Prologue
—Ashton—
There I was…
Sitting at a fucking bar, drinking away my broken heart.
Damn. I really did turn into a pussy.
I was the playmaker. The one with the best moves, the best lines. I was the best at everything…
And I mean, everything.
There was no woman immune to my charm. To my looks. To my bed-hopping ways.
Until I saw her again.
Sage McCoy.
We had a past.
History.
An instant connection right from the start. The first time I met her, she took my breath away. For a few minutes, I second guessed the pact I’d made a few hours prior with my best friends.
Through the years, I’d thought about her a lot.
What she was doing.
Who she was with.
I never thought I’d see her again.
Until I did…
It was supposed to be easy. A quick, fun, mind-blowing night where she screamed out my name in ecstasy. I didn’t want her to fall in love with me.
We were only supposed to be a fling.
I didn’t think I’d fall head over heels in love with her.
I fell for her smile.
Her laugh.
Her awkwardness.
She was funny, smart, witty, and sexy as fuck.
I made her come with my hands, my mouth, my tongue, my cock. Sage made me a better man. Now I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.
And not just her…
It was a long story.
An uphill battle.
Complete and utter bullshit.
Swallowing down another swig of Jack, I wallowed in my fucking pity party of one.
How did I go from an eternal bachelor to having the girl of my dreams in my arms?
Jesus, could I get any more pathetic? I laughed at the thought, leaning back against the barstool.
In order to understand, I'd have to go back to the very beginning.
You see, it all started…
With the Playboy Pact.
Chapter 1
—Ashton—
Eight years ago
“How are you feeling, man?” I asked one of my best friends, Cain. His parents just told him they were getting a divorce. Talk about a swift fucking kick to the balls.
He nodded. “I don’t want to talk about it.
I threw my arm around his neck as we approached my Chevy truck. “Dude, let’s get you fucking laid tonight. Your poor balls, bro. I bet they feel heavy after that news. Don’t you worry, man, I’m here for you. You need to get your dick wet. I’ll make sure you have extra condoms. You want to get shitty off Jack, I’ll be your designated driver.” I grinned at him with a cheeky smile. “You want to slip balls deep inside some chick, and you need me to keep her girlfriend busy”—I winked—“I’ll sacrifice my cock for you and take one for the team.”
Before I could get another word out, our other best friend, Sawyer, interrupted, “Jesus, Ashton, can you not think with your dick for five minutes?”
“I’m a guy. We think about sex every seven seconds.”
“Says who?”
“Fucking Siri.”
Sawyer chuckled, rolling his eyes. “It’s a myth.”
“If you don’t think about sex every seven seconds, Sawyer, then that sounds more like a personal problem.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t, shit-face. I’m fully on board if Cain needs his wounds licked by a blonde’s pouty mouth.”
“A blonde, a brunette, a redhead,” Cain chimed in. “Shit, I’ll do all three at once. I don’t have a preference.”
“Now that’s the spirit!” I exclaimed, jumping into the driver’s seat of my souped-up truck while Cain got in the front and Sawyer in the back.
We were headed to our other boy’s house, Leo, who was also like another brother to us. We all grew up together in Monteagle, Tennessee where the Southern charm ran smooth and the whiskey did not, burning like a son of a bitch all the way down.
“I can’t believe Leo’s old man actually came through with the cabin.”
I shrugged at Sawyer’s statement. “I’m not. He treats Leo like shit. This is the least he could do for him.”
“Not everyone has parents like yours, Ashton.”
Cain’s clipped voice brought my attention to him. He was right—my parents were living the dream. They loved each other very much and didn’t hide that fact. My two older brothers and one older sister could attest to their ability to keep their hands off one another. I was the sixteen-year-old baby boy, and I had no problem with that either.
“You’re the golden boy. You could do no wrong when it comes to your mother,” Sawyer acknowledged.
“Jealous?”
“That you didn’t get off her tit until you were three, maybe… Your mom has a great rac—”
I slammed on the brakes, and they both flew forward.
“Ashton, what the fu—”
I snapped around, cutting Sawyer off. “Don’t you ever, ever, talk about my mom’s titties. Do you understand me?” I knew he was only messing with me, we all fucked around with each other like this, busting one another’s balls. “I don’t want you to even think about my mom’s titties. As a matter of fact, my mom’s titties are off the table.” My stare shifted to Cain. “And that goes for you too.”