by Ivy Black
Max slips his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. Cole is bouncing up and down in the buggy, laughing and telling us he wants to go see the ele-funs.
Max gives me a wink. “I think I like my chances.”
“I think I do, too.”
“Well, then, let’s go see some ele-funs.”
We laugh together as we head out on our trek through the park, but not before I glance over my shoulder one more time, that feeling of being watched dimming, but not entirely gone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Domino
“I have no idea how I got cotton candy in my hair,” I say, touching my head and feeling how sticky it was.
“You’re a very messy eater.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Not that messy.”
I pull the truck to a stop in front of her house, and we both climb out. I dart around to the back and open the door, quietly unbuckling Cole’s chair and lifting him out of it as he sleeps soundly. Ashley stands off to the side watching with a gentle smile on her lips. And then, she points to his hands.
“I think Cole had some on his hands when you were carrying him on your shoulders. I mean, he’s still got it on him.”
I think back and nod. “Yeah, you’re right. Even still, he did less damage than you. I mean, you dumped an Icee all over me.”
Her laughter is as beautiful as it is infectious, and I can’t help but join her in it. Ashley’s cheeks are red and tears of mirth are spilling from the corners of her eyes as we walk up the path that leads to the gate that will let us into the backyard, where the guest house is located. She holds it open as I carry him in, and then leads the way to her door. The main house is dark, and so we remain quiet until we get into the guest house. She closes the door softly behind us and locks it, then turns to me, still smiling.
“In my defense, I had no idea there were peacocks wandering loose in the park. They really should put a leash on those things,” she giggles.
Watching her trip over her own feet, running to get away from a peacock had set both Cole and I laughing together. It was one of the highlights of a day that was surprisingly a lot more enjoyable than I’d anticipated, and it was, I think, where her son and I started to turn a corner together. I think he and I both relaxed a lot after that moment. Of course, it came at the expense of having an Icee dumped all down the front of me, but it in retrospect, it seems a small price to pay.
Coming into the day, I was completely on edge. Not only am I dealing with all of the club bullshit, but I know how much it meant to Ashley for me to meet her son. More than that, I know how much it means to her that Cole and I get along. That I start feeling more comfortable around him because, as she told me on our first date, her kid is her life, and if I can’t make him part of mine, I can’t be part of hers. Which is fair, and I don’t begrudge her for it.
But the moment I laid eyes on the kid, I felt myself getting clammy and cold. I felt a stutter in my heart and a knot in my gut. In my mind’s eye, I kept seeing the faces of those two Afghani kids and it made me want to vomit. Made me want to turn and run knowing that somehow, someway, I’d bring about Cole’s death. I’m a monster, and that’s what monsters do, right?
But Ashley had been there, and she helped me navigate through the difficult moments. She’d been there to help me acclimate to being around a kid. I’m not going to say I’m magically all better. I’m still haunted by their faces, and I suspect I’m going to be for the rest of my life, but the day had been good. I’d call it a resounding success. Cole and I seemed to bond a bit and by the end of the day, neither one of us seemed as frightened of the other.
Ashley takes him from my arms. “I’m going to clean him up a bit and put him to bed.”
I nod. “Do you mind if I take a shower?”
“I actually insist on it,” she says with a quiet laugh.
Grinning like an idiot, I run out to my truck and grab my bag out of the back seat. I usually carry a spare set of clothes and toiletries with me wherever I go. You just never know when you’ll need them. Quietly applauding myself for my foresight, I close and lock my truck when movement in the corner of my eye draws my attention and I tense and ready myself for a fight.
A few houses down, there’s a guy standing on the sidewalk. I can only see a silhouette of the man, so I’m not even sure he’s looking my way. I silently chastise myself for being so jumpy. Apparently, I’m still suffering from a paranoia hangover Not wanting to perturb any of the neighbors around here, I give the guy a wave. He doesn’t wave back, so I assume he’s not looking at me. He seems to be looking at the house he’s standing in front of, so I assume he’s letting his dog crap in somebody else’s yard.
Setting the alarm, I head back to the guest house, shutting and locking the door behind me. I head for the bathroom in Ashley’s room, when I hear her voice. I pause in the hallway and smile softly, listening to her singing a lullaby to Cole. The way she loves that kid is probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. My parents were good to me, I’ll never say they weren’t, but they never loved me the way Ashley loves her son. It’s a beautiful thing.
I drop my bag on the vanity, then grab a towel from the cabinet in the bathroom and hang it on the bar next to the door of the shower. That done, I reach into the stall and flip it on before stripping down. I fold my clothes neatly, then pile them next to my bag as I take in the bathroom. It’s done in a nice black and white tile, and the rear walls of the shower stall are all frosted glass block. There’s a large clawfoot tub on the wall opposite the shower and the double vanity. I swear to God, this guest house is bigger than my first apartment.
When there’s steam billowing out of the stall, I step in and close the door behind me. I step under the nozzle and let the warm water seep into my skin and bones, relishing the feeling of it sluicing the tension of the day—along with the Icee—off my body. Grabbing the shampoo bottle in the caddy, I quickly soap my hair, freeing it of the sticky cotton candy residue. Out of nowhere, I laugh at the memory of Cole putting his hands in my hair and ruffling it like I’d done to him half a dozen times.
“Well it sounds like you’re having a good time in here on your own. If you don’t need me to entertain you…”
I turn and see a very naked Ashley standing in the shower doorway, wreathed in steam, adding to her angelic allure. Taking a moment, I admire the swell of her hips, the curve of her breasts, letting my eyes travel up and down her body, drinking in every single inch of her body.
“I will never get tired of seeing you naked. You know that, right?” I ask.
“The feeling’s very mutual,” she replies, her voice husky.
She closes the door behind her and steps closer to me. I lean down and kiss her, letting my fingertips trail down her back. She shudders as a low moan passes her lips. Ashley grabs hold of my cock, squeezing it tight, and I draw in a sharp breath as she starts to stroke me. I feel myself growing hard in her hand and feel an electric jolt shoot through my body as she falls to her knees in front of me.
Looking up at me with eyes that just radiate innocence, she runs the tip of her tongue around the head of my dick, flicking it teasingly on the sensitive underside. A groan, low and languid, spills from my mouth as she takes the head of my cock between her lips. She continues to stroke my cock as she takes more and more of my staff into her mouth.
And when she has as much of me as she can handle, she starts to move her head and hand in rhythm with each other. I brace myself against the wall, feeling my entire body tighten as she strokes and sucks me, working me over like she has something to prove. Still gripping my shaft tightly, Ashley rolls her tongue up on the side of it, then down the other, and swirls it around the head again. All the while, her eyes remain fixed on mine, the eye contact making it even more erotic and more intense.
“Jesus, Ash,’ I moan.
But she keeps going, jerking and sucking with a wild abandon that’s pushing me closer to the edge. Reaching down, I grip her hair, pulling it har
d as I squeeze my eyes shut, my body ravaged by the most intense tingles of pleasure I’ve ever felt before. I know if I keep letting her go, she’ll push me over the edge, and I’ll finish in her mouth in no time flat. And I don’t want that right now. At the moment, I want to enjoy every inch of her body.
I gently push her away, pulling my dick out of her mouth. She looks up at me with a small pout on her lips. My breath is ragged, and my pulse is racing, and all I can do is give her a crooked smile.
“Not yet,” I tell her. “I’m not done with you yet.”
Taking her arm, I pull her to my feet and push her roughly against the wall, my mouth crashing into hers. Our tongues dance and swirl around one another and I reach down between her thighs, slipping two fingers between her velvety folds. She draws in a breath, and when I plunge my fingers into her, reaching as deep as I can, Ashley groans and leans forward, biting my shoulder.
She’s so warm and wet that my fingers slide into her with ease. And as I bang her harder, Ashley’s breath grows ragged. She grips my biceps tightly, her nails leaving half-moon impressions in my skin. Her head pressed back against the glass block, Ashley’s moan is quavering and soft, doing her best to avoid loud noises that might wake Cole.
She’s writhing beneath me and grinding herself down harder onto my fingers. She’s panting and whimpering, and her entire body is taut. A wicked grin on my face, I get down on my knees before her and put her leg up on my shoulder as I lean forward, replacing my fingers with my tongue. I lap at her in a frenzy, the taste of her driving me wild.
Both of Ashley’s hands are in my hair, yanking and pulling, as her whimpering grows louder, more insistent. I fuck her with my tongue, lapping at her clit, and devour her, unable to get enough. She holds my head in place with two hands as her entire body grows rigid, and her breath has become ragged. A moment later, she bites down on the side of her hand to stifle her cry as she cums with my tongue buried deep inside of her. I keep licking and sucking at her warm, wet center until her orgasm subsides.
Ashley pulls me to my feet and turns around, pressing her ass against my stiff cock. She looks at me over her shoulder and I see the desperate need in her eyes.
“Fuck me, Max. Fuck me hard and fuck me now,” she demands.
Stepping forward, she lets out a gasp that echoes around the bathroom as I bury my cock deep inside of her. I grab a fistful of her hair and yank her head back hard as I pound myself into her. The sound of our wet flesh slapping together is a steady, constant sound that fills the bathroom, but both of us seem heedless to it.
My other hand is on Ashley’s hip and she grabs it, moving it up to her neck. She puts my fingers around her throat and looks back at me, her lips parted, desire radiating from every pore.
“Squeeze it,” she commands. “Choke me.”
Still thrusting my cock into her, I do as she asks and squeeze her throat. She looks at me over her shoulder again and licks her lips.
“Harder. Don’t be gentle with me,” she orders.
Gritting my teeth, my own arousal off the charts, I grip her hair harder and yank her head back again at the same time I squeeze her throat even tighter. The sounds of pleasure spilling from her mouth are unlike anything I’ve heard before and it fuels my passion for her. I redouble my efforts and plunge myself into her wet, quivering pussy with every ounce of force I can muster, our bodies slamming together hard and fast.
Ashley pushes herself back against me, her face growing red from me squeezing the air from her throat. But she eggs me on, wanting even more. Wanting it even harder. For such a small, seemingly delicate little thing, Ashley can certainly take a harder pounding than I would have ever expected. And having her encouraging me to be even rougher with her turns me on in ways that are entirely new to me.
Stepping back, I pull out of her and flip her around again. I kiss her hard and as if she weighs nothing at all, I pick her up and hold her against the glass block. I slide my hands under her ass to help support her weight. Ashley wraps her legs around my waist and grips my shoulders as I slip myself back into her dripping wet pussy, pushing myself forward until I’ve filled her up completely. She lets out a groan of pure pleasure and grinds herself against me, as if she’s trying to take me even deeper.
I kiss my way from her ear to her collarbone, then trail the tip of my tongue back to her neck and give her a firm nip. She gasps and digs her nails into my back. I fuck her as hard as I can, banging her against the wall for all I’m worth. Ashley is doing her best to stifle her cries but can’t quite keep them from slipping out anyway.
Sliding one hand up her chest, I wrap it around her throat again and squeeze. She grips my wrist with both hands, her smile sultry and her eyes shining with lust and desire. I choke her harder as I drive myself into her again and again. Ashley’s body grows taut and her eyes widen as her face turns a deep shade of red. A moment later, she writhes and thrashes against me, a choked squeal escaping her mouth.
I let go of her throat and she slumps forward, pressing her forehead to my shoulder as her body continues to twitch and tremble as she rides out the waves of her orgasm. And when it finally ebbs, she looks up at me with eyes full of surprise and wonder. She kisses me hard and slips out of my hands, dropping back down to her feet.
“I have never cum so fucking hard in my life,” she says as she leans forward, melting against me.
I hold her close, feeling my cock throbbing as it begs for a release. Looking up at me with a twinkle in her eye, Ashley bites her bottom lip seductively at me. She slips down to her knees again and takes my cock in her hand.
“Now, where was I?” she purrs.
She opens her mouth and swallows my cock. Gripping my shaft with one hand and cradling my balls with the other, she starts to work me over. Ashley squeezes my balls as she strokes and sucks me off. Her intensity picks up as she feels my cock beginning to swell in her mouth. My body is growing rigid and I feel like pure electricity is flowing through my veins.
Leaning forward, I brace myself against the wall again, unable to hold back the tide any longer. As if she’s sensing the inevitable, Ashley tightens her lips around my cock, sucking and stroking even harder. It doesn’t take much more before I feel my cock pulse and then I erupt, filling her mouth with my cum. She looks up at me as my cock continues to throb, a thin rivulet of my seed spilling from the corner of her mouth that’s quickly washed away by the water raining down on us from the nozzle.
I grow limp in her mouth and Ashley looks up at me, licking her lips hungrily. She stands up and presses herself to me. Wrapping my hands around her waist, I lean into her, feeling suddenly spent. We take a few moments to enjoy the warmth of the water enveloping us.
After several long and wonderful moments, Ashley finally looks up at me, a strange smile on her lips.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I know this is going to sound crazy, but… I love you,” she says and holds up a hand to stop me from saying anything. “And it’s okay if you’re not there yet. I mean, I probably shouldn’t be, but I am. And I’m not just saying that because you gave me the most amazing orgasm of my life either, so if that’s what you’re thinking, you’re wrong.”
I stare at her, completely dumbfounded and unsure what to say, even if I’d had the wherewithal to say anything to begin with. Luckily, I don’t have to, since she plows straight ahead.
“Anyway, like I said, it’s okay if you’re not in the same place I am, emotionally speaking, right now. I don’t want you to feel obligated to say it back. I don’t want you to say it unless you really feel it. I spent way too many years pretending to love somebody I didn’t to ever want to have somebody fake it with me. I just wanted you to know where I’m at. I just want to be transparent with you.”
She falls quiet and then buries her face in my chest. All I can do is hold her tightly to me for the moment. I don’t know if what I feel is love. I’ve honestly never truly felt love. Or at least, what I imagine love is supposed to feel like. At th
e same time, though, I’ve never felt what I’m feeling for Ashley for anybody else before in my life. So, maybe it is love, for all I know.
But I know I should be sure of myself before I say anything. Especially because if I say it now, in the state she’s in, she’s apt to believe that I’m patronizing her and only saying it because she did, and I don’t want her to feel bad. And if I say it, I want it to be at a time when there is no doubt in her mind. Or mine.
I softly stroke her hair and plant a kiss on the crown of her head.
“It’s a good thing I like ’em a little crazy,” I say.
She laughs and slaps my chest. “You’re such an asshole. But I love that about you.”
“I’m not quite sure what that says about you then,” I reply.
“That I’m kind of screwed up in the head.”
“We all are, Ash. In our own ways. But believe me when I say I like your brand of crazy more than I’ve ever liked somebody else’s. I like it a whole lot.”
Her forehead still pressed to my chest, I can see her cheeks flushing a bright scarlet color. She laughs and looks up at me, and her eyes shine with a love that’s pure, leaving me no doubt about her feelings for me.
“Shut up and take me to bed,” she says, a smile on her lips.
“Gladly,” I reply.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Domino
“So, this is really going down,” I say.
Cosmo nods. “It is. And I need to know if you’re in or out.”
I pace my living room, my phone pressed to my ear. My stomach is clenching tight and ice water is flowing through my veins. Having been spending so much time with Ashley and Cole these last couple of weeks, it’s been easy to forget about the cartel, Zavala, and the coming war. But now, reality has reared its ugly head and slapped me right across the face with a big, icy hand.
My mind is screaming at me to stay out of this. It’s telling me that I want no part in the shitshow that’s about to go down. Once I commit to this, there is no turning back and I’ll be in it to the end, for the good or more likely, for the bad. Nothing good comes of a war. There’s nothing but death and chaos.
