“Have you missed me today, Mr. Crawford? Because you seem very on edge.”
“Are you teasing me, Ms. Hart?”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
He shook his head and smiled. “Did you and the girls have a good day?”
“Yep, it was great. Lots of girl time, boy talk, and mimosas in the sun. Eden seemed to have had a great time, and that’s the main thing.”
His eyes softened, then he leaned in and kissed me lightly. “You are something else, Ashlyn Hart.”
“You need to stop making me swoon.”
“I’ve got to compete with the guys in your books, so consider yourself warned. You’ll be swooning all over the place. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that little stunt you pulled.”
“Hands down, the funniest moment ever!” I burst out in laughter at the memory of Josh thinking my book husbands were real. “Don’t worry, you are on your way to joining them.”
Josh shook his head, then headed to the fridge and grabbed a beer. After popping the top, he leaned against the counter and stared at me. The intensity of his gaze and the lift of his brow told me exactly what he was thinking. “I’m inside you tonight, and I don’t give a fuck what visitors we have.”
I crossed the kitchen and wrapped my arms around his waist. Obviously, our conversation earlier stuck with him. Running my fingertips over his lips, his eyes transformed before me from warm chocolate to enticingly dark.
“Can you not see that I’m having cocktails?” I asked, and wickedly swept my tongue over my lips. “You know what happens when I have cocktails. I get super touchy feely. I’ll want to jump your bones in the hall at the club, or give you a hand job under the table. Shit, I’ll probably beg to ride your face. You and I both know that I’m not the quietest person when my boyfriend starts being all bossy and hot.”
His face stilled, and the atmosphere shifted around us. After untangling myself from his body, I leaned over and grabbed my Cosmo, then lifted it to my lips while watching him over the top of the glass. I had just called him my boyfriend for the first time, and his stone-like appearance told me that he heard every word.
“You just called me your boyfriend,” he whispered, taking my cocktail out of my hand and placing it back on the bench.
“Well, I got in trouble when I called you my friend with benefits or mentioned anything about being casual, so yes, I would like to think that you are my boyfriend. Are you? I thought—oh shit, have I just made a complete fool of myself? Why the fuck do I drink? I get loo—”
Softly, his hand cupped my cheek, and with a gentle touch he rendered me speechless. The moment his lips touched mine I forgot everything, and life outside of Josh and me ceased to exist. A softness I never imagined Josh would possess hit me. There was no desperation, no lust, and no dominating force. The cushion of his lips massaged and comforted mine so perfectly, like they were offering my anxiety a quiet place to hide. His tongue slid along my bottom lip, sweeping so delicately, while his lips kept devouring mine. I opened and gave him access, and I sighed as his tongue hit mine. There was nothing rushed, demanding, or eager about this kiss. This wasn’t making out; this was a life-changing kiss, the kind you’d tell your grandchildren about when they asked about your favorite kiss.
I pulled away completely breathless, and with hooded eyes, stared at him. “I guess you are okay with being my boyfriend?”
“More than okay, Ashy. It’s been a long five years to get to this point.”
“What are you two lovebirds doing in here?” Jack sauntered in, completely interrupting the sweetest moment.
“I’m having a moment with my girlfriend.” Josh shot me a wink, and I felt like I was melting. The word girlfriend had never sounded so amazing. “But now I have to give her something, so we will be back soon. We might be late to the club.”
He grabbed my hand, and soon enough we were walking through Ky’s apartment, heading for the door.
“Pretty girl, tell Ky that we might be late tonight. I have to give Ashlyn something before we leave,” Josh said to Eden before turning to Savannah and Tate. “The front door will be unlocked.”
Oh my, his voice was showing signs that I was about to have the time of my life. By the smirk that covered Tate’s face, it wasn’t lost on him either.
“What are you doing?” Ky asked, stepping into the living room with wet hair and wearing a clean pair of jeans. “We leave in an hour.”
“We’re going to be late.”
“Why the fuck would you be late?” Ky shot with annoyance.
“He has to show Ashlyn something. That something being his cock,” Tate said, smugness dripping off his every word.
The door of Ky’s old apartment slammed behind us, as Josh pulled me into the hall.
“What are we doing?” I asked, as he pounded on the elevator button.
“My girlfriend is about to ride my face.”
A shiver of anticipation ran down my spine. Riding someone’s face was one thing I’d never done before, but something that had always fascinated me. The intimacy of the act alone caused me to squeeze his hand tightly.
Thankfully, the elevator was empty, and it only took a matter of seconds to arrive on the eighth floor. There was no need for words, because our actions spoke everything we wanted to say. Josh unlocked the door and pulled me inside, and his mouth was on mine as we walked through the apartment to his bedroom.
Somewhere between the living room and his bedroom, I lost my top and bra, and on his bedroom floor my skirt and panties lay in a pile. There was no awkwardness about being naked in front of Josh. He made me feel like a goddess, whether I was naked or wearing my oldest sweats and hoodie. Circling my body, his fingertips traced down my spine, leaving a track of goosebumps in its wake.
“On the bed,” he said in a growl, and tugged his shirt off. I crawled onto the bed and sat back on my feet. A shiver of anticipation hit me as he sat on the edge of the bed, before lying on his back. He pulled me down until I was flush against him, and kissed me until I was breathless. For as long as I lived, I’d never get enough of kissing him. As quickly as it began, he pulled away.
“On my face, Ashlyn,” Josh ordered, and who was I to object. I shifted my naked body until I was hovering over his face, and our eyes locked. In that moment of extreme intimacy, he looked at me with ownership, and a need I had never seen before. “Hold onto the headboard.”
The moment I grabbed hold of the wooden bed head, his hands fell to my thighs and gripped possessively.
My eyes slammed shut, and my gasp filled the bedroom when his hot breath hit my desperate pussy. He didn’t wait for an invitation, because in reality Josh Crawford never needed an invitation. With one, long, slow flick of his tongue, he licked and savored everything I offered him. I knew I was wet—very wet—and his tongue began its assault. My head flew back as he dipped his tongue inside of me for the first time, and my hips took over. My knuckles began to turn white from the grip I had on the headboard, and my hips started to rock against his face. The faster I rocked, the deeper his tongue seemed to go. His fingertips dug into my thighs, and the combination of sensations caused a sea of want to churn within me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him I was in love with him. I wanted to forget about the night ahead and spend it alone with him.
“Oh my god,” I said with a low moan, my breathing coming out in pants as I floated into a world of pleasure.
He flicked his devious tongue over my clit, before pulling it into his mouth and sucking it with unrelenting force. Holy fuck. My body locked up, and I felt like I was going to cry from the overwhelming pleasure soaring through my body, the likes of which I’d never felt before. I was ravenous. I was desperate, and I needed to come. With a loud popping noise, he unleashed my clit and went back to feasting between my legs. I had never been this turned on in my life. The king of finger fucking title had now been joined by the god of tongue fucking. The sound of his tongue and mouth combining with my wetness, was the most erotic sound I??
?d ever heard, and it enticed me further. I moaned loudly, not caring where I was, and lost all control. My hips moved with wild abandon, and his deep growl and the vibrations against my pussy set me off. I cried out his name in a low moan as pleasure flooded through my veins.
“Come on my tongue when you’re ready.”
His muffled words sent me over the edge. I forced myself to open my eyes, and I watched him devour me like I was his favorite thing in the world. His eyes found mine, and I couldn’t hold on any longer. My body shattered, and a low, satisfied moan of his name filled the space around us, as the most intense orgasm I’ve ever encountered soared through me.
My thighs shook around him as I started to feel like I was close to collapse. He pulled his mouth away, and seeing my release on his lips made me consider begging him to make me come again, but I’d be ruined forever if he did so soon. With gentle movements, Josh brought me down until I was on his chest, and our hearts thundered against each other.
“I’m ruined,” I whispered in brutal honesty.
I shifted my body and curled up against him. His eyes bore into mine, and it was clear he understood what we had just shared—the enormity, the intimacy.
“You hold my heart in those pretty little hands of yours, Ashy. I can’t survive without you.”
I felt my throat begin to close with emotion. “You’ve got me.”
He pulled the blanket up from the bottom of the bed and covered us both. I snuggled against his chest, content that the rest of the night would be spent on our own, in our little cocoon of happiness.
“You and I should have had babies by now, and my ring should have been on your finger forever. We have so much to make up for, Ashy, and I cannot wait to do it with you,” Josh said softly. “My forever girl.”
The finger that was tracing over his stomach froze, and my breath hitched in my throat. I turned my head and rested my chin on his chest, then looked up at him as his words embedded themselves in my thoughts.
“You want that? Babies? Marriage?” I asked, not believing I was having this conversation with him.
“Absolutely. Why? Is that something you don’t want?”
“I, ah . . . a, a . . . um, shit.” I felt myself becoming overwhelmed, and it would seem I was developing a stutter. “It is something that I always thought would be in my life.”
“We’d make pretty fucking cute kids, Ashy. We’d have to have sex a lot. You know, make sure we got it right. Not that I’m saying that we haven’t got sex perfect, but we can still practice a lot.”
“Isn’t it too soon to be talking about that?” I asked, even though I wanted every single thing he had mentioned.
“Ashlyn, I’ve wanted you for five years. I’ve been imaging a life with you since the very beginning, so no, it’s not too soon. There’s no one else for me. Now that I’ve got you, I’m not letting you go. Ever.”
Yep, I was without a doubt, head over heels, in love with Josh Crawford.
THE SOUND OF THE glass door sliding open grabbed Ky’s attention, and he turned to face me. I had left Ashlyn to get ready for the night ahead, and was determined to find Ky for a chat. I handed him a beer and leaned against the rail beside him. I had never seen my brother this content with life before, and it was all thanks to Eden Rivers. It was the kind of contentment I truly didn’t believe existed until I began living it.
“I’m getting married,” he said softly. “To Eden fucking Rivers. I never thought this day would come.”
“I don’t think she did either. You got lucky with her, she is an amazing girl.”
“Eden told me what you did,” he said softly. “I had absolutely no clue. Fuck, Josh.”
I took a long pull on my beer and waited for him to continue.
“This could have been you and Ash. I could have been standing here talking to you about your wedding, teasing you about the fact that you are having a joint bachelor / bachelorette party, and I could be an awesome uncle by now. You and Ash would have made it. I knew from that first morning I met her that she was different, that she got under your skin, so I had no clue why you didn’t claim her. But now I know. ”
“You’re my big brother, my best friend. I couldn’t go through this crazy world without you, so I did what I had to do. I’d do it again if I had to. You fucking scared me though, Ky, so please don’t do that shit again.”
“I’ve got my girl now. I can guarantee you won’t see that man again.”
“Good,” I said, and tipped my bottle to him.
“So, you and Ash are good?”
“I am in so deep with her. I understand your obsession with Eden now, because I am feeling that with Ashlyn. I see no one but her. I could be in a room of 1000 people, and she would be the only person I saw.”
“You’re in love.”
“Yep. I’m telling her tonight,” I said, knowing that there was no way I could hold off on telling her that I had been in love with her for so long already.
“Are you two finished with your boy chat?” Ashlyn asked.
She appeared through the door and stepped onto the balcony, and I nearly shot my load in my pants. Jesus fucking Christ, I was a lucky bastard. She was a vision of perfection, wrapped in a tight silver dress and fuck-me pink heels.
“Ky, I’d just like to thank you for losing your balls and deciding on a combined bachelor and bachelorette party,” I announced in a thick, needy voice.
He smirked and shook his head, knowing exactly what I was referring to. “We leave in ten minutes. We are already late because of you two.” He kissed her cheek before disappearing through the glass doors and back into the living room.
“I’m not sorry, Ky,” Ashlyn shot after him with a teasing tone.
“Hey, boyfriend.” She turned to me with a sultry look and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love saying that.”
“And I love hearing it.” I leaned in and placed a single kiss on her lips. “I can still taste you.”
“So we need to make a plan for our sleeping arrangements. I’ve decided that me and my body can’t be away from you for extended periods of time, because yes, you’ve won, my vibrator can’t live up to your cock.”
Best compliment ever. “And what are you suggesting, Ms. Hart?”
“You need to fall asleep inside of me at least four nights a week, and I want morning sex three of those four days. Oh, and I want to try car sex.”
Fuck, I loved this girl. “We need to negotiate, because once again, I don’t agree with your terms. My terms are these: I fall asleep inside you five nights a week, morning sex four times a week, office sex at least once a week, and you on my face twice a week.”
“My lady bits are going to be ruined.” She gasped. “Yet, surprisingly, they have just switched on at the thought of all that sex. And, well, you know how much I love being cowgirl Ashlyn. I love a good ride, whether it’s your face or cock.”
“I plan on taking very good care of your pussy, Ashy, and you’ll be going for long rides quite regularly.”
Her eyes flashed with heat, and I knew my girl wanted what she knew I could give her. “Do we have a deal?”
“Yes, yes we do. Now let’s go. The faster we get to Red Velvet, the quicker we can leave and get this arrangement underway. You’ve made me into a sex fiend.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the house. How the fuck had I gotten so lucky? There was nothing that could bring me down from this high.
“He has that look,” Tate said, taunting me.
I tore my gaze from Ashlyn and turned to find him, Ky, and Jack smirking at me, with knowing looks on their faces.
“Yep, completely pussy whipped,” Jack piped up.
“Welcome to the club, little brother,” Ky said and smirked.
“You are all fuckers.” I laughed, but I couldn’t deny it. Life was too good to be true.
“It’s about time you became a man and claimed her. She is a fucking goddess. Look at her out there. Every man with a pulse wants her, and there
would be plenty of chicks that wouldn’t mind muff diving with her,” Jack said loudly.
“Did you seriously just use the term muff diving?” I scoffed, but my eyes were drawn back to the extravaganza that was Ashlyn Hart dancing.
“Yes, yes I did,” Jack responded with a smirk.
“What the fuck does Tanzi see in you?” I shot with a laugh.
“It’s called a big cock, Joshua, it gets all the girls.”
“That must be why she had my huge cock first. She couldn’t handle me on a regular basis, so she had to come to you. Small, more compact, not as pleasurable.”
Tate glared at both of us. “Could you please stop talking about my twin sister and your cocks?”
I tried to contain my smirk as Jack’s face stilled. He looked from me to the dance floor where Tanzi was grinding up against Savannah, and it was obvious that his mind was ticking and trying to figure out whether I had indeed fucked his fiancé. Tate gave me a slight nod of encouragement.
“When?” Jack asked, shooting me a smirk as if he trying to catch me out.
Fuck! Think quick, Josh.
“I found them fucking in the restaurant once. His white ass was the first thing I saw. For a split second, I was proud of the prick, because Jesus Christ he was pounding into the girl like a champion. I almost wanted to go and ask him for some tips, but then I realized it was my sister. I had nightmares for fucking weeks because I had to watch her walk around like she had a stick up her ass.”
Jack’s face was priceless. Thankfully for me, I had a great friendship with Tanzi, so she would laugh at this. However, I wasn’t sure how Jack was going to react.
“What are you talking about?”
My attention was stolen the moment I heard Ashlyn’s voice. The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention, and a shiver of delight cascaded down my spine as my gaze lingered a moment too long on the curves of her body.
“Josh is sharing about him and Tanzi having a little fling back in the day. It’s the first I’ve heard about it,” Jack informed her, and it was only then that I remembered what we had been talking about.