The Billionaire's Favourite Mistake: Billionaires and Bridesmaids 4

by Jessica Clare

  As if determined to prove her theory right, Asher paused mid-conversation and stepped to the side, directly in her path. “Greer?”

  “Hi, Asher.” Her voice was breathless with excitement. He was here. He was here and he was noticing her. In fact, she was pretty sure he was staring at her, hard.

  “You look . . . different.” His voice was low, sexy.

  Yes! He was noticing! Oh crap, what should she say to pull him away from the others? He had a mask slung in one hand and a drink in the other. “What’s your costume?”

  “Pimp daddy,” one guy said, and the men around him guffawed.

  Asher turned away from Greer and slugged a guy in the shoulder. “Fuck off, guys. This is Greer. She’s like a little sister to me.”

  Her nostrils flared with irritation. Little sister? Really? Did he not see her tits hanging out of this fucking skimpy dress? But then the men started laughing and talking over each other all at once, and she nearly screamed with frustration. She needed to get him away from the group of ex–frat boys if she was ever going to get a word in edgewise. Time to use her nonexistent wiles.

  When Asher turned back to a guy telling a story, she moved forward and leaned in, pushing her breasts against Asher’s arm. That got his attention. He looked down at her, and she was short, which meant he had a fantastic view of her cleavage. She was pleased when his gaze stuck there, and he downed the rest of his drink, ignoring his chatty friend.

  “Can we go someplace private and catch up, Asher?” Sure, they had lunch last week, but maybe there’d be some catching up to do between now and then, right?

  He nodded, transfixed by her cleavage, and handed his empty glass to a passing server, grabbing a fresh one. “You lead the way.”

  Perfect. She took his hand in hers—oh, it was so big and warm!—and began to pull him through the party. A few guys hooted and catcalled after them, but she ignored them. As long as she got what she wanted, they could think anything they wanted. Of course, the further she pulled Asher into the party, the more she needed her glasses. Well, shit.

  She paused, and he bumped into her from behind.

  “Whoa there,” Asher murmured, and pulled her back against him.

  Oh . . . good lord. Was that his cock pressing into her back? Greer was shocked . . . and excited. He was aroused over her? This was . . . awesome!

  “You shouldn’t stop like that again unless you want my dick pressing up against your ass for the rest of the night.” He gave her a crooked grin, as if trying to take the bite out of his statement. Were his words a bit slurred? Maybe, but the look in his eyes was bright and he was gazing down at her like she was the sexiest thing at the party. She’d take it.

  With a small smile, Greer took two steps forward, then deliberately halted again, glancing over her shoulder at him.

  “You’re just being a tease tonight, aren’t you?” Asher put his hands on her bare arms and rubbed them, and as he did, he pressed up against her again, letting her feel his cock. “Is that why you’re in that ‘fuck me’ costume?”

  So he’d noticed? Perfection. “Of course not. I’m like your little sister, remember?” She took another step forward and let her hips deliberately sway a bit. This wasn’t like her, but then again, being herself hadn’t gotten results. They’d been lunch buddies for years now and it had gotten her nowhere except “little sister” status.

  “Not tonight you aren’t,” he said with a chuckle. His hand went to her waist and he pulled her close. “So where are you leading me, sexy Greer?”

  She had no idea because she couldn’t see three feet ahead of her. Hopefully not the kitchen. Or a bathroom. Or a closet. “Depends,” she teased. “Where do you want to be led?”

  “Right now? I’d go anywhere you go.”

  Her heart pounded. God, how long had she been waiting to hear those words? “Why don’t you lead, then?”

  “I will, in exchange for a kiss.”

  Her eyes widened. “A kiss, huh?”

  He nodded, and his hand went to one of the glitzy, tiny straps holding her dress in place. “I don’t know if anyone has told you, but you are smoking hot tonight, Greer.”

  Wow, that was pretty forward, even for Asher. Okay, maybe he was a little more drunk than she’d anticipated. But wasn’t this what she had intended? She wanted him to be completely into her, and she’d gotten her wish. “One kiss,” she agreed, removing his hand from her strap. “And then we’ll see where we go from there.”

  “Now that sounds like a plan to me.” He leaned in and she automatically lifted her arms to go around his neck. Greer was barely five foot, and Asher was over six feet, so the height difference was noticeable, but she didn’t care. He could bend to kiss her, damn it.

  A moment later, his mouth descended on hers, and his tongue pushed into her mouth. Oh, wow. Okay. It was a very . . . aggressive kiss. One with lots of tongue. She tried to participate, but having been Greer the Unnoticed for 99 percent of her life, she wasn’t an expert on kissing. Maybe she was the one who wasn’t good at it? Because his tongue seemed desperate to go down her throat and explore every molar. She staggered against him, and his hand grabbed her ass.

  When she could no longer hold out, Greer pulled back from him, gasping for air. “There’s your kiss.”

  He growled low in his throat and hauled her against him again, his hands cupping her backside and forcing her to cling to his front. “Let’s go someplace private, you and me.”

  “That’s what I want,” she agreed. Private so they could talk and she could tell him about how she felt. How he needed to get over Donna and move on with his life. How she’d always been his friend and now she wanted to be more.

  Asher pressed another mauling kiss on her, and Greer heard a few people snicker nearby. She didn’t care. It was Asher, and he was noticing her for the first time in her life as something other than a kid sister. Nothing else mattered. He was being a little wild tonight, but this was just one night. She’d known him forever and known that he’d suffered in the last two years. He was allowed to get a little drunk to take off the edge. He wasn’t like this normally.

  “Come with me,” Asher murmured into her ear, and then nipped her earlobe.

  That sent little shocks of pleasure through her body, so when he put a hand on her back and led her out of the party and onto the patio, she was all for it. Out here it was a lot quieter, and there were less people to try and talk over.

  The night air was rather cool, and she shivered.

  “Cold?” He pulled her closer against him.

  “I’m fine.” She didn’t want to go back inside, not when they were here alone together. “I appreciate you coming with me.”

  “The pleasure’s all mine,” he told her in a low, sexy voice. To her surprise, they didn’t sit on one of the stone benches artfully placed around the large porch. Instead, he guided her down the large set of steps and into the expansive, complex gardens surrounding the manor.

  “Where are we going?”

  “We’ll have more privacy out here,” he told her, and his voice was pure seduction.

  Greer shivered again at that. That . . . did not sound like a bad thing at all, not when he used that sexy tone of voice. So she ignored that her expensive heels sank into the turf and tried to keep up with him. Asher had a plan. He always had a plan, didn’t he? That was why he was so successful at such a young age. He’d become a billionaire before he hit twenty-five, and while he’d almost lost that fortune two years ago, she knew he was doing better than ever now. She’d seen to that.

  “Where are we going?” She trusted him, yet she couldn’t help but ask. With no glasses and the lights from the house shining behind them, everything just looked dark. Her hand gripped his tighter.

  “There’s a hedge maze up here,” Asher said. “We’ll go in and have some privacy.”

  “Oh. Okay.” E
ven more privacy. She didn’t suppose that was bad, because the things she wanted to talk to him about were pretty personal. Plus, time for more kissing. That’d be all right with her. Her lips still felt swollen from the last round of kisses, and she resisted the urge to press her fingers to them.

  They walked in silence for a short while, and she knew they were in the maze when she started to see small, hung lanterns dotting the way. They didn’t provide a ton of light, just enough to guide anyone that was lost enough to wander into the maze late at night. Like her.

  “Good enough,” Asher said after they turned a few corners. He led her to a bench.

  She sat down, glad that she was no longer going to have to walk on her tiny, rhinestone-studded heels. They were fine for a party, but for walking in the grass? Miserable. “I’m glad we’re getting a chance to talk,” Greer began. “There’s so much I’ve wanted to say to you—”

  “Shhh,” Asher told her, and sat down next to Greer. He put a finger to her lips. “Let’s just enjoy the night, shall we?”

  “But—”

  His arms went around her and then Asher was kissing her again. More deep, mauling kisses that seemed less like fun and more like a struggle not to drown against the tidal wave of tonguing she was receiving. She passively waited for him to be done, noting that he tasted like whiskey. Really strongly like whiskey. He was definitely more drunk than she’d thought. Well, she’d let him finish kissing her and then when that was all done, they could talk.

  “Greer,” he groaned when he pulled his mouth from hers. His hand went to her hair and he grabbed a fistful of it, dragging her head back and exposing her neck. “You are so fucking sexy tonight. How is it that you’re so sexy?”

  His words sent a shiver of pleasure through her body. “I dressed up just for you.”

  “Did you, now? That’s . . . sexy.”

  She wanted to giggle at his choice of words. Was everything sexy? The bush nearby, sexy? The bench they were sitting on? But his mouth moved to her neck and he began to press soft kisses there, kisses very different from the ones he’d been mauling her mouth with, and oh, it was all the difference in the world. Ripples of pleasure moved through her body, and as his mouth moved over her skin, she felt her pulse pounding between her legs in a need she’d never had the opportunity to experience with another person before.

  Now they were getting somewhere.

  She remained very still as his mouth kissed down her throat and then at her collarbone. His hand moved to one strap of her dress and he slid it down her arm, and it felt like half of her flimsy dress went with it. Greer gasped when one of her breasts was exposed to the night air, and she tensed. This was . . . further than Greer the Unnoticed had ever gone with any man.

  But this was Asher. She’d always wanted to be his. Always.

  “Damn,” Asher breathed, and his hand skimmed down to brush over the tip of her breast. “I never realized you had such pretty tits.”

  Did she? They were small, the nipples dark circles against her bronzed skin. His ex, Donna, had been pale and red-haired, and Greer was brown all over. The fact that he liked the sight of them made her feel ridiculously pleased, like she’d accomplished something. So she arched her back a little. “There’s a lot about me you’ve never noticed.”

  “I’ll say.” He pushed her back on the hard concrete bench, and his mouth went to her breast.

  Another gasp escaped her because his mouth on her nipple felt incredible . . . for a hot second. Then he bit her. She jerked, pushing him away. “Ow!”

  “Did that hurt?” He gave her a wicked grin. “They just look so juicy.”

  She didn’t want to stop but . . . she didn’t want more of that, either. “I’m . . . not a fan of teeth.”

  He moved in to kiss her on the mouth again. “I’ll do other things you’ll like more, then.”

  She turned her head, and he went back to her neck. Greer relaxed. Neck kisses were ten times better than mouth kisses in her book. She lay compliant as his lips moved over her throat, and his hand played with her exposed breast. That was . . . better. It still made her feel strange, but sometimes, when he caressed it right, she felt the intensity tingling in her body.

  His hand slid under her skirt a moment later, and pressed against the crotch of her panties. “You’re not very wet, baby.”

  “I’m not?” It might have been impolite to point out that he wasn’t a very good kisser. But this was her Asher. His inability to kiss didn’t change the fact that she loved him. They’d learn to get better at it together.

  “Maybe you just need a bit more encouraging.” His thumb rubbed her up and down, working her folds through her silky panties.

  And that sent all kinds of new sensations spiraling through Greer. Her hands clenched at his tuxedo jacket. Oh. That was way better than mouth kissing.

  “You like that?” he whispered.

  She nodded.

  “Push your legs wider for me, Greer. I’m going to take these panties off you.”

  Her thighs quivered at the thought. “Is someone going to come by?”

  “Nope. We’re alone out here.” His thumb pushed harder against her, as if trying to penetrate her through her panties, and she felt the curious urge to bear down against him. A little breathy moan escaped her and she let her thighs go wide for him.

  A moment later, his hands went under her skirt and then her panties were whisked off her legs. They tangled around one of her heels and he left them there, as if they were no longer a concern. Now she felt completely open and exposed.

  And okay, she was kind of hoping he’d put his face down there and finish what he’d started with his fingers.

  Instead, he cupped her sex. One finger dipped between her folds and he moved in to kiss her neck again, his fingers brushing back and forth through her folds. It was nice, but he kept missing the most important spot—her clit. It was just something else she’d have to learn to be brave about and show him.

  A horrible thought crossed her mind—no wonder Donna left him. If this was how he handled sex and kissing, maybe she’d found someone better? Her poor Asher. She’d have to train him. She held him close. It was okay. She still loved him.

  He kept rubbing her folds and pushed a finger inside her. “You ready for me?”

  Ready? Ready for what? Surely not sex? Out here? At a party with everyone around? “Asher—”

  “Shhh,” he murmured again, and she heard the sound of a zipper going down. “Trust me, Greer?”

  Well, of course she trusted him. Even though her instincts were screaming out that this was a bad idea, she put her arms around his neck as he shifted his weight on top of her. “Of course I trust you,” she said softly. “I love you, Asher. I always have. I’ve just been waiting for you to notice me.”

  “I noticed you tonight,” he told her as his weight settled between her legs.

  Then, he pushed inside her. Surprised, she froze. He was going straight to penetration? No more foreplay? No more rubbing or kisses? She’d been expecting . . . I don’t know, a bit more than this? Greer bit her lip as he pushed into her again.

  “Mmm. You’re so beautiful, Greer.” He pumped into her once more, then collapsed on top of her with a groan. His cock slid out of her and she felt wetness slide down her thighs.

  Wait.

  That was it?

  That was all she got?

  “Asher?”

  He groaned against her again but didn’t move.

  Seriously?

  After years of lusting after the man? After being his friend through thick and thin? After being there for him when Donna left him? After spending hours dressing all slinky so he couldn’t resist her? She got two thrusts and no condom? She got the worst sex possible? On a bench? In a garden?

  Two pumps and he was done?

  Greer shoved at his chest. All her feelings of
love and acceptance of Asher’s behavior evaporated in a flash. Hurt and outrage were now the only thing she felt. “Get off me.”

  He groaned again and slowly sat up, tucking his dick into his pants. She shimmied away, nearly tripping on the panties still around her ankle. Dear lord, what had she just done? “What the fuck, Asher?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m clean.” He rubbed a hand over his face and then patted his coat pocket and pulled out a flask.

  “You’re drunk.” And she was an idiot.

  “Yes, I am.” He took a swig.

  “You came inside me! No condom!” She couldn’t stop the hurt from rising up in her throat, and the words came out squeaked around a knot of emotion. “Asher, how could you?”

  He didn’t answer her, just stared down at the flask in his hands. Hot tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Tonight she’d thought she was going to win Asher over. Tonight she was going to make him see that she’d been right under his nose all along, waiting for him.

  God, she was a fucking idiot, wasn’t she?

  She pinched the bridge of her nose and willed herself not to cry. She wouldn’t. She refused to. She was just a naïve idiot. Show Asher her love? She should show him a boot to the ass.

  He was a selfish asshole. Why had she wasted so many years pining after him?

  Greer pulled her panties up and winced when something trickled further down her bare thigh. God. Tonight was just a train wreck. She looked over at him and considered asking if he had a handkerchief. Then, she realized . . . he hadn’t asked her a thing. Hadn’t asked her if she was enjoying herself, or if she wanted him to use a condom, anything. Why should she treat him better than he had her? Stewing, she peered at the front of his tuxedo jacket, saw a brighter patch of color, and snatched it.

  “What was that for?”