by Lindsey Hart
And it had been a week.
How much better could it get?
She’s mine. She might not know it yet, but she is and I’m hers. I’m not letting her go.
It was time to dial up the charm. He was playing for keeps as of the minute that reunion ended.
As the purr machine above his head kicked into high gear, Trace gently shook Ash awake. She sprang up so fast she nearly smashed her face into his.
“Whoa there. I promise I’m not here to hurt you. I’m just an innocent bystander who fell asleep in your bed.” He pointed up towards the cat, who hadn’t moved off his forehead. “And I think someone is sending me not so subtle messages about getting his food.”
Ash’s anxious face broke out into a smile when she eyed Slappy. “Oh, yes that’s right. I- oh my god. What time is it?” She grabbed for her phone off the night stand and breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. It’s only seven. We still have time to get a plan together and get ready. Twin Falls is a forty-minute drive and it will probably take at least half an hour to get out of the city. The thing starts at five, but I don’t want to look desperate and arrive right at the beginning, I’d rather wait an hour or whatever and hope that by then I can just get in and get out unnoticed or at least unscathed and I-”
“Hey, hey,” Trace cut her off. “It’s going to be okay. Just calm down. We have lots of time to talk and get ready. I know we didn’t mean to fall asleep last night, but worse things have happened. Don’t turn feral on me now.”
Ash rolled away from him, leaving his arms- and heart- empty. She glanced around the room wildly, like something awful was waiting in the corners to devour her. Her eyes were wide and wild, and he could practically feel the tension radiating off of her.
“Hey…” he brushed the cat away, who swatted at his hand angrily as he dared disturb the regal beast from the throne it made of his head. He rolled out of bed and stumbled, still sleepy, to his feet. He held out his arms, but Ash rolled her eyes and stalked out of the bedroom, muttering things under his breath he wasn’t quite sure were entirely complimentary.
Trace sucked it up. He couldn’t take Ash’s rudeness personal. He could tell that she was a hot mess already. He followed Slappy out into the kitchen, where Ash was busy cracking a can of tuna open. She poured it over a bowl of hard cat food and set it on the table.
“It’s the only way he’ll eat his crumbles. Ever.” She didn’t look at him. Her hand shook when she tucked the can opener back into the drawer.
Trace closed the distance easily with his long stride. He dropped one hand to the small of Ash’s back and she froze. He wrapped her up in his arms and tugged her against his chest. She tried to wriggle away, which only served to make his already raging hard hard-on that much harder.
“I think we need to take this back to the bedroom. You’re wound so tight that you’re going to explode.” He placed a seduction kiss on the nape of her neck where her hair had fallen out of the way, exposing the sweet, creamy skin to him. “You definitely need to take that tension out on me.”
“No,” she protested as she struggled harder. Her sweet hips grinding into his cock nearly made him see stars.
Trace licked that tender spot on her neck and Ash gasped. “Yes. Trust me on this one.” He suckled her skin and she made his favorite whimpering sound. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Don’t start that,” she gasped. She tried one last time to push away, but he held her fast. “You giving me an orgasm isn’t going to fix my reunion problem, much as I would like it to.”
He rolled his eyes even though she couldn’t see. His hand snaked up from her waist and smoothed over her shirt, right above her nipple. She sucked in a breath and ground her hips against him. “That’s right, baby. You’re so responsive to me. You want this. Your body wants this. Just let go. And one orgasm… please.” He pinched her nipple and she made a sweet mewling sound in the back of her throat. “Do you know who it is you’re talking to? I think four should do nicely. Get you good and relaxed and then we’ll shower, eat some of those amazing leftovers your mom packed up for us last night, and go over our action plan.”
“We’ll go over it now,” Ash protested breathlessly.
Trace traced his way up her tunic, under her bra and straight to her other breast. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and index finger before he pinched her. Hard. She bucked against him so fiercely if she did it again, he doubted he’d last more than a few seconds with her when he finally got her naked.
“I’ll go back home and get changed and you’ll get yourself ready, though you could roll in mud or dog shit and still be the prettiest girl at that damn reunion.”
“Dog shit. Riiiiggghhhhtt. Get real.”
“Oh I’m real.” He pinched her nipple again and literally heard her grind her teeth together to keep from crying out. “I’m very, very real.” He whispered into her ear, for better effect.
“No- really- Trace, please.”
Trace spun Ash around so he could face her. “No. Really. You’re incredible. You’re amazing. You’re flawless, smart, sexy, independent, incredibly beautiful. You’re my goddess, remember? You kick fiction ass and you kick comic book ass. If anyone calls you a nerd or a geek, you take that as a compliment, and you thank them for noticing that you are so much further above them. They are mere mortals, allowed to praise you in the only ways they know how, because words like queen and goddess are reserved for me alone.” He licked his way up her neck before he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. He bit down and was satisfied by her lusty exhale.
“Trace…”
“Yes? More protests? I would try and convince you that we have more than enough time for a quickie, but I don’t plan on being quick at all.”
She looked up at him, eyes wide and glazed over, her pupils fully dilated, eating up her gorgeous green irises. “No. No more protests. You win, but I’m holding you to your promise.”
“What did I promise?”
She trembled against him and he watched her sexy plump lips part. Her tongue swept out to moisten them and that did all sorts of things to the tent pole in his pants. “Four. Four orgasms. I’m going to hold you to it.”
He growled low in his throat and swept her up in his arms. “Good.” He carried her down the hall, to the bathroom. Her eyes went even wider, if it was possible, when he pushed the door open and flipped on the light. “Since I know you’re on a tight schedule today, orgasms one, two, and possibly three, are going to happen in here.”
“And what about you?” she asked in her thick, sexed up voice. A voice that raised the hairs on the back of his neck and in one hell of a good way.
“What about me?” He set her down and began stripping off his clothes. He loved the way her eyes remained glued to his every movement.
“I- well, you need to save a couple for yourself as well. I think maybe I’ll- well…” she flushed a deep crimson and he had to bait her into it. He had to hear her say whatever was so dirty it made her go crimson to her hairline.
He bent his head and spoke right into her ear as he began to slowly tug down her leggings. “Yes?”
“I want to have you in my mouth. I mean- I want you to… in my mouth.” Okay… so maybe she’d succeeded in surprising him. He didn’t think they were quite at that stage yet. “What?” Her hands moved to her hips, even while he was sliding her leggings away. “Is that not allowed?”
He shook his head and grinned up at her. “Seeing as maybe I’m a little nervous and wound up about your reunion too, maybe I’ll make an exception in this case.”
Her lips parted like she was going to fire something back at him, but he stopped her. He gripped her tunic and pulled it over her head and then it was game on as he crushed her mouth with his.
CHAPTER 15
Ash
The Twin Falls high school stood like a brick sentinel. The double doors that served as an entrance had either been replaced or repainted. They used to be red and now they were ye
llow, as if by painting them a welcoming color, the place would look less like a brick fortress and more like a place where people went for education.
Yeah right. Like anyone would attend high school if given a choice. Okay, well, like almost anyone would attend high school if given a choice.
“You ready?” Trace stood beside her, a solid pillar of strength that she resisted the urge to lean on, even though she desperately wanted to.
“I hope so.” She drew in a sharp inhale and pulled the door open.
She’d picked a black dress that wasn’t fancy but was classy. It fell to just past her knee. The neckline swooped low, bust not low enough to reveal anything. She’d paired it with a chunky black necklace that the saleslady who worked at the same department store she bought the dress had assured her would go ‘smashingly,’ in the British accent and all. No one said ‘smashingly’ unless they were British. It turned out, she was right. The necklace was amazing. With her hair down and curled and a pair of sexy black shoes that weren’t too high to impede her walking or increase the likelihood she’d trip and fall flat on her face, Ash actually felt like she could walk into the school and not be swallowed up whole.
The guy at her side, who stood like a menacing, handsome, sexy as hell pillar, dressed all in black to match, might have a little something to do with her confidence.
The six orgasms he’d given her that morning, yes, six, might play a small role as well. Trace was right. He knew exactly what she needed to relax.
The entrance opened up to a long hall in either direction. She knew that just to the right was the principal’s office. Beyond that was the staff room and after that, the student lounge. There were a few classrooms between that, on the left and right, places where she’d had English, math, and science- until the lab was relocated into the end of the school where toxic chemicals had access to better ventilation. No more math class next door smelling like farts when the Bunsen burners got going.
“Seems harmless so far.” Trace shot her a devious smile. “Should I be on the lookout for ninjas coming at us?”
Ash nearly snorted. “I don’t know, but if you spot any, let me know and we’ll get ourselves into a corner. Or a back to back position. Too bad I didn’t bring any weapons with me.”
Trace leaned in and whispered to her. “I might be packing a stun gun in my back pocket.”
Because she had to, she whispered back. “Is that all you’re packing?”
He grinned at her while her eyes swept over him. He looked good in color, but in black, he was lethal. His pants were expensive looking, as though they’d been tailored to fit and cup all the right places. And god, did he ever have right places. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned, and the sleeves rolled up, revealing sleek, corded forearms that made her want to find a private corner. He was freshly shaved, and his dark hair was pulled back at his neck.
Her body heated at his proximity, but it was also because he was handsome as sin and smelled just as good, like the sex demon he was. That’s right. She’d decided he must belong to the dark legion, a villain through and through, because nothing associated with the light could do the sinful things he did in bed. And in the shower. And on her couch. And the kitchen counter.
Straight ahead was the gym, which, even if she’d suddenly experienced an extreme case of amnesia, was easy to spot given that the music pumping from inside was already going hard, even though it was only three in the afternoon. As promised, she’d shown up an hour later than the stupid invite said.
“Well… shall we go in?” Trace’s hand shifted to her lower back. The heat of his palm burned right through her dress and her nipples pebbled. Aside from the sexual heat, Ash took comfort in his touch. She let him steer her forward.
“I guess so,” she whispered, even though it was redundant.
He walked her up towards the door, where Lisa Samson stood with a damn clipboard and a list, as though it was a VIP party. Ash nearly laughed. Maybe she’d get lucky and her name wouldn’t be on it. Considering that Sonja planned the whole thing, it was a very real possibility. But no, they were waved through with a bitchy smile Ash didn’t miss. Lisa’s eyes clung to Trace as he passed. Ash wanted to snarl at Lisa, but she knew that would be far too catty.
Instead, she kept her head high, a smile pasted to her face. Part of it she meant. The part of that smile that said she was with an attractive man and she knew it and said man just happened to find her beautiful. Said man happened to be an orgasm king and he was hers. At least for the rest of the night.
She pushed away the thought. Trace never said he was going to drop her after this. Everything he’d said and done hinted at the exact opposite, that he hoped he’d get to spend more time with her.
Despite the way she had her life neat and orderly, despite how content she was with everything, she knew that she’d like to have him in it. Maybe she’d make room for him. And all those orgasms.
Obviously, someone was looking after her, maybe it was karma after all, because the first person she spotted when she walked in, was Maggie.
“Maggie!” Ash cried. She opened her arms and flew at her friend. Maggie hit her hard and wrapped her up in arms that were just as strong as she remembered.
“Ash! I didn’t know you were coming! I mean, I saw that you marked you were online, but I thought maybe you’d skip out.” She lowered her voice. “I thought about it myself.”
“Believe me, so did I,” Ash laughed.
Maggie had on a green dress that fit her nicely. She was tall, like over six feet tall. She was gangly and awkward in high school and she hadn’t put on a scrap of weight. She looked the same, bright red hair, huge green eyes, a big smile, a pretty enough face made beautiful because Maggie was and always had been, a nice girl.
“This place hasn’t changed a bit.” Maggie looked around the gym.
It was tastefully decorated, if you counted balloons and streamers to be tasteful. The theme was apparently blue and white, for some unknown reason, since the school colors were black and yellow. There was a table at the far end of the room with drinks and another beside it with desserts and trays of veggies and bowls of chips.
On the opposite end of the gym, where the stage was, the same stage that had seen many Christmas concerts performed over the years and high school assemblies, played host to Devon Hills. He had his laptop open and was spinning tunes the same way he had for all the school dances.
Ash decided to be nice and not comment. She could be haunted by her past and still refuse to be a bitch, couldn’t she?
“Maggie,” she said softly as Trace came to stand beside her. “This is Trace. Trace, Maggie.”
Trace shook Maggie’s hand and Maggi grinned. “Nice to meet you.” Her eyes swept over Trace appreciatively and Ash felt nothing but pride.
“You need to get social media,” she said ruefully. “You’re not on it and it’s the only way that people keep in touch now. The only reason I came was to see you and Ruth. I hoped you’d both be here.”
Maggie sighed. “I know, I know, I just wanted to skip out on all the drama. I just don’t see the point.”
“The point is, I miss you and you disappeared. I’m not good at emailing or calling people’s parents to try and find out what their cell number is, not that anyone has a landline.”
“My parents don’t have one anymore. They got rid of that a long time ago.” Maggie winked. “Maybe I’ll give it a try, just for you. I wanted to contact you too and I was sad I couldn’t do it.” She made a face as Lana Delmont and Stephanie Driedger sauntered into the gym. They both had their significant other on their arms. Lana’s was tall dark and handsome and looked like he’d been dragged there against his will. Stephanie’s whatever he was, wasn’t good looking. He was balding and had a paunch, which could have been overlooked if he was nice, but Ash could tell by the ‘bow to me’ expression on his face, that he was full of himself.
Judging by the way Steph walked around with her nose in the air like she’d just smel
led something bad, she clearly hadn’t changed a bit from high school. Their school was just big enough to have football teams and jocks and cheerleaders. Steph had been captain of the team. She was pretty, blonde and curvy, but her attitude ruined it.
“She used to call me saggy Maggie,” Maggie stated, as if Ash had forgotten.
Ash ground her teeth together. Suddenly she was right back there, standing in the hall, Steph taunting her and Maggie. Asking Ash if she’d been to an Ash Bash on the weekend and how many cocks she’d had inside of her. Then of course, Steph reminded herself that she was silly. No cocks would ever be inside of a girl as ugly as Ash. Or one as saggy as Maggie, even though she wasn’t saggy at all.
“Yeah, I remember,” Ash mumbled. Trace’s hand wrapped around her waist and she leaned back, taking solace in his presence.
“You’re a goddess,” he whispered in her ear. “Just remember that. And that girl over there,” he was obviously talking about Steph, “has a major stick up her ass.”
“That she does,” Ash agreed. She turned to Maggie. “Don’t worry. You’re incredible. It’s been ten years and you look just like you did back then. Like a model. Tall, graceful, beautiful. Are you seeing someone? Where are you working? You have to tell me everything.”
Maggie grinned and launched into a welcome conversation. While they were talking, the gym filled up. It was like everyone had the same idea she did about coming an hour late. And here Ash thought she was being original.
She kept a wary eye on the whole thing, but Trace’s arm at her back kept her calm. Her fears and worries drifted away, and the tension drained out of her muscles. She didn’t see Ruth, but it was nice to hear that Maggie was seeing someone and had been for over a year. She now had a Business Degree and managed a large fashion store in Minneapolis.
At one point, she looked up and found Trace studying her. His light blue eyes stopped her heart and stole her breath. He winked at her, sending off a storm of butterflies in her stomach, and smiled until she felt her chest tighten.