“I don’t get it,” he said, staring at Ben and Lauren, who had their arms wrapped around each other. “I mean, you guys are together? When did this happen? And what about Elle? And I thought Lauren didn’t even like you, Ben. Some of the stuff she’s said about - ”
Lauren clamped a hand soundly over George’s mouth. “Not now, okay? To borrow a very British term – appropriate, since we happen to actually be in merry old England right now – I’m totally knackered. Ben and I will tell you guys about it after we’ve all had some sleep. And when the four of us don’t smell like a herd of goats.”
She removed her hand then, but evidently George was beginning to feel like his old self – his nosy self – and couldn’t give it a rest.
“So, Ben, does this mean you’ve broken up with Elle? I mean, that was a hell of a – oomph!”
This time it was Ben who placed a hand over George’s mouth, chuckling a little as he shook his head. “Later, George.”
Lauren pointed an accusatory finger at the squirming George. “Don’t make me regret all the hours I just spent wiping off your gross, clammy forehead. Or spoon feeding you broth. And this is as good a time as any to remind you of your promise to have my boots professionally cleaned since your barfed on them. Twice.”
Ben swiftly removed his palm from George’s mouth, gingerly wiping it on the leg of his jeans. “Remind me to wash my hands really, really well when we get to our room,” he whispered to Lauren.
She grinned up at him mischievously. “Our room, is it? My, but someone is taking an awful lot for granted, isn’t he?”
He growled playfully in her ear. “And someone is being her usual bratty self. And, yes, sweetheart – our room. You really think that I’m going to let you spend even one more night away from me after everything we’ve put each other through? And especially when I just came way too close to losing you for good.”
Lauren sobered instantly, burying her face against the soft, familiar fabric of his T-shirt. “No,” she murmured softly. “We’ve spent way too much time apart as it is, haven’t we?”
She was unnaturally quiet during the short drive to the hotel, more than content to curl up beside Ben on the padded seat of the limo, his arm holding her against him tightly. She noticed that he, too, looked “knackered”, and wondered when he had arrived in London. Lauren knew that this entire episode had been an ordeal for everyone involved – not just her and the boys but their families and friends, and the entire staff back at the magazine. And she also realized with a shudder that this situation could have been much, much worse had they actually made that flight. She had seen first hand the horror that had unfolded in the aftermath of the crash, had witnessed the death and destruction and the cries of anguish from the families of the victims. And while her sympathies were with the victims and their loved ones, she could still find it in her to be grateful that her own family had been spared such grief.
During the brief phone conversation she’d had with her parents and Julia on the satellite phone – all of them doing their best not to cry – Lauren had discovered that Ben had kept in frequent contact with them while waiting for word on the crew’s status. Her father in particular had sung his praises, but she’d been too overcome with mingled fatigue and relief at the time to have given the matter much thought. Now, as she buried her face against Ben’s neck, breathing in his fresh, clean scent, she wondered just what had been said between him and her father.
As they entered the elegantly appointed hotel lobby, Lauren had never in her life been more conscious of just how grubby she looked. Her clothes were wrinkled, stained, and had gone so far beyond smelly that she couldn’t think of a word to describe the truly rank odor they gave off. She knew from having peered warily into a restroom mirror that she had dark circles under eyes that were bloodshot and bleary from lack of sleep. Her hair was a greasy, lank mess of tangled curls that had begun to itch two days ago, and she was beginning to fear it would never feel clean again.
But Ben didn’t seem to care a whit about her bedraggled appearance as he kept her tucked firmly against him. He had already checked the four of them in – everyone into a private room, which was another perk that they seldom enjoyed. Lauren, in fact, would be the only one sharing a room, though under the circumstances she was thrilled rather than annoyed with the arrangements.
Ben’s room was on a different floor than the others, and as he ushered Lauren out of the elevator, she caught Chris’s knowing smirk, George’s still-perplexed look, and Karl’s gentle smile.
“See you guys at dinner,” she called out. They had all agreed to shower and then nap for several hours before meeting up for dinner later this evening at one of the hotel’s restaurants.
“Unless,” Ben told them with a wink, “we decide to make it dinner for two and order room service instead. We, ah, have a lot of catching up to do.”
The elevator door closed on three startled male faces while Ben and Lauren shared a laugh as they walked down the hall to his room.
Once he’d locked the door behind them, she held up a hand as he would have reached for her again.
“Wait.” The question had been foremost in her thoughts ever since she’d seen him waiting for her in the airport terminal. And she needed an answer before things progressed any further.
“What’s going on with – with Elle?” she asked hesitantly. “Because if she’s still in the picture, then I don’t - ”
Ben yanked her against his chest, shaking his head firmly. “She’s not. It’s over with her, should have never really begun. I’m not sure what - ”
Lauren placed a finger over his lips. “Shh. That’s all I need to know for now. You can fill me in on all the other details later. Much later. Because right now you need to help me decide what I need most – a shower or you.”
Ben grinned, and then elicited a squeal of surprise from her as he swung her up into his arms. “Well, that’s an easy choice. You can have both at the same time.”
He carried her into the bathroom before setting her on her feet. Clothes and shoes were swiftly discarded until they were both naked. Lauren turned on the shower taps while Ben grabbed several oversized bath towels from the racks.
And then the next decision she had to make was what sensation made her feel more like weeping with pleasure – that of the hot, steamy water on her bare skin, or the way her lover’s arms felt as they wrapped around her waist.
“Let me,” he whispered, his chest pressed up against her back as his soap-slicked hands cupped her full, aching breasts. “Let me take care of you, sweetheart.”
She emitted a long, low groan as he washed her thoroughly, his hands traveling a sensual path from her shoulders to her belly and buttocks, before slipping between her legs.
“Yes,” she breathed roughly. “Oh, God, yes. Please. I need - ”
“I know what you need, baby,” rasped Ben. “And I’m going to give it to you. Again and again and again. Let’s see if we can maybe take the edge off a little for you, hmm?”
The slick, soapy slide of his fingers as they penetrated her body was the most exquisite sensation she could remember feeling in a very long time. She braced her palms against the cool granite wall of the shower, her legs spreading further apart to allow him deeper access to her body. Her breasts were crushed up against the wall, the hard points of her nipples being abraded by the granite, as her hips moved in perfect synchronization with the steady pump of his fingers and the rub of his thumb over her clit.
It had been years – six long, lonely years – since she’d experienced this sort of release, since her entire body had quivered in orgasm, and she’d cried out his name. The water was still sluicing over their bodies as he took her into his arms, holding her close, stroking her back soothingly as she continued to shudder in reaction.