Ashton Scott

“What’s happened?”

He doesn’t answer me straight away, but rather, rubs the back of his neck while keeping hold of my gaze. Then he says, “There’s been a fire at one of my building sites in Perth.” He pauses for a beat and when he continues, his voice is thick with emotion. “Three of my guys died in it.”

I swallow down the sick feeling his news causes and try to find the right words to say to him. Nothing comes, though, and I feel useless. In the end, I go with: “I’m so sorry, Ashton.”

“I have to cancel our plans for this weekend. I’m going to fly to Perth instead and get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”

While I agree this is the best thing he could do, disappointment floods me. I’m surprised by how deeply I feel it. I didn’t realise I was this attached to going away with him, but clearly I was. Nodding, I say, “What time do you fly out?”

He checks his watch. “In about four hours. It was the earliest we could charter a plane.”

Reaching for his hand, I gently pull him inside. “That means you have enough time for me to make you a coffee and to listen to whatever you need to talk about.”

He hesitates for a moment. It’s unusual to see Ashton hesitate, but then again, I’ve not seen him like this at all. Ashton is always sure of himself; this is a whole other side to him. Finally, he nods and allows me to lead him inside to my kitchen.

I busy myself with making coffee while he remains silent next to me. I know his eyes are on me, because every time I glance his way, he’s watching. When he doesn’t speak, I stop what I’m doing and give him my full attention. “This has really shaken you up, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.” He rakes his fingers through his hair and blows out a long breath. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen on my developments. I hire the best construction crews and we have the best safety procedures in place. It shouldn’t have happened.” His words are a little disjointed, as if he’s trying to piece it all together in his mind as to how it could have occurred.

“They haven’t been able to give you any answers yet?”

He shakes his head. “No. It’s why I want to head over to Perth now—so I can make sure they hurry up with those answers.” His voice softens when he adds, “And to speak to the men’s families.”

The fact he wants to see those families touches me. “I like that you want to do that.”

His forehead creases in a frown. “You sound surprised.”

I nod, going with complete honesty. “I’m only starting to learn all your intricacies, Ashton. What I know of your business style so far is that you’re extremely driven to achieve your goals, you don’t seem to have a problem with pushing your way into a deal, and that you’re very arrogant about it all. This is a new side to you I’m seeing tonight. One I like.”

His face is impassive while he listens to what I say, to the point where I’m not sure how he’s taking it. But I’ve never held back with him, and I won’t start now. If we’ve got any chance at a relationship, we’re going to need full honesty.

When I finish speaking, he slowly moves in front of me. This brings back memories of the night he made me come in my kitchen, and a wave of desire unleashes through me. “Promise me you’ll never stop being so damn honest with me,” he says, his voice husky as hell.

My breathing grows shallow as his eyes drop to my chest. I never want the way he watches me to change. Ashton could spend a whole week with me without talking and I’d never beg him to utter a word so long as he looked at me the way he is right now.

I place a hand on his chest and slide it up over his shirt towards his shoulder. He’s wearing another one of his suits. He seems to have so many of them. Today’s is a dark blue suit that he’s teamed with a white shirt. No tie, which I love, because his top button is undone, treating me to a glimpse of skin.

“Honesty is all I have for you, so it’s a good thing you like it so much,” I say as my hand moves over his shoulder.

He places his hand on my ass. Bending so his mouth is close to my ear, he says, “You wore a dress for me.”

Every inch of me sparks with lust. His voice guarantees that. When Ashton is pleased, it vibrates not only from his body but also through his voice. I sway closer to him. “You told me to.”

His hand glides slowly down my bottom to my leg so he can take hold of it and wrap it around him. The red dress I’m wearing isn’t fitted, allowing him easy access to whatever he wants. He runs his hand back up my thigh and around to my ass again. Approval flashes in his eyes. “I should tell you to do things more often,” he growls as he lifts me up onto the kitchen counter. Spreading my legs and lifting my dress, he drops his gaze to my bare pussy. I knew that wearing no panties tonight would be a good idea; I just didn’t realise how good.

I grip the back of his neck. “You don’t need to get any bossier than you already are.”

His eyes flic

k back up to mine. “Lorelei, you have no idea how bossy I am going to get. I’ve been taking this far too slowly with you.”

My tummy somersaults in a million different directions. I’m not sure I want to know just how bossy he’s going to get. What I am sure of, though, is the fact I like the idea of him trying to boss me around more. And they are the most confusing thoughts I think I’ve ever had in my life.

Before I get a chance to say any of this, he lifts my dress over my head and drops it on the floor. “I didn’t come here to fuck you tonight,” he murmurs, his voice drifting off as he dedicates his attention my body.

“No?”

Stilling, he finds my eyes again. “No. I was going to phone to cancel, but I couldn’t do that to you after making you wait for me. I only intended to stop by quickly to fill you in. To be honest, what happened at work killed the hard-on I had all morning while I thought about you.” He catches my mouth in a kiss, and then adds, “I should have known I can never resist you. That it only takes one glance at you and I’m hard as hell even when I didn’t think it possible.”