Page 79 of Love Under Snowfall

“All right, Francesca,” he growled, sucking lightly on her neck and rolling his hips against hers in one final display of power. “I’ll let you take over, but fair warning. I may not be able to follow directions as well as you expect.”

“Even if you get a reward?” She licked her lips, and he nearly died.

Chapter forty-three

Frankie

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

The sentiment chanted through Frankie’s mind from the second she opened her door and found Benjamin standing there wearing a mix of hope and shame. She’d tried to stop wanting him, tried to put him out of her mind or at the very least categorize him as “completely unavailable.” Her efforts even extended to welcoming another man into her hotel room when he’d escorted her back from the reception.

“Alone at last.”Clint’s words—brimming with implication—crawled over Frankie in an unsettling way she didn’t understand. In all measures, Sheriff Howards was a good man: kind, patient, hard-working. And to say he was attractive was the biggest understatement since Mercutio claimed his stab wound was just a scratch. Because at six-foot-four, jacked with solid muscle, unruly surfer boy curls, and jaw sharp enough to cut glass, the dude was ridiculously hot.

And yet the thought of him touching her, kissing her, pleasuring her, made her cringe, which would be a very inconvenient reaction given the circumstance. Enough of one that she’d let him down easy and turned him away before he had the opportunity to land his perfect lips on hers.

Clint’s disappointment had been clear, but he hadn’t pushed or pressured. He’d simply suggested she call him if she changed hermind then ducked out the door.

Her self-flagellating thoughts—He’s perfect and available. What’s wrong with you?—met a hasty end when a knock sounded at her door.

While she knew there wasn’t a future with Benjamin, she’d met his arrival with relief and body-shuddering lust. Tonight was all she’d get. She could accept that.

But she was going to make it worth it.

And leave an impression in the meantime.

Standing in front of Benjamin as he lounged on her bed, she dragged her gaze up and down his body and came to a stark conclusion. There was a huge problem, one that needed to be remedied immediately.

“You’re wearing too much,” she scolded, gesturing lazily at him. “Strip.”

He grinned, that cocky, seductive, flashing blue-eyed grin of his, and rose from the mattress. She watched, mesmerized, as he slowly slid out of his unbuttoned shirt. The gray-toned tattoo of Lady Justice peeked from his side, rippling against the expanse of well-crafted obliques. Next, he handled his belt, button, and zipper steadily until his immaculately tailored trousers slid to the floor.

How could he possibly be so cool and collected while Frankie’s body shivered and hummed in anticipation?

Because this means something different to him.

Shaking her head to dispel the nagging thought, she caught Benjamin’s frown.

“Not to your liking?” he teased, though there was an undercurrent of something else in his voice.

Redirecting her attention, she shrugged. Her thoughts were hers, and she wasn’t going to share them with a man who would be gone by sunup.

So, she lied, kind of. “I feel overdressed now.”

She stepped closer to him and gave him a tiny shove to sit on the bed and then turned. He slowly unzipped her dress, planting luxurious kisses along each vertebra he exposed. The elegant garment fell heavily from her shoulders into a pool of icy velvet at her feet.

A low rumble emitted from Benjamin’s throat, clearly approving of what he saw. He reached out to touch, but she sidestepped him. “Ah-ah. I’m the boss, remember?”

His hands dropped to his sides with a playfully menacing look. A thrill fluttered at the thought that such a commanding man would be so obedient.

She stepped closer, standing between his knees, and dipped her head enough to kiss his perfect lips. His hunger matched hers, taking the contact as an invitation to touch much more of her. And he knew exactly how to touch her. Fingers dug into her flesh, squeezed and pinched sensitive peaks; fingernails gently scraped from her nape to the crescents below each cheek at the top of her legs. He licked and kissed and nibbled. Frankie moaned approvingly, praising his work as he thoroughly roamed her body.

His erection strained aggressively against his black boxer briefs. All manner of naughty ideas of what to do with him crossed her mind. A ripple of heat rose up her neck. She knelt, and he sucked in an audible breath.

“Francesca.” She couldn’t tell if he said it as a prayer or warning, but both possibilities imbued her with heady power. Smiling up at him, she laid a trail of wet little kisses down his belly until she reached the top band at his hips. He’d let go of her, instead gripping the linen beneath him, but as soon as she dipped a fingertip below the only garment he still wore, he plunged his hands into her hair.

She pulled, releasing the full heft of him, and met his wild,unblinking eyes. Except for the ragged rise and fall of his chest, Benjamin sat frozen as though any twitch would cause her to flee. Frankie had to bite back a giggle because the stark, wicked anticipation was broadcasted across his handsome face.

Slowly dipping down, she trailed her tongue around the tip. His hips jerked on instinct.

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