The taxi stops in front of the hotel and I pull Ashley out with me. I’d much rather be a gentleman and jog around to her side and open her door with a flourish, but I’m not taking any risks tonight. There’ll be no mistakes. No chances for her to get away, or for us to accidentally be separated. I’m keeping a firm grip on my girl until I know where to find her when she’s not with me.
She doesn’t seem to mind. Her warm fingers link with mine and she drops her head onto my shoulder when I wrap my arm around her waist. It feels amazing to hold her.
This thing between us that I haven’t been able to forget all year—it’s meant to be. Nothing will come between us again. We’re together now and soon I’ll be peeling off her clothes and stamping my ownership all over her body. I blink and then grin as we enter the lift and I punch the button for the penthouse.
I’ve never in my life wanted to own a woman. Never wanted to claim someone with a brand or a mark, or some other way to tell every man within a fifty-foot radius that she’s mine. I don’t even feel that way about the mint condition ’57 Chevy I have tucked away in a garage at my house in New York, and that car took me over a year to find and negotiate the sale.
Right now, though? I want to shout that Ashley is with me. I want to tell the concierge to keep his curious looks to himself. She and I could stay in my suite for the next week and not see another soul, and it would be too soon for another man to look at her. I blink again, trying to snap myself out of it. I know I’ve been obsessed with her for a long time, but I didn’t know I’d feel like this when I found her.
Anxiety nibbles at the edge of my consciousness, when I should be feeling pure joy. Panic that this could be for one night only, just like last time, threatens to overwhelm me and I think she might be feeling the same. She’s smiling, but there’s a look in her eye, like we have more hoops to jump through before we can relax. Before we can really be together.
I choose to ignore any mystery hoops in this vital moment, instead pulling her toward my bedroom the moment we’re alone. We have a lot to talk about, but there’ll be plenty of time for that later. She chuckles behind me and when I turn to face her, she’s laughing. That’s how I remember her. A giant smile on her face, her stance relaxed and open. To see it now solidifies just how right this is.
“Come here.” I hold out my arms and she moves into my embrace without needing any more encouragement. Our lips find each other without hesitation and passion quickly consumes me. Ashley tastes just like I remember. Her lips are full and pouty just like in my dreams. Her skin is soft, and my hands slide inside her loose jacket, while hers reach for my shirt buttons. The velvet on her bra reminds me why she’s wearing a bunny costume, but I push the thought away at the same moment I push the fabric aside.
She’s mine. She’s here. No one else will ever touch her.
Her breasts are heavy in my hands as I reacquaint myself with her body. They seem fuller than they were a year ago and I’m reminded of the curvy gorgeousness I saw on that stage. I nip the edge of her bottom lip, excitement coursing through me at the thought of us naked together.
My phone buzzes in my pocket but I ignore it. It’s most likely Danny wanting an update to my cryptic message, or vile Jeremiah trying to coax me out now that he’s not soaked in whiskey. Either way, they can wait.
Ashely has my full attention. Every ounce of my focus is hers. For as long as she wants it.
ASHLEY
Kissing Kent wipes my brain of all sensible thought.
Any inhibitions I had about the secret I’m keeping dissolve and my body takes over. My fingers roam everywhere, undressing him and dropping his clothes on the floor, our mouths urgently exploring each other. Sounds I haven’t heard in way too long squeeze from the back of my throat as his warm hands dip under my jacket and tug at the low-cut bra cups. My jacket slides from my shoulders and he unclips the bra, his hands capturing my ample flesh as it spills forward.
He sighs and the sound is all pleasure.
He nips my lip, then we morph into two desperate souls, need making everything but us fade into the background. My jeans disappear and I’m soon lying under him on the bed, his chest pushing my breasts up when I suddenly remember why I was such a prude back at the club.
I kind of… just had a baby. A baby he doesn’t know is his, or that even exists.
The minute we take this further, he’ll know. My body is different. I’m rounder. Fuller. And… um… down there.
He’ll know.
“What’s wrong?” He’s so attuned to me; he immediately notices the stiffening of my arms. I pull away just the slightest amount and his eyes fill with concern. “Do you want us to slow down?”
“No.” My voice is barely a whisper. The last damn thing I want is for him to stop. I want exactly what his body has been promising me for the last ten minutes.
What if sex hurts, though? What if it’s not the same as before? What if he’s not as satisfied? The only part of the baby books I read after the childbirth section was about newborn care. I never bothered with the sections on reacquainting yourself with your partner, or when was the right time. It didn’t seem necessary and every time I turned the page on that chapter the tears hit, and I had to close the book. I haven’t any idea what to expect.
“We can stop.”
“No!”
Kent laughs at my almost-shouted answer. “Well, then. Tell me what you want.”
I take a deep breath and run my hand over his cheek. It’s so close above me that I have to tuck my arm under him to do it. “I want what we had. I want to go back in time and relive that night.”
“Me too. I’d just like a different ending this time. One where I’m not so absorbed in business that I let you get away.” He kisses my cheek.
“I’d like that too.” I can’t quash the giant smile that settles on my features. He wants to keep me. He wants us to be more.
“How about this.” He pushes himself upward, relieving the weight that was pressed into my chest. I immediately miss it. “We can talk for a bit. Get to know each other.”
“I want to talk. I do. But…” I let my words trail off at the same time I pull him down and kiss his chin. It feels so forward to tell him I don’t want to wait. To explain how I want to be tangled in the sheets with him, calling out his name. Then we can talk all he wants.
“Oh.” He grins and rolls us over. “How about we go at your speed, then? You call the shots.”
Those grey eyes are full of what looks like love as he gazes up at me. Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but they kind of twinkle, like he’s filled with mischief, too. I straddle him, his finger tugging on my nipples, my eyes closed, enjoying the attention as he moves to position himself under me.
“You’re in charge, Ashley. Take me any way you want.”
My name on his lips is like a shot to my libido. No one says it the way he does—with such seduction. Like he needs me more than he needs air. I need him too, and I want to show him how much.
Without another word I move above him, leaning forward to share a kiss while my hand slides down to grip him. He moans into my mouth and then I draw back, slowly inching his delicious hardness into the place that’s been barren for so long. We move together without trying, falling into a gentle rhythm, one hand squeezing my breast, the other holding tight to my waist. Being together is kind of familiar, and I like it. I don’t have to think hard about what he likes—I already know. It’s imprinted on my body as though we moved together like this just yesterday.
Excitement twists in my stomach and I speed up my movements, grinding myself against him, marvelling at how full I feel. His eyes are closed, his head tipped back, and he suddenly grips my hips with both hands, lunging hard, allowing me to ride him, my toes curling against his thighs.
The sensations swirling through my body have no name. I pant and twist, trying to get closer, to absorb the very essence of him. Our fingers twist together, then he pulls me forward and wraps his arms around my back. Our lips meet in a messy dance, tasting and torturing the other, the moment taking too long—our release not coming fast enough.
Kent groans and thrusts, holding my mouth against his as we move. It’s been too long. Way too long. My body sings with the memory of our first time, comparing it carefully to every moment of this experience. I revel in the smell of him, while my senses scream, overwhelm not far away as my belly clenches and my skin prickles. We breathe each other’s breath, becoming one as my gasps become his.
I race with him, desperate to reach the climax I’ve waited so long to wrap myself in again. I want it to last, but I want to taste the exquisite release his body promises mine. I want him to want me more than ever, but despite my best intentions our bodies take over, sending us soaring together too quickly.
When we’re finally spent, both of us short of breath, Kent squeezes me tight and whispers into my hair. “Ashley. Don’t ever leave my side again.”