Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (35 page)

Haylee blushed,
and Josh gave her a half attempt at a disapproving look. “Seeing as her mother
had been in labor since this morning and didn’t say anything for hours, it’s a
wonder we made it to the hospital in time.”

My eyes widened,
and Haylee shrugged. “Josh had a lot of critical things happening today and was
under enough stress already. She was content to wait until everything was
resolved.”

Oh, shit. Brian
and I shared a look that conveyed our mutual horror that we were partially to
blame.

But Josh played
it off. “I think it’s only appropriate, considering we’d like to ask you two to
be the godparents of our little angel. Later we can tell her this story of the
last twenty-four hours. I’d like to leave out the fact that on the day she was
born both of you resigned, however.”

Shocked at the
request, I looked toward Haylee, who was smiling.

Josh handed the
baby over to an equally stunned Brian.

I swallowed past
the lump of emotion in my throat. “I don’t know what to say.”

Josh chuckled. “It
would help if you both said yes.”

Brian looked
down into Abigail’s face and in a baby-soft voice that had us all grinning
said, “You drive a hard bargain, little Abby. Of course the answer is yes, and
I officially withdraw my letter of resignation.”

I nodded. “Yes,
I’m honored. I brushed my fingertips over her downy hair. “And since Brian
isn’t resigning, I guess I’m not, either.”

Josh was all
smiles. “We may be setting a serious precedent in Abby getting her way, but I
think it’s worth it.”

Abigail started
to fuss, and Brian was quick to hand her back to Haylee.

He turned toward
me, taking my hand. “You ready?”

I nodded, and we
both offered our congratulations one last time.

Josh patted his
friend on the back and walked us out. “Hopefully, you guys are ordering pizza
tonight?”

I was totally
lost as to why he’d ask this random question, but Brian chuckled.

“Uh, yeah,
definitely,” he replied, grinning.

***

In the cab I
looked at him. “What was with the pizza thing?”

He laughed.
“It’s code from college that was basically asking if we’d worked things out.”

“You had a code
in college for
working things out
?’”

“Uh, well it was
more for getting lucky, but times have changed.”

“You’ve got to
be kidding.” I covered my face with my hands, embarrassed.

He peeled them
down into his own hands. “Come on. It was his way of making sure we’re good.”

I shook my head.
“He’s my boss’s boss.”

He kissed my
hand. “And you’re the godmother of his daughter and friends with his wife.
Welcome to the world of personal and professional blurred lines. Plus if you
were choosing something to be self-conscious about, I’d think it would be the
fact that now he knows you were the girl he provided me period advice for.”

I wanted to die
a thousand deaths in that moment. Words failed me.

In front of my
condo building, he helped me out of the car and quipped, “Honey, I did warn you
I’m terribly flawed.”

I giggled and
realized I was undeniably in love with this man. “Are there any more faults I
should know about? Maybe we can declare this
Amnesty Monday
and get them
all out of the way.”

We walked onto
the elevator, and he pulled me into his embrace. Searching my face, he wore a thoughtful
expression. “In the spirit of full disclosure, you should know that I’ve been
trying to get you to fall in love with me this whole time.”

“For eight
years?”

He looked a
little nervous to tell me. “I dreamed about it for eight, but you should know
the rules were only for us.”

“But you said
you’ve done other arrangements like this.”

“Sort of, but
the rules were like, ‘no sex at my actual house’ or hard limits for sex. Yours
were to get you to stay with me.” We went through my front door, and he seemed
to be bracing himself for my reaction.

“What else?” I
kept my expression neutral.

He hesitated. “I
may have used sex a time or two to get my way.”

I smiled. “Oh,
I’m quite aware of your methods, Brian Carpenter. But realizing you went to all
that trouble to get me to fall in love with you only makes me love you more.” I
kicked off my heels while watching him slip out of his shoes.

“I love hearing
those words from you. And in the spirit of this
Amnesty Monday
, you
should probably know my dirty little secret: I like hockey more than football.”

“You can’t
possibly mean that.” I clutched my chest as though it hurt my heart. Then my
hands moved to the buttons on his shirt, impatient to touch him.

“I’m afraid it’s
true, but I’ve recently had incentive to pay more attention to football. I need
to ask you something about what you told me on Saturday.”

“Ask me
anything.” For the first time, I sincerely meant it. There wasn’t a part of me,
either good or bad that I didn’t want to share with this man. It was such a
relief to be honest about it all.

“Do you really
throw up before every pitch?”

My hands held
his face. “I do, but please don’t ever ask me if I’m anxious. Think of it as my
pre-game ritual before I take the field and get into the zone.” I slid the
shirt down his arms and lifted his T-shirt over his head.

His fingers
reached around and unzipped my skirt, allowing it to pool at my feet. He paused
while unbuttoning my blouse. “Oh, I thought of something else. You should know
I have a mild aversion to spiders.”

I helped him
with the last button. “I already knew that. Juliette made fun of you one day. Said
you screamed like a girl, and she had to get it from your office.”

He lifted me up
in his arms and lay me on the bed. “It was humiliating,” he muttered.

I could hardly
concentrate when he unfastened my bra and lowered his head, taking a nipple
between his teeth. My back arched in response. “Don’t worry, I’ll kill the
spiders for you. But since we’re disclosing all, you should know I’m a little
tone-deaf. So don’t expect karaoke ever.”

He met my eyes,
and I wondered how I could’ve missed the way his adoration was reflected in
them. “I love you, Sasha, but I’ve heard you humming along to a song and know
without a doubt you are not a little tone-deaf, you are completely tone-deaf.”
His fingers hooked in my panties and tugged them down.

I laughed. “Oh,
and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of high maintenance.”

“I wouldn’t want
it any other way. I love that you’re high maintenance.”

“Ha, you say
that now, but no judging when in a few years I start getting Botox or some kind
of Asian mud mask to keep wrinkles at bay.” My hands worked his boxers off
while his fingers found my slick entrance.

“You’re already
perfect in my eyes. I’m good with whatever you want, although I’m not a fan of
you going under the knife. By the way, I tell people I’m allergic to caviar,
but really I can’t stand it.”

I gasped when he
replaced his fingers with his hardened length, feeding it into me slowly until
he filled me completely. “I like ketchup on my tacos.”

He completely
froze and looked down into my face. “That is absolutely the most disgusting
thing I’ve ever heard,” he deadpanned.

Giggling in
response, I arched my hips, wanting him to move. “What? It’s made with tomatoes
and is practically like salsa.”

He shook his
head. “Nice try, but it is so-o-o not like salsa. I think I may have lost my
erection, honey.”

“Ha, you
definitely did not.” He was hard as ever. “That’s the deal breaker out of
everything?” I gripped his muscled backside and welcomed him deeper into me.

He grunted his
pleasure and then moved with long, slow strokes. “There is no deal breaker,
Sasha. I’m in this for the long run even if that means I will never eat Mexican
food with you.”

He sealed his declaration
with a scorching kiss, bringing me to orgasm quickly.

“I have a
request,” I murmured, coming down off the high of my climax.

“I would expect
nothing less, being as high maintenance as you are, but hold that thought for a
few minutes.”

Vocalizing my
displeasure in him pulling out with a groan, I was pleased he wasn’t done yet.
He moved me to the edge of the bed, threw my ankles over his shoulders and took
me deep on one stroke. He moved hard and fast, hitting the very end of me.
After his orgasm hit, he brought me to another one of my own. Moving us both to
the center of the bed, we lay there, panting for breath, naked, and entwined
with one another.

“What’s your
request?” he asked, snuggling me into him.

“I think we need
to see one another more often than once every two weeks.”

“How do you
propose we do that?”

I trailed a finger
down his chest. “Josh is going to create a position for someone to head a
client presentation team. I’m going to take the job and move down to Charlotte.
Did I forget to mention that?”

His expression
was priceless. “You’re serious?”

“Very. I need to
work out the details, but he did say I could pick which office I’d work out of.
But you do know the more time we spend together, the more we may need to invoke
rule number one.”

“I may start
picking fights on purpose just to ensure that.” He pinched my backside
mischievously. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What do you
think about being my girlfriend again? I promise I’ll wait at least forty-eight
hours before screwing something up this time.”

I didn’t
hesitate. “No.”

He sat up,
looking surprised. “I was kidding about the last part. I think I could go at
least a week.”

My lips
twitched. “I said no because I don’t need to think about it. You’re my best
friend and make me happier than I’ve ever been. And when we’re apart, I don’t
just miss you. I physically ache for you, can’t stop thinking about you, and
count the minutes until I get to see you again.”

“Wow, you, uh
win for the best
I miss you
—that was definitely worth the wait.” He
kissed me deeply, pulling me into him.

I put my hands
on either side of his face. “I’m finding out that the best things often are.”

Watching the
woman I’d been in love with for the last eight years moving toward me across
the upscale Manhattan bar, with her eyes only for me, provided me a thrill that
I’d never get used to. I absolutely loved the seductive way her hips swayed while
her pencil skirt and heels made me want to throw her over my shoulder and take
her some place private. We’d only been apart for five days while she made a
short trip to Raleigh and then took care of selling her condo up here in New
York City, but it felt like forever.

“Hi,” she greeted
in that breathless little way that did a number on a man’s senses.

“Hi, yourself.”
I kissed her fully and smiled internally when she gave the little sigh of
pleasure I adored so much. I’d have lipstick on me for the effort, but since
her full lips were the sexiest thing on the planet, it was well worth the
sacrifice.

“How did the closing
on your condo go?” I was chomping at the bit to get her back to my hotel room
but needed to stall in order to give Haylee and Catherine some time to set up.

“All right, but
I missed you a lot.”

My heart felt
like it would explode out of my chest. I’d never get used to hearing her say
those words and how they made me feel. “The sentiment is quite mutual. How was
Raleigh?” Sasha had insisted on going by herself to visit her birth mother’s
gravesite. Watching her be brave alone was one of the hardest things I’d ever
done. But it was also a testament to how far I’d come in working out my issues
about wanting to fix everything. I’d both given her the space she needed and hadn’t
pushed her to talk about it directly afterward.

Her hand took
mine. “It was difficult, but I needed to do it.” She took a deep breath with
tears in her eyes. “I was thinking the next time, maybe you could come with me?”

“I’d be
honored.” I cleared my emotion-clogged voice. She was so much stronger than
she’d ever give herself credit for. Knowing she needed a change of subject I
asked, “Do you think you’ll miss living up here in New York?”

She smiled
appreciatively. “I’ll miss seeing my friends, but I’ll travel up here every so
often. North Carolina feels more like home anyhow. Now the only thing left is
to look for a place down in Charlotte.”

I didn’t like
the sound of that one bit. “You know you can stay with me.”

“I love your
place, but I need my own office and a space that I can put some of my things.”

She’d been
transitioning into her new role over the last few months and spending half her
time in the Charlotte office, but I couldn’t wait for her to move down permanently.
“I like you staying with me.”

“Then ask me
something,” she challenged.

I grinned. Oh, I
was going to ask her something, but not right now and not what was on her mind.
“Ask you what?” I decided to play dumb.

She blew out a
breath, looking nervous. “Do you want to move in together? We could get a
bigger place, which I know sounds greedy considering I’m coming from a one-bedroom
condo, but we could get something a little more his and hers. I’m not pushing
too fast, am I?”

It was ironic that
she was worried about moving too quickly when she was the one who normally
panicked. It was also amusing that on the same night I was about to propose,
she was asking me to move in with her. My beautiful, impatient, overanalyzing
girl.

“Well, it’s a
big step,” I hedged and then quickly reassured her when I saw the hurt flash in
her eyes. “Sorry, bad joke. Of course I do. These five days apart have been
torture.”

She instantly
smiled and leaned over, whispering in my ear, “How about we get out of here and
celebrate?”

“Okay. Let me
finish my drink.” I needed to buy some more time. I shot a text to Haylee to
make it quick as we’d be leaving the bar in fifteen minutes.

Ten minutes
later, Sasha narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you are nursing your drink?”

“Impatient, are we?”

I watched while
she snagged my martini glass and threw back the rest of the contents. I could
add that to the long list of ways she turned me on.

“Yes, I am.” She
ran her hand over my bicep and leaned in for another kiss.

This woman was absolutely
perfect for me. “Let me pay the tab, and then we’ll go.”

She smiled with
satisfaction, and I prayed the waitress would take her time. Hoping to kill a
few more minutes, I went to the men’s room and sent another message, this time
to Josh to call me and pretend it was work related. I still needed to stall.

I went to meet
her in front, frowning on cue at the call coming through. “Hey, Josh. Um, no,
we were about to head back to the hotel.” I held up a finger for her to wait a
moment. Being the professional woman she was, she pinched me on the butt and
gave me some space to take the call from our boss.

“Yeah, no
problem. I can get those to you. Huh, that is some interesting news.” I was
having a hard time keeping a straight face while Josh read me a book for his
baby girl.

“Then the cow
went moo and the horse went neigh—” Josh used a voice that I’d never heard
before. Fatherhood definitely agreed with him.

I breathed a
sigh of relief. “She went outside. Thanks, man. I owe you.”

“No problem. Are
you ready?”

I patted the box
in my pants pocket and smiled. “I am. Oh, your wife’s text came through. I’ll
talk to you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good and
Brian? Congratulations.”

“Thanks, and
give my goddaughter a kiss from me.” Josh had been my best friend since we were
five years old. It felt only right that he would be the first one to
congratulate us.

***

“I thought we’d
never get here,” Sasha said, taking my hand in the elevator. A hum reverberated
through my entire body in anticipation of what I was about to ask her.

Opening the door
to the hotel suite, I let her go first and followed, pleased with what her
friends had managed to do. Rose petals covered the king-sized bed, candles adorned
every surface, and champagne on ice was by the small bar.

She faced me,
smiling. “Wow, you went all out. This is very romantic.”

Funny how she
didn’t assume this was a proposal at all. I leaned down and kissed her
breathless, taking my time with her delectable lips.

“I’m ready to
ask you something now, but only if you promise not to answer me for thirty
minutes. Do you think you can be patient?”

She gave me the
little “mm-hmm” that made me smile.

I dropped to one
knee and watched her eyes register surprise.

“Sasha Jayne
Brooks. You’re my best friend and I fall in love with you more every day. You
challenge me in all the right ways and make me incredibly happy. Would you do
the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Oh, my God,”
was her response.

I took the box
from my pants pocket and opened it. I hoped she liked the vintage solitaire
diamond that her girlfriends had helped me pick out.

“Wait, I don’t
get to answer you for how long?” Her eyes were wide and her beautiful face
confused.

“Thirty minutes,
starting now,” I said, putting the ring on the nightstand and pointing toward
the alarm clock. I tugged her hand and pulled her toward the bed, kissing her
neck. I took immense enjoyment from the fact that her eyes kept flicking back
to the ring.

“Why are you
making me wait?” The frustration was evident in her voice.

“Because I’ve received
a hundred percent yes rate thus far when I talk you into things using sex.”

She shook her
head, trying not to laugh while looking annoyed. “Can I ask questions, though?”

The motivation
behind delaying her answer to my question was for this reason. I knew her mind
was processing the negative before the positive. That she’d need to voice her
doubts and work through her anxiety before coming to what was in her heart. “Of
course, but only if you get naked.”

She rolled her
eyes playfully at my bargaining methods but complied. “What about kids?”

The sight of her
beautiful body on display had me almost distracted from her question. But it
was an important one, so I made sure I locked my eyes on hers. “I could take
them or leave them. Honestly. We could even adopt if you wanted to.”

Her face
softened at the thought. “And my last name?”

“Keep it, change
it, hyphenate the crap out of it. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Okay. But
living together is a huge step,” she barely got out, moaning when my fingers parted
the lips of her pussy. She was hot, wet, and ready for me.

“Agreed, and we
can have a long engagement if you’d like.” I trailed kisses down the column of
her throat. I had to use every ounce of will power not to rush this. She did
this to me. Made me feel like I could never get enough of her incredible body,
her sassy mouth, and an inner strength that had attracted me to her in the
first place. As if I’d ever been the one actually in control of this
relationship.

I made love to
her slowly, the way I’d always wanted to from the beginning but was afraid to,
lest she see the way I’d actually felt about her for so many years. Now there
were no more pretenses, no more walls.

We lay there
after amongst the rose petals, catching our breath. I tried not to smile at her
glance toward the clock.

She propped up
on my chest. “What about the rules?”

Ah, yes, the
rules. The best decision I’d ever made to ease her into a relationship with me
in the hopes she’d fall in love with me. Considering how lucky they’d been for
us, I was all for keeping them.

She traced a
pattern on my chest with her finger and I was hard pressed not to flip her back
onto the mattress for another round.

“Did you want to
keep them?” I asked.

“I do, but I
think we need to revise some of them. Especially since some of them would be
moot after becoming engaged.”

My heart beat
faster at the fact that she was already thinking along those lines. “What would
you like to change?”

“Namely, we need
to negotiate some Sasha time.”

“And here I
thought all the time was Sasha time,” I quipped, traveling south in order to
prove my point.

“Let me rephrase
then: I want some Mary Beth time.”

I laughed at the
memory of our time in Aruba. “Oh, I think Austin would like that, but it won’t
be tonight.”

“You’re right.
Tonight you’re going to, uh, ensure I forget my name and then do it again.”

I cracked up at
her inability to talk dirty, which turned me on more than if she’d been really
good at it. “Your wish is my command.”

She wasn’t
having it. “Not so fast. What time is it?”

I wasn’t
offended that she was looking at the clock again, considering I wanted her
answer more than anything. “You have four more minutes.”

She huffed and then
lifted that indignant brow of hers. Reaching across me, she snagged the ring
out of the box and slipped it on her finger, meeting my eyes. “I did warn you
that I’m not very good at being told what to do all of the time, didn’t I?”

I chuckled. Then
a peace settled over me that I imagined would only be trumped by our actual
wedding day. There had been no one else from the day I’d met Sasha eight years
ago. She was my best friend, colleague, and now, finally, she’d become my wife.
I kissed her deeply and hugged her tight, never wanting to let go. “I love
you.”

“I love you,
too. I’ll warn you, though, you’ll need to ask my daddy for my hand. He’s kind
of old-fashioned that way.”

I smiled smugly.
“I already asked your father and invited him to the next Super Bowl.”

She sat up,
completely taken aback. “You got my father tickets to the Super Bowl?”

“Yes, and I
asked for your hand in marriage, in case you missed that part, too.” My girl
loved her football.

Her cheeks
heated. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way.”

“I know you
didn’t. But the best part is that I did get an extra ticket for you to
accompany him.”

She sat there
quiet.

I’d expected a
squeal or some sort of excitement. “Honey, you’re kind of freaking me out with
the non-reaction here. I did say the words
Super Bowl
. Plus, technically,
you haven’t said yes to me yet on the proposal.”

“Ask me again,”
she whispered.

I arched a brow
in surprise. Sitting up so that we were eye to eye, I took both of her hands.
“Will you marry me Sash?”

She threw her
arms around me with tears in her eyes. “Yes. A thousand times yes. But don’t
you think for one moment there is anything else better about tonight than you
asking me to become your wife. Not the ring, not the romance, and not the Super
Bowl tickets.”

I kissed her
softly, not realizing until this moment how much I’d needed that confirmation
from her. She recognized that underneath my pleasing nature was an insecurity
that had silently needed to know she wanted to be with me despite all of the rest.
“You must really love me.”