I smiled at his thoughtfulness. “You’ll be bored,” I countered.
A heart-stopping smile crept onto his face as his hand squeezed mine. “Not if I’m with you, I won’t.”
I didn’t think it was possible to have a better day than the one we’d had previously, but I was wrong. After a few hours at the museum, we ate ice cream in the park while he told me little stories about living in LA, what he loved and hated about it. The more he’d spoken about it, the more in love with it I’d fallen. I’d decided there and then that if I managed to graduate and get a job, I would try to relocate to LA. Maybe then Ashton and I could hang out occasionally. Of course, that was three years into the future, and I still had a long way to go before I could think about graduating at all.
Once we’d finally grabbed one of the hotdogs that he raved about, we headed back to his apartment. He even allowed me drive, much to his horror and white knuckles. Ashton drove all the time usually, he said it was in case he had to take evasive action, but I knew it was just my driving he hated. I must admit, maybe I did drive a little too fast at times and tended to stomp on the brakes a little too hard occasionally.
We’d already arranged to go out again with his friends tonight. One of Nate’s cousins was a doorman at a bar that had a live band playing, so that was where we were heading tonight.
Once we were back at his apartment, I changed into a little black dress and some hot pink heels. My hair was unsalvageable, so I just unfastened the braid and clipped it up in a little twist at the back of my head. While Ashton dressed next to me, the red scratches on his back came into view again.
I winced. “Did I hurt you last night? I’m really sorry,” I muttered, nodding at his back when he seemed confused.
He twisted, looking in the mirror before laughing. “Looks like you marked me too then,” he mused. He slipped on a shirt, covering it up and smiled over at me. “You weren’t hurting me, trust me.”
I chewed on my lip and stood up, smoothing down my skirt. “Look okay?”
“You look stunning.” His eyes shone with adoration as he held out one hand towards me. “Ready?”
I nodded and grinned, excited for my second night out with him in LA.
When we arrived at the bar, Ashton led us past the huge line to the front and gave his name to the doorman. Much to my amazement, we were waved straight through.
Ashton scanned the bar from the doorway. I assumed he was looking for his friends, but couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was surveying the area for hostiles because he never seemed to relax. Nate’s blond head caught my attention, and I frowned as I spotted Seth standing a few feet away from him with his tongue down a girl’s throat already. I looked back at Ashton and felt unreasonable jealousy settle in the pit of my stomach as I wondered if he had a different girl every night like his friends seemed too. If he did, it would explain why he was so killer in bed.
“They’re over there,” I stated, pointing towards Nate.
He smiled and took my hand as he guided us through the crowd. Nate’s eyes widened as we stopped next to him. “Wow, you look hot Anna. Fuck me,” he said, looking me over slowly.
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass,” I joked, shrugging.
He grinned. “You’re funny.”
“Did you have fun last night? I was worried when you didn’t come home,” I teased.
“Aw, that’s sweet. Were you concerned about little old me? Or did you just want someone to rock you to sleep?” he asked, winking and smirking at me.
“Yeah, you know anyone?” I shrugged, playing along.
Nate looked at Ashton and grinned. “You know, Taylor, you said I’d be in love with her by the end of the weekend and damn, I think you’re right.” He slapped Ashton on the shoulder proudly.
“Too bad I’m taken, huh?” I joked.
Nate stepped closer to me. There was a calculating edge to his eyes that made me slightly nervous, not in the frightened way, but in the ‘he’s up to no good’ way. “I think we should play a little game,” he suggested, grinning wickedly.
“What kind of game?”
His smile widened. “A dating game. Let’s see who can get the most phone numbers from the opposite sex tonight.”
I laughed and shook my head, stepping closer to Ashton. “I have all the phone numbers I want, thanks,” I declined.
Nate pouted. “Oh come on, a little competition. If I win, then I get to drive your rental car for an hour tomorrow, and if you win, hmm well, what do you want?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.
I laughed wickedly as a plan formed in my head. “If I win, you get up on stage and sing a song of my choice,” I bargained.
He laughed, looking way too overconfident in his ability. “Deal. There’s no way I’m losing this bet. Getting girls’ digits is my specialty,” he announced proudly.
I turned to Ashton and raised one eyebrow. “You okay if I play this, Pretty Boy? You know I’m coming home with you, right? Not gonna have a jealous hissy fit?” A jealous hissy fit wasn’t actually what I was expecting, more like a panic attack because I would be more than four feet from him while out in the open.
“As long as you know you’re mine, we’re all good,” he answered, bending and kissing my cheek. He turned to Nate and smirked confidently. “You really shouldn’t play against my girl, buddy. She’s gonna kick your ass.”
Nate made a scoffing sound in the back of his throat and waved his hand dismissively. “Winner is the one who has the most numbers by the end of the night,” he explained with a confident smile plastered on his face. His eyes were already scanning the area for potential girls.
I shook my head quickly. “I don’t want to play all night. Let’s make it an hour instead.” Nate nodded in agreement, looking at his watch. “By the way, are there any rules as to how to get these phone numbers?” I asked curiously. I didn’t want to be accused of cheating.
“Nope, no rules. Anything’s allowed. Hour starts now.” He winked at me and then strode off into the crowd and up to a couple of girls that were giggling off to one side, dancing drunkenly. They didn’t stand a chance against him. He was a serious charmer, and his awesome personality was matched by his good looks. I smiled and shook my head at his slutty behaviour, but I just couldn’t bring myself to dislike him for it. He was such a great guy, women were clearly his downfall.
Turning back to Ashton, I smiled. “Wanna dance?”
He frowned. “You’re not doing the game?”
I nodded, taking his hand and giving him a little tug towards where some other people were dancing already. “I am. I just don’t need an hour to kick his butt.”
After about half an hour of us dancing and flirting, Nate stopped at my side and grinned. “I’ve got four so far, how many have you got?”
“I haven’t started yet.” I shrugged.
He frowned, looking slightly annoyed. “Are you not playing?”
“Yeah, I’m playing. I’m just about to make my move actually, wanna watch?” I asked, winking slyly at him. I strutted confidently through the crowd and up to the bar. I leant over to the barman and gave him a seductive smile. “Hi, I need a favour; do you have a microphone I can borrow?”
“Er yeah, I’ve got one here so I can announce the band,” he replied, picking up and microphone, looking a little baffled.
“Any chance I can borrow it and stand on the bar?” I asked hopefully, pouting and trying to be persuasive.
He blinked a couple of times and nodded, handing me the microphone. “Er… sure.”
I put a twenty dollar bill on the bar. “Can I get a shot of whatever you have there,” I asked, pointing to the nearest bottle. While he poured it, I lifted myself up onto the bar, trying to be ladylike considering my dress was relatively short. I grinned as I spotted Ashton and Nate both watching me with confused looks on their faces.
I stood up and took the shot from the barman as he held it out to me. After flicking the on switch on the microphone,
I tapped the top of it, making a loud noise and a little screech. “Excuse me? Hi. Can I have everyone’s attention, just for a minute?” I said into the microphone, making my voice ring out through the bar. People stopped and looked at me, obviously wondering what was going on. “So, my name’s Tracey, I’m twenty-one, and I’m only in town for the next three days. I’m a part time lap dancer, and I’ve just found out my boyfriend cheated on me with my sister!” I lied, downing the shot. “He’s here tonight. His name’s Nate. He has blond hair and blue eyes; he’s wearing a blue shirt. So, girls, if he comes up to you, I’d think twice about it, fucking asshole!” I scowled, trying to sound annoyed. “So anyway, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m looking for some no-strings-attached rebound sex. If there are any single guys in here interested, then come and give me your number. I’ll be over in the corner with my gay friends.” I pointed over to the corner where Seth and Wayne were. “Thanks for your time.” I sat down carefully and then eased myself off the bar. I smiled gratefully at the barman and placed the microphone onto the bar.
“I’ll give you my number,” he said quickly, scribbling on a napkin and holding it out to me.
“Great, I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” I looked down at the paper, “Paul,” I added, reading his name off it. He grinned, and I walked back over to a shocked Ashton and Nate. “Beat that,” I teased. “Oh, and I think something by Queen would be good.” I patted Nate’s chest, giggling at his astonished, yet slightly proud face.
“I told you not to play against my girl,” Ashton chimed in, shaking his head in disbelief.
By the time I got back to where Seth was standing, I already had six numbers. Nate shook his head in protest. “You cheated,” he accused.
“No way! I asked you if there were any rules and you said that anything was allowed. Isn’t that right, Wayne?” I asked, grinning.
Wayne nodded. “Yep, dude, those were your exact words,” he agreed, laughing as Nate punched him in the shoulder.
I grinned at Nate triumphantly. “So, how many do you have? Can we stop now?” I asked as another guy came up to me and handed me his number.
He sighed dramatically. “Yeah, okay. You win, I guess,” he grumbled dejectedly.
I grinned and turned to Ashton, cupping his face in my hands. “What? You’re secretly in love with me, and you’re not really gay?” I cried. He flinched, taken by surprise at my outburst, but I didn’t give him time to recover before I pressed my lips to his, kissing him passionately.
Chapter Twenty-Five
~ Ashton ~
As we walked back to my apartment, I held Anna’s hand tightly. I’d had another incredible night. The band had been great, dancing with her was great, and Nate singing at the end of the night was priceless. Nate was easily the worst singer I had ever heard in my life, so Anna couldn’t have chosen a better forfeit for him to do.
Nate was coming home with us tonight too. Due to Anna’s little ‘he slept with my sister’ stunt, he hadn’t managed to hook up with anyone tonight, much to his disappointment. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at Anna and silently wondered if she was going to want me to make love to her again tonight. Every part of my body hoped that she did. The girl literally blew my mind. Last night and this morning was the best sex I’d ever had in my life, and I’d savoured every last second of it in case I never got to do it again.
In a way, Anna had ruined me. I couldn’t even look at other girls anymore; they were nothing in comparison to her. She was just incredible inside and out and what we had was more than just sex, it was everything that was good in my world. Being that close to her and knowing she would never allow another in my place made me feel as if I were the only man in the world.
When we got to my apartment, it was a little after one in the morning. “Hey, wanna play PlayStation?” Anna chirped.
I grinned; she honestly was the perfect girl. “Yeah, if you want to.”
Nate jumped over the side of the sofa. “First game!” he called excitedly. I rolled my eyes; he was such a kid at times.
“You two play first, I’m gonna go change,” Anna suggested. As she walked past me, she trailed her hand across my ass teasingly. I had the strong urge to follow her into the bedroom, but I wasn’t sure she’d want that. Instead, I plopped down onto the sofa next to Nate. We were in the middle of a mission on Grand Theft Auto when Anna walked out of the bedroom. She’d let her hair down so it fell messily around her shoulders. She had on one of my T-shirts and nothing else. Her long, toned legs were bare and begging to be touched. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“Holy shit, come sit by me, Anna,” Nate suggested, smirking at her and patting the chair next to him. Jealousy reared its ugly head, as it kept doing when he hit on her, so before I knew what I was doing, I’d punched him in the arm.
Anna giggled and shook her head. “I’m gonna make a sandwich or something, you two want anything?”
“Yeah, sounds good. You need a hand?” I asked, silently adding ‘or any other body part’ on the end.
“Nah, I think I got it, Pretty Boy,” she smiled her sexy smile and disappeared into the kitchen.
Instantly, Nate turned to me with wide eyes. “How the hell do you cope with that all the time?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Cope with what?”
“With dating Anna. I mean, damn, she’s so hot, I’d just want to bone her all day. You really like her, huh?” he questioned. He wasn’t teasing, which was surprising.
“Yeah, I’m so totally in love with her that it’s not even funny.”
“You’d better not screw this up, bud, because seriously, I’m gonna ask her out if you do,” he said, looking at me warningly. His serious expression told me he wasn’t joking.
“I won’t screw it up,” I promised. I just prayed that at the end of my assignment she’d still want to be around me.
“Good, because I really like this one, I think she’s a keeper.”
“Who’s a keeper?” Anna asked as she strutted back into the room with a plate of sandwiches, which she set on the coffee table.
“This girl on the game,” Nate lied quickly.
Anna looked at the screen, and a little frown lined her forehead because we were driving down the street in a stolen police car, no girl in sight. She picked up a sandwich and sat next to me, swinging her legs up into my lap. My attention was now solely on her bare legs and not on the game at hand so, of course, I was killed within a minute and passed my controller on to her. The position certainly wasn’t helping with my inappropriate arousal that seemed to happen all the time around her, and she was sure to feel it poking her in the leg but, thankfully, she didn’t mention it.
Unable to resist, I traced my hand up her leg, marvelling over the feel of her soft skin. My heart started to race as my hand reached her inner thigh. Her leg twitched, and her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she looked at me and sank her teeth into her bottom lip. I gulped loudly as she sat up and manoeuvred herself onto my lap. Her hand fisted into the back of my hair as her eyes locked on mine. The pure, unadulterated lust that I saw on her face sent shockwaves through my whole body. She leant in, pressing her chest against mine tightly as her mouth inched towards mine before stopping a hairsbreadth away.
“Bedroom, Agent Taylor. Now.” Her lips brushed against mine as she spoke.
I grinned, catching on immediately. “Yes, ma’am,” I answered, taking the controller from her hand and tossing it to a shocked and envious Nate. I gripped her pert little ass and pushed myself up off the sofa, taking her with me. Her lips crashed against mine as I carried her to the bedroom and kicked the door closed behind me.
As the kiss deepened, I pressed her against the wall. My fingers dug into her thighs, trying to cope with the sheer luxury of having her body wrapped around mine again. Slightly confused as to what she wanted, I broke the kiss and put my forehead to hers. “Anna, what are-”
Her lips pressed against mine, silencing me before I could voice my quest
ion fully. Her hands immediately went to my belt buckle, pulling on it frantically. My excitement bumped up another level as she wrenched the buttons open and slipped her hand inside, releasing my now painful erection. I groaned as her small hand wrapped around me tightly.
“Now, please, right now,” she begged breathlessly.
I nodded and fumbled in my pocket, pulling out my wallet intending to find the condoms that I’d purchased from the bathroom of the club, but her mouth closed over mine and she shifted her hips on me, crushing herself against me tightly.
“What are you waiting for, you want me to beg?” she asked breathlessly.
I grinned against her lips. “That would be pretty hot,” I admitted.
Her teeth sank into my bottom lip in reprimand as her thighs tightened around my waist. I chuckled wickedly, but her hand started stroking my erection gently and I knew I was done for. Now almost desperate, I dropped my wallet carelessly and took hold of her hips, lifting her higher and positioning myself at her entrance. I could feel the heat that was waiting to envelop me. I held my breath, waiting for the intense pleasure of her as I pushed her panties to the side and pulled her down onto me, forcing my body inside hers. She threw her head back, accidentally banging it on the wall behind her as she moaned my name. I hissed through my teeth as her inner muscles instantly gripped me in a vice-like grip. She fitted me like a glove. It was like she was made for me. Slipping one arm under her ass, I held her still as I used my free hand to tug off the T-shirt that she was wearing. She squeezed herself tighter to me, forcing me in another inch, taking my whole length inside her. The pleasure of her was so immense that it was almost dizzying.
She gasped and gripped the back of my head as she pressed her forehead to mine, looking me directly in the eye as she spoke. “This still counts as last night.”
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