by Iris Morland
“I’m not a pan of brownies, although I appreciate the comparison all the same.” He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. “If I can’t have you in my bed again, then let me take you out. Remember that date you agreed to go on with me?”
Violet knew she’d been well and truly caught. In that moment, with Ash touching her and with the heat of his body pressed against her, she felt her defenses fall to pieces. What was one date? It wasn’t a commitment. It wasn’t even sex. Just food and conversation.
You keep telling yourself that.
“Fine, one date. Just one.” At his elated expression, she poked him in the chest. “No shenanigans.”
“Oh, I promise. I’ll be on my best behavior.” He stepped away from her with a wry smile. “See? I can behave myself.”
She hated that her first thought was that she wished he wouldn’t behave himself. I’m an idiot.
Violet had never felt so torn in her life. She’d always thought of herself as a rational person, but when it came to Ash, all rationality disappeared. He was like a magnet, drawing her closer and closer to him, no matter how hard she tried to push him away.
She shouldn’t move closer to him. She should let him go home, let them both cool off. And yet she’d yearned for him so intensely that she found herself placing her hand on his chest over his thumping heart, their gazes locked. He took a deep breath, but he didn’t touch her again.
I could fall in love with him. That stray thought both excited and terrified her. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt.
He cupped her cheek, and when she tipped her head back, she could only feel sheer elation when he kissed her. It was like fireworks bursting across her skin. He tasted like coffee, his mouth heated, the scruff of his beard providing a delicious contrast to his soft lips. He kissed her like he’d seduced her: thoroughly, slowly. She didn’t care that they were in a parking lot in the middle of the day. She didn’t care about anything except that this kiss was turning her inside out.
“I should go,” she whispered, although it was halfhearted. “Text me where you want to go on our date.”
Ash didn’t say anything. He kissed her forehead, her temples. Violet took in a shuddered breath. How could she say no to a man who kissed her like that?
Seeing him in her rearview mirror as she drove away, she had a distinct feeling that she wouldn’t be able to resist him much longer, even with the knowledge that he’d most likely break her heart.
12
Ash was on pins and needles for the weekend to arrive. It didn’t help that Trent had asked him to finish up some financial statements that week, and Ash had had to put aside thinking about Violet to finish the job. Trent had seemed to sense that Ash’s mind was elsewhere, but he’d thankfully kept his big mouth shut.
Twenty-four hours before their date, Ash texted Violet. I don’t want to just take you to dinner. I want to take you somewhere else.
Like the playground? she replied with a winky-face emoji.
Better than that. Can I pick you up around ten tomorrow morning?
Now I’m curious enough to say yes.
Despite Violet’s best efforts, Ash wouldn’t tell her where he was taking her. He hoped this mad scheme he’d concocted would work. He wanted to take Violet away from Fair Haven, and away from everything that was holding her back. He knew that her business’s financial issues, along with being reminded of her husband while living with her mother-in-law, were causing her to push him away.
The next morning as he drove them to their destination, he glanced over at her. She seemed more relaxed today, a smile playing about her lips. Large sunglasses framed her face, and earrings that sparkled green in the sunlight hung to her shoulders. Whenever she caught him looking at her, she would laugh and blush.
Maybe I could have something real. Something like love. It was a dangerous thought. What had happened to his resolve never to fall in love? With Violet, it was crumbling to pieces, and he almost couldn’t regret it. He wanted to convince her that she didn’t have to be afraid if she was with him. He would always take care of her. If he could, he would do everything in his power so she never had to worry about creditors knocking on her door, or anything else that life would try to throw at her.
Ash had never wanted to protect someone like he wanted to protect Violet. He once again wondered what the hell had been wrong with her husband. Had William loved her like she deserved to be loved? Ash wasn’t convinced that he had. Then again, his opinion was only slightly biased.
When Ash exited the highway, it was only a few miles before Violet let out a surprised gasp when the fields came into view. Fields and fields of tulips covered the landscape, the colors a rainbow of hues. Ash had only seen the Skagit County tulips once, and he’d been too young to appreciate them.
Now, he could appreciate them through Violet’s sheer delight.
“Oh, this is amazing. I’ve always wanted to see the tulips but just never got around to it.” She sighed happily. “They’re so beautiful.”
Ash thought that the most beautiful thing was her, in all honesty. After they found a parking spot—the area was fairly crowded and filled with both tourists and locals enjoying the sights—Violet grabbed Ash’s arm with a bright smile on her face.
They followed the crowd of people at first, and Ash vaguely listened to one of the employees talk about how they grew the tulips. Violet pointed to a row of purple tulips. “Those are my favorite.”
“The violet ones? I’m shocked,” he teased.
“I’m nothing if not boring. Come on. Let’s walk.”
Ash wasn’t about to protest. He and Violet walked along the road, Violet sometimes kneeling down to touch a tulip. She tried smelling a few, laughing when she realized that the tulips didn’t have much of a smell. The sun shone down, the clouds even parting as the afternoon progressed. Although it was mid-April, it was a surprisingly warm day. Ash couldn’t have planned it better.
Soon they found themselves mostly alone. Ash couldn’t stop watching Violet: the way she tilted her head back and soaked in the sun’s rays; the way she picked up a stray tulip that had already been cut and put it behind her ear; the way she smiled up at him and held on to his arm. Her hair sparkled in the sunlight, her cheeks rosy. She looked so alive, so happy, that Ash felt his heart twist in his chest.
I think I’m falling in love with her. I think I might have fallen for her the first time I saw her.
The feeling was rather like being plunged into a cold lake. At first, he couldn’t breathe, and he struggled to regain his bearings. The world tilted on its axis; his feet seemed like they were full of cement. And then he surfaced and gasped, and suddenly it all just made sense.
Violet made sense.
She found another stray tulip on the ground. “Here’s one for you,” she said as she reached up to place it behind his ear. “Oh, you look very dashing like that.”
His throat closed. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but something held him back. I don’t want to scare her, he reasoned. Or perhaps he just didn’t want to scare himself.
Overwhelmed with the realization that he loved her, he kissed her, right in the middle of the wide-open tulip fields, the sun heating his neck. Violet let out a little gasp of surprise before she melted against him. She twined her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. God, he wanted her. He’d wanted her for weeks now, and he didn’t know if he would survive if she said no to him again.
Ash licked inside her mouth, his hands roving down her spine until he could squeeze her ass. Violet moaned, the sound of it making him hard.
“I want you, Violet,” he admitted as he kissed her throat. “I haven’t stopped wanting you.”
She didn’t push him away, thank God. She nodded, sighing, her breath ruffling his hair. “Me too. I’m tired of trying to deny it. God knows I can’t resist you.”
He thrilled at her words. The only reason he didn’t take her right here in the fields was because they weren’t truly alone�
��right then, a group of people came over the hill and started walking toward them. And it would be a bit uncomfortable on the hard ground, his rapidly diminishing logical side said.
Jittery with desire, he tried desperately to think. He didn’t want to drive them back to Fair Haven before he could touch her. But if he had to wait, he would survive. He would wait an eternity for her.
Violet looked up at him through her dark lashes, waiting for the group of tourists to walk past them.
“I saw an inn as we were driving in. It said it had vacancies.” She licked her lips.
It took a second for Ash’s mind to make the connection. Inn. Vacancy. Bed. “Let’s go.”
They practically ran back to his car, Violet laughing when Ash almost ran into a man wearing a fanny pack and a straw hat. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” the man yelled.
“Sorry!” Ash yelled back, and Violet just laughed harder.
He drove back down the road where they’d come. Waiting for the front desk clerk to swipe his credit card and give him the room key cards was the longest ten minutes of Ash’s damn life. It didn’t help that Violet kept touching him and pressing up against him like a cat in heat. He was so hard it was like someone had shoved an iron bar into his jeans.
“Would you like a menu for room service?” the clerk asked in a bored tone.
“No. We’re fine. Just need the keys,” Ash barked.
Violet pinched his ass and he glared at her. She just smiled innocently.
“There’s a continental breakfast that starts at six a.m., and—”
“The keys. Please,” said Ash.
The clerk frowned and, after swiping the key cards, handed them to Ash. “Have a nice stay.”
He and Violet rushed upstairs. To Ash’s consternation, the room key decided not to work. Ash swore long and low when the door beeped red after the third try.
Violet chortled. “Give it to me.” She put the key card in the slot, waited, and pulled it out slowly. Green light. Fucking finally.
He shut the door behind them and pulled her into his arms. “You’re mine,” he growled. “You’re all mine tonight.”
She took the tulip from behind his ear, which he’d forgotten he’d still been wearing. He laughed and plucked the tulip from Violet’s hair before kissing her. He kissed her for a long moment, savoring her. Then he took a step back.
“I want to see you. Show me everything I’ve been missing these past few weeks.”
Violet’s eyes gleamed. “Only if you do the same for me.”
“Fine with me. Now,” he said with a wolfish smile, “strip for me.”
Violet shivered at the look in Ash’s eyes. Had anyone ever looked at her like that? With such sheer desire? Her heartbeat increased as she grasped the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it off. She still wore a camisole, but the way Ash was gazing at her made her feel like she was already nude.
He sat down on the bed. “Keep going,” he instructed. “Take your time.”
Violet had never performed a striptease in her life, and she would’ve thought she would be too self-conscious to manage it. Right now, though, she felt infinitely sexy, and Ash watching her only emboldened her further. She stared into his eyes as she pushed one strap of her camisole down her shoulder, so slowly that Ash’s jaw tightened.
She pushed the other strap down and pulled the camisole down about an inch to reveal the edges of her lacy bra. Her breasts ached, her nipples already hardened, and when she brushed her palm across one turgid peak, she gasped.
“Play with yourself. God, Violet, you’re gorgeous.”
She pushed her camisole down until it circled her hips, the cool air of the inn room making goose bumps rise on her skin. She palmed one of her breasts before tweaking her nipple, the sensation causing her sex to clench with anticipation. A flush had crawled up Ash’s cheeks. His eyes were hooded as he leaned back on the bed. He looked like a lazy cat stretching out in the sun, with his red-gold hair and predatory air.
“Do you want to see me?” Her voice was hoarse. “Or should I keep my bra on?” As she said the words, she cupped her breast beneath the lace cup of her bra. She rubbed her nipple and pinched it. All the while, she only watched Ash for his reaction.
“Fuck,” he growled. “You tease.” He reached out and snaked an arm around her waist, bringing her between his thighs. He buried his face between her breasts, kissing them and sucking at the soft skin. Violet tugged at his hair and ran her fingers through the silken strands.
Ash reached behind her and unhooked her bra. She laughed softly. So much for watching her undress herself. With a quick movement, he took off her bra and soon had one nipple in his mouth. He sucked with a pressure that made Violet’s toes curl.
He lavished attention on her breasts until Violet’s knees felt like jelly. She grasped his shoulders to keep from collapsing at his feet.
“I thought you wanted me to strip for you,” she gasped out when he laved the other nipple.
“I couldn’t resist putting my mouth on these beauties.” He grinned up at her. “I love your breasts. I love how your nipples turn ruby-red when I suck them, and how you blush from your chest to your cheeks.”
She pushed at him playfully. “Now you’re being rude. Never comment on a woman’s blush.” Standing a foot away from him now, she took off her camisole and tossed it at him. He just inhaled the fabric’s scent before discarding it.
“Take off your jeans. Now. Before I do it myself,” he growled.
She clucked her tongue as she unbuttoned her pants and slowly slid them down her legs. She toed off her boots, making sure to bend down so Ash could get an eyeful of her breasts. When she heard him swear under his breath, she smiled.
When she stripped out of her panties and stood before him, completely nude, she let his gaze travel up her body, from her toes to her sex, to her breasts and then to her face. He reached out to embrace her, but she moved away from him before he could catch her.
“Uh-uh, it’s your turn. Strip for me.” Violet pulled on his arm before she sat down on the bed, making a point to lean backward so her breasts pointed upward, her legs parted slightly.
He shook his head. “You make a hard bargain,” he joked, which made her roll her eyes and laugh. “But a promise is a promise.”
He took off his shoes and socks in such an exaggerated manner that Violet started giggling. When he got to his shirt, he started undulating like some burlesque dancer who had also had too much to drink. Violet wolf-whistled when he tossed his shirt at her before touching his nipples and moaning loudly.
“Oh my God, stop! You’re killing me!” she said through giggles.
She just kept laughing when he got to his jeans and almost fell on his face trying to dance and take them off at the same time. Breathless and red-faced, her eyes watering, she almost missed when he took off his boxers. Thank God she didn’t, though. Seeing his hard cock unveiled, she felt her body tighten with desire, her laughter dying in her throat.
As he walked up to her, she curled her hand around his cock and squeezed. His jaw tightened. As he grew harder, she stared up at him and stroked him, making sure to squeeze him each time. A pearl of fluid leaked from the tip. She swirled her tongue around that tip; he groaned in response.
Violet took him into her mouth, loving the saltiness that coated her tongue. She couldn’t take all of him, but with each bob of her head and swirl of her tongue, she felt his fingers tighten in her hair. She hadn’t realized how powerful she could feel with a man like this in her thrall.
“Shit, Violet. Stop. You’re going to make me come.” Ash tugged on her hair, and she reluctantly let him go. But soon she forgot everything else when he pulled her toward the end of the bed, parted her thighs, and kneeled between them. He licked her sex right then. In relentless strokes, he tortured her, his mouth driving her wild.
Violet undulated against his lips, needing more pressure, more, more, more. She pinched her nipples. She cried out his name. She’d transfo
rmed into this sex goddess who didn’t care about anything except wanting Ash’s mouth, his hands, his cock. God, she just wanted him.
He pushed a finger inside her tight sheath and then a second finger. When he kissed and sucked her clit in time with the thrusts of his fingers, she exploded like dynamite. She shouted to the ceiling, writhing and shivering, her body on fire. Ash drew out her orgasm like a master pianist. She couldn’t find enough air; she couldn’t even see clearly. She was only a bundle of sensations.
As Violet came down from her orgasm, she vaguely heard Ash rustling around before she heard a foil packet opening. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Ash rolling a condom down his cock as he gazed at her with an expression she’d never seen before: it was almost like he was in pain, his eyes dark and his forehead furrowed. She wanted to smooth those furrows from his brow, but she couldn’t move. She was jelly, her bones having melted.
In a quick movement, Ash turned her onto her stomach and had her get on her knees. In this position, she felt more exposed than she’d ever been in her life. It only heightened her desire. Ash kissed her spine and spanked one ass cheek, making her yelp.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Violet,” he said, the words like red silk around her senses. She shivered. “Are you ready for me?”
“Yes, please. I need you.” She pushed her ass against him. She needed him inside her so badly it was like an ache in her very soul.
With painful slowness, he thrust into her, filling her until she was sure she couldn’t take another inch. She collapsed onto her arms, her fingers digging into the bedspread.
“God, you’re tight. So beautiful. I couldn’t stop thinking of you, dreaming of you.” He punctuated each word with a thrust. His fingers dug into her hips as he fucked her, filling her in endless strokes. “The first second I saw you that night, I wanted you.”