Everything You Need (26 page)

She slid her hands from his. “Fine. It still hurts a little, but it’s getting better.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“You already said that and I told you, it’s not your fault.” Her gaze fell onto his hand, where ugly red lines peeked from under his sleeve. “What’s going to happen with Mary? I hope they’re going to put her away for a long time.”

“She’s in a hospital right now, having a psychiatric assessment.” He wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her between his widened legs. “Her parents called me, begging me not to press charges --”

“She chained you to a bed.”

“I know.” He leaned his cheek against her belly. “But she was my friend and I should have noticed that there was something wrong with her and that she needed professional help, but I didn’t.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, careful not to mess up his ponytail. He had such silky, soft hair. “She’s not your responsibility.”

“No, she’s not.”

“She could have killed you.”

“But she didn’t.” He sighed. “I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should have done the same thing that Kalen and Ann did with Rose’s stalker.”

“Rose had a stalker? She didn’t mention anything to me.”

“You haven’t said anything to Rose about us either,” Ashton said. “Or about your mother’s situation.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I would have heard about it,” he said. “I’m thinking that getting Mary treated would be a better solution than having her thrown into prison. If she went to prison, she would be locked up a few years and then when she got out, she could come after me again. Southern, the detective, told me that’s how people obsessed with somebody, like her, are.”

“I won’t tell you what to do, do what you think is best, but... I never want to see her near me or you again.”

“I don’t either.” He caught her hands, turned them and pressed a kiss on each one of her palms. His eyes lifted and found hers. “Seeing you wrestling with her...” He shook his head, scowling. “She had a knife. Don’t you ever dare risk your life like that again.”

It was nice seeing him worry like that. “Not even for you?”

“Especially not for me.” He released her hands, embraced her and with her against his chest he reclined back onto the mattresses. “Promise me.”

“I can’t.” She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled against him, deeply inhaling his scent, delighted at the tightness of his hug. “Because I love you.”

“Yet you pushed me out of your life.”

“I didn’t think I had a choice.” Her fingers followed the edge of his collar. “I heard you tell Mary that you loved her and after everything she said to me, it was like you were with both of us at the same time. Since I never planned on having anything serious with you, when I started to fall for you, I thought that the best thing for me would be to distance myself from you and try to forget you.”

“I do love Mary, but only as a friend. I told her that countless times. You probably overheard that, but missed the ‘just as a friend’ part.” Ashton laced their fingers. “But now, after everything, you have changed your mind, right? You love me and you want to have something permanent with me, right?”

“Yes, I do. That is, if you’re willing to tolerate my mother and my preoccupation with her and that she always comes…” But she didn’t. There was a time when her mother hadn’t come first, and when she ignored her mother’s wishes and whining. “I ditched her, when I was following Mary. That’s never happened before. Granted, nothing has ever been that urgent, but... I’ve never put her second before.”

“Because of me?” He smiled.

“Indirectly, yes, but... I ignored her because of me, because of what I wanted to do. I suspected Mary was behind your disappearance, but I didn’t know for sure, and by following her I was indulging myself.” And indulging herself had brought her to Ashton. With the fingers of her free hand she tiptoed up his neck and across the line of his jaw. Indulging herself had brought her to this beautiful and wonderful man, who loved her and who had promised her that he would be by her side and she believed him. She believed him. She nuzzled closer. “I love you.”

He pressed a kiss on her temple. “I love you too.”

Chapter 30

With a frown on his face, Ashton looked around the large hall, searching for a blond girl. When his eyes found her, his mouth stretched in a smile and he elbowed his way to her.

Kris glanced up at him, smiling, before a small scowl sharpened her features. "Have you seen Kalen and Rose?"

"No." He stepped closer to Kris and wrapped an arm around her, then looking down, admired the view. She wore a low-cut black dress this evening, showing a bit of cleavage. He wasn’t used to seeing her in a dress, and even though he quite liked her typical look of shirt and jeans, seeing her in a dress, with her legs exposed and a view of the upper curve of her breasts, ignited his blood and roused a carnal hunger. He was always lusting for her, but right now, the need to shove his hands into her dress and slide his fingers over her skin was overwhelming.

“Ann is looking for them, she wants to announce Kalen and Rose’s engagement.” Kris leaned on him.

He glanced at Callie and her boyfriend Blade, giving them a smile, before his gaze trailed over the crowd. Ann had only invited family and close friends, and yet there were more than a hundred people in the hotel hall rented especially for this occasion. There was Camden, talking to his brother Ewan and his cousins Ian and Chris. Ann stood close beside them, with her chin lifted, her eyes darting around the hall. His father stood in the corner of the large hall, a glass of champagne in his hand, talking with Kalen’s parents and Isabella, Kalen’s cousin. His mother was somewhere around too. Since he and Kris were officially a couple now, he had already introduced his girlfriend to them. He had thought that they might object to the relationship because Kris looked so much like Kate, but they had accepted Kris with open arms, and his father had told him, “If she makes you happy then we’re happy for you.” Joanne, Kris’s mother, wasn’t as accommodating. She had sulked for days, acting like a spoiled teenager whose mother had just gotten remarried. Since she was still in rehab, he only saw her at weekends and on Mondays, when he drove Kris to the therapy sessions. He had only one rule where Joanne was concerned, and that was not to get involved in Kris and Joanne’s relationship, giving Kris advice about her mother only when she specifically asked for it.

“There they are.” Blade pointed with his chin to Ashton’s left.

Ashton glanced sideways and saw Kalen pushing his way past the tight groups of people, nodding here and there, a red-haired girl right beside him. They reached them.

“Your zipper is undone.” Kris shifted out of the embrace of Ashton’s arms and zipped up the back of Rose’s dark green dress.

Rose’s eyes slid to Kalen before she quickly averted her gaze. “Thank you. It must have slipped down.”

Ashton scrutinised his friend’s flushed face and the mess of blond hair, which looked suspiciously as if somebody had run their fingers through it, repeatedly. Rose, most likely. And wasn’t Rose’s coiffure slightly more mussed too? “What were you two doing?”

“I see Ann waving, we have to go,” Kalen said to Rose, then gave them all a smile before he pulled Rose with him as he stepped toward his grandmother.

“You don’t think they were...?” Kris whispered, letting the unspoken word linger between them.

“Kalen is too proper.”

“But Rose isn’t.” She grinned.

He chuckled, wrapped his arms tightly around her and rocked them. His elbow nudged Callie.

The glass of champagne she held in her hand tipped and the bubbling liquid splashed over his arm. “Your suit!” Callie exclaimed. “We need some tissues and mineral water.”

“That’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry,” Callie said.

“It was an accident, and my fault.” Ashton waved it off.

“Attention, please.” Ann’s voice came from the dais at the front of the room. Kalen and Rose stood beside her, holding hands, smiling. Their faces portrayed the same happiness he felt in Kris’s company.

Yes, happiness. He glanced down at Kris and joy filled his chest almost painfully. Seeing her face on the pillow beside him every morning made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

“It’s going to stain.” Kris’s finger glided against the damp fabric at his elbow. “We really should do something about this.”

Ashton glanced at the podium where Ann had just started her speech. Since Ann’s speeches were usually long, and he was never in the mood for long monologues, he smiled down at Kris. “If we must.” He tugged her sideways. “Lead the way.”

“We’ll be right back,” she told Callie and Blade, before her fingers laced with his and she pulled him behind her as she strolled toward the bar at the back of the room.

At the bar she ordered a mineral water and a napkin. “It’s too crowded here,” she said to him. Her hand again found his and she tugged him with her toward the door indicating the toilet.

He stopped her. Ann regularly used this hotel for her business parties and since he, at Ann’s insistence, often participated in them, he was well acquainted with the hotel. “There’s a more private toilet upstairs.” He nudged his chin up, at the gallery above, and led her toward the spiral stairs half-hidden between the end of the bar and a column. He led her up the stairs, across the gallery and through the door at the far end of it. They went into the ladies’ toilet. Ashton figured the room had to have been identical to the toilet below, only smaller -- it only had two stalls -- and since nobody knew about it, it was very private.

Kris set the glass and the napkin on the edge of the marble sink before she faced him and stretched out her arm. “Give me your jacket.”

“I don’t know what the fuss is about.” He slipped out of his black jacket and handed it to Kris. He had only agreed to take care of the stain because it meant getting out of listening to Ann’s droning. He loved Ann dearly, but he would never hire her as a speaker.

“I saw the label. It’s Armani, and those are not cheap.” She dipped the napkin into the mineral water and started to dab it over the sleeve of the suit.

“I have two identical ones at home. They were a gift from Ann.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the wall, his eyes gliding down Kris’s silhouette, admiring the way the silk fell over her back and the curve of her hips.

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of them.”

“You are so beautiful.” He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped closer to her.

“Don’t exaggerate.” She glanced up at him, giving him a gentle smile before she focused on the jacket again.

He touched the back of her neck, then his hand glided down, following the line of her spine. He left his palm resting on the small of her back, while he pressed a soft kiss at the side of her neck. “And so tempting.”

She arched her neck, giving him more space. “We’re in a public bathroom.”

“One that’s rarely used.” His breath caressed her skin. “But they do clean it regularly, if that’s what you are worried about… not that I’m about to bend you over the toilet and fuck you.” Oh, but he was tempted, so tempted. He pressed his mouth on the spot behind her ear and deeply inhaled. Her clean scent mixed with the scent of roses and perfume filled his lungs.

She turned and with one hand clutching the jacket against her chest, she buried the fingers of the other in his hair, messing his low ponytail. “I put on a thong.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I put on a thong,” she said in a low, seductive voice that sent shivers up his spine.

“But you only wear those granny panties.” His hand slid down over her backside, he pulled up the fabric and at the sight of soft skin, saliva started to gather in his mouth. He swallowed.

“Hey, those are lace and you like those.”

“I do, I do.” He liked everything she put on, even if it were a potato sack, but he was smart enough not to tell her that. “But a thong and such a sexy dress…” He lowered his eyes and a wave of heat spread through his body. He hardened. The desire for her that was always there -- always present, always lingering at the edge of his mind -- rose up, hot and greedy, making him light-headed. He leaned his forehead against her head, taking a few deep breaths. “We have to leave.” Or he was going to jump on her and devour her. He tore himself away from her.

She carefully folded the jacket and laid it over the sink, then looked at him under her eyelashes and pouted as if she were about to kiss him. “Are you sure?”

“No.” He shook his head.

She closed the distance between them, her finger following the line of his shirt’s buttons, from his neck to his waistband, a small flush dusting her cheeks. “You said it’s rarely used.”

“That it is.” His hand curled around her hips. She had worn a thong today. He had to swallow again. “You’re so beautiful.”

She rolled her eyes.

“If you could only see yourself.” But she could. There was a large mirror above the sinks and another one mounted on the door. He turned her around, so that her back was against his chest and she faced the toilet’s door. “Look at yourself. You are gorgeous.”

The redness over her cheeks spread.

She wasn’t aware of it and when he told her, she didn’t believe him, but he would show her. Holding her hips he guided her forward until she was a step away from the mirror. “Just look at you.”

Her eyes met his in the mirror.

“Yes, so beautiful.” He fingers touched her hip and climbed up, drawing up the fabric of her dress, exposing her thighs and then her black thong and hips. “So beautiful.” His mouth trailed kisses across the side of her neck up to her jaw.

She leaned against him, sighing.

He laced his fingers with hers and lifted them to her breast, to push their hands against the softness, rubbing it. “So beautiful.”

She turned her head, pushed herself onto her toes and their mouths touched in a heated kiss.

So lovely, so precious and his, all his, the same way he was hers.

The kiss ended, but he couldn’t tear his lips away from her skin. He kissed her cheek. He painted a wet trail across her jaw and down her neck, while his hand glided around to caress the softness of her ass. She felt so good under his fingers, so tasty under his mouth. “I love you.”

She moaned in response, and her hand sneaked down until her fingers covered her navel and lingered at the edge of her underwear.

“Touch yourself, please.”

Her hand slipped under the small triangle of her underwear, while her glazed eyes stared at him. She gasped.

He was caught under her spell, enchanted by her beauty and gentle spirit. Crazy with the need for her. He shifted until he could feel her soft curves against his groin. He pressed his hardness against her. “I need...”

“I know. Me too.” She wiggled her hand from under his and grabbed a fistful of his hair to tug him down. “Now, please.”

In a rush, he had his pants unzipped and low on his hips, and her dress pulled high and the thin ribbon of fabric shoved to one side. In a long slide he was deep inside her, pushing her closer to the mirror. It was heaven, the damp velvet around him, the place where he was connected with her. He leaned his chin on her shoulder, taking deep breaths to calm the urge that demanded he ram into her like the barbarian that he was.

She leaned her forearms against the mirror and pushed back against him.

He slid even deeper into her.

“Kiss me,” she asked and she tilted her head aside and up to offer him her lips.

He lowered his mouth to hers; their tongues touched and glided against each other, while he started to rock his hips, slowly, so slowly. With every plunge into her soft core the speed and the strength of his thrusts increased, and her throaty moans filled the small space together with the slaps of flesh against flesh.

The kiss ended and as she faced forward, her breath made a foggy imprint on the silver surface. Her knees bumped against the door as her heels lifted up every time he drove into her.

“I love you.” He widened the stance of his feet and his hands firmly gripped her hips as the roll of his hips sped up. He loved this, the feel of her, the taste of her, the scent of her. The way she moved against him, the way she moaned as he rammed into her. So sweet, she was so sweet and he couldn’t get enough of her.

She shivered and her eyelids fluttered closed as a soft cry left her throat. She leaned more heavily on the door.

“Look at me, please.” He continued to thrust into her, even as she jerked around him almost painfully.

Her eyes opened and she stared at the mirror, at him, gasping, trembling.

His fingers dug into her hips as he slammed into her, hard and fast, in and out of her clenching core. He was almost there, almost there, and then he was there. His toes curled and whiteness layered over his sight as he forced his eyes wide open, staring at her, at the centre of his universe. She was amazing. So amazing, and if not for her resemblance to Kate, he would have never noticed her and missed the opportunity to get to know her. Having her crash into his life felt as if somewhere, somebody was thinking about him, giving him a gift of love, for the second time, and he felt so humbled and grateful.
Thank you
.

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