Chapter 15

"You'll find out when you open the door." Realizing that it was Ben, she tried not to show how excited she was when she opened her apartment door. He walked inside and eyed her slowly, taking in her silhouette. Miranda crossed her arms instinctively.

"Where's Kenny?" She asked, not really caring since he'd pissed her off so badly. Ben shrugged. He wasn't his usual chatty self and she was worried. "What did he say to you?" He stood by the door, shaking his head. "Tell me."

He sighed and she watched his jaw shift. "He said I could distract you."

Miranda jerked her head back. "Why?"

"Apparently, because I'm so unfocused."

"I don't understand, Ben," she said taking his hand and pulling him toward the couch. He sat down first and she did the same, sitting just close enough to continue holding hands. "Unfocused?"

"Yeah, because I changed careers a few times. He doesn't think I'm stable enough to be with his little sister." Miranda furrowed her brow. "His words not mine."

"I don't know why he's being such an ass about this," she said more to herself than to Ben.

He slipped his fingers between hers. "Well, what do you think?"

She inhaled and looked into his eyes, questioning. "I think that... oh boy, I think that I like you." Smiling, he moved toward her. "There isn't any more to that. That's it."

"Okay."

"I mean, we've already had sex, so..." He nodded and leaned in for a kiss that started out sweet and sensual and quickly turned into the early beginnings of foreplay. Miranda pulled back, pausing their session. "What about you and Kenny? What if..."

"We'll be fine, I promise. He'll get on board."

Miranda's heart started to race for a different reason. "What about him and I? What if he stays mad at me?" She stood up, tightening the belt on her robe and walking away. "I mean, he's my brother, but he's also one of my best friends. And if he thinks I shouldn't... maybe I shouldn't." She was no longer talking to Ben. Losing Kenny over a relationship that hadn't even formed yet was not something she wanted to do. Yeah, it was trivial, in her eyes, but if her older brother felt so strongly about it, maybe...

Ben came up beside her, touching her shoulder, startling her. "You're pacing. What's... are you okay?"

"I don't think we should pursue this," she blurted out.

"Miranda."

"No, Kenny doesn't steer me wrong. And he's your best friend. Maybe we should slow down."

He shook his head. "For how long?"

"Until he can wrap his mind around this, I guess." She dropped her head on his chest.

Ben touched her chin, gazing into her eyes. "Look, I like you, too. And I don't want to waste time that could be spent getting to really know you and making you happy worrying about your damn brother. We're all consenting adults. He'll be fine." He pushed his lips against hers and she heard herself moan softly as he sucked on her bottom lip. "Besides, he owes us an apology, he almost broke us up."

She laughed. "We're not together, Benjamin Warren."

"Yet," he said leading her to her bedroom. "Now, take off your robe, let me see what I've been missing."

Miranda batted her eyelashes and untied her robe. She started to open one side and stopped. "Aren't you going to take off something?" She asked. He said he would and took off his shirt throwing it at her. "Anything else?"

Ben unfastened his jeans and pulled them off. "There." Satisfied, Miranda dropped her robe. A noise escaped from him and he moved behind her, holding her hips. "Can I?"

Her body was throbbing as she nodded, bending over and grabbing her comforter, pulling it to her as he entered her, holding her stomach. "Ahhh!" She said pushing her body into his. Feeling him collapse top of her, she felt kisses on her down her spine as she stood on her toes, moving her hips in a circular pattern.

"Jesus!" Ben called out as squeezed her hips. Her mouth dropped open and she held her breath as he pulled out of her.

Before Miranda could ask what he was doing, he was turning her around and gently pushing her on the bed. She laughed, intoxicated by their sounds in the silence, by the sounds of them kissing and the sound her body made after he climbed on top of her, sliding into her easily. He dipped his head to her chest, kissing her breasts. "Okay. Okay. Okay," she whined. He smiled up at her and she grabbed his face pulling him in for a kiss. "Right. There."

"Right here?" He asked with his lips on her ear. She nodded. "Right here?"

"Y-yes," she said almost to her climax.

"Uh-huh!" Ben groaned, withdrawing his hips and thrusting inside of her hard.

"God!" She wrapped a leg around his body. "Oh my God! Ben! I'm coming!"

"Yes," he said, his lips on her neck, on her chin, on her lips—everywhere! "That's it."

Miranda's hips rocked quickly and her body shook as she came. "Ben," she said softly kissing him.

"Damn, I'm coming, baby," he grunted as he orgasmed. The two of them moved slowly. When their eyes met, they laughed. "My God, woman!"

She sat up and raked her hair into a ponytail. Ben sat up and kissed her back. Her eyes landed on a picture of her family that she kept on her nightstand and she gritted her teeth. "I don't think we can do think we can do this again," she said. "Not until Kenny is on board."

"I don't want to wait." Ben touched her shoulders. "And I damn sure don't want to talk about your brother in bed." Miranda sighed close to tears. "But, look, he's my best friend. And, for some reason, he sees me hurting you or you being upset because of something I did when, in actuality, you're upset because of him." He lifted her chin. "I wouldn't hurt you, Miranda."

"We barely know each other, it wouldn't be that big of a loss," she said wiping her eyes with her sheets. Was she trying to convince him or herself? He was so in tune with her body and the way they communicated, she thought it unlikely she'd find anyone like him. But Miranda wouldn't dare say that aloud—not yet anyway.

"Maybe, but I haven't stopped thinking about you. I racked my brain trying to remember if you'd said your last name because I wanted to look you up."

"I didn't," she said turning to him, noting how his smile brightened when they were face to face. Maybe she did have the same effect on him. "I didn't think I'd see you again. Or have any plans to."

Ben waved his hand. "Well, fate and all that."

"Yeah, I suppose," she responded. Miranda reached for his beard and he chomped his teeth playfully making her laugh loudly. Lunchtime had come and gone, so they decided to head out for an early dinner. While she was in the bathroom, she heard a knock on the door.

"Want me to get it?" He asked.

"Uh, sure," she said through the door. When Ben didn't say who it was, she assumed they had the wrong apartment or something. Miranda finished doing her makeup and walked out of the bathroom, hearing whispered voices. As she approached them, they stopped talking and she saw her brother by the door. "Oh, hey, Kenny. What's going on?"

"Mandy, uh, can I talk to you?" He asked. "In private?" Miranda cleared her throat and looked at Ben who shrugged.

"Sure," she said. Ben headed to her bedroom, stopping to kiss her cheek before he continued. Her skin grew hot in the spot where he'd kissed her. She turned her attention to her brother. "What?"

"First of all, I'm sorry." She quickly raised and lowered her brows, not responding. "And I shouldn't have come between you two. It was stupid and... immature."

Miranda crossed her arms. "You're damn right it was!"

He tried to hide a smirk by shaking his head. "I don't know whatever possessed me to... that doesn't even matter now. You're my sister and instead of trying to regulate your love life, I should have been supporting you."

"And Ben," she added.

"Yes, of course. But especially you." Kenny exhaled. "So, do you forgive me?"

"No."

"Mandy!"

She cocked her head to the side. "I was really upset."

He nodded slowly. "If I could go back and change—"

"You can't," she said cutting him off.

"I know, but I'm sorry." Miranda dropped her arms. "Now?"

"Depends on what dinner is," she said.

"I'll cook or buy, whatever gets me back into your good graces."

Miranda smiled and walked over to her brother hugging him tightly. "I like him, okay?" She whispered.

"Okay. And I would never want you to be unhappy."

"You owe him apology."

"Yes, I do. Warren!" Kenny bellowed. Ben emerged from her room, keeping his attention on her. "It's your turn."

"I'm sorry, bruh. I was out of order for what I said and you making her happy is the only thing I'm truly worried about."

Nodding, Ben said: "Alright." The two men shook hands.

"Just like that?" Miranda asked.

Ben put his arm around her waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Can we go get something to eat now?"

"Yes and Kenny's paying," she told him.

"Oh, good! I was in the mood for steak."

"So am I," Miranda responded.

The End