An Ordinary Girl

by Barabara Elsborg

  He trailed his finger down her forehead, over her nose to her lips. He traced the shape of her mouth and then the line of her lower teeth. Ash caught his finger in her mouth and bit down before she sucked.

  “Oh God,” Noah groaned. “We’re at least twenty-five minutes from my bed and I’m not sure I can wait to kiss you. Can I kiss you?”

  He surprised her by asking.

  He surprised her again by taking his time. As Ash leaned into him, he wrapped his hands around her butt under her coat and brushed his lips against hers. When she let her tongue touch his, he pulled back and pretended to glower. “I’m trying so hard to be good and you’re making me bad.”

  Ash laughed. He moved in to kiss her again, and soft turned hard in a moment. Noah’s tongue teased, invaded, possessed. They shook in each other’s arms as control slipped on both sides. All Ash could think was deeper, harder. The kiss zinged through her body and set her ablaze. Heat rushed down her throat to her breasts, hardening her nipples, surging to dampen her panties and liquefy her legs. She ground herself against him, knowing she shouldn’t but unable to stop.

  There was kissing and then there was kissing. Ash had never been kissed like this, never been made to feel as though she’d die if they stopped. Noah slid his hands up her neck, his thumbs pressing into the soft skin of her throat as he cradled her head. His tongue swept the underside of her upper lip, ran along the ridge of her teeth until she caught it and nipped gently.

  My turn. She kissed and licked her way over his face, tasting him, exploring the different textures of his skin—the slight bristle of his jaw, the softness at his temples, the hard lines of his cheekbones. His choppy breathing washed her face until she reached his lips and they kissed again.

  Ash couldn’t think beyond the kiss. Her world slid away. She didn’t want this to stop, wanted more, wanted him. All of him. She vibrated with need and could barely breathe. Her hand slid down to the bulge at his groin, squeezed, and he let out such a sexy moan, Ash almost came.

  “Angel, angel, hold it,” he panted. “Not my cock. Just hang on. But not to that, otherwise I’m going to disgrace myself. Oh Christ. We have to calm down. I was relying on you to keep me sane, and you’re as bad as me. I’m on the verge of yanking up your dress and doing it right where we stand.”

  He held her by the shoulders and pressed his mouth to her hair as he panted. The drumming pulse between Ash’s legs intensified. She fizzed like a firework about to explode. Her chest tightened and she gripped him harder. She needed to come. She couldn’t wait.

  “Please,” she gasped.

  Noah yanked her close and pushed his thigh between her legs. The pressure against her sex was all Ash needed. She unraveled, hiding her face in his shoulder to muffle her breathy gasps. As she sagged against him, she felt the heat of mortification sweep over her.

  “Sorry,” she blurted.

  He let out a muffled groan and stood upright. “A minor miracle I made you do that without me doing it as well.”

  Ash let out a choked laugh.

  “You don’t know how lucky you are.” He licked his upper lip. “Your wet patches aren’t visible.”

  They looked directly into each other’s eyes, and for Ash it was as though they’d stepped into a bubble. The noise of traffic and chattering people faded away. The smells of the city dissipated. All she could see and hear and scent was Noah. Time stopped while raging hormones whirled around their heads, binding them together. This wasn’t ordinary. This was something special.

  Ash felt her heart lighten.

  He snagged one of her hands and threaded his fingers between hers. “Please tell me you live around the corner.”

  “Greenwich.”

  Noah groaned. “Then my place is nearer. I have a flat in Borough.”

  “Can we walk?” Ash asked.

  He gave her a pained look. “Walk?”

  “I need to…calm down,” she said. He needed to calm down too.

  Noah gave her a crooked grin. “Can I wind you up again on the way?”

  Ash laughed. “It won’t take much.”

  He slid his hand over hers and tightened his clasp as they set off. Desire zipped around her body like a wayward pinball, lighting up every erogenous zone.

  “By any chance, was it you who took the pictures with my camera?” he asked.

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Whether you’re pissed off.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “When I was congratulated on the shots I’d taken of the fireworks, I thought I’d lost my mind.”

  “You were congratulated?” Ash gulped.

  “You don’t care I thought I was going crazy?”

  His tone told her he was teasing, but Ash sensed more beneath the words. “Sorry.”

  “No, you did me a favor. Thank you,” he said. “Though I have to admit I was aggravated the one you took of the bride throwing her bouquet was judged the best picture out of the millions I took.”

  Ash stumbled. “Really?”

  “Really. You’re not a professional photographer by any chance?”

  She shook her head.

  “Keen amateur?” he asked.

  “I don’t even have a camera. My friend showed me how to use one once when we were watching fireworks at Blackheath. That’s how I knew what to do.”

  “Damn. Now I feel like a complete fraud.”

  A group of rowdy drunks staggered toward them, and Noah tugged her closer. She felt him tense as one of the men leered at her. Noah shifted her to his other side, and that gesture of protectiveness thrilled her more than he could know.

  “What do you do?” he asked. “I know you’re not usually a waitress. You were a substitute like me.”

  “I work two days a week for a company that converts derelict brown space into green. One day a week for the Citizens Advice Bureau and I also work as a guide for London Then And Now.I do Dickens and Ripper tours among others.”

  “An ordinary girl.”

  Ash stiffened.

  “Christ, I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. I just mean you’re…real. There’s nothing artificial about you. I bet you like your jobs, are part of a loving family and enjoy your life.”

  Not quite. “And you don’t.” It wasn’t a question.

  Noah tried to release her hand, but she didn’t let him.

  “Why would you say that?” he snapped. “Why wouldn’t I have a job I love, a family who loves me and a life I enjoy?”

  “Because you never smile.”

  He tugged her a little faster. “Maybe I don’t have much to smile about.”

  “There’s always something to smile about. If you’re not looking forward to getting me into your bed, then maybe I should catch the train at London Bridge instead.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  His eyes looked so bleak, Ash faltered. She pulled him into her arms and kissed him. She could almost taste his misery. He was so mixed up, in pain and yet aroused. She knew he wanted sex to make himself forget. The upside—he wanted it with her, and there was plenty Ash needed to forget. The downside—he probably wasn’t thinking further than a night.

  He cupped her face in his hands and threaded his fingers in her hair. The taste of him made Ash’s head spin. His tongue swirled around hers and she felt as if she were sinking into hot water, tension leaching from her body. All the problems of her life receded until her brain emptied of everything but this. Each stroke of his tongue was slower and more purposeful than the last until the kiss was so heavy and desperate Ash couldn’t breathe, yet she’d have collapsed rather than pulled back.

  Noah dragged his mouth from hers and they both gasped. “Oh God. Don’t leave me. Stay the night. Please, Ash.”

  When she heard her name on his lips, she’d have agreed to anything.

  I’m a fool.

  Chapter Seven

  Noah almost dragged her onto London Bridge. He wanted her safe in his flat, in his room, in his bed with his
cock buried inside her. He wanted to make her happy—he just hoped he hadn’t forgotten how. He didn’t want to let go of her hand and ignored the fact he didn’t like to be touched. He hadn’t held hands with a woman since he was a teenager. That he wanted to hold her hand was a good sign, wasn’t it?

  A mobile rang, and Ash put her hand inside her coat and pulled out a phone. “Hi… I’m fine… Yes… Not yet… No machete, just an axe.” She ended the call. “Ronan was just checking I was still alive. He’s very protective.”Ash grinned. “He’s also more interested in guys than women.”

  “Good. I’m ugly when I’m jealous.” Noah’s fingers settled around his mobile. He’d switched it off that morning after he’d seen the newspaper because he guessed who’d call. Maybe Sophia would too. He really didn’t want to speak to her. He powered it up.

  “Want to…give me your number?” Noah asked.

  Her face lit in a smile. “Call me and I’ll store yours.”

  He stood with his back to the bridge wall and pulled Ash to stand between his legs. Before he could ask for her number, his damn mobile began to ring. Noah groaned when he looked at the display. “My brother.” He’d probably had his phone set up to call the moment Noah switched his on.

  “Better answer it,” Ash said.

  Noah didn’t want to, but neither did he want Ilya turning up at the flat. His monster, older brother wouldn’t leave him in peace. No way would he have missed the fact that Noah had been to Beachy Head. He couldn’t know why, but he might have guessed. Ash rocked her hips into his and kissed Noah’s neck. With that type of distraction, surely he couldcope with exchanging a couple of sentences.

  “What?” Noah said into the phone.

  Ash slid her hands under his shirt then onto his back and tickled him. Noah squirmed.

  “Is it too much to expect you to answer your phone or respond to a message?” Ilya asked in his usual curt tone.

  Ash licked up the side of Noah’s neck. “I’ve been busy. I’m still busy.” He tweaked Ash’s nipple.

  “Beachy Head?” Ilya asked. “Trying to kill yourself?”

  Noah lurched away from Ash. He turned his back and held the phone closer to his mouth. “If th-that were true, I wouldn’t b-be here.” His heart thumped so loud he could hear it.

  “Maybe you were distracted. You know how easily that happens. You rarely finish anything you start. You have the attention span of a goldfish.”

  “I w-wasn’t…” Noah clamped his lips together. He only stuttered when he was around his family and stressed, so pretty much always with Ilya.

  “What the hell do you think Father thought? It’s a coward’s way out. I didn’t think you were a coward.”

  “I’m n-not.” Noah’s voice dropped to a whisper.

  “You need help. See Dr. Jackson tomorrow. You’re not well.”

  “I’m f-fine.”

  “You owe Father—”

  Noah pulled his arm back and threw the phone high into the sky out over the river. There was a faint splash as it hit the water. Ash stood a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself, staring at him.

  “I’m not a f-fucking coward,” Noah said through clenched teeth.

  “What was all that about?” she asked.

  His jaw ticked and he kept his mouth closed.

  Ash moved toward him. “Talk to me. I can help.”

  “My brother’s a controlling bastard, and I don’t need any more do-goody advice,” he snapped. “You think because you spend a day a week working for the Citizens Advice Bureau that you can sort me out? I don’t need to be fucking sorted out.”

  “I offered to talk, that’s all,” she said quietly.

  “I wanted a fuck, that’s all.” He mimicked her tone.

  Ash stuffed her hands in her pockets. “That wasn’t very nice.”

  “You’re with the wrong person if you want to hear nice things.” He walked in a circle around her.

  “Why are you pretending to be horrible?”

  Noah stamped ’round to face her. “I’m not fucking pretending. I am horrible. I don’t need rescuing.”

  “I think you do,” she whispered.

  He stared at her moment and then said, “Fine. Help me then.”

  He put a hand on the protective concrete edge of the bridge and climbed onto the flat metal handrail that ran along the top.

  “Noah, don’t,” Ash called.

  He almost toppled before he managed to stand upright on it.

  “Don’t what?” He walked carefully along the bar. On one side, a short fall to paving slabs and a pissed-off woman. On the other side, a long drop to the Thames and oblivion.

  “You idiot. What are you trying to prove?” Ash caught up with him and walked alongside. “Your brother’s not here. Get down before you fall in the water and I have to dive in after you.”

  “Why would you dive in after me?”

  “Because I’m an idiot too.”

  He laughed, slipped, and adrenaline surged as he wobbled.

  Ash yelped. “Get down. You’re the bigger idiot. Life is short enough.”

  Noah moved faster, more recklessly. “What would you fucking know?”

  “About you being a bigger idiot or about life being short enough?”

  “Both.”

  “I know you’re hurting. I saw your reaction to the fireworks. I read The Metro this morning. When I look at you now, flirting with disaster, it’s not hard to guess what you were doing at Beachy Head.”

  “What was I doing?” he spat.

  “Emptying your head, wondering if you ought to make it permanently empty.”

  “Should I?” he asked.

  “You want me to tell you not to kill yourself? Fine, don’t kill yourself.”

  Noah almost laughed. “You could sound as though you mean it.”

  “It’s not my decision which way you should jump, but if you land in the water, I will be really pissed off. You want me to spend the rest of my life eaten up with guilt over whether I said the wrong thing, didn’t do the right thing? Please come down and talk about it because I meant what I said.” Ash held out her hand. “I don’t want to get wet. I’ll ruin my dress and this is the first time I’ve worn it.”

  “I want to walk to the end.” About fifty more yards. If he was meant to fall, then he’d fall. Perversely, he liked the idea of her feeling guilty about his death. I am a sick fucker.

  She sighed. “Okay.”

  Noah took several careful steps before he registered that had been too easy. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Ash, shoes clutched in one hand, making her way along the rail behind him.

  “Fucking hell,” he snapped. “Get down.”

  “You first.”

  Noah jumped off and she did the same. When he tried to pull her into his arms, Ash thumped him in the stomach.

  “Ouch.” That hurt. He glared at her. “What was that for?”

  “If you want to hurt yourself, do it when I’m not around.”

  She slipped on her shoes and stamped off. Noah’s jaw dropped. He let her get a few yards ahead and then went after her.

  “You made your point,” he said to her back. “Sorry.”

  He suspected she’d keep going, but she stopped and waited for him to catch up. Noah walked round to stand in front of her.

  She stared at him. “I don’t like you.”

  “I don’t like you either.”

  He linked his fingers around the nape of her neck and lifted her into the kiss. She tasted so sweet, felt so soft, Noah’s cock reinflated in his pants. Kissing didn’t usually have quite this effect, so it had to be something about her. One brush of her tongue against his and Noah bypassed simmer and moved straight to boiling. He hadn’t meant to but he found himself fucking her mouth with his tongue, surging in and out, the movements fast and hard. The sexy little sounds she made wound him tighter, and Noah began to rock against her, his hands clutching her back.

  “Get a fucking room,” a passing guy shouted, and
Noah froze.

  Ash lifted her mouth from his and called, “This is our room. What are you doing in it?”

  Noah gaped at her. Ash laughed, took his hand and tugged him to the end of the bridge. The underground and mainline stations were across the road. He ought to take her over there, put her on the train to Greenwich and go home alone. But he didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to be with someone happy because maybe just a little of that would rub off on him. But he didn’t want to hurt her. He wasn’t fit for more than a one-night stand.

  “This way.” Ash pulled him across the road in the other direction, down toward the market.

  How did she know where he lived? Noah swallowed against the lump in his throat and let her lead. Only when she turned the wrong way did he relax. He smiled when he saw where they were headed—a fish and chip shop. It was about to close for the night. A guy stacked chairs outside.

  “Not too late, are we?” she asked him.

  “You are for fish.”

  Ash tugged Noah inside. “Two bags of chips, please,” she said to the woman behind the counter.

  When Noah took out his wallet, Ash pushed it aside. “You can pay when we go to the Ritz.” She froze and then gulped. “That was a joke. I didn’t mean it.”

  “Okay, I will,” Noah said, and did mean it.

  Noah didn’t usually like pushy women, but those moments of vulnerability suggested she wasn’t quite what she seemed. He watched her lick her lips as she drenched her food in salt and vinegar. She picked the fattest chip to eat.

  “So good,” she mumbled.

  Oh God. My poor cock. His pants grew increasingly uncomfortable.Noah shook far less salt and vinegar over his chips and followed her outside.

  “Which way?” she asked.

  Noah nodded right. They ate as they walked.

  “It’s ages since I’ve eaten chips. Look at the length of this one.” Ash held up a long fry. “It’s enormous. I bet you don’t have one as long as that.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Let me see.”

  “Not here.”

  She gave him a cheeky grin. “Bigger than four inches?”

  He nodded.

  “Are you sure? Have you measured it?”

  Noah almost spat out the chip he’d started to chew. “Be careful. You’re in dangerous territory.”