Ben. The replacement stranger introduced himself on the way home. His fingers kept a respectable distance as we walked to his apartment. He didn't touch me as he showed me around or when he passed me the beer.

My foot bounced on the wooden floor, and I pressed the bottle to my lips. The acrid taste rolled down my throat and calmed my nerves, but didn't clear my head.

Luke was in every thought. His hot breath on my cheek, the outline of his cock against my ass. If Ben didn't touch me soon, I was going to break down, rush back to the bar and beg Luke to ignore every other girl and fuck me against the wall. I didn't care if I sounded desperate, as long as he buried his cock inside of me and eased this ache.

Ben shoved one hand through his loose black waves. “I don't do stuff like this.”

I turned to him and frowned. “Do what?”

He shook his head and huffed out a laugh. “Take home insanely gorgeous girls in bars.”

I couldn't stop my grin. “You think I'm gorgeous?”

He rolled his eyes but smiled. “Come on. You asked me to take you home. You know how fucking sexy you are.”

My cheeks flushed at the compliment, but a trickle of guilt broke through. I’d only asked Ben to take me home because Luke was with someone else. “I don't do this either.”

His brow puckered and I could see the contradictory thoughts churning in his head.

Panic twined between my ribs. How was I supposed to explain that it was another man that got me to break all my own rules? “I mean, I've never asked someone to take me home before.”

Ben reached for my beer, sliding it from my fingers and placing it on the coffee table in front of us. My breath accelerated and my stomach twisted in excitement or nerves, I couldn't tell. He leaned toward me, one hand stretching up to push a stray hair behind my ear, the other curling over my knee.

I sucked in a breath. His skin was hot against my own. It was almost as hot as the burn from Luke's hand through my dress. How would Luke's fingers feel flat against my skin with no barrier between us?

I squirmed. I wasn't with Luke. I was with Ben.

Ben took the squirming as an invitation and slid his palm higher. His fingertips brushed against the edge of my dress and played with the hem. My thighs slowly dropped open, coaxing his fingers to where I was wet and needy.

He sucked in a breath and dipped his fingertips beneath the fabric. He was tentative and cautious, not demanding like Luke, whose hot breath and treading fingers promised so much.

I groaned and arched my hips, forcing Ben's hand to slip closer to my center. I needed his touch to erase this want I had for Luke's.

Ben slid his fingers up the inside of my thigh and splayed at the edge of elastic and lace. His fingers splayed. Two stretched toward me and brushed from bottom to top, flicking across my sensitive bud. My mouth parted, and a whine pushed up my throat.

Luke's fingers had looked thick and practiced. If he were here, would my panties be off already and his fingers buried deep inside me? Luke's name sat on the tip of my tongue. I snapped my lips together and squeezed them between my teeth. I could not call Ben by the name of the guy I was using him to forget. That was it. No more thinking about Luke; he was being jerked off by some brunette in the bar, and I was here, about to be fucked by Ben. Luke was no longer welcome in my fantasies.

Ben leaned forward and pressed his lips to my collarbone. They were soft and gentle like he was exploring. I tilted my neck and let my hair roll off my shoulder, giving Ben room to move. His lips kissed over my flesh as his fingers stroked between my thighs. A warmth simmered in my belly. His touch was nice, sweet. But it wasn't the hard, dirty touch I needed.

Ben’s green eyes found mine. “Are you okay?” 

I nodded and pulled his face to mine. Our lips touched, and a tiny spark ignited between us, but faded just as quick. What was wrong with me? Ben was cute and sweet. I wanted him moments ago.

No, you didn't. You wanted Luke. 

Luke.

His breath was minty sweet against my cheek, his cock was hard and rocked with purpose against my ass. Did he like to fuck both holes?

A moan rolled up my throat and my nipples ached. Lips latched onto mine, and a tongue slipped into my mouth.

Would Luke's tongue taste like a candy cane when he stroked the roof of my mouth?

Fingers tangled with my panties, shoving them down my legs. A belt clattered and foil crinkled in my ears.

Hands gripped my thighs, spreading me wide. Hips thrust, piercing my walls and settling a hot, thick cock inside.

I moaned in relief. Aching for Luke had been torture.

My hips rocked and my ass clenched. My body remembered every inch of Luke as he rubbed against me from behind his jeans. His outline felt bigger than the cock sliding inside of me, like Luke would stretch me to the point of pain.

My legs wrapped around the waist rocking above me and pulled the body closer. My back arched, a delicate thread twisting inside, drawing me closer to that sweet relief. The cock surged forward, swelling my lips and sending a flood of sticky heat to ease its path.

When Luke pressed himself against me and asked me to dance, his breath held no hint of alcohol. Was he too distracted watching me to order a drink?

The thread down low in my belly pulled tighter. I was almost there. A few more strokes and Luke would be erased from my mind with a flood of oxytocin.

I grinned. Now was not the time to go clinical, Ms. Doctor-In-Training.

Vibrations purred beneath my skin and my thoughts fogged. I was almost there.

Hot breath panted on my neck and his movements became jerky, erratic. No. No. No. Not yet.

I pulled back as Ben pushed forward, groaning into my neck and flexing his hips with two short thrusts. Ben slumped forward, panting on top of me. What? No!

My pussy walls clenched, squeezed, sucked, desperate for more. I wanted to cry. It wasn't fair. Luke’s scent still overwhelmed me, the press of his body against mine still haunted me. Feeling Ben inside without any relief just made the ache for Luke stronger.

Ben pushed himself up and off, slumping on the couch beside me and ruffling his hair. Even his black curls reminded me of Luke. Damn it.

“I'm sorry. It's been a while.” His cheeks were pink. “And you're just so…” He waved a hand up and down my body. 

I closed my eyes and shook my head. He really knew how to make a girl feel like shit. I wanted to use him to forget about someone else, and he apologized for being too attracted to me. I was such a jerk. I wiggled my hips and rolled the skirt of my dress down, looking for my panties. “It's okay.”

I needed to go. Ben was sweet, and I was an asshole. 

He touched my hand. “Don't go.”

I looked up. Ben's eyes were wide, worried. “Let me make it up to you. I promise the second round will be better.” He grinned, but it was a nervous, anxious smile. “Please.”

I blew out a breath. My body was still wound tight, and it was too late to get any meaningful work done on my paper. Plus I had already let a stranger take me home, something I never expected to do. Would it really matter if I stayed longer?

My eyes roamed over Ben, this time taking in his green eyes and jet-black hair. He was cute, someone I could be attracted to. Ben inched closer to me. His fingertips slid up my throat and cupped my neck. My pulse leaped, and my breath burst from between my lips, mingling with his. He tilted his head and glided his mouth across mine, tentatively, as though making sure I wouldn’t run off.

Warmth trickled down my spine and bloomed low in my belly, drawing me closer to his body. My chin lifted and my lips parted.

Ben’s fingers gripped my neck tighter, and his tongue dived between my lips, tangling with mine. A fire ignited beneath my skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck and moaned into his kiss. Who was Luke again?

Ben wrapped his arms around me, pressing my chest hard into his and rubbing his growing cock against my hip. “Please stay.”

Wet, sticky heat pooled between my thighs and I rubbed against him, seeking friction. Excitement buzzed beneath my skin, and this time it was because of Ben, not the thought of someone else. “Where's your bedroom?”

He slid his hands down my back, curled them around my ass, then gripped my hand and dragged me down the hall. “This way.”