Traded

by Rebecca Brooke

  CHAPTER 21

  Ashton

  The awe in Elena’s voice made everything worth it. No one had ever bothered to treat her like a princess. My dad read me like a book the first night I brought Elena to his house for dinner—something about her called to me. I didn’t know what, I didn’t know why. I just knew. At first I told myself that it was all about saving her, but the reality was she’d found a way past the barriers I put up.

  I watched her as we sat there waiting for the sun to come up, studying the curve of her jaw, the way her hair flowed around her, thinking Elena was beauty and elegance wrapped into one package but she didn’t realize it. It baffled me.

  The sun continued its ascent and Elena sat watching, completely enthralled. All I wanted was my hands somewhere on her body; it didn’t matter where, as long as I was touching. I could have tried to tell myself it was about the feel of her body, the sex, but I knew it wasn’t. Every moment I spent with Elena, I found myself changing, becoming a man worthy of being with her.

  I had so much more planned for the day: hiking, lunch in a fabulous restaurant not far from the park, then a quick plane ride back for the baseball game. I decided against taking her to the box; too many bad memories. They were things she might have to face eventually, but she didn’t have to deal with it yet. Not on our date, anyway. To avoid this, I’d bought seats behind the dugout, on the first base line. If she really wanted to watch the game, there were no better seats.

  Thinking about the box, and everything it signified, brought my mood low. At some point I needed to decide if this was something I could keep doing for my dad. Did I want to continue to be the loan shark, or simply be the restaurateur and chef? Was it possible to do both?

  The sun had fully risen in the sky. Elena turned her head to face me. “Thank you,” she said softly, placing a brief kiss on my lips.

  “You’re so very welcome.”

  She turned to gaze back over the summit. “Do we have to leave yet?”

  “Nope.” I stood and reached my hand down to her and helped her to her feet. “I thought we might do a little hiking first.”

  I produced a water bottle each and the smile on her lips was brighter than the newly emerged sun.

  “Are you ready?” I asked, watching her take in her surroundings.

  “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”

  For the next few hours we hiked different trails, sticking to the easier ones. Elena hadn’t hiked before and I was afraid one of the harder trails might be too much. About an hour in, we stopped for a drink of water and to rest our legs for a moment.

  Seated on the rock below mine, she looked up at me. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  She gestured to my face with the water bottle. “The glasses.”

  “What about them?”

  “Well, I noticed on the plane you weren’t wearing them while you were reading. You had them on top of your head.”

  “Oh.” I chuckled. “I don’t need them for seeing things up close, only things in the distance. It’s just easier to wear them all of the time than only when I need to see far away.”

  “Well, that makes sense.” She lifted her bottle to her lips again, taking a sip of the water and I was glad that she was no longer speaking because all I could think about was how much I wanted those lips wrapped around my dick.

  Later, Ashton. Be patient.

  “What about contacts?”

  I snapped myself out of my fantasies. “Never had much luck with them. I own a set, but after a few hours they’re not very comfortable.” I wouldn’t mention my slightly narcissistic side. I knew many women had a thing for men with glasses—stylish glasses at least.

  “Shall we finish up and head back to the car? I have more surprises planned.”

  Her gaze snapped to mine. “More?”

  “Yep. The first is a special place for lunch but you’ll see when we get there.”

  “Okay.” Her smile was infectious and I found myself grinning inanely, something I didn’t do a lot.

  It took us about a half an hour to reach the car. I loaded the bag into the back seat and climbed in the driver side. Elena had already climbed in the car before I had the chance to open her door.

  “What did you think?” I asked as I drove down to the restaurant.

  “It was perfect. I can’t think of a better reason to get up at three in the morning.” She paused and smirked. “Well, maybe one other reason . . .”

  “Elena,” I groaned. “If you keep up with those comments, I’m going to pull the car over.”

  When her hand landed on my thigh, I stopped the car on the side of the road, looking over at her and trying to remember all the reasons I shouldn’t push her.

  But goddamn . . .

  She’d removed the sweatshirt during the hike. The T-shirt she wore only defined her breasts even more, right down to the hard nipples, visible through the thin fabric.

  The blood raced to my cock and reason flew out the window. Putting the car in drive I turned down a deserted side street and pulled over as far into the trees as possible. Without a word, I got out of the car and jogged around to her side, yanking open the door and popping her belt, hauling her out of the car. Her eyes flashed as I spun her around and pushed her torso down on the seat.

  “I warned you,” I whispered, my hand snaking between us to unbutton and unzip her jeans.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Dipping my hand past the waistband of her panties, I sunk my fingers into her. I nipped her earlobe. “You’re already dripping wet for me.”

  My fingers continued to slip through her body’s juices. I locked her wrists in one of my hands, thoughts of dropping her pants right then and fucking her senseless crossing my mind. Instead, I plunged two fingers inside, rocking them in and out of her body, creating a delicious friction that I wished was on my dick and not my fingers.

  She moaned from the back of her throat, pushing back against my fingers.

  “Harder?”

  “Oh God, please.”

  “Only ’cause you said please.”

  Done with the foreplay, both of our bodies screaming to connect, I pushed her pants down to her knees. Lowering my own zipper, I freed my cock and pulled a couple strokes off before I thrust forward. Her body clenched around mine, pulling me in deep, creating a sensation that made me half demented with need.

  “That’s it,” she groaned.

  My body slammed into hers hard and fast, each thrust making my cock leak and beg for relief as I brought her up and over the edge with me, coming hard, over and over again into her body.

  “Ashton,” she said, her body collapsing on the seat.

  A quick hard fuck: exactly what I needed before I brought her home tonight and introduced her to more of the fun things I kept in my bedroom.

  Our bodies still connected, I slowly pulled out and tucked myself back into my jeans. Elena stood, her eyes widening as she took in our surroundings.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe we just did that on the side of the road—in broad daylight!” she said, quickly righting her clothes.

  I wound my arm around her, drawing her up against my body. “Oh, sweetheart, there are so many ways I want to and will take you. This is just the start.”

  “I’ve never done anything like this.” She blushed furiously.

  “I know. And I’m so happy that you’re doing it all with me.”

  “Ashton, I—” I covered her lips with my own.

  “Don’t say anything. Just enjoy the moment.” I gave her ass a quick slap. “Now get in the car and stop distracting me.”

  Elena raised her brows, but climbed into the car without another word. We both buckled up and I made a quick U-turn and put us back on the road to the restaurant. A soft, rumbling sound came from the passenger side of the car.

  “Hungry?” I asked, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.

  “Starved.” She rubbed her hand over her
stomach. “The protein bar wore off. I need real food.”

  “Good thing we’re on our way to eat.”

  “Definitely.”

  Elena had completely overcome her need to eat salads and small portions. Gone were the days when she had to worry about the overweight prick convincing her she weighed too much. She had a wide-ranging palate and was always willing to try something new, even if she thought it didn’t sound appetizing. I’d decided against taking her away from the Grand Canyon. For Elena, it wasn’t about the number of stars the restaurant had; she was more concerned with the atmosphere. Not to say she didn’t enjoy fine dining, but a fancy restaurant didn’t fit the day’s plans.

  Driving into the lot, I found a parking space and Elena stared at the building before us. Designed like a hunting lodge, the restaurant was rustic and had a log cabin type of feel. The place was rumored to have the most spectacular view of the Grand Canyon, besides being on one of the trails.

  She looked over at me. “This doesn’t seem like your normal choice of restaurant.”

  “It’s not, if I were in the city but we, my dear, are in the middle of the desert. It seemed like the perfect place for lunch.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “Well then, let’s go inside and see if it’s as perfect as you think.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Let’s go.”

  I led her inside. We were quickly seated. The place had the same decor inside as it did out. Rustic hunting lodge meets sit down dining. Elena gushed over everything she saw, even the animal heads mounted high on the walls.

  The waitress was prompt in taking our order, something I appreciated, and quickly brought us our drinks. Elena picked up the bottle of beer, turning it around in her hand.

  “I thought you preferred dark beers?”

  Taking a sip, I savored the taste of the local brewery. “I do, but sometimes local brewed beers taste even better. Try it.” I nodded toward the bottle.

  She lifted it to her lips, drinking down the liquid. “Oh, that’s really good.”

  “I told you.”

  Elena peeked up at me through her lashes. “Is it going to be bad, you missing so many days of work to spend time with me?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all. Remember I own the restaurants; I can be out a few days. Besides, everyday you’ve been at rehearsals, I’ve been working. These are your last few days off before the show begins. I want you to enjoy yourself.”

  “Thank you,” she said simply.

  “Are you excited about the start of the show?”

  She beamed. “I am. I never thought I’d be up there under the lights. After Dominic and I got married it didn’t seem possible. Now here I am, a few days from taking the stage.”

  Her excitement was contagious. I already had plans for that night, but was keeping it all a secret. “Yeah, Alan still curses me out every time I see him for not bringing you to him sooner. I’m excited to see your first performance.”

  “You’re coming?”

  “I have front row seats.”

  “But . . . I’m really excited . . . but I don’t want you to feel like you have to go.”

  “Elena, have you ever known me to do something I didn’t want to do?”

  I thought she might say something about the conversation we had the other night about our parents, but she left it alone. “No. Unless you count getting stuck with me.”

  Covering her hand with mine, I got lost in her eyes for a moment. “I didn’t get stuck with you. If I hadn’t wanted to help you, I wouldn’t have taken Dominic’s offer. I would have dealt with him the way I normally handle that situation. And, I want to see you up there. Trust me when I tell you that.”

  “I do trust you,” she said, solemnly.

  Our food arrived not long after and we slipped into easy conversation. I still didn’t understand the connection with Elena. She’d been so shy in the beginning, now there she sat, offering me her trust. It was perfectly obvious at that point—I wanted Elena even after the three months were up. I had to come clean, but how?

  Was it about getting her away from Tolley? Hell fucking yes. But more than that, I wanted her for myself, even if I couldn’t define it, or knew what that meant.

  “I want to go and see Gretchen sometime next week.”

  The only thing I knew about Gretchen was that she worked with Elena at the diner. They’d been friends since Elena started there three years ago, and the smart woman continually pushed for her to leave Tolley.

  “Okay. I’m guessing she’ll be glad to know I’m not keeping you locked up somewhere.”

  She giggled, the sound rushing over me. “I told her you weren’t some crazy creep when I called to tell her I was taking some time off.” She gave me a pointed look.

  She’d been upset the night I told her I’d talked to her boss at the diner and told him she was resigning, although, she’d tried to hide it. I explained that I wanted to help her find something better. At the time, I hadn’t known how good she was at acting. I never imagined she’d be working downtown in one of the theaters.

  “That sounds like a good idea. You can tell her all about your new job. When are you going to meet her?”

  “I was thinking that I’d meet her at the diner in a day or two.”

  That caught my attention. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” I knew Tolley lived only a few blocks from the diner, and if he knew she was there he might visit, starting shit when I wouldn’t be there to protect her.

  “Why wouldn’t it be? I worked there for years.”

  “Yes, but at that time you weren’t considering getting a divorce.”

  She shrugged. “I’m stronger than I was.”

  That certainly was the truth, but . . .

  “Elena, please don’t take this the wrong way, because you are a hell of a lot stronger than you were, but you haven’t seen him since the night he left you with me. I have, and trust me when I say there’s nothing you need to hear from his mouth.”

  Her eyes flashed. “You don’t think I can stand up to him?”

  There was a small piece of me that worried she might cave if he pulled the same bullshit as the other night. Then again, I knew she needed to do it for her to ever be completely free of him. “No, it’s not that. He’s a complete asshole and I don’t want you to have to deal with him. If it were up to me, I’d keep you as far away from the fucker as possible.”

  The tension left her shoulders. “Yeah, I’d like to never see him again, but that’s not realistic. We live in the same city—I could see him anywhere. And like you said, I’ll probably have to see him for the divorce proceedings.”

  The thought of it made me want to punch something. Not that I had any idea how any of that shit worked, but I’d be doing my research. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. How about you invite Gretchen to La Tratoria for lunch? Then she can meet me—see for herself that I’m not some pervert, holding you hostage for sexual favors.”

  She laughed and I knew we were in the clear again. I hadn’t meant to get her all pissed off on a day where my goal was to impress her.

  “How about Thursday?”

  “I can do that. I’ll set up the table myself.” I lifted her hand from the table to my lips.

  “That was delicious,” she said, setting her napkin down on her now empty plate.

  “Well, we did work up an appetite.”

  “That we did.”

  As far as she’d come, I still enjoyed the slightly shy woman who appeared every so often. It was both adorable and sexy—a very interesting combination. When the waitress brought the check, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to John to have the plane ready to head back home. There was still more to come, but I wanted to get Elena home to rest for a bit first.

  I paid the bill and stood with my hand out. “Ready?”

  CHAPTER 22

  Elena

  “Where to now?”

  “Back to the airport.”

  I didn’t want to admit it,
but I was slightly disappointed that the day was over. Ashton probably needed to be at one of the restaurants that night. “Okay.”

  He laughed. “You can get that look off your face. I have other stuff planned for tonight, but first I want to take you home. You need a nap. I did get you up at the crack of dawn.”

  “You can say that again.”

  He led me out to the jeep and we took off for the airport. John was waiting for us when we pulled up to the hanger. He didn’t spend more than a few minutes talking to Ashton. The flight back seemed longer, maybe because I spent it curled up against Ashton instead of sleeping, but it was a much more enjoyable way to spend the flight.

  Well, second to sex in the air.

  When we arrived back at the house, I followed after Ashton, who was entirely too energetic given the amount of sleep he’d had, dragging my heels. A yawn escaped my lips.

  “I have a few phone calls to make. Why don’t you go and rest? I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Ashton followed me up the stairs. For a moment I thought he was going to try something, but then he pulled back the sheets and helped me in, pulling them up and over my shoulders, tucking me in. It was a sweet gesture.

  “How long before I have to get ready,” I asked sleepily.

  “A few hours. I’ll be up to join you as soon as I make sure everything is ready for tonight.”

  And as exhausted as I was, I barely saw Ashton leave the room before my lids grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep.

  

  A buzzing noise came from the dresser. It took me a minute to realize it was Ashton’s phone. I opened my eyes and saw him reach out and shut off the sound. The sky was still light, but nowhere near as bright as it had been earlier.

  “What time is it?”

  I heard the familiar sound of his hand tapping around on top of the table, looking for his glasses. His hand finally smacked them and the bed moved as he rolled to his side. “Five.”

  “I guess we need to get up.”