Chapter Twenty
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Still riding a high that had been strong and steady since he’d fucked Ashleigh for the second time that morning, Alex had to force himself to go home. Not that he wanted to, but Ashleigh had a deadline that she had to meet – or so she said – and he had something he needed to take care of.
Namely Jessie.
When he pulled into his driveway, the house appeared just the way he’d left it the night before. He could only hope that the only thing different would be Jessie being gone. He wasn’t going to hold his breath.
When he walked in the door that led from the garage to the kitchen, he cocked his head, trying to listen for any sounds coming from the back bedroom. She wasn’t in the kitchen or the living room, but he knew instinctively that she was still there.
Having to leave Ashleigh had been one of the hardest things he’d done in quite some time. After finally breaking down those walls they’d both inadvertently built in recent weeks, he had only wanted to stay. Happy to have sat on her couch for the rest of the day and watched as she wrote those fascinating stories that had him captivated.
Instead, he’d decided to come back to his house and try to take care of the situation at hand. It wasn’t going to be easy, which was why he wanted to put it off as long as possible.
Walking through the house, he didn’t notice anything different, but he didn’t hear a sound coming from the guest room. Maybe Jessie had left. Sticking his head in the room, he found it empty. His hopes ignited. How would she have gotten home?
Turning to his bedroom, he found the door shut, which immediately set his senses on high alert. He hadn’t shut the door, never having reason to. When he pushed the door open, he found Jessie lying in his bed, sprawled out naked.
“Damn it, Jessie.” Alex said, immediately turning back the way he’d come. “Fucking get dressed and get out of my damn bed.”
“Alex, wait.” She called out to him, and he froze in the doorway, his back to her.
“Jessie, get dressed. Then come talk to me.”
“No, wait. I need you.” She said, and Alex heard her attempt at seduction. He wasn’t buying it.
“No, you need to get your shit together so I can take you home.” Feeling like a total jackass that she’d played him yet again, he stepped into the hallway.
“I love you.” She called out.
Was this her way of showing it? Did she think sex constituted love? “Get dressed.”
He slammed his bedroom door and went to the kitchen.
That’s where he found the something different.
His liquor cabinet was open. And there were two empty bottles of Jack Daniels sitting on his counter. That would have been his first sign that she’d fallen off the wagon. The fact that there were two glasses, both containing the last remnants of an apparent drunken bender made his hackles rise.
Who the fuck was in his house?
He rushed back to the bedroom, not giving a shit whether she was dressed or not. He threw the door open, sending the solid wood into the wall behind it, echoing in the open space.
“Where the fuck is he?” He asked, knowing exactly who she’d invited over.
“Who?” Jessie asked, trying to sound innocent and not making any attempt to cover her naked body.
“Jeff. He better not be in my fucking house, Jessie.” Alex moved through the bedroom, a man on a mission. He threw open the bathroom door, but it was empty. Turning to the closet, he glanced at it and then back at Jessie. Her eyes widened as he moved to the closed door.
Opening it slowly, he found exactly what he was looking for. A naked, and very drunk, Jeff was sitting on the floor.
“Get the fuck out.” Alex said, trying to keep his anger in check.
He’d been played again.
“You’ve got five seconds to get the fuck out of my house, so you better move quickly. I’m about to call the cops.”
How could she? Alex took a step back, holding his fists at his sides to keep from punching the shit out of the asshole hiding in his fucking closet. He was half tempted to start counting, but the idiot was fumbling enough as it was.
When Jeff was finally out of the house, five minutes, not five seconds later, Alex turned his attention on Jessie.
“Get your stuff together. I’m taking you home.”
“But...”
“I don’t want to hear it, Jessie. For years, I’ve listened to your sob stories. Came to your fucking rescue more times than I can count and how do you thank me? You live in a house that I pay for. You drive a car that I pay for. And you keep putting yourself in the same situations over and over again. I’m done.”
He left her sprawled naked and intoxicated in his bed. It was time to do what he should have done seventeen years ago. It was time to cut ties with his past and strengthen those of his future. As far as he was concerned, Ashleigh was his future.
Now he had to convince her of that.
~~*~~
“Will you read it?” Ashleigh asked, holding her breath in anticipation. She’d never asked anyone she knew personally to read her unfinished manuscript.
Sure, she had a couple of critique partners who would contribute, checking for errors, or making sure the flow was good, but never had she requested someone she knew to give it a glance.
“Of course.” Sierra squealed into the phone. “Oh, my goodness. I’d be honored, Ashleigh.”
“Just keep in mind, its rough.” She told her friend over the phone.
That morning she’d managed to put the finishing touches on the rough draft, finally getting it where she wanted it. Now she needed to sit back and give it a little time before she polished it for the final draft.
“I’ll stop by your house this afternoon and pick it up. I’ve got to run some errands anyway.” Sierra said.
“Sounds like a plan. What do you think Sam will say when I ask her?” Although their friendships had evolved in recent months, she’d never been one to ask much of her friends, not wanting to seem overbearing.
“Holy crap. Are you kidding? She’ll be at your house first thing to make sure she gets it first.” Sierra laughed. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours. Hold her off if possible.”
“I’ll try.” Ashleigh said, then hung up. Turning back to her computer screen she reviewed the title page. Now if she could come up with something that encompassed the entire story.
Her thoughts drifted to Alex, and she wondered what he’d think. After all, he’d been her inspiration. Or rather, the phenomenal chemistry that seemed to brew like a hurricane when they came together. It was hot. Probably one of the hottest yet. And the ménage she’d incorporated had put it over the top, in her opinion.
Two and a half hours later, Ashleigh’s house was full of people.
Not only had Sierra and Sam come over, but they’d invited their significant others. Luke, Logan, and Cole were sitting on the back deck talking while Sierra and Sam sat on the couch, curled up with their own copies of Ashleigh’s book.
Logan and Sam had brought food – enough barbecue to feed an army – and they’d all been hanging out, laughing and talking. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Alex was there. Ashleigh hadn’t bothered to call him.
She was nervous enough that Luke and Cole now knew who she was thanks to their irritating need to know exactly what Sierra had been doing. They’d plied Sierra with questions, followed by some kisses that still had Ashleigh’s mind whirling.
It was the first time she’d seen something so hot – with the exception of the night Sierra, Luke and Cole announced their permanent arrangement. That had been the first night she’d seen two men kiss and holy hell, it had been hot. The thought still sent chills down her spine.
Ashleigh stepped out on the back deck with the men while the women chattered and sent some heated looks at one another as they continued reading. It was one thing to hear their feedback, another to see how excited they were when they read the book. She didn’t want to disappoint them.
“Where’s Alex.” Luke asked when she took a seat at the table, a glass of wine in hand.
“Don’t know.” She didn’t either. She hadn’t seen him since earlier in the week, insisting she needed to focus and he was a distraction unlike anything she’d ever known.
“I talked to him earlier this morning,” Cole said. “I figured he’d be here this afternoon.”
Ashleigh couldn’t imagine why, she hadn’t expected anyone to show up at her house, other than the girls.
“Why would he be here?” She asked, sounding entirely unsure of the conversation.
“Why wouldn’t he?” Luke laughed.
So that didn’t tell her much. Suddenly feeling her nerves take flight in her belly, she downed the rest of her wine and excused herself back inside. Once there, she came face to face with the reason for her nerves.
“Hey.” She greeted Alex, stunned by his sudden appearance, and equally overwhelmed by how good he looked. And smelled. If she could bottle his incredibly scent, she’d make a fortune.
“Hey.” He approached, pulling her into his arms and crushing his mouth to hers. Either he was oblivious to Sam and Sierra sitting just a few feet away in the living room, or he didn’t care.
When he pulled away, she stared up at him. He was smiling. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just surprised I wasn’t invited to the party.” He told her, keeping her body close, his hands wrapped around her waist.
“Well, it wasn’t supposed to be a party.” It wasn’t.
“Well, I see food,” he cocked his head in the direction of the kitchen, “I hear laughter,” he tilted his head toward the living room, “and I see you’ve got security.” This time he turned his eyes toward Logan, Luke and Cole sitting on the back patio.
Laughing, she pulled away. “When you put it that way...”
Alex followed her into the kitchen, a tiny measure of privacy that he immediately took advantage of. He pressed her against the refrigerator and pressed his lips to hers.
“If it weren’t for all these people, I’d strip you naked right here and have you on your knees with my cock in your mouth again. I’ve missed that mouth.” He traced her bottom lip with his finger and Ashleigh fought the urge to suck his finger into her mouth.
Leaning in closer to her ear, he whispered. “Or maybe I should do it anyway. They all like to watch.”
Her belly fluttered, and her sex clinched. This was the side of Alex that she longed to get to know. The man who didn’t hold back. Despite her nerves, she was tempted to do it just to show him how much she liked the promises he was making. Except she didn’t have enough nerve.
“Do you want to be watched, Ashleigh?” He asked, licking her neck.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. The answer surprised even her. Yes, she wanted to be watched. Maybe not by her closest friends, but the idea intrigued her. But she figured it was only in the hypothetical sense.
“Damn, baby.” He said when he pulled back. “It’s a good thing my shirts not tucked in. Every one of them would know exactly what you do to me.” Taking her hand, he placed her palm against the hard ridge behind his zipper and Ashleigh eagerly rubbed him, wanting him to keep going.
He growled.
“Now, that’s hot as hell.” Luke said as he approached.
Ashleigh jerked away from Alex, her face heating with embarrassment.
“What’s up?” Alex asked, acting as though they hadn’t been groping one another only seconds before in the middle of her kitchen.
“Just getting some beers. Come join us when you’re done.” He laughed as he pulled three long neck bottles from the fridge and turned back the way he’d come.
“I’ve never been into the idea of being watched, but with you... I could get into it. Really into it.” Alex said as he pulled her close once again.
Ashleigh laughed, a rough sound that broke loose. She was in over her head right now, and she needed to catch her breath before she did something stupid.
Alex retrieved a beer from the fridge before turning back to her. “Don’t go far.” He grinned and then walked off.
Ashleigh leaned against the counter, trying to get her bearings. Holy shit. How did he do that? Turn her into some wanton woman who’d do anything to please him.
With a deep sigh, she steeled herself for what was to come.