“Happy birthday, Pearl,” Ashe said as he placed a cake on the table. There were two chocolate tiers and twenty-one candles lit along the top, my name written in sparkly icing with flowers frosted around it. “Make a wish.”
I stared at the small fires, a thought coming into my mind. There was only one thing I’d ever wished for year after year.
I hope I’m able to move Gran out of here and give her a better life.
I sucked in as much air as I could hold and tried to blow out every candle, but a few were so stubborn that it took another breath to put those out.
Just as I finished, he took my face into his hands and kissed me. “I can’t wait to taste the peanut butter on your lips.”
His smile caused a flutter in my chest, and so did the feel of him on my cheeks.
“That’s the flavor you got?”
“It’s your favorite.”
Details.
Ashe paid more attention than anyone I’d ever met, making it one of the sexiest, most endearing qualities about him.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him. “From every bit of my heart, I thank you.”
“Don’t feel like you have to keep saying that.” His voice was so tender. “You’ve shown your appreciation since the moment you arrived at my apartment tonight.”
That felt like days ago.
Because never had I expected this evening to turn into this.
But maybe I should have.
From the very beginning, Ashe had shown me how wonderful he was. And each day, he’d continued to prove that he was the type of man who would decorate a rooftop with flowers and candles, play music, and feed me Chinese. At this point, I truly believed he would do anything to make sure I had a memory to hold on to forever.
“I don’t think I’ve shown you enough,” I whispered.
“Trust me, you have.”
Trust.
That word hit me hard, rolling all the way to my stomach, heating and bubbling like the oatmeal I’d made Gran for breakfast. It was a word that had held no value for most of my life, every promise made to me broken until I’d moved in with Gran. She was the only person who made me believe in trust.
Ashe wasn’t far behind.
He grabbed a long knife from the drawer and handed it to me. “Do you want to do the honors?”
I smiled. “I’ll let you make the mess.”
He laughed, carefully sticking the blade into the center of the cake and dragging it to the edge, repeating the motion until there were several slices. He used the flat side of the knife to lift the large pieces and plate them. Once we each had one, he took out some vanilla ice cream and spooned that on the side.
“As kids, we always had ice cream with our cake,” he said, sitting next to me at the table. “My mom used to buy us strawberry. I think that was her way of trying to get us to eat more fruit.” He took a bite. “But I think vanilla tastes best with this.”
I dipped my spoon into the creaminess and added some of the cake, making sure a frosted flower made it in as well. All of the flavors mixed together in my mouth, and I moaned, “You’re not wrong.”
“You like it?”
“Love.” My eyes closed. “Really, really love.”
When I opened my lids again, he was grinning, and he reached across the small space, rubbing his fingers over my cheek. “God, you’re beautiful.”
My face warmed under his hand. “Are you going to cut a piece for Dylan?”
I hadn’t asked if he was here when we first arrived. I just assumed he was in his room.
“He’s gone for the night. But I assure you, he’ll dig in the second he gets back in the morning.”
“Do you have eggs?” When he nodded, I added, “Good. Then, I’ll make you guys breakfast, and we can have the cake for dessert.”
He stared at me for several seconds. “You’ve decided to stay?”
Even though I’d stuck a few overnight things in my bag, I’d still debated while I was on the train to his apartment tonight. Once I opened the sleepover door, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to close it, and something told me I’d be spending many more nights over here.
In my head, it seemed like an urge I should fight.
But in my heart, I knew I couldn’t.
Waking up next to Ashe was what I wanted.
“Yes.” I swallowed, the richness slowly sliding down my throat. “I’m not going to go home.”
A smile spread across his delicious mouth before he closed the distance between us and kissed me.
“Peanut butter,” he whispered, licking me off his bottom lip. “I knew it would taste so good on you, and I was right.”
As I stared at his mouth, his voice echoing in my ears, a hunger began to pulse inside me. One that increased as I looked at the dessert he’d had made for me and the vase of flowers he had bought me. The fridge full of leftover Chinese and another bottle of sparkling apple cider he’d purchased as a backup.
His thoughtfulness was everywhere.
The feeling inside my chest was what caused me to rise from my chair and move over to him, slowly taking a seat on his lap. As he gripped my waist, I hugged his neck, my arms eventually resting on his shoulders.
“One of”—I kissed his cheek—“the best”—my lips moved over his nose—“nights of”—I went across to his other cheek—“my life.” I pulled back when I reached the base of his neck.
“It’s not over, Pearl.”
Goose bumps covered my skin.
He reached behind me and returned with a flower, holding it to my nose. As I inhaled the soft rose scent, our eyes locked.
“We’re just getting started.”
I suddenly felt like those candles before I’d blown them out—my limbs lit, my body dripping with heat. My skin turned incredibly sensitive, every movement of his fingers causing tingles to explode. When he leaned his mouth closer, he lowered the flower, the soft petals brushing across my lips.
A wave of pleasure shot through me, and it happened immediately again as he ran the rose down my neck and over my throat, stopping at the collar of my shirt.
“Ashe.” I quivered.
He scanned my eyes back and forth, desire bursting from his stare. “Unless you tell me to stop … I’m about to carry you to my bed.”