CHAPTER EIGHTEEN-THE PARTY

As she walked through the door to the ballroom arm in arm with Thorin, Imara looked around the room in search of Ben. Not seeing him, the disappointment began to rise in her stomach.

“Where is he? Was he supposed to meet us somewhere? You don’t think he changed his mind about all this, do you?”

Thorin smiled to himself as his eyes darted around the crowd. “No, my dear, I know for a fact he wouldn’t. He’ll be here. Don’t worry yourself so much.”

Feeling eyes upon her, Imara looked around then finally tracked him down on the balcony. Ben leaned over the rail and smiled as Imara found him. Imara put her hand over her heart as it began to beat wildly underneath her palm. Ben slowly backed away and walked down the stairs, never taking his eyes off of her. As Ben left the staircase and approached her, Imara took deep breath.

Thorin shook Ben’s hand and said, “You look fantastic, Ben.”

Ben looked himself over. “Thanks, but I feel kind of ridiculous. I can’t believe you people dress like this all the time.” The tailor had made quick work of putting a tuxedo together for Ben. His clean wavy hair was pushed back, and he’d shaved. Imara liked the stubbly beard, but this was good as well. It’s hard to mess up a face that looks that good, she thought to herself.

“It suits you, though. Don’t let all these phonies around here fool you. Your blood is just as pure as any of them. You belong here. Well, Ben, if you don’t mind taking Imara off my hands for a while.” Thorin unwrapped Imara’s arm from his then gave her hand to Ben. “I have some people I simply must speak with about that situation we were discussing earlier. Enjoy the party you two.” Thorin kissed Imara’s cheek and winked at Ben then patted his shoulder before walking off into the crowd.

As Imara fidgeted with her necklace, she smiled nervously and looked around the room. “Should we dance?”

Ben shook his head and smirked. “I don’t know how to dance. That wasn’t super high on the list of priorities on the farm I grew up on.”

Imara smiled sweetly as she let go of her necklace and took his hand. “Can you hold me close and move from side to side?”

Ben nodded his head at the thought of holding Imara close. “I can surely do that.”

Walking backwards towards the dance floor, Imara pulled on his hand. “Well then, you can dance with me.”

As Imara wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck, he licked his lips and put his arms around her waist. Imara put her cheek against Ben’s chest and melted into his arms as she listened to the beating of his heart. Her breasts rose to meet his chest as they both breathed heavily against each other. A side grin curled up on his lips. “Today has been the most confusing and wonderful day of my life, I think.”

Imara smiled and asked, “What do you mean?”

As he curled a lock of hair around his finger, he brought it to his nose and closed his eyes as he took in the sweet smell. “Well, I started today off as a lowly caretaker and now here I am in a fancy suit dancing with my dream woman.”

Imara pulled away from Ben to look up in his eyes. “Dream woman? I’m your dream woman?’

Ben nodded then swept his fingertips over the wispy curls that framed her face. “I was just thinking how funny Fate is. How I woke up this morning with nothing and now I have you in my arms. I never believed in miracles until right now, but I just can’t find another explanation for what happened.”

Imara glanced at his lips then back to his eyes. “I was kind of thinking the same thing. What a lucky girl I am right now.”

Ben glanced around the room. Not seeing Thorin anywhere, he took Imara’s hand and said, “Come with me.” 

Ben led Imara outside to the verandah. He stood looking at her, his shoulders heaving up and down as he wondered if she was really feeling what he was. The little voice inside him told him he was crazy for thinking he could  have someone like Imara, but the wolf that had been asleep for so long begged him to kiss her right now.

Not being able to control himself any longer, Ben took the sides of Imara’s head into his hands then walked her back into the wall and smashed his lips into hers. Imara wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as Ben hungrily consumed her mouth. She gasped for air between each deep, wet kiss and swirl of the tongue. Ben kissed her like a man who’d been starved of affection his whole life.

When he finally let her go, he put his forehead to hers. “Do you want to go to my room, Imara?”

She smiled as she panted against his face and nodded. “Yes.”

Ben kissed Imara’s forehead then took her hand and led her back inside through the crowded ballroom.

Imara glanced around to make sure they weren’t being watched. Thorin rarely let Imara out of his sight and she thought he would surely snatch her arm and drag her away at any moment.

When they got to his room, Ben shut the door behind him and locked it then pushed Imara against it. As he braced himself against the door with his arm, he rubbed small circles on her chest with his fingertips. “If you don’t want to do anything it’s alright. I just don’t want to share you with all those people. You’re mine.”

Imara looked up in his eyes and nodded. “I know it, Ben. I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

Ben bent down and brushed his lips against Imara’s cheek. “You’re all I’ve even wanted. The way you, your scent is like home to me. I just want to be wherever you are.”

The feeling of his voice against her skin sent shivers through every nerve in her body. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Ben leaned into her and pressed his lips against the crook of her neck. As the blast of euphoric joy surged through her from his kiss, Imara’s knees buckled underneath her. “Whoa! Where are you going?” Ben asked as he caught her in his arm.

Imara opened her eyes slowly as her senses returned to her. “I don’t know what happened, but you can do that again if you want. You can do that anytime.”

Ben licked his lips and smiled. “I can honestly say that’s the first time I’ve ever swept a woman off her feet.”

Imara smiled as her eyes pleaded with Ben for more. He traced the line of her jaw with his lips. “If you want to stop tell me now. I’m a weak man when it comes to you Imara. I want you too much.”

Imara knotted his shirt in her fists as she looked in Ben’s eyes and slowly pulled it out of his pants. He looked around her face as her trembling fingers unbuttoned his pants then

pulled apart the zipper.

As Ben slid his fingers over Imara’s lips, she pulled his pants and boxers down over his round, firm buttocks. She took his throbbing cock in her hand like it belonged there and gently milked it upwards in long strokes as Ben closed his eyes and licked his lips.

When Imara tightened her grip on him, the angry scowl of primal fury curled up on Ben’s face. The wolf, ignored for far too long, made its presence known as he snarled his teeth while he bent down and clutched the skirt of Imara’s dress. As the excitement grew inside her at her lover’s rage, Imara panted like a rabbit being chased through the forest by the maddened animal before her.

When the dress reached her waist, Ben took her thighs in his hands and lifted her against the wall. Looking down in his hungry eyes, Imara wrapped her legs around Ben’s waist then without warning or gentleness, Ben plunged his cock into Imara’s born again cunt. He watched her in prideful satisfaction as she gritted her teeth and groaned in sweet suffering as she adjusted to his thickness and length. Ben was a poor man, but his more than ample size was the one gift he knew he could give her, and he wanted a proper thank you for it.

Bracing himself with his arm against the wall, Ben gripped her hip and thrust into her, sending her sliding up the door as she sucked in a grunted breath when he struck her inside. As he panted against her chin, he asked “Are you alright?”

Shaking in anticipation of the mindboggling thumping he was about to bestow on her, Imara gave him a look that said do it now as she nodded once. Ben pushed her chin up with his forehead and licked her neck as he began beating her against the door.

Whimpering at each brutal thrust, Imara closed her eyes and let Ben reclaim his manhood over and over again while he grunted against her throat as he quietly demanded of himself, “Yes! Come on! Uh!”

When the numbing wave began in her clit, Imara circled Ben’s neck in her arms and pressed him hard against her chest as she cried in ecstasy into the poorly lit vacancy of the room.

Feeling her warm comfort sucking him in, Ben emptied himself and filled up the lonely space inside her.

With hitched breaths, Imara watched her Lycan wizard lover furrow his brows in aching gratification as he recovered from his generous donation into her womb.

In Jaspers office, Thorin sat in a high-backed chair and swirled the ice in his glass. “As soon as Haldir gets here, we’ll see if we can’t knock the cobwebs loose in Ben’s mind.” He took a sip then sucked back the bitterness through his teeth. “I’m afraid Imara may not be so easy. Ben at least understands that his life isn’t correct. He knows he doesn’t belong in Savannah among all this opulence. Imara won’t even acknowledge that something is amiss. She’s not concerned at all that it isn’t the 1890’s anymore and she won’t see the ring on her finger or the mark on her neck. Her denial is endless.”

Jasper scratched his head, messing up his dark curly hair. He pushed himself back in his chair and crossed his leg on top of his knee. “I haven’t seen this curse in a lot of years. There’s almost no information on it. I have researchers working in the library as we speak. Don’t worry, Thorin, we’re going to get this thing straightened out, you have my word.”