Текст книги "Be My Temptation"

Автор книги: Rachel Brookes

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

“So all of the women and the bachelor lifestyle was just a cover because he has been in love with you since college? That’s why he never did relationships, because he was waiting for you? Ash, everything makes sense now. For as long as I’ve known Josh, and from what Ky has told me, he has never claimed a girl as his own before.”

“What about Sadie?” I asked softly.

“Sadie was just an extended fuck buddy. Those are Josh’s exact words.” She moved across the couch and grabbed my hands, encouraging me to look at her. “It’s you, babe. You are it for him, and once a Crawford claims a girl we have no hope. They won’t let go.”

“I told him I needed some time alone tonight, but I just want him.” I finished my wine as Eden stared back at me. “Do you think I should go to his apartment? I’m kind of a hot mess.”

“Come on. I’ll take you down there.” Eden stood from the couch and held out a hand to me. She pulled me to my feet, and it was then that I realized I was a little more than tipsy. “You and Josh together? Best news ever.”

A SOFT KNOCK AT my door woke me up. I had fallen asleep on my couch while watching an old Adam Sandler movie after coming home from Ashlyn’s apartment. I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost one A.M. Through the peephole, I was beyond shocked to find Eden with Ashlyn. What the fuck were they doing?

“Hey, Josh,” Eden said with a smirk. My gaze jumped straight from her to Ashlyn, who looked unsteady on her feet. “She wanted to come see you.”

“I told Eden,” Ashlyn said in what I assumed was her attempt at whispering. She moved forward and grabbed hold of my hand to steady herself. “But she said we are sisters before misters.”

Holy shit, she was completely fucked up, and exactly what had she told Eden?

“How much has she had to drink?” I asked Eden, as Ashlyn manipulated my body until she was pressed against my chest and my arms had no choice but to wrap around her waist.

“She was drunk when I got there, but then we had another glass or two while she was talking to me.” Eden’s blue eyes were shining with something unique, something precious. “Thank you, Josh.”

Confusion swam within me. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For looking out for Ky. I never knew it was that bad. Ashlyn told me a little, but not everything.”

Oh wow. “Pretty girl, you never have to thank me for anything. I’d do it a hundred times over.” I admitted honestly.

“Do you like cats?” Ashlyn mumbled against my chest, and I took that as my cue to get her inside.

Eden laughed softly at Ashlyn’s crazy behavior, and I shook my head in amusement.

“Do you want to stay here for the night? It’s late,” I asked Eden, not liking the thought of her driving home so late.

“No, I want to get back to Ky tonight. I need to be with him. Take care of this one, Josh. I am beyond happy for you.” Eden leaned in and kissed my cheek softly, then gave Ashlyn one last look.

I watched Eden step into the elevator before closing the door and locking Ashlyn and I in for the night. The sound of the door closing caused her to lift her head, and I laughed softly. Drunk Ashlyn was always fun.

“I love Eden. She said sisters before misters.” Ashlyn giggled.

“Let’s get you some water, and then we should get you to bed. We can laugh about all of this in the morning.”

“I think I had too much wine,” she mumbled as we entered the kitchen. I lifted her so she was sitting on the counter, then I grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and some Advil.

“Take these.” I handed her two pills and unscrewed the bottle of water.

“You always take care of me. No one has taken care of me like you,” she whispered, before taking the Advil.

“And I always will. Let’s get you to bed, and we can talk in the morning,” I said softly, then grabbed her hand and helped her down from the countertop.

“Can we spoon tonight? I don’t think I’d be good for anything else.” She giggled as we walked toward my bedroom.

After we stepped through the door, she immediately sat on the edge of the bed and I felt her gaze travel with me as I moved toward the dresser. I pulled out a T-shirt and, without speaking a word, undressed her down to her panties and slipped it over her body. Then I pulled back the comforter and chuckled softly as she crawled up my bed, her perfect ass on display and covered in barely-there black panties, until she got to what she liked to call her side of the bed.

“I love your bed. Can I stay over more often? Maybe I’ll bring my cats over. Will you get a cat with me?”

What the fuck was all this talk about cats? “Sure, Ashy.”

I pulled off my own shirt and slid down my jeans, then climbed into bed beside her in just my boxers. She looked so good in my bed; I’d have her here every night if she’d let me. The fact that she was here made me think that maybe she wanted that too. I just hoped that she didn’t wake up in the morning with, not only a splitting headache, but regrets about coming here. I don’t think I’d be able to handle that.

I pulled her close to my body. Our legs tangled together, and her soft breathing on my chest felt like heaven. Just as I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, she moved beside me and rested her chin on my chest. I looked down at her and, in the moonlight that was flooding my bedroom, I was able to see the beauty of her face.

“Guess what, Joshy?” She leaned in closer, then ran her thumb over my bottom lip, and I sucked in a breath. “It’s only ever been you.”

I wasn’t a praying man, but right at that moment I prayed that her words were nothing but truth. It would break me if it was the wine talking.

“What is that noise?” Ashlyn asked groggily from beside me, and burrowed into my chest further. “Oh my fuck, my head.”

My phone continued to vibrate on the bedside table. “Ashy, I need my arm so I can answer my phone.”

Her eyes shot wide as she looked up at me and realized where she was. “Cats. I left you a message about cats. Oh my god, ban me from ever drinking again. Please just knock it out of my hand.”

There she goes with the cats again. Was she still drunk?

She rolled over and allowed me to move my arm, so I answered my phone. Eden asked about Ashlyn, and wanted to check in to make sure everything was okay. I asked her about the voicemail message I had from her, then she burst out laughing and told me that I had to listen to it as soon as I got off the phone with her. Her reaction alone intrigued me.

Ashlyn was groaning softly, and I swear I heard her mumbling about how much she hated wine.

Eden said her goodbyes and, without lowering my phone, I pressed into my voicemails and started listening to what I assumed would be Eden’s voice.

“It’s me. Ashlyn. Calling on Eden’s phone. I’m going to buy some cats, probably two or three because they need friends. You were really warm tonight, and you bought my Pad Thai, and now I’m a little drunk on wine, but Eden is making me drink water. Do you like cats?”

I burst out laughing. Now I understood her fascination with cats. Ashlyn rolled over and looked at me like I was a crazy person.

“Josh, can you please be a little quieter?” she whispered. “I’m feeling a little under the weather.”

“Do you remember anything about last night? What you asked me?” I asked, once I got my laughter under control.

Her face went still. “What did I do?” she asked nervously.

It was an asshole move, but I couldn’t resist having a little fun with her. “I said yes. To be honest, I never thought you’d ask me,” I said, with an air of satisfaction and disbelief in my tone.

“What?” she choked out, her eyes wide, and the color in her face now completely drained.

“We’d have to make some calls, but I’m sure Ky and Eden would be willing to help.” I was barely able to contain my laughter. “How quickly do you want to do it? It’s a huge commitment.

She shot up in bed, and next thing I knew she was standing up and leaning over the end of the bed. “Fuck, my head is spinning. What have I done? You said yes?”

“Why wouldn’t I say yes?” I asked in a sarcastic tone that she didn’t seem to grasp. “Are you having second thoughts? Wow, Ashy, I never thought you’d be like that.”

“Fuck, what have I done? Josh, I like you, like really, really like you, but that? I would need to tell Austin. He’d either tell me I was crazy or tell me I was awesome.” She paced my bedroom as she completely freaked out.

“Why are you freaking out so much? I didn’t think buying a cat together would cause you this much stress.”

Suddenly, she froze . . . and I waited. She spun around and her eyes shot wide. With two steps, she was standing beside the bed. “What did you just say?”

I couldn’t contain my smirk any longer. “I said, I didn’t think buying a cat would cause you this much stress. Why, Ashy, what did you think I was talking about?” I grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the bed beside me, then rolled to my side to face her.

“I hate you,” she muttered as she buried her face into the pillow and stifled a laugh.

“No you don’t. You really, really like me. You just said, they were your exact words.”

She lifted her face and attempted to glare at me, but her smile dismissed it all. “Well played, Crawford. Way to make the hungover girl feel even more humiliated. I thought I had proposed or something. Was I like ridiculously drunk last night?”

“You were cute drunk. Do you remember everything?”

“Yes, unfortunately. I’m surprised I didn’t try to jump your bones.”

“I’m not into fucking girls who are passed out. Now, enough with the chatting. You need to go have a shower, get dressed in your sexiest bikini, and meet me back here in an hour. We are going on a date.”

“A date?” she asked with a smile.

“Yep, a date. Fifty-eight minutes, Ashy.”

For someone who was suffering a hangover, I had never seen her move so quickly.

I entwined our fingers as we walked along the boardwalk that allowed us views of the Atlantic. Ashlyn was ready in record time, and had come back to my apartment within forty minutes. Maybe she was as eager as me for this date.

“I still have no idea where we are going,” she said with a laugh beside me.

“You’ll like it, I promise.”

We continued walking for another ten minutes before we turned off and headed down a track that led to a secluded part of the beach that looked like a cove. Not many people knew that this place existed, and I hoped that we would have it to ourselves.

As we came through the clearing, Ashlyn suddenly stopped. “This looks exactly like Lilac Cove,” she whispered. “My favorite place in the world.”

She dropped my hand, took off down to the water’s edge, and dipped her toes in the clear blue water. When she turned back to look at me, I was greeted with a smile that reached her eyes, and I knew I had made the right decision in bringing her here. I set down the picnic basket and placed the blanket under the tree, before pulling off my T-shirt and heading down to the water to meet her.

“Let’s go for a swim before we eat,” I said softly into her ear as I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Show me that body of yours, Ashy.”

“I think you should undress me,” she said.

She didn’t have to ask me twice.

I unwrapped my arms from around her waist, then my eyes roamed over her body, which was covered in a light pink dress that showed off her perfect curves. My hands landed on her thighs and slowly pushed her dress up over her hips to reveal purple bikini bottoms and her pert ass. Her eyes fluttered shut as my fingertips swept over her stomach then trailed over her tits before I pushed the dress off her shoulders.

“It’s like unwrapping the best present in the world.”

She shivered as I ran my fingertips down her spine. I loved the effect I had over her.

“Turn around,” I whispered, and slowly she turned to face me. I looked at her body in all its glory, and felt my cock swell at the sight of her. “You are absolutely stunning, Ashy. Never let anyone make you feel otherwise.”

Her cheeks flushed, and I knew I’d continue telling her until she believed it.

We walked into the cool water until it reached my chest. I lifted Ashlyn into my arms, and her legs twisted around my waist while her arms wrapped around my neck.

“So, are we good?” I asked softly.

“We are good. I just wasn’t expecting you to tell me that. I think it just shocked me, and I reacted badly. It was a beautiful thing that you did, and I never want you to regret it. We just need to concentrate on what is, not what could have been. The here and now.”

“That sounds good to me.” I leaned in and covered her mouth with mine. Her sigh of contentment spurred me on, and I pulled her closer to my body. As our kiss intensified, her body started grinding against mine in a perfect friction. Her fingers raked through the back of my head and my fingers dug into her ass. “How do you feel about public sex?” I groaned against her lips.

She giggled and broke our kiss, and then her face disappeared into the concave of my neck. “If we are going to have sex in water, then it has to be in the real Lilac Cove.”

“Let’s go there next weekend,” I said.

Her laughter made me feel like I had finally found my home.

After I calmed down and my cock decided to relax, we left the water and moved to the shade, where I pulled out the picnic basket that I’d purchased from the local café. It contained sandwiches, fresh fruit, juice, and chocolates. We ate and spoke about everything and anything. I teased her about cats, and she told me that she’d hold back, not only those pussy cats, but hers. That was the last I’d tease her about cats.

Once we finished eating, she moved down until her head was resting in my lap. Silence fell between us, and her eyes drifted shut as I ran my fingers through her hair.

“I was frightened that this was too good to be true, because the moment I met you all those years ago, I knew I wanted something with you. When I came back from Australia, you were the one I went to. I chose you. That first morning when I climbed into your bed was the beginning of this. The beginning of something that I still can’t name, but I’m working on it. All I ask is that you be patient with me. I would rather suffer a hundred heartbreaks at the hands of other men than to ever suffer heartbreak from you, Josh, because I know I wouldn’t survive it. But I can feel something between us, something like I’ve never felt before, and I don’t want to fight my future with fears of my past anymore. Especially if my future includes you,” Ashlyn said softly.

I looked down at her, and she gazed up at me with the most peaceful of expressions. It was beauty in its purest form. “I tried to push you away,” She continued. “But you kept coming for me. And you know what? You are all I see, Josh. You are my anchor in the craziness of life. You give me the chance to go a little off course at times, but you always pull me back in. You scare me in the best possible way, because you are the only one that could give me the one thing I’ve always wanted, the one thing I had given up on.”

I pulled her up until she was straddling me. My world as I knew it just shifted. It was completely turned on its axis by her admissions. The enormity of what she had just shared wasn’t lost, now that she had admitted that she was locked into the thought of us as much as I was. The fears, insecurities, and worries that had been consuming me in silence over the past five years began to lift.

“You’re my girl, Ashy. Always have been and always will be.” I whispered, with a voice swamped with emotion.

“I think this is the perfect time,” she said softly, and a glimmer of cheekiness hit her eyes.

“Perfect time for what?”

“To say one thing and one thing only.”

I waited for whatever the hell she wanted to say. Knowing Ashlyn, it could be anything.

Her lips twisted into a sassy smile before she leaned in close to my ear. I waited expectantly for whatever she had to say. “Only one thing needs to be said to end a perfect date.”

She made me wait like the cute little tease she was. Then she said the two words that made me feel like I had won the lottery.

“Team Joslyn.”

THERE WAS NO WAY I could be hearing this. Austin had to be drunk, because he was spilling craziness all over the place. After reluctantly leaving Josh’s house the night before, I came home and barely slept a wink. All I wanted to do was call him and crawl into his bed, but he gave me space when I needed it, so I needed to give him the same.

After having an early dinner with Eden, I came home to Austin’s call. When I answered, I went into shock.

“Why did I receive a phone call from Josh asking what kind of time he’d do if he was to knock the fuck out of your ex-boyfriend?” he asked with an amused tone.

I froze just inside my living room, and tried to grasp what my brother had just said.

“What did you just say?” I asked in a stutter.

“You heard me. Josh filled me in on a few things that you should have told me, but that’s another story. I told him ways to get around it, and wished him good luck.”

“Austin Hart, you are a man of the law. You do not tell a person how to harm someone and get away with it,” I shrieked at my brother absurdness.

“Yes, I am a man of the law, but you are my sister. You take priority.”

“What did you tell him?” I asked quietly as I took a seat on the edge of the couch. My brain was rattled. This wasn’t good. This was bad, so fucking bad.

“Nothing for you to worry about. I like him, Ash. I like him a fucking lot. It’s good to know someone is protecting you over there. I approve.”

“Good to hear my big brother approves,” I said softly.

“So, are you fucking him?”

“Austin Joseph Hart, you do not ask your virginal little sister if she is having sex.”

“Virginal my ass. So, are you?”

I knew he wouldn’t let up. “We have enjoyed each other’s company.”

“So that is a yes to fucking him. What’s holding you back?”

“Are we seriously having this conversation?” I groaned, knowing full well that he wouldn’t hang up until I told him everything.

“Start talking.”

I took a deep breath. “I’ve always put Josh on such a pedestal. Throughout everything, he was always that guy . . . he is that guy. He makes me giggle, makes my stomach flutter, treats me like a queen, and the thought of growing old with him has crossed my mind plenty of times. We’ve spent a lot of time together lately, and he is—no he has, reignited a fire inside me. But, Austin, I know I’d never survive if I lost him. My heart would never recover, and that is what’s been holding me back from completely dropping my guard. So, I got scared, and I kind of suggested Friends with Benefits, and he freaked out.”

His deep laughter was not what I expected. What had I said that was so funny? “Why are you laughing? I’m opening up to you here.”

“You suggested friends with benefits to Josh Crawford?”

“And your point being?”

“Firstly, you don’t do casual. You never have. Secondly, there is nothing casual about his feelings for you. I can completely understand why he was insulted that you suggested it.”

“When the hell did you and Josh Crawford become besties?” I sighed in frustration, but my intrigue was firing on all cylinders.

“Since he called and asked me for my advice, and told me his intentions in protecting you. Don’t give him too much agony, Ducky. Listen to your heart, and tell your head to fuck off. Go to him, be happy, and let him be what you have always wanted.”

“We went on a date a couple of days ago,” I admitted with a smile at the memories.

“Keep going on dates. Open your heart to him. Be all romantic and shit.”

“I love you,” I said softly.

“Love you too, Ducky. Now get your ass off the couch and go to him.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the nickname he had given me all those years ago, even though it came about when he called me an ugly duckling. I shoved my phone back into my clutch and tried to digest everything Austin said. The one thing that resounded to me was “listen to your heart.”

The moment Josh rushed out of his bedroom to grab a candle the night he took my virginity, my heart was his. That was my first experience with a Josh Crawford kind of romance; a romance that was spontaneous, heart stuttering, and so beautifully unique that no other man had a chance. My heart liked it. A lot. The thought alone brought a smile to my face. The fears I now lived with weren’t devastating, and they weren’t brutal. They were life changing and beautifully unique. It was then that I realized I wanted to love and be loved by one man. A man that wanted to offer me the world. It was when I knew that I needed him completely in my life, like I needed air to breathe.

There was a sense of purpose in every step I took to his apartment. These were the days I was thankful for living on the same floor. I knocked loudly on the closed door and waited. I had no clue what I was going to say. For the first time in a long time, I had absolutely nothing planned, and it felt phenomenal.

The door opened slowly, and Josh appeared.

Shirtless.

In sweatpants.

With stubble and stupidly-perfect hair.

“Ashy, are you okay? What are you doing he—”

I placed my open palms on his chest and pushed him back into his apartment. Before I could stop myself, and like I was a woman possessed, my lips slammed to his and he stumbled backward. With my foot, I kicked the door shut, while never tearing my mouth away from his. Four days without kissing him was too long. My tongue traced the seam of his lips, and he immediately granted me access. My tongue darted into his mouth and caressed his with the passion of 1000 first kisses. If I couldn’t give him my words, I’d show him with my actions. His arms wrapped around my waist, and I was lifted from my feet. Then my legs wrap circled his hips as we moved through his apartment. My gasp echoed through the heated air as my back slammed against the wall.

“You and me, Ashy,” he said with a growl against my neck as his teeth nipped at my skin.

“You called Austin,” I mumbled as his hands slid up my skirt until it was bunched around my waist.

“Yep.”

“We need to talk about that, but first I need you to either fuck me here or put me down so I can go back to my apartment to find my vibrator, because hearing that about you and then coming here and seeing you with your shirt off and fuckable hair has made me desperate. Tonight you claim me, Josh. You claim me so no other man gets me.”

He pulled his face away from the confines of my neck and stared at me in wonderment. “What are you saying?”

“Make me yours.”

I hadn’t even finished talking before his hand slipped into my panties. My head slammed back while his remaining hand held me in place. I could hear how wet I was with every intense stroke of his finger, and that sound alone caused my body to shake with excitement. My lips came back to his and I let him devour me. When Josh took control, I knew he would take me to a place of no return.

“Always so wet.” With one swift movement, Josh thrust his cock deep inside of me, and I cried out his name as fireworks were set off within my body. “You’re mine, Ashy. Always have been, and always will be.”

We were frantic. He pumped into me like his life depended on it, and my body met every one of his movements. Our lips hovered near one another, his breath becoming mine, and my pants becoming his. This was pure lustful fucking. There was no romance, no gentleness, and no sweetness to this. This kind of fucking would leave me aching for days. My skin would be peppered with bite marks, and my lips would be bruised. I could not wait to spend the next few days reliving this moment. My core clenched around his cock and the animal-like growl that fired up his throat encouraged the lioness within me.

“You keep clenching my cock like that and I’m coming inside your pussy.”

No man had ever come inside of me, and the thought of Josh being the first sent me into an uncontrollable spin. It would be the first step in giving him my complete trust; something I knew he deserved.

I moved my lips to his ear and, with broken breath, whispered, “First man to fuck me, and now the first man to come inside of me. Claim me, Josh. Mark me forever.”

There was nothing in the world that turned me on more than seeing Josh’s eyes turn dark and intense with need. My words were exactly what he wanted to hear, and his body reacted immediately. All I cared about was Josh, and living in the here and now. His name fell from my lips in pure ecstasy as I begged him to go harder and deeper. He never disappointed. My body clenched around him as a billion stars fired behind my eyes. I came undone with a scream of his name and, within seconds, his face was buried in my neck as he spilled all of him deep within me.

He retreated from my neck, and soon our foreheads rested together while our breathing collided into a perfect melody.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he whispered so delicately that my already-screaming heart thundered in extra delight within my chest. We moved as one through the apartment, my quivering legs wrapped tightly around his hips. He was still planted deep inside of me, so with every step he took, my body felt like I was headed for another life-altering orgasm. My eyes never left his, and the contentment that gazed back at me cemented the reality of what we had just done. His eyes fired possession, ownership, and commitment, and there was nothing I wanted to see more.

Gently, he lowered me onto his bed. When he pulled out, I felt the loss immediately. He stood beside the bed and allowed his eyes to roam over me. I had never felt so wanted in my life. I inhaled sharply as his fingertips grazed my hip and unzipped my skirt, then he pulled it over my thighs, along with my panties. His stare landed between my thighs, and a searing heat shot through me.

“I can see myself spilling out of you, and it’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he said in a low, growl-like voice. Tonight he had claimed me like a king choosing a virgin to warm his bed.

I watched eagerly as he leaned over, and in one torturously slow movement, slid a finger through my pussy. I shivered under the sensation, and gasped loudly into the still air. He lifted his finger, which was covered in his own release, to my mouth, and placed it between my lips. I sucked it with enthusiasm, while his eyes locked with mine. As I swirled my tongue around his finger, his eyes closed, and I felt my chest swell with pride.

“You have ruined me, Ashlyn Hart. Absolutely ruined me.” He groaned as I released his finger. “I’ll go grab a cloth.”

He disappeared into his bathroom and returned with a warm cloth, then proceeded to clean my still-sensitive sex, before pulling a pair of his sweats up my legs and dressing me in one of his tees.

“Are you spending the night?” he whispered, climbing on the bed beside me and rolling to his side to face me.

Gazing back at him, I took a moment to enjoy his features through sleepy eyes. He was a stunning man. He had eyes so dark I felt like I was looking at melted chocolate, yet so expressive that they told you everything he was thinking, with a perfectly pink set of lips, and a strong jaw line that looked like it had been chiseled by the gods. He was almost too handsome.

“Yep.”

“You are what I want, Ashy, and I know I’m what you want. I feel it in the lightness of your touch. I see it in the intimacy of your gaze, and I taste it in the sweetness of your kiss. My role as a man is to give my woman what she has always wanted. I will give you your happily-ever-after, Ashy, and it will be my greatest accomplishment. Your bruises and hurt are mine to heal, and I will protect you for the rest of my life. You have my word. You’re mine, Ashy, and what’s mine is mine forever.”

God damn it, he was going to make me die from swoon overload.

The last twenty-four hours were my eye-opener, and it made me realize that one moment can open your eyes to exactly what you had been too blind to see. It was my first step to a new beginning. Today it was my time to take the reins and show him and the world that I was indeed his.

I walked down the hall of Beats and Bangs with an extra swing of determination in my step. I felt good. I felt confident. I was ready for this, whatever the hell it would mean, and if there was fall out, I’d face that too. We would face it. Together.

“I need to talk to you,” I announced, walking into Ky’s office with a sense of purpose, not bothering to knock. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath before I turned to face him.

Ky looked up from his laptop in shock at my intrusion, and his eyes narrowed in worry. “What’s wrong?”

“I can talk to you about anything, right?” I asked as I took a seat in the visitor’s seat opposite him, then placed my phone on the top of the desk and my bag on the floor.

“Of course,” he replied immediately and closed his laptop. Then he took the phone of the hook so we wouldn’t be interrupted. Seriously, could he be a better best friend?

I took a deep breath and sorted through my options. Ky sat behind his desk, his complete attention on me, and suddenly I felt like I was in the principal’s office, waiting to admit my misdemeanors. How was I meant to say this? I tapped my nails on the desk as I tried to formulate the words that wouldn’t leave him ripping his hair out and potentially flipping his desk.

Your brother is the best lay of my life and he has ruined me.

Downstairs is only open to your brother from now on.

I’m infatuated and falling head over heels for your brother.

“Ash, what’s going on?” Ky pushed, and I met finally his eyes.

“I’ve been with Josh.”

There. I said it. Suddenly, relief fired through me, and I began to relax. Last night everything shifted within me. I saw Josh for everything he was. What I wanted was reignited. Lachlan hadn’t destroyed me, and I wouldn’t allow him that power. The look that flashed through Josh’s eyes when Lachlan spat his hurtful taunt about being second choice had made me sick. Josh was never second choice, but knowing that thought had sliced through him caused me to step up. I couldn’t let him think that. He was always number one, but I had been too scared to tell him. My stupid fears made the man that ruined me for all other men question where he stood with me.