Take Me Again (The Knight Brothers 1)

“But it’s mine, and she’s right. You need to leave,” he said, shaking her off, his voice adamant.

Her expression turned angry. “Fuck you, Sebastian. You really suck. You know that?”

He shrugged. “Maybe so but I never lied to you about what I wanted.”

With a huff, Veronica stormed off in her heels and a cloud of expensive perfume.

“What did she want?” Ashley asked, just as the elevator door opened and Veronica stepped inside.

He ran a hand through his already messed hair. “To see me because I hadn’t been taking her calls.” He answered immediately, not pausing to think up an explanation.

Ashley definitely knew who Sebastian had been before she’d returned to New York. Before he’d had the revelations he’d confided in her about and had decided to change. But was that Sebastian now?

He grasped her hand. “She doesn’t mean anything to me.” He blew out a shaky breath. “Look, I know I handled women badly before you, but I never led them on. I never allowed them to think there was a future when there wasn’t. I told her there was no us, that she needed to leave, and the office called. I took it in the bedroom, thinking she’d go.” He paused, then said, “I honestly didn’t know she was still here until you knocked and she yelled out that she’d get it.” He spread his hands in a gesture of honesty. He didn’t look away or flinch, which told her a lot about what was or wasn’t going on here.

“Do you believe me?” he asked, his voice uncertain, worried for the first time.

She nodded without hesitation. He might have been a playboy at one time, but she knew he’d had a true revelation and wanted to be a better man. She believed in him, knew he had become the person he wanted to be. Sebastian wouldn’t be sending her flowers and candy, romancing her while sleeping with someone else.

He just wouldn’t.

He answered her with a kiss. One that took her off guard, when she’d been so carefully keeping them apart. She’d come here to thank him for the chocolate, not to fall into his arms.

But it was so easy and it felt so right. Opening to him came naturally to her, as if he was the only one meant for her. And soon they’d made their way to the bed, tumbling onto the mattress.

Chapter Eleven

Sebastian pulled Ashley on top of him, feeling her body mold into his. He kissed her, lost in her taste, her warmth, and sweetness. He’d been on a campaign to win her heart, beginning with flowers and chocolates, but that was superficial, he knew. A way to keep him in her mind while giving her the space she’d asked for. But he didn’t miss the fact that each time he’d left her a present, she’d come by in person to thank him.

As if she couldn’t stay away.

He couldn’t fucking believe Veronica had shown up here, but the fact that Ashley believed in him meant everything. She hadn’t hesitated when he’d asked. Her trust told him a lot about how she felt for him now, that she knew that he wasn’t the man he’d been when she showed up in town.

He slid his hands down her curves. “You feel good.” His lips glided over her cheek, traced her jawbone. “I love touching you.” He licked her skin. “Tasting you.”

I love you, he thought, but the words lodged in the back of his throat.

He’d spent so much time showing her that they were meant to be, that he wanted her to stay here with him, without saying the words, hoping for her to come to the conclusion on her own. She was close, and he intended to make love to her until she couldn’t mistake his intent.

Except, he realized, he’d taken the condoms to San Francisco, and she’d packed them in her bag. “We need to go downstairs,” he said. “Condoms are in your apartment.”

She groaned, opening her heavy-lidded eyes and meeting his gaze. “That’s so unfair.”

He chuckled, his body in full agreement with that assessment. “Let’s go,” he said. “I’ll make it worth your while.” Because he fully intended not only to make love to her but to put all his cards on the table when it came to telling her how he felt about her.

Laughing and sexually frustrated, they made their way to her place. Luckily they didn’t run into anyone in the elevator who would take one look at Sebastian and know what they intended to do when they were alone.

Finally they were back at her apartment and in her bedroom. Although he’d planned to take things slow, the undressing came in a rush for them both. Then Ashley retrieved the condoms from the bathroom and tossed them onto the bed before easing herself back against the pillows.