Chapter Twenty-four
Ashton
I’ve never seen Sadie look so beautiful. Some women are hot. Gorgeous. Attractive in a fuckable way. Sadie is that and so much more. Her vulnerability is addictive, and the way she trusts me despite the fear I know is creeping into her mind is disarming.
No one else has this kind of power over me. It’s a foreign feeling, yet it’s settling with a strong sense of rightness in my gut. If there’s such a thing as soulmates, of two halves that make up a whole, then Sadie is my destiny.
Maybe I knew it all along.
Her breathing slows, and I can’t take my eyes off of her, spread out the way she is, a sweaty mess with her legs draped open in sexual satiation. Her red hair is wild as usual, splayed around her head on the comforter. I could gawk at her all day like this, but the need to connect with her on another level is too strong.
I need to look into her sensual jade eyes more than anything. Leaning over her, I remove the tie from around her head. Her eyes are glazed and red from the purge of tears. I made her orgasm a total of eight times, and she’s beyond spent, an utter mess over it. Carefully, I lift her and reach around to free her hands. Then I take out the gag and pull her onto my lap. I ignore my throbbing erection and concentrate on giving her what she needs after such an intense session of pleasure and pain.
I reach for a tissue from the nightstand and wipe the tears and drool from her skin, brush her wild hair back from her face, and lock my gaze with hers. And I don’t look away until she comes back to me, if only by a few degrees.
“Come take a bath with me.”
“A bath?” she asks, still dazed and high on endorphins.
I scoot to the edge of the mattress and carry her into the bathroom before setting her on her feet next to the counter. She waits there, letting the edge of the cool granite support her as she watches me run the water.
While the tub fills, I lift her left wrist and inspect it for redness from the cuffs before doing the same with the right. Then I knead her shoulders, working out the soreness from being restrained.
“Are you upset with me?”
“No.” She blinks, appearing to come down a little further. “I’m not upset, I’m…”
“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
“I’m…on overload. I’ve never felt…I mean…”
Taking her chin in a gentle grasp, I run a thumb across her lips. “I know, baby.”
That’s the second time the endearment slipped out tonight, but I can’t bring myself to care. In this moment, Sadie isn’t my friend. She’s not even my sister’s friend. She’s the girl I just shared an intense sexual experience with that transcended the physical.
She’s the woman I’m head over heels in love with.
Lowering my gaze, I run the tip of my tongue across my bottom lip. I’m going to kiss her. She’s knows it, and I know it. Just as we both know that nothing will ever be the same between us again. And maybe that’s why I brought her here and sent her soaring to a place she’s never been. To a place she probably didn’t even know existed. I won’t stop until she admits that she feels this too.
I lean forward and bring my lips closer to connecting with hers.
“The tub’s full,” she whispers.
The moment between us breaks, and I step back as sharp disappointment rushes through me. Her guard is fucking impenetrable, but if I have to blast through it with a tank, I’ll do it. Taking her hand, I lead her to the spa’s edge, and we step into hot, bubbly water. I shut off the faucet then sink into the water until it reaches my shoulders. Sadie settles between my knees and snuggles against me, her back pressed against my chest.
Beyond providing the necessary aftercare, I’ve never cuddled with someone like this before, have never wanted to until now. Sex has always been just sex, but with Sadie it’s different, and I haven’t even fucked her yet.
We’ll get there eventually—I know it in the trenches of my soul. But when we do, it’ll happen on a level that’s worlds away from a simple lay. As my heart tumbles over its hasty beat, she inhales a long, deep breath then lets it out. Her body is heavy in my embrace, her limbs still weak from the intensity of what I put her through.
And my cock is fucking hard as hell, nestled against the small of her back. She shifts, and I bite my lip to keep from groaning.
“Ash…do you want me to…? I mean, I can…if you want.”
A grin takes hold of my mouth. “Are you asking if I want you to get me off?” It’s kind of cute how she stumbles over her words when it comes to anything relating to sex.
“Yeah.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I just want you to relax. I can wait awhile longer.” I cup water in my hands and release it over her tits. She’s got beautiful breasts; pale with a hint of freckles in the valley between them. Exquisite roundness that call to my palms. I weigh them in my hands, thumbs sweeping across her nipples until her head lolls against my shoulder. Eyes drifting shut, her lips part on a sigh.
Impossibly, I get even harder.
“Sawyer,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Hmm?”
“You realize everything has changed, right?”
Her breath seems to stall in her lungs as she flicks her gaze to my face. “Nothing has to change, Ash.”
“Tell me something,” I whisper, inching my mouth toward hers. “Tell me that despite the gazillion orgasms I forced on you, tell me you don’t want me still.”
Avoiding my eyes, she says, “I can’t tell you that.”
“Didn’t think so.” I push on her shoulders until she’s sitting. “Get up.”
As she makes it to her feet, legs visibly trembling, water pours down her skin in rivulets, following the sexy contour of her ass. “Do you want me to get out?”
“I want you to straddle my lap.”
She glances at me from over her shoulder. Even from where I’m sitting, I spot the gooseflesh on her skin. She opens her mouth, and I know she’s about to argue with me.
“I’m not asking, Sadie.”
God, she gives in so fucking easy. Next thing I know, I’ve got her warm body in my arms, her knees straddling me.
Her pussy sliding over my throbbing dick.
Grabbing her by the nape, I hiss in a breath. Our eyes lock. I tug on her neck, bringing her closer, and the tips of her breasts smash against my chest.
“I have no words,” I begin, swallowing hard, “to describe how watching you come undone made me feel tonight. I’ve never felt so connected to anyone before.” We’re breathing the same air, sharing the same choppy breaths. “I know you feel it too.”
Her gaze falters, kicking my ire into gear.
“Don’t you dare deny it, Sawyer.” I watch, mesmerized, as she runs her tongue over her lower lip.
“I won’t deny it.”
“Then fucking kiss me.”