by C. A. Harms
Suddenly, I remembered I was wearing pajama pants and a thin tank top with nothing beneath it. I crossed my arms over my chest, and Ashton chuckled. As if I was hiding anything he hadn’t already gotten a close look at.
“You are puzzling,” he said, shaking his head.
I felt confused. What about me could be puzzling? He was the puzzling one. Why would a guy that looked like Ashton Montgomery keep wasting his time on someone like me, especially after I told him I had no time for relationships?
He stepped toward me and chuckled again when I stepped back. I wanted nothing more than to roll my eyes at his cocky arrogance. Why had I opened my door again? Oh yeah, because I was insanely attracted to this ass of a man, and deep down I no longer wanted to fight my attraction. I wanted him as badly as he wanted me, if not more.
“You are the most stubborn, indecisive woman I’ve ever met,” Ash began as he continued to move closer. “You frustrate me, piss me off, and turn me on all at the same time.”
I took a deep breath when his chest bumped mine, and I lowered my hands to brace myself against the door behind me.
He never once took his eyes from mine. “I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about pinning you against a wall and fucking you into submission.” My eyes widened at his words, and he smiled. “But I promise that when it comes to you, I’ve thought of so much more than just that over these last few weeks.”
I swallowed past the lump that had formed in my throat. He was being so honest, yet I couldn’t do the same, and that thought made my chest ache.
He deserved more.
“I told you I can’t walk away, and I meant it. Because no matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t get your smile and even your damn attitude out of my head. I want you,” he whispered, his lips now only inches from my own. “And not just for one night.”
I sagged back against the door when his mouth covered mine in a tantalizing kiss. I gave in to my need for him because I honestly had no fight left when it came to this man. I was done trying to push him away. I needed to feel him against me, taking me over and making me forget everything that still haunted me.
When I lifted my hands and wrapped them around his neck, fisting his hair, he groaned and pressed his body to mine more aggressively.
“Do you trust me?” he asked as he pulled back and looked at me. “I need to know you trust me fully. That you know I would never hurt you.”
I wondered why he was asking such a question, then he answered without me having to ask.
“I don’t know your past, but something tells me it includes some asshole that didn’t treat you the way you deserve. I need you to know you don’t have to worry about that with me. Because no matter where we go from here or what may happen between us, I would never intentionally hurt you. You’re safe with me,” he assured me as he looked deep into my eyes. “Always safe, baby.”
My hesitation faded away with his words.
I may have been wrong to give all my power over to this man. After all, I was that naive once before and things hadn’t ended well. But I prayed like hell that men like Jase were one in a million and Ashton was true to his word. Because I couldn’t live the rest of my life judging everyone around me by the things that monster had put me through.
It wasn’t fair. To them or to me.
“I trust you,” I whispered, and relief filled his eyes as he took my hand and led me toward the open door of my bedroom.
Each kiss along my stomach felt like a warm shock to the rest of my body. I couldn’t keep my back from arching off the bed as he moved lower. My entire body shook with pure desire as I imagined what he would do next. I couldn’t look, because I had a feeling if I did that I would fucking shoot through the ceiling with how aroused I would become.
After Ash spent what felt like hours kissing me and caressing me, he began to slowly undress me, kissing each part of my body as he exposed it. It was the most intimate thing I had ever felt.
I was surprised I wasn’t afraid of this man, but he gave me no reason to fear him. The way he touched me made me feel so safe, so treasured. His words were filthy, yet there was something sweet about them too. I’d never had a lover who talked to me the way Ashton did. Then again, I’d been a lot more sheltered than he had.
I fisted the sheets at my sides when Ashton traced the contour of my hip with his finger before trailing his fingers lower. He moaned when he found me wet.
“I knew this pussy would be perfect,” he said as if talking to himself. Still fighting the urge to lift my head and look down at him, I gasped when I felt his tongue follow the path his finger had just taken. “So fucking sweet,” he whispered, but loud enough I could hear. “So needy. You like that, don’t you, baby?”
“Mmhm,” I whimpered as he used his hand to open me just before licking me once again. “Oh my God,” I gasped as my hips bucked.
Ashton slipped his hands beneath my ass, and I looked down at him, wondering what he could be doing. When he lifted upward, he lowered his mouth to my pussy once again, only this time he didn’t let up. He devoured me and left me writhing with more pleasure than I had ever experienced.
And when I reached the point where I felt as if I would shoot off the bed like a rocket, he sucked harder, giving me no window to calm myself. I felt like a fucking fire had been lit inside me, and my legs shook with my impending orgasm.
I came so hard I swear I saw bright flashes of light from the blood rushing to my head. I felt it from my toes to the tips of my hair. It was mind-blowing, and I imagined this had to be what heaven felt like, because I was fucking floating.
ASHTON
I WOKE FEELING MORE RELAXED than I had in months. Looking down toward the brown hair that fanned out over my chest, I couldn’t help but smile.
Last night was a night I was sure I would never forget. My persistence had paid off, and this beautiful woman had finally let me in. A big part of me was gloating, feeling as if I’d once again conquered some unbeatable task. She was without a doubt one of the best rewards I’d ever gotten.
What we shared, everything she gave me, felt different than anything I’d felt before with any other woman. It was hot, yes, but it was so damn pure and meaningful too. When she finally gave all control over to me, I knew it wasn’t something she did easily or readily, but I had never been more thankful for a gift. I saw the fear in her eyes and how she fought against it, and felt the small flashes of resistance just before she gave in to what her body wanted. Witnessing the fulfilment in her gaze when we were done was something I wanted to do over and over.
Closing my eyes, I thought of the way she looked when she held on to the headboard, arching her ass up as I entered her slowly from behind. The expression of pure ecstasy on her face as I moved inside her, pushing her closer to yet another release. The way she moaned my name when she came still rang in my ears. Fuck, that sound will forever be embedded in my memory. It was the sexiest fucking thing I had ever heard. I wanted to bring her to that point over and over. I wanted to hear her say my name like that every fucking day, and every night. It was such a sinful sound, yet something about it gripped me and made my chest ache with an unexplainable pull.
I was yanked from my thoughts as the warmth of her body moved away and she sat up.
“Hey, where are you going?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back to me.
Almost instantly she tucked her head against her chest as if she was embarrassed, and I decided there was no fucking way I would allow her to act as if last night and all the dirty things we shared hadn’t taken place. She was facing the fact that she and I were now a thing, and she would think about our evening together for a long damn time if I had my way.
I rolled over and placed her body securely beneath me, forcing her to look up at me. “Don’t get all shy on me now, sweetheart, not after giving me this sweet body willingly. It’s mine now, and I plan on doing this with you regularly.”
Her cheeks reddened, and I parted her legs wit
h my thigh as I pushed my hard cock against her. “See? Even that sweet pussy remembers what I can do for her.”
“I’m pretty sure I remember too,” she finally said and followed it with a smile. Still, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was on trial. She still seemed hesitant, as if she was hiding something about herself that she was afraid of revealing.
I’d have to figure out a way to get us both past that.
“What are your plans today?” I asked, still slowly moving my hips to glide my growing erection against her bare pussy. It was hard to concentrate when she was getting more aroused and her wetness was slowly covering me with each thrust.
“I,” she panted, “just that I. . . .” Her words faded when I pressed the tip of my cock against her entrance.
“I want to fuck you bare,” I confessed, unable to refrain from speaking the truth. I was so turned on right now, I felt as if all common sense had flown out the window. “I want to bury my cock deep inside this pretty cunt and hear you moan my name.”
Her eyes were now locked on mine in shock. But I could also see that sweet glow of desire I witnessed on multiple occasions last night.
Using protection was second nature with me, but when I got up from her bed to toss the condom I’d used last night, I’d noticed the pack of birth control pills on her bathroom vanity. And for the first time in my life, I had instant thoughts of fucking a woman into next week with nothing between us.
Now as I lay here between her parted thighs, pushing against her aching, slick center, it was taking everything I had to wait for her permission. I was desperate to feel her wrapped around me. When she didn’t answer, I pushed against her a little farther, and when the head of my cock entered her, she moaned.
“Tell me it’s okay, Kiera.”
Her eyes opened, and the look she gave me was one I hadn’t seen before. It resembled a flash of irritation.
“Call me baby,” she said. “Or sweetheart. I like hearing you call me that.”
I could do that. I was pretty sure in that moment I would have called her anything she wanted me to.
“Baby,” I whispered. “Tell me I can fuck you without anything between us.”
She smiled as she moved her hips, and I slid inside her just a little deeper. “Yes,” she begged. “Please.”
Her eyes rolled back as I pushed into her and her warmth engulfed me. Fuck, she felt so unbelievable like this. So fucking tight and hot.
“Damn,” I groaned as I pulled back, only to enter her once again. “No more condoms.” It wasn’t a question. I vowed in that moment I would never again allow anything to come between me and Kiera’s perfection.
She was too fucking amazing to resist.
“Wow,” she whispered as she looked around my penthouse. “It’s beautiful and so big.”
“Aw, the words every man wants to hear,” I said as I stepped up behind her and pushed her hair to the side. I leaned in and kissed the side of her neck as I curled my arm around her waist and spread my hand out over her stomach. I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off her.
“I meant the penthouse,” she giggled when I bit her shoulder. “But he’s pretty amazing too.”
It had been less than twenty-four hours since I showed up at her place and gave her no other option but to give in to this pull between us. And in the last eight I had watched her slowly relax and let go of the need to fight our attraction to each other. I would still catch her staring off into space as if deep in thought, but she no longer resisted when I touched her or kissed her without warning.
Over time I was sure she would only begin to relax more, because I wouldn’t allow her to push me away again. The moment I buried myself inside her, she became mine, and I’d wait patiently for her to accept that too. But until then, I planned to spend as much time as possible with her, showing her what being with me entailed.
“This place makes my apartment feel like a closet,” she said as she walked toward the sprawling windows that lined my living room and kitchen. “No, I bet even your closets are bigger than my entire place.” She turned around, flashing me that gorgeous smile. “I live in a shoebox.”
“It’s cozy,” I said. She did have a tiny-ass place, but it suited her.
“It’s a shoebox,” she said again.
“Yeah baby, you’re right.” I returned her playful smile. “It’s little.”
Warmth consumed me as she continued to look around my penthouse. Each time she trailed her finger over a piece of artwork or smiled at something that pleased her, my stomach tightened just a little more. Having her here, in my home, felt right.
Kiera paused in the entryway of the dining room as she peered up almost longingly at the painting before her. “Is this an oil painting by Christiane Vleugels?”
I was shocked that she knew the artist, but then I recalled that I still knew very little about her life, like where she came from, what her family was like, or how she found herself in New York.
“You know her work?” I asked.
The excitement on her face quickly shifted to nervousness.
“Oh, well, um.” she fidgeted and looked down at her feet, a gesture she used when she was trying to avoid a topic or stall. “Mr. Wright has a couple of her paintings in his office, and I think they’re beautiful.”
Instead of pushing to find out if that was, in fact, true, I brushed it off and chose a different route. I picked up the controller from the table at my side and I turned on the surround sound. The room was suddenly filled with slow and sultry music.
Kiera looked up and smiled while I closed the distance between us and pulled her body to mine.
“And he knows how to dance,” she whispered.
I chuckled because she said this as if she was a little surprised.
“Only when the woman I have the opportunity to dance with smells as amazing as you.” I buried my nose in her hair, and she nuzzled in just a little closer.
This relaxed exchange with Kiera almost felt natural. She made me feel free to let go of the stiff suit I portrayed myself as outside of my home and just be myself. I held her close as we moved together as if we had been doing it for years. When she titled her head back to look up at me, I took the opportunity to kiss her softly. The moment was simple, peaceful. There was nothing sexual about it, but the intimate pattern we had fallen into was almost instinctual. It didn’t take effort, or deep thought; we just flowed together like we were meant to be here like this with each other.
I would ask later about her past and things that every couple should know about one another. For now I just wanted to enjoy this moment together.
KINSLEY
THE WATER CASCADED OVER MY back as I braced myself against the shower wall before me and looked back over my shoulder, mesmerized by Ashton’s beauty as the water beaded on his body. He held my bare hips tightly as he drove into me over and over, chasing his own release, his eyes closed tight and his mouth open slightly in entrancement. He tilted his head back, and his arms flexed as he pulled me back to meet his thrusts, his fingers digging into the flesh of my hips. He bit down on his lower lip, but it did nothing to hide the animalistic growl that ripped from his chest each time he seated himself deep inside me.
My entire body shook from the force he used to fuck me.
“Holy fuck,” he groaned as he rotated his hips, grinding against me. “So fucking good.” He panted as his movements picked up, and I had to press harder against the wall for fear of slipping from the aggressive way he was taking me. Yet another orgasm formed deep inside me as he continued to stroke me in the most erotic way.
I told myself I would never again feel weak in the hands of any man again. But the way he took control wasn’t frightening, it was empowering. Knowing I was the one responsible for putting him in such a state made me feel stronger than I had ever felt before. I had never felt so high.
“Come, Kiera.” I flinched when he said the name I was now hating more than anything. I wanted so badly to have him moan Kinsley as he los
t himself. Tears formed in my eyes as he continued to whisper “Kiera” over and over. I wanted to yell for him to stop, but the pure pleasure that ripped through me prevented me, and he hooked my waist just as he slammed inside me one last time. His warmth spread through me, and the power I’d felt earlier once again filled me.
I did this to him.
I made him lose his mind and all self-control.
I was the one he wanted, needed.
Me.
“So beautiful,” he panted against my ear. His body now hunched over mine as he heaved, trying to regain control. “I get so fucking lost in you,” he confessed.
“Me too,” I whispered.
So lost is was a little scary.
The last couple of days had been nothing short of perfect. It felt great to live again. To enjoy those moments when everything felt so new and exciting.
That was what being with Ashton felt like.
In public, he was this strong, dominant, almost unapproachable figure. Most feared him, hoped they would never get on his bad side, and would do just about anything to make sure they never were.
But with me he was different. He was sweet and generous, and the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t watching made me feel like a young, innocent girl again, untainted and free from my past. Being in his presence made it impossible to believe anyone could be capable of the things Jase had done to me.
And he was dirty. I loved his dirty side.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he rounded the side of the couch and sat in the empty space next to me.
I smiled as I took the glass of wine he held out for me. “I was just thinking about how different you are.” Laughter fell from my lips when he arched his brow at me. “Not bad different, good different.”
He seemed pleased but he remained silent, and I knew he was waiting for me to continue to explain. Suddenly I felt foolish for even bringing up the subject, but it was too late to take it back.
“I thought you were just some egotistical ass who had to have control in order to function,” I confessed.
