"Will you tell me what your resignation letter is about?" Ben finally asked after he walked in behind her and stood looking at her in the foyer. He now looked angry, frustrated actually, and her heart sank. He was here only to confront her about leaving the company, nothing more.
"I don't think that it will work out, my being there, working with you." Anne turned and walked into the kitchen with Ben on her heels. After she stopped to pull two water bottles from the refrigerator, she handed one to him. Ben leaned his backside against the counter and thanked her gruffly. "I won't sue you or the company, Ben, if that is what you are worried about. I'll even sign papers waiving my right to do so if that is what you want."
"I don't give a damn about that, Anne. Tell me why you want to leave. Rudolph told me that you were doing well and seemed to like the company." He ran a hand through his hair again, messing it up further until the ends stuck straight up. She wanted to brush his hair down, to touch his face, to touch any part of him. But she could not do it, not any more. She no longer had the right to do so. She shook her head sadly, put her bottle down on the counter, and looked out the patio door at the sunny deck.
"I do like the company."
Without looking at Ben, she walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Ben came in behind her and took the chair next to her. He looked so good dressed in his jeans and tee shirt. His eyes looked tired, though, with circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept for a while.
"Then why?" He clearly looked frustrated now as he asked her. He no longer looked angry, only worried.
"You know why." It hurt to keep looking at him, so she stared at the fireplace.
He set his water bottle down on a coaster on the coffee table and ran his hands over his face. When he looked back at her, his eyes were sad and his lips were frowning.
"I tried to find you that Sunday to apologize, Anne. I was stupid, so stupid. I know that you did not try to manipulate your way into the job, that you would never do that. I'm sorry, Anne. Don't leave because of that." She could hear the sincerity in his voice. It did not change anything. He still had only wanted a vacation romance, and now she was pregnant.
"That's not why I'm leaving, Ben," she spoke softly.
"Then why?" He suddenly exploded and stood up to pace the floor a few times before he sat back down again. Anne watched him, confused by his agitation. He was the one who called off their relationship, not her. She hoped he would leave soon because she found that the pain of seeing him here wore on her control.
"Why, Anne? I don't want you to go." Pain suddenly flashed across his face, and his eyes looked tormented. "We'll work it out, Anne."
"I can't, Ben. It's too hard." Her voice caught, and she swallowed and wished that she still had her water bottle. She could not look at him any longer and stared at the fireplace again.
"I tried calling you, Anne, to explain but you changed your cell phone number right away."
"I changed it to a local number before I went back to Boston."
"You didn't call me. I asked Jim to tell you to call me." His voice sounded husky with emotion.
"I threw your card out," she said quietly. She continued to stare straight ahead but was surprised by the low moan that came for him. She looked over at him and saw him press the fingers of his right hand to his eyes. He was silent for several long seconds before he looked up at her. His eyes were full of sorrow and regret. She could feel tears behind her eyes and looked away as she bit her lower lip with her teeth. This was much more difficult than she thought it would be.
"Anne," his voice was choked. "I'm sorry for what I said to you at the inn. You have no idea how sorry I am about that. But I'll never be sorry for loving you, Anne. Never!"
Anne felt a tear slide down her cheek, and she looked over at Ben. He stood up shakily, kissed the top of her head, and walked to the front door. The sound of the door closing registered in her muddled thoughts, and what he said sank in. He loved her! He was gone! He tells her that and just leaves? She had to stop him before he left.
After she jumped up, she ran to her front door, pulled it open, and stepped onto the front steps. Ben was standing next to his car with his hands resting on the roof. His head was down, and Anne could see the muscles of his back and arms flexing as if he was trying to control his emotions.
"Ben! You can't just tell me that you love me and leave."
He turned to look at her, and she saw that his eyes were wet with tears.
"I was planning on coming back inside. I'm not giving up on us, Anne. We have something special here, and I'm not giving it up. I don't care about the job. I only care about you." He stood facing her as he prepared himself for her rejection and dared her to reject him.
"I don't regret loving you, either." She called out the words and watched the change on his face and in his stance. He seemed to become taller, more sure, before her eyes.
"I love you, Jane Anne Conner. I don't want you to leave because I love you. I’ve always loved you." He waited by his car and looked at her. He waited for her response with his heart in his eyes. They burned with so much fire that she felt it clear down to her bones.
"I love you too, Ben."
As soon as she said the words, he ran back to the house and scooped her into his arms. They felt so right around her. She held him tight against her and rested her cheek against his shoulder. He held her close as he took several deep shaky breaths. She could feel his chest move with each inhale and exhale, and she could also feel him swallow a lump in his throat. Finally, she lifted her head and looked up at him. He kissed her softly with a tender rubbing of his lips over hers. The softness of his kiss warmed her heart and melted away the last bit of her doubts and resistance, and she kissed him back until they both were breathless. Then she smiled into his eyes. They had lost their sad look, and now burned with a renewed and determined intensity.
She quickly pulled him back into the house and closed the door. Then, after she took his hand, she led him to her bedroom where he pulled her once again into his arms. The love and desire he felt for her came through when his mouth found hers again. It touched her heart and stirred her loins until she could not wait any longer to touch him. She pushed his shirt up, kissed his chest, and loved the feel of his hair against her palms and lips. He told her he loved her again as he helped her take the shirt off. Every one of their movements while they undressed each other was followed by words of love. Oh, how she missed him.
Ben laid her down on the bed and began to slowly drive her wild with passion and pleasure. He worshipped her body until she could no longer take the powerful sensations that racked her body, and she rolled him over so that she could take control of their lovemaking. He helped position her over his erection and pushed himself inside of her as she came down until she was full of him. Then she began to move and rode him until she climaxed around him. Her pleasure ran through her and transferred to him. When she became calm again, he rolled her onto her back, never breaking their connection, and began thrusting again until she reached another climax stronger than the first while he found his own release inside of her.
After their bodies cooled off and the lethargy that comes from being satisfied set in, Anne snuggled against his side and told him again that she loved him. She could not have asked for a better response than the tender smile that lit his face. He pulled her close to his side and whispered the same words to her. They dozed for a while, locked in each other’s arms, and they were satisfied in a way they had never been before, secure in the knowledge of their shared love. Sometime later Anne woke slowly, in stages, with the feel of Ben’s hand lazily rubbing her across her back. She stretched like a cat next to him then snuggled into his side again. She began drifting off when his spoke. His words woke her with a start.
"You're going to have to marry me, you know." She looked quickly at him, and he grinned charmingly at her sleepy, albeit, happy expression.
"I can't just have an affair with one of my employees. It’s bad for business."
"What makes you think that I'll be staying with your company?" She was teasing him now but wanted to hear his reply.
"Well, for starters, I have a contract. So, my love, you aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Secondly, I have every intention of making you my wife and the mother of my children, so you working somewhere else won’t work either. And in case you did not notice, we didn't use protection again. At this rate, I'll have you pregnant in no time, so you had better say 'yes' soon to being my wife. What do you say to a big wedding next summer at the cathedral?"
"No." She shook her head and laughed.
"That's my girl. But you will marry me?" He suddenly looked worried again, and she put his mind at rest with a wide smile.
"Yes, I will. But I should tell you that you would be getting more than you bargained for. I come as a package deal."
"What do you mean? Is there something you want? Name it. It will be yours if I have any say in it."
"I don’t want anything more. Only you and…well, that’s not what I meant by a package deal. What I meant was that you won't make me pregnant if we don't use protection in the future." At his confused look she continued. "It won't work on me because I'm already..."
She stopped talking because he flipped her over and began kissing her again joyfully. Then he looked down at her in wonder.
"You're happy?" She looked up at him with worry.
"I'm very happy. Ok, I have new terms. What do you say to getting married next month at the inn?"
"Yes! I think that would be acceptable." She giggled at his happy expression and the way he began rubbing her belly. He scooted down and kissed her belly before he looked back up into her face.
"I have another term."
"You have another one! You are pushing your luck today, Stanford."
Ben scooted back up so that they were face to face again. "I think you will agree with this one. If we have a boy, my term is that he will not be named Benjamin Stanford IV."
"And if we have a girl?"
"That she not be named Jane Anne."
"It's a deal."
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Coming Soon
Going for the Gold
Prologue