by K. Langston
I breathe a sigh of relief when I get his voicemail instead. I quickly spit out the message then ask Clara to reschedule my appointments for the day and make up the excuse that I’m not feeling well.
I bid Clara goodbye on my way out and decide to leave Lyla at daycare until it’s closer to the time I normally pick her up because I need some time alone to think.
How can a man wield that much power over someone? Make them do things they wouldn’t normally do? It’s as if he unleashed a part of me I never even knew existed, and the truth is, I loved every second of it. I loved giving up that control and handing it all over to him, and honestly, I want to do it again.
And again and again and again.
My cell phone is ringing before I even leave the parking lot of my office.
It’s him.
My finger hovers over the screen, wanting to hear his voice, but I silence the call instead and turn off my ringer, tossing it in my bag. Why do I feel so guilty for ignoring him? And why does it feel so wrong to want to push him away?
The minute I walk through the door of my condo, I toss my keys in the bowl and head straight for the fridge to pour myself a glass of wine. Day drinking really isn’t my thing but my nerves are shot and I need something to calm me down. I don’t even get the first sip down when there is a pounding at my door.
“I know you’re in there, Marley. Open the door.”
I stand there dumbfounded, wondering how the hell he found me. Flinging open the door, I ask, “How the hell did you know where I live?”
“I’m a cop, remember?” He walks forward and I take a few steps back as he slams the door behind him.
“Asher, please. What happened yesterday should have never happened. I—I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
“I got into you.”
That’s an understatement.
“You know what I mean. We can’t do this. I could lose my license. My livelihood. I can’t risk that. No matter how much I want you.”
“Too late to have a conscious, Doc.”
His lips crash against mine.
Hard.
Hot.
Demanding.
His soft, wet tongue pushes between my parted lips while both hands cradle my jaw, tilting my head, holding me in place. Then his hands move to fist in my hair, gripping the strands just tight enough to pull a heated moan from my throat.
God, this man can kiss.
My knees threaten to buckle beneath me but Asher is right there to hold me in place.
Our mouths barely touch as he drinks each heated gasp from my trembling lips. “You’re fucking mine,” he growls.
I sigh, my shoulders sagging with relief as he makes his possessive declaration.
“Tell me you want me, Marley. Tell me you want me just as bad as I want you. I need to hear those words.”
Adrenaline spikes in my veins, my body an inferno of need. “I want you.”
A satisfied grin stretches his lips as he releases my hair, his hands moving down to pull my skirt up over my hips. He grips the back of my thong and shreds the flimsy fabric from my body. Then he lifts me up to sit on the arm of the sofa as he unbuttons his fly to pull his cock out.
“First time will be quick, Doc. But I promise to take my time when we go for round two.” He retrieves a condom from his wallet, using his teeth to rip it open before rolling it onto his cock.
His hand disappears between my legs, gliding back and forth between my wet slit, circling my clit before burying two thick fingers inside of me.
I grip his shirt, clutching him tight as he curls them inside of me. The intense orgasm slams into me hard and fast, a blast of heat snarling from the pit of my stomach and burning every nerve ending in my body. Asher doesn’t let up, renewing his efforts as I work to recover from the overwhelming emotion threading through me. Before long, I’m cresting again, building and charging toward an unknown oblivion.
Something explodes inside of me.
A prism of heat that rocks me to my core.
I want to live and die in this moment and I know, after today, I will never be the same because this man has not only invaded my mind but now he owns my body.
Asher slows his fingers, dragging them in and out of me slowly as I ride the last waves of heat.
“Now you’re ready for me.” He grins, lifting his wet hand between us. Heat flushes my cheeks as he offers me his drenched fingers. I lick each one. “Dirty girl, so eager to taste how sweet you are.”
The head of his cock nudges my opening before he slowly pushes inside, stretching and filling me up. He doesn’t move right away, his breath hot and heavy in my ear. “I’ve always been a man of instant gratification but right now all I want to do is savor every second of this.” He lifts his head, bringing his eyes to mine.
With me, I can tell there’s absolutely nothing he wants to hide. He feels safe here and that fills me with an immense amount of satisfaction in knowing I can give him this. His lips seize mine, passion and desire thrumming between us like a live wire, sparking with electricity as he begins to move.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
The slick slap of skin and the heat of our kisses are the only sounds that echo throughout the space and it only adds to the fire that’s building between us.
Asher leans back to look down where we are joined; his eyes grow heavier. “Look at us, Marley. Your perfect little cunt taking me all the way in. You’re like a drug. I should leave you alone. But I want more.”
His words are a stark reality of what is happening but I quickly push it down, not wanting to escape this moment.
Not yet anyway.
I’ll deal with the consequences later.
Because all I can think about right now is the way he’s possessing my body. His hand cradles the back of my neck, holding me in place, and he drives in and out of me, fucking me hard.
Rough.
I need to feel his skin so I push the fabric of his shirt upwards, revealing more of his inked body. Reaching back, he pulls the shirt over his head, discarding it on the floor. I gasp at the man before me. His body is a work of art, chiseled to perfection and bearing some of the most stunning ink I’ve ever seen. I want to explore every single inch of his marked skin and learn the meaning behind every one, but it’s the lion on his torso that holds my attention. The fierce eyes of a predator, sharp teeth stained with blood. The shading and incredible detail make it look so real.
I grip the back of his neck, pulling him down for another brutal kiss, desperate for him to release the animal I know he is inside.
“I’m going to come,” I moan.
“Not until I say so,” he growls, his strokes growing more savage with every thrust.
I claw his shoulders, begging him to never stop and to fuck me harder in the same breath, trying desperately to hold my orgasm at bay but with every inch of his cock, he pushes me further and further to the edge until finally...
“Come,” he demands, his dark eyes locking tight with mine.
With his mouth hovering just above mine, he continues his ruthless fucking as I fall apart, splintering into a million sharp and jagged pieces, his name a constant plea on my trembling lips.
“Fuck,” he grunts, pulsing inside of me, finding his own release as he buries himself to the hilt. His face twists in a mixture of pleasure and pain.
We remain unmoving for what feels like forever before he pulls out and lifts me from the couch, carrying me to my bedroom. He deposits me gently onto the bed then disappears into my bathroom.
A few moments later, the toilet flushes and he returns. At first, I’m not sure what to expect. But he surprises me when he walks over and climbs in next to me, pulling me into his arms. My skirt is still bunched around my hips, my blouse is a shredded mess but I couldn’t care less.
“Are you okay?” I murmur, using the tip of my finger to outline the mouth of the lion on his abs.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”<
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I lift my head and find his brows furrowed in confusion.
“This is the part where you normally feel empty and unsatisfied, isn’t it?”
His arm tightens around me, his other hand holding my face in place as he leans up to press his lips to mine in a soft, gentle kiss. “That’s not what I’m feeling right now.”
I blink. “It’s not?”
He shakes his head with an amused smile. “No, it’s not.”
“What do you feel?”
“A lot of shit.”
I smile, happy to know he feels something other than the void he normally does. “I think you’re making progress then.”
“I sure as hell hope so, Doc.” He rolls me over, positioning himself between my legs, kissing his way down my body. “But I think I’m going to need more physical therapy just to be sure.”
***
A couple of hours later, I drag my sexed-up ass from the bed an hour before I need to go pick up Lyla. Asher folds his hands behind his head, watching me get dressed. My mouth waters and my belly dips at the sight of him lying so comfortably in my bed.
“I’m taking you and Lyla out on a date this weekend. We can go eat at this great pizza joint in Midtown. Then we can go to the zoo. Kids love the zoo, right?”
I blink at him, then a laugh bubbles from my throat.
“What’s so funny?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
I walk over to his side of the bed and sit on the edge before leaning down to press my lips to his. “You’re nothing like I thought you would be.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“A very good thing.”
“So me, you, and that crazy kid of yours going to the zoo or what?”
“It’ll have to wait until next weekend. Lyla goes to her dad’s this weekend.”
Asher’s jaw clenches tight but he doesn’t say anything else.
I move to pick up a pair of my yoga pants lying beside the bed on the floor and he reaches up to snag my waist with his arm.
“Today was one of the best days of my life,” he says.
“Mine, too.”
“I don’t want you to wonder where we go from here so I’m just going to lay it all out for you now, okay?”
“All right.”
“We can take this as slow as you want but know this, you’re mine now. Which means I take care of you. I do whatever it takes to keep you safe. That goes for Lyla, too.”
I’m not usually into bossy, dominating men but when he says things like this I can’t help but melt against him and soak in every ounce of warmth and safety he has to offer, because it’s been too long since I felt either of those things.
And I want to feel them.
I want Asher.
“How about we hit the zoo next weekend and this weekend you can show me your moves on the basketball court.”
I circle my arms around his neck as he kisses his way down my cheek to my neck. “It’s a date.”
Chapter 15
Asher
“How’d it go with Steven last night?” I ask Marley when I pick her up for our basketball date.
“It went okay. He’s still demanding more time with her.”
“What did you say?”
“Same thing I always do.” She shrugs. “He’ll have to take me to court first.”
Ever since Marley told me about her ex, I’ve been digging into his past and I’m not liking what I’m finding, which is absolutely nothing. No criminal record. Not even so much as a parking ticket on this guy. But that’s not what’s bothering me, what bothers me is not knowing how he makes his money. Some of the things Marley has told me about him just don’t add up.
There’s something else there. I can feel it in my gut. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a cop, it’s to always follow your gut.
I wanted to be there when he came and got Lyla last night and meet the prick myself but Marley wasn’t having it. She says it’s too soon for me to meet him. She said that Steven can have a temper and knowing she’s seeing someone might set him off.
Well he’s going to find out sooner or later so he might as well get used to seeing me around now.
Because I’m not going anywhere.
We arrive at the local gym and warm up before hitting the court. We mess around for a bit before Marley challenges me to a game and things get real serious.
“You’re a cheater,” I tell her as she dribbles the ball back and forth between each hand, looking hot as fuck in her little black yoga pants and red tank top. Her hair is pulled into a bun on top of her head and there’s a small amount of sweat collecting between her breasts that beckons my tongue. What I wouldn’t give to strip her down right here and take her on this hardwood floor, her cries of pleasure bouncing off the walls as I bury myself inside of her, but I promised I would behave myself.
“How do you figure?”
“Because I can’t concentrate when you look that hot. Do you know how hard it is to shoot a basketball with a hard-on?”
She throws her head back and laughs. “No, I can’t say that I do.”
She wasn’t lying before.
She’s good.
Too good.
She’s kicking my ass all over this court but I don’t care as long it means getting to rub up against her afterwards.
“You just suck, that’s all.”
I groan. “Oh, I’m going to be doing some sucking later on, I promise you.”
She flashes me a wicked smile before she jukes me then makes her shot, the ball swooshing the net, bringing her in the lead.
She fist pumps before shaking her cute little ass at me. “Told you I was good.”
I place my hands on my hips. “I never pegged you for a shit-talker, Doc.”
“And I never pegged you for a sore loser.”
We play out the rest of the game, and of course, she whips my ass. Even though she hasn’t touched a ball in four damn years.
“Come on, let’s play one more,” she pleads after we take a water break.
“Nah, I’m good. I’ve already had my ass handed to me once today.”
“But it’s such a cute ass,” she sasses.
“Careful, Marley. I’m trying be a good boy here but you’re making it damn hard.”
Her eyes flint down to my crotch.
I toss the basketball aside, putting my shoulder to her stomach. “Asher, stop! Put me down.”
“Not a chance, sweetheart,” I say, gripping her ass. “I’ve had enough of this smart mouth today. Time to put it to good use.”
Her hands clutch my shirt near my ass, tugging for me to let her down. “What are you going to do?”
“You’ll see.” I lower her to her feet then kiss her hard before grabbing her hand to lead her from the gym to my truck outside. She pretends she doesn’t like it when I manhandle her like that, but I know she does.
It’s written all over her pink cheeks.
The hitch in her breath.
The need in her fucking eyes.
The same need that matches mine.
Opening the passenger door, I help her inside.
“But we weren’t finished with the game yet,” she pouts, pushing my hands away as I reach for her seatbelt to strap her in. “And we just got here.”
Her eyes are fire, blazing with a mix of frustration and need.
“We’ll finish the game later,” I say, closing the door and climbing in on my side.
She draws in a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. She’s putting her logical hat on but I don’t own one of those.
What I feel for this woman is far from logical.
“Asher,” she says calmly. “You can’t treat me as if I’m your property.”
“Told you before, babe, shouldn’t have to remind you every time, you’re mine.”
“God, you’re so infuriating.”
I reach over and grab her hand, bringing the back of it to my lips, pressing a so
ft kiss there, watching the tension in her shoulders ease at my affection. In this past week, I’ve discovered every single spot that drives her mad with need. I know exactly where to touch her to make her moan a certain way. Where to kiss her to make her claw my back and beg for more, but I also know how to calm her down and bring her back to me. The real me. The me she’s so effortlessly discovered. The me I’m liking more and more each day. Now, I’m about to remind her that there’s only one person she belongs to.
And that will only ever be me.
Chapter 16
Marley
God, this man is so frustrating and unreasonable at times, but I can’t deny how turned on I am right now. And the smug bastard damn well knows it. How can I want to smack him and fuck him at the same time?
It’s terribly infuriating.
But then he has sweet moments like this, where I see the man he wants to be.
The man he is with me.
He grins against the skin of my hand, his eyes twinkling with that dark wickedness I’m starting to crave more and more.
After what happened in my office between us that day, I stopped seeing Asher as a patient. I had to. There was no way I could carry this on, whatever the hell this is, and continue to see him, and while we don’t see each other every day, there’s not a day that goes by when he doesn’t text or call to check in.
I’ve been careful about our interaction when Lyla is around. As far as she knows right now, Asher is just a really good friend. I don’t want to confuse her, especially if it doesn’t work out. God, I can’t believe I’m even saying these things. It’s crazy to think that I’ve let it go this far, but how can I turn back now when my heart cinches tight in my chest at the very thought of not being with him.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Asher asks.
I contemplate whether to say anything. This is only a week old and I’m not looking for anything serious, but what I feel for him has me questioning everything.
Including my sanity.
“What are we doing?”
“What do you mean what are we doing? I’m taking you home so I can ravage you.”