"Who the fuck is that?" James rasped out, hands curling into fists as he stared at the door looking like he was ready to fight an army. Ashley wished she could communicate that Xander wasn't necessarily an army, but he was a man, and he was a man who had frightened her on more than one occasion.
"My roommate," Ashley whispered. "He scares me," she confessed.
He nodded once at her and then looked back at the door before he was in motion, and Ashley could only stare open-mouthed when James yanked the door open to reveal a glassy eyed Xander.
"Woah, who are—" Xander began scrambling back a foot when James moved forward, invading the other man's space. He caught him around the jaw, fingers tight on his skin as he slammed him back against the hall.
"Shut up," he growled, leaning close and twisting Xander's head to the side when the other man's eyes moved pleadingly to Ashley where she now stood in the doorway. "Don't look at her," James ordered, squeezing hard. "Keep your eyes on me."
"Yeah, sorry, sorry," Xander apologized in a soft voice Ashley had never heard before. It was interesting to see how Xander behaved, now that there was another man involved. Her roommate had always been handsy, always lingering when he shouldn't, and never quite taking the hint when Ashley asked him to leave her alone, but now he was as docile as a lamb.
"Get your stuff," James said, looking over his shoulder at Ashley. "I'm going to have a little talk with…" he paused and looked back at the man who was struggling to breath in his hold, "what the hell is your name?"
"Xander," he choked out with a wince when James tightened his grip.
"I'm going to have a nice chat with Xander, honey. Get what you need for a few days. Take your time, and take whatever you want."
"I…" Ashley's hands twisted in her shirt, but then James was frog marching Xander away from her room and down the hallway and she was left with two choices. She could listen, or she could defy James. And she didn't want to defy him, not when he had just been playing her body like an instrument, not when she now understood that the look of disapproval hadn't been directed at her but at Xander. She nearly tripped over her own feet in her haste to get a bag together and practically flew into the bathroom, swiping her necessary items before she rounded the corner and walked back into the living room. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of Xander hunched over on the couch sitting still and shaking as James stood watchfully over him. Sarah was pressed up against Xander, and the pair was doing their best to look anywhere but at James, who was glaring at them.
"Are you ready?" James asked, not looking away from her roommates.
She nodded, patting the bag over her shoulder. "I am."
"Good girl. Give it here," he said, holding out his hand to her, and wordlessly, she crossed the room to him, her bag outstretched in her arm. When he took the bag from her and reached for her hand, she pulled back with a shake of her head. James tilted his head to the side and spared her a quick glance.
"What is it?" he asked, concern softening his features.
"I should leave Lily a note," she explained, darting into the kitchen and grabbing the notepad they used, to scribble a hasty message to her missing roommate.
Staying at a friend's. Call me if you need to get away.
She folded the note and then hustled down the hallway and slipped it beneath Lily's door. The other woman had always been polite and kind to her, if a little on the quiet side, and something told Ashley that she might not be home for a while despite James' words of a few days. Hopefully, Lily would reach out to her and she could help her spend a night anywhere but in their apartment with Xander and Sarah. If anything, the note would let Lily know that she was fine and there was no reason to worry or call the police on her behalf, both things Ashley would do if their roles were reversed.
"All good?" James asked. He was standing beside her apartment door and looking every bit the part of a fallen angel. The lamp her roommates had turned on only served to accentuate the scar that ran down the side of his face, rather than light the room. He was the embodiment of war, and they all knew it, but that didn't scare Ashley, instead, it excited her because he was hers. He was light and dark, and right now, that darkness was saving her and she was grateful for it, so she walked toward him with a smile on her face.
"I'm ready to go," she told him and slipped her hand into his before they left her apartment without a second look back. Her future wasn't there in that broken down walk up. It was somewhere out in the magic of an Indian summer night, somewhere James could teach her, somewhere she could grow into the woman she wanted to be, which meant she only had one direction to go—forward.
Chapter 7
"You should have worn a coat," James sighed disapprovingly.
Ashley looked away from the window she'd been staring at, the window that was lit up like the fourth of July, the window that belonged to her apartment. The apartment she'd just left with James in tow like some kind of bodyguard.
She blinked at him in confusion. "Sorry?"
James sighed and slipped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Thought I was going to be leaving you safe and cozy in your place when I left. S'why I didn't bring my car." He maneuvered them closer to the curb and raised his hand, hailing a cab.
"We can just take the subway?" she offered hopefully. She didn't like the worried look painted over his handsome features, but he waved off the suggestion.
"Closest station is too far. You're not dressed for the walk."
"It's okay, really, I do it all the time," she began to protest, but James gave a disapproving grunt.
"Taking a car, honey," he told her, and a minute later, a cab pulled up beside them. "Easier on me. I won't worry this way."
"Okay." She let him open the door and hand her into the car like she was a delicate thing made of china. James settled beside her in the car and gave his address to the driver, a Brooklyn one that had her raising her eyebrows at him.
"What?" he asked when the car was in motion.
"Never left the borough?"
He shrugged. "Why leave the best?"
"I can see a trend here with your preferences," she teased, leaning into him.
"I like the best life has to offer, so sue me." His hand caught hers, thumb rubbing against the back of it gently before he lifted it to press a kiss against her skin. "You know that means you, right?"
She looked up at him to see he was looking at her, the passing street lights illuminating his handsome profile for a moment before the car was plunged back into darkness. She hadn't missed the soft-eyed look James had trained on her.
"What do you mean?" Her voice was soft, barely audible over the thrum of the car's engine, but he had heard her. She knew it from the way his hand tightened on her.
He pressed another kiss to her hand and then leaned close to her, his breath warm and fanning across her neck and ear as he whispered to her, "I mean you, little girl. You're the best life has to offer."
She shifted in her seat and dropped her eyes to her lap. It was hard to look James in the eye when he was talking to her like this. Another street light flashed, revealing how closely the big man had curled his body around hers, and Ashley whimpered at the sight of his thighs pressed flush to hers. It made her think of what might have happened if they hadn't been interrupted, if her roommates hadn't burst in like a tornado.
Her breath caught in her throat when James reached for her, his fingers gentle on her chin as he tipped her head back to look up at him. His touch was feather light, a sharp contrast to the brute strength she'd seen him use on Xander. She should be frightened of being alone with a man capable of what he'd done, but she wasn't. Instead, she moved closer to him, her lips parting when he ducked his head and moved forward to capture them in a searing kiss.
This man was dangerous. She knew that. And somehow, with his hands gentle on her and his mouth taking hers, Ashley had never felt more safe in her whole life. He touched her like she was made of glass, whispering sweet words to her in th
e back of taxi, and all of it served to stoke the embers of what had almost been in her bedroom. By the time they arrived at his apartment building, Ashley was a quivering ball of want.
"Are you okay?" he asked when she exited the taxi on shaky legs.
She managed a nod, just a quick jerk of her head. "Yes, I'm fine," she lied because she felt like she was on fire. Her clothes were constricting and her skin was too sensitive for anything but the feel of James' hands on her. God, she wanted him to touch her.
"Liar." He smirked at her and slipped an arm around her waist, letting her lean into him as they walked into the lobby of his building. It was a tasteful building that had been painstakingly restored to its former art deco glory. Marble floors polished to a high finish caught her eye, but she had little time to take in the interior of the building because James was impatiently whisking her through the lobby and lifting a hand in hasty greeting to the security guard on duty. In no time at all, they were enclosed in an elevator with a couple of strangers and speeding on their way to his apartment. When it dinged for the 10th floor, he led her forward, hand on the small of her back and out of the elevator.
"Second door on the right, honey," he murmured, brushing the top of her ear and making her shiver as she came to stand in front of the door he indicated. He shifted her bag to his other shoulder and unlocked the door, holding it open for her to enter the darkened apartment. She walked into the apartment, unsure of what to do, when he flipped on the lights and followed her.
"Your place is nice," she told him, toeing off her shoes and glancing around the space. It was simply furnished, but she could tell that everything was quality. It even matched, unlike her mismatched and second hand furnished apartment, the furniture all part of a set that showcased black oak and plush grey upholstery. Windows lined the front of the living room, letting in moonlight, and she walked forward, feet soundless on the soft, cream carpet. She turned, peeking into what looked like a small kitchen and dining room. A hallway off to the right most likely led toward the bedroom, and she found herself leaning that way rather than investigating the kitchen space. The walls were bare, which confused her, and she paused in her journey to the possible bedroom. Turning back toward the living and dining rooms, she noted that there was nothing to indicate a personality. The space was clean, well appointed, but lacked personality or warmth.
Her brow furrowed in confusion at the spartan aesthetics of his apartment. "How long have you lived here?" she asked, turning back to face him. This time, it was James' turn to blink at her.
"What?" he asked, scrubbing a hand across his face.
"Your apartment. How long have you lived here?" She flicked a finger around the room, and when he gave her a confused look, she said, "You don't have a lot of decorations. It's not homey."
He cracked a wry smile at her. "That's because I'm not a very homey person."
She pursed her lips and rocked back on her heels, hands tucked behind her back. "I don't believe that."
"Maybe I didn't want to fill my home with things that my little girl wouldn't like."
His answer made her freeze. She hadn't expected him to say that. Maybe that he didn't like decorating, or that he had no patience for collecting art, maybe he just didn't like clutter, but she had never expected him to say that.
"That's very," she paused and licked her lips, "considerate of you."
"I'm glad you think so, little girl." And this time when he said the pet name, there was something more to it, a weight that hadn't been present before, and her cheeks flamed. He had accepted his role as teacher, but right now, there was nothing teacher about him.
Every part of her was screaming Daddy as he shot her a smile and walked slowly toward her. But even with her heart doing that, she still took an unbidden half step back from him. There was something primal in the way James was staring at her, all hooded eyes and mouth parted. His step was light, and she wondered if he had ever danced. There was an athletic grace to him that was undeniable to anyone with eyes to see. She had envisioned something tamer than this when she had asked him to be her teacher. She hadn't quite realized how much she would want to fall to her knees just from one dark and hungry look from him, but to her credit, she managed to stay on her feet when he came to a stop in front of her.
"Gotta say," he drawled on, hand moving to twirl a lock of her hair, "my place has never looked better."
"Why is that?"
He leaned close to her, his lips brushing against her cheek as light as a butterfly kiss. "Because you're standing in it, baby. Now, it's perfect."
Ashley's eyes fluttered closed and she trembled when she felt his fingers brush the spot he had just kissed. "James," she whispered, leaning into his touch when he kissed her again, this time, her jaw, while his hands slid down her shoulders and sides, before finally coming to her waist. His fingers tensed slightly, just enough to prompt her to move forward, her body now flush against his as he continued to gently paint her skin with kisses.
"Say my name again like that, honey." His voice was low and gruff, resonating in a part of her, a hungry, lustful part of her, that she was still shocked by, but wanting to feed that new part of her as much as she could, she did what he asked with no hesitation.
"James."
He groaned and reached up, cupping her face in his big hands. "Can I take you to the bedroom, baby girl?"
She nodded, feeling like she was in a dream. All of this was perfect. The way he was looking at her, the gentle kisses and softly spoken words. The implication that the place was bare and empty because it was waiting for her.
"Yes, please," she told him, tilting her face up to look at him. "I want that so badly."
James' arms moved to pick her up, and in the next moment, she was being cradled against the big man's chest bridal-style. He kissed her temple; just a brush of his lips, really, but it set Ashley on fire as he carried her down the hallway and into his bedroom.
Once inside, he didn't hesitate in depositing her gently on the bed that was as soft as a cloud. She looked up at him, her eyes wanting and hands reaching before he had even let her go, and he chuckled at the searching feel of her fingertips on his shoulders.
"I'm not going anywhere," he told her when she made a whining sound in the back of her throat when he moved back. He pulled off his shirt and dropped it beside the bed before he moved back to kiss her, arms on either side of her, caging her in and making her feel safe and protected.
"No one to interrupt us here, princess," he whispered between kisses, his hands moving to undo the buttons of her shorts.
Ashley hummed in agreement, her mouth hungrily moving against his. "You won't stop, will you?" she asked, hands tightening on his shoulders. "I'll burst if you do. I need you."
James groaned and dropped his head, forehead brushing her collarbone. He let out a deep exhale and then lifted his stormy gray eyes to meet her searching gaze. "Baby, an act of God couldn't keep me from you. I'm not stopping."
Ashley could have wept at the outright desire she heard in his voice, made rough from lust. She surged forward, kissing him, fingers carding through his hair as she slanted her mouth to deepen the kiss, though she only had her way for a moment before his hands were coming up to hers. His fingers gently circled her wrists, and he pulled her hands down to her sides.
"Ah, ah, ah. Good girls are patient," he told her.
She pouted and rolled her eyes. "Maybe I'm tired of being good."
That earned her a smirk. He leaned back, moving his body away from hers an inch, not enough to put any real distance between them but enough so that she felt it. She let out a noise of frustration at his movement, but he shook his head and moved back another half step so that he could look her in the eye.
"Little girls like you are too greedy."
"I want you."
"And you'll have me. Just be patient."
She made to reach for him but his grip tightened on her wrists, keeping them where they were. She frowned when she realized that he
wasn't going to allow her to touch him as she wanted.
"What do you want?" James asked, voice low and hypnotic.
"To touch you," Ashley breathed.
"How?"
Her eyes moved slowly over him, taking in the muscular planes and edges of his chest and torso. She licked her lips and let her gaze move on, lingering on his arms and then slowly up again to move over his shoulders. Those broad shoulders flexed under the weight of her attention, and she whimpered at not being allowed to touch them. She bit her bottom lip, worrying it between her teeth, and gave him a pleading look.
"All over," she whispered. "I want to touch you all over. Kiss you everywhere and just, just, look at you." Her words were rushed and she spoke quickly, hating that her voice had no sexiness or alluring husk to it. She was breathless, chest heaving and body quivering under his hands that still held her arms to down to her sides.
"I want…" she broke off and shook her head, suddenly finding it hard to get the words out.
But James wasn't of the mind to let her 'almost something' turn into nothing. "What do you want? Tell me, little one."
She curled her fingers in the bedspread beneath her and shook her head. "I can't say."
He frowned at her and gave her a wrists a gentle squeeze. "You can. Use your words, honey. This is very important. You have to be able to say what you want."
An embarrassed look crossed her face, prompting James to rub his thumbs on the inside of her wrists where he held her. "You can tell me. I'm going to give you whatever it is. Trust me."
Silence descended around them, and Ashley forgot everything else outside of them. There was only now; there was only this moment with James touching her and talking to her, coaxing her to ask for what she wanted—what she craved from him.
"I want to suck." Her voice dropped off again in a little nervous sigh, but she swallowed hard and went on to whisper, " I want to suck your cock."
Ashley: Little Girl - Book Two Page 8
