Ash: Jagged Edge Series #5

by A. L Long

  Taking a bite, I stood and watched him work. Not even a movie could beat the show I was currently watching. Whoever said you can’t have your cake and eat it too didn’t have one Ash… something-or-another in their kitchen. With every bite I took, his muscles flexed as he tightened the pipe under the sink. Even the muscles in his stomach were working overtime.

  When I finished enjoying not only my sandwich, but the view as well, I walked over to him and asked, “How much longer until I have water?”

  “It should be right about now,” he answered as he scooted out from under the sink. “Let me turn on the main water line and we will give it a try.”

  Ash headed down the steep stairs to the basement where the main water switch was. I waited in the kitchen until he returned. When he came back, he took the faucet handles, one in each hand, and began turning them until the water began to run. At first there was a sputter and then a spatter until the water began flowing smoothly. Squatting down, Ash checked under the sink to make sure there were no leaks from his handiwork. Washing his hands under the stream of water, he said, “I think it is good. There aren’t any leaks that I can see.”

  “Thank you for fixing that for me,” I replied as I handed him a dish towel to dry his hands.

  I wasn’t sure what was going on between us, but when Ash took the towel from me, instead of drying off his hands, he took the ends and swung it over my head and wrapped it around my waist, pulling my body closer to his. I lost my balance and my hands ended up on his hard chest to steady myself. It was like I touched a magnet. The feel of him beneath my hands drew me in, leaving me completely breathless.

  I was unable to look him in the eye. Ash let the towel drop to the floor as he moved his hands to cup my face. He lifted my head with a gentle touch and our eyes met. That was all it took, for at that moment, I was his. His mouth captured mine and the heat of his lips warmed my soul. The kiss sent a strange tingling sensation down my body that gripped me like a vise. My lips parted and he swept his tongue inside. It was like heaven the way he consumed me. Every touch was more tender than the first.

  Without a warning, my body was up off the floor and wrapped tightly around his. I felt as though I couldn’t get enough of him. He was strong, passionate, and sexy as hell, and for now, he was mine. Walking over to the counter, he gently placed my bottom on it while keeping his soft lips attached to mine. Taking my hands from around his neck, he lifted them above my head and slowly began pulling my tank top up over my head. With a gentle sweep of his hand down my arm, he looked down at me and whispered, “I can’t resist you any longer.”

  Placing my hand under his chin, I lifted his head until his eyes met mine. With a breathy voice, I commanded, “Then don’t.”

  Our mouths collided with each other, but this time there was a hunger between us that needed to be fed. While Ash was unclasping my bra, I was working to get his jeans undone. My efforts were stopped midstream the second Ash placed his mouth on my nipple, which sent a stream of pleasure to the very tip. He continued to kiss and suck my throbbing peak while his other hand gently outlined the pink tip of my other nipple. I lost all concentration on setting his shaft free. My mind was reeling with ecstasy at the attention he was giving my breasts. I lost all hope of taking control of the situation, which I was groomed to do so many times before, when his lips left my breast and the warmth of his breath took its place, sending a shiver through my body. It wasn’t because if the coolness of his breath, it was because more than anything I wanted this man to take me.

  With my mind clouded in pleasure, I managed to get his jeans unzipped; the feel of his arousal was evident through the material of his briefs as my hand followed the trail of hair that led to the present that waited for me. Pulling his shaft free, I caressed the tip with my thumb, feeling the drop of precum that had been resting on top. Gliding my hand down the length, I could feel his cock thicken as I tightened my grip as best I could around it.

  My movements were stopped when Ash lifted my butt from the counter and pulled down my shorts and panties in one swoop. I knew I was clean, but like with every other man that had fucked me, I wasn’t taking any chances. In a heated breath, I moaned, “Do you have a condom?”

  With his mouth next to my ear, fondling the lobe between his teeth, he whispered, “Right front pocket.”

  Lowering my hand, I found the right pocket of his jeans and pulled out the condom. Since I didn’t want him to stop what he was doing, I placed the end of the small package between my teeth and ripped it open. Pulling the latex sleeve free, I placed it on the tip of his impressive cock and carefully rolled it on. I wasn’t sure if he was impressed by my handiwork, but his appreciation rang clear as he said, “Nice.”

  Pushing my knees to my chest, Ash slowly began moving inside me. Every inch that he pushed, my passage was stretched wider to accommodate his size. If I hadn’t learned self control all those years before, I would have let go the minute he thrust inside me. Never had anything felt so good as the sensation of him moving in and out of me. As he continued to sink deeper inside me, I could feel my self control begin to fade. My walls began to tighten and the release I had been holding on to demanded to be set free. With a moan of euphoria, my body shuddered with delight.

  Holding on to Ash like he was my saving grace, my emotions got the best of me as my tears began to fall. Wiping them away as quickly as I could, I released my hold on him and willed my mind to hide the emotions that this man had brought out. Feeling the sensation of his bliss, I waited a moment for his body to relax before I kissed him on the lips and said, “Shower time,” as though what just happened had no effect on me.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ash

  When Juliette got up, there was something going on with her other than just needing to shower. She might have tried to hide it, but I knew what just happened between us had an effect on her. Watching her leave, I couldn’t help but watch the way her body moved with every step. If I wasn’t careful, the semi-hard erection I had would soon be a full-blown raging tower ready to explode.

  Pulling up my boxers and my jeans, I walked over to the sink to get cooled off. Turning on the faucet, I splashed a handful of water on my face. Even though a shower would have been better, I did manage to tame down my arousal for the time being.

  While I waited for Juliette to finish her shower, I decided to investigate where she got the package from. I wouldn’t be able to open it, but at least I would know who it came from. When I picked it up, it almost felt like there wasn’t anything inside. Looking at the sender's address, I pulled my cell from my back pocket and took a quick picture of the mailing label.

  I opened the door and wandered out the front to see if there was anything else I could do for Juliette. One thing I did notice was that the siding below the front window was beginning to come loose. I walked over to my truck and grabbed my hammer from the back seat. When I turned to walk back to the house, I noticed a black sedan coming up the road. It seemed odd since the only place that it could be going was either here or to my place. Waiting for the sedan to come closer, I kept an eye on it as it passed Juliette’s house and continued driving in the direction of my house.

  Getting a good look at the driver, I could tell that there was only the chauffeur and someone seated in the back. I couldn’t a good look at the passenger since the windows were darker than what was legal. I also missed getting the plate number since my focus was more on who was inside. My only option was to wait until they came back and get it then.

  About fifteen minutes passed, the car still hadn’t come back, which told me that they had to be at my place. Going back inside the house, I needed to let Juliette know that I had to take off for a few minutes. As I walked back to her room, I could no longer hear the water running in the shower. I tapped lightly on the bathroom door, thinking that she was probably getting dressed. With no response, I tapped again and asked, “Jules, are you in there?”

  The room was silent. There was something going on, and
as usual, I was thinking the worst. Turning the knob I opened the door and found that she wasn’t inside. Leaving her room, I began checking the house to see if I could find her. She was nowhere to be found. I even checked the back of the house, knowing that she wasn’t in the front. Still no Juliette. I had no idea where she could have gone, but I knew I needed to get to my place and find out who was in that car.

  Climbing in my truck, I began driving up the road when I saw the sedan coming my way. I looked down to where the plate should have been, but there was nothing there. Looking in my review mirror as it passed, I looked below the trunk and found there was no plate there either. I found this to be rather odd, unless of course it was a new vehicle purchase, but even then, there should have been a paper plate on it. My next conclusion was that whoever was inside didn’t want to be known. That would certainly explain the dark window.

  Once I reached my house, I stopped the truck in the front without driving it into the garage like I normally did. I had no idea what was going on, but my first instinct was to check out my house. Taking out the revolver I had hidden away under the front seat, I checked to make sure it was loaded before heading up the steps to the house. Unlocking the door, I opened it slowly. I wasn’t sure what would be waiting for me and I wasn’t about to take any chances.

  After spending about an hour searching the house, everything seemed to be in order. Nothing seemed to be disturbed, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t. Thinking I would rather be safe than sorry, I decided to get in touch with Peter. I wanted my place swept from top to bottom. The last thing I needed was to have any surprises come at me that I couldn’t see. We had the best equipment possible at the shop that could detect if there were any bugs or cameras placed in my home.

  Peter assured me that he would be at my house in about an hour with a couple of the guys to search my house. After hanging up with him, there was only one other thing that I needed to take care of, and that was to find out what happened to Juliette. Dialing her number, I waited for her to answer. After just one ring, her phone went to voice mail, which told me that her phone had been turned off. I wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but I had at least an hour to find out. Jumping in my truck, I headed back to her place to see if there was anything there that would tell me more about her. I was pretty sure that her house was still unlocked since I neglected to lock it before I left.

  When I arrived at Juliette’s, the house was pretty much the way I left it. My hammer was still sitting on the front porch, and the door was open with the screen door closed. Getting out of my truck, I grabbed my gun, which I’d set on the seat beside me, just in case there were any uninvited guests inside. Opening the screen door. I looked around and listen for any noise. I was pretty sure that it was only me in the house. Beginning my search, I noticed right away that the package Juliette had received was gone from the coffee table. I wasn’t sure when it had been moved or taken as I didn’t pay attention to it earlier.

  I figured that the best place to start searching would be her bedroom, and the closet was typically the one place girls tended to put things they didn’t want anyone to see. Sliding back the closet door, I began examining its contents. There were a lot of shoe boxes on the top shelf, which was an excellent place to keep things hidden. Pulling down the first box, I looked inside to find a pair of expensive looking heels. I recognized the signature red bottom and knew that they were Louboutin’s.

  A confused thought had crossed my mind, “How does a simple girl working in a distribution center afford designer shoes?” Placing the shoes back in the box, I pulled down another box with another pair of designer shoes. Box after box, every one carried the same thing. It just didn’t make sense. Either Juliette had a rich boyfriend, or worse, was doing something other than working at a distribution center to make her money. Even going through her clothes showed designer labels, most of which were fancy-looking evening gowns and dresses.

  Closing the closet, I began looking through her dresser drawers. This was another place that girls tended to hide things. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in them: bras, panties, stockings, and other girly treasures. All of which were very sexy. Closing the last of her drawers, I went to the nightstand. Another place to hide things. Pulling on the top drawer, I found it to be locked.

  I walked to the kitchen to see if I could find something to jimmy the drawer open. Grabbing a knife that I thought would work, I headed back to Juliette’s room. It took some doing, but I was finally able to get the drawer open. Rummaging through the contents, I found some childhood trinkets, which weren’t really anything special. A set of jacks and a ball, a couple of small figurines made of plastic, and a fake ring from a bubble gum machine. When I dug further in the drawer, I found an envelope stuffed way back between some other papers. Opening the envelope, I pulled the contents out. Unfolding papers, it appeared to be some sort of document.

  I was only able to read the first line, which read, ‘Contract of Ownership’ before the screaming sound of a mad woman sounded behind me. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  I tried to explain, but all I got was a slap across the face before the papers I was holding were ripped from my grasp. Shocked, I just stood there speechless. I had never seen a woman angrier than Juliette. Trying to tone down her anger, I began to explain, “Jules, hold on. It’s not what it looks like.”

  “Get the fuck out of my house, Ash. You had no right. Just leave,” she ordered.

  As I walked to the front door, I noticed that the package she had received was opened with the contents draped across the couch. It was a black gown with diamonds along the straps and front. Juliette could be angry all she wanted, but eventually I was going to find out what was going on with her. Hearing the screen door close behind me as I left, I looked up just in time to see the back end of the sedan I had seen earlier. Running after it, I thought that I might be able to get a glimpse of the person sitting in the back. Unfortunately, the only thing I was able to see was the back of a man’s head and his jet black hair.

  Getting in my truck, I drove back to my place. I knew that Peter would be there soon to sweep my house. Maybe he would have insight on what to do to fix my problem with Juliette. I knew that he and his now-wife Lilly had a lot of problems before they finally worked through it. It was time for a little male bonding. Maybe he would be able to give me some advice on how women worked.

  When I got to my place, I pulled my truck in front of the garage. It wasn’t long after I got inside that I heard the engine of Peter’s Camaro pull up. Looking out the window, I could see that Sly, Lou, and Mike were also with him. I headed to the front door so I could help them unload the equipment that they were pulling from the trunk of Peter’s car. Jogging down the steps, I walked up to the guys and said, “Hey, guys, I really appreciate you doing this for me.”

  “Not a problem, Bro,” Lou said with a smile.

  “Hey, who is your new neighbor?” Mike asked as he pulled a computer from the trunk.

  “Her name is Juliette Daniels. She bought the place about a month ago. Peter, do you have a minute to talk?” I asked, looking over to Peter.

  “Yeah, sure. You guys go ahead and get started. We’ll be up in a few,” Peter said.

  Peter and I began walking to the back of the house where I knew we would be out of earshot from the guys. It wasn’t that I had anything to hide. It was just that the guys always seemed to make a joke of things, especially when it came to women troubles. When we reached the back, I walked over to the fire pit and just looked down at the ashes that were still sitting on the bottom. Peter came up beside me and asked, “So what is this about, Ash?”

  Gazing out to the wooded area a few yards from where we were standing, I tried to find the right words to ask for his advice. “Do you remember when you and Lilly first met and all the problems you two had to tackle?”

  “Yeah, I remember. We were both stubborn, but our love for each other finally won out,” Peter answered.

/>   “Well, the girl I’ve been telling you about…” I began running my hand through my hair, more nervous than I had ever been. “I’m kind of falling for her, but I’m afraid that she is hiding something and it could change everything.”

  “Listen, Ash, I’m no expert when it comes to relationships, but I know that if you really care for this girl, whatever she is hiding will surface and you two will be able to work it out. I truly believe in chance meetings and things happening for a reason. Don’t stress out. Just take it day by day.”

  I knew that Peter was right. Maybe I was making more of this than needed. But one thing I knew for sure. Juliette was beyond pissed when she caught me looking through her things. She had every right to be. I could kick myself in the ass for going through her things. Not because I got caught, but because I should have waited until we knew each other better and I earned her trust. Now I wasn’t sure I would ever gain that.

  After our little talk, Peter and I headed back to the house to check on the guys. As we were going in, Mike was coming out looking at something in his hand. Almost bumping into us, he said, “Holy shit. Sorry, guys.”