“Good plan.” She ground her bare pussy against his boxers. Oh, sweet mercy, he was hard. “Now be quiet so we can keep doing what we’re doing.”
Colton held her hips steady and leaned back to look at her. “I don’t think you’re hearing me.”
Despite his firm grasp on her hips, Ash swiveled over his erection. “Oh, I’m hearing you.” She reached a hand between them and fondled him. “So you can stop talking now.” She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him to her.
With a groan, Colton thrust up with his pelvis while his tongue took ownership of her mouth. “You’re the boss.”
So not true. Even this kiss felt different. It felt...possessive and domineering, like Colton owned her or something.
Strangely, she liked it.
A lot.
* * *
IT WAS LATE, and they were back at the bunkhouse lying in bed. Good thing he’d eaten a big supper.
“What are you chuckling about?” Ashley asked as she rolled up onto his chest.
“Just glad you cooked a hearty meal.” He grabbed her ass. “Because you might be just a little thing, but you take a lot of stamina.”
She nestled against him, laughing softly. Good Lord. Colt couldn’t remember feeling so satisfied before. Not one to forget a bet, he’d made sure Ash orgasmed well before he did. Then in typical Ashley form, she made sure he came again, too.
They’d been having so much fun he’d completely lost track of time. With a groan, he reached across Ashley to the nightstand and picked up his cell. She stopped him from looking by grabbing the phone away.
“It’s late. That’s all you need to know.”
“Some of us have to get up early around here.”
“I do, too,” she said, poking him in the chest.
“Where are you off to?”
“I’ve got to drive back to town to work a shift at the flower shop tomorrow and then again the next day.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he said, “You leaving me already?”
“A girl’s gotta make a living. Another couple months and I’ll have saved up enough to get out of Dodge.”
“Where you going to go?”
“Anywhere but here.”
“What’s wrong with here?”
“Nothing...exactly.” Her voice trailed off. “I just want to make it on my own, you know?” Drawing circles on his chest, she continued. “I want to see places. Meet new people. Experience things.”
“So you want to travel? Where would you go? What would you do?”
She was quiet so long, he thought she might have fallen asleep. When she finally answered, it was in a soft, uncertain voice. “I have this plan.”
“Yes?”
“It’s... Well, I’ve never told anyone, but...”
“But?”
“I want to travel around America and find the best places in the country that no one’s ever heard of. I’m going to photo blog about it.”
“That sounds...awesome.”
She lay still for a second. “Do you want to see? I mean, it’s okay if you don’t, but I’ve already started up the site, and I don’t have many followers, but I figured I might as well get started now, right?”
“I’d love to see.”
Ash arched her sweet little body in order to reach her phone on the nightstand. She tapped on it for a few seconds before turning it around and showing him.
America’s Best Kept Secrets—A Photo Blog.
Holy shit. Her pictures weren’t just good. They were...amazing. The lighting, the composition. He wasn’t much for art, but he could tell the difference between just a good picture any Joe Blow could take and one taken by a professional. Ash was a professional. She’d blogged about the county fair, saying it was a jewel of the West. Blogged about the guest ranch and had used some of the images from their outing, although none of the people were identifiable. He scrolled down and saw the nearby ghost town, Silverton. She must have taken pictures early in the morning after a rain because steam rose up from the ground as if it was spirits from the deserted place.
“Wow, Ash. This is really good. You are so talented.”
She shifted in his arms. “Do you really think so?”
“Yeah. I’m blown away.” Colton played with the soft hair on the side of her head, realizing how much talent was packed away in this little package lying so snug within his arms.
He felt proud of her, he really did. But he’d be lying if there wasn’t another part of him that didn’t like the idea of Ashley being out in the world blogging and having “experiences” without him. It was a totally stupid, irrational feeling because, on the other hand, he had the same desire: to go out and ride and have his own experiences without being tied down. Oh, yeah. There was nothing better than moving from town to town, meeting new people and connecting with old friends.
But he’d kind of figured that at the end of the day if he ever came back to Half Moon Creek, Ashley would be here.
That made him a selfish ass, didn’t it?
Well, it’s not like he was about to articulate those feelings.
Instead, he snuggled his gifted little photographer up nice and close. “You’re very good,” he whispered. “Have I told you that?”
“Not recently,” she purred.
He tugged on the blanket, exposing her breast. “You are.” He circled her breast, drawing smaller and smaller circles until he reached her nipple. “Very, very good...” He gently pinched, squeezing her nipple between his fingers.
“And you,” she groaned, “are very, very bad.”
He rolled her over so he was on top and kissed her tight bud. “That’s about right.” He clamped on with his teeth gently before releasing to say, “And I’m not above corrupting you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Her legs twined languidly between his as she opened her thighs.
“I would.” He bit her other nipple. “And the best part is, you’re going to love it.”
* * *
IT WAS LATE afternoon, and Ashley was at the flower shop for her second shift of the week. She’d already finished all the orders and had them boxed in the fridge and ready to go for tomorrow’s delivery. She’d swept and tidied behind the counter. The work was done for now, so she grabbed her cell and tapped in her password, opening up her message app and rereading some of the texts she’d shared with Colton over the last forty-eight hours.
No, not texts. Sexts.
You ever been tied up before?
No. You?
I don’t kiss and tell.
Maybe not, but you sure as hell moan a lot when you’re kissing.
I think someone is getting confused about who’s doing the moaning.
Maybe it’s been too long and your memory’s failing.
It has definitely been too long and we are rectifying that tonight...
The bell rang over the shop door, and Ashley closed her message app before looking up.
“Jasmine!” Ashley checked the clock on the wall. “You’re early.”
“I know. I hope it’s no inconvenience.” Her face was flushed, like she’d been out in the sun too long.
“No. Not at all.” Ashley grabbed the stack of wedding arrangement catalogs and carried them over to the table where the two of them could sit to go through them. “How are things going at the ranch? Did you choose a menu?”
“Um, I think so.”
Hmm. Jasmine replied sans her usual enthusiasm.
“Okay, well, let’s see if we can choose some flowers.” Ash opened the first catalog. “We can pretty much re-create anything that’s in here. Do you have any favorite flowers?”
“I’ve always liked lilies,” Jasmine said softly as she flipped through the first few pages without seeming
to be really looking at the arrangements.
“Have you chosen your colors?”
“No.”
Ashley’s message app beeped. It was Colton.
When’s your break? I’m in town and I’m horny.
Afraid of the snort that was sneaking up the back of her throat, Ash pinched her nostrils before it could escape and switched her phone to vibrate. Pretending to be interested in the images Jasmine was looking at, she pointed to one arrangement. “That one’s nice.”
“Mmm. It’s okay.” That was her only comment before flipping the page.
With her phone in her lap, Ashley quickly typed back, I’ll be off in a couple of hours. You seriously need to learn some patience.
Overrated. Isn’t there a backroom in that shop?
Colton!
Simple question.
Ash was just about to respond when Jasmine shut the book with a slam and then, with elbows on the table, dropped her face to her hands.
“Jazz? What’s wrong?”
With a faraway voice, maybe because her head was pointing down, she said, “Curtis kissed me.”
“Bellamy?”
Jasmine raised her head. Her expression said, “Is there any other?”
“Okay,” Ash said slowly. A sudden, troubling thought occurred to Ashley. “Did Curtis force himself on you?”
“No.” Jasmine shook her head. “He didn’t force himself on me.” She rubbed her temples.
“So, who kissed who?”
“It was mostly me. At first.”
“Why would you do that?”
“He’s a really good kisser.”
“Jasmine!”
She sighed. “We may have groped a bit, too.”
“Groped? What? Why?”
“I don’t know.” She met Ashley’s eyes and looked away.
“Are you...in love with him?”
“No-oo.” Jasmine drew the word out. “I mean, I still have fond feelings, you know.”
Yes. Ash did know. As stupid as it was, she’d never quite forgotten Colton or forgiven him for the spitting incident. She supposed it would have been even harder to forget if they’d been older and had actually kissed before he moved away.
“It doesn’t mean anything. It’s nostalgia.”
“So, what are you going to do? Call off the wedding?”
“No. God, no.” Jasmine got a wild look in her eye. “It’s not that big a deal, is it?”
Tilting her head to one side, Ash studied her friend. Jasmine was staring at a point just past Ashley’s shoulder while absently twisting her engagement ring round and round and round.
“Are you going to tell Parker?”
Shaking her head, Jasmine said, “I don’t think so. I mean, what for? It was just a kiss, with a teensy bit of groping. It’s normal, right? Pre-wedding jitters and all that?”
“Yeah,” Ash said slowly. “I guess so.”
After a heavy sigh, Jazz said, “I’ve been away too long.”
“Maybe.”
With large, luminous eyes, like they might overspill with tears at any moment, Jasmine said, “I think part of the reason I did it is because...” She faltered as her gaze flicked toward the door where the bell had just chimed.
“Hi, Colton,” Jasmine called with extra enthusiasm.
“Hey, Jazz.”
He strode into the shop, came right up to where Ash was sitting and hugged her from behind, bending down to nuzzle her neck. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey, yourself.” God, having Colton’s arms around her felt so wonderful. Stranger still, it felt totally natural.
Jazz cleared her throat. “I’m glad you’re here, Colton,” she said. “I was just telling Ashley that I’m needed back in Chicago.”
“What?” Ashley blurted, shrugging out from beneath Colton’s arms to stand. “You’re heading back?”
“Yeah. That’s why I came in early. Stopping in to say goodbye on my way to Butte.” She glanced at her phone, checking the time. “In fact, I’ve got to run. I’m booked on the next flight out this evening.” Jazz gave her a tight smile before turning to Colton with arms open wide. No handshakes for Jazz, it was a hug or nothing, no matter how emotionally distressed she was.
Colton gave her a quick hug and let go, but Jasmine kept holding on. Once she finally released him she turned to Ash, hugging her hard and whispering, “Please, don’t say anything about what I told you.”
“Of course not.”
She pulled back. “And you have to come visit me. We’ll choose colors and dresses and flowers and everything then, okay?”
Still completely surprised by what had all just transpired, Ash simply nodded.
Smiling a wide, wobbly smile, Jasmine said, “It was so great to catch up, Ash. We’ll be in touch.” Turning to Colt she said, “And so nice to meet you. I sure hope you’ll be around this summer for my wedding.”
Colton’s gaze flicked to Ash for a nanosecond. His brows drawn together in a question. “Yeah, me, too.”
15
THE CHIMES OVER the door jingled after Jasmine departed.
“Everything okay?” Colton asked.
“I think so.” Though the wrinkle between her brows indicated otherwise. She smiled tightly and waved to Jasmine who’d stopped in the shop window to blow kisses before settling her sunglasses over her face and walking away.
Ash’s gaze moved from the window to him. “So...Jasmine’s gone.”
“It appears so.”
“I guess that’s it, then.” She indicated the space between them with a flick of her hand. “We’re officially done.”
Colton frowned. “Done?”
“Yeah. No reason to pretend anymore.”
“But I thought we’d agreed...”
“We agreed it would end when Jasmine left,” Ash interrupted.
“Just like that?”
She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. “Yeah, just like that.” She stuck her hand out as if she wanted him to take it and shake it. The close of a business deal.
He took her hand but didn’t shake it; he held it, caressing the underside of her wrist. “There’s her wedding this summer and—”
“Which you won’t be here for, right?” She tugged her hand out of his grasp. “You’ll be on the road?”
Colton chewed the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, but I could come back for it.”
Ashley crossed her arms over her chest. “Why would you do that?”
He touched her cheek. “Why do you think?”
She flinched away from his touch. “I don’t need any more fake dates, Colt. I don’t.” She held her hands up as if to ward him off.
Colton frowned. “You think I faked everything?”
She laughed. A bitter, cynical sound. “I think you like sex, and you’ll take it however you can get it.”
“Are you serious?” Shit. The old Ashley from the Prospectors was back. Cutting and ornery and treating him like he was a jerk for no apparent reason. “And our agreement?” He was thinking about what he’d said in the Doghouse, about wanting to keep doing what they were doing because it felt so good.
“It’s done.” She looked out the window. “I’m forever indebted, okay? But now...” Her voice broke, and she coughed to cover it up. “We need to go our separate ways.” She waved toward the door. “Goodbye, Colt.”
Colton wanted to argue, but the phone rang and Ashley picked it up to answer, turning away from him as if he was nobody.
Fine.
He turned and stalked out of the store. He’d even made it down the block to his truck when he stopped, not bothering to open the door or get in. He kicked the tire a couple of times before leaning against the side, arms crossed,
thinking.
Hard to do when he was so friggin’ mad.
The woman drove him crazy.
No woman had ever driven him this crazy before.
Colton pushed himself away from the truck and strode all the way back up the block to the flower shop. He pushed open the door so hard it knocked over the umbrella stand on the other side. Ashley looked up, her face pale, her pretty lips parted in shock.
“You saying you haven’t had fun with me?” Colton demanded.
Whoever Ashley was speaking to on the phone, she asked them if she could call them back and gently set the phone down on the counter.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes, I heard you,” Ashley said.
“And?”
“And that’s not what I’m saying.”
“Are you saying you didn’t like all those things we did together?”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
He leaned against the counter. “Remember how my tongue makes you fall apart? How I’ve got fingernail marks down my back? How you like to beg me to go faster?”
“Goddamn it, Colt,” she whispered thickly.
“You like it. I like it. Why can’t we just keep doing it?”
Her face clouded over. “You’re leaving in a few weeks. I’m leaving at the end of the summer. There’s no point.”
Oh, yes, there was a fucking point, and he was going to prove it to her. He stalked around the side of the counter until he was standing right in front of her, looking down at her.
He moved closer until there was only a sliver of space between them. He wanted to reach for her, desperately, but he didn’t. Instead, he propped a hand on the counter on either side of her. She had to lean so far back to avoid touching him that she was practically lying on the countertop.
“The point is, Ashley, there is some powerful chemistry between us.” He wedged his knee between her legs. “Sure, maybe we discovered it by accident. Maybe neither of us planned on it. But it’s there, and don’t you dare try to deny it.”
She drew a sharp breath in through her nose.
“I want you in my bed.” He rotated his knee between her parted thighs. “And I know for a fact you want to be there, too.”
Wild Seduction Page 15