Chapter Nine
Ashton
I’d bet a million dollars that O’Shea was the devil himself. Ugh.
My original plan backfired so hard. From our conversation this morning, I was determined to show him I could be a tease and leave him high and dry. I figured I’d make dinner, get a little wine into him, and then make my plan of attack. I made sure I wore nothing under my robe, showing him bits of skin throughout dinner. Seeing the print of his cock in his shorts made my core pulse with need, remembering him pressed against me last night in the hallway. I was ready to make him eat his words, to teach him a lesson that I could punish him as much as he was trying to punish me. What I hadn’t planned for was that we’d both start talking about our shitty exes.
And I definitely didn’t expect to feel sorry for him after he’d told me what’d happened to him.
While I told him about what I’d done to Steve, I’d noticed his eyes drifting to my legs, but I’d thought I’d kept myself well covered from my “surprise.” Sure, I’d wanted to tease the hell out of him before sending him to bed horny and frustrated, but I also wanted another taste of last night.
The unexpected turn our phone call took and where it ended lit a fire in me that had yet gone out. Goose bumps rose on my skin at the thought of his strong hands on my body, my heart quickening in my rib cage at the memory of his skilled fingers caressing my sensitive clit. The dark gaze in his eyes as he fingered me remained stuck in my mind all day. That same dark gaze looked up at me as his tongue flicked against my clit, his hands moving to squeeze my thighs. He’d noticed I wasn’t wearing panties and wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity. After what happened last night, who was I to stop him?
He licked slow circles around my clit before taking it into his mouth, suckling gently as I squirmed above him.
“Oh my God, yes,” I breathed as my grip on his head tightened. Jolts of pleasure streaked through my body as he ran his tongue up and down my core. He groaned against me, lapping at my folds as if savoring the taste of my arousal. My eyes briefly drifted to the timer on his phone now sitting on the coffee table, the time quickly winding down. I prayed that didn’t mean that was all the time we had left. I knew all I had to do was say the word and he’d give me everything, but I wasn’t ready to lose so easily.
I moved my hips, closing my eyes as I bit my bottom lip. He squeezed my thighs tighter, his soft hazel eyes gazing up at me in sexual frustration and need. Now that I knew his pain, he was almost like me, a walking mirror that portrayed the rejection and insecurities I felt. If I weren’t careful, having sex with him wouldn’t be the only thing complicated about this situation. I couldn’t afford to fall for him or anyone else for that matter.
I focused on the pleasure he put upon my body, lapping at my wetness as I moaned. “O’Shea,” I moaned, moving my hips quicker against his tongue.
“Mhm, that’s it, baby,” he murmured against my wet flesh, taking my clit into his mouth. The way he’d called me baby sent a chill down my spine. It was possessive and certain, making my core throb with need. I was bound to lose all control tonight and throw the idea of the bet out of the window. We were bound to have sex eventually; if I had to deal with him bragging that I caved so soon, so be it if it meant I’d get all the orgasms he’d promised. I jumped when the timer went off. I guess fate had other plans.
He kissed my clit and tried to move up between my legs, but I stopped him. “No, please don’t stop.” I tightened my legs around him, hoping that he’d continue his delicious assault on my throbbing heat instead of leaving me on the brink of an orgasm. He released a low laugh and wiggled his way up my legs, settling between them. I bit my lip as his hard cock pressed against my wet flesh through his shorts, a chill rolling through me when he ground into me and growled.
“Time’s up for your preview, baby doll,” he mused with a smile. “When you’re ready to say the word, then you can have the grand finale.”
Then he kissed me on the lips and got off the couch, leaving me staring at him in disbelief until he disappeared. When I heard his room door close, I flopped back on the couch with a sigh.
Yep. The man was definitely the devil.
∞∞∞
The sexual cat and mouse game continued for the rest of the week, him giving me different “previews” that left me on the verge of an orgasm, but never quite getting me there. Even when I’d tried to masturbate on my own afterwards, nothing ever gave me the release I wanted. He walked around the apartment with a cocky smirk on his lips every time he saw me, meanwhile I was so fidgety that I couldn’t keep still and felt as if I could explode at any moment.
“I’m bored. We should go to that arcade tonight, “ he said as we sat on the couch and watched a movie. The arcade was perfect. I needed to go somewhere so that I could attempt to forget about the sexual tension I had pent up inside of me. The sooner midnight got here, the sooner I could win this bet and then finally have him give me the grand finale he’d been talking about all week.
I jumped up from the couch. “Yep, sounds good. Let’s go then,” I said, making my way to the front door. The arcade was forty-five minutes away, but I didn’t care. It could’ve been two hours away and I’d still be down to go as long as it got me out of the house and away from his devilish temptation. He stood and laughed, pulling his truck keys from his pocket.
“You’re in a rush to leave, sex kitten. Scared I’ll tease you again? You can always just say the word and—”
“I know, I know. You’ll give me the grand finale, not that you’ve already told me a million times already this week,” I mentioned sarcastically with a hand on my hip.
His sexy smile was nearly enough to make my panties melt off. “I just like to remind you since you seem to forget.” He winked, walking past me and opening the front door. “After you, sex kitten.”
“Stop calling me that,” I stated as I grabbed my own keys from the table near the door and stepped out of the apartment.
“Whatever you say, sex kitten,” he said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes and locked the door, damn near skipping down the stairs to his truck.
“So are you ready for fun and mystery?” he asked, wiggling his fingers in front of my face when we reached the bottom step. I swatted his hand away and giggled.
“Fun, yes. Mystery, not so much.”
“Aw, why you no like mystery?” he joked in a terrible accent.
“Because mystery sounds creepy when we live in the middle of nowhere,” I answered with a smirk. He nodded and wagged a finger at me.
“You make a fine point there, sex kitten. Thankfully there’s nothing creepy at Frankie’s Fun Park.”
“I wish we didn’t have to take your air-polluting truck though,” I said as we approached it. He gasped in faux shock and placed his hand on his chest.
“Don’t say that out loud! She’s very sensitive!” He grinned and patted the side of the truck.
“Sorry, truck. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” I said with a sarcastic tone, sliding into the passenger seat.
We made the forty-five-minute trip in silence. I stole occasional glances at him as he drove, having strange thoughts. So many questions bounced around in my mind. What happened after we have sex? How would our roommate situation change? Where would this “relationship” or whatever it was stand afterwards? Most of all, what if I accidentally fell for him? Whether I wanted to admit it or not, O’Shea was fun to be around, despite his annoying ways. He made me laugh and kept me on my toes with his nonsense, almost to the point that I actually looked forward to it. I found myself bored when he’d be at work during the day and enjoyed his company when he’d sit and talk with me or watch TV—until he decided to start teasing me and turn me into a walking sexually frustrated ticking time bomb.
But we’d both made it clear that we weren’t looking for a relationship, which made me a bit worried. I slowly felt myself attaching to this unpredictable man, but I also wanted to hold back. I was still afraid of giving myself to someone, no matter what my body wanted. I knew I couldn’t logically hold Steve’s mistake over his head, but it didn’t stop me from over rationalizing our current situation. He was my roommate for crying out loud. Of course O’Shea had gone through his own heartbreak, so I took comfort in knowing that he knew how it felt to be burned by the one you loved. I just didn’t know just how it had truly affected him and whether or not he was jaded when it came to relationships.
“What?” he asked, glancing over at me. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized I’d been staring at him this whole time.
“Oh, um, nothing. Sorry,” I stammered. He turned his eyes back to the road with an amused expression on his face for the duration of the ride.
∞∞∞
We pulled into the parking lot of Frankie’s Fun Park. He got out of the truck and walked over to my side, opening the door and bowing as I got out.
“You really don’t have to do all that,” I protested with a giggle. He shook his head and closed the door.
“Just showing that chivalry isn’t dead and that I’m not always an asshole, believe it or not,” he said with a wink. Why do I have stupid butterflies? It was refreshing to see that he possessed some manners in public. O’Shea and I filed in with the rest of the entering patrons and stopped in the lobby.
“What you wanna do first?” he asked. I tapped my chin and looked around at the different attractions and games, my eyes widening when I saw the flashing lights from the laser tag room.
“That,” I said, pointing.
He followed my gaze and waved a hand at me as he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good thing to play if we’re supposed to be having a friendly outing.”
I put a hand on my hip. “And why not? Scared you’ll lose?”
“No. Because I’m sure you probably won’t want to come back here with me again after I annihilate your team,” he teased.
I let out a sarcastic belly laugh, clutching his arm as I slapped my knee. “You are one hilarious man, O’Shea. You should be a comic instead of a mechanic. Obviously you’ve never played against me.”
“Okay, then let’s bet on something.”
“What’s up with you and making bets?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. He mirrored my stance.
“Because they make things interesting.”
“What’s on the table?”
“If I win…”he trailed, looking up at the ceiling for a brief moment. “You owe me dinner while wearing lingerie.”
Holy hell. I turned and examined the group of people standing outside of the laser tag attraction waiting for the current players to finish their game. With all the built-up sexual energy I had inside, there was no way I’d be able to make it until midnight if he started his shenanigans while I wore lingerie. He smirked at me, awaiting my answer.
“Dinner tonight?” I asked slowly.
“Yep. As soon as we get home, sex kitten,” he murmured, the wicked grin never leaving his face.
I rolled my eyes. I’d eventually learn my lesson about making deals with the devil. “Fine. But if I win…” What could I possibly want from him? I could say he could make me dinner naked, but that would be a joy for him and another teasing mechanism that would backfire on me. “Um…if I win, you owe me a free oil change.”
He gave me a look that said, “Really?” I gave him a sheepish shrug and strolled over to wait with the others. Kids, teens, and adults rushed out, excited voices surrounding us as the winners boasted about their scores. The losing team looked up at the scoreboard and shook their head.
O’Shea leaned in closer to me. “That’s going to be you in a few minutes,” he whispered. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the throb that started between my legs at the smell of his cologne.
Once he paid our admission, we picked teams and suited up. O’Shea was stuck with three kids and two teenagers while I had two teens and three adults. This was going to be a piece of cake.
“So when can I drop my car off for my oil change?” I joked as we headed to our respective bases.
He laughed. “Right after I leave the apartment from having my winner’s dinner,” he tossed over his shoulder and disappeared.
“So what’s our strategy?” one of the teens asked, securing his gear. When everyone looked at me, I fumbled for words to say.
“What, am I the captain or something?”
“Why not?” an older guy asked. I took in our surroundings, making note of the places that made good hiding spots.
“Stay out of sight and buddy up with someone. There are six of us, so we can easily split into three pairs. You need someone watching your back at all times. Stay quiet and don’t run around too much or you’ll be an easy target,” I instructed.
“I’m partnering with the hot one,” one of the adult guys said, moving over to stand next to me. Once everyone linked up with a teammate, we all crouched down behind a wall and waited for the countdown.
The room was dark and a bit stuffy; the only thing visible was the neon lights on the walls and the lights on my teammates’ vests. A fog machine went off in the distance as the countdown went out, signaling the start of the game. A couple of my teammates rushed in front of me, darting between the walls and looking around.
I waved my arm to direct my partner to move. We weaved between a couple of walls and moved deeper into the arena.
“So are you single?” my partner asked. I ducked behind a short wall as I saw an enemy player passing. Not close enough to take a shot.
“Are you?” he asked again.
I swatted him away. “Will you hush before you blow our position?”
“Sorry. I’d just like to—”
“I’m here with someone if that answers your question,” I spat in a low tone.
“Yeah, she is,” a deep voice said just as my vest vibrated.
I turned around to see O’Shea dashing off behind a wall. “Fuck!” I gritted, pounding the floor with my fist as I stood and followed behind him, forgetting all about my partner. I took cautious steps, stood against walls, and climbed up stairs while ducking and dodging the enemy’s lasers. My partner soon caught up with me and luckily kept his mouth closed. We crept across the ramp and came across an enemy player hiding out behind a pillar.
I took a shot and ran away, giggling to myself when I heard them shriek. The game continued and I shot a few more people, never seeming to hit or find O’Shea. Soon enough, a deep robotic voice announced, “Game over.” We all filed out of the arena and returned our gear before going out to look at the scoreboard.
O’Shea let out a content sigh and puffed his chest out. “So what type of wine should I grab on the way home for my winner’s dinner?” he asked.
I frowned, rereading the score of 1200 to 970. Why did I make another bet with him again?
“Oh ha ha ha. You’re still a loser,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. Lust flashed in his eyes so fast that I almost missed it. He blinked and replaced the look of desire on his face with a playful expression.
“The scoreboard doesn’t say that,” he said, draping an arm around my shoulder and turning me around. “What would you like to do now?”
“You choose since I chose laser tag.”
He looked around for a few moments. “How about mini golf?”
“I don’t know how to play.”
“No worries, I’ll show you,” he said, steering me toward the courses.
∞∞∞
Once we were on the course, he hit the ball and bit his lip as he looked on to see where his ball would end up. When the ball went into the hole, he nodded and turned to me.
“That’s how a pro does it. Since you’re not a pro just yet, I’ll help you,” he said.
I waved him off. “Oh, shut up. This course is a straight shot,” I said with a giggle. He moved to stand behind me and put his arms around me, placing his hands over mine to steady them. The closeness of his body made me tingle, butterflies appearing in my stomach again.
“Now this isn’t like golf. You don’t have to swing like Tiger Woods just to get the ball in the hole. Just a slight nudge,” he said, moving my arm back a little and swinging forward, sending the ball along. The ball inched its way to the hole, creeping so slow that I thought it wouldn’t go in. I squealed when it fell in, jumping into his arms as I hugged him. It wasn’t until his arms encircled me that I realized what I’d done, feeling awkward in an instant.
I pulled away and cleared my throat. “Sorry, just got a little excited,” I murmured, moving on to the next hole. When he attempted to help me again, I declined. My hormones bounced all over the place and were on the verge of betraying me. I didn’t need him giving me more reasons to lose control. He held his hands up and stepped to the side as I hit the ball, stifling a chuckle as it went past the hole.
“Damn it,” I muttered, walking over to its new position.
After three tries, the ball finally sunk in. “I tried to help you,” he teased.
“Yeah, yeah, just go.”
After playing a few more holes, I figured it was best to actually talk to him.
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked.
He hit his ball and nodded, never taking his eyes off of it. “I’m the youngest out of four. Only boy.” I let out an embarrassing snort, eliciting a chuckle from him.
“I bet that was fun,” I mused.
“Sure, if you call hardly being able to use the bathroom, listening to boy talk, and dealing with hair clogging the shower drain fun. The good thing about it was that I always had my own room,” he said, stepping aside so I could take my turn.
“Are they all back home in Virginia?”
“Two of them are, yeah. My sister born before me passed away a couple of years ago,” he mentioned, a slight frown settling on his handsome features. I swallowed hard, my heart slightly breaking for this man who appeared more human each time I talked to him.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” I murmured.
“What about you?” he quickly added. Noticing the change of subject, I moved along to the next hole with him.
“One sister. Our family is tiny compared to yours,” I joked.
“Yeah. I could only imagine what it was like for my mom to raise us on her own.”
“Wow. I think she did good. You guys didn’t kill each other and you turned out pretty…okay,” I said, hitting the ball and groaning when it bounced off the windmill.
He smiled. “We survived somehow. What about your parents?”
“Still together and living in my childhood home.”
“That’s cool. Good relationship with them?”
“Yeah, of course. They’ve been worried about me lately with this whole late bills thing. Even wanted me to move back home.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know. Once you’ve had a taste of being on your own, it’s kind of hard to go back to someone else’s rules and all that, you know?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I hear you on that one.”
We finished our game and headed back to the lobby. “That was fun. Want to head back to the apartment? You still have to cook, you know, and it’s getting kind of late,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes. “We may be having left overs because everything in the freezer is frozen, unless you want a sandwich.”
“I don’t care what it is as long as you’re wearing lingerie while you’re making it,” he said with a wink. I shook my head.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
∞∞∞
I shouldn’t have felt as nervous as I did right now. Staring at myself in my full-length mirror, I’d never felt so naked and vulnerable than I did in this moment. I’d slipped into my lacey black bra and matching thong set, hoping this would be enough to classify as lingerie. O’Shea waited in the living room, which made me both excited and terrified.
“Don’t lose control,” I whispered to myself, glancing at the clock to see it was 11:01 p.m. I had about an hour left to hold out before I finally gave in and let him have his way with my body. I can totally do this. Just one hour.
Taking a deep breath, I finally left my bedroom, slowly walking down the hall. O’Shea watched something on the ESPN channel, completely oblivious to my presence. I cleared my throat to catch his attention.
“Is this good enough?” I asked softly. He turned his head and looked at me, letting out a low whistle.
“Damn, girl,” he murmured, his eyes scanning up and down my body. “Turn around.” I slowly turned around for him to see, my whole body feeling warm under his gaze. “It’s perfect.”
“Good,” I nearly whispered and headed to the kitchen.
“Oh, and Ashton?” he called out. I paused, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Yeah?” I managed to get out.
“Just heat up the leftovers from last night. It’s later than I realized and I have to work in the morning.”
“Okay then,” I responded. I retrieved the leftovers, tossing them into the microwave for a few minutes while I grabbed a couple of plates. After plating the food, I joined him in the living room and sat on the other end of the couch. I felt his eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
“You look amazing, just in case I didn’t say that earlier,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“I actually didn’t think you’d do it,” he admitted with a chuckle.
I shrugged “Well, I’m a good sport and a bet is a bet.”
“Are you taking any calls tonight?”
“Nah, my line is off. It would be pretty rude to get a call while we’re hanging out, don’t you think?”
“Not really.”
I paused in my eating and looked at him. “You wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that I’m having phone sex with another man or woman—”
“Wait, women call you?” he asked, his mouth agape. I laughed at his shocked expression and nodded.
“Lesbians and bisexual women do exist, sir. I haven’t gotten one of those calls yet though,” I said.
“Ah gotcha,” he said. Most of dinner was quiet, the only noise coming from the TV as the sports broadcasters talked about highlights from an earlier game. “Did you enjoy yourself tonight?”
“ I did,” I admitted. “It’s been a while since I’ve had fun. You know, ever since the break up and everything.”
“Yeah, same,” he said, putting his empty plate on the coffee table.
“I’ll take that to the kitchen,” I offered, grabbing it and quickly standing before he could object. When I reached the kitchen, I placed the dishes in the dishwasher with a sigh. As the time limit for our original bet wound down, I found myself a bit nervous about actually having sex with him.
I turned in the direction of the living room and watched him for a few moments. He’d turned to a scary movie and seemed to already be engrossed in it. “Just play it cool,” I whispered to myself before walking back over to join him.
I sat on the opposite end of the couch and crossed my bare legs, trying to focus on the TV. “What is this?” I asked, trying to be discreet about wiping my sweaty palms on the couch.
“The Conjuring or something.” He looked at me. “Why are you all the way over there?”
“Where else would I be?” I asked, cringing at the nervousness in my voice.
“I don’t know. You could be…closer,” he offered, his tone low.
I glanced at the digital clock on the cable box. 11:51 p.m. Only nine minutes left.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said with a nervous giggle.
“Then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I moved closer to you,” he murmured. I cleared my throat and shifted in my spot a bit.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter since you moved over here before I could object.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you want me to move?” I shook my head and tuned back into the movie, trying to ignore the tsunami of hormones surging within me.
I watched the clock like a hawk, becoming restless. The moment it read 12:00, I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever happened after this point wouldn’t matter. I’d won the bet. As if sensing my restlessness, O’Shea’s finger drew circles on my thigh, raising goose bumps on my skin.
“You smell really nice,” he said, leaning in closer to me.
“Thanks.” I squeezed my legs together, willing the tingling between them to stop. He took my face into his hands and kissed me gently, gauging my reaction. A smile touched his lips when I reciprocated, giving him the green light to continue. His hand crept up my thigh and gave it a firm squeeze, threatening to move a little higher. His kisses trailed from the corner of my mouth, jawline, and down to my neck before moving down to the exposed skin of my chest. Grabbing my legs, he placed them across the couch as he transitioned to hover over me, continuing the assault on my mouth. I shivered as his hand moved between my legs, stroking my clit through my panties.
“You’re already so wet,” he whispered in my ear, nibbling on my ear lobe. I bit my lip as he pushed my panties to the side and caressed my sensitive flesh.
“O’Shea…” I panted. He eased two fingers inside of me and kissed my lips.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, gazing into my eyes as he pumped his fingers in and out of my wetness. I fisted his shirt in my hands and gasped, unable to form any words as pleasure overwhelmed my body. “Do you want me to stop, Ashton?”
“No, please don’t,” I moaned, moving my hips in rhythm with his hand. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, muffling my cries as he fingered me faster.
“If you’re this tight around my fingers, I can only imagine how you’ll feel around my cock,” he growled in my ear.
“What’s the magic word?” I breathed.
He looked at me in confusion, pausing in his task. “Magic word? For what?”
I swallowed hard. I knew I was now at the point of no return, both fear and anticipation playing tug of war with my mind. “You said when I wanted the grand finale, I just had to say the word, but you never told me what the word was.”
His eyes darkened at my words as he licked his lips. “You just have to say yes.” He slowly moved his fingers within me again, never taking his eyes off of me. Here goes nothing.
I took a deep breath and kissed him hard. “Well, in that case….yes.”