Page 23 of Ride Me

“Why do you think he keeps avoiding you?”

She’d thought of a million reasons, none of them having anything to do with him protecting her. The one she kept returning to was that she wasn’t his type.

“Wrong.” Ben shook his head, reading her again. “Even before his current situation, Rousseau never had a problem attracting women. He didn’t have a type, as far as I know. The truth is, he was so busy taking care of his family and saving to open Café Bwe that he rarely paid them any mind.”

“No wonder you’re friends. You have so much in common,” she deadpanned.

Ben laughed at that. “We actually do, especially when it comes to family, but as far as women go, we definitely diverged. I learned in high school that hanging out with him was the smartest thing a single guy could do. I spent a lot of lovely nights consoling his rejected admirers. Since I’m almost as good looking as he is, they weren’t too upset with the switch.” He scowled playfully. “If you tell him I admitted he was better looking our friendship is over.”

“My lips are sealed.” Allegra walked in silence for a moment, then, “How did it happen?”

“How?” Ben’s expression turned grim. “BD’s been around since a few days after Rousseau’s dad was buried. I don’t know all the details, because the Loa has a way of blocking me, but I do know that it was his father who brought Rousseau to BD’s attention. He’s a strong spirit, stronger and more determined than most, I think. I wish I knew what his old man did to call down that kind of thunder, but the type of Loa that BD is gives me a clue. He affects people strangely. Even me.”

“You?” How did he affect Ben?

“Me.” They turned the corner of her building and she reached into her purse for the key. As soon as she’d opened the door Ben swooped her up in his arms, making her shriek in surprise. “Service with a smile, Legs.”

“Thanks.” She was suddenly breathless. Ben’s masculine scent surrounded her, his arm strong beneath her legs. This close she noticed the rich brown of his eyes, and the small scar at his temple. She thought about the night at the club, how sad he’d looked, and what she’d discovered.

“You’ve shared women with him before. With the Loa. Is that what you mean by affecting you? Did you not have a choice?”

He’d closed the door and was taking his first step up the stairs when he paused to look at her. “He told you that?”

“At the club. You don’t remember anything?”

“No, but you do. That’s damn disconcerting.” His skin flushed and he took a steadying breath before continuing on. “The first time I thought it was Rousseau. Maybe a little drunk, but still my best friend.”

“Did you like it?”

His voice lowered. “It was incredible. The best sex of my life, but I knew most of that came from feeling what the woman was feeling. And the expression on her face as we took her together. The things he did…”

Allegra clenched her fingers on his shoulders, her body heating at his words. “And after you knew?”

“When I put two and two together, Rousseau didn’t deny it. He was relieved to have someone to talk to about what he was going through. When I apologized for not knowing, he said if he was going to share a woman or a secret, he’d rather both were with someone he trusted.”

At the top of the stairs he put her on her feet, his brow lowering in concern when she flinched before finding her balance. He caressed her hip in gentle apology. “I shouldn’t have made you walk again. Are you hurting?”

She opened her mouth, looking up at him with confusion. Her mind was still filled with images of Ben and Rousseau sharing a lover, surrounding her and taking her higher than she’d ever been. Embarrassed, she realized she’d replaced the faceless woman in her mind with herself.

Ben’s chest rose on a harsh breath. “I’m touching you, Allegra. I can feel what you’re feeling.”

She licked her lips. “I figured that out.”

“Do you want that? What you just saw?”

She had to be honest. “I don’t know. Do you?”

He groaned and lowered his head slowly, taking her lips in a gentle, almost hesitant kiss. Allegra felt warmth course through her limbs and she leaned closer. It was a lovely kiss. Perfect in almost every way.

But it wasn’t Rousseau.

And she wasn’t Michelle.

Ben pulled back with a wry smile at that thought. “You’re the one, Legs. Exactly who and what he needs. I’ve known it from the first, but I have so enjoyed spending time with you.”

“Same here.”

“Don’t run away now that you know the truth.”

---