Traded

by Rebecca Brooke

  She was still in the same spot when I crawled back into bed. Not a sound traveled through the house. Gathering her in my arms, she cuddled against my chest and the moment was so perfect that it was hard to consider that any of this might temporary. But the decision was Elena’s. Whatever she decided, I’d just have to wait and see.

  CHAPTER 17

  Elena

  My body felt lighter than it had in a long time. The bed felt different: bigger, softer, warmer. I kept my eyes shut, letting myself enjoy everything about the moment. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I didn’t have the overwhelming dread that came each time I opened my eyes—or the exhaustion. Every morning since I arrived, the weight seemed to get a bit lighter.

  This morning it was completely gone.

  I felt a featherlight touch across my back and my eyes fluttered open; the desire to see Ashton flowing through me so strong it was almost too much to handle. Deep, mesmerizing green eyes connected with mine.

  “Good morning.” His voice was a sultry whisper and it sent chills up my spine. Good chills though; the kind that made my heart swell.

  “Morning.”

  Now fully awake, my nerves kicked in. I was safe with Ashton, but with everything that had happened the night before, instinct took over and I braced myself for the reaction I knew in my heart wasn’t coming.

  He held me captive with a glance and lifted his hand to caress my face. “I like waking up next to you.”

  The second the words passed his lips, I melted into his touch. “Me too.”

  Thoughts of more mornings like this paraded through my head. If only the situation wasn’t temporary. Ashton called to me on a level no man ever had. A dream: that’s what staying with him was. Then again, I never thought I’d be on stage, singing the way I’d always wanted to. Dreams could come true, when you got yourself out of a bad situation.

  His finger caressed my rapidly hardening nipples and despite all that we’d done thus far, here in the bright light of day, I wanted to hide my nakedness from his gaze. His touch was simple, yet exposing. Without the heat of the moment, my confidence deserted me.

  “Don’t be shy. Not after last night.”

  I broke the connection of our eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  His hand continued its ministrations while the other slipped around my nape. “You do, but there’s a million things I want to show you,” he said against my lips, before taking possession of them in a heated kiss.

  Our tongues danced until we needed to breathe. Ashton lifted his head to watch me. “Your first rehearsal is today, right?”

  “Yeah.” I peeked over at the clock. “I have about an hour and a half until I have to be there.”

  “I’d start right now, but I don’t want you to be late.”

  I attempted to sit up and throw my legs over the side of the bed but Ashton pushed me back down.

  “Stay here,” he demanded, standing and pulling on a pair of track pants. “I’m going to bring you breakfast. You’re going to relax until you have to get ready.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to argue. Spinning on his heel, he darted out of the room and down the stairs.

  The problem with lying alone in the silence was that it gave me too much time to think. My mind wandered back to earlier in the morning.

  Am I falling for Ashton?

  No. It wasn’t possible. My emotions must stem from convenience. He was showing me a better life, filling me with confidence, renewing my dreams. It was normal to feel some gratitude toward him. That was what I was feeling.

  Gratitude.

  If that were the case, then why did my heart lift when I saw him? In fact, I didn’t even have to see him. Just seeing a text from him was enough for that fluttery feeling to take over my stomach. As soon as I knew he was on his way home, I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

  I tucked my hand underneath the pillow, pulling the sheets up over my shoulders, but I knew there was no way I’d be able to sleep.

  Thoughts, feelings, thoughts about feelings; they all ran through my head.

  Within moments I was kicking off the sheets, my temperature spiking and falling at a rate whereby it was near impossible to get comfortable. I pulled myself up, my back against the headboard, and let out an audible sigh, thankful that Ashton was far enough away for him not to hear because if he did then he would surely question it. There was a word that kept taunting me, teasing me with its significance, dancing around in the back of my mind so that I was unable to ignore it, yet unable to justify its use given the newness of whatever Ashton and I had.

  It was an unusual situation; one I hadn’t even considered. And that was scary. There had to be another word for this.

  There had to.

  I needed to find a way to deal with Ashton without giving my thoughts away. He couldn’t know that I’d even considered the possibility. I didn’t need pity. Since leaving Dominic I’d worked really hard to push and become someone stronger.

  I heard Ashton coming down the hall and did my best to school my features, sitting up in the bed, pulling the sheet tighter around my chest.

  “Tsk, tsk. I’d love to watch those breasts as you eat.”

  He set the tray in front of me and dipped his finger into the hollow between my breasts, slowing pulling the sheet away. I felt exposed and sexy all at the same time—something only Ashton had ever made me feel.

  Needing to focus on something other than his hands, I looked at the tray, noticing that he’d made me his special omelet. Ashton picked up the fork and slid it into my fingers, which was strangely erotic. Picking up a piece of the omelet, his eyes followed the path the fork took all the way to my mouth. A groan escaped him as the fork left my lips.

  “Shit, watching you eat like that is incredibly fucking sexy.” He reached down to adjust himself. “I’m going to do my best to keep my hands to myself and let you eat, but I make no guarantees because right now I want to flip you over and fuck you until neither of us can move.”

  The moan slipped out before I could pull it back. Images of all the things I’d like Ashton to do to me but was too shy to ask for ran through my head.

  “Elena,” he said, his voice throaty. “I don’t want you to be late and I see the look in your eyes. I’m going to go take a really fucking cold shower, but tonight you’re mine.” He captured my lips, stealing my breath, and left through the door to the bathroom.

  My eyes darted back and forth between the food in front of me and the door, where I could hear the shower running.

  Squirming in the bed, I shoveled down the omelet and got up to make my way into the bathroom.

  The outline of his body was visible through the frosted glass and my nipples hardened into tight little buds. With one arm up on the wall in front of him, he was the picture of raw sensuality. And I wanted to have a taste.

  Stepping into the shower behind him I wrapped my arms around his waist. Taking him into one of my hands, I gave his hard length a few slow strokes. His head dropped forward for a second before he turned around. I didn’t want to give him a chance to stop me so, stealing myself, I dropped to my knees, taking him into my mouth.

  “Elena,” he hissed. “You don’t—”

  I sucked him deeper, effectively cutting off any argument he planned to make. It was my first time giving a blowjob where each stroke didn’t come with an insult. Dominic would tell me what a bad job I was doing. Strange that, considering he always managed to get off. The sounds of Ashton’s satisfied grunts and groans led me to believe I was doing something right.

  When my tongue drew small circles around the tip, Ashton slid his hands into my hair, his fingers clenching, tugging. It stung, but not in a bad way. His skin was silky against my tongue as I sucked him deeper. His hips pistoned forward and he stopped suddenly.

  “Elena, I’m sorry—”

  Not wanting to let go, I grabbed his ass cheeks, pulling him to me. He took the hint and began to slide in out of my mouth. All the
while, I cupped his balls, rolling them around in my hands. His movements sped up, becoming stuttered and without rhythm.

  “I’m gonna come, Elena,” he panted.

  I knew why he was warning me, but I wanted it. I drew him into the back of my throat, gripping his ass, making sure he couldn’t pull out as I brought him over, his essence spilling into my mouth and down my throat. The second he finished I was yanked up and his mouth was on mine, my lips covered and possessed by his.

  Lips parted.

  Tongues dueled.

  It was sensational.

  He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine. “You didn’t have to do that,” he whispered, his breathing still labored.

  “I wanted to.”

  “Mmm . . . feel free to do that anytime you want.”

  Those simple words banished more of the fear and insecurity.

  “I will.”

  He caressed down my stomach. I knew what he had in mind. Taking hold of his hand, I brought his palm to my lips. “You can have me tonight. Otherwise we’ll both be late.”

  He kissed me quickly. “I hate it when you’re right.”

  We finished our shower and got ready to face the day. Ashton’s would be much longer than mine, but there was something I needed to take care of when I got home from rehearsal.

  

  Rehearsal went better than I expected; the only problem being how quickly it flew by. Nerves hit me. Although probably the easiest of all my problems to deal with, I wasn’t sure if I was quite ready to face more demons.

  After Lewis dropped me off at the house, I sat in the living room staring at the phone. Not dialing, or talking on. Simply staring at the phone in my hand. My fingers trembled as I pressed each button and my stomach churned up the contents of my lunch.

  What would they say? I hadn’t talked to them in five years. Had they given up and disowned me? Would they even still have the same number? The call connected and I almost puked. A soft, female voice answered.

  “Hello?”

  I took a deep breath and spoke. “Mom?”

  “Laney?”

  Hearing her use the name I’d grown up with made my throat close and I couldn’t breathe.

  “Laney, is that you?”

  “It’s me,” I croaked.

  “Oh my God.” This was a muffled scraping and then Mom was yelling. “Lance. Lance. Our Laney is on the phone.”

  There was more shouting.

  “Put her on speaker,” my dad said.

  “Laney, are you still there?”

  I had to laugh at their antics. In five years, nothing about them had changed. “Yeah, I’m still here.”

  “Where are you?” Mom asked the same time Dad said, “Are you still with that asshole?”

  I sighed. “I’m still in Colorado and technically yes, but I’m going to start divorce proceedings.”

  “Oh thank God,” my mother chanted. “What changed?”

  I fiddled with the edge of the pillow. “I met a man—”

  “You met someone?” Her voice was a little giddy. “Are you and Dominic separated?”

  She had never been a fan of Dominic. When I’d called to tell her we’d eloped, she cried, but they hadn’t been tears of joy. That was when Dominic began whispering in my ear, telling me my mother didn’t want me to be happy; saying that if she did, she would have been as excited as I was. It was the first step down a very treacherous path that left me alone in the world, except for Dominic.

  If I’d only known.

  “Yes, we’ve been living apart for the last month or so.” My parents didn’t need any more information than that. “And I did. He’s charming and handsome.”

  “Oh, honey,” her voice held a hint of sadness. “You thought Dominic was all of those things too.”

  “Yes, but . . . ” Just the thought of Ashton brightened my day. “He’s so different. He cares about what I want, and what I need. He listens when I talk and refuses to let me help with dishes when we have dinner together. And you’ll never guess what else he did?”

  She sniffed down the line.

  “He helped me get an audition for an off Broadway show and I got one of the lead roles.”

  My mother didn’t answer, but I could hear her sobbing when my father did. “Oh, Laney, that’s wonderful.”

  “Mom, are you okay?” Why was she crying? She knew when I went to college this was what I wanted to do.

  “I—” She drew in a sharp breath. “I . . . just never th-thought we’d hear from . . . you again,” she sobbed.

  Tears sprang to my eyes faster than I could stop them and I let them run, unchecked, down my face. “Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry.”

  “Baby girl, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Mom argued. “He warped all of your views.”

  “That’s one thing I’m learning. Ashton is a good teacher.”

  “When do we get to meet this mysterious man?” Mom asked, and I could almost hear her smile.

  Shit.

  That was something I hadn’t thought about. Obviously, I could explain to my parents that the situation was temporary—how I ended up here in the first place—but that was something I’d rather they not know. But Ashton had already done so much for me. Could I really ask more and ask him to meet them?

  “I don’t know. But I’ll work on finding time to come and see you both. I miss you so much,” I cried.

  “We miss you too, sweetheart.”

  The conversation continued. My parents asked questions about what I’d been doing but, afraid of their reaction to just how bad my life had been, I left out many of the details. They, in turn, filled me in on what was going on with my family back East. Eventually, I noticed the time and knew Ashton would be home from work soon. As a surprise I wanted to have dinner ready when he got here. He might be annoyed that I was cooking but tough, it was my choice. Something I wanted to do.

  “Okay, Mom. I promise I’ll try and call at least once a week.”

  “You better, otherwise your mother will drive me nuts,” Dad said with a laugh.

  “Okay, okay.”

  “Laney?” Mom piped up.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m so happy you called.”

  “Me too, Mom. Me too.”

  We said our good-byes and I was just hurrying into the kitchen when Ashton walked through the door from the garage.

  “Damn,” I cursed.

  “Language,” he mock reprimanded me. Reaching up, he gently took my bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. “Want to tell me what this pout is for?”

  “I was going to make you dinner, but I ran late.”

  I barely had time to finish my sentence before I found myself in his embrace, the taste of his lips on mine. We were breathless when the kiss ended.

  “Now that’s better,” he said.

  “What is?”

  He ran his thumb along my lip again. “No more pouts. Now go upstairs and change. We’re going out tonight. You can cook tomorrow.” He winked.

  And that was what I loved about Ashton.

  Loved?

  Shit

  shit

  shit.

  How could I be letting myself fall again? I couldn’t do it. No way. Whatever I was feeling would need to be pushed way down deep. My life had finally become something to enjoy.

  I wouldn’t let anything ruin that.

  CHAPTER 18

  Ashton

  Something flashed through Elena’s eyes, but just as quickly, it was gone. She pasted a smile on her face and asked, “What should I wear?”

  “Semi-casual.”

  I’d made reservations at my favorite steakhouse earlier in the day. I planned on taking her to see a movie afterwards. Elena hadn’t been to the movies in God knew how long and I wanted to take her. So many times we’d watched something that I’d seen a million times but she hadn’t even heard of it. And they weren’t smaller indie films but huge box office, blockbusters.

  “Okay, give me about fifteen
minutes,” she smiled.

  “Take your time. I want to get changed too.”

  Nodding, she started up the stairs and I followed a little slower behind. Watching her ass sway as she walked made me hard. Memories of the shower that morning took over all of my thoughts. Never in a million years had I expected her to do that, but damn did the woman know how to use her mouth.

  Stopping about halfway up, I watched her disappear into the room and I took the time to adjust myself. Only a few more hours then I could have her. She deserved to not be treated as a sex slave, but I had every intention of showing her a world of pleasure, and that would require lengthy lessons.

  By the time I made it through the doorway Elena had finished changing and was in the bathroom fixing her hair. Probably a good thing—if I saw her naked we’d never leave the house.

  My tie was the first thing to go. While it might make good bondage later, I had other plans for that in one of my dresser drawers. Stripping down to my boxers, I dug out a pair of jeans and a gray button down. I changed quickly and went downstairs to remove myself from temptation. About another ten minutes passed before Elena joined me. I held my breath when I saw her. The way they accentuated her curves, the jeans looked custom made.

  We needed to get out of the house before I ruined all my plans for the night and ravaged her right there on the living room floor. Around her, all of the self-control I prided myself on went flying out the window. With Elena it was never enough. No matter how many times I had her, I still wanted more.

  In every position.

  In every room.

  Over and over.

  Normally I could wait; anticipate, pour my attention into one session, taking hours bringing a woman to unparalleled heights of passion. Not with her. With Elena, I found myself lucky if I didn’t come in my pants. Watching her crash over the edge was just . . .