“Okay. Yes.”
Now he was the one who looked floored. “Really?”
She laughed, joy rising up in her. “You’re the one who said we’re perfect for each other.”
“We are.” He wrapped his one arm tighter around her. “But I thought I would have to do some convincing.”
Then he brushed her lips with his, and she wanted to cry at the tenderness of it.
“Damn, you’ve made me so happy.” His kiss was full of passion and love, his tongue gliding across hers.
She sighed. “Oh, Lucas, me too.”
“I love the way you say my name.” Then he shook their hands linked together and grinned. “We can take the cuffs off if you want. Or leave them.” He gave her a wicked wink.
Ashley nearly came on the spot, but she thought handcuffs were more than she could handle at this point. Her emotions, her body, were all on sensory overload. Any more stimuli and she might wind up in a puddle on the floor. “We can take them off.”
“How do we get them off?” he asked.
She stared at him blankly. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Lucas pulled their hands up to eye-level and studied the cuffs. “What did the directions say?”
Feeling a little panicked, she said, “I told you, I didn’t try all these products. In fact, I didn’t try any of them. I just read my Pleasure Party consultant manual.”
Lucas didn’t look particularly worried. He just said, “Well, I guess we leave the cuffs on, then.”
What if she had to go to the bathroom? Needed a shower? Who were they going to ask to get these things off? They were naked, damn it, they couldn’t just flag down a neighbor. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say? You don’t have some complex method of melting these cuffs off of us?”
“No.” He shrugged. “I’m not wearing any clothes and I’m handcuffed to the woman of my dreams with very soft, furry cuffs. I’m not about to complain.”
“That’s a very male attitude.” But she could see his point. It had to be almost midnight. There was nothing they could do about the situation right this second, unless she wanted to dig through all her paperwork to try and find the handcuffs’ directions.
It made more sense to look for them in the morning.
“I’m a male, what can I say?”
Ashley closed her free hand over his penis and cupped it. “Mmm, yes, you definitely are.”
He groaned.
She stroked up and down, pleased at his immediate reaction. He had swelled into a nice, thick rod under her fingers.
“We’re not going to make it to the bedroom, are we?” she asked.
“If we hurry, we still can.” He gripped her elbow, forced her hand to stop moving over him. “Let’s go. One, two, three…run.”
Neither one of them took a single step.
“Let’s just get supine on these tables,” she said, trying to push him backward by leaning against him.
He planted his feet apart and didn’t budge, though somehow mysteriously his fingers had wound up between her thighs, exploring and stroking and digging through her curls to her clitoris. “I don’t think those tables can hold us. The one right behind us is a card table, Ash.”
“Then we’ll have to improvise.” Ashley dropped to her knees in front of Lucas, keeping her left wrist up near his waist so she didn’t pull him down.
He swore. “What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m improvising.” She brushed her fingers over the soft hairs on his thigh and ran her lips over the satin smooth skin of his hard penis. “It’s so hot, so silky.”
Lucas grunted.
She licked along the side of his shaft, from the tip, past the ridge, down to the end, then back up again. Holding him in her hand, she rolled her tongue over the top, taking up the salty clear fluid hovering there.
His fingers buried in her hair, digging harder and harder into her scalp, encouraged her. Excited her.
Emboldened her.
She closed her mouth around him and took him deep inside. Breath rushed out her nose as she rolled her eyes back in ecstasy. He tasted so damn good. She pulled back, filled her mouth again.
Lucas gripped her head harder, making little low growling sounds in the back of his throat. Desire gripped her in a tight little knot right between her legs as she sucked faster, her lips sliding along the moisture she left behind, her movements losing finesse as she lost control.
“Oh, damn, Ashley.” Lucas started moving his hips, meeting her halfway with urgent thrusts.
She closed her eyes, gripped his thigh, letting the taste and sound and scent of him wash over her. Everything was different. Her whole world had shifted today.
Instead of finding a lucrative side job, she had found something she hadn’t even known she’d been looking for. Love. With a man who had been right under her nose her entire life.
It felt so right, so wonderful, so passionate to share her future with Lucas.
She let her hand that was cuffed go slack, dangling in the fur and held up by Lucas, so she could concentrate on stroking with her mouth, sucking in her cheeks, and enjoying his body. There was no hesitation on either of their parts, and everything with Lucas was erotic, sensual, safe, comfortable.
And when he exploded in her, she was very, very pleased.
Nine
Ashley woke up feeling extremely satisfied and sore. Lying on her back, a thin sheet pulled over her naked body, Ashley pried her eyes open.
And saw her brother standing in the door of her bedroom looking like he’d been smacked in the face with a two-by-four. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.
“Jason!” She darted a glance to her left, hoping somehow Lucas had miraculously separated himself from her and was in the shower. No such luck. He was still cuffed to her, sprawled out on his stomach, without a stitch on him. The sheet was shoved toward her in a messy heap, leaving him completely bare.
“Umm…sorry.” Jason closed his eyes. “I didn’t know you, uh, had someone here.” Her brother’s cheeks were bright red. “I was just looking for Lucas. We were supposed to go golfing this morning and he’s not home. Lucas has never stood me up for anything. I was just wondering if you knew where he was.”
Ashley clutched the sheet to her chest and gawked at her brother. Jason didn’t even realize that was Lucas lying next to her. It was almost funny. “Why didn’t you just knock?” she demanded, starting to enjoy her brother’s discomfort.
He covered his face with one hand, rubbed vigorously. Jason was wearing a crisp red golf shirt and khaki pants, looking efficient and clipped and confident, like he always did. Except a mug of coffee was shaking just a little in his free hand. She knew that hot pink mug with the funky daisies on it. It had come from her kitchen.
“I used my key because I wanted to see if you had anything to eat, but I didn’t want to disturb you if you weren’t awake.”
“This is what you get for stealing my food.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve lost my appetite now.”
She laughed. The shoe was on the other foot now. “I guess we’re even then. Hope was at my Pleasure Party last night and trust me, I heard way more than I ever wanted to know about your sex life.”
“Hope was here?” Interest crept into Jason’s voice. “What did she buy?”
“I can’t tell you. That would be violating my customer confidentiality.”
“Oh, come on! She’s my girlfriend. You’re my sister.”
Since Jason still had his eyes closed, Ashley leaned over the side of the bed, hoping there might be a stray T-shirt lying around. Unfortunately, she forgot she was connected to Lucas. She yanked his arm a foot before she realized it.
Lucas groaned. “Ash, you just ripped my shoulder out of the socket.”
Ashley winced and fell back against her pillow. “Sorry.”
Jason’s hand fell off his face. “Lucas?” His eyes popped open. Then bugged out. “What the hell am I
looking at?”
Lucas lifted his head and shot a bleary glance at Jason. “Oh, hey, Jason.”
Ashley twitched the sheet over Lucas’s butt and prayed a shark would swallow her whole. This was so embarrassing.
“Umm, well, Lucas and I…” Had hot monkey sex.
“Well, no shit!” Jason said in exasperation. “What I want to know is why my best friend and my big sister are getting it on with each other?”
“That’s a stupid question, man.” Lucas yawned. “Give me ten minutes to shower and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Lucas, honey?” Ashley cleared her throat. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” She lifted her hand up, and by default his.
“You handcuffed my sister?” Jason set his coffee down on her dresser, his face going from red to an alarming shade of plum purple. “That’s it, I am so going to kick your ass.”
“No!” Ashley squeaked, ready to fling herself over Lucas if need be.
But Lucas just snorted. “Relax, Jason, we were just goofing around. Can you go look through Ashley’s Pleasure Party stuff and find the key? It’s probably in the box the handcuffs came in.”
“Oh my God. I’m going to be sick.” Jason backed out of the room. “You’re a dead man, Manning. Here you are, my best friend, and I trusted you to look after my sister for all these years, and this is how you repay me? I’m going to kick your ass the minute the cuffs come off.”
“We’re getting married,” Ashley said.
Her words were smothered under a blanket of testosterone.
“You couldn’t kick my ass with the cuffs still on.” Lucas rolled onto his back and eyeballed her brother. “And I have looked out for Ashley. More than you have.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Jason’s hands curled into fists.
Ashley rolled her eyes. This brotherly concern was touching and all, but they both seemed to be missing the point. “We’re getting married.”
No one heard her.
“It means that all these years Ashley’s been thinking she’s the family dumb blonde and you let her think that. You talk down to her and that’s not cool.”
Oh, that was throwing a big old glob of chicken fat on the fire.
“I don’t think of Ashley as a dumb blonde. Do I, Ash?” Jason looked absolutely affronted.
Since he’d been telling blonde jokes just about since he’d started speaking at eight months old, she wasn’t sure why he looked so startled. “Well, actually, Jason, you average about three blonde digs a week. You introduce me as your beautiful, but not very bright sister, and at one point suggested I would make a hell of a shampoo girl.”
He frowned. “I said that?”
“Yeah.” It was burned into her memory. Lucas’s hand caressed her back, giving silent comfort.
“Well, that’s because you’re my sister, I care about you. It’s my way of ribbing you, like a brother should. Like when I give you a hard time about shopping. It’s because I’m really proud of you. I mean, you’re gorgeous, and you always look like you stepped out of a magazine. What guy wouldn’t want a sister so classy? But I couldn’t let you get an ego about it.”
“No chance of that.” But her hurt feelings started to ebb, as she realized something for the first time. Jason looked confused, the poor guy. Maybe he wasn’t so smart after all. At least she understood people, which was obviously more than she could say for him.
“Look, I’m sorry if any of that stuff bothered you. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Ash.”
She could see that, and it was a huge relief. It wasn’t Jason’s fault they had never talked about this before. He couldn’t have known it bothered her if she never said anything. And she had always loved her brother, known he cared about her. “I believe you, Jason. It’s okay.”
“You were always so popular, so good with people. I never had any of that. My only friends were Lucas and the guys in the chess club.” Jason grinned. “They all thought you were so hot. When we were in eighth grade and you were a junior, they all paid me five bucks to walk through your bedroom and touch your cheerleading uniform.”
All the fuzzy warm feelings she’d been having evaporated. “What? Jason Andrews! That’s horrible.” She threw her pillow at him and turned to glare at Lucas.
He held up his hand. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t pay five bucks to touch your pom-poms.”
“Nah. I let him do it for free.”
“You didn’t!” Ashley gaped at Lucas, who looked painfully guilty.
“I didn’t actually touch anything, I just sort of walked around your room.” He scratched the whiskers sprinkling across his chin and shot Jason a dirty look.
“Oh, my God. You’re both twisted.” Ashley shifted on the bed, a little stunned that she had been the object of Lucas’s teenage fantasies. “Now, Jason, can you get out so I can get dressed? And please go find the key.”
“Sure.” Jason snorted and started to turn.
“We’re getting married, Jason,” Lucas said, his words arresting her brother.
How come no one heard her when she had said that?
Jason turned back around, looking horror-stricken. “Very funny.” He gave a forced chuckle. “You had me for a second there.”
“I’m serious.”
They locked eyes. Stared each other down. Jason’s gaze shifted to her. “Is he shitting me?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m in love with Lucas.” Geez, it was so exciting to say that out loud. It felt so right, so real. Like it had always been there, and she hadn’t known it. Ashley’s cheeks grew hot, even as Lucas squeezed her hand, kissed the top of her head.
“Oh. Oh. Well.” Jason shuffled his feet. “Marriage, huh?” Then his face split into a grin. He crossed the room and punched Lucas in the arm, gave him a half hug, with thumps on the back. “Dude, we’ll be brothers for real! That’s so cool.”
Put out at being neglected, she said, “Hello…big sister here, planning a wedding, going to wear white…where’s my hug?”
Jason spared her a glance. “You’re naked, Ash. I’m not hugging you. And you might want to rethink the wearing white thing. Not very believable since you handcuffed yourself to a guy.”
Idiot. “Lucas is naked too,” she pointed out.
Jason jumped back. She grinned in satisfaction.
Lucas laughed at the mischievous look on Ashley’s face. She knew how to rile up her brother.
For that matter, she knew how to rile him up too, but in a different way altogether.
Knowing he was grinning like the village idiot, Lucas wrapped his arm around Ashley and pulled her to him for a kiss. Her mouth was swollen, soft, her morning taste earthy, her curls tousled, her cheek still bearing the imprint of her pillow.
He was going to get to wake to this sight every single day for the rest of his life. He couldn’t imagine how he’d gotten so damn lucky.
“If I find the handcuff key will you still go golfing with me?” Jason called from the living room, his lingering presence extremely unwanted.
Lucas did have to admit it was cool to think that Jason was going to be family now, officially. And he wouldn’t have to worry about liking his wife’s relatives. He already knew them all, and thought of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews like a second set of parents.
He would prefer to stay and roll around in some peach powder with Ash, but he had made the plans with Jason first.
“Do you mind, Ash? We’ve had this tee time booked for a couple of weeks.” Lucas didn’t want to leave her, but she might want to actually get some real sleep. “I can come over later and help you pack up the dildos.” He owed those dildos a huge debt. They had brought him to Ashley’s apartment last night. The least he could do was pack them in bubble wrap.
“Go golfing. I feel so good, this calls for shopping. But first, I have to visit my mom and my friends and every person I’ve ever met in my life and brag that I’m marrying the sexiest, smartest, most amazing man in existence.”
“Do I know
him?” Lucas joked, kissing each of her eyelids.
“Lucas,” she sighed. “I do love you.”
“I feel exactly the same. I’ve loved you for forever.” It was perfectly logical, the smartest thing he’d ever done—falling in love with Ashley.
“Hey, guys? I’m not finding any key,” Jason called from the other room. “But I did find some things I want to buy. This sex sling has potential.”
Ashley rolled her eyes, groaned. But she was laughing. “He’s never going to leave, is he?”
Lucas grinned, lay back down on the bed, and pulled Ashley over top of him. “I don’t think so.”
“We should get dressed.”
“In a minute.” Or a year.
“Ashley, what’s a Mr. Right Now?” Jason yelled.
With an exasperated groan, she turned and called to him over her shoulder, “Why?”
“Well, these papers all sort of fell on the floor, and I was picking them up and I accidentally saw Hope’s order form. She bought a Mr. Right Now.”
“Accidentally?” Ashley snorted.
Lucas figured Jason’s peek was as much of an accident as him making love to Ashley over a fan. It was more taking advantage of an opportunity than an accident, and he didn’t think he could fault Jason for that.
“So what is it?” Jason asked again.
Ashley glanced down at Lucas and gave him a wink. Then she said, “There’s a brochure sitting on the table. Read the description.”
Lucas grew somewhat curious, his mind starting to spin possibilities for what could be given a title like that. “What is it?” he murmured, suddenly very aware of the press of Ashley’s firm breasts against his chest. Her warm, moist sex resting over his cock.
“Use your imagination.”
They were under the sheet, sticky and close, and Lucas had a very active imagination.
Jason’s head popped into the bedroom. “Here’s the handcuffs key.” He threw a key dangling from a leopard striped plastic key chain in their direction. “We’ll go golfing another time, Lucas. I just remembered something I need to tell Hope.”
Lucas just bet he did. Then Jason was gone, and Ashley grinned at him.
Bad Boys Over Easy Page 6
