Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
A single moment can change everything. The sky from overcast to pouring. Laughter to dead silence. Easy-going fun to sexual tension. It was different when I was on the back of his bike. Of course, being so close to him affected me, but there were too many other stimulations to let this buzzing awareness take hold of my throat—cinching until I can hardly breathe.
The smell of the rain, the wind on my cheeks, the roar of his bike in my ears. Now all that’s left is him and me in a quiet apartment. I swallow hard as I turn up the heat.
“When’s Mandy supposed to be back?” he asks, peeling off his soaked jacket.
“Around five. We have a few hours.” I look up in time to watch him pull his T-shirt over his head. Letting my eyes wander down his ripped abs, I stall on the V low on his abdomen. Too many seconds sneak by, and when I bring my gaze back to his face, his lips are curved into a knowing smile.
“Like what you see?” he asks, unbuttoning his stonewashed jeans and lowering the zipper.
I’d have to be dead not to.
He slides all of that denim down his muscular thighs, exposing his hard cock.
“What are you doing?” Why does my voice come out so high-pitched? I’ve seen his cock before. For fuck’s sake, I’ve had it in my mouth.
“I’m undressing,” he says, kicking off his boots. He picks up his wet clothes and takes a step in my direction. “You need to do the same.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to take a shower to warm up while our clothes dry.”
“Oh,” I mumble, my cheeks flaming from my ineptness. It’s like the sight of him annihilates my brain cells.
“And you’re gonna suck my cock.”
Liquid desire floods the space between my thighs, but I ignore it, instead shooting him a vexed look. “Wow, Ash. Try asking next time.”
He closes the distance, and I hold my ground, even as he begins unbuttoning my flannel shirt. “Isn’t that the point of this, sweetheart? Your mouth needs more practice.” He pauses long enough to glance down at his erection. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my cock is happy to oblige.”
I smack his chest before retreating a step. “Jesus, you’re horrible,” I say, biting back a smile as I finish unhooking the buttons on my shirt. His dirty sense of humor is something I’ve secretly loved about him for years. I remove my clothes then clutch them to my chest, shivering. It’s chilly in the apartment, but that’s not the only reason I’m shaking like a leaf.
He takes my bundle of soiled clothing and leads the way to the compact laundry room off the tiny kitchen, where he throws our things in the dryer for a cycle. The machine has barely started tumbling when he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder.
“Ashton!” I’m about to pound on his back and demand he let me down, but the sight of his naked ass grabs my attention. God, it should be criminal to look as good as he does. His back is a canvas of hard muscle and smooth skin tapering down to a toned ass. How in the hell did I manage to be around him all of these years and not know what he was hiding underneath his clothes?
Because I hadn’t wanted to know. Instead of following my heart, I followed my head and buried my attraction to him. Too many years as friends were at stake, and too many women came and went from his bed.
Turning a blind eye to Ashton Levine was pure self-preservation.
With each step he takes toward the private bath off my bedroom, I self-destruct a little more. The fear of how this will end is too much to bear, so I toss my apprehension into the empty grave in my soul where my feelings for him used to reside.
I’m going to give myself permission to follow his lead. I’m going to give myself permission to fucking enjoy him.
And somehow, I’ll find a way to keep from falling for him too hard.
Our teeth are on the verge of chattering by the time he sets me on my feet in the shower stall. He switches on the water, turning the knob to hot, and pulls me under the spray with him.
“Turn around,” he says, voice rough with desire. I pivot, facing the wall, and he slides his palms down my arms. Taking my wrists in his hands, he lifts my arms and makes me flatten my palms against the tile.
“Ash?” I can’t hide the nervous tremor in my voice—it matches the flutters of excitement going off low in my belly.
“Shhh, just follow my lead.” He speaks the words in a low tone, his breath warming my neck. Slowly, he edges my feet apart with his foot.