Ashton Scott

I pinch her nipple and grind against her. She has no fucking idea what her dirty mouth does to me. “I’m telling you this because I want you to know how I feel about you. This isn’t just some fun for me, Lorelei. I’m 100 per cent in this with you. Hell, you could hand me a playbook that would work for you and I’d still not use it, because I don’t want to chance fucking this up. Everything I say and do with you is completely honest. I’m not bringing any bullshit to this table. When I say I want you, I fucking want you.” I draw away from her slightly to meet her gaze fully. “And when I say you’re busting my balls, I mean it. I want you to know that’s the power you have over me. That’s the power I’m choosing to give you.”

Her body stills and she sucks in a breath while staring at me for a long few moments. Her lips search for mine once she composes herself, and her kiss almost wipes every thought from my mind. That’s what she does to me. Her touch, her kiss, her body, her mind—it all eases something in me. I’m clueless to label exactly what just yet, but I do know there’s an ache deep inside that only she can soothe. And I’ll be damned if I ever let her take that balm away.

When her mouth leaves mine, she meets my gaze again, our faces close. “I know you’re not a strategist where I’m concerned, but just so you know, that kind of honesty will win me over every time,” she says softly, her voice a wash of vulnerability.

She doesn’t realise it, but that’s what I’ve been looking for. A piece of her own raw honesty that reveals I’m not the only one with my dick swinging in the wind here.

I step away from the wall where I have her and turn to walk us down her hallway. “Now we can get naked and you can continue talking dirty to me.”

Her mouth spreads out into the kind of smile I’d do anything to see every day. Threading her fingers through my hair, she says, “No, I want you to talk dirty to me.”

We reach her bedroom, and I throw her down on the bed. Without stopping for even a second, I undo my belt and rasp, “My mouth is going to be too busy to be talking dirty, Lorelei.” And if I have anything to do with it, my mouth is going to be busy for most of the night.

33

Lorelei

Thank God for lifts. That’s all I can think as I stare silently at the display above the lift door indicating which floor it’s currently at. My phone is pressed to my ear while Sienna tells me what she did on the weekend, but I hardly take it in as I wait for the lift and try not to think about how sore my body is.

“Lorelei!” Sienna snaps, and I blink back to attention.

“What?”

“Are you even listening to me?”

The doors open and the five people in it exit, leaving me alone when I enter. As the doors close, I sag against the back wall and let out a long sigh. “Sorry, I wasn’t really listening because I can hardly focus today.”

She’s quiet for a beat, and I imagine her eyes narrowing at me the way they do when she’s trying to figure out why I said something. “What’s going on?”

Images of Ashton flash through my mind at that question, and I squeeze my legs together as a shot of heat hits me. “Ashton is what’s going on. He fucked me so hard and for so long last night that I can hardly walk this morning.”

She coughs as if she just choked on a drink. When she recovers, she says, “I only have two things to say to you right now. One, when did you start talking like that? And two, holy fuck! All night? And can you really not walk? Like, that’s some serious fucking we are talking about. Jesus, I am so jealous of you right now!”

“That was way more than two things. And seriously, if you were me today, you would not be jealous.”

“Well now you’re just being ungrateful. I don’t know any woman who wouldn’t want a man like Ashton to keep her up all night, screwing the hell out of her.”

I groan. She’s right. I loved every minute of it, but I woke up this morning wishing he wasn’t quite as good at sex as he is.

The lift reaches the floor I need, and I exit it as I concede, “The man is insatiable, Sienna. I think I need at least three days to recover.”

I make my way down the corridor I haven’t seen in about six months and try to ignore the hesitation churning in my stomach. Coming here today could turn out to be a huge mistake, but I need to do it for my own peace of mind if nothing else.

“Is that why you’re taking the morning off? You were very mysterious on the phone earlier when you called to say you wouldn’t be in.”

“No, I’m taking it off so I can see Boston and clear some things up with him before they get out of control. The reason I was guarded on the phone was because Ashton was in the bathroom, and I didn’t want to chance him finding out what I’m doing.”

“So you’re keeping this from him?” I can hear the disapproval in her voice, but I block it out. I know what I’m doing.

“I’m not keeping it from him so much as I’m avoiding a potential argument that isn’t necessary at this point. I’m going to make sure Boston knows where we stand, and once that’s done, Ashton and I can continue on as we were before he showed back up.”

“Mmmm, I don’t see this going down the way you do.”

Before I can reply, Boston’s voice sounds from behind me. “Lorelei?”

I come to a stop and spin around to face him. He’s been out running and is a sweaty mess. A very masculine sweaty mess with his chiselled muscles on display.

Keeping my gaze firmly on his face, I say to Sienna, “I’ve gotta go.” And then to Boston—“Hi.”