Saving Red

by Carter Blake

  “The butler,” he replies smoothly, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

  For a brief moment, I panic at the thought that one of the staff saw or heard me with Ash. That concern quickly evaporates when I see Jared is still inching toward me. “I’m not dressed. Go outside and wait for me to get decent.”

  “You’re perfect just the way you are,” he says and grabs my arm. His wolfish grip on me makes my heart thump hard against my chest. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, heightening my senses. “Come here.” He ropes me closer, invading my personal space. He puckers his lips and leans in for a kiss.

  “Let go of me!” I push him away, but when he doesn’t let go, I slap him. “I told you to get out of my room. Ash is going to be here any second. For your own sake, you want to stop right there, turn around, and go.”

  Jared reels back, visibly shocked at my outburst. I must’ve hit him hard, because he’s pressing his hand to his face. He quickly recovers and stalks in my direction. This time, there’s no hint of anything other than rage on his face. I try to worm my way around him to reach the door and call for help, but he grabs me by the waist and throws me down on the bed.

  I scream at the top of my lungs. My cry is cut short when he shoves his hand in my mouth. I bite down as hard as I can, drawing blood. Jared whisks his hand away and glares at me.

  “Jesus, Ella,” he snaps. “Why are you being like this?”

  “You’re scaring me. Go away. I can forget this ever happened if you leave now.”

  It’s all bullshit, of course, but it’s my best shot to get rid of him and get out of this situation unscathed.

  Please, please, please, Ash, come back.

  “I’ll do no such thing. This estate will be mine as soon as we get married, and I won’t retreat like a coward.”

  Ash barges through the door with a feral growl, and next thing I know, Jared is on the floor with Ash above him, fists flying.

  I watch for a few moments before yelling, “Ash, stop.”

  Jared is the trustee in charge of my estate after all. I need to play somewhat nice. If I can diffuse the situation before causing further damage to our working relationship, there might be a chance I can set things straight with him later.

  Ash doesn’t seem to hear me.

  “Stop! Both of you!” I shout. “Jared, I told you to go. Leave right this second. Ash, let go of him.”

  Ash is the only one who listens to me. After twisting Jared’s arm behind his back and incapacitating him, he lets go. I can tell he’s apprehensive because he’s standing like he’s still ready to pounce. His eyes never leave Jared.

  Jared seizes the opportunity to attack Ash. He sucker-punches Ash, who’s only a couple of feet away. Ash’s response is to throw down the savagery. He’s merciless this time, nailing Jared to the ground and delivering blow after blow.

  “You’ll leave,” Ash says in a clipped tone, “right now, if you want to live to see tomorrow. You heard Ella. Get out, Wolfe.”

  Ash stands over Jared, who just lays there, not moving. He stretches the hand he used to strike Jared, opening and closing it. I’ll have to ice it later.

  I’m worried Jared lost consciousness, but he springs up before I can go check on him. It’s just as well because the thought of getting close to him creeps me out. He looks at me and then at Ash, alternating his gaze between the both of us. His hatred is plastered on his face.

  For some men, defeat is humbling. They learn their lesson and don’t commit the same mistake again. I know in my bones that Jared isn’t one of those men. Ash besting him isn’t a minor nuisance, it’s a declaration of war.

  His wrath will cause us more problems down the road. Still, it’s only a waiting game. I’ll bide my time and be patient until my thirtieth birthday comes around. Until then, I would live on the allowance I know is rightfully mine.

  Jared hurries out the room. As soon as he does, Ash rushes to me.

  “Are you okay?”

  I’m trembling, as Ash envelops me in his arms. His embrace soothes my mounting nerves.

  “I can see what you mean now. He’s scary.” I take a deep breath. “Maybe he was drunk? I don’t know why he’d act like that.”

  Ash shakes his head. “Believe me, Wolfe has never been soberer or more in control of how you’re seeing him. I told you he’s up to no good. He never is.”

  The tears that start streaming down my face come out of thin air. I don’t know why I’m crying, except that the magnitude of the situation and the danger I was in seem to hit me all at once. If Ash hadn’t entered the room when he did, who knows how much longer I would’ve been able to keep Jared at bay before he hurt me.

  “You’re all right. I’ve got you.” Ash hugs me again, only it’s tighter this time.

  But it isn’t enough to dispel the distress I feel.

  My weeping stops but the sensation that a thousand-pound elephant is sitting on my heart doesn’t go away. “Can we lay down and you just hold me?”

  “Yes,” Ash says. “Anything you want. You might want to dismiss the overnight staff, though, in case they get wind of the fact I’m here and start rumors.”

  “No, let them stay,” I say. “I feel better knowing the house is fully manned. It’s better that way, in case Jared decides to pay us another visit. But could you make sure the doors are all locked? If he does come around, I don’t want to make it easy for him to pull a stunt like this again.”

  Ash nods. “I’ll be right back.”

  I use the minutes that he’s gone to put the lids back on my paints and turn my easel away from direct sunlight, so it doesn’t damage the painting I started that afternoon. I’ll want to frame it and put it up somewhere in the house as a personal reminder of the greatest day of my life.

  That’s what today is, despite Jared’s antics.

  Ash is mine.

  I don’t know for how long. But I’m going to relish every minute I have with him.

  Once my painting supplies are stowed, I get back into bed.

  Jared still has me shaken, but the biggest effect of his actions is my sheer exhaustion.

  The thing is, I don’t want to waste a single second that I could otherwise spend with Ash. His remark about how he’s not sure he’s good for me gave me pause when he said it. I want to disavow him of that idea.

  The first step is to avoid springing anything on him. To take things nice and slow. Which doesn’t mean I’m game for a casual arrangement, of course. He just needs to see that a romantic relationship between us is the natural progression of things.

  I hear light footsteps in the room. I turn and check who it is, the scare of Jared popping in unannounced still on my mind.

  It’s Ash, so I relax. I’m on my front and he mounts me, supporting himself on his knees. He tugs on my robe, signaling for me to take it off, which I do. I open my mouth to ask what he’s doing, but he answers that question when he flips me over and starts massaging my back. It’s sexy and intimate, which is just what I need to make my concerns and problems melt away.

  I feel the callouses on his palms and am reminded that he does backbreaking work all day around the estate. I’ll have to find a way to remedy it, but it’s a conversation for another moment.

  “How’s that?” Ash asks.

  “Pretty good, but it could be better.”

  “Yeah?” he whispers in my ear, his breath hot on my neck. The tone he uses is indecent and salacious, and I silently will all of his future interactions with me to follow in that vein.

  “Mmhm.”

  He trails light kisses down my back, setting my skin ablaze. He stops near my ass, nibbling just under my cheeks. My sensibility increases and every tiny bite he gives me sends another jolt of electricity rushing through my body. I curve my body upward, giving him access to the place where I want to feel him.

  He uses his tongue to provoke me ever so slightly, licking in the fold between my legs.

  He taps my pussy, giving it a playful but decisive, op
en-handed slap.

  “Give me a pillow,” he orders.

  I obey, and he folds it under my pelvis. I spread my legs, and the elevation puts him face to face with my pussy. Ash explores every inch with the tip of his tongue, reaching every sensitive spot with finesse. He’s not slobbering his way through like I’ve heard my friends say some guys do. Instead, his approach is so targeted, so incredibly on point, that I start backing into his face, grinding my pussy to his lips.

  When he starts going down on me for real, he’s everywhere at once, putting just the right amount of pressure on my clit and tracing every line of my pussy with his tongue. My moans are so loud that I’m sure the house is wobbling along with each of them.

  A hard smack on my ass is the final push I need to start riding his face, going in the rhythm that I want. He keeps spanking me until my ass stings, blurring the line between pain and pleasure until the only thing left on my mind is that I want more, I need more. I need his crescendo to stay the course.

  Ash is the only one who can give me the release I crave, and his touch is getting me closer and closer to that edge.

  “I want to feel you.” I’m almost out of breath. “Inside of me.”

  Smack again, one on each ass cheek.

  Desire.

  Lust.

  First, it’s his tongue, reaching further inside than I imagined was possible; then his fingers; and then, when I have enough, I beg him to fuck me.

  “What do you want?” he asks, one finger still buried in me while he uses his other hand to open his trousers. The head of his cock rests on my leg, a weight that drives me further in temptation. I hear as he starts stroking it, a wicked sound that makes me wetter. “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to fuck me,” I say, gasping for air.

  He adds another finger, stretching me out. “What do you want?”

  “Fuck me,” I whisper.

  He grabs my hair, forcing my head back. “Say it so I can hear you.”

  “Fuck me.” My voice comes out desperate, so very desperate, because the sweet torture he’s putting me through needs to end. I can take the teasing and the torment, I can take him prepping me to take his thick cock, but I can’t wait any longer.

  “I’m already fucking you.”

  “With your cock,” I say, the anguish palpable in my voice. “Fuck me with your—”

  Ash plunges in me all at once, and for a moment, I’m quiet, lost in the sensation of how tight a fit it is. His hands on my hand, he goes at his own pace. His thrusts turn to pounding, and our skins crackle as our bodies collide.

  I’m past the stage of contained moans. My whimpers bounce off the walls.

  I hit the peak and then I’m overtaken by an intense, raging orgasm that feels like it lasts for hours. Ash thrusts two more times, reaching the same bliss as me seconds later.

  After the sex is over, he crashes next to me on the mattress. We lock eyes and he gives me a passionate, tender kiss that makes me tingle all over again.

  I can get used to a lifetime of this.

  Chapter 6

  Ash

  The weeks pass, and I spend my days on the grounds of the Redmond Estate and my nights with Ella. She’s the same person as she’s always been, but we now exist without the edge that the sexual tension between us built.

  Chemistry is still at a record high—and steadily climbing. We try to be as discreet as possible but it’s not foolproof.

  We don’t care. Not when the sex is this hot. Not when we can’t keep our hands off each other.

  I know I can’t. From the moment I wake up to the second I close my eyes to sleep, usually with Ella next to me, she’s there, provoking me.

  Ella dresses her small frame in tight clothes that leave me no option but to watch her, study her, consume her with my eyes.

  And every chance I get, I take my sweet time getting her off in every imaginable way possible. She’s only too happy to oblige—if there was ever a more uninhibited girl, I would be surprised to hear it.

  Her body is mine. And I’m starting to think her heart might be too. Which is both exhilarating and fucking scary as hell.

  I’m in her room and it’s noon, so even with my stealth in coming to her, I’m sure some of the staff noticed.

  That’s not what worries me.

  Wolfe’s conspicuous absence has me worried. He hasn’t come back around since the day of what we’ve taken to calling The Incident. But I know him. I know what he’s capable of. He ruined my family, made my sister fall from grace, and it’s just a matter of time before he’s back knocking on Ella’s door.

  But this time I’ll be here to make sure he never gets his claws near anyone I care about again.

  And I care about Ella. More than that. I’m pretty sure I’m just as much hers as she is mine.

  Ella’s been on a creative bender for the last few weeks. After taking time off from school, she makes up for it by painting night and day, regardless of whether I’m there or not.

  It’s like watching a maestro lead a world-class symphony. Her mastery, her skill, and her talent can’t be overstated.

  And that’s what’s hard to swallow. She wants a future together. Of course, I want her by my side. But Ella lives in a world where the sky’s the limit. If she stays with me, the firmament will fall closer to earth. I don’t want to stand in her way. Not when she’s blossoming and ready to take the world by storm.

  Nevertheless, I can’t stomach the thought of not having her close by, if only because being able to keep an eye on her gives me peace of mind. Wolfe can’t prey on her if there’s someone keeping an eye out for his trickery.

  “Where’s your mind off to?” Ella asks, pouting because I stopped paying attention to her stream-of-consciousness narration of everything going on in her head. I don’t mean to do that, and she knows it. And yet, I still do it from time to time.

  “Just making a mental list of things I have to get done tomorrow,” I say. It’s only a tiny fib, preparing for the event of Wolfe’s deception is a task I take upon myself to do every single day. It tops my list without fail.

  “Do I need to put in more effort to hold your focus captive?” She’s smiling that million-watt smile she wears only for me.

  I like where she’s going with this, so I roll on top of her and kiss her. “Yes, do that. Come up with cruel plans and punish me when I fail.”

  “Hmm,” she breathes, planting a kiss square on my lips. “I can do that, and I can do it well.”

  It’s easy being with Ella, and when I’m caught up in the moment, everything else just falls away.

  There’s a knock on the door. Ella ignores it but whoever’s on the other side is persistent. Ella rolls her eyes and calls out, “Yes?”

  “Ms. Redmond, you have a visitor.” It’s the butler who still regards Ella with an air of disdain because she’s such a far cry from her late grandmother.

  Ella looks at me, eyes wide. She doesn’t get many visitors and if someone shows up on a day as uneventful as this, well, it doesn’t inspire confidence that the day is going to be relaxed and easygoing. Ella’s been sourcing the income to pay the staff’s wages and keep the estate running from her own savings. She didn’t know when the 'allowance', as Wolfe called it, would kick in and she never talked money with me, but I knew she was worried.

  “Did you happen to catch their name?”

  “It’s Mr. Jared Wolfe.”

  We’re both silent when we hear the name. Ella stares at me, her eyes pleading for me to have a solution that’ll make that wretched man keep his distance, but I’ve got nothing to offer except brute strength and the dedicated ass-pounding only I can deliver if he tries to mess with Ella again.

  I know the last beat down wounded his pride, so I doubt he’ll go that way a second time. Jared Wolfe is a parasite and parasites learn to adapt to hostile environments. They wouldn’t be able to survive otherwise.

  Ella leaps off the bed and starts to put on clothes that make her look presenta
ble. She signals for me to stay quiet, but it’s an unnecessary gesture because I had no intention of making a sound. When she goes to open the door, something she finds makes her jump back about ten steps. It prompts me to get up, too.

  “Jared. Hi, how are you?” she says with a stilted cadence and nervous tone.

  I dress myself quickly and get ready to position myself between her and that asshole. Ella made me promise to behave myself. She now shares my opinion that he’s a card-carrying creep, but she still wants to be civil to him in the hopes that he’ll come to his senses and start conducting himself in a professional manner.

  “I’m good. Just paying you a house call to see how things are going on in your corner of the world,” he replies. He’s smooth as a snake crawling through the ground, ready to attack.

  He steps into the room with an envelope in his hand, takes one look at me, and laughs. “It’s a good thing you’re here, errand boy. I have some news that also concerns you.”

  I suppress every instinct in my body, all of which are telling me to kick him out. Sadly, Ella’s right. With the financial situation what it is, she has no choice but to keep a little professional proximity to that rat.

  “Out with it, Wolfe,” I growl.

  He’s amused, and that’s the only proof I need to know that whatever news he’s going to break won’t be pleasant. In fact, it’ll likely be downright disastrous.

  “I’ve brought with me all the legal documents that finalize the arrangement Ella’s grandmother set forth. I control all the finances pertaining to Redmond Estate. Ella, here’s a check for your allowance, which should be used to cover all of your personal expenses. I know I’ve been slow to get this to you. For that, I apologize.”

  No, he wouldn’t hand a check that addressed Ella’s needs without tying firm strings to it.

  Ella reluctantly takes the check, looks at it, and scowls. “This is my monthly allowance?”

  “Of course not! You’ll see the amount is well above what you need to get by. That’s a lump sum to cover for the past few months. You know—since your grandmother’s death. We at the firm have every confidence that you’ll be satisfied.” His words drip with venom.