Текст книги "Beautifully Loyal"

Автор книги: Nicole Edwards

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Someone to listen, that’s what she needed.

Ashlynn remained in her office after Leyton left. She needed to be alone with her thoughts, but it didn’t take long for the silence to become unbearable. She needed someone to talk to, someone who would listen. She knew she could’ve called Madison, and her sister would’ve let her talk through her problems, but she knew how busy Mad was. She had so much going on Ashlynn hated to bother her.

Not to mention, she’d never told Madison about Leyton, and that meant she’d have to rehash it all, explain everything. And she didn’t have the energy to do that.

Which left only one person she could talk to. Although they’d talked just last night, Ashlynn knew he wouldn’t mind if she called.

She dialed the phone and listened to it ring, releasing a pent-up breath as soon as her brother answered.

“Aidan?”

“Hey,” her brother greeted. “You okay?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. You got a minute to talk?”

“For you, always,” he said, a smile in his voice.

“Are you at home?”

“For now,” he said. “I’m goin’ out in a bit. But I’m here now. What’s up, sis?”

“Leyton,” she told him.

“Ah. I gotcha. What’s goin’ on? You havin’ some of those babysitter fantasies?” he teased.

Aidan was the only person in the world—aside from Jase—who knew her true feelings for Leyton. Before Jase had come along, she’d needed someone to confide in, and Aidan had always been that person.

“I wish,” she responded, laughing. Leave it to Aidan to always lighten the mood.

“Uh-oh. This sounds serious.”

“He said he loves me,” she admitted, leaning back in her chair and staring up at the ceiling.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Aidan replied.

“What do you mean it doesn’t surprise you?” She rolled her eyes. “Why the hell would he love me?”

Aidan chuckled. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? I’d give anything for a guy to look at me like that.”

Ashlynn was the only person in the family who knew that Aidan was gay. According to him, it wasn’t that he was hiding his sexuality; he’d simply told her it was a private matter and he didn’t care to have the entire world knowing. To throw people off, he’d actually dated a few girls in high school, but nothing serious. From what he’d told her, he’d slept with a couple, but it’d never done anything for him. Since he’d confided in her, trusted her with such a huge thing, she’d kept his secret all these years. The same as he’d kept her secret about Leyton.

“He doesn’t look at me,” she said now, though she knew it was a weak retort.

“He’s looked at you since you were far too young for him to be lookin’ at.”

“No, he hasn’t,” she disputed.

“He has. But it’s clear he’s kept his distance. What else did he say?”

Ashlynn sighed. “He’s goin’ to talk to Max. Said he wouldn’t be with me unless I’m willin’ to be open-minded.”

“Meaning he’s not gonna let you fuck him and leave him?” Aidan laughed again.

“Shut up,” she said with a smile. “I don’t do that.”

“Right. Lie to someone else ’cause I ain’t buyin’ it.”

“What am I supposed to do, Aid?” Her voice was somber now as she sat up in her chair. Ashlynn really wanted to know how she was supposed to handle this.

Being with Leyton was supposed to be easy. Fun. She wanted him to fuck her, take her like the wild man she suspected he was. She wanted to watch while he and Jase… Yeah, she definitely wanted to watch. And yes, she wanted to take them both at the same time.

But she didn’t need love, didn’t need sympathy from him. She didn’t need any man like that.

“You’re supposed to give him a chance,” Aidan told her. “The same way you gave Jase one. Speaking of … what does he think of this?”

Ashlynn glanced at the door. “I’m guessin’ he’s happy. The smile on his face made me believe he was.” She wasn’t going to go into details, because it wasn’t her place, but she knew Aidan would catch on.

During their past conversations, Ashlynn had mentioned her desire to have a threesome one day.

“Damn,” Aidan said with a whistle. “Lucky bastard.”

“Which one?” Ashlynn chuckled. She knew that Aidan had always thought Jase was sexy. They’d talked at length about him back when she’d first decided to sleep with Jase.

“Both of ’em.”

Ashlynn sighed.

“Seriously, Ash, give him a chance. If he’s willin’ to talk to Max … that means he’s got it bad.”

“I don’t want him to have it bad. I want him to fuck me.”

Aidan laughed. “I’m sure that’s comin’.”

“You’ve been absolutely no help, you know that?” she teased.

“It’s what I’m good at. Look, sis, I gotta run. I’m meetin’ a couple of people tonight.”

“Okay.” Ashlynn sat up straight. “Be careful, would ya? And don’t drink and drive.”

“Never,” he assured her. “Call me tomorrow. Let me know how it goes with Leyton and Max.”

“You’ll know how it goes,” Ashlynn said. “If Max doesn’t agree, Leyton’ll be dead. If he does agree, I’ll have a smile on my face.”

“Well, I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ that smile.”

“Talk to you later, Aid.”

“Yep.”

The phone disconnected, and Ashlynn flopped back into her chair once more. Although she felt somewhat better, she still didn’t know how she was supposed to handle this situation.

If only Leyton had left it at sex, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Why did men always have to go and complicate things?

Chapter Thirty-Three

Permission granted.

“Did you hear anything?” Max asked when he answered the phone. He was on the satellite phone in flight back to Dallas with Courtney sitting beside him. His business in Vegas wasn’t even remotely close to being finished, but he couldn’t seem to stay focused due to the problems he knew were going on back at home. Namely, someone had threatened to kill his sister.

“No,” Leyton said. “Not yet.”

“Then what did you need?”

“To talk to you.” There was a slight pause, followed by, “Are you in flight?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back home within the hour.”

“Home?” Leyton was clearly confused. “Did you get your deal worked?”

“No.” And he hadn’t been able to keep his head in the game because he’d been too worried about this shit going down with Ashlynn.

“Well, if you’re comin’ home, I’ll meet you there.”

“Where’s Ashlynn?” Max asked.

“Here at the house. Jase is with her, and I’ll leave Sal here as well.”

If Leyton was willing to leave Ashlynn after Max had instructed him not to, then he knew there was something important Leyton wanted to discuss.

“Fine. See you there.” Max disconnected the call and turned to his wife.

“Something wrong?” she asked, her beautiful white-gray eyes scanning his face.

“I hope not.” Honestly, he didn’t know what Leyton wanted to discuss, but it could’ve been anything at this point. Max wouldn’t put it past him to want to talk about Ashlynn. Especially after the conversation he’d had with Ashlynn earlier.

“Is he workin’ things out with her?” Courtney inquired.

“No idea.” Taking her hand in his, Max smiled at the beautiful woman who had taken his last name and made him the happiest man in the world. “But right now, I’m not worried about any of the shit takin’ place at home. I’m more interested in gettin’ you naked and watchin’ you ride me.”

Courtney’s eyes glittered with heat. “I’m not gonna argue with you, Mr. Adorite. So if that’s what you’re waitin’ for, you’ll be waitin’ a long damn time.”

What was he supposed to say to that?

Nothing. That’s what.

Nearly an hour and a half later, Max and Courtney were walking into the house, greeted instantly by Walter, who seemed happy to see them.

“Mr. Matheson is waiting for you in your office,” Walter relayed.

“Thanks.” Kissing Courtney on the lips, Max then excused himself so he could get this business taken care of and pick up again where they’d left off on the plane.

Joining Leyton, Max poured them both a drink, then sat down across from his second-in-command, watching him intently. From the moment he had stepped into the room, Max got the sense that something was bothering Leyton.

“Everything okay with Ashlynn?” he inquired, sipping his drink and watching his best friend.

“Depends,” Leyton replied, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

“On…?”

Leyton sighed, then blurted out the last thing Max had ever expected to hear from him. “I love her.”

Max frowned but couldn’t speak.

“I know that seems sudden, but it’s… Fuck. I don’t even know how to go about this. And maybe you’ll just shoot me and get it over with, but I have to get this out there.”

“Did you touch my sister?”

Leyton looked up at him, and Max could tell he was battling something internally. What, he didn’t know yet, but he hoped like hell Leyton would spit it out. Too many times Leyton had kept things bottled up, not sharing with anyone, and that was the last thing Max wanted. He still remembered the day he’d practically broken down the door of Leyton’s father’s apartment to find Leyton with a pile of pills in his lap, getting ready to take his own life. He was pretty sure that if he’d been an hour later, he’d have found his best friend dead.

“Yes and no,” Leyton admitted. “I’m doin’ my best to stay away from her, but…”

“She’s not makin’ it easy on you, huh?” Max was trying to lighten the mood.

“No, she’s not. And neither is Jase.”

“Is somethin’ goin’ on with you and Jase?”

That mask dropped into place, and Max knew Leyton was holding back.

“Talk to me,” Max encouraged, crossing his ankle over his knee as he relaxed back. “I’m not gonna shoot you. Not yet, anyway.” He smirked.

Leyton downed his drink, then set the glass on the table.

“Yeah, there’s somethin’ goin’ on with me and Jase.”

“So Courtney was right,” Max muttered.

“About?” Leyton’s eyes widened.

“This ménage bullshit. Apparently it’s not uncommon.”

“I don’t know about that,” Leyton said with a small smile. “It’s complicated as fuck.”

“So, what? You’re here to ask my permission?”

“Yes, actually,” Leyton revealed.

Max got to his feet. “It’s not my place to tell you what you can and can’t do.”

“You warned me away from your sister,” Leyton exclaimed, getting to his feet.

Max smiled. “I didn’t know what else to say. You know her as well as I do. She doesn’t … do relationships well. And I know you, Leyton. You’re not lookin’ for an overnight fling. That’s not your style.”

Not that Max really knew what Leyton’s style was. Surely the guy had been getting laid over the years, but Max hadn’t been interested in Leyton’s sex life. That wasn’t any of his business.

“Maybe not, but…” Leyton stared back at him.

“Look.” Max came to stand directly in front of his closest friend. “If you and Ashlynn—”

“And Jase,” Leyton inserted.

Max waved a hand. “Yeah, whatever. What y’all do in your spare time is your business. I don’t wanna know about it, I don’t wanna hear about it, I … I just don’t wanna know. Feel me?”

Leyton smiled. “So you’re fine if I court your sister.”

Max laughed. “Is that code for…? Never mind. Don’t answer that.”

Leyton rolled his eyes.

“Fine. If that’s how you wanna put it, then yeah. You’re good to go. I’m not sure Ashlynn’s big on being courted, but hell, with her, you never know.”

The tension in Leyton’s shoulders seemed to ease.

“You seriously stayed away from her because of me?” Max had known he could trust Leyton, but he hadn’t expected anyone to put their life on hold because of his instruction. Sure, it would’ve made his life a hell of a lot better if everyone he worked with could be as trustworthy as Leyton, but honestly, he hadn’t expected it.

“You’re my family, Max. You’re all I’ve got.” Leyton looked away. “I’m not willin’ to risk that.”

Max set his glass on the table and grabbed Leyton’s arm. “Family’s family, man. Nothin’ you do or say will change that. I’m not gonna turn my back on you.”

When they were sixteen, Max had learned the hell that Leyton had been living his entire life. He’d been too blind to see it for years, but that day, when Leyton had been contemplating taking his own life, Max had realized. He hadn’t been too late, and that was something he was grateful for.

Max clapped Leyton on the back. “You’ve got a job, but more than that, you’re part of this family. Don’t doubt that for one second. If you think you can handle Ashlynn, more power to you. If you hurt her…”

Leyton smiled. Max knew he didn’t need to complete that thought.

“Is that why you came over here? To ask me if you could date my sister?”

The smirk on Leyton’s face widened. “Partially, yes.” His expression turned serious. “But also to let you know that I’m meetin’ with Moroso tomorrow. I told him it was his last chance.”

“What’d he say?”

“He agreed, but I’m not sure what I’m gonna walk into. If for some reason this doesn’t go well, I…” Leyton’s eyes dropped to the floor. “I wanna know that you’ll make sure Ashlynn’s safe.”

Okay, so if there had been any doubt in his mind that Leyton loved Ashlynn, there wasn’t now.

“You have nothin’ to worry about,” Max assured him. “On either front. Let me reach out to Moroso. It’s time to put an end to this shit. I’m not waitin’ till tomorrow. We’ll meet with him tonight.”

“I’m not sayin’ I can’t handle it,” Leyton protested. “It’s just… Remember how you felt when I told you Samuel put a contract out on Courtney?”

Max didn’t want to remember that day. He’d never felt so much hatred for a single person as he had that day. His own father had threatened the life of the woman he loved. It was a feeling he would never forget. Rather than answer, he nodded.

“I’m not sure I can look him in the eye without putting a bullet in his head.”

“Understood.” Max turned away from Leyton. “Which is why I’m gonna settle this once and for all. And if a bullet needs to be delivered”—Max turned back—“then I’ll make sure you get to do the honors.”

Leyton’s somber expression didn’t change as he said, “I’d appreciate that.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Enough is enough.

One year ago

Jase glanced over at Ashlynn, watching as she offered the dickhead she was talking to a cheeky grin. He wanted to punch the asshole, to lay him out and kick the shit out of him until he was a squirming bloody mess.

The emotions she evoked in him were excessive. But he had to think he’d done a damn fine job of holding them at bay for the past two fucking years, watching her, waiting for her to come around, only to find her indulging in some other prick rather than coming to him. He knew she was interested, had seen the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t watching. But Ashlynn was nothing if not stubborn. Since that one night they’d spent together, she’d made sure to keep a considerable distance between them.

He downed what was left of his water, still eyeing her when he saw the man she’d been talking to walk away, saying something in her ear before he did.

Unable to resist, Jase was at her side as soon as the guy had slipped down the hall that led to the bathrooms.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yep,” she said with a brilliant smile. She cocked her head slightly. “His name’s Carlos. He’s comin’ back.”

Jase wasn’t sure he could stand to see her with another guy, no matter what his fucking name was. He was tired of watching her try to soothe her soul with sex, using random men to avoid having to feel anything at all.

“Are you jealous?” Ashlynn blurted, surprising him.

He hadn’t realized he’d been glaring back at her until she called him on it. Figuring it didn’t matter what he said, she wouldn’t believe him either way, he kept his mouth shut.

“You are.” She laughed. “Would you prefer to be the one fucking me tonight?”

Jase didn’t think she expected a response, but he gave her one anyway. “Yeah. I’d prefer I’m the one fucking you every night.”

Her eyes widened, and he could tell she didn’t know what to say to that. Instead of letting her come back with some biting retort, he stepped closer, crowding her against the wall. He leaned down, his mouth hovering directly above hers.

There were people everywhere, all around them. Dancing, laughing, having a good time, and Jase was thinking about nothing other than sliding her skirt up and burying his dick in the tight warmth of her body.

If she’d let him.

“It was good,” he told her. “And you know it was.”

For the past two years, Ashlynn had pretended that nothing had happened between them, and Jase hadn’t confronted her about it. He’d gone about his business, doing his job and acting as though it didn’t bother him. But it did.

That night with her… It’d been the best sex of his entire fucking life. And he was pretty sure it’d been the same for her. During the twenty-four months since, he’d had the displeasure of watching her from time to time, stumbling upon her when he didn’t mean to only to find some bastard burying his dick in her. It was a wonder he hadn’t killed anyone at this point.

“It’s been awhile,” Ashlynn said, her gaze hard. “I can’t seem to remember.”

A possessive growl rumbled up from his chest, and he leaned into her, letting his lips caress hers. “I call bullshit. You remember exactly what it was like when I was buried balls deep in you. When I was pounding your pussy and when I was nailing your ass.”

A shiver raced through her, and Jase knew she was lying. She remembered it, all right.

“So what’d’ya say? Wanna go again?” He wasn’t sure quite why he was pushing the issue, other than the fact he didn’t want Carlos to be the one between her sweet thighs tonight.

“Under one condition,” she said, setting her glass down on the table beside her.

“What’s that?”

“You have to fuck me right here.” Her eyes trailed over to the people around them. “With all these people here.”

“You think I won’t?” he asked, pushing up against her, allowing her to feel the rock-hard length of his dick against her abdomen.

“I never figured you for being an exhibitionist.”

“If it means I get to drive my dick into that sweet pussy, I’m all for it,” he whispered, his eyes still locked with hers.

“Do you have a condom?”

“Of course.”

“Then what’re you waitin’ for?”

Jase didn’t waste any more time talking. Crushing his mouth to hers, he inhaled her moan. Her fingers yanked his shirt out from his jeans, her hands then sliding up under it to caress his back. They were smooth and cool against his overheated skin.

“You sure you want this?” he asked when he pulled back for air.

“Scared?” she taunted.

He narrowed his eyes on her. “Take my dick out.”

Keeping their bodies close, Jase knew that people couldn’t see exactly what they were doing, although they’d likely have an idea if they looked close enough. But he honestly didn’t give a shit about that. Hell, he’d be happy to prop her up on the fucking bar and bury his tongue in her pussy if that was what she wanted. He wasn’t shy.

Ashlynn’s fingers fumbled with his jeans while he retrieved the condom from his wallet. By the time she had him in her hand, he was rolling the latex over the head of his dick with her help. Less than a minute later, he had her panties pushed to the side and was sliding into the slick depths of her body.

Heaven. Pure fucking heaven.

She groaned, her fingernails once again slicing into his skin as she raked them over his back. With his mouth against her ear, he rolled his hips forward, going deeper into her.

“I know you remember,” he mumbled against her ear. “You remember how fucking good it felt when I was buried inside you just like this. Tell me, Ash.”

She nodded.

“Tell me,” he insisted.

“I remember,” she said on a harsh moan as he withdrew and pushed back in.

“You like the way I fill you?” he asked.

She nodded.

“You like that these people are watching me fuck you?”

Another nod.

“You’re a dirty girl, Ms. Adorite.”

“You haven’t seen nothin’ yet,” she told him. “Now shut up and fuck me.”

“I’ve got a condition of my own,” he whispered harshly, lodging himself to the hilt and stilling.

“What’s that?” she asked, her fingernails digging into his back.

“No more men. Only me.”

“You think you’re that good?” she asked, her eyes reflecting her skepticism.

“I know I am,” he said confidently. “And you know it, too.”

He retreated, pushed in again, continuing to watch her face.

“Fuck me, Jase. Fuck me. Please.”

“If you agree,” he countered. “Only me from now on.”

He had fully expected her to argue, but to his utter amazement, Ashlynn nodded in agreement, so he gave her exactly what she asked for.

Holding her leg up to open her wider, he began nailing her to the wall, never caring that the people around them could be watching—and likely were. The only thing that mattered was the intensity of Ashlynn’s gaze, the warmth of her pussy gripping his dick, the way she said his name over and over as he impaled her. He wasn’t gentle with her, but he knew she didn’t want that. Ashlynn enjoyed rough sex, but more importantly, she wanted a way to keep sex and love separate. From what he’d seen, she was good at that.

But Jase wasn’t worried about convincing her to love him. Not yet.

That would come with time.

So, as he slammed home, feeling the smooth walls of her pussy grip him, he vowed that one day he would convince her that sex and love weren’t the same thing, yet they did go together.

You just had to find the right person.

And she was it for him.