Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  “That wasn’t the plan. We were supposed to agree, and then we’d have time to do things properly.”

  “Do you think I prearranged this? You practically dared me to do something spontaneous, and all of a sudden I’m the bad guy. Why does it matter? We were leading up to this either way.”

  “It matters because I didn’t want this to get screwed up like it is right now.”

  “The only thing screwed up right now is your reaction to what just happened.”

  “I told you how I wanted this to be. This wasn’t it. This was you pushing it.”

  “Maybe I did push it, but it wasn’t because I was against the agreement. It’s because up until three nights ago, I didn’t know what it was like to crave sex with anyone. You asked me who my best orgasm had ever been with, and you know what? It was you, up against your damn basement couch. So you’ll have to excuse the fact that when you waded in naked after me and then touched me, I lost my mind.”

  He stood there staring at me for the longest time, apparently absorbing what I’d revealed.

  “You know, for someone who didn’t want a one-night stand, you’re doing a hell of a job heading in that direction. Goodnight.” I turned on my heel and started walking.

  “Wait,” he called after me. He finally caught up as I was about to enter the lobby.

  We both froze when we saw Brian’s mom making a beeline for us.

  “Ah, shit,” he cursed, clearly bracing himself.

  Giving her a tight smile, I was about to excuse myself from whatever she wanted with Brian when she pointed at me.

  “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re the one I want to talk to. Did you spill wine on Rebecca tonight and then threaten that she’d be sent home?” his mother questioned.

  Fan-fucking-tastic timing. I’d just had sex with her son minutes ago and now was being confronted while holding my panties in my hand.

  Judging from the look on her son’s face, he was completely clueless. I squared my shoulders and gave her my best unaffected look. She might be Brian’s mother, but I’d hit my absolute max when it came to dealing with people today.

  “I did,” I said without further explanation.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you both wet?” That fact apparently just dawning on her.

  Brian answered, “We were swimming. Now what’s this about?”

  “It’s about your brother’s wife in tears, saying that Sasha here spilled wine on her and then threatened her,” his mother accused.

  Actually, it was Haylee who had issued the threat, but I didn’t bother to point that out. “I’d suggest, that you inform Rebecca that if she can’t say anything nice, then not to say anything at all.”

  Brian’s mom looked furious. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ve been friends and neighbors with the Singers for almost forty years, and if you think—”

  “I’m going to stop you there. Josh and his family would do absolutely anything for Haylee. They adore her. Do you think they’d like hearing what Rebecca said to her or, better yet, the fact that you’re defending her? Now goodnight to you both.” It was tempting to reiterate for Brian’s sake what was actually said, but I realized it didn’t matter. It was my word against hers and there was no way I was allowing either one of them to approach Haylee the night before her wedding for confirmation.

  I held my head high and walked away with as much dignity as a woman with panties balled up in her fist could.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The moment I entered my room, the phone started ringing. I chose to ignore it. My adrenaline had run its course, the alcohol had left my system, and I was left reeling at everything that had transpired during the last hour.

  After taking a hot shower, I came back into the room in my towel and scowled at the sound of a knock on the door. Exhaustion had set in and I refused to answer. I especially didn’t need shit from Brian about my soft skills regarding his sister-in-law or mother. I was too raw from what had happened at the beach and the aftermath of him being angry about it.

  Lying down on the bed, I tried to shut my mind off. I wasn’t panicking, which was an encouraging sign. Sometimes it was the little victories when it came to coping with anxiety. The sound of my hotel door opening made me sit up. Brian’s profile was illuminated by the hall light before he shut the door behind him.

  “You’re breaking and entering now?” I muttered, watching him from the bed.

  “I had to. You wouldn’t pick up the phone or answer the door.”

  “Do I even want to know how you got the key?”

  “Probably not. Look, before we get into what happened between us, I’d like to talk about what transpired with Rebecca.” He flipped on the reading light on the nightstand.

  I watched him sit on the bed and met his eyes. “I’m not apologizing—”

  He didn’t let me finish. “I’m embarrassed to be related to someone who would say anything negative about someone like Haylee, and I’m glad you were there for her tonight. I’m sorry that my mom would confront you like that.”

  I was stunned. I’d assumed he would tell me I’d been too harsh or, worse, make excuses for their behavior. “You’re not going to lecture me on how I could have handled it better?”

  He shook his head. “If anything, I admire the fact that you stayed calm. And I need to—”

  I launched myself at him with a kiss, not allowing him to continue.

  His surprise turned to reciprocation quickly with his hands weaving into my hair. He pulled back, searching my eyes. “What was that for?”

  “For believing me,” I said simply.

  He stroked my face. “I know I’ve criticized your first impressions and the ways you communicate, but that was from a work perspective to help with clients. I understand you well enough to know you’re not spilling wine on someone unless it’s warranted, Sasha.”

  I couldn’t begin to tell him how much his words meant. Almost always, people assumed I was the one being the bitch. “Thank you.”

  He placed his thumb on my bottom lip as was his habit. “The other person handling things terribly this evening was me.”

  “Agreed. Why were you angry?”

  He took a minute to respond. “I’m used to being in control, and when I lost it, I took it out on you.”

  “Okay, I think I get that part. But what I don’t understand is why our first time was so important to you.”

  His look was vulnerable. “I’ve had this fantasy of how I wanted it to go if ever given a second chance with you. I didn’t want to take any risks ruining it or blow it like in Miami. And I screwed it up anyhow, but I won’t be able to stand another three years waiting.”

  Oh, Jesus, he thought it was his fault in Miami. “Brian, you didn’t blow it that night in Miami. It was—” I didn’t get the opportunity to finish.

  “I know you say that, but one minute I’m supposed to meet you in your room and the next you were sending me a text message not to come. Obviously, I pushed it too far, too fast.”

  Shaking my head, I murmured, “You didn’t. It wasn’t that.”

  He got up from the bed to pace. “I saw you leave the hotel. You sent me that message about not coming up, and then twenty minutes later I saw you walk through the lobby to get into a cab curbside. I never knew if there was another guy or what, but you left.”

  Oh, God. I put my hands over my face and breathed deeply. “I have a confession to make about Miami.”

  He stopped his pacing and stared at me intently. “I don’t think I want to hear this if it was another man, even three years later.”

  I shook my head. “It wasn’t another man. But this isn’t easy. I’ve never told anyone before. Could you please sit?”

  He must’ve sensed my unease because he was on the bed in a second, holding my hands. “I should have left it alone. It was three years ago, and I don’t need to know the details.”

  “Yes, you do because you’ve had the wrong impression all this time. When I went up to my room tha
t night, I had every intention of sleeping with you.” My stomach tensed with the memory and tried to keep the emotion out of my voice. “But my cell phone had died earlier, and when I charged it after getting to my room, I had several voice messages. They were all about my mother from the police and hospital.”

  He looked shocked and then confused. “Something happened to your mom?”

  “My birth mother,” I clarified. “She’d been beaten up and left for dead three days earlier outside of Raleigh, completely strung out on heroin. Evidently someone dug up my information.”

  “That must’ve been a shock for you.”

  Nodding, I recalled the full-blown panic attack into which the situation had sent me. “It was. Anyhow, long story short, they wanted to put her into a treatment facility. Rehab, if you will. They’d been trying to track me down for days, and I was told that if they didn’t get the money wired to them that night for her to enter this facility, then they’d have to release her back onto the street. The director of the center made it clear that she’d already been clean for three days. Time was of the essence to get her into that place.”

  “That’s why you left, to wire the money?”

  I nodded. “I had no clue that you might be in the lobby or how it might have appeared to you.” I was tempted to tell him about the anxiety attack, but admitting I’d been birthed by a junkie mother was enough vulnerability to expose for now.

  He looked a little hurt, but being the type of guy he was, he put my feelings first. “Did you see her? I didn’t think you’d ever met her before.”

  And now was the hard part. “I’d met her once a long time ago. It didn’t go well.” That was quite an understatement, but I didn’t have the emotional energy to air all of my baggage at the moment. “The facility doesn’t allow visitors until week four, but by the time I flew to Raleigh, she’d checked herself out. Ten thousand dollars for nothing, and she hadn’t bothered to stick around to see me.” My voice was small, and I rolled my neck. Recalling the mistake of being sucked into her life three years ago made me tense.

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Sasha? You could have confided in me. You had three damn years and plenty of opportunity. Maybe it’s selfish to ask, but if that was the only reason you turned me down, why didn’t you make another attempt?” His eyes searched mine.

  “I did try again, two weeks later.”

  He shook his head. “I would have known had you attempted.”

  “We were at Claudia from accounting’s wedding. Remember she invited the entire Charlotte office down in the Outer Banks at that hotel? I was supposed to have driven to my parents’ house that night. But after the reception, I went upstairs and knocked on your hotel room door instead.”

  Confusion clouded his expression, and then it dawned on him. “Shit.”

  I blew out a breath. “Yeah, the cute little blonde singer for the band opened the door. I pretended that I had the wrong room.”

  “I had no clue.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking pained at the fact that I’d met his one-night stand.

  “I know, and I told myself it was my fault for screwing up Miami and not telling you the truth.”

  “Okay. But what about later on? It’s been three years.”

  I realized I had a bevy of excuses that, when told separately, didn’t justify why I hadn’t. “I don’t know. Pick your reason: I got cold feet, fear of rejection, thoughts of you with the blonde two weeks later. I was ashamed of the fact that my real mom was a druggie and that I’d been duped into losing ten grand. Or maybe it’s the fact that you got promoted a couple months later.” I stopped and looked at him. “I know all of those excuses by themselves sound trite, but when I added them all together, I convinced myself that it wasn’t meant to be. That we were better off friends. Matter of fact, I thought you were kind of unaffected by the whole thing.” He’d moved on quickly to another woman and had appeared to slide right back into our friendship much easier than I’d managed to do.

  “Of course, I didn’t seem to let it affect me. I had some pride. Rejection stung, but I knew we still had to work together.”

  “I know. I had pride, too. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you the truth that night or later on.”

  “I’m sorry, too, that I assumed something instead of asking.” He leaned in and captured my lips softly in a kiss.

  Pausing, a smile teased his lips. “Timing hasn’t been very good to us, has it?”

  “No, it hasn’t.” I reached up and cupped his face. “I agree to the rules, and although I was upset at the way you reacted tonight, I don’t regret what happened.”

  He let out a breath. “Remember the part about being flexible because I was bound to mess something up at some point?”

  “I do.” I smiled, once again thinking it ironic that he’d done so first.

  “I’m really sorry. Do you think I could get a second chance?”

  “Yes, but are you going to make us wait for it?”

  He grinned wickedly. “Not with the way timing has fucked us before. Not a chance. But first I need to take a quick shower to get the ocean off of me.”

  “You could use mine, and maybe I could join you,” I suggested.

  He shook his head, turning off the bedside lamp. “Oh, I think we’ve had enough water sports for this evening.” He breathed in my ear, low and slow, “I want you to lose the towel, honey, lie in the middle of the bed with your knees apart and your pretty pussy on display for me. Put pillows under your head and relax because when I come out, I plan on spending a lot of time down there.”

  Holy shit balls, as Catherine would say. I think it took me a full minute after he’d closed the bathroom door to realize I hadn’t moved.

  ***

  I didn’t have long to wait before Brian came out of the shower with simply a towel around his waist. The only illumination was the light coming through the bathroom door. My gaze tracked his movements as he crossed over toward the bed. I swallowed hard at being naked and on display for him.

  His eyes took their time soaking in my body from head to toe. “You’re unbelievably sexy, Sasha. More beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”

  I shivered with anticipation and expelled the breath I’d been holding. There was no panic, only an overwhelming eagerness for what was about to happen.

  Brian proceeded to drop his towel, and my mouth went dry at the sight of him. I had known he was built in the arms and chest since he worked out regularly, but the size of his erection—Jesus, had I really had that inside of me?

  “My face is up here,” he teased.

  My eyes rose to his, and I flushed. “Sorry, I was momentarily distracted.” I wasn’t the least bit sorry.

  “Keep your hands above your head. Hold them together or in your hair, but do not under any circumstances touch me or yourself. Do you understand?”

  I nodded and then complied without question, curious about this side of him.

  His body crawled up the length of mine until he braced himself on his forearms with his knee between my legs. Then he captured my mouth like a starving man. Pulling back momentarily, he traced my lips with his thumb. “God, these lips are by far my favorite thing: sexy, full, sinful.” He punctuated each compliment with a kiss.

  Lost in his words, I about bucked off the bed when his finger dipped down into my center.

  “You’re positively drenched for me.”

  A whimper fell from my lips in response.

  “I’ve dreamed about tasting you for too long.” And just like that, he shifted down and buried his face in my cleft. His tongue was diabolical and relentless. His fingers worked my slick entrance like magic as I tried to remember to keep my hands above my head. He devoured me with ferocity, like he couldn’t get enough. I’d never had a man go down on me like this in my life, but when I was about to come, he eased back.

  “Brian—” I couldn’t believe that was my voice practically begging for release.

  “Tell me what you want.”

&n
bsp; Was it not obvious? “You know what I want,” I exhaled. Arching towards him, I was on fire from his kisses teasing the inside of my thighs.

  “Ask me, Sasha. Ask me, and I’ll do it.”

  Talking dirty was not something with which I had a lot of experience. But my body was desperate for release, and his torture was almost too much for me to handle. “Please, make me come.”

  “Do you know how much it turns me on to hear you talk like that? To ask me for what you want?”

  He settled between my legs, parting the lips of my sex. His tongue delved inside of me while his thumb pad rubbed circles around my sensitive clit.

  My hands moved of their own volition, grasping at his hair while he administered such unbelievable pleasure.

  He froze.

  It took me a moment to realize why. My hands weren’t where I’d promised.

  His eyes locked with mine. Amusement danced in the depths of his. “Hands, honey,” he reminded me.

  I quickly obeyed and had expected him to go back to the task at hand. But Brian had left the main highway and was now on the scenic route down my thighs. I growled in frustration over being so close. “You’re tormenting me.”

  He chuckled. “Mm, I am. Are you going to keep your hands where I told you this time?” His lips made a path up my inner thigh, and it was all I could do not to grab his head and direct it where I needed him. His display of control gave me chills over my body.

  “Yes, yes, my hands are in place.” My voice cracked when his face dove back in, eager to get back to business. Between his fingers and tongue, it took about three seconds before my eyes rolled back in my head, and my climax consumed me. I’d never experienced anything as powerful in my life.

  “That’s it, honey. Let it go.”

  I did, but he wasn’t letting up. I’d never experienced consecutive orgasms and wondered if it was possible to pass out from pleasure.

  “Another one. Come in my mouth again, gorgeous.”

  “I can’t—”

  “Yes, you can. You will.” He was unyielding with his assault, commanding I come again.

  After the second orgasm, my body felt like it had been put through an entire workout. My lungs burned from breathing hard, and my arms ached from holding my hands tightly together above my head.