Текст книги "Beautifully Loyal"

Автор книги: Nicole Edwards

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Chapter Five

Don’t ask.

Fourteen years ago

Tenth grade

“You’re comin’ over to hang out this weekend, right?” Max asked from his locker on the other side of the narrow walkway inside the boys’ locker room.

As he tugged his T-shirt off, ready to change back into his regular clothes after the torturous practice they’d just endured, Leyton tossed a brief look at Max over his shoulder, shrugging in response to Max’s question. He was too tired to talk, drained from being out in the hot sun for the last two hours.

It was no secret, Leyton fucking hated soccer, but he’d signed up for it after the counselor urged him to do something that would help with his aggression. She’d informed him that if he continued on the path he was on, he would never graduate from high school and would likely end up in a dead-end job for the rest of his life.

Like the bitch knew him or something.

“Seriously, man. Come over. We’ll do somethin’. I can get the car and we’ll go out.”

Leyton couldn’t give Max a straight answer, because at this point, he wasn’t sure what his plans were for the weekend yet. It all depended on his father, the mood he was in, whether or not he was passed out drunk or irate and on another terror. Leyton hated cancelling plans, so rather than get stuck doing that, he preferred not to solidify anything until he knew for sure how things would play out.

“Holy fuck, man. What the hell is that?” Max’s appalled tone had Leyton looking at him again. Max was staring at Leyton’s back.

Twisting, Leyton peered down at his side, the spot Max was pointing at, noticing the huge multicolored bruise that covered a large portion of his side and much of his lower back.

Shit. He’d meant to be more careful. Clearly he was too tired to pay attention.

“Your whole fuckin’ back is black and blue. And what are those? Cigarette burns?” Max stepped to the side, obviously trying to look at Leyton’s front.

“It’s nothin’,” Leyton grumbled, yanking his T-shirt on over his head with a grimace and pulling it down to cover the result of his father’s drunken rage the night before. The burn scars were old, but the bruises … nope, those were fresh.

“Bullshit. That ain’t nothin’,” Max snapped. “Who’d you get in a fight with? And why didn’t I know about it?”

“No fight,” Leyton answered, wishing like hell Max would drop it.

“Dude, your ribs are probably cracked.”

“They’re not,” Leyton said, although he suspected they could be. The pain was vicious, but he’d managed to pretend otherwise, even when he’d thought he would die during practice. He definitely didn’t want anyone knowing that his old man beat the shit out of him almost every single night these days.

“Seriously,” Max said, his tone stern, his voice lower than before. “What the hell happened, Leyton?”

Leyton turned to face his best friend. He hated not telling Max the truth, but the last thing Leyton wanted was anyone’s pity. And he damn sure didn’t want Max to think he was weak. It wasn’t like Leyton was letting his dad get the jump on him. The old bastard had started beating Leyton while he slept in order to avoid getting hit back. By the time Leyton was awake and fully functioning, the asshole would have him at a disadvantage, leaving Leyton able to do little more than protect his head from the brutal beatings.

“I told you. Nothin’. I prob’ly fell.”

“Right,” Max muttered, spinning around to his locker.

Clearly he didn’t believe Leyton, but at least he’d stopped asking questions. That was all Leyton could hope for at this point. During the three years they’d been friends, Max had become rather protective of him, although he didn’t quite understand why. It hadn’t been easy, but Leyton had managed to keep his father’s abuse from Max. Up to this point, he’d done a good job.

However, in the future, he would have to make damn sure he was more careful about changing clothes.

Ashlynn walked into the living room to find Max and Brent arguing about some video game they were playing. She’d planned to go talk to her mother, but her uncle Patrick had been there, and since he made her feel yucky with the creepy way he looked at her, she’d opted to see what her brother was doing instead.

“Man, you need to learn how to play!” Brent howled at Max.

“Quit whinin’ like a little girl,” Max retorted.

“Y’all need to shut up,” Ashlynn told them firmly, knowing neither of them would listen to her, but she said it anyway. “Uncle Patrick’s here and he’s talkin’ to Mom.”

Max peered over at her, and Ashlynn got the feeling he knew why she wasn’t in there talking to Uncle Patrick.

“Go away, you little brat!” Brent hollered, his attention never leaving the television screen.

Refusing to do what Brent said, Ashlynn curled up on the opposite end of the couch and observed the two of them. She felt more comfortable when Max was around, especially when Uncle Patrick came over to visit. She was pretty sure Max didn’t like Uncle Patrick, either.

“I heard that Leyton got in another fight,” Brent told Max.

Ashlynn watched as Max’s attention jerked over to Brent briefly. “Where’d you hear that?”

“One of my friends, his brother goes to your school. Said that Leyton’s covered in bruises. Someone kicked his ass.”

“Shut up,” Max muttered. “It ain’t true. Leyton didn’t get beaten up.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Max’s eyes slid to Ashlynn momentarily before returning to the game.

“But I—” Brent tried again.

“I said shut up. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“He’s always fightin’,” Ashlynn remarked. “It makes sense that he’d be bruised up.”

“What do you know?” Brent countered. “You’re only eleven.”

“Almost twelve!” she shouted.

Brent always acted like she was a little kid, and it made her angry. He wasn’t even a whole year older than her. Only eleven months, but he always told her she was a little kid.

“Not yet, you’re not,” he grumbled, his eyes locked on the television screen, thumbs working furiously over the controller in his hand.

Ashlynn wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but she ignored Brent, anyway. He always wanted to fight, and she knew it only upset Max.

Max glared at her, but he didn’t say anything. He never did. For whatever reason, her big brother was always protecting her, never yelling at her the way Brent or Victor did. Or even Dad. But when Dad yelled at her, Max was always around. It seemed like he was watching out for her, like he was her protector.

The thought made her smile. She’d always thought of Max as her shield against the evil. He was the only one she could ever talk to besides Aidan, and she liked Max because he didn’t seem to mind when she wanted to talk to him. Once, when she was seven, he’d even played Barbies with her while she told him all about her school. But he’d told her that she couldn’t tell anyone he had played with Barbies or he’d never play with her again.

So she had never said anything and she never would.

“What do you want, Ashy?” Brent asked, his head never turning toward her.

“Don’t call me that!” she yelled.

“Ashy. Ashy. Ashy.”

“Shut the hell up,” Max bit out. “Do it again and I’ll punch you.”

Brent smiled. “Whatever. Maybe you’re the one who beat up Leyton.”

Max rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything.

Ashlynn liked Leyton—he was so cute. He was also nice to her like Max was, but he didn’t talk to her much. He seemed sad and mad all the time, but never at her. She’d never really tried to talk to him even though he was always at their house. Almost every weekend, Leyton was there, hanging out with Max, and Ashlynn wondered if he didn’t like his parents. She’d even asked him one time if his mom and dad were mean to him like her dad was to her, but he hadn’t answered.

“Dinner’ll be ready in ten minutes,” Walter, the man who cooked for them, called out from the other room.

“Hurry up,” Brent urged Max. “I’m not gonna listen to Dad yell because we weren’t sittin’ at the table when he gets there.”

Ashlynn launched up from the couch and ran across the room, making a beeline for the dining room. She wasn’t going to be late, either, because that was one of the times her dad was really mean, even though he always told her it was for her own good. And the last time he’d been mean when Uncle Patrick had been there, Uncle Patrick had come to her room to talk to her, and she wasn’t about to let that happen again.

Today, like every day, Ashlynn would show her dad that she’d learned her lesson.

Chapter Six

Irritated? Stupid fucking question.

Present day

November 1st

Ashlynn gave herself credit for being on her best behavior throughout dinner, then afterward, when everyone disappeared in their effort to pretend to be superheroes for Courtney.

But she was tired of the act, ready to let go of the smokescreen and get back to normal.

Most everyone had retreated to the veranda for after-dinner drinks and conversation while they’d waited for the superheroes to return. Now that the crisis seemed to be over, Ashlynn was no longer interested in hanging out with everyone, so she’d snuck back inside, seeking a little solitude. Quite frankly, she was all talked out. These days, she could hardly sit still, anxious whenever she was around people.

It wasn’t difficult to shove down her own needs and put everyone else’s in front of hers. She was a grown-up, after all. At twenty-six, she could put petty games aside when necessary, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t irritated.

And there was only one man to blame for her current mood.

For two months, Ashlynn had pulled out all the stops in her attempt to show Leyton that she was interested in him, ever since her birthday party at the club. Up to this point, he’d done a damn good job of pretending she didn’t affect him, though she knew otherwise. That night at the club, when he’d played voyeur to her and Jase’s tryst, Ashlynn had seen his interest. But she would have to give Leyton one thing … she had to admire the man’s willpower, because he certainly hadn’t given in.

Yet.

It wasn’t until recently that Ashlynn had recognized Leyton’s true nature, which had been the tipping point for her. For years she had actually thought that Leyton had a thing for Max, of all people. There’d never been any doubt that her brother was as straight as they came, but she had always questioned Leyton’s… What was the right word? Flexibility? Yes, that was a good one. She’d always questioned his flexibility when it came to his sexuality. Though she’d never known him to date men—or hell, to date anyone, for that matter—she was quite perceptive when it came to Leyton Matheson. He was intrigued by men, if nothing else. As much as if not more so than he was attracted to women.

That didn’t mean he hadn’t been with men; it only meant she didn’t have any concrete proof.

Yet.

It seemed that when it came to Leyton, Ashlynn continued to hold out hope. One day she would crack that tough exterior and get to the gooey, sexy center. Someday very, very soon. And yes, her interest, her slow-burning desire for him, required him to be extremely flexible with his own desires, so to speak.

Leyton had come into their lives long before Ashlynn’s head had been turned by a boy, but by the time he was a senior in high school and Ashlynn had been a freshman, she’d been incredibly aware of him. They’d gone to the same school for two years due to Leyton failing the tenth grade, mostly because he’d chosen to fight that year rather than worry about schoolwork.

Not that her infatuation with him had done her a damn bit of good. Though they’d been friends, Leyton had never acted on anything else, never even seemed to acknowledge her interest. But she only considered that a stroke of good luck on her part. After all, had she and Leyton gotten together at that point in their lives, she wouldn’t have had the pleasure of Jase’s company.

And Jase Malone was quite yummy.

“Hey,” a deep voice rumbled from behind her.

Speak of the devil.

Ashlynn turned to see Jase sauntering down the hall toward her, his thigh muscles bunching with every step. She loved the way those faded jeans hugged him in all the right places, accentuating his muscular thighs, fantastic ass, not to mention the giant bulge he sported between his legs. The man had caught her attention from the very first day he’d stepped into her house five years ago, looking for a job. He was mouth-wateringly good-looking, and that voice of his… His words alone made her insides quiver with need.

She was ready for some action of her own, and Jase was just the man to provide that for her.

When Jase’s six-foot-two-inch, extremely powerful frame pressed her up against the wall, Ashlynn clutched his broad shoulders as she peered up into those sexy, crystal-blue eyes. His blond hair was cut short but not so short that she couldn’t slide her fingers through it and pull him down to her.

Jase nuzzled her neck as he slid his big, warm hand beneath her skirt, easing inside her panties and pressing his finger against her clit.

“Is this what you’ve been waiting for?” Jase’s tongue caressed the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

Closing her eyes and enjoying the tingle that ignited in her core, Ashlynn nodded her head.

“You’re wet for me,” he whispered against her ear. “So fucking wet.”

“Yes,” she hissed.

The man knew exactly which of her buttons to push to ratchet up her heart rate, and he didn’t have any qualms about giving her what she needed when she needed it.

“Were you thinkin’ about me?”

Ashlynn nodded again, her eyes rolling back as the pleasure intensified. “Don’t stop,” she murmured, riding the sensual high her body craved as he teased her clit.

His lips brushed hers lightly. “What’ll you do if your brother comes in and sees us?”

Ashlynn smiled against his mouth. “I’ll tell him I’m a big girl and I can fuck my head of security if I want to.”

“I love when you say head,” Jase muttered.

“You love more when I give it.”

“No doubt.” Jase’s free hand slid around to cup her ass, squeezing her close as he adjusted their positions so that he could push two fingers inside her. “Is that an offer?”

That was another thing she liked about Jase. He sated her every craving and wasn’t afraid to ask for what he wanted.

She offered another nod.

“Yes, it was an offer? Or yes, you want me to make you come with my fingers, right here?”

“The first, although the second’s not a bad idea, either,” she told him breathlessly, hating that his hand was forced to retreat as she slid her back down the wall, her eyes still locked with his.

While she fumbled with his zipper, Jase pressed his fingers against her lips. “Suck them clean and I’ll give you my dick.”

Never looking away, she took his fingers into her mouth, licking them clean while she freed his cock from his jeans. When he removed them, her tongue instantly lapped at the bead of pre-cum pooling on the wide, swollen head. His hands slid into her hair, gripping her firmly while she proceeded to blow him right there, in the hallway of her brother’s house.

This was probably one of the more private places she and Jase had gotten down to business in. They’d become notorious for acting on their urges spontaneously. It kept it interesting, to say the least.

Ashlynn wasn’t embarrassed to say that her sex drive was high, significantly higher than most women. Previous lovers hadn’t been able to keep up, which was likely the reason she had never settled down long enough to have a real relationship. That and she didn’t believe that sex and love had anything to do with one another. But if she was ever going to give in to love—if it even really existed—then she was damn sure going to be certain the man could sate her every physical need first.

Regrettably, finding that man wasn’t as easy as she would’ve preferred. Not until Jase, anyway. Not that this thing between them could be categorized as a relationship. But it was the longest amount of time she’d been with any one man exclusively. They’d been fucking like rabbits for about a year, and the frequency hadn’t lessened with time. In fact, Ashlynn was inclined to think she wanted him even more now. It was as though he knew her, knew what she liked, what she needed, what she wanted.

It helped that he wanted the same things. Such as Leyton crushed between them.

Jase was openly bisexual, although he hadn’t been with a man in all the time they’d been sleeping together. To help alleviate that desperate need that ate at him, they’d started talking about their fantasies while she secretly plotted a way to get Leyton to succumb to his own desires. It was the twenty-first century, after all, and a woman was allowed to ask for what she wanted, to explore her sexuality and admit she had needs. It had been during one of those fantasy discussions that she and Jase had both learned that adding Leyton to the mix would be the cherry topping on a fucking kick-ass sex sundae.

“Aww, yeah,” Jase moaned, tugging her hair as he pressed his hips forward. “You’re so fucking hot like that, Ash. My dick buried in your mouth.”

That was another thing she enjoyed about Jase. He was incredibly vocal. There were times when he could almost get her off with little stimulation and a hell of a lot of that dirty talk.

However, as good as he was, no one was perfect. The one thing about Jase she’d noticed early on … although he was supremely alpha, when it came to sex between them, he had always submitted to her to some degree. Even if he topped from the bottom so to speak, he had always allowed her to maintain the ultimate control. And she knew, deep down, Jase worried she would break if he took that away from her.

Sometimes she feared he might be right about that.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Ashlynn’s attention. While she continued to suck Jase deep into her mouth, using her hand to stroke him simultaneously, she flicked her gaze down the hall. There, in all of his sexy glory, was Leyton.

Watching them.

He looked almost bored, but Ashlynn knew better. He was likely trying to figure out whether or not he should join them. She already knew what his final answer would be, but a girl could definitely hope.

Her eyes snapped back to Jase’s face. He was still watching her, but she could tell by his naughty grin that he knew Leyton was there. Nothing got past Jase. Nothing. That was the reason she’d hired him for her security detail—something she had to have due to her family’s businesses.

“Fuck yeah, Ash,” Jase growled. “Suck me, baby. Take my cock deep. Oh, yeah, just like that.”

Truth was, Ashlynn enjoyed going down on Jase. Hell, she loved everything about their sex life. The only problem she had was that she still harbored an intense attraction to another man, still felt an empty space inside of her that hadn’t yet been filled by anyone. And though Jase seemed to be on board with the idea of bringing Leyton into the bedroom, so to speak, Ashlynn knew they’d eventually want more than that from her. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready for something more than sex for the sake of pleasure. Loyalty she understood, love … not so much.

Not that it mattered. She wasn’t looking for a happy ever after, and neither was Jase.

And that was why they worked so well together.

This was what she’d been holding out for. At first, she’d thought she hadn’t found the right man to quench her sexual thirst, because she’d wanted Leyton, but then Jase had come along. It was at that point in her life that she’d realized it would require two men to fulfill her completely. And she knew exactly which two.

Leyton cleared his throat, and Ashlynn glanced down the hall once more. He was still standing there, his attention riveted on them. With his hands in his pockets, his jacket pulled open, she could see the bulge of his erection tenting his slacks. Her pussy throbbed at the idea of Leyton joining them. Watching him go to his knees and take Jase’s thick cock in his mouth... It was a fantasy she’d had for a damn long time.

Clearly it wasn’t going to happen now.

“I’m close, Ash. I’m gonna come in your mouth. That what you want?”

Ashlynn nodded as she pulled his cock from between her lips, running her tongue along the underside before sucking his balls inside. After teasing the sensitive sac briefly, she sucked his dick back into her mouth, gently scraping her teeth along the swollen shaft.

“You think he likes watchin’?” Jase asked, the question clearly rhetorical as well as loud enough for Leyton to hear. “Or does he wanna join us? I can imagine my dick in his mouth…” Jase trailed off, groaning as his grip tightened in her hair. She knew how much Jase wanted Leyton and how much he was holding back because of it.

Ignoring Leyton but enjoying the fact that he was still there, Ashlynn focused all of her attention on Jase. Within seconds, his hips stopped pumping, a deep growl rumbling in his chest as he came in her mouth. She hummed her approval.

“Swallow,” he ordered, making her pussy spasm with the need to be filled.

She swallowed every last drop, and when Jase helped her back to her feet, he lifted her skirt and maneuvered his fingers back into her panties, thrusting two fingers inside her.

“Oh, God, yes,” she hissed quietly.

“You like when I fuck you with my fingers.”

She preferred his dick, sure, but it hadn’t been a question, she noticed. Which was why she didn’t bother to answer. Jase kissed her, his tongue plunging into her mouth as he penetrated her deeply, his fingers thrusting and retreating until she was gasping and clawing at his shoulders.

“Come for me, Ash. Come on my hand.”

Closing her eyes, she gave herself over to the pleasure, letting her body take over until she couldn’t hold back.

“Aww, yeah,” Jase mumbled. “So sweet. I love watchin’ you come.”

When she opened her eyes, a quick peek down the hall told her they were alone again.

“Don’t worry,” Jase whispered, tilting her chin up before placing a kiss on her lips. “He’ll come around soon enough.”

Ashlynn wanted to believe that. She really did.

But Ashlynn knew something Jase didn’t.

Leyton was as loyal as they came. He owed his life to Max, and therein lay the problem. She got the sneaking suspicion that Leyton’s willpower was reinforced by her brother’s direction for Leyton to stay away from her. Which was the only reason Ashlynn hadn’t confronted Leyton directly. She respected Max. He was her brother, and no matter how much she wanted something, there was no way she would defy him.

Leyton’s wasn’t the only life Max had saved over the years. She owed him as well.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t willing to push and see how far she could get.