Текст книги "Traded"

Автор книги: Rebecca Brooke

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Leaning my head against the back of the chair, I remembered the way Elena looked wrapped around me this morning as she slept, all of her delicious curves on display. She’d fallen asleep, so we hadn’t talked. I’d have to try after work.

The knock on my door pulled me from my fantasies.

“Come in,” I called out, sitting up and leaning forward on the desk.

Miller’s head popped around the door. “Hey, man. Thought I’d stop by and see how Elena’s doing.” He waggled his brows up and down.

I pointed to the door. “Back the fuck off or shut the fuck up.”

He laughed. “You slept with her, didn’t you?”

“And what makes you think I’m telling you anything?”

“You tell me about every chick you fuck,” he said sitting down on the sofa in the corner of my office. “What makes her different?”

I turned back to the computer screen.

Great guffaws of laughter burst from Miller as he slumped down on the couch clutching his stomach. “You . . . you . . .” He couldn’t speak.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” The sound didn’t stop which annoyed me. “You know what? I don’t want to know. Just get out so I can get some work done.”

When he got himself under a bit of control, he spoke. “I was right about you that night at Dad’s.”

“Right about what?”

“You want her, and not for a quick screw. You want that woman long-term.”

“Says who?”

He smirked. “It’s written all over you.”

I no longer held the relaxed position of someone who didn’t care. My hand was clenched around my bicep, my fingers tapping against my arm.

“Fine. I want her. Happy?”

“Not really. It’s the first time you’ve wanted someone longer than the time it takes to play and get yourselves off. What gives? What makes Elena different?”

A good question. What made me want to give her the world on a silver platter when the most I cared for a woman before was whether or not she was interested in what I liked. “She’s different.”

I was saved by another knock on the door. “What?” I snapped, irritated with all of the interruptions.

Brock stepped into the room, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might break under the strain. He acknowledged us as he stepped into the room.

“Who pissed in your cheerios?” Miller was still having trouble keeping himself from laughing.

Brock growled at Miller. Before he had a chance to strangle him, I redirected Brock’s attention to me. “What do you have for me?”

No small talk, no preamble.

“Palmer is completely aware of how he should and shouldn’t behave in the future, if he wants that future to be a bright and happy one.”

“I had a feeling he’d understand once you’d had a nice discussion with him.” As much as I hated doing any of the business at the restaurant, the whole situation needed to be handled immediately.

“We had a nice long chat about how he remembers hearing certain things about Elena.”

That sobered Miller up. “What happened with Elena?”

I sighed, not wanting to explain it but knowing Miller wouldn’t let it lie if I tried to push him off. “Some dipshit client approached us outside the movies last night, wanting to talk about the money he owes.”

“Jesus Christ. I hope you told him to fuck off.”

He was now sitting up straight, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Brock and myself. Miller was almost always a hothead. He probably would have done a lot more to Palmer.

Brock took the seat next to Miller. “Palmer and Tolley bet at the same place downtown. Sports. Not your place. Miller,” he added. “Way Palmer told it, Tolley was in there boasting about how he pulled one over on you. That no one in their right mind would want his dumbass wife.”

I slammed my fist down onto the desk. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me? How has someone not seen to this asshole before? He must have enemies.”

Brock shook his head and I knew he was as puzzled as I was as to why Dominic Tolley was still walking, let alone breathing. In our business, guys with big mouths didn’t last long. It only took one piece of information to fall into the wrong hands, and the whole house of cards could come crashing down.

And trust me—no one wanted to be that guy.

“How did Elena take that?” Miller asked.

I scoffed. “Not well. Claimed I was using her as a fucktoy and didn’t really want her.”

“Jesus. That some fucked up shit. What the hell are you going to do about it?”

I moved to face Brock. “I want you to pay that bastard a visit today. Make it very clear that he’ll owe me every goddamn dollar if he doesn’t stop sharing our deal with the fucking world. If I didn’t think I’d take it too far I’d visit myself. But we need this guy breathing.”

Brock stood. “Will do. I’ll make sure he understands.” There was no mistaking the menace in his tone.

Once Brock closed the door behind him, Miller moved to the chair in front of my desk. “What are you going to do to fix shit with Elena?”

“I fixed it last night.”

“No, brother, you put a Band-Aid on it. Something that big doesn’t get sorted overnight. If she means as much to you as I think she does you need to make it very clear that she’s your priority. That you want her above anything else.”

“And how do I do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Take her somewhere she’s never been. Do something that shows her you pay attention. That she’s on your mind.”

Maybe Miller had a point. “When did you get so soft?”

“Fuck you. I paid a lot of attention to Mom and Dad. We work in a business that would scare the shit out of most women. You find a good one, you’ll want to keep her. If you want to keep her, you need to show her that you won’t let the business interfere with your life with her. That you can separate the two. Keep her safe.”

A plan began to form in my mind. Something she’d never done and probably wouldn’t get the chance to do again, unless she stayed with me. The question was whether I could pull it off or not.

CHAPTER 20

Elena

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

My eyes opened slowly to find Ashton sitting on the side of the bed. In a suit he was sexy; in a pair of jeans and a tight T-shirt, he was what dreams were made of.

“Morning.” A quick glimpse at the window and I got confused. “Umm . . . or night? What time is it?”

“It’s almost three in the morning.”

He pulled back the covers and I did my best not to swallow my tongue at the way his jeans stretched across the curve of his ass. I sat up and attempted to straighten the rumpled mess that was my hair, making myself somewhat more presentable. In comparison to him, I’d never come close. He gripped my fingers and pulled them up to his lips.

“Don’t. You’re always beautiful.”

He left no room for argument, although it didn’t stop the blush from staining my cheeks.

“Thank you.” Still not great at accepting compliments, I attempted to change the subject. “Why are you up and dressed?”

Picking up the bag at the end of the bed. “I have a surprise. I need you to get up and get dressed.”

“But—”

“No buts. Get your sexy ass out of that bed and get dressed. I’ll wait for you downstairs, otherwise we’ll never get out of the house.” His heated gaze traveled down my body. Reaching down he adjusted himself, staring at me longingly as he sucked in a deep breath, before walking out the door.

I sat for a moment, feeling my heart dance in my chest as I wondered what on earth he could have planned. There had been so many surprises—each one more wonderful than the last. I pulled the sheets up to my face and grinned.

“Hurry up!” he called from the stairwell.

Jumping from the bed, I washed up quickly and threw on the jeans and T-shirt Ashton had left on the bed. I’d been too busy staring to notice the outfit earlier. Pushing my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I took the stairs two at a time. It might be the crack of dawn, but it had been a long time since anyone surprised me. And with Ashton, each surprise was better than the last.

“Ready?” he asked, shaking the car keys.

“Yeah.”

I reached for the bag at his feet, but he pushed my hand away and picked it up himself. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked as we walked down the steps to the Bentley already waiting in front.

“Nope.”

I stuck my bottom lip out, hoping it would get me more information, but after he’d loaded the bag into the trunk and rounded the car to open my door, his thumb swiped over my bottom lip.

“It won’t work, Elena.” He opened the passenger door and gestured inside the car.

“Fine.” I slipped into the seat, listening to his belly laugh all the way around the front and into his own seat. It was hard to keep up the pretense and not laugh with him. By the time we pulled out of the drive, I’d given up and giggled right along.

I had a hard time sitting still during the whole drive. Theories about where we might be heading flipped through my head at such speed, I could barely keep up with them. Ashton turned the car into a small airport, pulling up and parking behind one of the hangers.

“Flying?”

“We are, but I’m not telling you any more.”

We climbed out of the car at the same time and Ashton grabbed the bag from the back on his way to meet me. Threading his fingers through mine, I gasped at the gesture because the slight pressure on my hand settled my nerves. It was weird how well he knew me.

We walked hand in hand to the hanger. The front was open, the plane already out on the tarmac.

“Ashton.” A man with cropped red hair came through the door. “You made good time.”

“We did,” Ashton said, extending his hand. “Once someone got out of bed.” He looked over and winked at me.

“It’s the middle of the night,” I protested.

They both laughed. “John, this is Elena.” Ashton brought me forward. “Elena, this is John. Dad keeps him on retainer for special flights.”

“It’s a pleasure.” John kissed the back of my hand. He lingered a little longer than necessary.

“John,” Ashton warned.

John raised his hands, his eyes raking down my body. Despite Ashton’s warning, his gaze lingered on my breasts. “You can’t blame me for getting carried away.”

“Then you can’t blame me for what’ll happen next.”

“Fair point.” John started to back toward the door. “Plane’s fueled. Checks done. Flight’s cleared. We can take off whenever you’re ready.”

Ashton glanced over at me, obviously seeing the pleading in my eyes. “We’re ready now.”

“Stairs are down. Help yourself. I’ll be up in a minute.” John took off, jogging out the door.

“It was nice to meet you,” I called out into the night. Turning to face Ashton, I added. “You scared the crap out of him.”

He scoffed. “I don’t give a shit. I pay him to fly a plane, not grope the woman I’m trying to impress.”

I rolled my eyes and let Ashton lead me to the steps, which were already extended. “A private plane?”

“The only way to get where we’re going. The airport is small and the next largest one is three hours away.”

Geography was never my best subject. I racked my brain for where he might be talking about.

“Stop trying to figure it out,” he said softly next to my ear. “You’ll spoil the surprise.”

He placed the bag in one of the compartments near the front, then showed me to one of the seats, each a large leather recliner. This plane looked nothing like the jets where they shove three people in a section that is really only big enough for two. Taking a seat, I was surprised at how comfortable the seats were.

“I’ve only ever flown coach.”

“How many times have you flown?”

I glanced down to the floor. “Once, when we left for Vegas.”

Ashton’s head snapped in my direction. “Are you telling me you’ve only flown once in your entire life?”

I nodded, unsure how to respond. Humiliation swept through me. “Yeah, we drove from there to Colorado. Dominic wanted to start afresh somewhere new.”

“I thought your parents lived on the East coast. You didn’t visit them?” His tone was harsh.

“Dominic always said we didn’t have the money to make the long flight.” I looked at the carpet for so long I began to memorize the pattern. “Besides, we lost contact, remember?”

He caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger, bringing my face up to his. “Elena, you’re not to blame. It’s just that every time you let me in, I’m disgusted with how callous and selfish that man is.”

So many thoughts ran through my head. Whether it was right or wrong, I decided to tell Ashton about my plans.

“I’ve decided to file for divorce. I just need to find a good lawyer.”

A wicked grin crossed his lips and he swooped, taking my lips in a demanding kiss. Swirling tongues fought burning fires and I momentarily forgot where we were until he sat back, panting, “I want you. Can’t. Not yet, at least.”

My chest heaved. It still amazed me how quickly Ashton could reduce me to a mass of nerves and no brainpower. All it took was a simple kiss. The man had a very talented tongue. Wherever he used it.

John stepped into the plane at that moment, averting his gaze. “Buckle up, we’re cleared to take off.”

My face flushed with the idea of being caught.

“He didn’t see anything,” Ashton whispered. “And he’ll miss the rest of the show when he’s stuck behind that door, flying the plane.” He gave me a salacious grin.

Every nerve ending tingled with his carnal promise. “We can’t do that on the plane.”

His hand slipped underneath my shirt. “Oh we can. And we will. You’ve done nothing but tease me since I woke you up. I’m done waiting.”

“Oh God.”

“That’s right. You’ll be screaming that a lot in a bit. But, my name will do just fine for now.”

“Wait . . . did you say that I’ve been teasing you?” All of the comments, looks, not to mention the kiss flashed before me. “You’ve—” He covered my lips with his fingers.

“Don’t deny it. I saw you staring at my ass earlier. What’s a man supposed to do?” I wanted to protest that he happened to be the one who took my clothes off last night, but his fingers never moved. “Since we can’t do what I want to do yet, let’s talk more about your divorce.”

His fingers moved away from my lips but I only managed to get out, “Last night,” before he covered them again.

“Uh-uh. We’re talking divorce, not your teasing ways.”

I rolled my eyes and nodded. Once again, his fingers fell away. “I want to start divorce proceedings. I don’t want to wait another minute to be free of him. I should have left before, but I didn’t know any better. I’m glad that now I do. I just need to find a lawyer.”

“I have a law firm on retainer. We can go see them this week.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

The plane started taxiing toward the runway. “I want to. The idea of you completely free of that asshole makes me hard as a rock. Plus, they’re on a retainer. They may as well do something for their money.”

The plane picked up speed and we rocketed down the runway. At the same time, Ashton took my hand, placing it over the bulge in his pants.

“Ashton,” I whispered.

He captured my mouth as the plane began its ascent, and the floating sensation filling my body had nothing to do with takeoff. Ashton and his talented tongue sent me soaring to new heights. All thoughts of protesting flew right out the window. His mouth trailed down my cheek to my neck, lightly sucking on the pulse point.

My body was already alight with sensation when Ashton’s fingers stroked across my stomach, snaking up and under my shirt to cover my breast. His thumb teased me above the fabric.

“More,” I begged.

“More?” His fingers teased my nipples. “You weren’t sure you wanted to do this.”

Needing less talking and more touching, I threaded my fingers into the hair at his nape and pulled his mouth to mine.

He didn’t disappoint.

When his tongue slid back into my mouth and his fingers dipped below the fabric of my bra, a small voice in the back of my head tried to scream that I must be crazy to go along with this. Except the voice was so small it could be a whisper.

The throbbing, my core begging for more. Suddenly, my seatbelt unfastened and I was hauled over into Ashton’s lap, nothing breaking the connection of our lips. The hard length of his erection pushed into me, creating a delicious friction. Desire, hot and heavy, filled me. Using my free hand, I reached down to unfasten the button and zipper of his jeans. He taught me that: that I could touch him and enjoy it.

That’s exactly what I wanted—to touch and enjoy. A groan left his lips, the moment my hand slipped inside and wrapped around him.

“Oh fuck, Elena.”

My hand moved up and down for a few strokes before Ashton grabbed my shoulders and flipped me around on his lap. One hand went up my shirt and back to my nipples, while the other snaked down my front to open my jeans and slip inside. Ashton slid his fingers down through my slick wet heat. My hips bucked up, trying to get his fingers where I needed them. His teeth scraped across the back of my neck.

“Ashton.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. So responsive.” His finger caressed my clit and the muscles in my body tightened in anticipation, all the while his tongue traced patterns across my nape. The combination became too much and fireworks exploded behind my eyes as I gave in to the urge and let go, screaming out Ashton’s name.

Aftershocks flashed through my body so strongly, I barely noticed him push my pants down my thighs. He lifted me a bit higher and slid home. Both of our tests had come back negative and I was on the pill, so there was no need for a condom.

“You’re so fucking wet. It makes me want to come, knowing how badly you want me. I want to fuck you hard and fast right now.”

“Do it,” I moaned.

Ashton didn’t need to be told twice. He gripped my hips, thrusting rapidly. My body moved in sync with his.

“Damn, damn, damn,” I cried, my body pushing itself toward another orgasm quicker than I could have imagined.

Ashton lost his rhythm right before slamming into me one last time. Sensations were the only thing I paid attention to as my orgasm ripped through me.

As our bodies cooled, Ashton placed sweet soft kisses to the back of my neck. Glancing down, I noticed our partial state of undress. Drained, I leaned back against Ashton, enjoying the soft movements around my stomach.

“You are so passionate and responsive. Everything I need,” he whispered in my ear.

“Mmm.”

“Did I steal your strength?” he chuckled.

I nodded, too tired to speak.

“Let’s get you dressed, then you can sleep the rest of the flight. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Where is there?”

“Oh no, you’re still not getting it out of me with your sleepy ramblings.”

“I tried,” I mumbled.

He laughed and stood, his arms wound around my middle. He helped me adjust my clothes and then tucked himself back into his jeans. I sat back down in my seat, wondering how I’d be comfortable enough to sleep sitting up. Ashton was digging through a cabinet in the back and came back with a pillow and a blanket.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the pillow from his hands and placing it behind my head.

He laughed and shook his head at me. “Let me help.” He reached down on the side of the seat. Slowly, the seat began to recline. When it finally stopped moving, I was lying down and knew I’d be asleep in no time. Ashton covered me with the blanket, then placed a soft kiss on my head.

“Sleep.”

Too tired to argue or attempt to get answers from him, I let my eyes drift closed.



The jerk of the wheels hitting the ground woke me. Like a kid on Christmas morning, I was instantly alert. Sitting up, I found Ashton lounging in the seat next to me. His glasses were on the top of his head, a book in his hand.

“Are we nearly there?”

He lowered the book to his lap and pulled his glasses back down over his eyes. “We should be at the hanger soon, then we just need to wait for permission to disembark.”

He stood, stretching, all of his lean muscles on display underneath his T-shirt. “You can stop staring now. If you want to touch . . .”

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes, a smirk crossing his lips.

I glanced away but then looked back. Why shouldn’t I touch him? After all, we’d done much worse on this flight. Soon we’d been wherever it was he’d taken me—who knew when I’d next get a chance like this.

Standing, I stepped up and placed my hands on his abs and his eyes darkened instantly. His reaction had me feeling brave and I didn’t give him a chance to do anything before I leaned up on my toes and pressed my lips to his. His hand on my lower back pressed me closer to him. When he leaned back, he watched me for a minute then admitted, “You make me feel things I never thought I would.”

Unsure how to respond I opened and closed my mouth a few times, willing the words to come. But I was interrupted when the door to the front compartment swung open.

“You guys can exit the plane whenever you’re ready. The car . . .” John seemed to notice something going on between us and trailed off.

“Thanks, John. I’ll text you when we’re ready to head back,” Ashton answered over his shoulder. Letting out a breath, I thanked my lucky stars. Saved by the bell.

“Ashton.”

He stepped toward the front, where he’d stored the bag earlier. Oh man, had I messed this up? My stomach began to churn. He’d taken the time to plan this and there I was, sticking my foot in my mouth.

I followed him, hesitantly. These sorts of situations always made me nervous, and with Ashton I didn’t know where I stood. Dominic would have just flown into a rage, and rage I could cope with. I wasn’t used to brooding.

Ashton was standing at the door, just looking at the stairs. For a moment, I thought he might change his mind and call John to take us back. Then he turned and held out a hand to me, the mysterious bag in the other. I felt the tension leave my body, all of my insecurities of a moment ago faded away.

My hand slipped into his, weaving our fingers together. The warmth infused my skin, chasing away the cold. We walked the steps hand in hand, toward the jeep that sat on the tarmac in front of us.

“Here, you might need this.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a hooded sweatshirt.

“Thank you.” I put the sweatshirt on and climbed into the jeep.

Once he was settled in the driver’s seat, I looked over at him. He was such a handsome man. I had to force myself to believe I wasn’t dreaming. “Still not going to tell me where we are.”

“You’ll see in a minute.” He started the car and took off toward the front gate.

When we passed through, I thought my eyes might fall out of my head. I couldn’t have seen the sign correctly. Reaching over, he placed a finger under my chin and closed my mouth.

“Close your mouth, before the bugs fly in.”

“The Grand Canyon? You brought me to the Grand Canyon?”

It was a place I’d always wanted to go, but never in a million years thought I’d find myself.

“I had a feeling you’d never been here, and I thought sunrise would a spectacular way for you to see it the first time.”

The tears came on so fast I had no chance of stopping them and they leaked down my cheeks, blurring my vision and making it hard for me to draw a full breath. Ashton glanced over at me. “Don’t cry, Elena.”

“I can’t help it. I’ve never been so happy.”

The sky was still dark and it was hard to see. My heart pounding in my chest the longer we drove. I knew we were getting closer.

Ashton pulled the jeep to a stop and jumped out to grab the bag. Stepping out of the car, I was surprised by the drop in temperature.

“Wow, it’s cold.”

“Until the sun comes up.” He lifted the bag in his hand. “I brought things to keep us warm. Come on, I don’t want you to miss any of it.”

He flicked on a flashlight and led the way, the light seeming extraordinarily bright in the darkness. I was used to nighttime, obviously, but I didn’t know if it was the change in location or something else, but everything seemed . . . more. The air was colder, the night darker. I caught up to Ashton, looping my arm through his as we followed the trail and the feel of him against me was just the same.

More.

We weren’t the only ones there. Voices could be heard all around us. When we finally stopped walking, I was glad Ashton had me put sneakers on. He lay out a blanket and pulled another from his bag. Taking a seat in the center, he gestured in front of himself.

“Sit with me. This is the best place to see the sunrise this time of year.”

Shivering at the cold I sat between his legs, leaning against his chest and he wrapped the other blanket around the two of us, holding me tight to him. It felt so right, sitting here with him like this. But it was hard to concentrate on anything but the beauty surrounding me. As we sat watching, the sky changed from a light blue to orange and eventually a pink.

Then, in the most unforgettable moment of my life, wrapped in the arms of the man who saved me from the hell I’d been living in, I watched the sun peak over the horizon.

“It’s beautiful.”

I didn’t dare move my eyes from the sky, knowing this was a once in a lifetime moment. I didn’t want to miss a single second. Nothing could make the moment any better.

“Yes,” Ashton said, resting his chin on my shoulder, his mouth right by my ear. “You are.”