by Chiah Wilder
“Your tits are beautiful.” Unclasping the front hook, her breasts spilled out. He cupped them in his hands, raising them higher so he could plant kisses all over them.
Rubbing and flicking her nipples with the tip of his finger until they became stiff peaks, he dipped his head down, sucking one of those crests into mouth while his thumb played with the other one. Arching her back, she let out a seductive moan.
“I could play with your tits all day.”
“I love it when you touch me like that.”
Sliding his mouth from her breasts, his lips trailed down past her rib cage, over her belly, and right above the thin waistband of her bikini underwear. He fanned out her legs and rubbed the outside fabric of her panties before moving them to the side to get to her swollen nub, peeking out from her folds.
“So beautiful.” As he flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue, he plunged two fingers inside her heat.
Ashley looked down at his hands. “Shit. That feels good, Smokey. It’s so hot watching you finger me.”
“I love finger fucking you, darlin’. You’re so wet and needy. I can’t get enough of it.”
Grabbing onto his shirt, Ashley brought him to his feet and fumbled with the button on his jeans. Unbuttoning them for her, she unzipped his pants and slipped her soft, warm hand inside his boxers, wrapping it around his throbbing cock. As she ran her fingers up his shaft, she whimpered, and it was almost his undoing. A few seconds later, his boots, jeans, and boxers joined her skirt on the floor.
Smokey roughly pushed her down onto her back, and shrugged out of his T-shirt, tossing it on top of the pile. In one fluid movement, he was on the desk, hovering over her. With both hands, he yanked down her panties, flinging them onto the growing pile.
Lowering his head, he bit each of her nipples before kissing her. Slowly, he pushed into her, and her hot walls molded around him.
“Fuck, that feels good. I love the way my cock fits into your sweet pussy.”
“I love the way you feel inside me. So good,” she murmured.
After a few long, slow strokes, he began pounding into her. For each thrust, he would pull all the way out, and then bury himself to the hilt, his balls slapping against her wet ass.
He fucked her harder and faster as she begged for more. Needing it rough, he pummeled into her while biting down on her tits, her shoulders.
“I love watching you while I fuck you,” he panted.
She covered her mouth, trying to muffle her cries as she spasmed, clamping tightly around his thrusting cock.
“I’m coming,” she whispered through clenched teeth.
With one last thrust, he emptied himself into her, his cock pulsing, pumping his seed deep into her depths.
“Ashley. Sweet fuckin’ Ashley,” he grunted, collapsing on top of her.
For a long while, they lay there, spent and exhausted, fighting for air. Ashley shifted under him and Smokey pulled up, kissed her deeply, then hopped off the desk. He bent down and began picking up his clothes.
“I guess this is one of the perks of dating my boss,” she said, scooping up her skirt and panties.
“Fuck yeah, darlin’.”
“I need to get back to my office. I have a Zoom meeting with the company in Aspen. Is there a bathroom I can wash up in?”
He pointed to the door on the right. “There’s a shower too.”
Walking away, she giggled. “I’m impressed.”
Just as he pulled on his boots, the familiar notes of his phone’s ringtone filled the room. Reaching down, he retrieved the cell phone from the floor.
“Hello?”
“Smokey, it’s Zach. How are you?”
Instinctively, his gaze shifted to the bathroom door.
“Good. How’s it going with you and your family?” Smokey started picking up items off the floor and placing them back on his desk.
“We’re all doing well. I hear the campaign is starting out gangbusters.”
“Yeah, Ashley did a kick-ass job. You were right about her—she’s the best.”
“That’s why we’re going to make her a partner. She’s worked hard for the brass ring, and it’s paid off.”
Smokey clenched his jaw tight. He didn’t want to be responsible for holding Ashley back, but he didn’t want her to leave either. He inhaled sharply. I don’t even know what Ashley’s feeling about us. How the fuck did I let this happen? The truth was, Ashley was like a drug he couldn’t get enough of. The more he had of her, the more he craved. He never felt full. Fuck.
“Are you still with me?”
“Yeah. I have some stuff to do.”
“Gotcha. Let’s hope this campaign picks up more and more steam. Ashley thinks it will, so I’ll defer to her.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Ashley sauntered out of the bathroom, looking fresh and gorgeous, and his heart lurched.
“We’ll talk soon,” he told Zach before disconnecting the call. “That was Zach.”
She giggled. “He’d die if he knew what we just did. He sent me here because he said I wouldn’t fall for your charm.”
Walking up to her, he wrapped his arms around her. “How did that work out?”
“I failed miserably.” She kissed him passionately. “I have to prepare for the Zoom meeting.”
Nodding, he let her go.
“Are you going to a site today?”
“Yeah. By the way, I canned Sabrina’s ass.”
Ashley’s eyes grew wide. “How did she take it?”
Smokey shrugged. “She knew she got off easy.”
“I wouldn’t say losing your job is ‘getting off easy’. A part of me feels sorry for her, but when I think about how scared I was, I want to scratch her eyes out.”
“That’s my woman. We’re having dinner with my brother tonight at El Tecolote—the restaurant I told you about.”
He saw the tears that rimmed her eyes before she looked away. “I can’t wait to meet your brother.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why do you look like you’re ready to cry? If you don’t wanna meet Ryan, that’s cool.”
“That isn’t it—I do want to meet him. I’m just touched you want us to meet.”
Women are so fuckin’ hard to understand. I don’t know what the hell she’s talking about. “Okay, as long as you’re good with it.”
She laughed. “I am. I’m looking forward to tonight. What time?”
“I’ll pick you up around six-thirty.”
“I’ll be ready.” She kissed him hard. “You’re one special guy,” she whispered, and then she was gone.
For a long moment, Smokey stared at the closed door, wondering what Ashley was doing at that very second. Was she in her office, or did she go to the break room for a cup of café au lait? No matter what he was doing, Ashley was always on his mind. He rubbed his chin with the tips of his fingers. The unexpected and powerful emotions swirling inside of him were new to him. Smokey knew lust and desire, but this went way beyond that. It was like free falling: it was something he couldn’t stop, even if he wanted to. Ashley had come into his life, slowly at first, and then all at once. And it was one of the biggest and best surprises of his life.
Glancing at the wall clock, he grazed his teeth along his bottom lip as he headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. The rest of the day would be spent at one of his construction sites, and he was already looking forward to seeing Ashley again. He shook his head. I’m nothing but a fuckin’ pussy. Smiling, he closed the door.
Yeah … he was hooked.
Ryan sat in the back seat, prattling on about nothing, and Ashley’s questions and comments just egged him on more. Smokey was glad that his woman and brother were getting along, but after two hours of nonstop conversation at dinner, and now this, he was ready to pack it in.
“Are you coming in?” Ryan asked when Smokey pulled into the driveway.
“I’ll pass. Remember to call Cara. I’ll touch bas
e with you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Ryan leaned forward and placed his hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “I really enjoyed tonight.”
She pivoted in her seat. “I did too,” she said, looking back at Smokey. “We’ll do it again, for sure.”
Nodding, Smokey narrowed his eyes when he saw his mother step out onto the porch.
“We gotta get going,” he told Ryan.
“Right.” Opening the back door, he paused. “There’s Mom.”
“Aren’t you going to say something to your mother?” Ashley whispered.
The muscles in his jaw tightened. “No.”
“She’s coming over,” Ryan warned as he stepped out of the SUV.
Mumbling under his breath, “Fuck,” he got out of the car. Raising his chin to his mother, he said, “Hey.”
She averted her gaze to Ashley when she sprinted toward her.
“Hi,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m Ashley.”
“Tonya,” she replied, ignoring Ashley’s proffered hand.
Ashley dropped her arm to her side. “It’s nice to meet you.”
A disgusted look crossed his mother’s face before she turned away. Looking over at Smokey, Ashley smiled weakly before sliding back into the car.
Anger blazed inside of him at the way Tonya treated his woman. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it.
“You got somethin’ you wanna say to me?”
Tonya sneered at him. “We need money.”
“For what? I just sent over a shitload of groceries, and I pay all the fuckin’ bills.”
His mother frowned. “I need it for personal things, and I’m not about to go into that with you.”
“What are you doing with the old man’s pension? Last I heard, you’re getting almost a grand a month.”
She pointed a slender finger at him, her dark eyes flashing. “Don’t you dare disrespect your father! You’d be a better person if you were only one percent the man he was.”
“Keep building up the old bastard if it makes you feel better.”
“Mom, Smokey—”
Turning toward Ryan, their mother glared. “Shut up! Go inside.”
“Stay here,” Smokey told his brother.
“It’s okay, really. I need to call Cara.” With slumped shoulders, he walked up the porch steps and into the house.
“Why the fuck can’t you treat Ryan with respect?”
“This coming from you? You didn’t even show up for your father’s funeral.”
“This again? I’m outta here.” Smokey opened the car door.
“What about the money?” she yelled.
“Not this time. I’m all tapped out.”
Jumping into the idling vehicle, he slammed the door shut, jammed the gear into reverse, and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The car leapt backward. The tires marked the asphalt in solid black lines, squealing as the SUV turned sharply out of the driveway. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ashley gripping the safety handle on the door. Taking a deep breath, Smokey pushed it out slowly, willing his body to calm the fuck down.
Easing up on the gas pedal, he reached over and grabbed Ashley’s free hand, squeezing it lightly. He was pissed as hell that he let his mother get to him, especially in front of his woman.
“Sorry about all that.”
Letting go of the safety handle, she shifted in her seat, then stroked the back of his neck lightly with her fingers.
“You’re so tense,” she said, massaging his muscles.
“That feels good,” he murmured. “My mom sets me off sometimes.”
“I get it. My dad has that effect on me a lot of the time.”
“I wouldn’t even go over if it wasn’t for Ryan.”
“Your brother’s a great guy, and pretty funny. He really looks up to you.”
“He’s a good kid. I try to help him out as much as I can. He and Keston—my youngest brother—were still at home with the old man when he croaked. They both had it pretty rough.”
“He’s lucky to have you.”
“Like I said, he’s a good kid.”
“Your mom’s still mourning the loss of your dad.”
He snorted. “She carries his death on her sleeve. To hear her talk about him, he was a damn saint. What a load of bullshit. She never once said a fuckin’ word when the old bastard was beating the shit out of us. I could take care of myself, and I never let him see what I was feeling, but Ryan and Keston … Fuck, they didn’t deserve the shit he meted out. She never said a word or tried to stop him. And she wonders why I didn’t go to his damn funeral.” He looked over at Ashley. “I didn’t go ’cause I’m not a hypocrite. I was glad he kicked the bucket. It stopped the bullshit Ryan and Keston had to endure.”
“Smokey,” she said softly, kissing his cheek. “I don’t blame you at all for not going. Most people would’ve gone just for appearances, but that’s not you, and that’s one of the many things I admire and love about you.”
Removing one hand from the steering wheel, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. In that instant, he realized she was his everything. Her actions and words brought him solace, and just being in her presence was comforting.
Pressing his lips against her hair, he whispered, “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me.”
“I feel the same way,” she replied, nuzzling against his shoulder.
They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence. Smokey didn’t want to be anywhere else except with her safely in his arms.
No matter what, she was his.
22
Three weeks later
Ashley waved to Mark and Gage as she pulled into the garage. Now that her stalker had been caught, she wasn’t as suspicious of them. It also helped that Smokey had checked them out and told her they were clean. Upon hearing that Mark had lost his wife of twenty years in a car accident two years before, her heart broke for him. Smokey said that after his wife’s death, Mark had sold their home and built a small cabin in a remote area. It seemed that his only companion was loneliness. A part of her felt bad for misjudging him, but a bigger part still thought he was an oddball. And he still gave her the creeps.
The problem was that Gage had the hots for Alyssa—a girl who lived at the homeless shelter. When Smokey had told her how angry Brady was about their liaison, Ashley remembered that day at Blue’s Belly when she saw the two men arguing. Since Ashley didn’t volunteer at the shelter anymore, she wasn’t sure if Alyssa and Gage were still seeing each other, and she didn’t feel comfortable asking him about it.
Ashley slammed the car door shut with her hip, juggling a bag of groceries, a briefcase, and an oversized tote. Managing not to drop anything as she turned the key in the lock, she pushed open the door. She’d stopped at the market after work and picked up a few staples for the pantry, some baking potatoes, and two steaks for Smokey. A smile spread across her lips when she thought of him. Since that first weekend she had connected with him at the biker bar, he’d been a part of her life in a very good way.
After placing the bag on the kitchen counter, she kicked off her heels, set her briefcase and tote down on the floor, and started to unpack the groceries. Determined to learn how to cook, she’d enrolled in a cooking class for beginners at the community college. She’d planned to surprise Smokey with a steak dinner, replete with twice-baked potatoes, sautéed mushrooms with garlic butter, and an iceberg wedge with creamy blue-cheese dressing, which she’d try to make homemade, but she bought a bottle of dressing in case it didn’t work out.
Nicole and Danielle had laughed their asses off when she’d told them about the culinary classes, and she couldn’t blame them. If someone would have told her six weeks ago that she’d be interested in learning how to cook, she’d have rolled her eyes. Smokey has changed a lot in my life. I can’t wait until he comes home.
The first marketing campaign had been a success, but the second one had been phenomenal, and he was busier than ever, securing co
ntracts around the mountain towns. At the moment, he was in Grand Junction, and then he would head over to Telluride before returning home in a couple of days.
Standing on her tiptoes, Ashley put a can of beans on the top shelf of the pantry when her phone rang.
“Dammit,” she cursed as she crossed the room. Picking up the phone, she smiled. “Hi, Whitney.”
“Hi. Whatcha doing?”
“I just got home.” Over the phone, she heard music in the background, and noisy conversation. “Are you working another double?”
“Yes, and I’m sick of all these fucking people who keep calling off. Jared and I are the only two bartenders who show up when we’re scheduled.”
She put two boxes of rigatoni on the lower pantry shelf. “That sucks. I guess the only consolation is that extra money you’re making from tips.”
“That’s what I keep telling my achy feet and body. I have tomorrow off, and I’m taking it, even if everyone calls in. Do you want to go to Little Pepinas for dinner?”
“Yes. I’ve been craving their lasagna.”
“Smokey can come if he can’t bear being away from you.” Whitney laughed.
“He’s out of town for the next two days.”
“How’re you holding up?” Another laugh came through the phone.
“I miss him already, and it’s only been three hours.”
“You’ve got it bad, girl.”
Ashley giggled. “I know, and it feels wonderful.”
“Being in love is the best feeling in the world. Hang on.” She heard Whitney yelling something about a drink order to someone. “I’m back, but I have to go. It’s crazy tonight because L.A. Guns is playing. You should come over and have a drink.”
“It’s tempting, but I’m pretty beat. I still have some work I need to finish up tonight.”