I Want You Back

by Thayer King

  ***

  Since her return, Stephen had become accustomed to waking with Ashley in his arms or within reach. He was floating blissfully in that hazy place between dreams and wakefulness. When he reached for Ashley and his search found only pillows, he was jerked awake with a start. He sat up and tossed the covers back. Shrugging into his robe even as he strode toward the door, he was halfway out of the room before he realized he could hear the shower running in the bathroom.

  Closing his eyes, Stephen groaned at his overreaction. “Damn,” he muttered. She was getting under his skin. He’d stayed away for as long as possible for the last two days. Yesterday, he’d played golf and then spent the evening drinking and chatting with old friends of his father’s. His reason had been twofold. He’d wanted to be reminded of his father and he’d needed to be away from Ashley. But he’d hated every minute of it. He’d spent most of the day looking at his watch and squashing the clawing urgency to return home.

  He sat on the bed. This had been a mistake. He never should have let her back into his life at all. He should have told her she was wasting her time that first night and refused to meet with her. Maybe it was time to call this little experiment to an end and send Ashley packing. Even the thought of her leaving him again caused a physical pain in the center of his chest.

  He was massaging the ache with the palm of his hand when Ashley strolled out of the bathroom on a warm wave of fragrant air. His body immediately tightened in reaction to just her smell. She wore no makeup and her hair was slicked back. Still, she affected him more deeply than any other woman ever had.

  He needed to end this thing with her before he got in any deeper. And he would. Very soon.

  He thought of the still unopened folder containing the details of Ashley’s finances that sat on the desk of his study. It could give him the impetus he needed to finally sever all emotional ties with her. But all that could wait for another day.

  For today, he would hold Ashley in his arms again. Hunger for her boiled up from his belly. Standing, he dropped his robe. Reaching for Ashley’s towel, he pulled her close and then discarded the towel, unconcerned about where it would land.

  “Stephen-”

  He covered her mouth with his, sliding his tongue deep inside and savoring her flavor. She moaned and clutched at his shoulders as he lowered her to the bed. Crawling on top of her, he insinuated himself between her thighs.

  “You smell delicious,” he groaned, burying his face into the soft, fragrant skin of her neck. His hands coursed the familiar curves and valleys of her body. He trailed his lips over her collar bones and shoulder before moving down to her breasts. He kissed every inch of the plump mounds and then fastened his mouth onto one of her nipples while pinching the other into taut attention. Moaning, Ashley arched beneath him and slid her fingers into his hair.

  He wanted to memorize every inch of her body for the lonely days and nights ahead. Once again, he would have only his work to sustain him.

  Gripping her thighs to hold them open, he nipped, kissed, and licked his way down her belly to the core of her body. He could smell her heat. He was glad to see that she was wet for him. Not wasting any time, he dove in face first, licking her clit and then sucking it into his mouth. Ashley cried out even as he groaned at the taste of her hit his system. His hands tightened involuntarily on her thighs. He ground his hips into the mattress to ease the ache in his groin.

  Ashley’s nails scored his scalp as he continued to feast on her pussy. “Stephen, please,” she whimpered.

  He filled her with two fingers, curling them upwards to stroke her g-spot. A few thrusts, hard and fast had her crying out his name. Stephen growled in approval. He gave her pussy one last slow lick, enjoying the taste of her orgasm, before rising to his knees above her.

  Pumping his cock, he stared at her and had to grit his teeth and concentrate on not coming right away. She was so beautiful, splayed out before him, a post-orgasmic flush spreading up her heaving chest and neck. He fought the urge to fall upon her and suck upon her tight nipples again. Her gaze fastened onto his cock and she licked her lips. Stephen grunted. “No. I’m too close.” If she took him into her mouth, it would be all over for him. Angling his shaft downward, he stroked the glistening head over her clit. He groaned as he inserted the tip into her pussy. She was so hot, tight, and wet. He could never get enough of her.

  Ashley lifted her thighs to encase his hips and he filled her to the hilt. Ashley’s moan was cut off with a strangled gasp as a knock sounded at the door. Stephen growled, but didn’t make any move other than to grind deeper into Ashley’s pussy.

  “Steph-”

  “No. Whoever it is can go away.”

  There was another knock. “Sir, there is a visitor here to see Miss White,” his butler Craig called through the door.

  Stephen scowled down at Ashley. “Who is it?”

  “A Mr. Shane Boldin.” Craig cleared his throat. “Shall I inform him that Miss White is…indisposed at the moment?”

  “Isn’t that the fucker that you dumped?” Stephen asked Ashley, his eyes narrowing when she nodded. The guy had some nerve showing up at his house to see his woman. He chose ignore the facts that he had not recommitted to her and that he had only minutes ago been trying to determine when he should ask her to leave. “Did you invite him here?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then why is he here?”

  “I don’t know.” She began to sit up. He lay down on top of her, holding her in place with his weight. “Stephen-”

  Jaw tight, he pulled out and slammed deep again. Ashley gasped and clutched his shoulders. “Whatever the hell he wants, he’s going to have to wait for me to finish fucking you.” Fortunately, Ash didn’t fight him. He was feeling particularly primal and possessive in that instant. Though Ashley didn’t know why the other man was here, Stephen knew it could be only one reason: he wanted to take her away from him. The idea enraged him.

  Ashley must have sensed his mood because she wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips into his. Groaning, Stephen pushed deeper into her delicious heat.

  “Craig,” he practically growled, “tell him she’ll be down in ten minutes.”

  “Yes, sir.” Craig’s brisk footsteps quickly faded out of hearing range.

  “Ten?” Ashley asked with a quirked brow.

  “You doubt me?” Mentally vowing to rise to her challenge, he swiveled his hips, making sure to stimulate her clit while also finding that sensitive spot deep within her that made her toss back her head and moan.

  “Oh, God, Stephen, that feels s-s-so….” Her nails dug into his biceps as her words trailed off.

  “Good,” he growled, increasing his pace. Damn, she felt so good. Almost too good. He felt his control slipping and he needed her to come first. He pounded her pussy, loving the wet heat that enveloped him. He’d never been with another woman bare, but with Ashley even the thought of anything separating them made him angry. “Tell me you love me,” he demanded. He’d be a fool to believe anything she told him. She’d leave him for the next rich man that came along, but he needed to hear the words. Even if they weren’t true, even if he sent her packing next week, he needed to know she was his in this moment.

  “Love you so much,” she complied immediately.

  Stephen rewarded her by thrusting harder, burying himself deeper. He growled and threw his head back as her pussy clasped him tightly. She cried out and her channel flooded with moisture. Stephen pulled out of her sucking heat just as he was about to cum. His seed jetted white and thick onto her belly. It stood out against her cinnamon skin, marking her as his.

  Ashley panted, her belly rising and falling rapidly, a frown furrowing her brow. “Why?”

  Stephen reached out and ran his finger through his seed, rubbing it into her skin and spreading it up and smearing it onto the tight berries of her nipples. “That motherfucker needs to know that you’re mine.” He studied her glistening skin with satisfaction before he
stood. He snatched his robe off the floor where he’d discarded it and held it out for her. After a momentary pause, she rose and slid her arms into the sleeves. He belted it securely in front so that no cleavage was on display. Her hard nipples poked against the silk, tempting him to drop to his knees and take them into his mouth once more. But he wanted her covered in his scent and wearing his clothes when she met with the other man. He knew he was behaving like a caveman at the moment but found that he couldn’t rein in his more primal instincts.

  At the door, he pressed his hand against the wood, stopping her from opening it until he’d had his say. Ashley peered over her shoulder at him. He pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. “You have ten minutes to get rid of him. Any more than that and I’ll physically remove him from the premises.”

  Ashley gasped and her eyes widened. “Stephen-”

  “Ten, Ash, and not a second more.”

  ***

  Ashley didn’t know if she should be furious or thrilled at Stephen’s behavior. While it was a good sign that he was jealous and feeling possessive of her, she thought he was going too far. She didn’t want to hurt Shane any more than she already had when she’d turned down his proposal.

  She found Shane in the informal sitting room with his back to the door, his hands shoved deep inside his pants pockets. His sports jacket emphasized the width of his shoulders.

  “Shane,” she called softly and he turned from his perusal of a line of family portraits placed on the mantel above the fireplace.

  “I look like him, don’t I? That’s why you agreed to go out with me, isn’t it? When you told me that I reminded you of him, I didn’t really have a clue that this is what you meant.” His green eyes were turbulent with a mix of anger, disappointment, and hurt.

  Ashley bit her lip. She couldn’t deny it. He’d seen the photos. The men shared similar facial structure. There were small differences. Shane was slightly prettier, less rough around the edges. Stephen’s eyes were practically black and Shane’s were olive. Stephen was taller and broader. Despite the differences, the two men were similar enough that they could have been siblings. When it came to temperament, they were worlds apart. Shane was laidback and willing to let her control their relationship. Stephen had never been that way. He’d been a playboy in college but his fun-loving personality was a thin veneer over a core of steel. He was an alpha through and through. He rarely handed over the reins to anyone else. These days, he was positively rigid, she reflected sadly.

  At her continued silence, he cleared his throat. “So did you win him back?” His eyes flicked over her attire. “But, of course, you did.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. The silky material of Stephen’s robe teased her nipples, taunting them into remaining in tight peaks. She probably looked and smelled like exactly what she was—a woman who was recently well fucked. “Shane, why are you here? Why are you doing this? How did you even find me? I never wanted to hurt you. Coming here…only makes this worse.” She truly regretted hurting him, but she’d tried to end it with him as amicably as possible. He just refused to accept that it was over.

  “Ashley, what we had was too special to toss it aside. As for finding you, it took me a while to remember the name of your ex, but once I did, finding you was a breeze. Look, Ashley, I know now that our relationship started because of my resemblance to him, but can you honestly say that you feel nothing for me?”

  She sighed. They’d been through this so many times. “You’ve been a…wonderful friend to me. I love you…as a friend.”

  He crossed to her and clasped her hands. “He could never love you the way that I do.”

  “Shane-” She tugged on her hands but he tightened his hold.

  “Ashley, I asked you to be my wife. Has he proposed?” He ran his thumb roughly over the bare ring finger of her left hand. “If he cares so much about you, where’s your engagement ring?”

  Angrily, she snatched her hands away. “It’s only been a couple of weeks. We’re getting to know each other again.”

  His eyes flicked over her and his lips twisted. “I’ll say. How long before he welcomed you back into his bed? Can’t you see that he’s just using you?”

  “You don’t know anything about him!”

  “I know his type. He’s rich, self-entitled, and self-absorbed. He doesn’t care about you or appreciate you. If you’d come back to me, I would have a ring on your finger so fast, your head would spin.”

  Ashley shook her head. “We’ve been apart for seven years. I have to earn his forgiveness-”

  “What is there to forgive?” he practically yelled. “You were helping your family in the only way you could. You know why he can’t understand that? It’s because he’s always had money. He can’t fathom how difficult life is for those who don’t. He’s never had to want for anything. Every desire he’s ever had has been fulfilled before it was even a half formed thought. So yeah, I’ll bet he’s welcomed you into his bed. You’re probably the only person who’s denied him for even a moment. But how long will he want you? What’s to keep him from growing bored with you?”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Stephen’s not like that. He’s kind and generous and loving.”

  “Has he told you that he loves you?”

  Ashley sucked in a pained breath. “That’s none of your business. You need to leave.”

  “He hasn’t, has he?” He grabbed her wrist and reeled her in close until his chest pressed into hers. “Leave with me. We can go home and get married. He’s not like you and me. We’re educators. I can help you develop your next big app. Please, Ashley, come with me.”

  “Shane-”

  “Let her go, asshole,” Stephen thundered as he stormed into the room. He wore only sweatpants. His chest and feet were bare.

  Shane immediately dropped her wrist and stepped back. He glared at Stephen. “You don’t deserve her and when this all falls apart, she’ll come back to me.” He cast a significant look Ashley’s way. “I’ll be waiting for you with open arms. I love you.” He ran the back of a finger down her cheek.

  Stephen growled and took a step forward. “Get the hell out of my house while you can still walk.” Once the other man was gone, he stared at her in silence.

  Unable to read his expression, she threw her arms up in the air. It was still early in the morning and she felt like crawling back into the bed. “What?”

  He shook his head. “When you said that he reminded you of me, I thought you might have meant a few common mannerisms. You didn’t say that you’d been dating my damned doppelganger.”

  Ashley released a half hysterical laugh. She sat on the couch and wrapped her arms around herself. “You didn’t have to be so hostile toward him. I’ve been nothing but honest with him. He’s just having difficulty accepting it.”

  Snorting, Stephen crossed his arms over his chest. “Then you’ve been too gentle with him. Either he believes that he still has a chance of winning you back or he’s obsessed.”

  Closing her eyes, Ashley allowed her head to fall back onto the sofa cushions. “I want to go back to bed.”

  “Excellent suggestion.” She squealed as he scooped her into his arms.

  “What are you doing?”

  “What do you think? I’m taking you back to my bed—where you belong.”

  Chapter Nine

  Ashley followed a waitress to a table. Aster was already seated and waiting for her. Aster stood and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me for lunch,” she said.

  Ashley smiled. “My pleasure,” she replied. It was odd how the other woman had always been so kind to her. They could have been bitter rivals. Instead, Aster was so nice, it was impossible to hate her.

  Their waitress gave them menus and then left to fill their drink orders. “So why did you want to meet?”

  Aster placed her napkin in her lap. “I just wanted to catch up and see how you were doing. I figured since Stephen was at work during th
e day, you’d have some free time on your hands.”

  “I’m glad you invited me. You’re right. I spend my days fiddling around on the computer. I check on my parents or old friends.” She was missing what was sure to have been a steamy lunch with Steven, but she’d make it up to him tomorrow.

  “How are your parents?”

  “They’re doing great. They’re talking about taking a vacation. How are your parents?”

  Aster rolled her eyes. “Same as they always are, questioning when I’m going to get married and give them grandchildren.”

  Ashley winced. “Sorry.” Aster’s parents couldn’t have been happy to have her show up and ruin their idea of the ideal marriage with Stephen.

  “Don’t apologize. My parents will get over it. Even if you hadn’t come back, Stephen has never cared for me that way. He’s never looked at me like he looks at you. No marriage between the two of us would’ve had a happy ending. I should be thanking you for saving me from a marriage of convenience.”

  Their waitress returned with their drinks and took their lunch orders. They discussed the charities that Aster was involved in until their food arrived. “You know,” Aster said, twirling her fork in her pasta, “I don’t know what you do for a living. You got a teaching degree, correct? Are you on vacation? The school year isn’t over yet, is it?”

  “No, it’s not. I’m not teaching anymore. I lost my job, but-”

  “Oh, no!”

  Ashley smiled. “Yes, but-” She frowned as her phone buzzed with an incoming text message and interrupted her train of thought. A quick peek showed that it was from Stephen. Where are you? “It’s Stephen,” she explained as she picked it up and quickly typed a reply. “Most days I take him lunch and so he’s probably expecting me.”

  “I didn’t know you had plans,” Aster said, sounding at once alarmed and apologetic.