“Please,” she said on a throaty groan. “Please, Joseph.” She rocked her hips against my thigh, seeking stimulation.
The sound of her husky voice caressing my name as she begged for my touch cracked some of my resolve.
“You want to come, angel?” I asked, using the endearment without realizing.
“I…I need…” She was too shy to ask for what she wanted.
“I have to hear you say it. I need your consent.”
I need to hear you beg. I need to hear the dirty words falling from your sweet lips.
“Please touch me.”
I eased one hand beneath the hem of her dress, gliding my palm up her thigh. Her skin was even softer than I’d imagined, and I bit back a growl of desire as my dick throbbed.
When I reached her wet heat, I teased my fingers along the edge of her lace panties.
“Touch you, where?” I prompted. “Here?” I brushed my thumb across her clit through the barrier of the lace, and she cried out.
“Yes!”
“Say it,” I commanded, unable to hold back my more domineering nature now that I had her squirming and begging. “Ask me to touch your pretty pussy.”
She hesitated, her embarrassment creeping back. I found her innocence delicious, but I found corrupting that innocence even more appealing.
I withdrew my hand, silently communicating that she wouldn’t get the reward she wanted until she obeyed.
“Wait! Please, Joseph. Please touch my…”
I waited, refusing to cave until she gave me what I wanted.
“Please touch my pussy.” It was barely more than a whisper, but the words went straight to my head, suffusing me with power that was even more intoxicating than my physical desire for her.
I took her lips again, my chest rumbling with pleasure as I dipped my fingers beneath her panties. She was just as hot and silky soft as I’d hoped: wet and ready for me. I longed to get inside her, to fuck her and brand her with my own heat.
But I’d made a promise, and I’d never betray her sweet trust in me.
I circled her clit with my thumb, teasing around it. Even the light touch elicited a harsh shout from her, and I caught the sound of her pleasure on my tongue. All it took was a direct, firm touch to her clit, and she came undone. She tensed beneath me, and her fingers curled into my upper arms as she clung on tight. She screamed out her ecstasy, and I smothered the sound with a rough, possessive kiss.
I stroked her for a few seconds longer, withdrawing my hand when she began to shudder. She would be sensitive after such a powerful orgasm, and I didn’t want to torment her. Not this first time, anyway.
I finally released her lips, and she stared up at me, breathing hard. She reached between us, and her fingers brushed my rock-hard cock through my jeans.
I swallowed a curse and grasped her wrist, directing her touch away from my aching dick.
“No,” I refused. “Not tonight.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be okay,” I promised, although my gut was knotted with tension. I didn’t want her to do anything she’d regret in the morning. I never wanted her to regret spending this night with me.
“Come here,” I urged, rolling off her and positioning myself on my side. I pulled her body against mine, and she tucked her face into my neck with a contented little sigh. The sound eased some of the knots in my stomach, and my lust subsided a little.
I kissed the top of her head, and she began to breathe deeply, falling asleep quickly after her orgasm.
I lay awake for a long time after, relishing the feel of her in my arms. I was still hard for her when I finally drifted into sleep.
I woke up before Ashlyn the following morning. In the light of dawn, the possessive haze that’d descended on my mind the night before began to clear.
I wasn’t some fucking hero, no matter how Ashlyn’s wide eyes had shined when she placed her hand in mine. She’d looked to me for protection, but she’d been shaken after her encounter with that handsy asshole. If I hadn’t been the one to force Stu away from her, she might’ve been rescued by some other, more noble guy. She never would’ve had reason to allow me to escort her home.
I should’ve had more self-control. I shouldn’t have been a fucking idiot and deluded myself into thinking that I was actually good for her.
I knew I should leave. I should go to my shithole apartment, gather my few belongings, and get out of Cambridge. I should leave her behind so that no one from my old, violent life could threaten her because of me.
But then she opened her lovely eyes, and I knew I couldn’t do it. Her soft, sleepy smile pierced my chest and hooked somewhere deep inside me, tethering me to her.