Tease Me (The Temptation Duet Book 2)
Page 37
Her moans turn into little breathy pants. Fuck, she’s hot.
I thrust again, slow and deep. She’s at my mercy now. I control the pace, the pressure.
But she controls me, completely.
“I want to touch you,” JJ gasps, writhing on the table.
Fuck. I can’t resist her desire, how much she wants me. It’s written all over her face.
I slide my hands under her round ass and pull her into a sitting position, balanced on the edge of the table. Now she’s facing me, and I have an unobstructed view of that gorgeous face, the need in her eyes.
She reaches up and runs her hands through my hair. The touch is electrifying. I pump inside her, stronger this time.
“Yes!” she moans, as my blood start to boil. “Fuck me harder!”
Goddamn. I won’t last with her like this. A wild beast. A filthy, dirty love. Does she even realize how she makes me come undone? How every gasp and moan drives me straight to the edge?
I try to stay cool, to keep my slow rhythm, but JJ’s face is flushed, her eyes wild. “I mean it, Ash,” she cries. “Fuck me hard, right now.”
I feel her clench around my cock, milking me with the tight grip of her inner walls.
Fuck control.
I pull back and slam into her. “Like this?” I roar.
“Yes!”
“You want it rough, baby?” I pound into her again, so hard her body would jolt back if I wasn’t holding her locked in place.
Fuck, she feels so good.
“Yes!” JJ chants again, thrusting to meet every hard stroke. “Don’t hold back. Give me everything!”
I drive into her harder than ever. God, she feels so good. I grind my pelvis against her clit as my cock splits her wide open, demanding everything her body can give. She’s whimpering, convulsing around me, crying out with every thrust. It’s the sexiest fucking sound I’ve ever heard. The neighbors can call the cops for all I care. All I need in the world is right here, thrusting wildly, clawing my back with a fierce passion.
“Oh God, I’m close,” JJ gasps, clinging to me. “Please!”
Even in the madness of lust, she’s still asking permission, still needs me to say the words and give her sweet release. “Please, I need to come.”
How is she so perfect? How does she give me everything I need and more?
I groan, driving into her and grinding up inside until she lets out a new shriek of pleasure. “God, right there!” she screams, as I go to town on her G-spot. “Ash!”
I’m past words, past conscious thought, so I answer her with my body. I claim her mouth in a brutal kiss as my climax tightens in my balls. Fuck, I’m right there. Our bodies thrust and grind, panting, sweating.
“Look at me,” I demand hoarsely. I take her face, pulling her towards me, to look in my eyes.
She’s dark. Wild. Totally possessed with lust for me.
I rock slowly inside her. She moans, and I feel it everywhere. This is so fucking intense, to see every expression on her face, to know she’s looking deep into my soul.
No hiding, no games, just us.
But she doesn’t know the truth.
The thought shatters through me as JJ explodes with a moan, coming around my cock in greedy convulsions. I let go, ecstasy slamming through me as I spurt a wild hot torrent inside her clenching pussy. The heat takes me over, pulling me down, and all I can do is hold her tight like I never want to let go.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JUSTINE
I wake up in the master bedroom, wrapped up in the soft covers. I can’t remember when Ash carried me up here, sometime between the third and fifth orgasm of the night, maybe.
I had other things to focus on.
I stretch, luxurious. The sun is rising in a pink haze outside over the ocean; the gauzy drapes whispering in the breeze.
I’ve never felt so at peace.
Then Ash’s voice comes from outside in the hallway.
“I told you, this is finished.” His voice is tense and low, like he’s trying to whisper.
I sit up.
His voice gets distant and mumbled, then clearer again. “I won’t negotiate. You can’t hold me hostage like this anymore.”
I slip out of bed, wrapping myself in a blanket. I creep closer to the door, and peek through the open gap.
Ash is pacing in the hallway. His body is tense. His voice is harsh.
“No,” he says. “Bloody hell, I said no! I don’t care what you say, the deal is done.”
I shiver. It’s probably just some business matter, but I’ve never seen that look in his eyes before: so cold and determined.
“Don’t call again. You’re as good as dead to me.”
Ouch.
I quickly turn and hurry back to bed, sliding under the covers just as Ash pushes the door open again.
I fake a yawn, stretching.
“Morning, sweetheart.” Ash crosses the room and drops a kiss on my forehead. “Sleep well?”
“Mmm,” I nod, hiding my unease. “This bed is incredible.”
He smiles. “Then it’s a good thing you don’t have a reason to get out of it.”
“Who were you talking to?” I ask casually, as Ash puts down the phone. He tenses.
“Just business. A deal gone wrong.”
“Everything OK?” I ask, sliding a hand up his arm.
He pulls away. “Everything’s fine. I’m going to take a shower.”
Ash heads for the bathroom. A moment later, I hear the sound of shower jets.
I look over at his phone, sitting on the nightstand.
Don’t.
I reach for it, wavering. I’ve never been the kind of girl to get insecure. I’ve never looked through a guy’s phone or read his emails, looking for some kind of clue.
So don’t start now.
I want to know what’s going on with Ash, why he’s pacing in secret in the hallways and flinching every time his phone rings. And all the answers could be right here.
Just one little peek. What harm would that do?
I pull my hand back like I’ve been burned. Fuck. I can’t go acting all crazy jealous. It’s just a business deal, like he said.
Ash promised that I could trust him now. No more lies.
I need to believe him.
“JJ?” Ash sticks his head around the bathroom door and gives me a toe-curling smile. “In case you didn’t realize, ‘I’m going to take a shower’ was code for, ‘come get naked and fuck me up against the wall.’
I laugh, relief washing over me. “Be right there,” I promise.
But as I hurry to join him, the traitorous thought lingers.
What is Ash hiding from me?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JUSTINE
The weekend passes in a haze of sex, food, and more sex. We don’t make it out on the water like Ash planned. In fact, we barely make it out of bed.
I’ve never come so hard, so many times, in just a couple of days.
It’s perfect, but by the time we drive back to the city, my sex daze has tightened into a bittersweet ache. As much as I want to ignore the real world, I can’t anymore. Every mile we drive towards New York is one more mile closer to the future.
A future I have no idea about anymore.
It seemed simple when I arrived in town. Win the case, go back to LA like a conquering warrior, get my promotion, and move up the ladder.
Now, my thoughts are all fogged by Ash. Reunited after all this time, I know the connection between us is more than just physical, but I don’t know how he sees me. A hook up? A girlfriend? What part do I have in his plans? If the partners promote me, do I just fly back to LA and hope Ash comes to visit sometime soon?
So many questions, and I don’t have any answers, but I already know in my bones that a few weekends a month will never be enough for me. Nothing will be enough, except all of him.
It scares the hell out of me.
Not to mention the mysterious phone calls, all the times he’s h
ad to slip away…
I glance over at him, relaxed behind the wheel as we cross the bridge into Manhattan. If he’s got any worries about our future, he’s not showing it. He looks like a man who’s spent the past forty-eight hours screwing his brains out. My brains out.
Just then, Ash looks over and smiles. He brings my hand to his lips for a kiss.
“We’ll have to do this again,” he says. “Where do you feel like going next: Paris? Bali? I can see you on a beach wearing nothing but a grass skirt.”
I laugh. He’s talking about a future. Does that mean he wants one?
For the first time, I understand how all my girlfriends felt, poring over texts and emails trying to figure out what the guys in their life really meant, what they really wanted. I would tell them just to bite the bullet and ask straight out, but now that I’m the one in the dark, I can’t bring myself to put my fears into words.
“Bali sounds good,” I say instead. “You can show me that private jet you’ve been talking about. I can’t wait to fuck you at twenty thousand feet,” I add.
He laughs. “My filthy girl,” he says, affection clear in his voice. “Don’t ever change.”
He turns down the street to his place. “You want to go back to your apartment, or do you want to be waiting naked for me here when I get done with work?”
“Hmm, tough question,” I tease.
He gives me a hot look. “Just for that, I might have to spank you.”
“Promises, promises…” I laugh. “Drop me here,” I decide. “I’ll take a nap, and raid your fridge. And then, maybe, think about taking my clothes off again…”
“You can leave them on.” Ash gives me a wolfish look. “I’m perfectly happy to do my part and help undress you.”
“Always a gentleman.”
Ash pulls up to the curb beside his townhouse. I watch him take out my suitcase, and go up the steps to unlock the front door. Something glows inside me. I love having him back in my life. I love our banter, the flirting and fun. Being with him, I’m always guaranteed a good time. Not just the sex, but our conversation, too: the jokes and wit.
He was always my best friend.
Ash catches me looking. “What?” he asks.
“Nothing.” I shrug, breezing past him into the hallway. “Just thinking about that big bed of yours… and all the good food in your kitchen.”
“Women are all the same,” he sighs. “They only want me for my groceries.”
I lean up and kiss him lightly on the lips. “See you later.”
I turn away, but Ash yanks me back. He crushes me to his chest and kisses me properly: long and slow and hot, until my legs give way against him and my whole body is alert with lust.
“Now you can go,” he growls, releasing me. “But I mean it: I want you naked and spread-eagled on my bed when I get back.”
“Yes, sir,” I murmur, but inside, I feel a shudder of lust.
I can’t get enough of him.
Ash heads out, closing the door behind him just as my cell phone rings.
I answer, my head still spinning.
“You’re alive!” Keely cries. “I was wondering when you two would come up for air.”
I laugh. “It was hard to drag me away,” I admit, starting to climb the marble staircase. I look around, absorbing the beauty of Ash’s stunning townhouse, filled with gorgeous paintings and art. “His place in the Hamptons is amazing. Hell, his house here is something else, too. The man has taste.”
“I knew that,” Keely giggles. “He’s been chasing you, after all. When can I meet him?” she asks. “We should all get dinner. You, me, Vaughn and Ash.”
“Soon. I hope.”
I pause on the landing, sitting on one of the steps. “The truth is, we haven’t really talked about the future. Like, at all.”
“Well, what do you want him to say?” Keely answers sensibly.
“I don’t know, that’s the problem.” I sigh. “I talked about going back to LA for work, and he was nothing but supportive.”
“The bastard,” Keely laughs.
“I know, but you get what I mean, right? It’s hard to find a way to ask what we’re doing here. And then whenever I get close, he finds a way of distracting me.”
Usually with his dick, I silently add.
“Well, there’s no need to rush things,” Keely points out. “You guys have barely been back together for the weekend. I’m sure he’ll bring it up when the moment’s right.”
“I hope so,” I say. “And in the meantime, I’m going to take a nap. I’ve got muscles aching I never even knew I had.”
“I bet you do. Call me later and we’ll set up dinner.”
“Will do!”
I hang up, getting back to my feet and making my way up to the second floor. If I remember right, his kitchen is up here. I can grab a plate of food and go back to bed.
Since you’re probably going to need your energy later…
I grin. Keely’s right. I shouldn’t stress about the future stuff right now. What matters is that Ash and I are together again – and enjoying every minute of each other’s company. I’ve never worried about commitment or labels before, so I shouldn’t now.
Everything will be fine.
In the kitchen, I find the fridge groaning with fresh-cut fruit plates and delicious deli treats. I load up a tray and take it out to the balcony, settling into one of the oversized chairs to look out at the gorgeous view of New York. The sky is blue, the buildings sparkle in the midday sun, and I’m lounging in a luxury townhouse waiting for my sexy boyfriend to get home and fuck me senseless.
Not too shabby.
“Please, make yourself at home.”
The British voice startles me. I jerk around, spilling my glass of juice. “Shit,” I mutter, trying to wipe it off my jeans before it stains.
Finally, I give up and turn to the woman standing in the doorway. “Hi,” I say, confused. For a moment, I assume she’s Ash’s housekeeper. Then I take a closer look, and realize this woman has never cleaned a house in her life.
She’s in her mid-twenties, maybe, with sleek brunette hair and perfect glowing skin. Decked out in a designer sheath dress and tasteful gold jewelry, everything about her screams ‘money.’
“We haven’t been introduced.” She stands there, perfectly at ease, looking like she owns the place.
I feel a tremor of unease. Ash doesn’t have any sisters. A cousin, perhaps?
“Hi,” I say, awkward. I bob up from the seat, wishing I’d taken the time to dress properly this morning instead of throwing on some jeans and one of Ash’s button-down shirts. “I’m Justine.”
“I know exactly who you are.” The woman’s eyes roam over me. She quirks a perfect eyebrow.
“Well, I guess you’re at an advantage,” I joke, trying to break the tension. “Who are you?”
She finally meets my eyes again, and stretches her lips in a warm, welcoming smile. “Why, I’m Bea, of course.”
I stare back blankly.
The woman’s smile slips. “Beatrice Pierce,” she explains. “Ashton’s wife.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JUSTINE
“His what?” I stutter, staring at her in disbelief.
Beatrice looks surprised. “He didn’t tell you?”
I shake my head numbly. I feel like I just got hit by a truck.
The woman gives me a sympathetic look. “I wondered. Some women don’t respect marriage at all, but if you didn’t know… Well, I’m sorry.”
She’s not the only one.
My legs give way. I crumple back into my seat.
“Oh dear,” she murmurs. “You’ve gone terribly pale. Here, let me make you some tea.”
“No,” I manage to reply. “I’m fine.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Beatrice disappears inside, heading straight for the kitchen like she owns the place.
I guess she does.
My head spins. Ash. Married. I suspected he was hiding something from
me, but I never imagined this.
A pain stabs through my chest as I realize he’s been lying to me all this time. Not just about the invitations, but everything. His life, his feelings.
His wife.
Beatrice emerges with a tray of tea things. She sets it down on the table and takes a seat opposite me. “I’m so sorry to be the one to break it to you,” she murmurs. “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry!” I exclaim. “I’m the one who’s been—” I stop myself just in time. Beatrice looks too well-bred to curse in front of. “Seeing your husband.”
Beatrice looks down. A sad expression crosses her face. “We’ve been having problems for a while. When Ash said he was going to New York on business, I hoped the time apart would help him realize what’s important. But then I heard from friends he’d been seen around town with someone… I had to come and see for myself.”
I feel sick. My number one rule has always been no married men. Cheaters disgust me, running around behind someone’s back. And the women they cheat with are no better.
Home-wreckers. Whores.
And now you’re one of them.
Beatrice pauses for a moment, looking at me. “Wait, did you say Justine?” she asks. “From Stanford?”
“Uh, yes,” I reply, thrown.
“He told me about you.” Beatrice nods. “Said you were one of his closest friends. I didn’t realize you were back in touch again.”
She looks so hurt, it just twists the knife deeper.
“We weren’t,” I reassure her quickly. “I came to New York on a case. It turned out Ash was on the other side. I had no idea….” I trail off. “We haven’t been together long, I swear.”
She manages a weak smile. “I don’t know whether to be relieved by that or not.” She looks down again. “Cheating is still cheating.”
Fuck.
I hate myself right now. It’s clear, she’s devastated to find me here. And why wouldn’t she be?
I try to put myself in her shoes. Following her husband across the Atlantic to save her marriage only to find some strange woman in his home, wearing his clothes…