Текст книги "Beautifully Loyal"

Автор книги: Nicole Edwards

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Don’t kid yourself. It’s just sex.

Three years ago

After helping Ashlynn up to her bedroom, getting her settled beneath the blankets, Jase was getting ready to leave her alone when she called out to him from the darkness.

The sound of her voice stopped him, causing him to swallow hard as he placed his hand on the doorknob. He needed to leave, to keep going, to walk out of her room and let her sleep it off. They’d been at Devil’s Playground for the past few hours, and Ashlynn had managed to drink enough to become belligerent. Thankfully, Max had been there, and he’d encouraged Ashlynn to go home and sleep it off.

Exactly what Jase had been hoping she would do.

“Don’t leave me,” Ashlynn pleaded, and his heart thumped painfully hard in his chest.

Jase had been working for Ashlynn for just over two years. They’d become friends during that time, and he’d honestly come to cherish the easy friendship they’d established. He knew Ashlynn well enough to know that she would take advantage of him should he ever allow her to. And damn if he hadn’t wanted her to on more than one occasion.

But she was his employer, his boss, the woman who needed him to protect her. He wasn’t supposed to lust after her, yet he did.

He definitely did.

“Do you need somethin’?” he asked, not bothering to turn back around. If he did, it would only make things worse.

Expecting to hear her voice from across the room, Jase jumped when her hands came around his waist, her breasts pressing against his back.

“I need you,” she whispered.

“Ash…” Placing his hand over hers, he was gearing up to separate their bodies when she tightened her grip, then slipped lower, grazing his dick.

Fuck.

Instant fucking hard-on.

“Ashlynn,” he said more firmly. “You need to sleep it off. You’re drunk.”

“I don’t care,” she said, moving around until she was standing between him and the door. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doin’.”

Aw, fucking hell. He felt like stomping his feet and throwing a tantrum.

She was naked. So naked.

And he wasn’t supposed to see her naked, wasn’t supposed to be glancing down at the pretty pointed tips of her breasts, those sweetly puckered nipples that he desperately wanted to suck. He absolutely, positively wasn’t supposed to continue eye-fucking her as he allowed his gaze to roam, venturing lower and settling on her bare pussy.

He was going to hell.

He was going to get fired and then going to hell.

He was going to get fired, Max was going to murder him for taking advantage of his sister, and then he was going to hell.

Shit.

Before he could say anything more, Ashlynn’s arms wreathed his neck as she went up on tiptoe to meet his mouth with hers.

He growled. It was an involuntary reaction as her soft, warm lips grazed his. She smelled amazing. Like lavender, vanilla, and… Well, she also smelled like booze, but still, the scent of her was intoxicating.

Telling himself to pull away, Jase groaned again when he found himself stepping closer, pushing her up against the door, his hands planted firmly on the wood. He didn’t trust himself, but he couldn’t seem to pull away. When her tongue gently coaxed its way into his mouth, Jase knew he was a goner.

“Stay with me tonight,” Ashlynn murmured as she kissed him, her lips caressing his face, his jaw, his neck.

As though she already knew he was going to say yes, her fingers began working free the buttons on his shirt. It took no time at all before he was stripped down to nothing but his underwear, and they didn’t remain on for long, either.

By the time he was naked, they were back to the bed, Jase hovering over her while he devoured her mouth. Unable to resist the temptation now that she was begging him, Jase trailed his mouth down her body, learning all of the sweet spots that made her moan. Her breasts were overly sensitive, as was the soft skin on the inside of her thighs. But when he licked her pussy, inhaling the musky scent of her sex, Ashlynn told him in no uncertain terms exactly what she liked.

She held his head while he licked her, nibbled on the plump lips of her sex, flicked her engorged clit with the tip of his tongue. She cried out his name when he pushed one finger, then two, deep inside. And when he added a third and sucked her clit between his lips, she damn near suffocated him as her thighs clamped down on his head.

Jase had Ashlynn in every way he could have her. He made her come with his mouth, then with two fingers pounding into her ass, and after that, he slipped on a condom and fucked her pussy until she was screaming his name over and over, still begging for more. After ditching that condom, he retrieved another, found the lube she kept in the nightstand drawer, and then buried his dick in her ass after she pleaded for him to do so.

Two solid hours had passed before, finally, he allowed himself to come, and when he did, Jase knew without a doubt that Ashlynn Adorite had ruined him for anyone else. Never in his life had he met a woman who could match him thrust for thrust, desire for desire. She had been insatiable.

However, while he’d known the moment he’d plunged into her that she had wrecked him, he also knew better than to get his hopes up where she was concerned. Two years into his job and he’d seen her with more men than he could count on both hands. He wasn’t sure how that would work going forward—if at all—but he knew that seeing her with other men was going to devastate him.

“Thank you for that,” Ashlynn mumbled as she rolled over and curled up with her pillow.

Jase had no idea what to say, so he opted to say nothing at all. After tossing the used condoms into the waste basket, he grabbed his clothes, then retreated to his bedroom. While he showered, he relived those hours he’d spent with Ashlynn, the memories flooding him until the water finally ran cold.

After falling into bed, he gave in to exhaustion, still thinking about her, wondering whether or not she was thinking about him, too.

Although she was exhausted, and yes, still a little drunk, Ashlynn couldn’t go to sleep when Jase slipped out of her bedroom. As she tossed and turned, she thought about what they’d just done.

She was pretty sure that was guilt tugging at her conscience, but she didn’t know for sure.

She’d never used a man before. Not like that.

From the onset, Ashlynn had known something was different with Jase. He wasn’t simply a one-nighter that she’d regret in the morning. No, Ashlynn was pretty sure Jase had been emotionally invested in that encounter. Sure, he’d managed to blow her mind, giving her one unbelievable orgasm after another until she’d been worried she would pass out, but other than that … it was just sex.

Yet she got the impression he’d wanted more.

Why should she care? He knew her, knew how she was. Hell, he probably knew her better than anyone else.

So what if she’d lusted after him all this time, wondering just how it would feel to have his big cock buried inside her. It’d been phenomenal, just as she’d expected. The guy knew how to pleasure a woman better than any man she’d ever met.

However, Ashlynn knew she couldn’t even hope for a repeat performance. That really was a mistake, one she’d likely pay for tomorrow. She wasn’t looking forward to the awkward tension that would linger between them. Sex was sex in her book. There were no emotional strings, nothing to complicate matters. She purposely steered clear of those because she didn’t want to hurt anyone. She simply wasn’t the type of woman who would ever fall in love.

Her eyes grew heavy as she heard the water shut off in Jase’s bathroom, knew he would be going to bed soon. And as she drifted off, she hoped like hell he could forgive her for taking advantage of him. The last thing in the world she would ever want to do would be to hurt him. Although she didn’t love him, she definitely cared about him.

More than he would ever know.

Chapter Thirty

It’s only a matter of time.

Present day

Saturday, November 7 th

As much as Ashlynn wished that Leyton would’ve devoted the rest of the afternoon to her and Jase, she knew that wasn’t an option. They still had business to attend to, despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to strip him naked and feast on him for hours.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t time to play. She would’ve thought otherwise except Rock had received a phone call informing him the meeting with Moroso was a no go. And when he’d relayed that information to Leyton, that had put a damper on the overall mood.

After Rock had safely delivered them back to her house, Ashlynn had headed right for her office, with Leyton close on her heels. Jase had ventured off, probably to ensure there weren’t any issues, but she expected him to return soon. Until then, she was taking advantage and calling her brother.

Stabbing the speaker button on the phone on her desk, Ashlynn punched in Max’s number as she took a seat in her chair, her eyes trailing Leyton as he wandered over to the bookshelves behind her.

“How’d the meeting go?” Max asked as soon as he answered.

Continuing to stare at Leyton, she said, “It went well. The judge has agreed to make nice.”

“Good to hear. And the meeting with Moroso? Is it still on?”

Leyton’s attention turned to her for the first time since he’d come into the room. “No,” he responded to Max’s question. “It’s been delayed.”

“Why?” The tone of Max’s voice had changed from affable to downright lethal.

“Didn’t say, but I’m guessin’ he’s waitin’ to talk to you. We told him it wasn’t an option.”

“Shit,” Max snapped. “What’s the plan?”

Ashlynn knew that standing Leyton up was the equivalent of standing Max up, as far as Max was concerned. Leyton was in charge of all of Max’s business when he was out of pocket, and he commanded the same respect as Max did. Moroso had better have a good explanation, or heads were going to roll.

“I’ve personally left him a voice mail,” Leyton explained. “Gave him an hour to get back to me with a guaranteed time.”

Hearing directly from Leyton, rather than from Rock, would hopefully show Moroso that they meant business. It wasn’t often that Leyton or Max had to make their own phone calls. They had people they trusted to do that.

However, other than wait, there wasn’t anything more they could do, which didn’t help to settle her nerves, but she didn’t bother to tell her brother that.

“You’ll call me when you know something?” Max asked.

“Of course.” Leyton turned away from Ashlynn again.

There was a slight pause before Max said, “Ash?”

“Yeah?” She rested her elbows on the desk and stared down at the phone.

“As of right now, until he hears from Moroso, Leyton’s only job is to be there with you.”

“You can tell him yourself,” Ashlynn began, but Max quickly interrupted.

“No, I’m tellin’ you. As much as I wish we didn’t have to worry about this, the threat is real. Leyton and Jase will take care of you. So let them.”

Her brother’s tone said much more than his words. At least Ashlynn thought it did. Then again, she could’ve been reading so much more into it, but she didn’t think so. For a brief second, she considered keeping her question to herself, but the next thing she knew, the words were tumbling out of her mouth. “Did you warn Leyton to stay away from me?”

Max didn’t respond immediately, and Leyton’s head snapped around, eyes wide, disbelief highlighting the pretty green hue.

“I did,” he finally said.

“Do you plan to tell him it’s not your place to do so?” she questioned, her own frustration evident in her tone.

“He’s responsible for taking care of you, Ash.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Her brother would talk in circles if she let him. Although he was incredibly straightforward and blunt when it came to business matters, she knew he had a difficult time when it came to family. They had always looked up to Max, ever since they were little. He’d been the protector, kept Samuel at bay as best he could, and they’d respected him for it.

No one realized how close they all were. Due to the fact that they’d all had a very volatile relationship with their father when he’d been alive, and a rather estranged relationship with their mother due to the circumstances, Ashlynn and her brothers and sister had always been close. They looked out for one another. They worked side by side, ran the business together, but most importantly, they were family. Despite the fact that they didn’t have proper role models as parents, Ashlynn knew that Max had worked hard to keep them all close.

“Leyton’s a big boy, Ash. He can make his own decisions.”

“You’re avoiding my question,” she blurted. “You know as well as I do that he’s too loyal to disobey a command from you. If you told him to stay away, he will.”

“What do you want me to tell him?” Max grumbled.

“That it’s none of your business what I do with him.”

Her brother didn’t respond, but she was almost positive she heard his teeth grinding together.

“Look,” she began, staring over at Leyton as she spoke to Max. “Leyton and I … we’re adults. We don’t need someone telling us what we can and can’t do. And I’d appreciate it if you’d let this go.”

“As I said,” Max stated firmly, “I want Leyton and Jase to protect you. For now, that’s all you’re gettin’ from me. Leyton, call me when you know more.”

Not for the first time in her life, Max hung up on her.

“You’re gonna get me killed,” Leyton mumbled, his attention turned back to the bookshelf.

Needing something to keep her mind off the issue with Moroso and the fact that her brother stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong, Ashlynn knew it was time to formulate a plan. Seducing Leyton—although not nearly as uncomplicated as she would’ve preferred—seemed like her best idea yet. After kicking off her heels, Ashlynn got to her feet, her eyes still raking over Leyton.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked, looking at her for the first time since Max had hung up.

“Oh, I think you know,” she told him as she stalked closer.

“You heard Max,” Leyton stated, taking a step back.

“I did,” she confirmed. “He said you’re responsible for taking care of me.”

“Protecting you,” he clarified.

“Call it whatever you want.” She was tired of playing games with him.

Ashlynn had never been the type to give up on what she wanted. She didn’t take no for an answer, and she especially didn’t turn away from a challenge.

She damn sure wasn’t going to start now.

Chapter Thirty-One

It’s true. Our pasts mold us into who we are.

Leyton could see it in her eyes. Ashlynn wasn’t going to give up, no matter how hard he tried to push her away. And tried seemed to be the word he was having the most problems with these days.

He tried to resist her.

He tried to convince himself that staying away was the right thing to do.

He tried to tell himself that the attraction would eventually dwindle.

Yep, he tried. And failed over and over again.

To the point that right here and now, with Ashlynn pursuing him from across the room, Leyton knew that it was time to put an end to the games, to either make a stand and refuse her or give in and take what he wanted. Most importantly, to let Ashlynn know she wasn’t in control here.

For a brief moment, he wondered whether or not Jase had ever been down this road with her before. Had he tried to resist her? Or had he allowed her beauty and charm to lure him in? He could see it going either way. Ashlynn certainly wasn’t all that easy to resist.

“Before we move forward,” Leyton began, taking a step back and then turning away from her altogether, he cast a glance at her from over his shoulder as he continued, “I need to talk to Max.”

Ashlynn’s face pinched in confusion.

“It’s my responsibility to get right with him.”

Clearly she wasn’t happy with that information, but Leyton owed Max that much. The man had saved his life, given him a job, trusted him, loved him like family. It was the least he owed Max.

“Why’re you so loyal?” she asked, hands on her hips.

Leyton had known the question would eventually arise, and he only had one answer for it. “Because he saved my life.”

“By bein’ your friend?”

“By bein’ my family,” he corrected.

“After he killed your father?” she countered.

Feeling the same surge of defensiveness he always felt when it came to Max, Leyton took a deep breath. “He saved my life.”

“Because your father was gonna kill you,” she said, as though she knew it all.

Leyton stared at her for a moment. “Because I was gonna kill myself.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. He knew she remembered that night he’d arrived at her parents’ house. With two black eyes, a broken nose, and a shattered cheekbone, he’d been pretty fucked up. But that had been the least of his worries that night, only no one knew that but him and Max. It was never mentioned again that Leyton had been planning to take his own life, and for that, he was grateful.

She seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding her head. “Call him.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Her forehead creased, and Leyton fought the urge to sigh. This was much more difficult than simply giving in. For him, if it were mere lust that drove him to her, he could’ve dealt with the consequences. But the issue was far more complex, and he didn’t think Ashlynn even realized it.

“Do you love him?” Leyton asked, walking over to the decanter of scotch that was sitting on a table near the window.

“Love who? My brother?”

“Jase.”

He didn’t turn to look at her, but he knew she was glaring back at him. He could feel her eyes boring holes into the back of his head.

“I don’t think that’s relevant,” she finally said.

Leyton retrieved the drink he’d poured and then walked to the sofa. He nodded toward the opposite one, encouraging her to take a seat, but she didn’t sit, so neither did he. Instead, he confronted her head on. If he was expected to talk to Max, to put his own emotions on the line, it was time he and Ashlynn got a few things straight.

“Do you love Jase?” he asked again, not accepting her previous evasive response as an answer.

This time, since he was looking at her, he noticed the sadness in her eyes. “Why does that matter?” she asked softly.

“He loves you,” Leyton declared.

“He does not,” she disputed. “You don’t know him well enough to determine that.”

“I think I know him pretty damn well,” Leyton refuted, remembering last night.

“Because he let you fuck him? You think that you know him?”

He’d definitely pushed a button, inciting her defenses. If he wanted to move this forward, he had to explain. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“So? And that changes anything?”

It was obvious she wasn’t going to give him a straight answer, but Leyton wouldn’t be able to move forward until he had one.

“I’m not willin’ to talk to Max if you’re just wantin’ a fly-by-night fling, Ash.”

“Who said I did?”

Leyton cocked his head to the side and waited for her to elaborate.

“Sex, Leyton. That’s all I need.”

He knew better than that, but he chose to keep his mouth shut.

“Do you have a problem with sex?” she asked. “Do you think you have to love someone to sleep with them?”

“No,” he told her simply. “I don’t.” Figuring he needed to put a piece of himself out there in order to get one back from her, he decided to tell her how he saw it. “But when it comes to you, it won’t just be sex. Not for me.”

“Are you tryin’ to tell me you love me?” Ashlynn frowned. “Don’t be naïve, Leyton.”

“I do love you,” he admitted, swallowing hard as he did.

Ashlynn pivoted and walked back to her desk. “Forget I said anything. Clearly you and I aren’t on the same page here.”

Leyton could’ve easily walked away, and he knew Ashlynn would’ve let him. He could’ve taken his loyalty with him and walked right out of the room, never looking back, and Ashlynn would’ve never brought it up again. She was stubborn like that.

But that wasn’t the way he was programmed.

Yes, Leyton loved her. Was it easy to say? Fuck no. But it was the truth, and he had never lied to her before, and he damn sure wasn’t going to start now.

Downing the last of his single malt, he placed the empty tumbler on the table and walked around behind the sofa, closer to the windows. Rather than adjust his suit jacket, he took it off completely and laid it over the arm of the sofa as he moved toward her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, pretending to be interested in whatever was on her laptop screen as she bent over her desk.

Unhooking the cufflinks on his shirt, he placed them in his pocket while she glanced his way, eyeing him speculatively. One by one, he released the buttons on his dress shirt, then let the fabric hang open as he came to stand behind her.

Gripping Ashlynn’s hips, he spun her so that she was facing him, her ass on the edge of her desk.

“We’ve all got scars,” he said softly.

Her eyes widened as she stared back at his chest. He was laying himself bare for her, letting her see all of him. He’d made a habit of ensuring people didn’t get close enough to see his scars—not those on the outside and certainly not those on the inside. Sure, Ashlynn had glimpsed his once upon a time, but he’d made a point never to let that mistake happen again.

They all had their own scars, their own painful reminders. While hers were on the inside, his weren’t. Not all of them, anyway.

“Touch me,” he instructed.

Her eyes glazed slightly, and she bit her plump lower lip.

Taking a step closer, he forced her legs wide as he pushed her skirt up her thighs, allowing him to insert himself between her thighs. Shrugging out of the shirt, he dropped it onto the credenza behind him. “I said touch me.”

He watched as her throat worked when she swallowed hard, but again, she made no move to do as he’d told her to.

Reaching for her wrists, he placed her palms flat against his chest, directly over the old scars from the cigarettes his father used to put out on him. Leaning down, he brushed her ear with his lips. “Touch me, Ashlynn. I won’t tell you again.”

Her fingernails dug into his pecs, but she didn’t move her hands when he released her wrists.

“Why’re you doin’ this?” she whispered.

“Because I know it’s easier for you if you’re in control. I know what you’ve been through, understand that you want to be the one holding the reins. But, little girl, that’s not how this works.”

“It did last night,” she retorted.

“I hadn’t made up my mind what I wanted last night, so I let you lead.”

“But now you know?” she asked doubtfully, her eyes locked with his.

“Now I know,” he confirmed. “And I want you to touch me.”

“Why?”

He met her gaze. “Because this is what you get. Scars and all.”

Her smooth palms glided across his chest, down his stomach, but before she could go lower, he shook his head. Surprisingly, she changed the direction of her hands, lightly caressing his chest, his shoulders, down his biceps. Her fingers grazed all of his scars while her eyes followed their path. When she eased out from between him and the desk, he didn’t try and stop her.

“Your father did this?” she asked softly.

“Yes.”

The moment she was behind him, he closed his eyes, content to feel her explore him. Soon, her lips joined her hands as she kissed his back. It was clear she was tracing the scars with her tongue, but he didn’t let his mind wander elsewhere. He had long ago stopped living in the past. For years he’d been embarrassed by what his father had done to him, what he’d let the man do. But he’d learned from the experiences and learned to accept who he was.

As Ashlynn maneuvered around him, Leyton opened his eyes and watched her. She was focused on his body, as he’d wanted her to be. He was taking this slow, feeling her out, so to speak, while not touching her at all.

Leyton wasn’t going to allow Ashlynn to control him the way she controlled most people. Somehow, Jase had broken through her rough exterior, but Leyton knew that, like Jase, he had to work to earn her trust. She wanted him; there was no doubt about that. And he could probably prop her up on the desk and fuck her senseless, but she would be in control.

That wasn’t what he wanted.

He wanted to strip her of that control, but he couldn’t do that until she knew he would never hurt her.

So this was how he was going to set the pace.

Once she was settled between him and the desk once more, Leyton placed his hands on the back of her thighs and lifted her. He set her on the desk and eased between her legs once more, gliding his fingers over her smooth skin. He trailed a path along her inner thigh but never ventured to that place she wanted him most.

“This won’t be just sex between us,” he told her now, guiding her chin with his fingertip so that she had to look up at him.

“I can’t give you more than that,” she said, her voice soft. “I don’t know how to give more.”

“You do,” he assured her. “And you will. I’m not askin’ for you to give in now, but I do want you to have an open mind.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers. “Once I’m inside you, skin to skin, once I’ve filled you completely, I’ll never be able to let you go. So if you can’t accept that now, then we’re done. This is as far as it goes.”

“What about Jase?” she asked.

“You and Jase have established something. He and I will do what works for us. But you and I … that’s something else entirely.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Leyton stood up and stared down at her.

“Why complicate this?”

“It’s been complicated for a long time, little girl. A long damn time.” Sliding his finger down her jaw, he held her gaze. “Tell me you want this. Tell me you’re not gonna push me away if it gets to be too much for you.”

“I can’t make any promises.”

“Tell me. That’s your only choice. Or this is over before it ever gets started.”

Ashlynn sighed. “Fine. I won’t push you away. But you can’t expect something that I’m incapable of giving. So if it backfires in your face, that’s on you.”

“It won’t.” Of that, he was absolutely certain. He simply needed Ashlynn to open her heart, because without that, they really did have nothing.

“Now what?” she asked. “Are you finally gonna relent and fuck me?”

Leyton smirked. “Be patient. We’ll get to that. Eventually.”

Ashlynn huffed, and Leyton grabbed his shirt off the credenza.

“Where’re you going?” she asked in disbelief as he headed for the sofa to get his jacket.

“To talk to your brother.” He turned to face her as he got dressed. “That’s what you wanted, right?”

She stared at him momentarily, her eyes narrowing. “You really are loyal to Max?”

Once he had his jacket on, he returned to her. “I’m loyal to the people I love. And yes, I’m loyal to your brother—he’s my family.”

“What about me?” He noted a hint of insecurity in her tone.

“You’re more than that to me.” Cupping her face in his hands, Leyton pressed his mouth to hers. “You’re everything. And I’m gonna prove that to you very, very soon.”