by Levine, Nina
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.”
I’m a tongue-tied fool standing here staring at him while trying to gather my thoughts. I had expected to arrive at his sister’s apartment, spend a good five to ten minutes outside psyching myself up for our conversation, and then walk in there and tell him like it is. Instead, he’s caught me off guard, and I’m struggling for words in much the same way I imagine an Olympic sprinter probably struggles for breath after a race.
His lips twitch as if he’s about to break out into a grin, but he contains it and simply says, “I’m glad you came.”
Oh, no.
No, no, no, buddy.
I’m fairly sure he’s misreading this whole situation, and I need to get us on the same page before his thoughts progress any further.
I raise my hand as if to say, “Stop,” at the same time that he steps closer to me. Unfortunately, my hand lands on his chest. A moment later, his hand is resting over mine, and he’s smiling down at me in a way that tells me he very much thinks there is more to this visit than there is.
Oh, God.
Sienna was right—this is not going down the way I pictured it.
“Boston, I—”
Still smiling, he cuts me off as he grabs my hand and leads me towards Amber’s apartment. “Amber has been feeling down since the accident. Seeing you will cheer her up.”
“Wait. I need to tell you something,” I blurt out, but we’ve reached our destination, and he interrupts me again.
He unlocks the apartment door and says, “Catch up with Amber first, and then you and I can talk.” His eyes lock onto mine and he blasts another smile my way as he adds, “It’s so good to be back.”
My throat goes dry as concern races through my veins. This is definitely not going the way I imagined.
I sip my coffee and watch Boston silently while he sugars his. I’ve spent the last hour catching up with Amber and doing my best to ignore the growing dread in the pit of my stomach. Boston sat on the couch next to me while I chatted with Amber, acting like the past five months and a break-up hasn’t gone down between us. After I finished with Amber, he suggested we head to the café downstairs so we could talk. I was more than ready to talk and set a few things straight.
“Boston, this isn’t what you think it is.”
He glances up from his coffee and watches me quietly for a few moments. “What do I think it is, Lorelei?”
“You think that me coming to the apartment this morning means I want to get back together with you. But it doesn’t. I wanted to come over and see Amber, and I also wanted to come and see you to let you know it really is over between us.”
“It’s not over between us. Not by a long shot. I noticed the way you reacted when you saw me this morning.” He leans closer and drops his voice. “The way your body reacted to me.”
“The only reaction you saw was me being caught off guard.” The way he assumes to know what I’m thinking and feeling irritates me. It always has.
“Why did you feel like you had to be on guard in the first place?”
I frown. “This is why. You have a way of twisting my words and causing me to get all confused.” I pause for a moment before adding, “Don’t read more into
this than what there is.”
“There is more to read into here. There always is with you.”
“Stop it. There’s nothing more here. We broke up five months ago, and I’ve moved on. You should too. I wanted to say that in a much nicer way to you, but you’re not giving me much chance to do that.”
He lifts a brow as he settles back into his seat. “You’ve moved on with Ashton Scott? Do you know much about that man, Lorelei? For instance, the fact that he sleeps with women all over the world and moves onto the next before he’s hardly finished with the previous one.”
Anger bubbles up from deep within me, as well as a desire to protect Ashton and not allow Boston to trash talk him. “I know more about him than you think. And to be honest, it surprises me that you would stoop so low as to put another man down. There are better ways to convince a woman to take you back than to resort to that kind of behaviour.” I push my chair back and stand. “Please listen to me when I tell you that there’s no future for us. We had some fun, but we weren’t meant to be together forever.”
He stands too, a determined look on his face. “I told you last night that I wouldn’t give up as easily this time, and I meant it.”
“And I asked you to please not do that. I’ve just started seeing Ashton, and I want to give our relationship a good chance.”
“You loved me, Lorelei. You don’t just fall out of love with someone in five months.”
I stare at him for a beat, trying to decide whether I want to hurt him with a truth I don’t think he’s considered. I decide the truth is always the best course of action. “There are all kinds of love, Boston, and I’m not sure ours was the soulmate kind. Don’t get me wrong, I loved you—I still do—but I don’t think it’s the kind you want it to be.”
He stiffens. When he doesn’t respond to that straight away, I figure maybe he’s finally taking it in. But then he says, “That’s bullshit, and you know it. That’s you running from this because you’re scared. And Ashton is simply your safe place because you know he’ll never ask for what I’m asking for. I’ll give you the space to figure this out, but I won’t walk away. Not again.”
My heart beats rapidly as I watch him leave.
Shit.
I don’t think I fixed anything today. I think I just made it a whole lot more complicated.
34
Ashton
Lorelei’s beauty never fails to catch my breath. When I asked her earlier today if she could attend a party with me tonight, giving her only a few hours’ notice, she said yes, but she seemed a little panicked about finding a dress and getting ready on time. I told her it didn’t matter if we were late, but in the end, she managed to pull it all off with time to spare. She also managed to pull it off looking more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her.
Watching her mingle with party guests, I take the opportunity to admire the strapless red dress she’s wearing. It hugs every inch of her, ending just above her knees. There’s nothing flashy about the dress, but Lorelei doesn’t need flash to draw every eye in the room. She manages that all on her own.
Smiling at me as the couple we’ve been talking to leave us, she cups my cheek and says, “You look deep in thought. What are you thinking?”
I slide my arm around her waist and pull her close. “I was thinking about how much I love this dress on you. And how I’m not sure we’ll be staying long at this party.”
She moves her hand from my cheek to the back of my neck. Threading her fingers through my hair, she says, “Do you know how much my body aches after you had your way with it last night? I’m not sure I’m up for another round tonight.”
I did fuck her hard last night. Sex is one area of a relationship where I never relinquish control, and after our conversation where I admitted the power she holds over me, I’d needed to be back in control again, so I’d used sex to do that. A tinge of guilt hits me, though, that I may have demanded too much from her. And yet, it won’t stop me from pushing her for more tonight.
I bend my face to hers, and my lips brush her ear as I say, “Do you know how much I’ve been thinking about my face in your pussy? Tonight is happening, Lorelei.”
She grips my hair as her breath catches. Before she can respond, we’re interrupted by Aaron Steele. He’s the reason I’m here tonight, so I allow the interruption.
“Good to see you, Ashton,” he says, giving me a second of his attention before shifting his gaze to Lorelei. “And who’s the lovely lady you’re here with?”
Lorelei’s body stiffens, and I don’t miss the brief flare of irritation in her eyes as she takes him in. Figuring she’ll introduce herself, I don’t answer his question. Extending her hand, she says, “Lorelei Winters.”
That’s my girl.
I curb the grin that wants to spread across my face. Steele is the kind of man who thinks women should be seen but not heard. I haven’t mentioned him to Lorelei, but I’m guessing, by her reaction that his reputation precedes him.
Steele shakes her hand. “Aaron Steele.” Turning to me, he says, “We need to talk.”
Lorelei lets me go and says, “I’ll be back.”
I nod and watch her as she makes her way towards a woman who she greets with a hug. Steele draws my attention back to him when he says, “Cassia’s here tonight.”
Jesus, even more of a reason to leave as soon as possible. Engaging in conversation with my ex is the last thing I want to be doing tonight.
I ignore what he said. “What did you need to discuss?”
His brows lift. “I’m surprised, Ashton. I never did understand why you let her go. Cassia Brampton would make the perfect wife for you with her family connections and ability to fit in and know her place in business.”
I don’t like the tone of this conversation. “If I wanted a woman who knew her place in anything, I could find that anywhere, Steele. I’m not in the market for that kind of woman. Actually, I’m not in the market for a woman full stop. I already have one. And I didn’t come here to discuss my relationships with you.”
“You’re serious about Lorelei?” His tone is incredulous, and my displeasure with this conversation intensifies.
I don’t want to discuss Lorelei with him, but I feel the need to set him straight. “I’m deadly serious about Lorelei, and I’ll ask you not to bring this topic up again. The only thing between you and me is a business deal. I have no interest in explaining my life decisions to you.” Aaron Steele is a brilliant businessman, but he’s on his third marriage and is well known for being an ass to women. He’s not the kind of man I’d ever pursue a friendship with.
Distaste clouds his face. “This will be the last I’ll mention it. I think you’re a fool for walking away from Cassia and an even bigger fool for choosing a woman like Lorelei. What does she contribute to your life? What do her family connections offer you? A smart man would think about those things when it comes to choosing a wife. By all means, keep her on the side, but never make her more than that.”
If Steele wasn’t absolutely necessary for a deal to go through that I need to go through, I would walk away from him and never look back. Instead, I force my anger away and say, “Now that you got that off your chest, let’s get back to business.”
Thankfully, he lets all talk of women drop, and we discuss what we need to. When our conversation ends about fifteen minutes later, I’m more than ready to get out of here, but Lorelei is nowhere in sight. I begin searching for her, but am frustrated to run into Cassia before I find her.
“Ashton,” she murmurs, her eyes meeting mine after they run all over my body first.
“Cassia.” I make sure to maintain eye contact. Cassia does not need any encouragement to think I’m interested in picking back up from where we left off.
“How are you?”
I ignore the step she takes to move closer to me, hoping that will be as close as she comes. If the past is any indication, it won’t be, but a man can hope.
“I’m well. You?” Fuck, I hate small talk.
<
br /> Her heart-shaped face lights up with pleasure at my question, and I realise too late it was the wrong course of action to take. “I’m good. Busy, though. You know what it’s like. A party nearly every night to show your face at. I’ve been disappointed not to see you at too many lately, but I know you’ve been busy travelling. I’m happy to see you back in town now.”
I need to end this encounter now. Before I manage to fuck it up any further than I already have. “I’m on my way out, Cassia, so I’ll have to cut this short. But it’s great to hear you’re good.”
I step away from her, but she reaches out and stops me, her hand gripping my arm. “We should have dinner one night.”
Fuck no.
Turning, I face her again. “No, Cassia. I’m seeing someone.” My voice is firm in an effort to convince her she needs to move on.
She blinks a few times, clearly surprised. I haven’t dated since we broke up, and she knows I don’t easily make relationships official. “Oh,” she says, her voice cracking a little.
I remove her hand from my arm. “Goodbye.” With that, I walk away, not waiting to see how she processes what I’ve told her. Cassia didn’t handle our break up well, and I still feel some guilt over how it all went down. We were together for four years, but in the end, I realised I didn’t stay because I loved her, but rather because I wasn’t bored with her like I was with most other women. It was an asshole move to make with a woman who planned her life around me, so as soon as I became aware of the reason I stayed, I left. Cassia deserved more from a man than I could ever give her.