Ash: A Beckett Brothers Novel Book 2 (The Beckett Brothers)
Page 7
“Sorry to stare. This is my first trip to Montana, and I heard the cowboys here were hot. You certainly prove that point.”
“Maybe I’m from Texas,” Ash murmured.
She gasped. “Oh, my God! Are you?”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “No. Born and raised here in Montana.”
“You scared me. I thought I had made a big faux pas.” She smiled at him.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. What floor?” Ash asked as the doors closed completely this time.
“Three.”
Wonderful. Now he had to get out on the same floor, and he had a feeling she was going to let him know she was more than interested.
“What floor are you going to?” she asked him as she put her hands behind her back, so her breasts would push out more.
Ash ran his hand over his mouth and considered lying, but he detested liars. “Three.”
Her eyes about bugged out. “Really? Maybe our rooms are close together, and we could share…dinner.”
Ash frowned. “How old are you?”
“Twenty.”
Oh, hell no!
Ash grinned. “Sorry, hon. I’m thirty-five, and that’s too big of an age gap for me.”
Not to mention the maturity gap.
“But I like older men,” she said in a sultry voice.
“I’m sure you can find one more willing.” He reached out and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
“I thought you were on the third floor?”
“I am, but I want to check in on a friend of mine. She’s on the fourth.”
“Well, if you change your mind. I’m in three twenty-three.”
The doors opened on the third floor, and Ash mentally shook his head. The woman didn’t care at all that he’d mentioned another woman. Cassidy was right. Some women were just bold as hell. He put his fingers to the brim of his hat when she stepped out, turning to face him.
“Have a nice stay.”
“It would be nicer if I could spend some of it with you,” she said as the doors closed.
Ash chuckled then wondered what the hell he was doing. Cassidy said she was going to get room service and relax. They could get room service together, couldn’t they? The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. Taking a deep breath, he blew it out as he walked down the hallway to her room. Stopping in front of her door, he was tempted to go back down to his room. If he took the stairs, the woman would be in her room by the time he got there. Gaining courage, he lifted his hand and knocked on Cassidy’s door.
Chapter Six
Cassidy almost jumped off the bed when someone knocked on her door. She hadn’t ordered yet, so the only person it could be was Ash or housekeeping, but didn’t they usually announce themselves? Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she silently walked to the door in her bare feet and peered through the peephole to see Ash standing there. She swore her heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, trying to appear unaffected by him standing there.
“No. I know I’m going to be bored if I go sit in my room. Can we get room service together?”
With a nod, she pushed the door open wider, and motioned for him to come in. As he walked past her, he removed his hat and tossed it onto the shelf above the clothes hangers.
“I was just looking at the menu. Even after everything I ate today, I’m starving.” She sat back down on the bed and folded her legs under her as she picked up the menu again.
Ash pulled the chair out from the table and took a seat then toed off his boots. Cassidy raised an eyebrow at him. He smirked.
“I prefer to be comfortable, if you don’t mind.”
“Nope. Not at all.” She looked back to the menu. “I have no idea what to get.”
Ash reached out, took the menu from her, and looked it over. “How about a pizza?”
“That actually sounds good. You order it. I like everything on it.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Ash muttered as he picked up the phone and placed the order. After hanging up the room phone, he stood and glanced around the room. “They all look the same, don’t they?”
“Well, since this is the only one I’ve been in, I wouldn’t know.” Cassie smiled.
“You’re welcome in mine anytime, Cassidy.”
His low voice was sexy and sent shivers down her spine. Clearing her throat, she looked over at him. “Did you order drinks too?”
“No. There’s a vending machine and ice at the end of the hall. I’ll go get drinks and ice. What do you want?”
“Root beer, if they’ve got it. If not, any cola is fine,” she said as she picked up the remote and turned the TV on. “Maybe we can find a movie to watch.”
“Sure, just no chick-flicks. Action would be good though.”
Cassie looked up at him. “Are you still talking about the movie?”
Ash’s sexy mouth twitched. “Of course.” He sat down and pulled his boots back on then stood and looked at her. “I’ll be right back.”
Cassie nodded as he grabbed the ice bucket and walked out the door then she blew a breath out. God! The man was too damn sexy, and she wanted him. Very badly. Just being newly divorced though, she didn’t know if she was ready but if Ash continued to turn on the charm, would she be able to resist him?
Sighing, she leaned back against the headboard and flipped through the channels, looking for an action movie. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood looking around for the guide for the TV. Once she found it, she sat back down, and skimmed through it then flipped the channels. Looking at the clock a little later, she realized that Ash had been gone almost fifteen minutes. Where was he?
A knock on the door startled her. Walking to it, she peered out to see Ash. She opened the door, and there he stood holding sodas and the ice bucket. Her eyes ran over him of their own accord.
Lord, it was hot all of a sudden.
“What took you so long?”
“I ran into someone I know. He’s here for the sale too. Can I come in?” he asked her.
“Oh. Yes, of course.” She stepped back and opened the door wider for him to enter. As he passed her, she inhaled his aftershave and had a sudden urge to toss him to the floor and ride him until neither of them could move. Turning to look at him, she bit her lip when she saw how those jeans hugged his ass. He had an excellent ass, and she wanted to sink her teeth into it. He turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you going to close the door?”
Shoving the door closed, she narrowed her eyes at him and watched him lick his lips, and she swore she had an orgasm. She shuddered and slowly walked toward him. He stared down at her. Those incredible blue eyes darkened as she looked up at him.
“Cassidy?” He set the cans of soda and bucket on the table behind him without taking his eyes off her.
“Ash, I…” She shook her head and started to turn away from him when he grasped her arm in his hand and made her look at him.
His eyes moved over her face and stopped on her lips, and she couldn’t help but take her bottom lip between her teeth. She heard him groan then he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in toward her.
“I need to taste those lips,” he murmured right before he lowered his lips to hers.
Cassie moaned when he moved his lips on hers. His thumb touched her chin and tugged it down.
“I need in, darlin’,” he said against her lips.
Opening her mouth to him, she allowed him access. He groaned against her lips and pulled her tight against him. When his tongue slid slowly inside her mouth, she was sure her knees buckled a bit. In part to steady herself, Cassie wound her arms around his shoulders and sifted her fingers through his thick hair and touched her tongue to his making him growl low in his throat. His hands moved down her back to her butt and squeezed as he deepened the kiss. This was no get-acquainted kiss. This was a deep, hard kiss as if they’d been together forever.
“I know, Ash. Let me get the door.” She stepped out of his arms, walked to the door, and peered through the peephole. A man stood there in a hotel uniform.
“Room Service,” he called out. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and smiled as he handed her the pizza and looked at her expectantly.
“Oh, hold on a second.” She turned from him, but Ash was right behind her.
“I got it.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and gave the man a tip. “Thank you.”
The man grinned and walked away. Cassie shoved the door closed and stared at Ash.
“I was going to get it.”
“No problem. I invited myself in to share it with you. The least I could do is handle the tip.”
Cassidy carried the box to the table and opened the lid. The aroma that rose from inside immediately had her stomach growling. She looked at Ash and grinned.
“I’m starving,” she said.
“So am I,” he muttered as he stared at her.
The heat rolled across her cheeks. Damn fair skin! Turning from him, she pulled a slice off then sat on the bed with it. After taking a bite, she groaned as the taste of pepperoni, sausage, peppers, cheese, and mushrooms hit her tongue.
“Good?” he asked with a grin.
“Fantastic. Who knew this hotel had great pizza?”
“Me. I’ve ordered it before when I’ve been here for a sale.”
Cassidy nodded and took another bite as she watched Ash take a seat at the small table. Before reaching for a piece of pizza, he kicked his boots off again. Then he took a slice, bit into it, and moaned.
“Better than I remember,” he said with a nod.
“It is good for a hotel but probably doesn't hold up to a pizza chain.” Cassie bit into hers again, chewed and swallowed. “So, do you know the woman at the desk from being here before?”
“Nope. Never saw her before today. She must be new because I’ve stayed here quite a bit.”
“Oh. I suppose you’re used to it though…I mean, women coming on to you.”
Ash shrugged then looked at the TV. “Did you find a movie for us?”
Cassie figured he changed the subject because it made him uncomfortable. She picked up the remote and flipped through channels until she found an action movie. Glancing at Ash, she nodded toward the TV.
“Will this one do? It’s The Expendables.”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
She watched him stand, pick up the pizza box, and move to the side of the bed. He pushed her legs over, sat down beside her, swung his legs up, and set the box between them. She swore the temperature rose thirty degrees in the room. He leaned back against the headboard and crossed his ankles. Cassie blew out a breath. If he could be comfortable, so could she. She stretched out and leaned back beside him. She picked up another slice then looked at Ash.
“What is Ash short for?” She laughed when he winced.
“Ashford. It’s my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. I hate it and let my mom know that just about every time I talk to her.”
Cassie laughed again. “I like it.”
“Of course, you do.” He cringed again. “Only a select few are privileged enough even to know it.”
“Do my parents know?”
“Yes, and now you. All of us have a maiden name as either a middle name or first name.”
“All of you?”
“Yes, even Dani—my sister.”
“Tell me.”
“Brayden’s middle name is Hamilton, our mother’s maiden name. Grayson is for our paternal grandmother, Gage’s middle name is Buchanan for our paternal great-grandmother, Jesse’s is Dalton for our maternal great-grandmother, and Danielle’s is Murphy for our paternal great-great-grandmother.”
“That’s pretty cool. Tell me about Gray.”
Ash picked up another slice of pizza. “Why? Are you interested in him?”
“No. I’m not interested in any man right now.”
“I’m heartbroken, Cassidy.”
Looking over at him, she saw him trying not to grin. “Very funny.”
“What do you want to know about him?”
“Is he married? You two seem close.”
“We are. All of us are, really. I suppose I’m closest to Brayden since we’re only a year apart in age.” Ash shook his head. “He’s been through hell and back.”
“How?” She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s okay. It’s common knowledge. He was wrongly imprisoned for five years for murdering his wife until they found the real killer.”
“That’s so sad. I’d like to hear about it sometime.”
“We all knew he was innocent. He loved Maisy way too much to even think about killing her,” Ash said shaking his head.
“Who did it then?”
“Her own sister. Basically, Tara was in love…no, obsessed with Brayden and thought he belonged with her. He’d left town to go to a sale, and Maisy was spending the day with her mother and sister. When Maisy and Tara returned to the ranch, Tara shot and killed her with a gun she knew that Brayden kept in the house. The bad thing was, it only had Maisy and Brayden’s fingerprints on it, and the insurance policy he had on her for a million dollars didn’t help his case at all. It didn’t matter that Maisy had the same on him.”
“I hope he’s happy one day.”
Ash grinned. “Oh, he is. He just got married last month to Maisy’s best friend. Seems that Melissa had been in love with him for a long time too.”
“How did they find out Tara did it?”
“She would visit Brayden often while he was in prison and one day, she actually admitted it. She said she did it so they could be together. Brayden called his attorney, and with the help of two police detectives, they arrested her.”
“I’m glad he was exonerated. Is your sister the baby of the family?” When Ash nodded, she laughed. “Oh, that poor girl.”
“You have no idea. Dani’s dates were terrified when they’d pick her up. We’re all built the same with the same height, so I imagine we looked as intimidating as hell.”
“Makes me glad I didn’t have any big brothers.”
“A man should look out for a woman. I’d look after you, darlin’.”
Ash stared at her but didn’t say more. Then he turned to watch the movie. If she thought he was the least bit serious, she’d let him know she was interested in him. Why should she suffer when Ross probably wasn’t? He was, no doubt, having a great time since she’d divorced him. Although, if he were here, he’d make it sound as if he’d been suffering without her. He was probably in another woman’s bed right now. The thought of that no longer hurt her, but angered her instead. He’d played around so much, she doubted if he’d ever been faithful. She wanted a good man in her life. A man who would love only her and not think he had the right to screw around.
Thank God, they’d never had any children. Of course, a child would have tied him down too much. The one time she’d gone off the pill but still hadn’t gotten pregnant, she’d never understood why. Her doctor told her there was nothing wrong and she should be able to conceive a child with no problem. When she told Ross, he simply shrugged and said maybe it was for the best. She had wondered why he’d said that at the time, but now she figured he’d thought a child would hold him back from pursuing other women.
When Ash moved beside her, she glanced over to see him swing his legs over the bed, stand, and reach into the front pocket of his jeans. She looked up into his face to see him grin, and then he tossed something onto the bed beside her. Looking down, she burst out laughing when she saw a chocolate candy bar beside her and picked it up.
“Is this supposed to work?”
“You tell me. You’re the one who said you’d do anything for me if I brought you chocolate. Did you lie?”
&
nbsp; “I do love chocolate,” she said and smiled slyly.
Ash stared at her, and she watched him take a deep breath. “I’d better go. I’ll meet you in the lobby at nine.”
He sat down and pulled his boots on then stood and stomped his feet down into them. Without another word, he walked toward the door, removed his hat from the shelf, opened the door, and strode out.
****
Ash strolled down the hallway toward the elevator then spun on his heel and walked to the door leading to the stairs. He needed to burn off some frustration and what better way than to run down a set of stairs? Pushing against the bar, he shoved the door opened so hard that it hit the wall behind it. Taking a deep breath, he started down the stairs two at a time. He reached his floor and made his way down the hall to his room. Unlocking his door, he entered the room, locked it behind him, then walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it, pulling off his boots and socks. A cold shower sounded like a good idea.
If he hadn’t gotten out of there when he had, he would have made a move on her. When she said how much she loved chocolate, he knew he had to go. Damn it! He wanted her so much he ached. However, Ash also knew she wasn’t ready to have, or even want, another man in her life and as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to be in her life. He hadn’t felt like this about a woman in a long time and he was finally at a point in his life where he wanted just that. Life was just not fair.
Standing, he pulled his shirt off over his head then unsnapped his jeans, and lowered the zipper. Pushing his jeans and boxer briefs off, he left them on the floor then walked naked into the bathroom. Reaching into the stall, he turned the water on and once the room filled with steam, he stepped inside. His tense muscles started to loosen when the hot water hit them. He’d been tense all damn day, and it was because of Cassidy. Being close to her but not being able to touch her was slowly driving him insane. And that kiss. Son of a bitch! It had nearly brought him to his knees. He knew her lips would be soft but when she’d touched her tongue to his, his dick shot up, like it did now just from thinking about her.
Ash turned the hot water off then jumped back and hissed in a breath when the cold spray hit him. Once he calmed down, he turned the hot water back on and scrubbed himself clean then washed his hair. After shutting the water off, he reached for a towel, rubbed it over his hair, dried off then wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped from the stall. Moving to the mirror above the sink, he swiped his hand across it to remove the condensation from the steam, so he could see to shave. Lathering up his face, he put his razor under the water then got rid of the scruff. It seemed he had a long night ahead of him. He was sure he’d be tossing and turning all damn night.