He shot me a dangerous look and Chloe's gaze begged me for help. I only shrugged, saying, "Obviously he knows."
"You can't tell anyone," Chloe begged her father, and he laughed, shaking his head.
"I won't, sweetheart," he promised. "But the truth will come out eventually, and I don't like seeing you get hurt."
"I know," she said in a small voice.
"I'll make sure she's okay," I promised him. "That's what I'm here for now."
"I hope so," James muttered, giving me a once-over. "I really hope you're up for it, boy."
Hours later, after dropping James off at his place, Chloe and I lay sprawled in front of the fire in the library. She had her laptop with her and was toying with a slideshow she wanted to prepare for the gala function. But me, I couldn't keep my damn hands off her. That little pink dress had been playing on my mind all fucking night, and I wanted her now more than ever.
When we'd returned from the hospital and after Mercedes was taken away, I held Chloe in my arms until she fell asleep. I didn't give a shit if anyone found out about us. I just needed to know she was okay and I needed to keep her safe. The same primal urge to protect her took over me in the library right now, and I lay down next to her on the rug.
"Does this picture look good here?" she asked, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.
"It looks great," I replied.
"I'm not sure," she said. "God, I should just hire someone to do this..."
"Chloe?"
"I'm serious, I have no idea how to do this."
"Chloe, I want to kiss you."
She finally looked at me, her heart-shaped lips partially open and her eyes wide and innocent. "You... you do?" she asked, and she sounded so uncertain it tugged on my heartstrings. She was still so vulnerable. I wondered if I'd ever be able to forgive myself fully for what I'd let happen to her.
"Yes," I said. "Come here, let me taste those lips of yours."
She scooted closer and I pressed her against the rug, climbing on top of her and kissing her hard. My tongue forced her lips apart and I kissed her with the burning need I felt, the need to be inside her, both her mouth and that sweet little pussy of hers. I'd missed this, fucking missed being intimate with her. We hadn't slept together since everything had gone down, but now I needed her. I needed to know she was still mine.
"Asher," she muttered against my lips, but I shut her up with another kiss.
"No words," I groaned. "I just want to fucking feel you, Chloe."
I claimed her mouth with mine, deepening our kiss and making her mewl softly as our lips molded together. It felt amazing, better than ever before. She was so damn perfect for me. From the dimples in her cheeks to that sweet Cupid's bow of her lips. Her glossy dark locks to her crystal clear eyes. The sweetness, the giggles, the sharp mind, the fucking witty banter we had...she was damn perfect for me, and I needed to show her that.
"I'm so in love with you, Chloe," I told her, trapping her bottom lip between my teeth. "So fucking in love."
She moaned and I let her take control, let her push me on my back and climb on top of me. She smiled wickedly and reached for my pants. I groaned when she undid my belt buckle and pulled down my pants along with my boxers. My cock sprang free, so fucking hard for her I could already feel the pre-cum building on my tip.
"Chloe," I said. "Don't fucking tease me. I'm so ready..."
"Not teasing," she said with a smile, and in the next second, she was between my legs, sucking the tip of my cock between her lips.
"Fuck," I breathed. "Chloe, please."
It was like she needed me as much as I needed her. She sucked my cock, long, hard sucks of her sweet little mouth and sensuous licks of that wicked little tongue along my length. I buried my fingers in her hair and did my fucking best not to push her, to demand too much. But it was too much to handle, and in moments, her head was bobbing up and down my crotch in time with my hands.
"You feel so good," I told her. "So good, Chloe... You were made for me."
She looked up at me, her eyes taunting and teasing as she milked my cock. I knew I was going to explode, but the force with which it happened took me by surprise. I buried my hands in her hair, pulling her down the length of my cock until she choked. I tried to get her off, but she made me hold her down as I pumped my cock inside her mouth, filling it up with my salty seed until she could barely breathe.
When she pulled away, she was smiling widely. She climbed back on top of me, my cock still hard against her belly in that fucking dress; the dress that was giving me all these damn dirty thoughts.
She tapped a finger against my lips.
"Good?" she asked.
"You're fucking amazing," I promised her, and in that moment, I knew I'd never be able to let her go.
We needed to tell our parents what was going on; we needed to come clean. I wouldn't be able to keep my hands to myself for much longer, and I wanted everyone to know how much I loved her. Needed her. I wanted to make her mine for the whole world to see.
"We need to tell everyone," I said. "We need to tell our parents we're together."
"I know," she said softly. "Can we do it after the gala?"
I nodded, saying, "Promise?"
"Yes.” She giggled as my hands reached for her, tickling her under the cute dress.
"You better stick to your word," I warned her, and she shrieked with laughter.
It was only one of the many reasons I loved her—but it was still important. With Chloe, I could forget about every sordid detail of what had happened. Not just in the last few months, but over my whole life. With her, I could be normal again.
With her, I was loved.
Thirty-One
Chloe
“God, this is perfect.”
I cast my eyes around the ballroom at the Rosemount Hotel, gazing in wonder at the turnout for my dad’s gala. There were hundreds of beautiful, refined people milling around in suits and designer dresses, drinking champagne from crystal flutes—Claremont Bay’s social elite had obviously deemed this an event worth attending. Part of me felt a little bitter, as these were the same people who’d once turned their backs on my father while I stayed loyal, but at the same time, I understood why, and I was happy to begin leaving it in the past. Dad was free, Mercedes was gone, and life was going to go back to normal.
Well, as normal as things can be when you’re secretly sleeping with your stepbrother, anyway…
“You’re the one who’s perfect,” Asher murmured, sliding one hand across my back.
“Careful,” I said in a low voice. “Someone might see.”
“True. Why don’t we go check the media room? We need to make sure they’ve set the slideshow up properly.”
I nodded, anxiously chewing on my lower lip. “You really think it will be okay to have it? I’m still worried everyone will think having a slideshow is totally middle school. People here can be so snobby.”
Asher gave me a warm smile. “It’s adorable, and it’s totally you. Everyone will love it. Especially your dad. Now let’s go check it.”
I returned his smile, and then I leaned closer and whispered in his ear. “At least we can have some privacy in the media room. That way I can show you what I’m wearing under this dress.”
Asher’s eyes coasted over my silvery gown. “Give me a hint.”
I arched one eyebrow wickedly. “It’s nothing. There’s nothing under here at all.”
He took a sharp intake of breath. “You naughty girl.”
He grinned and strode toward a side door which led out of the ballroom and into the small media room where our slideshow was set up on a laptop connected to some audio-visual equipment via HDMI cable. I trailed behind, making it look like we weren’t leaving together.
There was a hotel staff member in the media room when we arrived, and Asher slipped him some cash as a tip. “We’ll take it from here,” he said. “We just want to make sure our presentation is ready to go.”
“No problem,
Mr. St. Clair. I’ve set it all up for you, but you can feel free to go through it and make sure everything is in the right order. Press the orange button here on the dashboard when you’re ready to start playing it. This green one here can be switched on to announce when you begin as well. It’s connected to all the speakers that are hooked up around the ballroom.”
“Nice. Thanks.”
The employee left, and Asher locked the door before turning to me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “So…you were saying something about not wearing anything under this dress?”
I smiled. “That’s right.”
His hands slid over me, down my back and hips and over the curves of my ass. I let out a gasp as he leaned closer, nipping at my earlobes. “I’m not sure I believe you,” he murmured. “Gonna have to prove it.”
He unzipped the back of my dress and peeled it off me until I was standing there wearing nothing but my diamond jewelry. Asher stared at me, a light in his eyes flashing like I was the center of the whole world.
“God, you’re perfect,” he said softly.
I stripped off his shirt and pants, desperate to feel the contours of his body against mine, desperate to run my hands over every delicious inch. Asher suddenly hoisted me up in his arms, making me gasp and giggle, and he set me down on the table behind me, one hand reaching between my thighs to stroke at my wet core and the other braced against the table, holding me steady. I pressed against him, squirming with desire. Just one more touch and I might explode.
I reached down and grabbed Asher’s cock, loving how stiff he was. It was all for me. He groaned and began to kiss my neck, slowly moving down to my stiff nipples, and I barely managed to gasp out a couple of short sentences. “No,” I said. “We don’t have time for slow. Just fuck me. Now!”
His eyes flashed, and he positioned himself at my entrance, looking into my eyes. Then he thrust right into me, and I bit back a loud moan as I felt him filling me, inch by inch.
“Asher,” I gasped. “Oh my god…”
He groaned and kissed me hard, pulling out and then pumping back inside. I scooted my ass further back on the table and spread my legs wider so he could fill every inch of me, and I closed my eyes and clawed his back, fucking him with all the pent-up lust that’d been building inside me over the last few days. So much had happened, so much had gone down, and right now I desperately needed this release.
I needed Asher, and I was never going to stop needing him.
He shifted our angle slightly, hitting my clit with every thrust of his hips against me, slamming deep into my core and—
Holy god. I was already coming.
“Yes!” I moaned. “Don’t stop! Keep doing that! God, Asher…”
Asher’s hips sped up even further, fucking me with a hard rhythm as I rode the crest of my climax, and he murmured filthy things in my ear as I gasped and whimpered, over and over. “Take it all,” he said. “Every fucking inch of my cock. Dirty girl.”
My entire body shook with pleasure. Even my toes were tingling. I could see something in Asher’s eyes; a fire lit from deep within. He was close.
“Come,” I said. “I want you to come!”
He leaned down and kissed my neck, and then he let out a strangled groan as he slammed into me one last time before exploding inside me.
“I love you,” I said as tendrils of pleasure continued to creep throughout my system.
“I love you, too,” he murmured, drawing back. The light in his eyes suddenly turned to abject horror as he looked at something beside me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What did that guy say the orange button on the control panel did?” he asked, his voice urgent.
“He said it starts the slideshow, I think,” I replied. “Why? Did you accidentally press it?”
He nodded. “I had my hand on it the whole fucking time, and I clicked it on. I didn’t even notice.” He stepped closer to investigate the control panel. “Oh, fuck. Fuck! I pressed the green one too,” he said, quickly flicking several buttons to their ‘off’ position.
“It doesn’t matter if we started the slideshow early. People might not be ready for it, but they….” My voice trailed off as I fully comprehended his words. “Wait, you pressed the green button too?”
Asher nodded grimly. “Yes,” he said. “We had the mic on the whole fucking time...”
Thirty-Two
Asher
Nothing said 'Claremont Bay' like a good old scandal.
Chloe and I walked out of the controls room feeling as mortified as we probably looked. As soon as we stepped back into the ballroom, I knew my worst fears had come true—everyone had heard Chloe and me having sex in the other room. I knew from the way the whole room went silent when we walked in, and a moment later, nervous chatter filled the space as if to cover up what we had done.
Of course, when we walked outside, the slideshow was already playing, and Chloe's voice was sweetly announcing the importance of family over the speakers, drawing more than a few giggles from guests who saw the terrible irony. Just fucking great.
We walked to our table, feeling everyone's judgmental eyes on us and hearing the hushed voices as gossip about us began to spread like wildfire. No one would actually meet our eyes, and the distance between our bodies felt like an abyss. I sat down next to my father, and Chloe filled the spot next to her mom. Dad wouldn't even look at me, and when Victoria saw Chloe sitting down, she turned away from her.
I thought the most awkward thing about the gala would be having to share a table with our parents and James, but now we'd really gone and fucked up the whole thing.
Chloe looked to be on the verge of tears, and I couldn't help myself—I reached for her hand under the table, holding her tight. She gave me a grateful look, her bottom lip jutting out and her whole face ashen as the speeches began.
The night was filled with high praise for James. His work colleagues, old friends and acquaintances all came forward to wish him good luck and commend him on the way he'd handled his unfair imprisonment. James was stoic throughout, offering only a small smile here and there. His focus was on Chloe, and I noticed that he, too, seemed worried about the tears in her eyes.
Finally, during a pause between courses, Chloe excused herself to go to the bathroom. I got up to go after her, but Victoria surprised me by putting her hand on mine and giving me a stern look.
"I'll go," she told me, and I found myself nodding in surprise as she pushed her chair back and made her way out of the ballroom.
It meant I was left alone at the table with my father and James. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. Just what I needed. A pounding from James and some hushed threats from my father.
"Asher," my father said sternly.
I could've avoided his gaze, and had this been a random hookup, that is probably just what I would have done.
But this was about Chloe.
Sweet, innocent, darling little Chloe, whom I'd fallen head over heels in love with.
"Dad," I replied, giving him a hard look.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" he hissed, barely able to contain his anger. "Chloe Carlyle? My wife's fucking daughter."
I'd never heard him curse as much as he did in those few sentences. He was obviously livid.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
"You're sorry about that?" Dad spit out. "But you're not sorry you slept with her?"
He was angry, enraged. But I needed to tell him the truth.
"No, Dad, I'm not," I admitted. "In fact, I think everyone needs to hear this before the rumor mill goes into overdrive."
I got up from my chair, and even though my legs were shaky, I made my way to the podium and grabbed the microphone from its stand, clutching it in sweaty hands. I tapped it nervously and an awful squeak went through the room, making the guests cover up their ears.
"Sorry about that, folks," I said nervously, my voice loud over the speakers. Someone turned off the music and then it was just
me and my fucking nerves.
I saw Chloe and Victoria walk back into the room. Chloe looked a bit better, the relieved look on her face disappearing when she saw me standing center stage. She stopped in her tracks along with her mother. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.
"I have an announcement to make," I said, my voice strong. I wouldn't show them how nervous I really was on the inside. "I think you all know by now that Chloe Carlyle and I are..."
The words hung in the air and I looked at Chloe for a long time. There was a small, hopeful smile hidden in those eyes of hers, and it encouraged me to go on.
"Dating," I said, and a hushed whisper went through the room. Chloe shifted her weight from one heeled foot to another. "Also," I continued. "I am head-over-fucking-heels in love with the girl."
My father covered his eyes with his hand, probably convinced I was pulling another trick on everyone.
"Given the events of the past few months," I went on. "We've all had a very hard time. Chloe was probably bearing the brunt of it. I hope I've been able to offer some support. But this isn't just about that."
I sighed and rubbed my temples, then went on.
"I realized I was in love with Chloe long before everything else happened. I fell for the only girl I couldn't have. What a cliché, right? But I did."
I looked at her again, and she was chewing on her bottom lip in that cute way she always did when she was a little nervous.
"I fell in love with every part of her," I continued. "With her beauty. With her wits, and with her brains. With those eyes, those lips and...let's be real, with that body, too. I can't lie."
A small laugh from the audience. I was getting somewhere.
"I realize, to some, this will look like a betrayal."
I was looking at my father now, and he returned a long, hard gaze.
"I know I haven't always had the best reputation,” I said. Several snickers from the audience confirmed that. “I know, and Chloe knows...you all know. But she's the one who turned my life upside down and taught me that sometimes, what I think is wrong is right, and vice versa. She taught me how to be myself. She taught me how to love."
Scandal (A Dirty Money Novel) Page 24
