Ash (18 page)

“Fuck!” I growled, drawing closer to my own climax.

“Yes, fuck me, Ash. Fill me with your cum.” Sophia urged me on.

It didn’t take long. The eruption caught us both by surprise as my load shot deep inside her ass. I groaned and the continuous climax raced through me. The soft contractions of Sophia’s muscles clenched around my pulsing cock and milked every drop from me.

I knelt in front of her, waiting for the wave of pleasure to subside, breathing heavily and staring at the bound vixen beneath me.

“You are so hot when you come,” she remarked, sweat seeping across her brow.

“You’re so fucking hot when you make me come.”

I smiled at her and pulled my cock free of her. I bent over her, undid the belt, and released Sophia.

She stretched her arms out and smiled before kissing me gently.

“What’s that for?”

“No reason, I just wanted to.”

I saw the look in her eyes. Something had changed. Something had been unlocked.

I broke the silence.

“I think I should go,” I whispered.

“No!” she replied. “Don’t leave. Stay the night.”

I turned onto my side.

She reached out and touched my face, gently brushing her hand along my cheek.

“Are you sure?”

She smiled and moved her face close to mine. “Yes.”

“Okay, but on one condition.”

She looked at me with curiosity. “And that is?”

“Tell me why you’re leaving.”

Sophia closed her eyes. It was as though she wanted to avoid having the discussion, but there was no way I was letting her off, not this time.

“Remember when I told you that my mother is unwell?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“It’s the truth, but there’s a little more.”

“Like what?”

She sat up, pulled the blankets around her shoulders, and rested her head against my chest. “I have to go back to New Orleans. I have to be there for her when she passes.”

“Oh,” I said. “But can’t you just take some personal time?”

“Ash,” she said. “There’s a lot of bad blood between my family and me. I left a long time ago. I need to mend things, or at least try to build a few bridges. It’s my mother’s dying wish.”

In a way, I knew what she meant. I had my own demons, my own skeletons that lurked in my past. But what could have been so bad for her family to turn their backs on her?

“All families are the same, Sophia,” I said, brushing her hair back from her face. “No one is perfect.”

“But what if you did something that brought shame to your family?”

“There’s nothing that bad, not unless you murdered someone.”

She tilted her head back and gazed up at me. “Murder, they would have forgiven.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I said, touching her arm.

“Ash, what if I told you that there is a whole different side to me? A darker version of me. Someone who scares me.”

I shook my head, confused. “What do you mean?”

There was a long pause. She pushed her face into my chest and kissed me gently.

“Maybe another time,” she muttered.

“Sophia,” I said, “nothing you say will shock me.”

“Ash, are you really sure you want to hear all the sordid little details?” she asked, and sat up.

“Yes.”

She pushed her hair behind her ears.

“I left home when I was fifteen,” she said. “Convinced that I was in love with a much older man. It turned out that true love didn’t actually exist.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I became the kind of woman I would never have imagined to be,” she said, and looked down at her hands. “I first met Albert when I was fourteen. He was twenty-three, had his own car, a never-ending supply of cash, and charm that had me begging for his touch.” She stopped talking and glanced at me. “Anyway, my parents got suspicious of him. They didn’t approve of the age gap, so they got two of my cousins to talk to him.

“This pissed me off big time, and I told them that they couldn’t stop me from seeing him. I ended up grounded for that whole summer. From what I had been told by my sisters, Albert had left town. I was heartbroken. When school finally started, I had lost all interest in life and my education.”

Sophia relaxed and leaned back against the pillow, clutching the covers tight.

“So what happened?” I asked.

She sighed. “School began. I was angry and resented my parents. I hated how they stepped in and ruined everything. Then one day, just before Halloween, a car pulled up along the sidewalk, and the door opened. It was Albert. I was so happy to see him. I threw my books on the ground and jumped into the car. That was the night I lost my virginity. It was horrible, but I thought I was in love.” She ran a hand over her face. “Turns out I had given him an open invitation to abuse the fuck out of me. I didn’t see it then. I was too blinded by my juvenile infatuation.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, reaching for her hand.

“Oh, that is nothing, Ash,” she said, her voice cracking. “My parents begged me to stay, but I wouldn’t listen. I left, never looking back, and walked head first into a storm. By the time I turned eighteen, I was bound and gagged on regular occasions.

“It was mostly Albert fucking me, but then he got bored, so he started letting a few of his friends take their turn on me for a price. When I turned twenty-one, I was getting high just to get through the fuckfests, but that was nothing compared to the beatings that asshole gave me. He was happy to pimp me out for good money, but when all was said and done, he was a jealous bastard and needed to teach me a lesson or two.”

“Jesus Christ,” I said. “I don’t know what to say. I am so fucking sorry.”

A soft laugh escaped her, and she shook her head. “Why be sorry for something you didn’t do?”

“Because no man should treat a woman that way.”

“Who cares? I didn’t.” She shrugged.

I was surprised by her tone of voice. “Sophia, do you really mean that?”

“Do you want to know what the worst part is?”

“Go on.”

“He gave me a taste of something I can’t control.”

What she meant dawned on me. “I see.”

“Which is why I am not good enough for you,” she muttered. “Yes, I get my kicks out of ass-fucking, and being bound and gagged. Is that the kind of woman you want to bring home to your mother?”

“We both agreed this wasn’t going down that road.”

“Exactly, which makes it seedier.”

My stomach spun. I wasn’t sure what to do or say. I sat beside her, our skin touching. Part of me told me to get up and leave, but I remained. Sophia wasn’t that different from myself. It was like looking in the mirror and seeing all the broken pieces. A part of me wanted to put her back together.

“Sophia,” I said.

She faced me. “What?”

“How about we take this slow, yeah? Not making promises or anything, but see how things work out.”

I surprised myself, unsure if it was a mixture of the booze or sex, but something made me say it.

“What are you suggesting, Ash?”

“I haven’t a fucking clue, but let’s just roll with this, okay?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Nice guys get hurt by girls like me.”

“Who said I’m a nice guy?” I replied, pulling her hair and bringing her face down to mine to kiss her hard.

A wicked grin spread across her face, and round two began.

The smell of bacon filled my nostrils as I stirred from my sleep. Rolling onto my side, I touched the spot where Sophia had slept and opened my eyes. She wasn’t there.

Soft music echoed down the hall.

I sat up, grabbed my jeans, and pulled them on. I left the room and the familiar tones of Frank Sinatra had me humming along. It was one of those mellow mornings. The kind I used to love when Connie was alive. A dull ache gripped me. It was impossible not to think about my wife. I appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Sophia spun around. Her face beamed when she saw me.

“About time, sleepyhead,” she remarked, and handed me a spatula. “Turn the pancakes for me.”

I did as I was told. Every few seconds, I stole a glance in her direction.

She wore her hair high in a bun. The white shirt she wore complemented her tanned skinned. Fuck, she was sexy when she wasn’t scowling. This made me think about her face. How she looked every time she climaxed.

She stood barefoot in front of the counter, chopping strawberries, and smiled when she caught me staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

She threw the strawberries into a bowl and pointed the knife at me. “Liar.”

“I am not,” I replied, flipping the pancakes over.

“Ash, I may look like I am a little stupid, at times, but believe me, I know when a man is lying, so spill it.”

“I was just reminiscing.” I grinned.

Her expression changed, and she chuckled. “Yeah, I bet.” She hit me on the backside as she walked past me and grabbed two plates from the cupboard. “Here, Romeo, dish up.”

I took the plates and sniggered. Sophia was a force to be reckoned with. She reminded me so much of Connie. At times, I found it hard not to lose my breath. I set the plates down and served up the pancakes.

Sophia grabbed the remaining food and carried them to a small table.

“Are you feeding an army?” I asked, seeing the bacon and eggs already on platters.

“I think we worked up an appetite.”

I sat down at the table and licked my lips before I helped myself to bacon and eggs.

Sophia filled two cups with freshly brewed coffee and handed one to me.

“Thanks.” I took the cup and gazed at her. “You are pretty amazing.”

“I could say the same thing about you, Mr. Benton, but then again, I think your ego has been boosted enough.”

She shot me down hard, and I have to admit, I loved it.

“Shut up and eat your eggs,” I playfully snapped, and winked at her.

Sophia let out a deep laugh and began eating. Once we had our fill, I helped her clean up and loaded the sink. We stood side by side. I washed, and she dried the dishes. Both of us hummed along to one of Sinatra’s songs, and I couldn’t have felt more at home.

“What time do you have to get back?” she asked, putting the last plate away.

“Well, my mom’s with Jake, so there’s no rush. Why?”

“It’s early,” she remarked, touching my arm. “Fancy taking a walk with me?”

None of what was happening had been on my agenda. I was out of my comfort zone, yet a primal urge to devour her every chance I got consumed me. Being with her in public was something I hadn’t considered, but was willing to do. She was having an effect on me, and I had a feeling my world had already begun changing.

We strolled along the sidewalk. Our arms brushed together every so often, but there was enough distance between us.

I didn’t want to come across as overly keen. Sophia’s body language made it clear that PDA’s weren’t her thing. Every so often she crossed her arms across her chest.

“So tell me about your wife.”

Her request hit home hard. My jaw tightened.