Lessons in Love

Chapter 62: Moving Day

POV: Beta Ben Westlake

Riley went up to my suite shortly after the meeting ended. Her head was pounding from the newly formed mind-link, and she wanted to lay down. I supervised the clean-up and saw Riley coming down the stairs as I left the great hall. “How’s your head?” I asked her.

“Throbbing.” She said with a smile. “But it’ll pass soon enough.”

“You hungry?” I asked.

“I should probably head home and …”

“Or stay.” I said abruptly and blushed. “If you wanted to.” I rushed out.

She chuckled at me. “I don’t know.” She said, and I wasn’t entirely sure if she was teasing me. “Benji will start to worry about me.”

I shook my head and laughed at her. “Benji will worry. You know, I think that bear is up to no good.”

“You could come over and give him a stern talking to.” She nibbled at her lower lip, and there was no more blood in my head.

“Yes,” I said immediately. “Wait, s**t, I …” I looked over my shoulder at the stairs.

“Go have dinner with your mom.” She said with an understanding smile. “It’ll give me time to go home, have a shower, and pack some of my things.”

“Pack?” I said in shock. “What will Benji think?” She laughed at me. I touched the side of her face and kissed her gently on the mouth. She leaned into me, kissing me in a way that made me think there was more to come.

She pulled away first, but I was still holding her face lightly. “I’ll see you soon.” She smiled. With that, she headed for the door. She held it open for Rick, who was carrying four bags in one hand and Emma in the other. I crossed the lobby and grabbed the bags for him.

“Thanks!” He said, sounding a little winded and looking a little frazzled.

“Oh, man! What did you pack in here? Bricks?” I said, pretending the bags were heavier than they were to get a laugh out of the little girl.

“No,” she giggled. “Books!” She said happily. “Uncle Rick said we’d make a special section in the library just for my books.”

“Uh … that’s exciting!” I stifled my shock. Rick had said he was going to leave her at Sarah’s, but somewhere between this morning and ten minutes ago, that had clearly changed.

“Where was Riley headed?” Rick asked, moving the conversation along.

“She went home to pack.” I said as we mounted the stairs.

“Pack?” Emma jumped in. “She’s not leaving, is she?”

“No,” I smiled at her. “She’s moving into the packhouse.”

“Just like me!” Emma said excitedly.

“She’s going to be our neighbor.” Rick said, giving me a wink. “Ms. Campbell and Uncle Ben are mates.”

“Really?!” She squealed with excitement. “Are you excited?” She asked as Rick put her down and opened the door to his suite.

“Yeah,” I said, grinning like an i***t.

“You need to find your mate too.” Emma said to Rick, like it was a simple task, like finding ones’ keys. It dawned on me that maybe his mate was closer than he thought.

“I’m sure I will one day.” He said to her, but I saw the doubt in his eyes. “Why don’t you go to the library and look around. You pick a spot to put your books while I talk to Uncle Ben, okay?” Emma nodded and hurried off to Rick’s library.

“Rick, what if the rabbit …”

“Is my mate?” He cut me off. “Yeah, I considered that too.”

“You don’t think so?”

“I don’t know. It just seemed more urgent than a mate. How would my being mated help you and Sam?” He said, heading to the spare room. “I need your help with something in here,” he added over his shoulder.

“Mates make us stronger,” I said, following him. He opened the closet and pulled out a duffle bag. “Maybe there’s something you need to do that will require more strength than you have now.” I suggested.

“Here,” he handed me the bag. “I want to clear Henry’s stuff out of here.” He said, going back into the closet. “Stash it in one of our offices for now, I want to go through it all. See if he left anything behind.” Rick handed me a bunch of pants.

“Rick,” I tried to circle him back to the conversation by coming to a stop.

“I hear you,” he said. “Believe me, I’ve thought exactly what you’re thinking. But the rabbit isn’t going to mean anything if I can’t get past …”

“Are those Uncle Henry’s clothes?” A little voice from the doorway made the two of us jump.

“Yeah,” Rick said, moving toward her. He got down on one knee and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I thought maybe we’d put it away somewhere safe until he comes back. Is that okay?” Emma nodded. “Good, did you pick your shelves?” He smiled at her. She nodded again, this time with a smile.

“I’ll finish up here if you two want to start on the library.” I said.

“Thanks,” Rick said, getting up and taking Emma’s hand. I wasn’t surprised Rick was good with kids, but I was a little surprised at how good he was. I smiled to myself as I packed up the last of Henry’s clothes. He’d made the right call, bringing Emma home with him. I grabbed the bag and ducked into the library.

“I’m all done. You two have fun.”

“Thanks Uncle Ben!” Emma said, hauling three large novels to the nearby table.

I went home and enjoyed a quiet dinner with my mother before heading over to Riley’s. Mom was a little out of sorts still, but I wasn’t surprised by that either. She was headed to her room with a cup of tea and book when I left. I reached Riley’s front door and knocked. When she didn’t answer, I let myself in.

“Riley,” I called out. She didn’t answer. I reached out my mind to hers, like I was searching for her. “I’m here,” I said quietly. I heard a thud upstairs, but there was no response from her. I took the stairs two at a time and whipped open her bedroom door. Riley let out a startled yelp as she scrambled to keep her towel from falling off.

Her long, auburn hair was tied up on the top of her head in a messy bun. Her skin was still wet and pink from the hot shower she’d had. Her breasts, which I’d only caught a glimpse of, were full, with dark pink n*****s that had hardened from the cold air. She was standing behind a large suitcase that came up to her hip, leaving her long legs hidden from me.

I looked her in the eye as I walked toward her. Her breath seemed to come faster as I got closer. She was frozen there, like a picturesque statue. I slid the suitcase aside and cupped the side of her face. The smell of jasmine was thick. She was aroused, and I wondered if her n*****s were still hard. I leaned in and kissed her gently. Our auras pulled at one another until we were wrapped in the safety of them. I reached for the edge of the towel that she was loosely holding closed.

“Ben,” she pulled back from the kiss, just enough to look at me, as she clutched the towel tighter. “I want this.” She whispered. “But we agreed we can’t complete the mate bond until …”

“There is an awful lot I can do that won’t complete that bond.” I growled, taking her lips again. She kissed me as passionately as I was kissing her. She pushed her tongue into my mouth as I backed her up, searching for the wall behind her. We hit it softly, and she moaned into my mouth. I tugged at the towel, and she let me take it from her.

My hand drifted down her chest as I continued to assault her mouth. We were both panting as my fingers slid down her skin, grazing her n****e. She gasped but didn’t stop kissing me. Her fingers were buried in my hair, her fingernails scratching my scalp, holding me against her mouth. My hands cupped her breasts, massaging them, feeling her sensitive n*****s hard against my palms. I wanted them in my mouth. I kissed along her neck and felt her stiffen.

“Don’t worry,” I growled softly into her neck. “I won’t bite.” My lips connected with her mating spot, at the base of her neck above the collar bone.

“Ben,” she moaned my name, gripping my hair tighter as she craned her neck to give me access. I ran my tongue over the spot and continued kissing my way to her breasts. My hands slid over her hips, wrapping around to grip her ass as I sucked her n****e into my mouth. She arched her back, pushing her n****e further into my mouth. Her hips were rolling toward me, begging me to explore her further. I slid my hands a little further down, grasping her thighs and lifting her off her feet without letting go of her breast.

I walked over to the bed and lay her down. She was panting, reaching for me, arching her back as I stood over her naked body and admired her. “Ben,” she begged, wrapping her legs around me to pull me closer. I could smell the wetness between her legs and reached for it. Her eyes were glassy from pleasure as she looked up at me.

I slid my hands along her legs, gripping the inside of her thighs to open her legs for me. I ran my hand along her stomach, watching her body quiver as I did. I looked back at her face as I slid my finger over her c**t and into her. Riley’s eyes fluttered closed as she clinched around my finger. Goddess she was tight and so wet. Her back arched at the pleasure of the intrusion. I pulled my finger back out and slowly slid two back into her, pressing my thumb against her c**t as I did. Her hips rolled, soaking my hand as she came, moaning my name.

“f**k,” I gritted my teeth. I was still fully clothed and suddenly thankful for it. I wanted to be inside her more than I had wanted anything ever in my whole life, and if I’d been naked, I wouldn’t have been able to control myself. The smell of her as she came was new to me. It was like the scent was designed for me, to drive me wild. I growled trying to maintain my control as I knelt next to the bed, kissing up her thighs as I fingered her.