The sincerity of the words knocked me off balance. I didn’t know how to handle Ash when he wasn’t being a jerk or trying to get into my pants. So I shrugged it off. “I’m just doing what anybody would do.”
“You’re wrong.” He smiled at me, his gaze staring straight through me. Then he skimmed the surface of the desk with his fingertips. “You said you were wrapping up. You’re done, then?”
“Yes.”
He held out a hand.
Uncertain, I stared.
“Aren’t you hungry? Doug said you didn’t eat lunch.”
As if on cue, my belly rumbled. “I forgot,” I answered honestly.
“Good thing I made sure we'll have plenty to eat then.” He smiled at me but didn't retract his hand.
After a moment, I accepted it. I tried to ignore the hot pricks of electricity that ran along my nerves as I followed him out of the living room and down the hallway.
Off the back of the house, there was a small, intimate terrace. Grapevines and other flowering plants climbed up the trellis. There was a sweet perfume in the air, something sweet and intoxicating. I hadn't been out here before, but I was officially making it my favorite place now.
The small table was intimate, set for just two, and Ash sipped his wine as Doug gestured for a man clad in a white shirt and apron to come forward. The scent of the food made my stomach stopped growling, taking it up a notch. It started yowling.
After we’d been served, we were left alone and I busied myself with trying every dish that was offered. Part of it was because I was hungrier than I'd realized, but I couldn't deny that eating was easier than facing being alone with Ash.
I didn’t stop until my belly was ready to pop and when I finally looked up, Ash was still watching me over the rim of his glass. He’d eaten some of his food, but not a lot.
“You don’t seem very hungry.” I smiled as I reached for my napkin and dabbed at my mouth. I wasn't embarrassed by how much I'd eaten, but I did hope I didn't have anything on my face.
“I ate lunch.” He crooked a smile at me. “You didn’t.”
“Yeah, well. I’ve always had a healthy appetite. Me and skipping meals, we don’t go together well.” I reached for my water and took a sip, sighing as my belly, now beyond full, gurgled a little in protest. I leaned back in my seat. “My parents always joked that they'd thought they'd lucked out when I was born because they had their hands full trying to feed four boys, but I'd always managed to hold my own with the best of them.”
“You’re close to your family.” There was something sad in his voice.
“Yeah. They’re amazing.”
“You’re lucky.” Focused on the glass he held, Ash spoke in a distant sort of voice. “You never know the kind of things you have, and how much you take them for granted, until you just don’t have them anymore.”
“I know I’m lucky.” I hesitated only a few seconds before I asked, “What happened to them?” When he glanced at me, I clarified. “Your parents, I mean. Isadora said it was a car accident when she was seven, but...”
“Yeah, I was nineteen.” He tossed back the rest of his wine like it was a two-dollar shot. “It was a country highway, up-state New York. No other cars, no one to say what really happened. The theory is that my dad lost control of the car. Maybe fell asleep.” His mouth twisted in a snarl, but I knew he wasn't angry at me. “The officers who investigated it had a theory that they’d been arguing and he was distracted. It’s shit. My parents hardly ever argued and he never would have gotten into an argument with her in the car. He was...”
“Like you?” I propped my elbow on my chin as I studied him, intrigued by this side of him. “If he was anything like you and Isadora is anything like your mom, then he would've been too protective of her to...” I stopped suddenly, realizing how it sounded.
Ash’s lips twisted sardonically. “Let me guess. You think he would have coddled my mom, the way I coddle my sister.” With a shrug, he said, “You’d be right. Dad doted on Mom and on Iz. He was the head of the household, the man. Responsible for taking care of everybody, for running the family business and making sure none of us wanted for anything. And I was being groomed to be the same way. Mom, Isadora...they were there to be loved, protected.”
My heart twisted at his words, at the wistful tone. “Were they happy?”
“Yeah.” Staring into his now-empty wineglass, he nodded. “They were so happy, it was almost embarrassing. Your mom ever kiss you in front of your friends? Or did your friends ever see your parents kissing? It was such a regular thing with my folks that my friends didn't even notice. Then it was just...gone. And it was me, this stupid nineteen year-old kid trying to figure out how to be a dad to a heart-broken little girl.”
Tears burned my eyelids. “You don’t have any other family, do you?”
“Not really. Some very distant relatives that we don't really see. They were going to take Iz so I could stay away at school, but I wouldn't let them.”
His voice hitched at the end and I knew he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.
Unable to take sitting anymore, I got up and went around the table. He’d already pushed back, and it made it easy to kneel down next to him. Almost too easy to slide my hands up and grip his hips as I leaned in to press a kiss to his jawline.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered against his skin. His dark stubble was rough against my lips and a thrill went through me before I could stop it.
His hand came up to cup the side of my head for a moment, and then he dropped his hand. He turned his face away. “I appreciate that, Toni.”
And then he stood and walked away without even a glance in my direction. I closed my eyes.
Fuck.
What had I done?
Chapter 4
Ash
I needed a drink.
As I stood at the bar service and poured some scotch, I tried to block out the sound of cloth brushing against cloth as she came into the house. She was walking closer and my skin buzzed in reaction. My cock pulsed with need. I could still feel her kiss on my cheek.
I had to get out of here. Away from her.
“Toni, you should probably go,” I said, turning to face her.
She stopped barely a foot away and her eyes met mine. She lifted her chin. “Why?”
“You don’t want to know, and you don’t need to know.” I narrowed my eyes as she took a step toward me. I pressed my hands flat on the bar and tried to pretend that they weren't shaking.
“What’s wrong? I thought we were going to try this friendship thing?” There was a bit of a challenge mixed in with the sympathy in her voice.
“Friendship.” I could have bit the word in two. I backed up and she took another step toward me, not even flinching at my tone.
“You need to go.”
Her eyes narrowed and I could tell she wasn't backing down.
“I will,” she said. “When you tell me why.”
Fuck it.
I grabbed her arms and pulled her against me, nearly up onto her toes. “Because of this.”
Her mouth was partly open, a shocked gasp escaping her as I fisted my hand in her hair. Before I could come to my senses, I slanted my lips over hers and plunged my tongue into her mouth. She tasted like sex and heat and hunger. The kiss was rough and desperate, a fire burning through me.
Finally, I caught ahold of myself and I tore my mouth from hers. My fingers tightened around her arms for a moment and I closed my eyes, fighting for air and control.
I opened my eyes and found her staring up at me. The words ripped out of me. “That’s why. You don’t need to be around me right now. I need something, and you aren’t going to want to be the one to give it to me. I don’t think you can give it to me.”
“Is that right?”
I might as well have thrown down a gauntlet in front of her. Challenge glinted on her face and she lifted her chin, eyes glowing.
“You don’t think I can? Just what is it that you want,
Ash?”
“Toni.” There was a clear warning in her name.
“Ash.” She mocked the rough growl of my voice and the husky sound went straight through me. “Come on, tell me.”
Instead of telling her, I caught her wrists and yanked them against my chest. Her eyes widened in surprise, then fluttered closed when I shoved my thigh between her legs. “You’re pushing too far, Toni. Just go. Leave.”
I leaned down and I bit her lower lip, harder than I should have.
Then I let her go.
Well, that had been the dumbest thing I could've done.
Turning away, I grabbed the scotch I’d poured and tossed it back. As I lowered the glass, something soft hit me in the back of the head.
I caught sight of something blue and wispy over my shoulder before it slid to the ground. I knew what it was. It smelled of her, but even if it hadn’t I would have known. The slinky, close-fitting blue blouse that Toni had worn tonight. It had made her eyes glow.
I turned around, my heart pounding. She stood there, wearing a dark blue lace bra that cupped her lovely breasts to perfection. I could see the darker shadow of her nipples through her bra. They were hard, visible through the fabric, begging for my attention. Closing my hand into a fist, I told myself I wasn’t going to give in.
I wanted more than she would want to give.
I wanted more than she should give.
And I couldn't give her what she deserved in return.
“You think I can’t handle you?” She put her hands on her hips.
I sighed. “Actually, that’s the problem. You can. But we’ve already been down that road, Toni. It doesn't end well.”
“I know.” She slid her hand down the slope of one breast, the smile on her mouth taking on a feline, feminine slant that was so mysterious and so damn hot, I felt my cock swell even more. I wanted her more than I wanted my next breath.
But what I wanted, what I needed...I couldn't ask it of her. I wouldn't.
“You aren’t going to scare me off.”
Her gaze slid down along my body and all the muscles in me tightened in response.
She smirked. “Although if we do this and you act like a dick in the morning, I just might cut yours off.”
Instead of making me wince, the blunt delivery made me want her even more.
Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to warn her. “Toni, you’re pushing your luck.”
“Am I?”
She reached behind herself, an action that thrust her small breasts up and out. My pulse kicked up, paused and then began to race hard and fast. My gaze remained locked on her breasts so I didn’t realize she was dragging the zipper of her skirt down until she was wiggling her hips as she slid the material down to reveal a pair of tiny panties that matched her bra.
“If that was pushing my luck, then what am I doing now?” There was a teasing note in her voice as she closed the short distance between us.
Before my brain could fully process what she was doing, she rose up onto her toes and pressed her lips to mine. It was a quick, easy kiss. Followed by a hot, open-mouthed one that ended with her raking her teeth over my lip and I shuddered as she bit down.
“No strings. No promises. One night. Between friends. I think we both need it.” She ran her fingertip across the spot she'd just bitten. “The only thing I expect is that you don’t act like an ass when this is done. What do you say?”
Chapter 5
Toni
My words lingered between us.
What do you say?
His hands closed around my hips, palms hot against my skin. For the span of a few heartbeats, I thought maybe he’d push me away. Reject what I was offering. What I needed as much as he did, except for opposing reasons. He needed comfort and I needed to comfort him.
If he refused, I would leave, and I wouldn’t try again.
He gently pushed me away, and for a few seconds, I couldn’t think past the disappointment. Then his hands slid up my waist, his eyes darkening as I sucked in a desperate breath. His mouth closed over mine and I couldn't think at all.
I whimpered into his mouth and, after a moment, reluctantly tried to pull back. I needed to breathe. Had to. But he caught my chin, fingers biting into my skin. I felt his need to control...something, and knew that I could give him that.
With teeth, lips and tongue, he devoured my mouth, and I was sagging against the wall by the time his attention shifted elsewhere. A line of fire pulsed along my neck where he scraped his teeth across my skin and I shivered when he plucked at my nipples through my bra.
He did it again and again, the caress rough, edging on painful. I wedged my hands between us, shoving him back. He caught my wrists, and stared at me with glittering eyes.
“You backing out already?” he asked, his fingers flexing around my wrists.
“No.” My voice was rough and raw, but steady. Backing out was the last thing I had on my mind. But I sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for him...and I had a feeling that was exactly what he needed.
“Sure about that?”
“Bet your ass.”
He grinned at me as he shifted both of my wrists into one hand and used the other to work at his tie. His eyes stayed on me as he replaced his one-handed grip with the tie. I couldn’t keep track of the twists and loops but when he was done, I had enough movement that I could wiggle my wrists and there was blood flow, but there was no way I was getting out of that complicated set of knots. Not unless he wanted me to.
“Last chance, Toni,” he said softly, leaning down until his lips were brushing against mine.
“I don’t think I need it.”
There was no warning for what came next. He simply moved, and then I was up over his shoulder. I had no leverage, and his shoulder dug into my belly. His hand on my practically naked ass steadied me as he turned and walked out of the dining room. I tried to turn my head to see, hoping there was none of the staff around, but my hair was in my way.
When he put me down a few minutes later, we were in his room.
Head spinning, I looked around. I'd been in here before, but it hadn't looked like this. Light shone in through the open windows and I couldn’t stop the flinch. There were windows all around. Apparently, he'd had those thick curtains drawn when I'd been here before.
“Privacy glass,” Ash said, his eyes locked on mine.
I shot him a look.
“Nobody can see it. Nobody but me will see what I’m going to do to you.”
Do to me? Fuck.
He shrugged out of his suit coat and set it aside. Mesmerized, I watched as his fingers freed one button then moved to the next. With each inch of skin he bared, my heart pounded a little harder, a little faster. By the time he was done, I was just about certain my heart was going to jump out of my chest. He shrugged out of the shirt and I waited breathlessly for him to toss it off to the side, but instead, he took his time, folding it meticulously.
I groaned when he turned around and carried it over to the chair, but he didn’t even look back.
My eyes dropped to his ass, his firm, tight ass, and his pants outlined that muscled curve to perfection. My fingers clenched, longing to sink into it, pull him to me. Damn, I needed him inside me. He turned and I saw the thick outline of his cock pressing against the zipper.
I bit my lip to keep from whimpering when he pressed his palm against the heavy ridge. The only thing that made me even the slightest been mollified was the knowledge of how I was affecting him.
But it didn't lessen my need for him. Only one thing would do that.
Jerking at the tie, I demanded, “Take this off.”
“Afraid not.” His lips quirked up. “Unless you want to call it off already.”
“Yeah, right.”
He moved forward at a quick pace, catching me off guard. I instinctively backed up and he grinned, the smile filled with something primal, almost savage. He grabbed my wrists and I resisted, staring at him in defiance. He won, but we were both pantin
g as he forced my hands over my head. I glared at him as his came down.
Mine didn’t.
My arms were stretched upward at an uncomfortable angle, and I couldn’t bring them down. I tried, too. Craning my neck upward, I saw that he had hooked the tie over a hook hanging out from the wall, the kind of hook usually used for clothes.
Except this one was a heck of a lot stronger. It was supporting a fair amount of my weight. Granted, I didn't weigh much, but still, it was strong. And it kept me on my toes, literally, which also happened to be a position that pushed my breasts out. It was both embarrassing and erotic, and when Ash dragged his gaze down over me, the expression on his face left no doubt as to what he thought of this whole scenario.
He slid the back of his knuckles down the slope of my breast, over my nipples, down, down, down...my eyelids fluttered.
“You sure you’re up for this?”
“Quit acting like I’m going to chicken out or that you're going to break me.” I couldn't resist teasing him a bit. “Do your worst, Ash. I dare you.”
Something dark and hot fired in his eyes.
I caught my breath when he grabbed the cups of my bra and yanked them down. It forced my breasts up and I whimpered when he lifted me, my back braced against the wall.
“Mine,” he growled just before he sucked one nipple into his mouth. “You hear me, Toni? Mine.”
That word, the possessiveness in his voice, should've pissed me off. Instead, it made me shiver with something that seemed a lot like agreement. I felt the edge of his teeth and moaned. How was it he could read my body better than any lover I'd ever had? He knew just the right line between pain and pleasure.
Even as he teased my sensitive flesh, he didn’t waste any time dealing with my panties, tearing them away like they were made of tissue. I couldn't even complain, not when his mouth was doing such wonderful things.
The rasp of his zipper was terribly loud and, a moment later, I felt the rub of his cock against my curls, but he didn’t enter me. Not yet. I made a sound of disappointment.
Blindfold Vol. 4: Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 3
