Текст книги "My Best Friend's Stepfather 2"

Автор книги: Opal Carew

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 4 страниц)

“Now it’s time for your punishment.” He walked across the room and sat down on a leather couch. “Come over here.”

She walked across the room and stood before him. The pleated plaid skirt was very short and the top of her black bra peeked out from the plunging neckline of the blouse. She felt like a naughty schoolgirl facing her sexy schoolmaster’s smoldering gaze.

“First, you were going to skip our session today,” he said, his expression stern. “Then when I summoned you here, you were late and you know I’m very strict about that.”

“Yes, Mr. Gallagher. I’m sorry, sir.”

Heat simmered through her as she thought about his big hand connecting with her ass.

“Sorry isn’t good enough. Bend over my knee,” he instructed.

She stepped forward and knelt on the leather couch beside him, then bent over him until her stomach rested on his lap, her ass hiked in the air. His hand rested on her thigh, about halfway up and she trembled in anticipation. His fingers curled around as his hand glided upward, his fingertips grazing along her inner thigh. Her breath caught as he approached her panties, thinking he would brush against her dampening crotch, but instead his hand moved toward her ass.

He drew back the fabric of her skirt. Since she was wearing a thong, her ass was basically naked and his big, warm hand cupped her round cheek. He stroked in a circle, sending need spiraling through her. When his hand lifted from her ass, her breath held as she waited for it to whip back down and connect with her bare bottom.

Smack. The sound reverberated through the room as ripples of heat washed through her. Then another quick slap across her other cheek almost made her gasp.

“Do you like that?”

“Oh, yes, sir.”

“That’s why I won’t be giving you any more. This is supposed to be a punishment.”

“But, sir—”

“Silence. Now I’ll be punishing you for arguing, too. Kneel in front of me.”

“Yes, Mr. Gallagher.”

She slid off his lap and knelt on the floor facing him. The stiff fabric of the short, pleated skirt still curled upward, revealing her naked ass. She could tell he was staring at it in the mirror on the wall behind her.

“You are a selfish little girl and need to learn how to respect the needs of others.” He took her hand and rested it on the front of his pants.

She drew in a breath at the feel of how hard and thick his erection was under the cloth.

“And as you can tell, I have needs right now.” He raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do about it?”

She stared at the huge bulge under her hand and licked her suddenly dry lips. “I’m going to meet your needs, sir.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to unzip your pants and wrap my hand around you. Then I’m going to take it in my mouth.”

He nodded. “Very good.”

She pulled down his zipper and slid her hand inside his pants. As soon as her fingers wrapped around his hot, smooth flesh, her insides melted and she felt the slickness between her legs. She drew him out and admired his thick, long erection.

“Oh, sir, it’s beautiful.” She stroked the length of it, the kid-leather soft skin gliding against her palm and fingers. She could see the need burning in his eyes.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his tip. Immediately, he glided his fingers through her hair.

“Take it in your mouth,” he said, his voice tight.

She opened and he drew her head down, until the entire crown was in her mouth. She swirled her tongue over him then sucked. He pressed her further down his shaft … and further. She had to relax and open to let him glide down her throat. Then he drew her back, his fingers tangled in her hair so she had to follow.

He pressed her forward and back, setting a rhythm. A few slow strokes, then several fast, then slow again. He was so hard and thick her throat ached with the effort of keeping it open and as relaxed as she could. Then he released her hair.

“Keep going.”

She continued the rhythm, her hand firmly wrapped around his root. Her other hand slid to his balls and she caressed them.

“Oh, fuck.”

He jerked into her and hot, salty liquid squirted into her throat. Filling her mouth. She kept bobbing on him as he groaned. When he slumped back, she sucked a little more, then drew back, relinquishing his spent cock from her mouth. She licked the semi-erect shaft, lapping at the smooth skin until every drop was gone. Then she licked some that had dribbled down his testicles. When she was done, she lifted her head.

“Look what you’ve done.” His voice was steely and his eyes glinted. “For what I intend to do to you, I need my cock hard and ready.”

He stood up, pulling her to her feet, too. He marched her across the room and directed her to sit on a wooden bench along the wall.

“Put your feet up on the bench on either side of you.”

She wasn’t quite sure what he wanted, but he grabbed one ankle and lifted it, bending her knee, then set her foot on the wooden surface beside her ass, then did the same with the other. The result left her legs spread wide open to him. His gaze fell on her sheer panties that did nothing to hide her intimate flesh.

His hot gaze bored through her, as if he were gliding a finger inside her. Finally, she couldn’t stop herself from squirming.

His gaze rose to her face, taking in her heated cheeks.

“The way you’re dressed. You look like a slut.”

He ran his finger along the open neckline of her blouse, tugging slightly to give him a better view of the black bra beneath.

“This isn’t exactly part of the school uniform.”

She pouted. “I thought it looked pretty, sir.”

“You look like a whore.” He frowned. “I’m only telling you this for your own good. You could get into a lot of trouble dressed like this.”

He unfastened a button on her blouse, and another, then pulled it open to reveal her bra.

“This undergarment is practically transparent,” he said. “Your nipples are totally visible.”

He ran his thumb over one swollen nub and a shocking jolt of sensation stabbed through her, straight to her core.

“You like it when I touch you there.”

“Oh, yes, I do, sir.”

He frowned. “You are a very dirty girl. You definitely shouldn’t be wearing something like this.” He pressed on the front clasp and the bra popped open. He pushed the cups aside, his heated gaze intense on her naked breasts. Her nipples ached with need.

He ran his hand over her breast, then squeezed her nipple between his fingers. It was a painful pleasure and she cried out.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

“It’s okay, sir.” She longed for him to pinch the other one, too.

“But that’s not okay. Let me make it feel better.”

He knelt in front of her, then leaned forward and kissed her nipple. Then his mouth wrapped around it and his tongue nudged against it. When he suckled, she moaned, then her fingers raked through his hair as she held him close to her bosom. His fingers found her other nipple and he squeezed that one sharply as he continued to suck the first.

“Oh, Mr. Gallagher,” she cried.

His mouth shifted and he suckled her stinging nub.

Then she moaned as he drew his mouth away. His gaze fell to her crotch.

“Do you know what boys will do if they see these panties? And with such a short skirt, they’re bound to see them.”

She shook her head. “No, sir. What will they do?”

He leaned in close, his intense masculine presence sending ripples of awareness through her. “They’ll want to touch you. Down there. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

She widened her eyes. “Oh, no, sir.” Then she wrapped her hand around his and guided it to her thigh, and murmured softly, “I only want you to touch me there.” Then she pressed his fingers to her folds, feeling her own wetness against her fingertips as they briefly brushed her panties.

She thought for a moment he was going to scold her, but then his eyes glittered and a slow smile spread across his face.

“Really?” Then his fingers brushed her sensitive flesh and she moaned.

He hooked his finger around the crotch of her panties and pulled it aside. Then he dragged his gaze from her and leaned forward, staring at her revealed petals of flesh.

“Your pussy is very pretty,” he murmured.

His finger brushed over her folds. Then it thrust inside her and she gasped.

“You like that?”

His finger was deep inside her, swirling inside her channel.

“Yes, sir.” In fact, the sensations were intoxicating.

But now would he deny her this and find another punishment for her?

He moved his finger inside her, thrusting in and out, driving her desire higher and higher.

Then he withdrew and grabbed her hips, dragging her butt forward, causing her back to curve. His fingers glided along her slick folds. When they glided back, then pressed against her tight back opening, she drew in a breath. One slick finger slid inside her and he twirled it back and forth. A moment later, he gently pushed in another finger, stretching her tight anal opening.

Her eyelids had fallen closed, so she jumped when she felt his mouth brush against her slit. She watched his head move as he licked her. When his mouth found her clit and he began to suck, she cried out. His finger moved in her ass, and the combined sensations took her breath away.

“Oh, sir.” Her head fell back against the wall. “Oh, that feels so good.”

He lifted his head and smiled, his lips glistening from her slickness. Then he stood up. His cock, jutting from his pants, was rock hard and pulsing.

“And it’s going to feel even better in a moment. I’m going to push my big cock right up your ass.”

She quivered at the thought, her legs trembling.

“Daddy?”

At the sound of Helen’s voice, Ashley grabbed her blouse and tugged it closed, then sat up, pulling her skirt down. She could see Dare grit his teeth as he pushed his distended cock back into his pants—with some effort—then zipped up.

Ashley could see Helen walking toward them. Dare’s back was still to her and his body mostly hid Ashley so she was pretty sure Helen hadn’t seen anything too embarrassing.

“What the hell are you doing here, Helen?” he demanded through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t know where you were, and I needed to find you.” Helen’s speech seemed a little slurred.

“Get out right now,” Dare commanded.

“No, I won’t.” Helen’s gaze locked on Ashley and scrutinized her costume. “Why are you here with her? You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”

“Helen, this is none of your business.”

“But, Daddy—”

“Don’t call me that.” The anger in his gritty tone was one Ashley would be sure to heed, but Helen seemed nonplussed.

Helen threw herself down on the bench beside Ashley and glared at him. “I could wear a slutty schoolgirl uniform like this. Why won’t you fuck me like you do this gold-digging whore?”

At Helen’s words, shock vaulted through Ashley.

“Fuck, you’re drunk, Helen.”

Ashley jumped as Helen’s hand fell on Ashley’s breast and she squeezed. Ashley tried to pull away, but Helen wrapped her arm around Ashley’s waist and held her close to her side. She was surprisingly strong.

“Would you like it if I made out with her?” Helen asked. “I know how that turns men on. If I did that, Daddy, then would you fuck me?”

Suddenly, Helen’s mouth was on hers and Ashley gasped, trying to free herself from the soft feminine lips and the tongue that thrust inside her mouth. The taste of alcohol was overwhelming.

Then the soft body pulled away and Ashley realized Dare had grabbed Helen’s arm and pulled her to her feet. He marched her across the room and out the door.

Ashley sat on the hard bench, sucking in air. That was so embarrassing. And disturbing.

Clearly, Helen had been coming on to Dare. Oh, God, she didn’t even want to think about it.

But now here she sat, still hot and needy for Dare. She started to button her blouse, but then the door opened and Dare strode toward her.

“Don’t touch those buttons,” he demanded.

When he reached her, he tugged her to her feet and into his arms. His mouth captured hers and his tongue plunged inside her mouth. But as frantically sexy as this was, her gaze shifted to the door. She pulled away.

“But Helen—”

“I locked her in her room. She won’t disturb us again.”

“Locked her in? But…”

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t want her wandering off in her state. She needs to sleep it off.”

He pulled her tighter to his body, his thick shaft rock hard against her belly. “And we need to finish what we started. I am so fucking ready for you. What we did earlier has me so hot there’s no way I could wait to be inside you.”

He cupped her breast, then stroked. Heat burst through her as he pinched her nipple until it was swollen with need.

God, she wanted him inside her. She found his pants and fumbled with the zipper until she could reach inside and grasp his throbbing shaft.

He consumed her mouth as she stroked his erection.

He backed her up against the wall. “Open your legs,” he demanded.

She obeyed and was rewarded by the feel of his hot flesh gliding over her slick folds.

“I’m going to fucking take you against this wall,” her murmured fiercely against her ear, then nipped her earlobe. Sharp pangs spiked through her as his teeth abraded her tender skin.

Then his pelvis surged forward. His thick column drove into her, stretching her canal wide. She tightened her arms around him, clutching him close while they both panted for air, his big cock buried deep inside her.

He moved and the feel of him shifting inside her made her moan.

“Oh, Dare, please fuck me.”

“God damn.” He pulled out, then drove forward again.

Her insides ached as his enormous cock thrust into her again and again. She quivered and the intense pleasure almost made her weep.

Still he drove in and out. Stroking her passage. His cock thrusting purposefully. Making her sing with pleasure. Her voice grew higher and higher as the pleasure pulsed inside her, until it was a high squeal of delight.

“Say my name again.” The need in his voice matched her own.

“Dare. Oh, Dare, make me come.”

“Yes … baby … Come … for … me.” He uttered the words between thrusts.

Pleasure swelled and her senses flared to a tingling mass of need.

“Yes, I … Ohhh,” she moaned as joy swept through her. “I’m coming.” The last word trailed to a reedy wail.

Then ecstasy burst through her, carrying her on the wings of blissful delight. Soaring into the unknown.

His body pulsed against her, his cock swelling, then he groaned as it erupted inside her in a spasm of joyful release. He buried his face in her hair as his body shuddered in ecstasy.

They clung to each other, both shivering in the aftermath.

Finally, he drew back and his lips found hers. His kiss, tender and passionate, reached right into her heart and stroked it.

She meant something to him. After that, she knew she must.

He drew back, but instead of the smile she anticipated, his face was drawn tight in concern.

He cupped her cheeks and kissed her again.

“I’m sorry but you’ll have to go now.”

*   *   *

Ashley sat in her car in Dare’s driveway, now back in the clothes she’d worn to Dare’s this evening, a bit in shock. He hadn’t even watched from the window to see if she got into her car okay.

She knew he was concerned about Helen, but she felt rejected.

Ashley pushed the key into the ignition and started the car.

She had no idea what to think about Helen’s behavior. What she had done tonight was embarrassing and disturbing. Ashley didn’t even want to think about it, but she couldn’t get the thought of Helen begging her ex-stepfather to fuck her out of her mind.

God, the woman was so screwed up. Woman? Actually, she had acted more like a spoiled teenager. A teenager who would do anything for attention.

Dare had his work cut out for him straightening her out. Ashley wondered if she should go back in there. Maybe she could help.

Should she really leave Dare alone with Helen when she might throw herself at him?

No, she was being silly. Dare would never succumb to Helen’s strange and disturbing bid for attention. He was strong and always in control.

But now Ashley felt rejected. If it hadn’t been for Helen, Ash would probably be curled up in Dare’s arms in bed. But he’d chosen Helen over her.

She knew she shouldn’t let that bother her, but she couldn’t help it.

*   *   *

Dare raked his hand through his hair as he paced the living room, phone to his ear. The answering machine picked up on the other end, so he disconnected then dialed again. Sometimes Ann would pick up after several tries.

The third time dialing, he heard a click on the other end.

“Hello?” Ann’s voice sounded short.

“It’s Dare.”

“What do you want?” she asked. Same Ann. Short and to the point.

“You should come and get Helen.”

“She’s with you in New York?”

He strode to the armchair and sat down.

“No, Autumn’s Ridge. I’m here on business for a few weeks. You didn’t know where she was?”

“Why should I? I don’t keep track of her.”

“Well, she’s having a problem. I think she could use her mother.”

“Is she sick or injured?”

He glanced down the hall toward the bedrooms, knowing Helen was in the guest room, probably passed out.

“No, but she got stinking drunk.”

“Of course she did.” At her tone, he imagined Ann rolling her eyes. “If she made a mess of things, then it’s up to her to clean it up. I’m not babysitting her.”

Good old Ann. She didn’t care about her daughter, or the fact Helen might have caused problems for him. Ann lived in her own selfish little world, looking out for number one and no one else. No wonder Helen was so screwed up.

No wonder Helen felt so unwanted.

“That’s pretty callous, Ann.”

“Look, she’s an adult now, which means she’d not my problem anymore. She has to learn to take care of herself.” Then she hung up the phone.

Dare jabbed the End button then dropped the phone in its dock.

Fuck! The way Helen was acting, he should toss her out on her ass, but he couldn’t do that to her. He knew that her behavior was a cry for help and he couldn’t just abandon her, no matter how much she might mess up his life.

And his relationship with Ashley.

God, he wished Ashley hadn’t seen that. Helen calling her names, then coming on to him like that. And touching Ash inappropriately. It must have been horrendous for her.

And after he’d marched Helen to her room, he’d gone back and continued the fuck session with Ash, still so turned on by what they’d been doing he couldn’t help himself.

After the stunningly erotic sex, the blood flow had returned to his brain, and he’d begun to worry about Helen again.

The expression on Ashley’s face when he’d rushed her out of the house still haunted him. She’d looked so rejected.

He gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn’t think about that now. He’d find a way to make it up to her. Somehow. But right now, he had to make some arrangements for Helen. He picked up the phone. He wouldn’t abandon Helen like her mother seemed perfectly content to do.

As the phone rang on the other end, his thoughts turned back to Ashley. He loved being with her and regretted that this time with her would be interrupted by Helen’s issues. He knew Ash probably wouldn’t be open to a long-term relationship with him. He wouldn’t mistake her excitement at being dominated with real feelings for him, especially given their age difference and the fact he’d been her friend’s stepfather, but he had looked forward to a solid few weeks of enjoying her ongoing discovery of her submissive side.

Now he realized that as much as they both enjoyed him mentoring her, she’d probably be better off if they ended it now.

*   *   *

Ashley’s phone chimed, signaling a text. She finished the e-mail she was working on then picked it up, hoping it was from Dare.

Just finished with a client near your office. Want to grab a coffee?

It was from Jessica.

Yeah, sure, Ashley responded.

She’d be happy to get out of the office for a little while. Since what happened between her and Adam the other evening, he’d been keeping his distance, not wanting to make her uncomfortable in the workplace, but she was still on edge.

She grabbed her purse and headed to the Starbucks on the corner where Jess said she’d be waiting for her.

“Hey, there you are,” Jess said as Ashley dropped her purse on a spare chair and sat down.

There were already two coffees sitting on the table.

“My treat,” Jess said. “It’s that new latte you tried the other day and liked so much.”

Ashley smiled and took a sip. “Thanks. So you’re pretty chipper this morning.”

“Yeah, well, things are going pretty well with Eric.”

“That’s great,” Ashley said, glad her friend’s love life was going smoother than her own right now. “So are you going to kiss and tell?”

Jess laughed. “Well there’s not much to tell except that we did kiss. It was a first date.” She grinned. “But talk to me after our second date and we’ll see.”

Ashley smiled. “He asked you out again. That’s great.”

Jessica had been so nervous about how things would go, because she really liked this guy. Ashley was happy that things seemed to be heading off to a good start.

“It may not be as exciting as you seeing a billionaire Dom who makes you surrender to his every sexual whim”—she grinned—“but you never know.”

“Well, not everyone’s as lucky as me.” Ashley had meant it to sound lighthearted, but her words came across with an edge that caught Jessica’s attention and she frowned.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Ashley shook her head. “Oh, no, nothing.” She didn’t want to bring Jessica down from her euphoria of starting a relationship with someone special.

“Don’t do that. I can see it in your eyes. What happened?”

Ashley frowned, her hand tightening around the warm coffee cup in front of her.

“When I was at Dare’s last time, it got a bit … tense. Not between him and me but…” She shook her head, her cheeks heating. “Helen showed up.”

“Showed up? So she caught you at Dare’s house again?”

Ashley sucked in a breath. “She caught Dare and I … together.” She hadn’t intended to tell Jessica that. It had just slipped out. But Jess was her best friend and she knew if anyone could make her feel less crappy about the situation—less mortified—it would be her.

“Oh, God, that’s … awkward.”

Ashley nodded. “You have no idea.”

“What did she do?”

Okay, there was no way Ashley was going to give her details.

“Well, she didn’t just leave. She was just…” A shiver raced through Ashley as she remembered. “I don’t know. I don’t really want to talk about that, but…” She stared at her coffee cup. “I think she’d been drinking.”

Jessica nodded. “Did you know she used to drink in high school?”

Ashley gazed at her friend. “Well, sure, we all used to sneak one sometimes.”

“No, I mean, she used to drink in school. She carried a flask around in her purse.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I caught her one day and she made me swear to secrecy. Her parents—well, her mom and Dare—were going through some rough times, leading up to the divorce. They didn’t tell her they were getting divorced until after graduation, but I suspect Helen knew it was coming, or was afraid it was anyway.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Ashley felt a little hurt.

Jess shrugged. “I wouldn’t have told her if you had told me something sensitive and swore me to silence.”

Ashley nodded. “Of course. Sorry.”

“So right now life is kind of sucky for you. You’ve got an awkward situation with Dare, since Helen is in the picture, and it’s got to be tense with you and Adam. How’s that going?”

“We have sort of an unspoken agreement to give each other space in the office and he suggested that we suspend our usual running and movie night for now.”

“I can’t imagine that’s going to last long. I’m sure he’s going to make another move soon. To convince you to change your mind and start seeing him.”

Ashley shook her head. “I just wish everything wasn’t so complicated.”

Jessica smiled. “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you get involved with these older, dominant types,” she teased. “They turn your world upside down.” She took Ashley’s hand and squeezed. “You know, I think you should just have sex with both of them. Preferably at the same time.”

“Jess, you’re terrible.”

“Why? Because I suggest you live out every woman’s fantasy? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

*   *   *

Ashley sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen.

Being with both Dare and Adam. She hadn’t thought about it until Jessica mentioned it, but now she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

What would it be like to have one suckling her breasts, his hand stroking her inner thigh, while the other nuzzled her neck from behind? Being sandwiched between their two big, muscular bodies while their hard cocks glided into her, filling her with wild pleasure.

Her phone rang, startling her from her reveries. Cheeks heated, she picked it up.

“Ashley? It’s Dare.”

Her back stiffened and her cheeks grew hotter.

“Oh, yes. Hi.”

“I was hoping you could meet me for dinner. Tonight. Around six?”

That was less than an hour from now.

“I’ll need a little more time than that. I have to go home and change first.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“But I’m just in jeans.” And she’d like to put something sexy on for him.

“It’s okay. We’ll go somewhere casual. I can pick you up from the office if you’d like.”

“Sure.” She glanced at the clock on her computer. “How about forty minutes?”

She finished up a bit of paperwork, then grabbed her purse. When she walked out the front of her office building, Dare was waiting there in his sporty silver car. He got out and opened the door for her, helping her into the low seat, then a moment later, he put the car into gear and pulled into the city traffic.

He took her to a roadhouse on the edge of the city, not too far from her apartment. It was very rustic, with solid wood tables that had been polished to a glossy shine and waiters dressed in black pants and plaid shirts. Dare asked for a quiet booth and the hostess led them to a corner of the restaurant.

“I wanted to apologize about what happened the other night with Helen,” he said.

She bit her lip. “Thank you. That was pretty awkward. Is Helen okay?”

His gaze jerked to hers. “Why do you ask that?”

“Well, she was pretty drunk.”

His lips compressed. “Yes, her judgment was impaired, but that’s no excuse for her wildly inappropriate behavior. Again, I’m sorry.”

Ashley nodded. “Thank you.” There didn’t seem to be anything else to say. Though she wondered if he’d send Helen away now. Boot her out on her ass after what she did.

If he did, then at least she and Dare could have time together again without fear of Helen interrupting them.

“So has Helen gone back home to Cambria?”

“No, she’s still here for another couple of weeks. That’s another reason I want to talk to you.”

Oh, God, he wasn’t going to ask her to let Helen stay with her, was he? She pushed aside the random thought. Of course he wouldn’t do that.

“You and I and what we’ve been sharing has been great.” His somber gaze locked on hers. “We both knew it was a temporary thing—just while I’m here in town. Now that Helen’s here, making it more difficult, it just seems … It’s probably better to end it now.”

Cold gripped Ashley as she stared into his serious, determined eyes. Yes, she’d known it was temporary, but she didn’t want it to end now.

“We don’t have to stop because Helen is here,” she said. “We could meet somewhere else. You could come to my apartment.”

“No. It’s not just her walking in on us. She’s demanding of my attention and … well, she has no one else. I can’t just turn her away. Surely you understand that. So trying to divide the time between her and you … between the business I came here to do…” He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be fair to you. I just think it’s better to end it now.”

“And if I don’t agree?”

He gazed at her, a light flaring in his eyes, but then it dimmed again and he shook his head.

“I’m sorry.” He took her hand and she simultaneously wanted to pull it away and to stay in the warmth of his grip forever. “I think this is for the best.”

*   *   *

Ashley closed the door of her apartment behind her, feeling numb. Dare had just broken up with her. Had walked away from what they had without a qualm.

Her stomach clenched and her heart ached. She realized that the growing need she felt for him wasn’t just a sexual hunger for the delights of domination he’d introduced her to.

She had developed feelings for him. A deep need for his touch. For him to need her, too.

Could it be that she was in love with Dare?

*   *   *

Ashley rested her head on Jessica’s shoulder as Jessica hugged her. They sat on her couch. Ashley had called Jess right after Dare had dropped her off at her apartment and she’d come right over.

“It’s okay, Ashley. That asshole had no right to treat you that way. To just up and ditch you like that? I can’t believe he’s putting that psycho ahead of you. She’s obviously not the person we thought we knew.”

“She is his stepdaughter. He’s trying to help her,” Ashley said, not knowing why she was defending him. This was girl time, when she could dis the guy without guilt and wallow in sharing her pain with her friend.

“Ex-stepdaughter. And no matter what, she’s a grown-up now and is responsible for her own actions. If she’s going to behave badly, he shouldn’t hesitate to boot her out on her butt.”

Ashley just nodded. “Which means, he doesn’t really care about me.” She shook her head. “But I knew that. I can’t really blame him. We both knew it was just a temporary thing.”

“Oh, you can blame him all you want. He hurt you. You have a right to be angry.”

Ashley let a few more tears fall, basking in Jessica’s warm hugs, while Jess stroked her hair. Then Ashley sighed and drew away.

“At least now you can finally be with Adam.”

“But it’s not really fair to Adam that I just latch onto him on the rebound.”

Jess smiled. “I think that man would be happy for any reason for you to latch onto him.” She stroked Ashley’s hair back. “It’s not like he’s a new guy in your life. You two are friends. You have a deep connection. And you’ve had the hots for each other as long as I can remember. Now that he’s taken the step of telling you how he feels and wants to move the relationship forward…” Jess shrugged. “I don’t see why you’d hold back.”

Ashley just shook her head, still hurting too much from Dare’s rejection to think about it.

“Hey, let’s forget about all this right now and just kick back and spend some girl time together,” Jess said. “How about I order us a pizza and we follow it up with some Ben and Jerry’s while we watch a chick flick? I think Reese Witherspoon has a new one out. Or we can watch a classic. Hey, what about When Harry Met Sally? About two friends falling in love?”