneath his palm despite the thick material. He yanked her to his groin, where his cock was rubbing against the zipper of his trousers, begging to be set free.

“Can you feel what you’re doing to me?” he asked, pinning her with his eyes, demanding she acknowledge his hard-on.

To his delight, she rubbed herself against him, not breaking eye contact. “You’re easily aroused.”

“It’s automatic with you,” he confessed.

Her drugging scent alone fueled his need to have her—and made the vampire inside him rattle the cage where he kept him leashed. He would have to be careful tonight, because the vampire would try to break out, eager for another taste of her blood.

When he felt Catalina’s hands on the buttons of his shirt, he helped her. He was glad the bow tie was a clip-on and therefore easy to remove. The shirt took a little longer, and it felt like an eternity, until he could finally free himself from it. As he pulled Catalina back into his arms, the skin-to-skin contact sent a wave of pleasure through his body, and his skin tingled with excitement. It felt like the first time again: thrilling and electrifying.

It felt so right. But one thing wasn’t: she was doing this to pay for his services. His conscience reared its ugly head, and he cursed the ethics his parents had instilled in him. He ripped his lips from hers, breathing hard.

“Stop, Catalina. I can’t let you do this.”

She stared at him, confusion and hurt in her eyes. “You don’t want to sleep with me?”

She tried to take a step back, but he didn’t release her from his embrace.

“I do. But not like this.” He shook his head. “I can’t let you pay with sex.”

“But I have nothing else to give. Please!”

He recognized the desperation in her eyes and knew he hadn’t been clear enough.

“I’ll help you with your brother, but I can’t accept payment for it.”

She looked even more confused than before. “But then why would you help me at all?”

“Because I like you and can’t bear the thought that you might get yourself in trouble if you’re doing this alone.”

“Oh.” She paused for a long moment. “But you do want to have sex with me. I mean, I can feel it. You’re hard.”

Yes, he was hard, and only a mind-blowing orgasm would get his erection down. But this was up to Catalina. It was her decision, not his. He stroked along her jawline and looked into her eyes.

“Yes, I want to sleep with you, but only if that’s what you really want. Not because you think you owe me something.”