Asher (A Wesley Brothers Novel Book 3)

by Michelle Smith

  I slide my gaze back over to where she’s standing in time to see yet another guy approaching her. He’s managed to work her back into a corner of the room, and I don’t like it. As I watch, I realize this guy is the most handsy of the bunch—a quick brush of her shoulder, a slight touch of her sleeve. The I see him reaching for Kara’s hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing the back of it in an old, romantic movie gesture.

  Motherfucker.

  That’s my move.

  My feet carry me in their direction before I realize it. My long legs eat up the distance between us and I spot a waiter carrying champagne near where they’re standing. I snag two glasses from his tray before walking the final few feet, cutting my arm between them to make the guy back up.

  In my defense, he’s standing entirely too close.

  “There you are beautiful.” I hand Kara the glass, effectively ignoring the asshole to my right. “I thought you might be getting thirsty.”

  “Why, thank you Ash.” She smiles sweetly, and I take it as a small victory.

  I casually glance at the guy hovering over my shoulder.

  “Oh, sorry man. Didn’t see you there.” It takes all I have to say it with a straight face while slipping my hand behind Kara’s back and resting it on her opposite hip. A quick tug ensures she’s firmly pressed into my side.

  Some may call it a dick move, but I prefer to look at it as a possessive one.

  Shit, that doesn’t sound good either.

  He gives me a forced smile and a curt, “It’s fine,” and turns his attention back to Kara. “I should probably find Mr. Meyers. Kara, it was lovely meeting you.”

  “It was lovely meeting you too, Tom,” she replies politely, and we stand in silence while he walks out of earshot. Once he’s far enough away, she turns those beautiful eyes—and that knowing smirk—to me.

  “Well, I think we can safely say the business card I handed him is going straight into the trash.” She smiles around her champagne flute as she takes a sip.

  “Eh, if it means getting him away from you, I’m okay with that.”

  She shakes her head at me. “Jealous much?”

  No point in denying it. “With you? Yes, I am. I didn’t want him moving in on my territory.”

  She quirks an eyebrow up at me. “Your territory? I feel like I should be offended.”

  My hand, which is still placed softly at her hip, pulls her closer to me again, so I can whisper in her ear. “I told you. Tonight, you’re all mine.” Her breath hitches and her cheeks flush at my comment, and she takes another quick gulp of champagne before she speaks again.

  “Those words hold a whole lot of promise, Ash. Are you sure you can deliver?”

  This time, it’s my turn to quirk my brow. I don’t say anything, simply taking her near-empty glass, and putting it next to my empty one on the small table behind us. I reach my hand out to her and she takes it without hesitation. I tug her close to me again, backing us further into the shadows of the corner. “Only one way to find out.”

  I slide both hands to the sides of her face, pulling her to me. My lips touch hers and fuck, they’re soft, softer than I imagined they would be. I roll my lips over hers again, coaxing a deeper kiss from her. She loosens up from the initial shock of my aggressiveness and melts into me, her hands coming up to wrap around my neck. She slips her fingers into my hair, running her nails across my scalp and neck.

  Fuck, that feels good.

  I press my lips into hers again, harder this time, and she matches every move I make. Every flick of my tongue is met with hers. Every nibble of her lip earns me one in return. She’s giving as good as she’s getting, and fuck, why didn’t I kiss her before now? It’s not like I haven’t had plenty of opportunities. This woman has been on my mind and under my skin for a week now, and this is the first time I’ve even tried to kiss her.

  God knows, I don’t want to stop either.

  My hands follow her curves down her sides, barely skimming her breasts as I go, until I reach her hips and slide them around to her firm ass. One cheek in each hand, I can’t resist giving them a good, hard squeeze while pulling her hips into mine. I swallow the moan she gives me when she feels my hard cock grinding into her through the thin materials that separate us.

  I bunch the fabric of her dress in my hand, gathering it into a fist as the hem slowly rises. A few more inches and I’ll reach the soft, warm flesh of her ass, but my movement is halted at the sound of shattering glass that effectively snaps the both of us out of the lust-filled haze we’re in.

  In my need for her, I totally forgot where we were, and by the panicked look on her face, I’m guessing she did too. I release her dress and let it fall back into place, hoping the fabric isn’t a wrinkled mess and a clear indication of exactly what has been happening in the corner. Fortunately, her back was facing the wall, so at least I can be sure I didn’t unwittingly show her ass to someone else.

  We pull away from each other, and Kara giggles. I watch as she licks her thumb—which is so much fucking hotter than it should be—and places it near my mouth, rubbing my face near my lip. She rests her palm up against my cheek while she does it, and I fight the urge to lean into her touch.

  “My Passion Pink lipstick looks good on you.” Her eyes move from the spot on my face up to my eyes, and I smile. “Looks like we got a bit carried away.” She drops her gaze, along with her hand and glances around the room, no doubt looking for anyone who might have witnessed our very public display. I do the same, and quickly note that no one is paying us any attention. Except maybe Tom, who I see sulking off in the corner trying his best to pretend he’s not looking in our direction.

  He's totally looking in our direction.

  How do you like that, motherfucker?

  I focus my attention back onto Kara.

  “You know what I think?” I ask her as I reach for her hand again, pulling her closer to me. When she raises her eyebrows in question, I continue. “I think we should leave and go get ‘carried away’ back at your place.”

  She bites her lip, trying to hide her smile. Her grip tightens around my hand. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.” Her cheeks flush pink, no doubt of what’s on her mind.

  I give her another quick peck on the lips, then gesture for her to walk in front of me. “After you, beautiful.”

  She stands still, smirking at me skeptically. “You just want to stare at my ass.”

  I let out a small chuckle. She’s not wrong. “Guilty.” Not to mention, I need to adjust my hard-on and I also want to make sure her dress is down and there aren’t any hints to what we were doing in the corner. I smile my patented Wesley smile and she shakes her head, walking past me to lead the way.

  Her dress is fine.

  Her ass is too.

  I shake off the thought and move in behind her, letting her lead the way. She heads for the exit, but I stop her short of it when I realize I need to make a formal departure.

  “I need to find Mr. Meyers and tell him goodbye before we leave.”

  “Of course. I'll come with you.”

  “No, you stay here. He's a talker, if you haven't already figured it out. If we both go he's likely to keep us for another hour and I have way too many dirty things to do to you to stay here much longer.”

  She blushes along with her smile. It's beautiful, and I love the fact I put it there. I lean in, cupping her cheek in my palm and stealing a kiss. Pulling away all too soon, I touch my forehead to hers. “Two minutes.”

  She nods, and I quickly weave through people to get to Mr. Meyers, who's deep in conversation with, you guessed it, Tom. I don't hesitate to interrupt though, tapping him on the shoulder. I don't miss the irritated look on Tom’s face. The one I couldn’t care less about.

  “Kara and I are leaving. I wanted to say thank you for inviting us.”

  “It was my pleasure Ash. You're always welcome here, and Kara is simply delightful.”

  I smile because it's fucking true, but I can't ke
ep my eyes from cutting over to catch a glimpse of Tom's face when I say, “She most certainly is, Sir.” I reach out, clasping Mr. Meyers’ hand in a firm handshake and, much to Tom's surprise, I extend my hand out to him right after. He politely accepts it, but the look on his face is anything but polite. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Tim.”

  Okay, now I'm just being a dick.

  He drops my hand quickly, and I can practically hear his teeth grind together as he grits out, “It's Tom, actually.”

  “Right, sorry. Must be the champagne.”

  It’s not the champagne. I only had the one glass.

  I smile and only Mr. Meyers returns it. “Now gentleman, if you'll excuse me, I have a very beautiful woman to escort home.” I can't resist getting that one last dig at Tom before I turn away and head back towards the exit where Kara is still patiently waiting for me. She taps her watch.

  “One minute, forty-eight seconds. Impressive.”

  Placing my hands at her lower back to urge her out the door, I whisper in her ear. “Baby, you haven't seen impressive yet.”

  We scramble across the lobby of the event center where the party is being held and wait impatiently for the valet to bring my car around. The slight breeze plays with Kara’s hair, and the moonlight shines down on her, casting her in an array of shadows and light. She’s beautiful, and the sight of her like this has me getting hard in my jeans again. She notices me staring at her, and she gives me a self-conscience smile.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I was enjoying the view.”

  “Are you always this cheesy?” She gives me a teasing grin.

  “Not usually. I think it’s your fault.”

  She gives me a mock look of shock and offense. “Me? How is it my fault?”

  I step into her, crowding her personal space, gripping her hip with one hand while cupping her cheek with the other. Her soft gasp gives me chills. “Because, I can’t seem to control what I say and do around you. It’s like you have this spell over me. I can’t think straight when you’re around. And yes, I realize that sounds cheesy too, so you can go ahead and laugh.”

  She smiles at me brightly, and inches up on her toes searching for a kiss I gladly give. Her tongue is soft and warm as it glides over my own and fuck, I need to remember we’re out here on a public street.

  A throat clearing behind me forces me to pull away. “Sir, your car.” Hiding my irritation at being interrupted—again—I usher Kara into the open passenger door and close it once she’s seated inside. I walk around to my side and slip the valet a tip before climbing in.

  I wait until I pull out onto the street before speaking. “So, dinner later and breakfast tomorrow sound good?” I'm being bold with my statement, but I tamp down the nerves trying to overtake me. It's not a feeling I'm familiar with, but I understand why I have them. She never agreed on anything past tonight. Then again, I didn't offer anything past tonight either. I’m honestly not sure if that’s what I want, but I won’t discount it. This woman has taken up residence in my brain for the last week, and I can tell one night isn't going to be enough. That kiss alone proved it.

  She's quiet for a minute, and I think I might have lost her. As I'm about to backtrack and try to cover my ass, she responds. “Breakfast, huh? So, you want to stay the night?”

  I tread carefully and speak with a little more honesty than I intend, but it’s important for her to know where I stand. “I'd like to. If that's okay? It's your call though. I don't want you to feel pressured.”

  She slides her gaze towards me. “Trust me, Ash. I feel anything but pressured.” She smiles, causing me to release a pent-up breath I was unaware of. “I'd love for you to stay the night. I mean, if you want to.” She averts her eyes in embarrassment.

  I pull up to the red light—the last one before we get to her complex—and lay my hand on her bare thigh where her dress has ridden up and I've done my best to ignore it. My words falter for a second, all the blood suddenly rushing from my brain to my cock at the heat if her skin. Still, I somehow manage to find my voice. “Oh, believe me. I want to.”

  She smiles this big, genuine smile at me and leans over in her seat. I stretch across mine to meet her half-way. She cups my cheek as she pulls me in for a deep kiss, one that makes me forget where we are. The car behind us is quick with a reminder, laying on the horn until I finally pull away from the line now that the light has turned green.

  I rest my hand back on her thigh, and that's where it stays until I pull up in front of her building. Putting the car in park, I kill the engine and climb out, heading to her side of the car to help her out. The sweet smell of her perfume drifts across my nose and I can't resist the pull toward her. I should be freaking the fuck out at the thoughts churning through my head and the nerves ratcheting up my heart rate, but despite all chaos in my mind, something about being here with her feels good and I'm not ready to give that up yet.

  Pinning her against the car, my body pressed against hers—my hardening cock digging into her hip—I give her one more chance to kick me to the curb. “Last chance, baby. Am I staying or going?”

  The little minx presses into me tighter, my dick growing harder at the feel of her body molding to mine. “Staying.”

  Chapter Six

  Kara

  This is it. I can't believe it's finally happening. After a week of dancing around each other, I'm finally getting all of Asher Wesley. And judging by the bulge currently pressing into my hip, all is impressive.

  “Last chance, baby. Am I staying or going?”

  It's sweet that he needs to make sure I'm okay with this. And for the record, I’m more than okay with this.

  “Staying.” The word is a breathless sigh on my lips. As soon as it’s out, his mouth claims mine with an urgency unlike the times before. He slides his hand to my neck, cupping my face in his strong palm and holding me steady as he devours my lips.

  Fuck, this man is a damned good kisser.

  A quick tug of his other hand on my hip and he’s pulling me away from the car, tighter into his body. He takes a few steps backwards, pulling me along with him before he breaks the kiss.

  “Every time I touch these lips, I get so lost in you. I forget where I am.”

  My knees go weak at his declaration, but I don’t get the chance to relish in his adoration for as long as I want to. Ash takes my hand and turns, walking toward my apartment, guiding me along behind him.

  My first-floor unit sits at the end of the hallway, the only one this far down. When we reach it, Ash spins me around, pinning me against the exterior of the door and kissing me again. At the rate we’re going, we’re never getting inside.

  “Key,” he whispers, breaking the kiss long enough to ask and then jumping right back into it.

  I fumble blindly with the clutch in my hand, trying my best to find the key without breaking the kiss again, but to no avail. Ash gives me a reprieve when he pulls away again, eyeing the bag in my hand so I get the hint he’s waiting for me to find it.

  Laughing, I dig through the bag until I finally find the key and turn around, struggling to put it in the keyhole. I’m distracted by Ash’s fingers sweeping my hair away from my neck, exposing it and my shoulder, and grazing the sensitive flesh. When his lips touch my neck, I almost drop the key, and I can feel him chuckle against my skin. He steadies my hand in his, and together we get the key in and the lock turned. I push the door open, but Ash surprises me again when he grips my waist in his large hands and turns me around to face him, taking my lips again and backing me into my living room.

  He kicks the door shut once we’re inside, fumbling with the lock until it’s turned, and suddenly it becomes a race to see how quickly he can get me naked. This night has been torturous—one long, slow burn that has finally reached its combustion point. My clutch hits the floor at the same time his hands dip low to reach under the skirt of my dress. He wastes no time pulling it up over my head.

  “Holy fuck,” he mutters as his eyes peruse m
y body and, not for the first time today am I’m thrilled I ordered this lingerie from one of those subscription boxes a few months ago on a whim. I’m standing in only my black lace bra and matching thong. My garter belt sits low on my hips, the clips snapped to the thigh-high silk stockings that complete the outfit. With my heels still firmly in place, the lust in his eyes tells me all I need. The approval is in his stare.

  He steps behind me, taking in the view from the backside as well. His arm slips around my waist, pulling my back flush with his chest, and I hear his whisper in my ear. “You mean to tell me, you’ve been wearing this the whole fucking time we’ve been together tonight, and I’m only seeing it now?”

  I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and clamp down on it, fighting my smile. I nod my head in the affirmative and his grip tightens around my waist. The heat from his hand sears my skin, his breath hot against my ear. “You naughty, naughty girl.” His hand slides down my belly and stops at the top of my garter. “Are you wet for me?”

  Thank fuck his arm is there to hold me up because my knees weaken with his dirty words. I can only nod my head yes, as he leaves me too breathless to speak. I don’t even have to touch myself to know my answer is true. I can feel the heat pooling between my legs.

  His body pushes mine forward as he takes a step, nudging me along in front of him. He continues the movement until we reach my bedroom and stop at the edge of the bed, never once letting his grip on me loosen. He reaches below the garter to slip his fingers under the edge of my thong. “Let’s see how wet you really are.”

  My eyes close and my breath hitches in my throat as he pushes his fingers the rest of the way under the lace and down to my clit, already slick with arousal at the mere mention of his dirty words. His fingers slide lower, wedging between my legs to push inside me, stroking lazily in and out. My head rolls back, resting against Ash’s chest as he moves, but all too soon his fingers are gone. I’m left dazed and confused. It takes effort to open my eyes and focus on my surroundings again, but then Ash comes into focus, standing in front of me now. He shrugs off his jacket and tosses it on an armchair I keep in my room and perches himself on the edge of the bed.