I was getting hot and flustered. Pump the brakes, I chided myself. I had to ask myself the relevant questions before committing to something, even in my own mind. Something Henri had taught me about business decisions, but it applied to all facets of life. Could we sustain a meaningful relationship? This would be a long distance thing, usually doomed to failure just considering logistics. I lived in Atlanta and he lived here in Destin. It was only a five or six hour drive, but that was a haul with the long hours we both put in. I had planned on leaving here tomorrow after the deal was done. Henri wanted me back by his side.
“There is something I want to know,” Quinn said, ripping me from my frantic thoughts.
I leaned back, pulling my feet out of the pool. “What color underwear am I wearing?”
I couldn’t help but laugh when Quinn froze and his jaw hit the floor. I surprised him by putting my hand on his back and pushing him in the pool. At the last moment, he grabbed me as he plunged in. We both ended up in the water, sputtering and flailing.
My breath hitched at the touch of the cool water. Quinn grabbed my waist, and pulled me to his body. He cleared his throat and said, “That’s not what I was going to ask.”
“Well, they’re black and lacy,” I said on a husky breath. “Just like my dress. Just in case you were wondering.”
“I’ll just have to take your word for that.” Quinn propped one hand on the side of the pool and kept his other hand firmly around my waist. “What I wanted to know was if I could ever make things up to you?”
Right now I would do anything he asked. I loved the way I felt in his arms. Safe. Cherished. Even loved. “Why don’t we get out of this cold pool and you show me your place? I trust it’s okay if I drip water all over your floors?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Quinn hopped out of the pool and then leaned over, grabbing my hands. He helped me out of the water and then lifted me into his arms. I was happy to put ten years of pain behind us. We were both young and stupid back then.
“Do you still care about your little bro code?” I whispered in his ear as he carried me inside.
Quinn gave a sarcastic laugh. “Not so much. Especially not when it’s your bro that we’re referring to. I’m not sure he deserves it.”
“Agreed.”
We were grown up. My brother was starting his own family. Whether he cared about me sleeping with Quinn again or not, I didn’t care. As far as I was concerned, Griffin had some explaining to do. He never should’ve attacked Quinn for what had happened.
Once inside, Quinn sat me down on the couch. “These days, I prefer a more honest, true friendship.”
“Me too.” I shivered from the blast of cool air the AC put out.
“I’m going to shrug out of these wet shorts and into some lounge pants,” he said as he trotted into the bedroom. He re-emerged with grey pajama pants and a fluffy white towel.
Quinn wrapped the towel around me.
I wanted Quinn to take me right now on the floor of this cottage. I wanted to feel him against my chilled yet fevered skin. Drink him in. Every last inch of him. But then, what would happen after? Would we get our second chance at love or simply crash and burn? I didn’t know if I could withstand the devastation twice. The first time, I’d been ignorant to the pain, but now? Now, I understood every last pang and twinge. Like knives peppering my body with a million tiny cuts that tortured but never ended.
Quinn sat down next me, leaned forward and captured my trembling lips. His own pressed softly against mine, and I relished how sweet he tasted.
I shifted on the couch to get more comfortable. I kissed him back harder, loving the way his stubble, scraped against my cheek. The dueling sensations of rough against soft. Our tongues mated as he deepened the kiss, sweeping every crevice of my mouth, even the ones I didn’t know I had. I melted. Leave it to Quinn Andrews to make me feel like that swooning teenage cheerleader again watching her man score the winning touchdown.
Was I sure this was a good idea? Hell no. I wasn’t sure if I still cared. But my body did. And now, we were both consenting adults and it was no one’s business what we did with or to each other.
Quinn pulled back, but continued warming the gooseflesh on my arms with his warm palms. “Let’s go to my room where it’s more comfortable. You’re freezing.”
I stifled another shiver as we made our way to his bedroom, I noticed that Quinn kept a clean house. There weren’t clothes strewn about, no dirty dishes in the sink, or any clutter on the countertops. Either Quinn was a neat freak or he wasn’t home enough to get it dirty. Probably a little of both.
He took care of his grandmother in his free time. It was heart-warming to think about how much he cared for her and the sacrifices he was willing to make on her behalf. Denying himself much of a personal life. When he’d told me about his devotion to his grandmother that had blown through the last of my defenses. The ones that had never really been that strong in the first place.
“Can I use your bathroom?” I asked. I couldn’t help but notice that his bedroom was just as clean as the rest of the cottage. I needed to get out of these wet clothes before I got sick.
Quinn opened the bathroom door. “Take your time.”
I stripped out of the little black dress and hung my wet things on the side of the tub. There was a basket with a stack of rolled towels, so I grabbed one and wrapped it around my shivering body. For a moment, I sat there naked, covered in bumps and tried to work my way through the flood of thoughts that ran through my mind. Why did I hold a grudge for so long? I wasn’t the same person that I had been back in high school. Why did I think Quinn would be? We’d both grown up. Changed. We couldn’t hold on to blame for the mistakes we’d made when we were young and stupid.
I left the bathroom with the towel tied firmly around my body and found Quinn waiting for me. He had changed into a pair of gym shorts. His chest was bare, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off his firm muscles and bulging biceps. Time had been incredibly good to him. Those same broad shoulders were even wider now, the waste more tapered with an eight pack and then my eyes drifted lower.
Without a word, Quinn took my hand and led me to his king size bed. I sank into the buttery soft sheets, scooching toward the headboard. Stretching out, he laid on his side next to me.
He took a piece of my hair and twirled it around his finger. “I always loved your lustrous, curly hair. It’s your best feature.”
I chuckled. “I would’ve thought you were an ass man.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I love your ass too.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. “I want you, Ashton.”
“I want you, too,” I whispered. “I don’t think I ever stopped.”
Chapter Eight
Quinn
Ashton looked perfect in my bed, with her hair fanned out on the dark bedspread like coils of spun gold. It was as if she belonged there, belonged to me, like the missing piece of my charming Florida cottage. She tied it all together in a neat, sexy bow. I guess I didn’t realize how much I’d missed her until she’d appeared back in my life like the best present ever.
I kissed her softly. I loved having Ashton’s sexy ass in my bed. Her perfect body warmed the air between us. Even though we’d just been in the pool, I could still smell the mangos and coconuts from her hair. She was so beautiful. It felt good to taste her, to have her lips on mine but I needed more. And I might need it all night. Maybe forever.
I ran my fingers through her luxurious blonde ringlets. “I want to make love to you,” I whispered, brushing my lips against her ear. “Better than the last time. I know it wasn’t good for you. I want to make it good now.”
Kissing her on her neck, making my way down to her collarbone, giving her soft, lingering touches. I wanted to make her feel amazing. Make up for the leaving her unsatisfied her first time. Make up for lost time. I wanted to wash away ten years of pain and doubt I had caused her and replace it with blinding pleasure.
She shuddered and whisper
ed, “Quinn.”
“Is that a yes?” I asked and hooked my finger in the makeshift knot of her terrycloth dress.
“That’s a yes.” Ashton grabbed my hair and yanked my head up so that my lips would reach hers for another kiss. I liked this feisty side of her.
I wound my hands around her neck and forced my tongue deeper into her mouth. Plundering. Because I couldn’t get close enough to her. Couldn’t get enough of her. The next thing I knew, she had thrown a leg around my waist and straddled me. Our kiss grew hot. Hotter. My erection pressed against her warm pussy lips and she let out a groan.
Kissing Ashton wasn’t like kissing any other girl that I’d ever known. Not that there had been that many. Even on their tiptoes, they couldn’t come close to reaching the pedestal that Ashton was on in my mind. She was passionate and fiery between my hands. Never had I been with a girl with so much energy to give in the throes of passion. I couldn’t keep up with her. She never stayed still. Always moving, touching, lighting a new fire everywhere her lips touched me.
Her hands were in tangled in my hair, then stroking my chest, moving down to my stomach. Ashton wanted me to give her my all, and I was happy to oblige. I couldn’t picture a world where Ashton didn’t exist. Because in my world, only pleasure, desire and love existed.
Did I already love her? Maybe I’d never stopped.
Her hair tumbled down in a cascade of blonde ringlets, tickling my skin. The most spectacular Destin sunset couldn’t even come close to comparing to the beauty of a naked Ashton on top of my hips. These past years had changed her for the better. She’d grown into her own skin, and found a sexy boldness that was hot as hell. She oozed confidence.
“You are incredibly gorgeous,” I growled. “I don’t remember this side of you and I don’t like thinking about how you got it.”
She gave a sexy smile that revealed nothing. Like she still held a secret close to her heart, one that I intended to reveal. Just as I’d expose every erogenous zone she didn’t know she had. Ashton responded by kissing my chest, raking her teeth across my nipples and I let out a strangled moan. She reached up and kissed me again, her supple lips locked with mine. A perfect fit. Our mouths joined together as I tilted my head to grant myself greater access.
My head told me to take control because my body couldn’t take another tortured moment of her leading this erotic dance. I flipped her over, straddling her now, instead. Taking a moment to inhale her delicious scent, I started with her lips, kissing her before making my way down her luscious body. She hummed with pleasure as I traced my fingers across the swell of her breasts. Her nipples were a soft pink, and as smooth as little rosebuds. I took one nipple in my mouth and sucked until I heard her little sigh I loved so much. Then I nipped.
“Mmm …” Ashton gasped, tilting her head back with pleasure, pushing her erect nipple deeper into my mouth.
I answered her by grazing my teeth on the nipple and gently scraping my tongue across it.
Ashton ran her nails down my back. “Quinn, you feel amazing. I love what you do to me. How my body feels right now.”
I pulled my mouth away and started on the other nipple. “You taste so good.” I slid a hand down her stomach, loving the feel of her soft, smooth skin. My fingers teased her, just above her wet lips.
Ashton gasped.
I grinned, remembering her sensitive spots. Every touch, every response had been permanently burned on my memory to be replayed every day since. Now, I wanted to find every single one that I’d yet to discover.
She tugged my hair. “You know how to drive me crazy.”
“I like crazy,” I said. I lowered my head and left a trail of kisses down her stomach and headed for the sweet spot between her thighs. Dipping my finger inside of her, I savored the glorious wetness covering my hand. “You’re so wet.”
I couldn’t wait to make her come. It had become a compulsion. Every single time I jacked myself off to thoughts of her it always ended with her waves of hair thrown back in bliss, coming with the sound of my name on her lush lips. I’d failed her before. That ended. Now.
Ashton writhed on the bed as I slid two fingers inside her and licked her from top to bottom. Her smell, her taste. It was even better in real life than in my depraved fantasies.
“More,” she begged, lifting her hips to meet my mouth. “Please. I can’t believe it feels like this.”
She was talking like no man had ever gone down on her before. But that couldn’t be possible at her age. She must just mean I’d never done it. But now that I had, I’d make it the Quinn Andrews National Past Time. Like baseball and apple pie only better.
I circled her clit with my tongue, sucking and licking. Using my lips and fingers, I set a teasing rhythm until she thrashed so wildly, I could barely keep her steady for more of my intimate onslaught. Ashton’s hips gyrated and she bucked upward as I continued to push her to the brink.
“Don’t stop,” she begged. “Oh my God, it’s happening. Even better than I’d ever imagined it would be!”
I pulled her clit in my mouth and sucked, then flattened my tongue against her. She bucked desperately as an intense orgasm crashed through her body. I loved hearing her call my name in a breathless moan as she shuddered and quaked. The sound was better than the music of a professional orchestra. I couldn’t wait to slide my cock inside of her and do it all over again.
I looked up and caught sight of Ashton in her post orgasmic bliss. Her eyes were squeezed shut so I waited until every last shiver had left her body and she stilled.
“I want to fuck you, Ashton,” I said. “And I don’t care if you know it. Because it feels good to say it. I want to feel your tight pussy grip my cock as you come all over me.”
Her eyes flew open and she met my heated gaze. “Now.”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. I grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer, ripped the package open as fast as I could, and rolled it on. Ashton shifted impatiently as I straddled her. She wrapped her legs around my waist as I positioned my cock against her warm, slick entrance.
As my eyes locked onto hers, I swear I could see straight through to her soul. She lifted her hips, trying to tease me, as I stroked my cock. I knew I couldn’t wait any longer and rubbed the tip against her opening. “Are you ready?”
“Is this some kind of warped version of Déjà vu?” At her words, I realized I’d said something similar the last time I found myself between her legs. “Of course, I’m ready. I want you inside me.”
I wanted this to be better than our first time together. Determined to make every moment amazing, I pressed inside her slowly. Teasing her inch by inch.
Holy shit. I gasped, fighting for a breath. She was so goddamn tight. It was just like our first night together. She felt the exact same now as she did when we were teenagers. How was that possible? Then her earlier words registered.
“Ashton,” I whispered. “Look at me.”
She’d allowed her eyes fluttered closed again, content to feel and not to look but this was important. I needed to see her face when I asked the question so I found out the truth.
“What?” she searched my face, because I had stilled. I’d buried myself to the hilt inside her and though it killed me not to move, I couldn’t. Not until she answered me.
“Have you had sex since that night I took your virginity?”
Her lower lip quivered and tears pooled in those liquid gold eyes. She didn’t need to verbalize it. I almost lost my erection I was so overcome with emotion about what a fucking asshole I was. I’d ruined her life. Fucked everything up for her so she hadn’t even felt comfortable going to bed with another man.
“I feel like killing myself, Ashton,” I groaned. “How can I ever make it up to you?”
“You can,” she whispered as she reached her arms around to cradle my head. “Right now, Quinn. Stroke me with your cock. Finger my clit. Make me come again until I can’t see straight. Until I can’t do anything but feel. Until I can’t even summon forth
my voice to scream your name.”
Holy shit. I did not deserve this woman. Not at all. But that wouldn’t stop me from doing everything within my power to give her everything she’d just begged me for. I kissed as I pumped myself into her, burying my cock even deeper into her white hot channel. The tightness, the sensation. Sublime. Her pussy sucked me right in and she matched my rhythm, stroke for stroke.
She whimpered as I drove deeper. I reached between us to caress her clit, using my fingers to stroke her, using her moans and movements to set the rhythm. The sounds of her sighs set my body on fire. Coupled with the sucking sensation of her warm body wrapped around my cock, I just about lost it and came too soon. Dead puppies. The Marlins losing the World Series. I grasped at any thought to hold off because she had to come again. Once I felt her second orgasm rocketing around me as she thrashed, I let go, too, and we came together in a torrent of shared passion.
I held onto her waist, until the spasms ceased. I felt milked dry. Completely and utterly replete and spent. I rolled over and snuggled in to her side, trying to catch my breath. I’d seen stars. Nothing I’d previously experienced had even come close. Ashton Jansen could become an addiction. My addiction. And now that I knew I’d been her first and only, I never wanted to let her leave and experience anyone else.
Mine.
Always and forever.
“I want you to be by my side when I wake up in the morning,” I said. “Please say you’ll stay the night.”
Chapter Nine
Ashton
Quinn wanted me to stay. This was so different than last time. Much different. This time he wasn’t going to be the one walking out the door, leaving me behind.
He continued to nuzzle against my neck. I felt safe. Secure.
“Again,” I demanded.
He grinned. “You’re voracious now that you know what you’ve been missing.”
I didn’t even care about the teasing. I felt free. He knew my deep, dark secret and he hadn’t rejected me. No. More like strutting around like a cock in the henhouse. So to speak.
Sinker: Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 28