Into The Fire (19 page)

He smiled. “There’s my girl.”

***

We entered the restaurant with Ash’s arm
around my waist. He was close to me, as close as a magnet to steel.
I made sure I didn’t look at Tony’s table even though my seat was
right in his line of sight.

Ash pulled out the chair for me even though
he never had before and helped me sit down before he scoot my chair
in. Then he sat beside me and immediately put his arm around my
chair. “Hey, Mom. Hey, Pop.”

I wondered if Tony was looking.

His parents greeted us warmly, and they
seemed more thrilled to see me than him. They asked me how the
flower shop was going, among other things. Ash ignored the
conversation and just stared at me. Then he leaned forward and
pressed a quick kiss to my neck. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thanks.” My cheeks blushed because I wasn’t
sure if he was just saying that because of Tony or if he really
meant it.

“Sorry, we’re late,” Ash said without taking
his eyes off me. “When I picked her up, she looked too beautiful
for me to ignore.”

I couldn’t believe he brought that up.

His dad chuckled. “Good to know…”

“I have the most beautiful woman in the
room,” Ash said. Then he quickly turned to his mom. “Besides Mom,
of course.”

His mom blushed slightly.

“What are you getting?” Ash asked me. “Some
wine?”

“Red,” I answered.

“Let me order it,” he said. “I want you nice
and tipsy when we get home.”

We were supposed to be proving how much Ash
was changing, but all he was doing was acting like he was madly in
love with me. I guess we were killing two birds with one stone.

His mom leaned toward her husband. “I think
our son is in love.”

If I heard it, so did Ash.

“Madly.” That was all Ash said, and he stared
at me as he said it.

I suddenly wished he were being sincere. I
wished this were real and not just an act. Ash had done more for me
than any boyfriend or friend. He always had my back, even at his
own expense.

***

At the end of dinner, I spotted Tony and his
fiancée leaving. They walked past the windows, and his arm was
around her waist. Seeing them together didn’t bother me like it did
at first. Now I didn’t even care. I wasn’t sure why I got so upset
in the beginning. Perhaps it was just a shock that he moved on and
settled down so quickly.

We said goodbye to his parents then left the
restaurant. Ash kept his arm around my waist. His fingers dug into
my side as he gripped me possessively.

“Tony is gone,” I said. “We’re in the
clear.”

“Maybe I like this game.” He winked then
pulled me closer. His lips brushed past mine but he didn’t kiss
me.

I smiled at his enthusiasm.

“I totally made that guy miss you. It’s a
done deal.”

“I don’t want him to miss me.” He was a jerk
who left me for a stupid reason. I shouldn’t want him to want me.
“I just didn’t want him to think I was alone or I missed him. Now
that everything is over, I’m not sure why I had a meltdown
earlier.”

“Hey, it’s okay to panic. He totally caught
you off guard. And to see an ex getting married…I doubt it’s
easy.”

“It’s not easy knowing how easily I was
replaced.”

“I have an idea but I’m not sure if I should
say it…”

“Why not?”

“Might hurt your feelings…”

“I have a thick skin.”

He eyed my sincerity before he spoke. “Maybe
he was looking to end the relationship, and when he saw you in that
strip club, he found his excuse. Maybe he was already with that
other girl while he was with you and he found an easy way out. It’s
cowardice as hell, but maybe that’s the reason why.”

The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. I faced
forward as I processed his words.

“Whether it’s true or not, he’s stupid for
letting you go.” He hugged me to his side tighter. “I can honestly
say you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been with—on the
inside as well as the outside.”

My eyes turned to him automatically as the
surprise swept through me. Ash was rough around the edges and had a
hard exterior, but when that shell was cracked, his beauty emerged.
He was sweet, sensitive, and thoughtful. In that moment, I knew
things had changed. I didn’t just see him as some guy I fooled
around with. He’d become my best friend but he also became
something more.

Shit, that was scary.

***

Ash stuck around for the rest of the
weekend.

I sat on the couch and slipped my heels off.
“Oh lord.” I rubbed the bottom of my feet. We’d just returned from
brunch and the new shoes I got weren’t broken in.

“What?” Ash asked from his side of the couch.
“Ate too much?”

“Yes. But that’s not what’s bothering me.” I
rubbed the balls of my feet then my arch. “Damn Armani…”

“Let me help.” He grabbed my feet and yanked
them into his lap. I slid down the couch as he pulled me.

“What are you doing?”

He massaged my feet with his fingers. “I have
big hands. Your tiny little fingers will accomplish nothing.” His
ministrations were strong but not painful.

I wanted to argue but I couldn’t. It felt so
good. I sank into the cushion and released a loud sigh. “Oh my
god…” It came out as a moan rather than a painful groan.

He chuckled. “I’m good at everything.”

“You are…” I closed my eyes and felt my body
relax.

“Did you just agree with me?”

I was barely listening to him. “Uh-huh.”

“Because normally you tell me I’m a cocky
pig.”

“Yes, you’re doing a great job.” I released a
loud sigh as my mind floated on a cloud.

He flinched for a moment. “You aren’t even
listening to me.”

I rested my arm behind my head.

“I’m the best you’ve ever had in bed, huh?”
There was a grin in his voice.

“Uh-huh.”

“Call me king.”

My mind was on the edge of sleep.

“Baby?” He shook my leg gently.

“Hmm?”

“Call me king.”

“You’re my king.” I didn’t bother opening my
eyes.

He chuckled. “At least now I know how to get
what I want from you.”

“Yep.” I couldn’t care less about what he was
saying.

He continued to massage my feet as I fell
asleep.

***

When I woke up, I was in bed.

And I wasn’t alone.

Ash held me close to his chest and he was
playing with his phone in one hand. It looked like he was playing
Candy Crush. “Awake, sleepyhead?”

“What time is it?” I asked with a yawn.

“Three.”

That was a long nap. I wouldn’t be able to
get any sleep that night. “Damn, I was knocked out.”

He rubbed his fingers together. “I have the
magic touch.”

“You don’t even knock me out that hard after
sex.”

He turned his gaze on me and abandoned his
phone. “Excuse me?”

“I just meant my feet must have really
hurt.”

He turned back to his game. “Why do chicks
wear those shoes if they hurt so much?”

“Like you don’t like them,” I challenged. “It
makes our legs long and our ass look great.”

“Well, your legs and ass look great buck
naked. If the shoes hurt, don’t wear them.”

“I always assumed they were a man’s
fantasy.”

“They aren’t bad. But seeing a woman in pain
is a major turn off.”

“Thanks for rubbing my feet…” I rubbed his
chest.

“Thanks for calling me king.”

“What?”

He grinned. “You don’t remember? You were
saying a lot of shit when I was giving you a massage. It was pretty
fun.”

“What else did I say?”

“That I’m the best sex you’ve ever had.”

“Well, I could tell you that right now
too.”

“It doesn’t hurt hearing it more than once.”
He set his phone on the nightstand. “Now what?”

“I’m surprised you stayed.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You just laid there and waited for me to
wake up?”

“No…I played a few games.”

It surprised me how much he enjoyed being
around me. Sometimes I wondered if this relationship meant more to
him than he realized. Was he in denial about it? Or was I just
overanalyzing it? Because I was starting to feel things and I never
expected that to happen. My ideal boyfriend wasn’t covered in ink
and didn’t have an ego. But yet, Ash was the only man I ever wanted
to be with. I could be myself around him at all times. It was a
really nice feeling.

“So, what should we do now?”

“We can keep laying here…”

“Still tired?” he asked with a laugh.

“We were up late last night.”

“No, I just think you’re lazy.”

I kicked him playfully under the sheets. “Not
lazy.”

He chuckled. “Whatever you say.”

“If I were lazy, would I do this?” I crawled
on top of his chest and straddled his hips.

Interest came into his eyes, along with a
smug grin. “Do what, exactly?” He put his hands behind his
head.

I pulled his boxers down until his cock
popped out. Anytime he was around me, he was hard. I never had to
do anything to get him up. He was always ready at a second’s
notice. Then I moved my underwear over and sheathed him slowly.

His grin vanished and a dark look came into
his eyes. “Hmm…”

My hands clawed his chest as I used it for
balance. I bounced up and down his length, feeling him stretch me
with every thrust. I was never strong enough to be adventurous in
bed but Ash gave me confidence. He was the type of guy that would
appreciate anything I did and never make fun of me. “I like your
cock.”

“He loves you too, baby.” His hands moved to
my hips and he helped me move up and down.

His cock ring was the best part. It rubbed
against me in just the right way. It hit me from the front and the
back. It was a godsend. And his thick shaft and long length just
made it better. How could I ever go from this to some other guy? He
would never compare to Ash. No guy ever could.

“I love your tits.” He grabbed one and
squeezed it. Then he pinched the nipple gently. “Nipple piercings
would look sexy as hell on you.”

My hands moved to this hips and I continued
to move up and down.

“Turn around,” he commanded. “I want to see
your ass.” He gripped me without waiting for a response and spun me
around while he remained inside me.

“Not sure how to do this…”

Ash placed my hands on his thighs then
gripped my ass. “Now rock your hips.”

I did as he commanded.

“Just like that.” He moaned then thrust from
underneath.

He made me feel sexy without actually saying
anything. Listening to him moan and grow harder inside me made me
feel attractive, not average. Instead of feeling insecure about
trying something new, I felt invigorated. It was an adventure I
loved taking with him.

“Shit, your ass is off the hook.” He spanked
me then rubbed the skin.

His smack didn’t hurt. Actually, it was kind
of hot.

“You like that?”

“Yes,” I said in a heated breath.

He slapped me again. “Fuck that cock.”

I moved hard as he spanked me
continually.

Like always, I hit my threshold and tightened
around him. I kept grinding against him as the pleasure rocked
through me. Every inch of my skin tingled like I’d just been burned
with a match. I slowed down at the end as the pleasure left me. I
caught my breath then started again so Ash could feel just as
good.

He took over and thrust hard from underneath
me. When he did this, I knew he was eager to come. He pushed
himself far inside me then released a loud moan as he came inside
me. “Oh yeah…that was good.” When he was finished, he kept his hold
on my hips. “You’re a cream queen.”

“What?” I looked at him over my shoulder.

He still had a dreamy look in his eyes like
he just woke up from a nice dream. “You’ve never heard that
expression before?”

“Does it look like it?”

He grinned slightly. “I think you can deduce
what it means. And you’re the only cream queen I want to have.”

My heart stopped beating as his words echoed
in my mind. Did he mean that literally? Or was I reading too much
into it? My heart fluttered uncontrollably and I felt like I was on
a cloud. My reaction told me this was no longer just a fling. Ash
had come to mean a great deal to me. I didn’t just care about him.
I felt a whole lot more.

Ash sat up and kissed my spine. He was still
inside me, and even though he was soft, he still felt big. He was
unnaturally gifted below the waist. He moved his lips to the back
of my neck and into my hair.

I loved it when he kissed me like that.

“Do you mind being my cream queeen?”

“Does it seem like it?”

“No.” He kissed my ear. “I think you love it,
actually.”

“I do.”

He kissed me again. “Cream queen…I like
it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a good nickname for you.”

My eyes widened. “Don’t you dare call me that
in front of other people.”

He chuckled. “So I can call you that when
we’re alone together?”

“Yes.”

He grinned. “That sounds fair.” He gripped my
ass then rolled me toward his chest, pulling himself out of me.
Then he lay with me on the bed again.

“I have a feeling this is how we’re going to
spend the rest of our Sunday.”

“Sounds like an excellent plan to me.” He
kept his arms fixated around me like steel bars.

I lay comfortably and almost fell asleep
again when my phone rang in the other room.

“Wow, someone actually called you.”

I kicked him under the sheets. “Hey, people
call me.”

“Like who?”

“Shelly.”

“And?”

“The other girls from work.”

“And?” he pressed.

I couldn’t think of anyone. “Oh shut up.” I
got out of bed then grabbed my phone from the table. When I looked
at the screen, I almost did a double take.