by Missy Blue
She brought her face to my chest again, licking the fresh sweat that began to trickle down, her tongue swiping over my hot flesh. I rolled into her deeply and her head tilted back, her lips parting to gasp. Her eyes were slits and she moaned softly with each thrust, trying to keep her voice down.
I looked down at her, clenching my jaw. I decided I didn't want her to keep her voice down.
I pulled out of her quickly as her eyes opened wide in surprise, and I leaned back on my knees, pulling her legs from around me and flipping her over. She grunted softly at the rough treatment from my harsh, needy hands, but looked back at me over her shoulder, excitement in her eyes.
I drew her hips back toward me, simultaneously pulling her back on her hands and knees, and then entered her roughly from behind. The change in angle and friction caused her to let out a strangled yelp that quickly melded into moans that grew increasingly in volume as I thrust in and out of her.
She was glove-tight around me and I filled her to the brim. The ridges of her walls, so thickly wet with her excitement, felt amazing sliding against my aching cock, gripping me and releasing me rapidly as I moved my hips forcefully. My hands moved all over her fucking fantastic body, gripping her shoulder, sliding down her sweat-slicked back, gripping her hips for control.
I slipped one hand up her back and yanked the elastic out of her hair, freeing her ponytail. She flung her head and her hair spilled down her back. I let out a grunt and wound one hand into her thick, flowing locks, tugging gently to pull her back deeper onto me. I maneuvered my thighs to make her press hers tightly together, and at this new, ultra-tight sensation, I cursed and clenched my jaw tightly.
Jewel was definitely not being quiet now, and I lent an attentive ear to her moans. I let go of her hair to reach around her front to squeeze her tit before sliding my hand over her shoulder and into her hair again. This time I grabbed a handful near her scalp as I beat into her. She started to moan a strange combination of my name and a random curse, over and over. She reached a hand back to grab my hip, encouraging me to hit her off as deeply as I could manage. I obliged, and her hand moved to stroke the sweaty skin of my stomach. Suddenly her nails dug into my flesh and her thighs trembled and tightened around me, and her inner walls gripped me tighter than ever. Her back bowed and her head fell forward and I realized she was coming, and coming hard.
I heard a low, strangled shriek erupt from her throat as her body shuddered. Her dark hair suddenly went flying as she whirled her head around to meet my eyes, and it was too much for me. Her orgasm was at its peak and her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were practically black with lust, her lips swollen, moist and parted to give her moan room to flow out of her throat. I made a noise, rumbling deep in my chest, and then I was climaxing, picking up where she was leaving off. I leaned over her to bury myself as deeply as possible inside her, and groaned throatily into the smooth skin of her back, squeezing her bottom as my hardness broke inside her and incredible pleasure barreled into me. There was so much of my seed gushing from my steel-hard cock, and I pulled out, pouring some of it onto her fucking gorgeous ass and rubbed it in, just the way she liked it.
I entered her again, hard, filling her up to the brim, and when I was finally done, I pushed her flat on her stomach and leaned on top of her. Both of us were fighting for breath as I grinded my seed against our bodies. I kissed her cheek and then nibbled her ear until she squealed with laughter. I pulled out of her and rolled over onto my back, slapping her bare ass as I went. I panted as I glanced at her, her hand reaching out, her fingers clawing hard down my abdomen.
"You passed," I managed, as Jewel laughed and dug her nails in harder. “Jesus Christ, I love you.”
Epilogue
Her
Three months later…
I STRETCHED OUT on my sofa with Asher sprawled on top of me. I had my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his shoulders, and we were both dozing in and out of sleep. Our bags were still on my living room floor. Asher had taken me to meet Gable’s wife, Bethany, and the kids, in Los Angeles. They were amazing, and I could see why Asher loved them all like family. They had made me feel like family as soon as I had arrived in their home. And Asher had told me that Bethany thought I was a keeper.
We’d gotten back from the airport a couple of hours ago, and had done nothing other than feed Rocky before collapsing on the couch.
"That time difference is a real bitch," I murmured sleepily, unable to open my eyes.
"Mm-hmm," Asher replied, nuzzling my stomach. As if on cue, it growled loudly. He sighed. "Does it never stop?"
"Hey," I said defensively. "I'm a growing girl. I have a big appetite."
"You haven't grown since you were like, thirteen," Asher said, his voice muffled in my body. "I saw the pictures. You just like to eat. It's cool. I can appreciate that in my women."
"Your 'women'?" I replied, opening my eyes fully and lifting an eyebrow at him. He lifted his face from my belly and grinned at me.
"Now that I have your attention," he said, "let's go get some food. I can't deal with hearing your stomach gurgle all night."
I laughed and swatted his head. "Well, you said the magic word. Food is definitely the way to my heart."
"And also your…" He stroked his hand between my legs and I let out another laugh, this one somewhat more breathless than the first.
"Don't start," I warned. "I'm cranky until I've been fed."
"Don't I know," Asher replied sarcastically. He got off of me and pulled me to my feet, glancing at the time. It was shortly before six o'clock.
"What sounds good on a lazy Sunday evening?" I asked with an enormous yawn. I couldn't believe how tired I felt. Food, and then bed were definitely in order. I licked my lips as I eyed Asher. What happened in the bed, and whether or not we went right to sleep, was an entirely different matter.
"Actually, I was thinking that Elements place downtown," Asher said. "You've made me a believer. That steak I had was awesome."
"I don't want to change, though," I whined. I was wearing a simple, loose off-the-shoulder T-shirt, skinny jeans and spiky-toed flats. It was certainly not appropriate for the upscale restaurant. "And that place is fancy."
"Fuck fancy. I want steak. We'll get it to go," Asher said with a shrug. He tossed an arm around my shoulders and hauled me into his side. "Damn, you are a whiny brat when you're hungry and tired. You’re worse than our little Rocky."
"I'm glad you know this now," I shot back. "It will save you so much grief later on."
"Save me grief?" he repeated, amused.
"Yes. Now feed me." I stretched up on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, before pressing my lips to his indulgently. His full, soft lips moved against mine. I smiled. "And then feed me," I added suggestively.
"Yes, ma'am," he said in my ear before nibbling it. My stomach growled again loudly, and he sighed, smacking my bottom as I moved toward the door.
“Amscray, already,” I ordered, jovially.
“’Amscray?’ Seriously, where are you from, Jewel?” he laughed, coming to my side.
“Just get to it,” I laughed back.
"Hey, I’m all for it. Your stomach is cock-blocking me again."
"Some things just come first," I said with a grin, reaching up for another kiss on the way out.
Asher parked a couple of blocks away from Elements, the closest space he could find, and I hopped out of the Charger and wrapped my leather jacket around myself. It dawned on me that I'd completely forgotten to call our order in on the way. Now we’d have to sit and wait there while it was prepared.
Oh, well, I thought, smiling at Asher as he came around the car. I can think of worse ways to spend my time.
As we walked down the block toward the restaurant, my mood darkened slightly. We were nearing the corner where my—the studio had been. When we reached the corner, I stopped in my tracks, and tugged his arm.
"I want to see if anything's been done to it," I said. Asher looked at m
e doubtfully.
"You sure that's a good idea?" he replied, not budging. I pulled on his arm. He reached out and grasped my shoulders. "Listen, this place is water under the bridge. Tomorrow, you and me—we'll go look for another dream space, okay? Don't torture yourself."
"I just want to see," I said softly. "I guess I want to make sure that it's taken care of right." I rolled my eyes and shrugged. "It was my baby for so long, I still feel protective over it."
Asher sighed, but shrugged. "As you wish."
I pulled on his hand and led him around the corner. "Damn, someone didn't waste any time," I said, pressing my face to the window.
Parallel to the window was a wall painted in my favorite shade of lavender, which only added insult to injury. The wall cut off, indicating a corner, and I could just barely see a short hallway. There was a big wooden desk in the corner by the entrance, with a large calendar, something that looked like an appointment book, and some decorative items. That’s odd, I thought. Over the past few months, Asher had asked me what kind of interior design would I like in my future studio. Most of the items I could see inside were exactly those items I pointed out to him.
Asher looked up. "Looks like there's a sign, but it's covered up for now," he said, pointing. "Wonder what this is? Like a spa or salon type thing, maybe?"
"Maybe," I murmured, narrowing my eyes.
Asher reached out and tried the handle, and to my great surprise, it opened. He blinked at me. "Guess...they're open?" He nodded toward the inside. "You want to check it out?"
I hesitated. On one hand, it really sucked that this place, my place, had already been designed into something, and that so far it had so many things I personally loved—from the paint on the wall, to the little desk. I wondered what else there would be inside to hurt my feelings. On the other hand I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I looked over every inch of the place, no matter how much it killed me.
I nodded and stepped toward the door. He held it open for me and I walked through, catching a scent of jasmine and hyacinth in the air, which further agitated me. I noticed that in addition to the lavender paint on the walls, there was a swirling, cream-colored border that had been painted at the very top and very bottom of each wall. That is exactly how I pictured it. I turned the corner and saw that there was another short hallway before, with some sort of large room to my left and more wall to my right. The room had a long window and I rushed up to it to see what was inside. When I saw what it was, my jaw practically hit the floor and something like rage curled in my stomach.
"Asher," I said in a strangled voice. "This—it's a studio!"
Asher stepped up next to me and his eyes scanned what I was seeing. The window peeked into a large room. One wall was floor-to-ceiling mirrors. A parallel double barre ran the length of two of the other walls. The floor was wooden, shiny and new. I was utterly flabbergasted.
Asher let out a low whistle. "Wow. I didn't see this coming. I thought this would be like a spa or like you said, a bakery or something like that. This—wow."
I backed up until my back hit the wall behind me, and then I noticed another room farther down the hall. I glared and stormed toward it.
"Oh, they have two studios," I said mockingly. The back studio was dark, but through the window I could see myself and Asher reflected dimly in it. It had a push-door that was currently shut. I glanced to my left, seeing a little sitting area in front of the studio room, and beyond that was another little room, probably an office. I could make out the vague shape of a desk and what might have been a bookshelf in the little room, but it was dark. I growled as I turned to face the studio again, and stepped toward the door. "I have to see this."
"Jewel, hang on," he said. "I think you need to calm down.”
"I am—" A sudden creaking noise from somewhere in the building met our ears, and I froze. Shit. I'd gotten so overwhelmed and carried away with my hurt and irritation that I'd forgotten—someone actually owned this place, and even though the door was unlocked, they might not appreciate us poking around.
"Someone's here," I whispered to Asher. "Okay, if anyone asks, we're here because…because we have a kid and…and we want her to start taking lessons—"
"Or," Asher whispered back dramatically, mocking my stage whisper, "we're here because you own this place and you have every right to be here."
"Right," I said absently, barely hearing him as my mind whirled. It was a likely story, one that could be believed. "Wait," I said suddenly, looking up into his face as I realized what he'd said. "Say what, now?"
In response, Asher took me by the hand and pushed the door open. My heart began to thud in my chest and it all came together in the instant before he turned on the lights.
Fragments of conversations about my dream studio that we’d had suddenly came back to me, and the questions Asher had asked echoed through my mind. The understanding that this was my place hit me as the studio was suddenly bathed in bright light and I found myself looking into the faces of both our families. Happy faces, excited faces, loving faces.
"Surprise!"
I didn't even register that I was crying until my vision became so blurry I had to stop and rub my eyes. Then, I was being rushed by all of the people in the room.
My parents. My sisters. Ruby—Connor by her side. My nieces and nephews. My brothers-in-law. My dear Uncle Gino. Bailey and Tess. They swarmed around me and hugged me, squeezed me, kissed me, congratulated me, told me they loved me. I was overcome by the force of their love, and it was all directed at me. I felt light-headed; feeling the true power of love in its purest form was transcendental.
This is mine, I thought, and cried harder. This is my dream and it's real.
I hoped that I was being responsive to my loved ones, but I couldn’t seem to connect my mind and body. I was just too stunned.
Asher elbowed his way through the small crowd to my side, and I saw he held a large manila envelope in his hand as well as a set of keys. With my favorite half-smile, he handed them to me.
"Your ownership paperwork and the keys," he said simply. "Congratulations, Nutcracker."
I took them from him weakly. He did all of this, I realized. He did this for me. I felt an overwhelming surge of love for him as I looked into his eyes. I wanted to thank him a million times, tell him how lucky I was to have someone like him in my life, tell him that I couldn't believe he had done something so amazingly thoughtful and kind for me, tell him that he had just made my life's dream come true.
"You are in so much trouble," was all I could manage.
His half-smile spread fully across his face into the grin I loved. "I'll take it," he said simply, using his thumb to brush tears off my face.
We celebrated this new milestone achievement all through the night. My mother had brought aluminum pans of spaghetti and lasagna. Ruby had baked and decorated a glorious cake, white almond sponge cake with raspberry preserves and cream-cheese filling, topped with mounds of extra-light, fluffy whipped frosting, My absolute favorite. Ruby had decorated it with a pair of pink pointe shoes, tied together with their ribbons. Bailey popped the top on a couple bottles of sparkling juice, and everyone sat together on the floor of the backroom studio and just—celebrated.
The pinnacle of the night came when everyone walked outside and gathered in front of the studio. Asher flipped a switch inside, then came out and pulled on a thin rope, one that I had missed when we’d arrived earlier. The canvas tarp covering the sign, fell to the ground, and my heart caught in my throat. Illuminated in a soft glow of lights in the dark of the night, my sign—my sign!—shone softly.
‘Jewel’s Dance Academe.’
I began to cry all over again.
There was much to work out. There was advertising and building clientele. There was selecting and organizing all my dance classes. There was artwork to put on the wall. There were class fees to decide on and select. And, I thought, as I set my jaw determinedly, there was a business contract to be drawn up with Asher, in regards
to repaying him for his investment. No matter what he said, I would pay him back every last red cent.
But for now, I was content to stand there on the sidewalk, surrounded by my family—for Ruby and the Prince’s were under that umbrella as much as my blood relations were—and wrap myself in the arms of a man that I loved with every fiber of my soul, a man who had healed me from my horrific past, and a man who had given me so much love. Too much love.
As I smiled up into his beautiful blue eyes, and pulled him down so I could relay my love for him with my lips, I had no doubt.
Asher Prince was the tornado to my demons, but he was the shelter to my storm.
Acknowledgements
This was my first book, and mark my words, it will not be the last. I have the new adult romance bug. I can’t stop. It’s been a long time in writing, and thanks to the following people I actually finished it!
Thank you to Daisy, my best friend, for creating the perfect book cover. Thank you to Mr. Black for editing my manuscript and for putting up with my constant emails and messages, late into the night! I couldn’t have done this without you! You’re a superstar!
To my fiancé, thank you for throwing peanuts at me to keep me alive as I wrote in the attic of our house. I couldn’t have survived without you!
And lastly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all my readers who took a chance on my debut novel. It means the world to me that you shared my story and I hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it.
Oh... and I can’t forget a shout-out to my gorgeous cat Rocky. Yes, you are in the book, little one. Please don’t sue me. It’s just a coincidence.
