Priceless Treasure

by Melody Anne

  Savvy screeched. She jumped up, the back of her head nearly slamming into his jaw. He was grinning when she turned around with one hand clutching at her chest and the other at her throat.

  Ripping the headphones out of her ears, she scowled at him — he didn’t have a monopoly on that expression. “What in the world are you doing, Ashton? You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  “I came to hash it out with you some more, and then you took my breath away by the way you’ve been moving around.” He wound his arms around her back and tugged her against him.

  “Ashton, this isn’t the time or the place …”

  He could see that she wanted to stay mad at him, but the connection they had was just too damn strong. It was a curse and a blessing all in one. She didn’t fight against him as he began backing them both up until she was up against the wall.

  “This is the perfect place. Everyone is off the ship, and if I don’t sink inside you in the next few minutes, I think I’m going to die,” he told her. “We will talk soon,” he added after pressing his arousal against her.

  Then he leaned down and kissed her, his heart racing when her tongue came out and tangled with his and she wrapped her hands around his head to bring him closer.

  A growl escaped his throat as he reached for her uniform and worked tirelessly to undo it. And then he reached those dainty panties and pushed them down her legs. He wanted her so badly he was afraid he wasn’t going to be able to hold himself together.

  Wrenching his head back, he tried to regain some control. “Give me a second, Savvy,” he groaned.

  Her eyes widened at his evident passion. Once his breathing had returned to somewhere nearing normal levels, he switched positions with her. He was the one now leaning against the wall, but his hands were still gliding over the smooth skin of her ass.

  “Oh, Ash, I don’t think I will,” she said, surprising him.

  And then she dropped to her knees and his fingers trembled when they sank into her hair. “You don’t have to do this, Savvy,” he gritted out as she began undoing his trousers. Not that he would stop her if she insisted.

  “I want to taste you, Ash,” she said. Her voice was almost shy, barely above a whisper.

  Everything about her was so damn hot, her voice, her body, her taste, her scent. And as she freed him from the confinement of his pants and took him in her fingers, he nearly wept with anticipation.

  But never in his life had Ashton felt as weak as when her beautiful lips circled the tip of his arousal and she took him inside the recesses of her mouth. A groan thundered from his throat.

  She licked and sucked him, and her fingers squeezed him tight. Her head moving up and down along his thickness was the most erotic thing he’d ever witnessed. And the soft moans of appreciation escaping her throat vibrated against him.

  He tugged too hard on her hair in his passion, and she released him. But he still almost washed her face with his release when he saw his arousal so wet and so close to her swollen pink lips.

  “I need to take you now,” he said reaching beneath her arms and pulling her up. None too gently, he turned them both around again so her back was pressed against the wall, and he lifted her up high.

  Without a second of hesitation, he slammed her down against him, plunging all the way inside her heat. She cried out and wriggled against him.

  And that’s all it took for him to completely lose control. He dug his hands into her hips and pounded away inside her over and over again. Their cries mingled together, and then he felt her tightening around him, and they groaned in unison as they found ecstasy.

  Ashton’s legs grew weak. With a sigh, he drew her down to the floor while still buried inside her. She bounced on him a bit, and, unbelievably, he felt himself instantly growing hard again.

  “What are you doing to me, Savvy?” he asked as she began slowly sliding up and down on him while he dropped kisses all along her throat.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” she murmured.

  “Dammit, I want you over and over. It feels like a hunger that will never end.”

  She found her rhythm — man, was she a quick learner! — and now she was convulsing against him as she moved. He shuddered at the intensity of it all.

  As his lips trailed down her throat, he unbuttoned her shirt and worshipped her beautiful breasts, and he reached down to rub that special spot on her body. She cried out her appreciation. They made love for what felt like an eternity and yet was too short. And when he found his second release of the afternoon, she was right there with him.

  Neither of them spoke for several moments. As they fought to regain their breath, she laid her head against his shoulder and he ran his fingers against her smooth back. But he needed to talk to her about what he’d intended to when he’d first walked into the room.

  “Are you finished running away from me, Savvy?”

  She tensed on top of him, but he didn’t allow her to pull away. She was trapped in his arms and that’s where she was staying until they were finished.

  “Let go, Ash,” she demanded.

  “Why?” he said calmly as he continued stroking her back. “Am I hurting you?”

  A shiver ran through her. “No, you know you aren’t. But I can’t have a rational conversation with you like … like this,” she spluttered.

  “Like what?” he asked, unbelievably growing aroused again.

  “You know like what,” she said, wriggling on top of him, making his body come alive more and more.

  “Just tell me why you’re still trying to run from me. I asked a legitimate question of my lover,” he said.

  She was silent for a few moments. Then she sighed and gave up fighting him.

  “I didn’t tell you because I was aroused by you and I didn’t want you to change your mind about me because you would think I couldn’t satisfy you,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  This stopped Ashton’s movements. He leaned back and then gripped her chin so she would be forced to look at him.

  “Then why fight me so damn much?” he asked.

  “Because you … you frustrate me and I’m not very secure about us,” she admitted. “I’m afraid that I can’t satisfy you for very long.”

  “After the sex that we’ve had, can you honestly believe that I’m not aroused by you? That I don’t want you endlessly?”

  “Well … it seems you’re really into it, Ash, but I’ve heard guys can have sex with anyone at any time.”

  “Oh, that’s so not true, Savvy. I have never in my life been this turned on by a woman,” he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his thickening shaft. “And I’ve never felt like I couldn’t get enough before.”

  Her eyes widened as she squeezed her fingers around him and then a shy smile appeared on those beautiful lips.

  “Well, then, if it wasn’t bad for you, I wouldn’t mind doing it a few more times.”

  Her cheeks flushed as she said that last bit, and even though he’d just been buried inside her for more than an hour, he was ready to go again.

  “Damn, woman, I think that will be more than okay,” he said before he kissed her so hard that they both started panting. “But I’m going to wait until tonight. Because, whether you want to admit it or not, I know you have to be sore right now. You’re new at this game, and we’ve been testing your limits.”

  He looked at her as he said this and she turned her head away from his probing gaze. And he knew he was right. She wiggled against him, possibly testing her newfound powers of seduction. He growled as he moved away and then stood up.

  When she looked at his proud manhood and licked her lips, he retreated a few steps before he was tempted to go back on his word.

  “You’re either an angel come to save me, or a she-devil here to bring me down,” he growled before pulling up his pants.

  She smiled at him, and he felt her joy deep inside his chest. So beautiful.

  “I’m getting you out of here for a whi
le,” he said. “We’re much safer away from any bedrooms.”

  This time Savvy giggled, but she wouldn’t leave until she was finished dealing with this room. So Ashton found himself helping to clean the suite of one of his guests. Yes, he was grousing about it the entire time, but the looks of pleasure she sent his way made it all worth it.

  He was in serious trouble now. He was almost in love with this woman, and afraid he was nothing more in her mind than a teacher in mattress action. Or wall action. Or floor action. Maybe he just had to make her never want to live without him. Impossible? Hardly. He had the tools to satisfy …

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Her heart seemed to be exploding, and Savvy gripped Ashton’s hand in abject terror. She had her limits, and there was just no way she was going to do what he wanted. Not this time. No freaking way!

  But she was trying to move on — trying to get over her fears. She’d picked up a lot of them during her unhappy childhood. But the fears she was more interested in getting over were irrational fears, not fears that made perfect sense.

  “I don’t think I can walk across this thing, Ashton.”

  “Yes, of course you can. Aren’t you the one who told me that you weren’t going to live in a world of phobias anymore?”

  Why in the world had she told him that? He was taking it far too literally.

  “I know I did, but I didn’t mean to conquer all of my fears. Because I really sort of like life. Do you think I want to plunge however many feet that thing is above ground to my certain death?”

  “Thousands, even millions of people have crossed this with no one plunging to their death. The view is spectacular from the middle,” he said. He tugged her hand a bit, trying to get her to move, but he wasn’t forcing her. He was letting her know that it was her decision, even if he was going to push her a little.

  She wasn’t budging. Yes, she was adventurous, and she loved to hike and loved to be on the ocean and loved trying new things. But she wasn’t a fan of heights. It wasn’t entirely rational, and she got that, but¸ dang it, she was afraid.

  They were currently standing at the entrance to the Yukon Suspension Bridge, which goes over the Tutshi River. Whitewater raged along rapidly fifty-seven feet below, and it was reaching up menacingly to snare its victims. Yet Ashton had been trying to get her to cross the dang bridge for the past fifteen minutes.

  They’d spent the afternoon and early evening driving the nearly two-hundred-mile round trip from Skagway to Carcross Corner and back. She’d witnessed the famous Dead Horse Trail, the William Moore Bridge — another one she wouldn’t cross — bears, sheep, moose, mountain goats, and some of the most scenic views imaginable.

  A great moment had been when they’d stopped in Liarsville — her favorite name for a town ever. They’d walked hand in hand through the Gold Rush Trail Camp, and she’d played tourist and bought a few cheap souvenirs before they hit the road again.

  They’d talked for hours, laughed, and this was when she’d admitted to him that she wanted to be a braver person, that she didn’t want to live her entire life saddled with fear. Dang, one minute she was telling him that, and the next he was hell-bent on ensuring she try to beat those fears quickly. And now Ashton was threatening to ruin her amazing day by trying to get her to cross this damn bridge. Did he not understand basic psychology on getting people past phobias?

  “How about this?” he said in his smoothest voice. “You can grip my hand tight, and if you are seriously freaked out after walking ten steps, we will turn around and I’ll leave you alone.”

  She processed his words, and it did feel like a good compromise, but she just didn’t want to see the view. Wasn’t that what the Web was for? Still, she hated letting her fears rule her. That wasn’t a way to live.

  “Fine. But if we die on this trek, I will haunt your soul to the end of eternity, Ashton, and that’s a promise.”

  The man was smart enough not to laugh at her, though she did see his lips twitch. Her eyes narrowed even more, and he managed to deep-six that budding smile. Smart man.

  Savvy knew that her nails were digging into Ashton’s hand, but no matter how much she told herself to loosen her grip, it wasn’t happening. However, as she focused on putting each of her feet in front of the other, she realized that she and Ash were halfway across the bridge, and though she could swear they were really rocking the thing, it felt quite stable.

  Ashton tried to speak to her, but she just shook her head and picked up her pace. The sooner they finished this, the sooner she’d be able to say she’d faced another fear, had conquered it, actually, and then she would be done.

  Ashton tried to stop and admire the view, but she wasn’t having any of that silliness. She practically ran to the other side of the bridge, and before she could think about it, she grabbed his arm and moved swiftly back to where they’d begun.

  It wasn’t until they were on solid ground again that Savvy took her first full breath in what felt like hours.

  “Man, that was terrifying, but it was also a rush — a serious rush,” she said. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

  “It would have been nice to enjoy the view,” Ashton grumbled.

  “Go back and enjoy it all you want. But I’m going to the rental car. I’m done with the bridge.”

  “I wanted to get a picture of us in the middle,” he told her.

  “Haven’t you been here before?” she asked as the two of them strolled toward their car.

  “Many times,” he said. “But never with you.”

  And just like that, her heart thudded in her chest. Maybe he was seriously good with feeding lines to all his women, and maybe she was just vulnerable, but this man did make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

  Savvy could tell herself all day and night that this was just a fling, and that she wouldn’t be affected by it. But she knew herself, and she knew she wasn’t going to get out of this unscathed. Each moment she was spending with Ashton, she was giving him a little bit more of herself.

  She’d known forever that he was dangerous. But she was in too deep now to change directions, so she might as well just hold on for the rest of the wild ride. Hey! She was really facing a major fear of hers!

  Once they returned to Skagway, Ashton surprised her by pulling up to a place called the Red Onion Saloon. She threw him a skeptical look.

  “What was that look for?” he asked when he’d come around to her side of the car and opened the passenger door. She still wasn’t quite used to having a man do that for her, but she liked this gentlemanly side to him, so she’d take it. And he’d insisted.

  “I just don’t picture you hanging out at a place called the Red Onion,” she said.

  “Hey. I know this place well, and they have excellent food,” he told her as they approached the double doors. “Besides, this once used to be the classiest dance hall and saloon in Skagway — well, and the finest brothel,” he added with a wink. “And since you are now a woman of the world — thanks to me, of course — I thought you’d enjoy it.”

  The leer he sent her made her laugh instead of slug him. “Are you now saying I’m a lady of the night, since I’ve allowed you to do naughty things with me?”

  “Hmm, a few of those things you’ve picked up on pretty dang fast,” he told her.

  “You are terrible.” She was slightly worried about how much she did love sex. But there was no way she was going to think ill of herself because of it.

  “Is this really an old bordello?” she asked before they entered the building. She wasn’t quite sure if he was teasing her or not.

  “Yep. It was built in 1897, during the Gold Rush days. The upstairs still has the ten cribs, or rooms, that were once used by the ladies.”

  Now she wasn’t sure what she was walking into.

  “Wow. I’ve never been in a real bordello before,” she finally said as she looked around wide-eyed at the waitstaff. The women were dressed in vintage outfits right out of the Old West. Savvy was instantly
in love with the place.

  “I haven’t been to a working one,” Ashton assured her with a laugh.

  “That’s in your favor,” she said with a sigh of relief. “One thing at least …”

  They were seated and Ashton filled her in on the background.

  “Ah, a weary man could stop by the place for some whiskey and a dance. Then he would step up to the bar, where they had ten dolls lined up. The customer would choose his woman by selecting the doll that represented her. If the woman was with another customer, the doll would be lying down. When she was finished and ready for business again, her doll was set back up.”

  “They did it with more than one guy in a night?” she gasped.

  Ashton laughed, making her squirm in her seat a bit. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I just love history, so I know a lot about this stuff.”

  “I love history too, but I guess I haven’t gotten much into the Old West or gold-mining times,” she told him.

  “Okay, some of this is just idle curiosity from my wacky bartending days, and you can find out everything about this on the Web. But things are a little different from what you see on the TV show Gunsmoke. Yes, the ‘good-time girls’ took as many men a night as possible. It was more money for them and more money for the house of ill repute. Wait until I tell you about prostitution during the Second World War.”

  “Please don’t …”

  They were interrupted as the waitress came to take their drink orders. And the two of them later took a tour of the upstairs museum, with all its antiques from the Gold Rush period.

  When they left the Red Onion, Ashton dragged her over to the Old Timey Photo Shop. He dressed as a lawman, and she played a lady of the night. It was a picture she would treasure forever — when this all ended, as it inevitably would.

  By the time the two of them made it back to the cruise ship, Savvy was exhausted, but the day had been more than she could have imagined. She’d been able to see a side to Ashton she’d never seen before — a playful side. A side that told her how easily she could fall in love with the man if she weren’t incredibly careful.