Velvet Fire - Ashby Crime Family Romance

“Come in,” she called out when I tapped on the door.

She was stretched across the bed with an e-reader propped up against the headboard, long legs dangling off the edge of the bed.

“Can we talk?”

Something in my tone alerted her because Maisie turned and nodded, closing the e-reader and giving me her full attention. “Sure.”

I shut the door and walked toward the bed, keeping a few feet of space between us just to make sure we talked first.

“I feel like I said something wrong earlier but, fuck me, I can’t seem to figure out what.”

Her lips spread into an amused grin that was at odds with the heavy sigh she let out.

“I know and I’m sorry for that.” She patted the spot on the bed beside her and I sat, watching as she grabbed both of my hands and held them in her lap, cradling them in her much smaller hands.

“I didn’t see you coming Virgil.”

I knew exactly what she meant. I wasn’t in the market for a full-time woman, didn’t believe I could love—or be loved for that matter.

My childhood and even my adulthood were too fucked up for lily white notions like love and happily ever afters, so what the fuck did I know about it? But I did know Maisie was always on my mind. My body constantly craving hers. Nonstop. “I know what you mean.”

“I need time,” she said after a long pause.

“Time,” I grunted. What the fuck did that mean?

Maisie let out a long sigh. “Not because I don’t want you,” she tried to reassure me but it wasn’t working. “Seriously. I need to reassess my own thoughts about relationships and expectations. I thought I was so damn modern,” she said on a bitter laugh. “But after all the sweet stuff you said to me before, I felt disappointed, all because you didn’t say you loved me. And that seems pretty childish.”

I opened my mouth to tell her I cared about her. But she put her hand up and stopped me.

“It’s on me, Virgil. Hell, I don’t even know if I love you, so why should I expect you to tell me you love me? Or to even know how you feel?” She sighed and stroked the side of my face. “Your actions have shown me that you care. I just need time to believe it.”

She turned her big blue eyes up at me, silently pleading with me to be patient.

Patience wasn’t a trait that came naturally to me. “Does that time need to be spent away from me?”

Her lips curled into a sexy grin I couldn’t resist, dipping in to take a quick kiss that left me breathless.

“Well, I was hoping we could find creative ways to help me start to believe it.”

Hell yes. “We can do that,” I said, a grin forming ear to ear.

My words seemed to provide her with some kind of relief because her muscles relaxed and she grabbed one of my hands and slid it up her thigh until my hand butted up against the damp fire between her thighs.

“Fuck yeah, we can do that.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” she whispered on a giggle, the sound I loved more than any but her erotic cries. “I do want you, Virgil.”

“Good. Because I meant it when I said I want you Maisie.”

She slid onto my lap and wrapped her arms around me with a smile, saying nothing as she lowered her lips to mine. The kiss went on and on, hot as fuck as she rocked back and forth against my cock, licking my teeth and nibbling my tongue.

I was moments away from stripping her naked and sliding into her hot beautiful cunt when the door flew open. My hand instantly went to my gun and aimed it at the door, which only intensified Bonnie’s screams. Bonnie, who was always fucking around lately.

“Maisie! My God, Maisie, Wyatt,” she cried.

Maisie flashed me an apologetic look and sighed.

“Bonnie, what did he do now?” That tone and the question told me I wanted no part of this conversation but I’d probably scar the girl if I stood up with a massive hard-on.

H-H-He’s dead,” she stammered out. Instantly, she had my attention.

“What?” Maisie jumped up and rushed to the door to be with her friend.

“Apparently his remains were found inside some house that exploded. They won’t tell me anything cause I’m not related, but it has to be a faulty gas line, right? Right?”

Her tears and shrieks grew to an annoying level and my eyes widened in Maisie’s direction. “How can he be dead?”

Maisie sighed. “I’m so, so sorry, Bonnie. Come on in,” she said softly and pulled Bonnie into her arms for a long affectionate hug. “There’s something I need to tell you. I was hoping I’d never have to but…well, here we are.”