(Ciara's perspective)
Ben leaves the bathroom but not before I give him a little preview of what he's missed. I put my hair up in a messy bun so I don't get my hair completely soaked...and I ease my body into this beautiful claw-foot tub, full of bubbles. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly as I adjust to the warm water. I try to relax my shoulders and my back - why is THAT where I carry my stress? Stress. That's an understatement. The last 15 months felt like torment...but I'm not going there. It's over. Done. He's home. I inhale and exhale slowly again...and begin to dream about better days... days of love and laughter, traveling the world with Ben, getting married someday. Before I know it, I notice, by the clock on the bathroom counter, that it has been 40 minutes since Ben left. Where did he go? What is he doing? I wonder if he is thinking about me in this tub, soaking wet and naked. I begin to think of him naked... as I get lost in thoughts of desire and passion for the man I adore, I am jerked back to reality with the sound of the loft door opening and closing. He's home. A smirk shoots across my mouth as I am determined to make him come and get me out of this tub. I sink a little more into the bubbles, covering my body with them.
"Ciara!," he yells from the other room but I don't answer. I want him to come to me. Finally, I hear the creak of the bathroom door behind me.
"Hey Baby, I'm back.", Ben says and touches the top of my head as he walks around to the other side of the tub so he can see my face. "You look sooo relaxed, babe. Glad you took my suggestion.", he says as he sits on the edge of the tub and pushes some of the bubbles around. "If you're ready to get out of the tub, I picked us up some dinner. You hungry?"
"I'm starving! Babe, I forgot to get a towel. Will you get one out of the linen closet? It's over there in the corner," I say and point to a small closet behind Ben. He stands up and turns to retrieve my towel. I smile a WICKED smile as he turns and stand up in the tub. When he turns around to bring me the towel, he sees me...standing there...wet from the neck down...with clusters of bubbles sliding slowly down my body. He stops immediately and stares, brows up just slightly. After a few seconds, he unfolds the towel and walks toward me...silent but never takes his eyes off me. When he reaches the tub, he swings the towel around my backside and bundles me up. He wraps his arms around me and rests his head beside mine. His mouth makes his way to my ear and he whispers, "I am desperate for you right now...but anticipation makes everything sooo much better." He leans back and quietly walks out of the bathroom...leaving me overheated and nearly stumbling out of the tub. After I dry myself off and put on a robe, I head to the living room to find Ben sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. The room is dim with a few lit candles scattered here and there. On the coffee table sits about 6 boxes of Chinese takeout and when I notice them, I turn my head to the side...our thing.
"YOU are so sentimental and romantic.," I say to him as I join him on the floor. I lean over and kiss him lightly on the lips.
"My first night home...I want it to be perfect.," he says. He begins to open all the boxes while I unwrap the chopsticks.
"I'd like to say that I've improved my chopstick skills but uh...no. I couldn't bring myself to eat Chinese food while you were gone.," I shrug my soldiers.
"Well, we have a lot of catching up to do then. Let's eat.", Ben digs in and so do I. I immediately drop some noodles on my lap and he chuckles. I flash back to our first time making love...I dropped chow mein all down his shirt. I may have done that a little on purpose. A smile creeps across my mouth as we continue eating.
He sees my smile and asks, "What?"...and he smiles too.
"Just...memories...," I say. He sort of nods his head because he knows EXACTLY what I'm thinking about.
We take our time eating and talk about some things that have happened since he's been in prison. I always updated him when I visited or we spoke on the phone but to actually have time to talk about things a little more in depth...it feels good to hear his take on things. He talks about Will...I'm so happy he had someone to kind of lean on when he was there. The fact that Will has forgiven Ben for what happened years ago is a miracle...to both of us. They're friends. That's amazing.
After we finish eating, Ben gathers all the leftovers and trash and cleans our mess. He insists that I just sit and relax...he really wants to take care of me tonight. He finally joins me on the couch and I double my legs up and face him. It's so quiet in our loft. Ben reaches for my arms and pulls me closer to him. I lay my head on his chest and we just hold each other for a few minutes. I can hear his heartbeat...that beautiful sound. He's still here with me...he is alive and well...and snuggling with me right now. I send a huge prayer of thanks to God for bringing him back to me.
"How are you feeling, baby?," he asks me.
"Sooo good. So happy."
He smiles down at me and lowers his mouth to mine. He softly brushes my lips with his...it nearly tickles, it's such a light touch. He reaches up to put his hands on the sides of my face. God, I love it when he does this! Our lips separate...and for just a moment, his mouth hovers over mine. I can feel his breath on my face. I open my eyes to look at him...he's doing the same to me.
"Come on...," he says as he takes my hands and guides me to our bedroom...but not before we grab a couple of the lit candles and the small bag of whatever it is he bought while he was out. When we get to our room, we put the candles on the dresser and Ben puts the bag on the nightstand. We walk to the foot of the foot of the bed and I rest my hands on his waist.
"Do you want me to turn on some music?," I ask.
"No...I only want to hear the sounds we make together. That's my music," he says as he pulls me in for a kiss...one hand on my back the other on the back of my neck. This kiss has more depth to it but I can tell he is holding back a little. My gut tells me he wants to set a pace for the night and not rush anything. That realization only makes me want to tear him from limb to limb. I have never desired anyone more in my entire life. Our kiss begins to get a little more urgent and I slip my hands under his T-shirt. I feel his abs jump a little...dear God, his abs. I pull away from his mouth and walk around him, snaking my fingers all the way to his back. When I settle myself behind him, I slide his shirt up his back to his shoulders and he removes it over the back of his head. Oh his glorious shoulders and back...I rub his shoulders for a moment before I lightly rake my nails down his back. He stiffens a little and let's out the lowest moan...he's loving the burn as much as I am. I graze my nose and mouth from one side of his back to the other, breathing him in. He smells so good. I plant a wet kiss on his spine and then walk back around to face him. When I look up at him, I notice his eyes are darkened and intense...and his brow is furrowed slightly...like he's concentrating intently on my face.He reaches up to the belt on my robe, and loosens it until it completely falls open. I bring my hands to my shoulders and pull the robe off my body slowly. My body is on fire and yearning so much for him as his eyes roam over every inch of me, from my feet up to my hair. He raises his hands to my hair and takes the elastic out of my messy bun, making my hair tumble down my shoulders. He leans into me, with his hands entangled in my hair and whispers, "I have dreamed about your hair...damp from sweat and draped across my chest after we make love." His words always have such an effect on me. I bite my lip and with my arms wrapped around him, I say, "Ben, I need you now."
"Baby, I don't want to rush anything. We have all night,"...he looks into my eyes and softly says, "I want to rediscover you...every curve, every hollow...of your body." His finger glides down my neck, out my shoulder, where his mouth replaces it with a kiss.
"Lie down on your stomach," he says and points to the bed. I climb on the bed on all fours- I look back and he's watching me... he bites his lip. I know the payoff for all this anticipation will be explosive but I feel like I may combust before we even get to actually making love. I lie down on my stomach and cross my arms under my chin. Ben goes to the nightstand and takes something out of the bag he brought home. I hear him rub his hands together and then I feel his hands wrap around my ankles. I feel his thumbs press into the back of my ankles and up my calves..dear God, he's giving me a massage. His slightly coarse hands combined with the smoothness of the lotion are so erotic, I begin to feel warm in my belly and goosebumps cover my whole body. His hands move to the backs of my knees and I nearly come off the bed. Why is that such a sensitive area? I gasp a little and then breathe deeply into it. His big hands make their way up the back of my thighs, firmly squeezing my hamstrings. Ohh this feels so good, I can barely think straight. Then I feel him cup my ass. He straddles my legs and squeezes my buttocks like he's never felt them before. Suddenly I feel his mouth on one cheek and my eyes spring open in surprise, as He proceeds to gently bite my ass and run his tongue all the way up to my lower back. The trail his tongue leaves on my skin is on fire...'oh my god, be patient. Enjoy the burn,' I tell myself internally. His hands and mouth make their way up my back, to the base of my neck. I can take it anymore, I need to see him. I roll over onto my back and look up at him...hovering over my body...shirtless...his shoulders and arms bearing the weight of his body. After looking over my naked body underneath him, he backs off the bed to a standing position. With eyes as dark as coal and the most sensual gaze I've ever seen, he reaches for his belt, unfastens it, and slides it thru his jean loops. His eyes never leave mine as he unbuttons his jeans and slides the zipper down. He slips his shoes off before removing his jeans, then stands back up fully. Now i take the time to appreciate his masculinity...his body is like that of no man I have ever seen in my life. Through his boxer briefs, I can see his erection...so big, it almost looks painful pushing at the fibers of his underwear. His eyes still locked on mine, he pulls them off and drops them on the floor. He is standing before me...completely naked. I can't help but look at his large, hard member. He sees me looking at it and smirks. He then leans over me on the bed and I take his face in my hands. "Baby...," I whisper as I look into his eyes...,"No more waiting. I need you."