M for mature content.


She tilted her head a little, letting hair spill to one side. “I’ve never met a girl named Ben, but I don’t think you’d have competition if I had.” She gave him a look that seemed to ask whether having a boy’s name was problem, but there was a cheeky humor in it, too. “I hope you don’t accidentally call one of them Emily later.”

Her grin widened at his gasp, and again her name on his lips. “The reward is worth the risk. I’m sure your momma won’t go too hard on that face.” She would have pinched his cheek if she’d made it to his lap a little bit sooner. It was still tempting. “How about if you find a way to make me?” She challenged, thinking she might need a bit of practice in the mirror before she really got her American on.

She was glad to see color in his cheeks without her having to pinch. It was adorable. He was full of confidence, it seemed, so a little color made her heart beat a little faster. She was going to blame it on the old-fashioned air she associated with cowboys. (Not that he was very old-fashion, over all. She was in his hotel room.)

“And shockingly, way more fun than the ones we had to learn when were five.” Which had been fun then, and still were, to an extent, but… Ben Dover. What were the chances she’d end up actually bending over Ben Dover? Emmylou really wanted to tell George, now.

Except not now. She was having way too much fun with Ben Dover. She gave him a glance as his legs spread, the smile she’d saved for the belt not going anywhere any time soon. Once she was in his lap, she wasn’t sure she wanted to put on any more clothing… but then a belt had its uses, especially for a bull rider, she thought. “Maybe,” was all she murmured, before the kissing became heavy and encouraging.

His laugh was met with one of hers, and she settled back just a bit against the warmth of jeans to give him room to loosen himself. With it discarded, she easily leaned back in, let him shift them, encouraging his touch. She pressed down again as he pushed up, moving her hips a little as her mouth parted for his. She continued to move a little teasingly as he groped, thinking a cowboy might appreciate the rhythm. His hands on her made her heart jump happily again, made her breathing quicker. Breaths and noises muffled by their busy mouths encouraged him further. If his jeans were tighter, hers were starting to feel like a chastity belt. Eventually, her hands came down between them, the backs of her knuckles hitting the clean, white, thin-but-not-thin-enough material that separated those abs from her skin, as her fingers worked with his button and zipper. She slowed a little to give him one more lingering kiss just before the material was fully undone.

Her fingers roamed to the edge of his shirt, pulling it up a little to get a better view of everything. Then one hand slid down, softly, as the other arm anchored loose around his neck. Her palm was on his skin, where two articles clothing had met a minute ago, then skimming the material under his jeans, and finally finding something new. Emmylou's face was still pressed to his, and she let out a shaky breath, leaving kiss at the corner of his mouth, her eyes heavy but open again. It was a few seconds before she looked down at what certainly felt very promising. And that mystery, as if her hand had moved a bit more metal, was soon explained. She studied it for a good few moments before looking back up at him, a question in her now-bright eyes, framed by raised brows. But she smiled and leaned in to kiss his jaw, as her hand explored more. Her mouth moved toward his ear, where she finally whispered a few encouraging comments and asked a logistical question or two. Her hand matched the unhurried pace of her words.

He smirked at her cheekiness. “I would call them Emily to mess with them.” Eyes glanced over her, assessing, considering. Not that Lou was short for Emily. It was just short for this Emily. Emily Louise. Ben had her name cemented for now. And he’d work to remember what she preferred.

She made momma sound proper and wrong all at once. “If my face could get me out of situations with my mom, I think I would’ve had a much easier childhood.” Ben licked his lips as he looked down to hers. He finally shook his head and grinned. “Maybe I will.” Accents were always fun to attempt; more so for the one listening than the one doing, as far as Ben had encountered. Free entertainment.

Eyebrows jumped before he laughed, eyes rolling before he focused on her again. Tongue twisters and name jokes were not new to him. Ben had gotten used to it, and often made the joke first. Watching her come to the [quick!] conclusion had been enjoyable, though.

An appreciative groan escaped against her lips as she impressed him with her riding skill. Ben sucked in his breath a bit as he tightened his abs, feeling her hands moving down. It was harder to focus the longer she lingered on his jeans. Fingers spread out and pushed under her top, moving the thicker sweater material out of his way. His coarse fingertips moved up her soft back as his breath came out more ragged.

Once all was out and uncovered, his head threatened to roll back as her smaller hand moved in a way that he could feel all the way down to his toes. Eyes lazily moved from where her hand was to her face, waiting for the reaction. He merely grinned at the look on her face: success. It was always fun to catch someone off guard.

Which she seemed rather versed in. Her hand had him nearly bouncing his knee in anticipation. Ben swallowed and smirked at her question, breathing her in slowly. Her questions were quietly answered as his hands worked to bring her arms up long enough to get her sweater off. Once it was discarded, he helped her get back to where she was before his own hands moved to one of his favorite places on a woman.

“It can supposedly enhance the experience.” Ben was trying to draw it out with Emmylou, but he was finding it increasingly difficult the longer she was doing what she was doing. He kissed her in between questions and answers, fingers helping to unsnap the back before sliding the strap off her shoulder. His lips moved further down, skimming over her jaw, chin, down her shoulder, sucking gently. “It’s sensitive.”

Ben smirked and leaned forward a bit, forcing her back enough for ease of his back, lips moving further down. His free hand grasped her lower back, pushing hips forward, moving himself closer to her hand with each press forward.

Emmylou was still quietly, breathily laughing at the idea of Ben calling his friends Emily (all of whom she imagined  in cowboy hats, because she couldn’t help it), when the topics changed to ‘mommas' and accents. She considered him growing up with a mother immune to that face, which only made her laugh more audibly and vaguely shake her head. “Yeah, right.” Her hand had just enough time to trail his jaw. Maybe he’d grown into it, then. Or his mother was a hard-ass. But then she had named him Benjamin Dover with a perfect lack of irony, if he was to be believed, which somehow made the idea of his mother completely endearing.

They shared jokes about his name and promises to inspire one another in their attempts at each other’s accents before words were traded in for more kisses. He had a good sense of humor, which already had her wanting to find excuses to visit this upcoming rodeo.

His groans were encouraging, as were his fingers under her sweater. His skin was rough in a good way; he wasn’t someone who spent days indoors, doing boring paperwork and going through the motions. She could tell by his hands, everything about them. She liked that. She also liked the sound of his breath as things heated up. That and those hands kept her own breath working hard.

Emmylou gave his grin a fleeting look, deciding that it would be most fun to simply… take advantage of it. Her hand kept up its movement as he answered her questions, with a pause only to shed a layer of her own. Being only in a bra had never made her very self-concious, but then she still had a layer to go. The warmth between them was enough to make her not miss the sweater. She smiled as he readjusted the hat and leaned toward him to keep kissing near his ear.

His words made a shiver run down her spine. Enhanced experience. “I’m always up for a new experiences,” she said enthusiastically. “You taste really good,” she added, smiling against his mouth, teeth catching his lip softly. “Way better than a trip to honeydukes.” They shifted a bit so that Ben could work in his own exploration, Emmylou helping with that last layer up top, and feeling, finally, a little jolt of something that came with such a bareness. But he didn’t seem disappointed at all. She quickly swallowed any momentary nervousness and changed coarse with her hand a bit, finding a renewed excitement with the way his mouth trailed down. She let out a shaky breath. There was a freedom in this sort of thing.

As he angled her a bit, she stretched out, bent her back, accommodating his hands and face, trusting the lap and hold of a bull-rider more than she might some ordinary person (though she was usually inclined to go with it, anyway). As she leaned her back away, she managed to press her chest forward a little, letting out another breath of laughter, which quickly became an exhale of happiness at the work of his mouth, her hand, and their rodeo-friendly position. She pushed as far into his lap as she possibly could without hampering her hand, jeans heated, Ben’s movements exciting her.

Not wanting it to end too soon, she stopped gently and leaned down into him, feet finding the ground after a moment. Her hand came up to his shoulder and she pushed herself up carefully, feeling almost dizzy with heat and quickened breath. She stood up, finally, looking down at him for only a moment as she clambered out of her shoes and became a little shorter. Then she tugged him up with her, using the edge of his undershirt for a convenient pull. Once he was standing, Emmylou helped him get it the rest of the way off, then came down from her tippy-toes and looked him over. Her eyes found his and she settled a hand on top his hat to readjust it, smiling. “Can I keep it on?” She asked quietly.

As they moved toward the bed, the backs of her knees finding the mattress, her hands found either side of his waist. One trailed forward again to keep him happy, and she leaned up to kiss him before falling back with him onto the bed, laughing. The hat was going to need plenty of adjusting to stay on all night.

Ben’s mouth dropped open at her words, silence answering her before he grinned and let out a slow chuckle. “Thank you.” He mumbled against her lips, giving her free reign of his lip as she tugged at it. Eyebrows bounced and he laughed a little heartier. “You think I’m sweet?” His gaze moved down from her face to her neck line, his face relaxing into something a little more thankful.

She had every reason to appreciate what she had to offer. He definitely enjoyed it. “You look really good.” His head dipped down as his tongue slipped out, rolling slowly around the uncovered prize. That she responded to him, trusted him to hold her up... it boosted his ego, encouraged his mouth.

As she directed them, he caught his breath and forced himself to focus; the alcohol was not inhibiting yet. His hands moved down to her waist, holding her where she was briefly as he sighed. Ben let her get up, his hands moving out of her way while he smirked. It wasn’t long before he followed her encouragement and stood up. The shirt came off without protest and was discarded onto the chair.

His eyes looked her over, moving from the hat to her fringe and finally to her face, grinning. “I wasn’t going to let you take it off.” His finger lightly tapped the brim before giving her a wink. The walk towards the bed was slow, enjoying the teasing hand that kept him on the edge of full thought and what they were doing.

Ben followed her down onto the soft mattress, laughing between kisses. A spare hand pushed his jeans down before kicking them off. He kissed her, deepening the kiss as fingers found her jeans, button being pushed out and zip pulled down. Lips trailed down to her clavicle while fingers hooked into the band, pulling the rough material out of their way. Finally he rolled them over, his arm holding her against him until her knees found the mattress.

Fingers raked her hair back before his hand found the fallen hat, setting it back on top of her head. He grasped her hips and pulled her down against him, an appreciative moan escaping while he lifted his hips up against her rhythmically. This was what he was talking about!

“You think I’m sweet?”

“Something like that,” she laughed, only smiling harder in the tiny bit of space they shared. “Sweet and… other things.” It might just take a round in his rodeo to put it into proper words.

His compliment only made the journey of his mouth more gratifying. She hadn’t done too bad a job, bagging Abs here. And getting him back to his own hotel room for a little extended show and tell. Emmylou was not disappointed with any of the showing yet… and she was interested in testing what he had told her about heightened sensations.

The words and the wink had her stomach doing flipflops. Another glance at his stomach definitely helped. “I might sneak out with it, then,” she murmured excitedly. If only to get him running after her.

With the easy access granted by his final garment, and only one thin bit of material on her end between them, Emmylou was feeling much cooler and more flushed. She pushed down into his lap again, tipping the hat back just a little as she looked down and gave him a wily, close-lipped smile. It was soon replaced by parted lips and heavy eyes, a tilted back chin, and easily-coaxed breath. The bull-rider knew how to use his hips.

She continued to try her new ride on for size, determined to hold out a little bit more… but not sure if she could, really. She didn’t have a Slytherin’s ambition: Emmylou just wanted to dive in. She leaned down toward him, hat bumping him again as she closed her eyes and kissed. One hand found his cheek, enjoying the gruff tickling sensation of facial hair for a moment before she pulled back from his lips again, sitting up with a determined, suddenly serious look on her face. Her hands slowly topped each of his, guiding them down her hips so that they moved the material down. They traveled over her thighs before Emmylou pushed her knees further into the mattress and sat up a bit, aiding him further. She reached down, giving them a good yank over one leg and then the other before settling back into his lap teasingly, close enough to make her father turn in his grave while her hand found its grip again.

And other things; Ben could live with that. He responded to her grin with one of his own, eyes crinkling at the corners as he glanced over her. “That could be true.” Talking about his outfit, however, and what she might steal... that had his attention. Eyebrows shot up as his mouth transformed into surprise, the ‘o’ slipping into a smirk. “Only if you return it after you’re done. I know where you work...”

He could steal it back.

Ben responded to her moves with ones of his own, rolling his hips up to meet her, a breathy response to the exciting new development. He was definitely more excited with this most recent development, enjoying the closeness without all the rough jeans. He pushed up and kissed her back, groaning as he tried to do both. Multitasking could be a bother in this situation.

The encouragement of her hands on his was returned; he grasped her hips, thumbs running over her skin as eyes looked over her body. Ben hooked his finger in either side of her underwear, following direction rather easily. He laughed as they shifted to get them off, watching her tug them off. His laugh stopped as she settled back on his lap.

Eyes rolled back as her hand worked; his own did their thing, one reaching for the package that had been tossed on the bed before they settled in, while the other moved between her legs, fingertips reaching for gold. His teeth took hold of one side of the foil before pulling it, spitting it out to the side.

Once all was in place, hands rested on her hips and helped settle her down with an appreciative moan. She looked amazing in his hat.

“Yeah, but you don’t know where I’ll be working next week,” she only half lied. Her face said kidding, even so. Emmylou might have gone through a few jobs in quick succession post-graduation, but this one seemed to fit her well until she rushed around the next bend toward her big, mysterious future. She would take the days as they came. Among other things.

The Gryffindor alum wished she owned a pensieve, just so that she could capture the expert roll of his hips and his adorable laugh when she finally tugged the underwear off of her ankle. She had skills, too, she knew. If his laughter didn’t last long, what followed was even better. That she had anything to do with his eyes rolling back made her feel as if she had won a spot in the world cup. (Or maybe a graphorn-riding championship.)

The buzzing, warm rush that came from mutual teasing, from holding back just barely while he took care of a necessity, had Emmylou's head swimming in a good way. She let out a slow sigh as his other hand found the sweet spot. Her head tilted back a bit further as her hips pressed forward a little more insistently. If he could saddle up one-handed, she wasn’t going to complain.

When the taunting little dance finally became something else, Emmylou's sigh became a louder, frenzied murmur. Goosebumps climbed up her bare arms as she came down slowly. She looked down at him with slightly overwhelmed parted lips, but persisted, speeding up the movement of her hips. As she got into a rhythm, a hand ghosted toward the hat before coming back down, settling softly over his lower abdomen. Her back arched as her other hand came behind her, finding another bit of warm, toned muscle to hold. Another breath escaped her, this one sounding a bit more desperate. In a good way.

After what seemed an impressive amount of time, they began to shift, buzzed and heady, their tangled, exposed skin flushed a glowy, pleasant hue. Still hat-clad, albeit a little sweatier and with messier hair, Emmylou smiled with a wild persistence as she ventured into a new position, her knees thankful for the mattress’ support. The smile again made way for an open-mouthed thrill as they resumed, a silent shout struggling to stay in. It was harder to keep the hat on now, with these new bearings, and as her heartbeat climbed and that rush inside her infiltrated every corner, she clenched her teeth and knitted her brows, breaths escaping loud and shaky and wanting. A few moments later, she felt it wash over her, and her hands tightened in the blankets before becoming weak like her knees.

Her snarky answer made him laugh; the same could be said about him, though, what with the uncertainty of his chosen profession. They were hoping to convince the Ministry for a rodeo here for the summer, but who knew if they could actually pull it off. Ben felt pretty confident about it, but he wasn’t going to push it too far just yet. They had a couple of supporters at the Ministry, which was better than initially suspected.

There were many things that were simpler in the States. This was one of those.

Though his focus was on what had been contained in the foil package, he also looked at her. His free hand, the one that entertained her, paused only briefly before he finally settled the latex over the end. Then it was easy-peasy.

Everything felt amazing. As she settled down on him, Ben’s eyes closed again, eyes rolling up as he took it all in. They opened again as the rhythm settled in, one hand holding her hip as he rolled up against her, his stomach tightening with each dip, his other hand sliding up her front for play. She felt so overwhelming, so perfect, he couldn’t slow down. A moan of excitement escaped as she tilted back, the slight change in position dropping his stomach as he clenched her hips.

Her name escaped him with a groan, her proper name, the one she didn’t like. Ben was going to be a rebel. The pace quickened and Ben could do little but hold on to her.

The change in position was easier thought than done, but with shared laughs and heated kisses, they settled in. He kissed down her back before he finally sat up behind her. His own knees found the comfort of the mattress, bumping up against hers as he pulled her close. His hands held on to her as the pace resumed, sweat dripping as breaths and moans escalated, pushing her to a limit.

With her escape, he felt his own build up. His hand held her shoulder as he picked up the pace, his breath quickening before it stuttered out. His body went tense before he crumbled against her, nearly dropping them to the mattress. He caught his breath against her back, his lips parted as his chest heaved. Finally he grinned and kissed her skin, a victory groan escaping before he wrapped his arms around her and laid down gently on the bed. Mumbled words came out against her skin. “Emily... You are... amazing.”

Ben’s eyes closed and he sighed contently, pushing his hat out of his way while moving up to kiss her shoulder blade, her hair, her cheek, moving to her lips before they finally turned over. She had thoroughly exhausted him. “That beer was pretty good too.”

It was probably the best her name had ever sounded. Emmylou would forgive him. The way he said it, she almost felt like an Emily. The hand latched to her hip certainly helped. Maybe Emily could be her rodeo name. But that was something she could tease him about it later, because as he pushed up and she matched it with her own movements, it was hard to concentrate on the philosophical aspects of naming people. Other than maybe his name and a few single-syllable words of choice, she didn’t know if she could form any proper phrases; they were certainly competing with happy breaths and moans, and kisses as they shifted positions.

The way he held her shoulder, following the trail of kisses and careful settling in, was another exciting change of pace. It made Emmylou's heart pound faster; the noises that escaped her now were as involuntary as they were sincere. She was definitely glad for the abs slip-up that morning in the coffee shop. Pursuing a cowboy had paid off… was still paying off… She let out another blissful cry.

When they’d both finished and he started to collapse against her, Emmylou stayed there, shaky and successful, for a few moments: she enjoyed his breath on her back. The heat, the sweetness of it, was a nice contrast to the chill of sweat that was overcoming her now. Once he’d kissed her, she let the softness of the mattress catch her, grateful for the dry, clean warmth. Her body was hot and cold, exhausted and exhilarated.

He definitely wasn’t a schoolboy.

“You’re not bad, either,” she said, grinning, her face letting him know she thought he was amazing, too. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had so thoroughly… impressed. “I think I get why you like the rodeo so much now.” She topped one of his hands with hers, and her smile widened as his kisses. Of course she had good taste in beer. She turned further into him and caught his lips again. “Thanks for letting me drink and ride so responsibly,” she murmured against his mouth, freeing one hand to capture the hat that had stayed on. She took it off and sat it carefully atop his head so that she could enjoy the view of the exhausted cowboy. Maybe if she woke up before he did, she would still steal it. A souvenir… or an excuse to serve him coffee again. Because that was definitely what was on her mind.

A muffled chuckle escaped against her back. “Thanks.” Another laugh escaped as he moved up to her lips. “Wait till the next go-round[1].” Since they were going to talk about his work, he could use the proper terms. In a different context. Totally legit.

Another kiss had him moaning against her lips, tongue slipping in for another taste. “What sort of cowboy would I be if I didn’t?” Because they were all about safety and responsibility. He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. Finally he shifted off her back, laying on the bed next to her.

As the hat settled on his head, he smirked and lifted himself up off the bed a bit. Ben rested the side of his head against his fist, elbow digging into the mattress. His free hand ghosted over her back, fingertips lightly grazing her side before he grasped her hip. “Hold that thought.” He rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed, stretching comfortably. A hand dipped down to take care of a rather annoying constriction, careful before it was discarded.

He stood up and wiped himself down with his shirt before tossing it aside. After grabbing another couple beers, he walked back over to Emmylou, smirking before he crawled back over her. He settled into the pillow before popping the tops off and handing one to her. A soft clink sounded before he took a gulp. “Mmm... better than a cigarette.” Maybe. Ben winked and his cool hand (from the bottles) ran over her hip once again. He motioned to her before moving his arm around her shoulders, encouraging her closer. The hat came off before he settled into the pillows more, sat beside them on the bed.

“Tell me how you make your coffee so strong.” Ben held the bottle between his fingers, letting the liquid pour into his mouth for another drink before he focused on her.

1.	Each round a competitor rides in a rodeo

It was the little phrases he used that made her smile even bigger than usual. And he looked so good when they came out of his mouth. Even if she couldn’t see it entirely with him pressed against her back. The peripheral view was very pleasant.

His teasing tongue was matched by hers, a slow, easy kiss for the rodeo winners. “I don’t know. I liked my introductory course, but I think I still need a better education on cowboys.” Even if, like she’d said, she liked what she knew of rodeos so far. "Anything you’ve got, I’m down for.” Where had this subject been in school? Could she get a refund on her text books? They had beer to buy and… inevitably stolen hats to replace.

As she shifted onto her side and returned his hat, Emmylou continued to enjoy the view. His hand on her hip was just right somehow, a reminder that she’d made good choices that night. And there were so many more to make, even if cardio and beer were doing their best to win the fight.

Hey, if he was inviting her to stick around a bit, she could lay on her side and watch him all night.

As he sat up, hats only, and took care of things, Emmylou’s eyes swept down. She laughed a little, mostly to herself, knowing exactly what he was doing. He looked so good from the back that she wanted to tell him to hold that thought. But there were drinks to be had.

“Cigarettes don’t even come close,” she agreed… or expounded. He definitely liked tobacco, but she didn’t peg him for a chain smoker. She wasn’t a smoker, either, but she would be lying if she said there wasn’t a sexy appeal to the tobacco-loving lot. It seemed to suit a cowboy who made danger an everyday occurrence. She pressed in closer to him, a hand trailing over his chest, just below his collarbone. The warmth under her fingertips was a nice contrast to the sweat cooling on her own skin.

The wink was also something that made her heart jump a little after it had just calmed down. No doubt beer would help ease it. She was Gryffindor alum, she could handle anything. Including the overwhelming hotness of her new bed buddy. This was obviously the path her mother had had in mind for her when she told her to try harder.

She settled into the pillow, shifting up just enough to bring the beer to her lips. “Mmm,” she began, shifting closer and pulling the bottle away after a gulp, which felt like the first sip of water in a desert. He might have tasted good, but they’d also tired each other out. “If I tell you, I might have to lock you in our store room. But, if you insist…” She obviously wouldn’t mind. Her hand traveled down his arm, to his wrist. “It’s all in the source, obviously. Without good coffee, you have nothing. But double-brew it. That’s the other half. I also highly recommend our red-eye. Especially if you're serious about that next... how'd you say it in cowboy?... Go-round.”