He ran a hand up her jean-clad thigh. “Let’s take these off.”
“Not so fast.”
Steele slipped a finger beneath her shirt. “At least let me see you again.” His recollection was hazy from the park. He’d been so hungry for her.
“Maybe later we’ll do all the bells and whistles. Right now, I need you.” She unbuttoned the fly and slid a hand in, cupping herself. Ash moaned, arching into her own fingers.
Steele thought he might lose his mind if she kept this up. He was already hard and straining. Steele wanted to push her back and fuck her for all it was worth.
No, he needed to feel her, hot and drizzly in his own palm.
But he’d promised to be a good boy.
He watched her fingers move beneath the fabric. Her eyes fell closed, lips parting as she rocked. Steele was torn as to which was more erotic—the faces she made or her movements.
Ash pulled the jeans down her thighs and kicked them off. Afterward, she lay there, legs closed. Steele sat down on the bench so he was at eye level. Fuck, she had gorgeous thighs, sleek and muscled.
He palmed her calves. “Let me in, Ash. Show me.”
With a sigh, she parted her legs, and Steele caught his breath. She was spread out on the table like Sunday dinner—all for him. Ash wasn’t perfect, but the slight flaws charmed him even more, especially the puckered skin leftover from a bullet on her upper thigh. She was so damn strong, and he admired her resilience. Her courage.
Ash had a sleek pussy—shaved bare and shiny with need. He fantasized about putting his name there, tattooing it right above her wet entrance.
Yeah, right there, a brand.
His cock throbbed as he imagined rubbing the head against the letters of his own name, or even marking it with his come.
Steele groaned.
She’d never be his old lady, never truly be his. But he could dream. He pressed the heel of his hand against her, and she arched up to meet him—sighing, thighs quivering. And it made her even wetter.
“Let’s take the edge off first.”
Steele traced the tender folds, then placed his thumb between them. When she arched, he rubbed her clitoris, pressing gently at first, then rotating just a bit harder. He slipped two fingers into her as he stroked just enough to make her gasp his name as she came.
***
Ash hadn’t been so turned on since the night in Steele’s car. So many times, she’d pictured being with him. In her mind’s eye, she sought out his image when nameless guys were inside her. The fantasy had always made her come, unlike the men she’d been with.
But the reality was so much better.
Steele grasped her thighs, preparing to hoist her up, but she planted a foot on his chest. “You’re gonna do this slow and easy.”
“You sure?” He slid his tongue over his lips in an exaggerated gesture that made her squirm.
Her sex tightened. “Yes.”
“Okay then. We’ve already established you’re the boss.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
Steele hooked her legs over his shoulders and scooted her bottom to his mouth. Ash rested on her elbows and watched. He kissed her inner thighs first, then her lower lips. Before long, his tongue got in on the action.
Steele kissed and licked and tasted.
He made erotic sounds, deeply satisfied groans as if he thought she was delicious. Every once a while, he pulled back to lock eyes with her. The lust in his eyes was almost enough to make her explode again.
Steele buried his face in her, sticking his hot tongue inside. He was driving her crazy, pressing his mouth against her, tongue-fucking. Then he worked her over hard, devouring her pussy.
As she was about to come, she wrapped her legs around his head, and he placed his hands flat against her stomach. He was relentless, tonguing deep, not even stopping for a second. Ash quivered, teetering on the edge. She let go and threw her head back as the orgasm raged through her body like a storm.
Oh yeah. Totally work the wait.
Afterward, she lay sprawled, completely undone, legs wide open. Steele gave her pussy one last, long lick and then kissed the outer lips as if saying goodnight.
Steele wiped his face on his shirt and stood.
He was between her splayed thighs, and she could feel the heat of him, pressing into her ass, even through the denim. Steele ground himself against her, letting her feel every thick, hard inch, and she shuddered.
“You sure you don’t want all this? It’s ready for you.”
Ash imagined Steele dragging his zipper down and pushing his big cock inside her. God, she’d probably come again as soon as he did. It was so tempting.
She wanted him, but she also wanted control.
“Not…until…we…get…back…to…Hades.” The words came slow because it took so much effort to think, let alone say them.
Women loved Steele, and the feeling was mutual. They threw themselves at him, and he never had to put in much effort. She’d be damned if she’d be one of them.
Not again. Never again.
If he wanted her, Steele had to work for it.
With a growl, he pulled away. “Hurry up then. We’re gonna speed all the way back.”
***
Two hours later, Steele pulled into the Hades parking lot.
It took less than that many seconds to get Ash into the hotel room. He’d thought the first ride had been hellish, but the ride home nearly killed him. Balls full, his cock raging, and the scent of her sweet pussy on his shirt had nearly driven him bat-shit an hour into the trip.
Steele was on her as soon as the door shut behind them. Their bodies were pressed against one another, and he pushed her toward the bed. Ash teased him, running her hands along her thighs, then over her luscious ass. She even slipped them into the tight pockets of her jeans.
“Right here.” Steele pulled her closer to the edge of the mattress.
“No. Over here.” Instead, she hopped up onto the table by the door and shucked her jeans, then spread her legs.
No, not like this.
He wanted to take it easy—kiss her and take his time. Steele wanted to argue with her, but his dick wouldn’t let him. He saw how wet and ready she was.
So much for slow. But Steele wasn’t complaining…much. He’d wanted this for hours. No…years.
And it was finally happening.
There was no time for tenderness or foreplay. If he didn’t get inside her, he might die. Next time, they’d be slow and sweet.
Steele ripped off the corner of the condom packet and rolled the rubber over his cock. Thank God for the latex separating them—he’d never been this worked up before. It’d take him longer to come this way. He’d hate to embarrass himself by coming straightaway.
He closed his eyes as he entered her. Steele wanted to make it last, but his body had other plans. He had a thick, and a bit longer than average, cock. And her pussy held him tight, almost draining him.
With a growl, he pressed into her then worked his hips, going deep.
Ash bucked, meeting his thrusts. They moved, grinding their bodies together—it was rough and animalistic.
With a sob, she came for him again. Steele loved the look on a woman’s face—utter bliss. For a second, he drank it in, reveling in her pleasure.
Twice so far. Not a bad start.
He thrust faster, harder.
He’d screwed dozens of girls, and it’d always been about the rush of orgasm, the adrenaline. Not with Ash. He was trembling in her arms, almost undone by being this close to her. Steele was inside her, a part of her. His skin tingled, his stomach fluttered. Steele realized he had fucking butterflies floating around in there.
He tried to last, but he couldn’t.
Steele pushed himself into a devastating climax—a total blackout.
With a sigh, he collapsed on top of her. He brushed kisses over her forehead, her cheeks, but when he tried to tenderly kiss her lips, she pushed him away.
Steele
got to his feet, and she stood.
Ash wouldn’t look at him.
Suddenly, the room got colder, and it wasn’t the temperature.
Ash pulled up her pants while he fastened his. When she did look his way, her eyes were calm once more, unfeeling. Like their afternoon together hadn’t meant a damn thing.
“Thanks, Steele, you were right. I feel better.”
He didn’t want this feeling to end. Steele wanted to spend the day with her and then the night. “Oh, uh good. We could get somethin’ to eat at Hades, or maybe drive over to—”
Ash stretched her arms over her head, and he heard her back crack. “Nah, you don’t have to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Steele, cut it out. I’ve seen you in action for years. I know the drill.”
He didn’t want to run away from a woman and escape with his freedom intact. So help him, he wanted to crawl into bed with Ash—hold her, kiss her.
He wanted to cuddle, dammit.
“I think I’ll take a shower and maybe get a quick nap.” She yawned. “I didn’t sleep much last night.” Ash walked to the door and held it open expectantly, like he was the fucking pizza man.
“But—”
She waved him off. “Don’t worry, I know this wasn’t a big deal. We fucked, and we’ll forget about it.”
She’d just given him a version of his very own speech. The one he used on girls to get rid of them after meaningless, casual sex.
This hadn’t been casual. No, this was serious. For the first time in his life, Steele felt something for someone he’d slept with…and it was exhilarating, humbling.
Ash grabbed his jacket from the table and handed it to him, but he refused to take it. “Keep it. It’s yours.”
“Fine, but you need to go.”
Steele stumbled out of the room, confused and hurt. He stood there in the parking lot, completely bumfuzzled and feeling like a jackass.
What the fuck just happened to me?
And then a brutal realization knifed him.
Oh, yeah…commitment was going around like a bad case of the clap. And he’d just come down with a terminal case.
Chapter Sixteen
“What are you eatin’?”
Ash glanced up from her plate to see Ace frowning at her cheese, hash browns, spinach, and mushroom omelet with buttered wheat toast.
Last night, she hadn’t slept well, so she’d kept busy. Ash surfed the internet on her phone and caught up on email. Then she filled out some paperwork for Cole. But none of the busywork had kept her mind off Steele.
Sleeping with him had been a tactical mistake, one she’d pay for until this job ended.
That’s when she realized Ace wanted a reply. “Food.” Ash was drowning her troubles in tasty fats and carbs. Sure, the meal was healthy-ish, but not up to her usual stringent standards.
When she’d walked into Hades, Voodoo had carried in a crate of fresh vegetables, and the spinach had looked healthy and green. Before she knew it, he’d whipped up an omelet, and she was a goner after she’d had the first bite.
“Yeah, but it's real food. Not twigs and berries or whatever the crap you eat.” He slipped into the other side of the booth without being asked.
“I eat healthy food. You eat crap.” Ash pointed to the donut in his hand. “Do you know how many calories are in a glazed donut?”
“The question is, do I care?” Ace took a big bite and mumbled around it, bits of pastry flying everywhere, “And the answer’s hell no.”
“Charming. Go annoy someone else.”
Hades was full of both bikers and townies—but no sign of Steele. She wouldn’t have come in otherwise. She wanted to wolf down her food before he made an appearance and polite conversation took too much time.
Ace washed down his breakfast with a swig of coffee. “What’s wrong with you? Something’s different.”
She didn’t look up, but she could feel him scanning her face.
“You boned Steele, didn’t you?” He’d spoken so loud, the ambient sounds of the diner stopped—the murmur of conversation, clinking glasses, the scrape of the silverware—everything screeched to a halt.
Ash pasted on a cheery smile. Nothin’ to see here, folks.
They continued gawking.
“Shut your face,” she hissed, then scowled at the nosy patrons until they turned away.
He placed his elbows on the table and scooched forward in the seat. “Oh, yeah, you boned him alright. You boned him real good.”
“I did not.”
“Did too.”
She pounded a fist on the table. “Talk about somethin’ else.”
“Nope.” He placed his arms behind his head and waggled his eyebrows. “Come on, don’t leave me hangin’. Give me the deets.”
“Why? You got money ridin’ on it too?”
“Oh, you heard that bit, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s a club thing.” He didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed. “Tell me about the bonin’.”
Involuntarily, her legs jerked to the left, ready to bolt. “I don’t gotta bone. I’m boneless.”
“And apparently spineless.”
People didn’t accuse her of cowardice. Ash picked up her fork, flipping a piece of egg in the process. “You wanna be skinless?”
“You wanna fork me?” He snickered.
“Enough with the innuendo. It’s none of your damn business.”
They eyed one another.
After a moment, Ace nodded. “No, I suppose it ain’t, but I figured you’d wanna talk about it. I’m the closest thing to a friend you got right now.”
Actually, Ace was the closest thing she’d had to a friend in years. Her job didn’t allow for a personal life. Her friendships had fizzled out over the years, but she couldn’t confide in him. His loyalties were mixed. But she was sorely tempted.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, you seem real fine.” His eyes widened.
Then Steele strolled through the door.
Ash cringed, wishing she could slink away unnoticed, but he saw her. The next thing she knew, he was leaning over her table, eyeing Ace.
“Do you mind?”
“Hell yeah, I mind. It’ll be harder to eavesdrop from another table.”
But Steele’s don’t-fuck-with-me expression convinced Ace to scoot out of the booth.
Ash watched Ace stroll away longingly.
Steele slipped into the booth. “What the fuck was that last night?”
When she’d thrown him out after sex, she’d assumed they’d skipped the obligatory discussion afterward. Apparently, she’d only postponed the “morning after” talk.
She folded her arms across her chest and went mute.
“Ash, we need to talk.”
“No, we don’t. We only scratched an itch last night.” Ash jabbed at her omelet. It’d cooled down and congealed on the plate.
“You mean that’s all it was to you.”
If she didn’t know any better, she’d say she’d hurt his feelings. But it couldn’t be—Steele got his rocks off and then moved on. She’d watched it happen to girl after girl in high school. Sometimes he went back for seconds or thirds, but sex was nothing more than a biological need for him.
Like food or water or the slutty air he breathed. And she wouldn’t be reeled in only to get hurt.
“Were you expecting more?”
“Yeah, I thought….” Steele swallowed hard.
“You thought I still had feelin’s for you.”
Ash did, but fool me once. Besides, that emotion was left over from her teen crush, so it didn’t mean a damn thing…to either of them.
Steele slipped his hands into his pockets, and she could hear the thunk of his foot against her booth.
Then crickets.
“And what about you? You got feelin’s for me? Are you even capable?”
“Of course, I feel.”
She waited for him to explain, but he sat there doing
a real good bump on a log impression.
Ash changed the subject. “Since we’re bein’ all open and honest. There’s somethin’ I’ve been wantin’ to know for years.”
“What?”
“Why did you choose your relationship with Abe over me back then? Because you only wanted to fuck me?”
“No…I….” Steele pushed a hand through his hair. “Because I needed you both. I didn’t have anyone, not really. My mom worked her ass off keepin’ a roof over my head and food in my belly. I hardly ever saw her. When she wasn’t workin’, she was so exhausted she slept most of the time. I was alone.”
“Until you became friends with Abe.”
He nodded. “And then I had a family. Your parents came to my games. Abe was like a brother.”
“And he was afraid you would use me and toss me away.”
Steele rubbed the back of his neck. “Can’t say as I blame him. I was an asshole—still am when it comes to women. He was lookin’ out for you.”
“You love ’em and leave ’em….” Ash bit her lip. “And you would’ve left me too.”
He placed a hand over his mouth as if trying to shove the words back in. Steele dropped the hand to his heart, and his eyes were suspiciously shiny. “Ash, you deserved better than me. You still do. You should marry a man with a career and a good home. Someone who’s settled and successful…and on the right side of the law.”
Ash lifted her chin. “Do you think money matters to me?” If she’d wanted to marry well, she would’ve dated one of those Brooks boys in town with the rich, oil baron father.
His wavering smile tore her up. “Take it from someone who grew up without any, it does.”
She felt a pang for the poor kid he’d been. He was right, Ash didn’t know what it was like to go without.
“I’m not the marryin’ sort.”
Steele sat up straighter in his seat. “What’s done is done. We can’t change what happened. Have dinner with me tonight.”
Ash blinked, thrown by the topic change. “Like a date?”
He shook his head. “Not like a date, an actual date.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “What’s the point? It’s not goin’ anywhere.”
Wild Ride (Let it Ride Book 2) Page 32
