On The Ropes Series Box Set

by Aly Martinez

  * * *

  Flint

  “Fuck,” I cursed as Ash took my cock to the back of her throat.

  The moment we pulled into the restaurant parking lot, I’d found out exactly what the next part was.

  My hands were tangled in her hair as she hovered over the center console, milking the cum from my cock. She swallowed like a fucking champ and continued to work me until I couldn’t take anymore.

  “Ash. Stop.” I tugged at her shoulders but she continued swirling her tongue around the head, showing no signs of stopping. “Ash . . . ,” I groaned. Using her hair, I dragged her up, occupying her obviously frantic mouth with my own. I could still taste the saltiness of my release lingering on her tongue, but I couldn’t have given two shits. It was in her mouth.

  She scrambled over the console to mount me. “I want to feel you inside me.”

  “Baby, not here,” I managed to say before she threaded her fingers into my hair to deepen the kiss.

  “Please. I need to feel you,” she pleaded, rocking against me.

  Shit.

  “I don’t have a condom.”

  She let out a groan. “Just pull out.” She moved her oral attack to my neck.

  “Um. No. As much as I’d love to feel you bare, that is not a chance I’m willing to take.”

  She sighed in frustration. “God, why are you so responsible?”

  “Because the day I get you pregnant, you will have my ring on your finger. Also knocking you up now would really impede all the plans I have for fucking you over the next few years.”

  She laughed against my neck and shifted off my lap. “Only you would use words like impede during sexy talk.”

  I may not have been willing to fuck her in the car, but I wasn’t done with her yet either. I followed her with my upper body into her seat. Palming her breasts, I said, “You want to come, Ash?”

  Her eyes heated as she nodded.

  I quickly looked around the empty back parking lot of the restaurant, knowing that my entire family was probably in the front, waiting for us.

  Fuck it.

  “Take your pants off and open your legs,” I ordered, pressing two fingers into her mouth.

  She swirled her tongue around them in a familiar way, sending blood rushing back to my softening cock. I popped my fingers from her mouth while she fumbled, tearing her jeans and panties down her legs. “This needs to be quick, so I want you to talk to me. Tell me what you like.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “I like when you touch me?” She phrased it as a question.

  I smirked. “I got that much. But how?” I glided my damp fingers over her pussy, spreading her before pushing two fingers inside. “Like this?” Her head fell back against the headrest. “Or like this,” I asked before dropping my thumb to her clit.

  She all but clawed her way up the seat.

  Like that.

  “Oh God,” she panted as I hurriedly circled the sensitive bud.

  She undulated as my fingers continued to pump inside her. I wished it was my cock, but as I watched her lose herself, it was almost better. Her hips rolled into my every thrust, until she finally stilled. Her nails bit into my forearm as her whole body tensed until a strangled cry escaped from her throat and her cunt pulsed around my fingers.

  My thumb continued to circle her clit until the orgasm faded into hypersensitivity.

  “Flint, please,” she breathed, pushing my hand away. A command I unfortunately had to follow.

  “Get dressed. We’re eating dinner then I’m taking you home for dessert.” I lifted my hand to my mouth, licking her arousal off each finger.

  She watched me intently as she tugged up her pants. “Are you sure? You just had that for breakfast.”

  I laughed, dropping my hands to button my own jeans. “Oh, I’m positive. Now let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ash

  “OH, I SEE HOW IT is. I get yelled at for getting some in the locker room but when Flint comes limping in looking like he just had an orgy, everyone smiles,” Quarry said and signed when the hostess led us to the group already seated in the back.

  A gorgeous Hispanic girl slapped him upside the back of his head while Mia giggled, snuggling under his arm.

  “Dumbass,” Flint mumbled. “Everyone, this is Ash. Ash, this is. . . .” He leaned forward to look all the way down the table. “Jesus, why are all of you here?” Everyone laughed, then all eyes landed on me.

  Great. No pressure.

  “All right,” he huffed, pointing at the end of the table. “That’s Leo James and his wife, Sarah. He swung his arm to the Hispanic girl sitting at the other end next to Quarry. “That’s their daughter, Liv. Then you know Max, of course.” He pointed to a guy covered in tattoos with his arm draped around the back of a blonde’s chair. “That’s Caleb Jones, and his wife, Emma, who is Sarah’s sister.” He waved his finger back to the end of the table. “The ugly guy is Aiden Johnson and the ogre next to him is Alex Pearson. They run security for Leo, who runs security for Till and Slate.” He sucked in a dramatic breath before continuing. “You already know Till and Eliza and Slate and Erica. Lifting his hands to sign, he finished, “Oh, and the pink flamingo next to Quarry is Mia March.” They all laughed as Mia lifted her hands and signed what I could only assume were choice words.

  “She loves me,” he told me, signing something back.

  She flipped him off as Quarry barked out a laugh then tipped her back for a kiss that made the entire table groan in disgust.

  “Hi!” I waved with both hands before sitting down in the chair Flint pulled out for me.

  All eyes followed me as I sat down. “Quit gawking and go back to talking,” he demanded, and apparently I wasn’t the only one who listened to him, because within seconds everyone started chattering again.

  “Who the hell are all these people?” I asked quietly as Flint settled beside me.

  “Your search party,” he answered matter-of-factly, waving down a waitress to order our drinks.

  Not. Awkward. At. All.

  The girl across from me pulled me out of my inner embarrassment. “Hi, Ash. I’m Liv. Q’s told me a lot about you.”

  Quarry suddenly became unstuck from Mia’s mouth and tossed his arm around the back of Liv’s chair.

  “The good or the bad stuff?” My eyes flashed to his arm and then back to her.

  “Good. He told us you were a pickpocket.”

  My eyes bounced to Quarry. “That’s the good stuff?”

  He shrugged, ignoring me to go back to signing with Mia.

  “I have been known to lift a wallet a time or two.”

  Flint choked on a sip of water. “A time or two? You have my wallet right now. Beautiful, don’t think I missed you swiping that while I was doing the intros.”

  “No way,” Liv breathed. “Like right now?”

  “Yeah, but what he doesn’t know is I got his keys too.” I placed them both on the table as Flint patted down his pockets, cursing.

  Mia reached over Quarry to catch Liv’s attention, pulling her into their silent conversation.

  I looked up at Flint who was watching them talk while Q sat like a king guarding his harem. “What’s the dynamic there?”

  “Liv and Q have been best friends since they were kids. She lives in Chicago, so she’s only around sporadically. He started dating Mia about two years ago. They’ve been joined at the pelvis ever since. Mia is all kinds of scrappy; you should have seen the brawl that almost ensued the first time she met Liv. They got over it at some point though. Now, Mia and Liv are best friends and Q’s the third wheel.”

  “Is Mia deaf too?”

  “Yeah, she lost her hearing as a kid. Brain tumor.”

  “Oh, damn,” I whispered.

  He reached under the table to rest a hand on my thigh. “She’s fine now. Well, fine enough to jump Quarry on every flat surface in Till’s house.” A laugh bubbled from my throat. “I give her hell, but she’s a cool chick. She kee
ps Quarry’s ass in line, so we all love her.” He began perusing the menu.

  “Yo, Flint,” Slate yelled from the end of the table. “What ever happened with that potential fight for Griff in Atlantic City?”

  “Oh, let me tell you this bullshit. Four figures. Four. Hang on.” He turned to kiss me. “I’ll be right back.” He snagged his crutches and headed down to Slate and Till. Just as he got close, Eliza excused herself and Flint filled her chair.

  I watched as they had a heated discussion both verbally and through sign. I guessed the bad stuff was spoken in sign, since Till looked over his shoulder every time one of them lifted their hands. I couldn’t help but laugh at how animated Flint was with his hands. For such a stoic man, sign seemed to really bring out the drama in him.

  Suddenly Eliza slid into Flint’s vacant chair beside me. “So whatcha wearing on your date tomorrow night?” she asked with a huge grin.

  She was really taking this pretending thing to a whole new level.

  “Um. . . .” I raked a hand through my hair nervously. I had exactly three outfits: jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt, jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt, and jeans and a grumpy cat t-shirt. It wasn’t a hard question to answer. “Jeans and a t-shirt.”

  “You want to come raid my closet? What size dress do you wear? I mean, you’re taller than me, but we’re about the same size right?” She scooted over, measuring herself against me.

  I may not have exactly hated Eliza anymore after our conversation at the gym, however, going on my first date with Flint wearing her clothes was never going to happen. Never.

  Not even an eternity after never.

  Never.

  “Thanks, but I think I have something.” I smiled tightly.

  “Okay. If you change your mind, let me know.” She must have read my brush-off because she didn’t delay in heading back to her seat.

  But she had planted a seed that quickly grew into panic. What the fucking hell am I going to wear on my date with Flint? I had twenty-one dollars to my name. Shopping wasn’t exactly an option.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “Why do you look like your head’s about to explode?” Flint asked, finishing the game of musical chairs.

  “I need to get a job.”

  His eyebrows popped up and he scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “You going to stay here long enough to work?”

  “Well . . . I’m not sure . . . but I . . . I. . . .” I stumbled over my words.

  I hadn’t exactly made my mind up yet, but I also hadn’t thought about leaving again. “I’m considering it.”

  His hand settled back on my thigh under the table before drifting up between my legs. “You’re staying.”

  “I’m considering it,” I repeated, spreading my legs to allow him more room to play.

  And play he did.

  I had just come in the car and I was incredibly sore from the last twenty-four hours, but my body craved him. I bit my lip trying not to show any reaction while his hand traveled up and down the seam of my jeans.

  I figured if he could grope me at a table in front of his family, I could do the same.

  He caught my wrist just as it brushed over his dick. “Jesus,” he whispered, sliding his hand back to my knee and placing mine on top of it.

  The waitress appeared beside him. “Are you guys ready to order?”

  I hadn’t even looked at a menu yet, but Flint eagerly answered. “Yes. Two steaks, medium-well, baked potatoes, and salad with ranch.” He paused and looked over at me with a smirk. “In a to-go box, please.”

  Twenty minutes later when the food arrived, Flint announced that I was tired. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I was ready for bed.

  Probably not to sleep though.

  We got several knowing looks as we said our goodbyes, but no one argued. Not even Quarry—who offered Flint a high-five that got left hanging. With promises of future get togethers, Flint and I headed home with two steaks in tow.

  * * *

  Sated and naked in Flint’s bed, I looked up from his chest and asked, “Hey, you think you can get me a job at the gym like you did Max and Donna?”

  “No,” he answered curtly.

  I looked away, embarrassed that I even asked. “Okay.”

  “Don’t act like that. I originally got Max and Donna a job doing housekeeping on the weekends when the afterschool program was off. There is no way I’m getting you a job cleaning the men’s locker room.”

  I suddenly sat up. “Oh, I could clean the hell out of that locker room. I’m good at cleaning.”

  He pointedly looked over at all of my stuff in a messy pile in the corner of his otherwise pristine room. “I can tell.”

  “Oh, shut up! I’m messy, but I’m really good at cleaning. Please, Flint. I need to make some money.”

  “No you don’t. I’ll give you money.” He pulled me down to rest on his chest.

  I sat right back up. “I’m not taking your money,” I said, appalled by the very idea.

  He laughed. “Says the woman who steals my wallet every chance she gets.”

  “That’s not fair. I always give it back. I’ve never stolen anything from you for real,” I snapped as my heart began to race.

  The impulse to run overwhelmed me as his words from the past hit me like a hurricane, stripping me bare before blowing away any hopes I’d been clinging to since Flint walked back into my life.

  I am not a criminal.

  Who was I kidding?

  That’s all I ever was in his eyes.

  “Ash?” he said as I started to slowly scoot toward the edge of the bed. “Where are you going?” The covers fell away, exposing his nakedness, as he pushed up on his elbows. Crawling out of his bed, I etched the sight into my memory.

  He’s gorgeous.

  Maybe he was right. I was a thief.

  Because I had made a million memories with Flint over the last day, and I was taking every single one of them with me when I left.

  I pasted on a fake smile. “I’m still hungry. I’m gonna warm up some food. Just go to sleep. I’ll be right back.” I went to my pile in the corner and tugged on some clothes.

  “Ash, what the fuck are you doing?” Flint growled, grabbing his crutches to follow me.

  Gathering my hair and pulling it from the back of my shirt, I turned to face him. “I’m just getting something to eat. What are you doing?” I teasingly raked my eyes over his naked body as he approached. I let out a laugh, but only to cover the quiver of my chin.

  I was dying inside.

  Completely withering away at the idea of leaving him again. Yet I had to do it.

  “Since when do you need shoes to warm up food in the kitchen?” he snarked, grabbing my arm.

  Suddenly, I became frantic. Lying wasn’t working but I had to get out of there.

  I lifted my chin and straightened my back. Very calmly I demanded, “Let me go, Flint.”

  We both knew I wasn’t just talking about physically.

  He initially flinched but then quickly recovered. His eyes narrowed as he dropped his hand.

  Freedom—and a lifetime of agony—was only a hundred-yard dash away.

  Unfortunately, my body once again unlocked the magic of teleportation, because in the blink of an eye I was flat on the ground with Flint on top of me. His crutches were still attached to his forearms as he pinned me to the ground.

  “You will not take off on me without an explanation of what the fuck just happened. Not ten minutes ago you were riding my cock, now you’re telling me to let you go.”

  “Please,” I whispered, turning my head so I didn’t have to see the determination in his eyes.

  He’d more than made it clear that he wanted me to stay; I couldn’t be reminded of that as I made my escape.

  He shook off his crutches one by one, then forced my eyes back to his. “Don’t you dare shut down on me. What the hell is going on inside your head right now? Start talking.”

  Flint couldn’t walk very well, but he had mas
tered the pinning to the ground thing. I couldn’t have moved if I tried.

  And I definitely tried.

  Finally I gave up attempting to shimmy out from under his bulky body and said, “I want a job.”

  “Fine. Get a fucking job. All I said was that I wouldn’t get you one cleaning the gym. My woman is not cleaning up after a bunch of nasty ass men who can’t even hit a urinal when they are standing in front of it. No fucking way.”

  Okay. So that made sense, but it wasn’t the root of the problem.

  “I don’t want your money. I might be a thief, but I’m not a beggar.” My traitorous voice quivered at the end.

  His tense body slacked in understanding. “You’re not a thief, Ash.” He tried to kiss my lips but I turned my head so it landed on my cheek. “You’re not a thief,” he repeated into my ear. I flipped my head to the other side, wishing I’d preemptively pulled a Van Gogh and cut the other ear off. “You. Are. Not. A. Thief.”

  But, words could never be trusted any more than they could be unsaid—or in my case, forgotten.

  “Get off me.”

  He was terrible at following orders, because if anything he got on me more. Shifting to cover me completely, he placed a kiss on my exposed neck. “I made a joke about you stealing my wallet. I didn’t mean anything by it. If you want the truth, I fucking love when you swipe it. It makes me laugh every time. And that’s something I didn’t do a whole lot of while you were gone. If a job is important to you, I’ll help you find one. Maybe you could do some filing for Till or Slate. Their offices are a wreck. But please understand that I want to provide for you. I’m sorry. I know we are just starting over and all that bullshit, but I have worked my ass off and in the back of my mind, it was always so I could have something to offer you if, and when, I got you back. Ash, I’m half of a man who limps through life on crutches. I’ll never be able to scoop you off your feet the way Quarry did today. Even fucking you the way I want is a challenge. I have a lot of limitations in life, but providing for you will never be one of them.”

  My heart shattered.

  I was hurt, but I wouldn’t allow him to feel that way.

  Turning to face him, I cupped his jaw with both hands. After pressing a reassuring kiss to his mouth, I said, “You are not half of a man and anyone who has ever met you knows that. Especially me.” I kissed him again.