Among Ash and Ember: A New Adult Romance Read online

  Stalking into the bedroom, I find the brunette beauty right where I want her. With a smirk, I close the distance between the bed and me. Upon reaching the foot end, my cock throbs as my hungry gaze devours her. She’s perfect. Her body is slim, but there’s a curve to her hips, and her tiny tits are perky with rosy-colored nipples that are currently hard and peaked.

  Her skin is flawless—smooth and creamy—ready for me to mark with my handprint. When my gaze lands on her pretty pussy, I can’t stop the growl that vibrates through my chest. She’s almost bare; a dark strip of hair trails from her mound right to her slit, which is currently shimmering with arousal.

  “Open your legs.”

  She spreads her thighs, giving me a delicious view of her perfect little cunt.

  “Using your index finger, I want you to stroke yourself.”

  Slowly, she teases herself with a delicate touch that elicits a whimper from her plump lips, which is pure torture for me because I ache to have my fingers there, inside her, making her moan.

  My hand moves to my cock, and I squeeze it while I watch her. I tug my zipper down and free my erection. I match the pace of her hand as it moves over her slick heat. Together, we moan and whimper. Her sounds are the soundtrack to my pleasure, and I could listen to her all day, all night, and never tire of how beautifully melodic she is. If I could record her in the throes of pleasure—like she is now—I’d never need to hear another song again.

  Her hips rise up to meet her hand, intensifying the action, and I know it’s torture for her just using one finger.

  “Dip two fingers into your little cunt,” I tell her in a low groan. Her wide eyes meet mine. They’re shining with desire so hot, so fucking fierce, I feel it right down to my gut. I haven’t touched her, but it’s like I can feel her skin beneath my fingertips.

  She does as I ask and fucks herself as I jerk my dick. I should do something—touch her, kiss her, or even fuck her, but I can’t. She asked me why I pay women to come here, to whore themselves out to me, but she doesn’t know how broken I truly am.

  She also doesn’t know just how special she is to me. I never thought I could do this: be with her in the same room without guilt eating away at me. If she only knew the truth, she’d want to kill me or have me wanting to kill myself, but this right here—having her waiting, ready for me, and not being able to be inside her—it’s my own form of torture.

  “Come for me,” I tell her. “I want to see you find pleasure.”

  Her body responds. I watch in awe as she fingers herself. Her thighs tremble, her fingers move faster, in and out, and her other hand tweaks her pretty nipples until she’s crying out into the large bedroom and I find euphoria in her pleasure.

  She didn’t call my name.

  How I wish she did. There’s nothing more I’d like than to hear her screaming as I pinned her to the bed and made her come around my cock. But I didn’t, and I can’t.

  My hand calms its furious stroking, even though I’m still hard. I made a mess on the blanket. I wanted to mark her, to paint her with my seed, but I can’t lay claim to her. This is all it is. One night to see her. I did the one thing I promised Ember I wouldn’t do.

  I almost fucked the girl I’m meant to look out for.

  And I know my brother will not be pleased.

  Katerina

  When my eyes flutter open, I find the beautiful man still at the foot of the bed. He’s fully dressed, and I wonder if he’s even moved since the moment he ordered me to touch myself. I’d gotten so lost in pleasure, I didn’t think about anything else.

  I trusted that he wouldn’t hurt me. Perhaps it’s stupid to believe a stranger is truthful, but when I looked into his eyes, I found nothing but honesty. He didn’t touch me while I was naked on the bed, not even once. Is there something wrong with me?

  Most times, when I’ve done this, I’ve never had an inclination to sleep with a client. Of course, they wouldn’t refuse, but Ash made me feel at ease while we confessed minor details about ourselves. He could’ve been forceful and brought me straight to the room, perhaps even pinned me to the bed, but the only contact we had was his fingers teasing me. My gut churns with confusion. However, it steadies when I think about the payment.

  The money will certainly pay off the last of the loans, and I’ll be able to think about going to college part-time. I’ll also be able to pay my rent this week. Shaking my head, I attempt to clear it from the usual worries that replay in my mind. Tonight, here with him, I want to forget all my fears.

  He’s done something to me, and I can’t explain exactly what it is. I wish he wouldn’t let me go, but he’s made it clear—this is one night only. I know to never get attached to a client. They’re traveling businessmen who don’t give you forever. There’s no diamond ring and house with a white picket fence in my future, and I’ve come to accept that.

  Besides, the pain from the past is ever-present. I can never let it go, and I’m sure no man would want someone who’s been damaged to the point of no repair. Love is nothing more than a pretty word they use to advertise a notion of happiness.

  The only person I can depend on is me. I know that. I learned it when I was living in a house with a woman who lied about my well-being to keep the social grant flowing into her bank account. And I learned it the day I paid off loans with my college fund.

  Ash watches me for a moment. I want him to come to me, hold me, to give me one last bout of affection before I leave. But it’s not who he is. I can see it. My chest feels as if pins, and needles are attacking me. My heart, the fucking muscle that’s meant to keep me alive, wants to leap into his hands.

  Stupidity.

  Ash has broken a barrier, one I worked so hard to lock up tight. I let go just this once, and it scares me. He’s seen me at my most vulnerable, and I don’t know anything about him.

  With clients, it’s usually mechanical. There is undoubtedly no real passion or desire. It’s a job. But with him, there was something else. Something more. Even though I can’t describe it, I recognized his affection.

  “Get dressed.” His gives a low, rumbled order, and my face burns with embarrassment. He turns and leaves me in the bedroom to mull over what just happened. I don’t take time to look around. I get dressed without lingering for too long in the room.

  When I pass by the bed to exit the space, my gaze lands on the white fluid on the blanket. He did come, which means he was turned on by watching me. I’m not sure why that matters, but for some reason, it puts a smile on my face.

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I join him in the living room area where he’s perched on the arm of the sofa, staring out toward the city and the dark early morning sky. I’m not sure how long we’ve been up here, but I’m sure it’s nearing sunrise.

  “I . . .” My goodbye tapers off when he turns to regard me. His eyes are dark, conveying heat and longing. He unravels me with a mere glance. This man would break me if I stayed around him for longer than a few hours.

  He lifts a tumbler to his lips, swallowing whatever his drink of choice is. I watch as he rises from the sofa, and his steps eat up the distance between us. We’re so close, but he doesn’t reach for me. I want him to. My body trembles with anticipation, and I long for him to just touch me, even if it’s the slightest of caresses, but he remains aloof and detached.

  “I’ll drive you home,” he tells me without so much as an inflection in his voice. No emotion. He’s closed off from the man who was in here earlier, questioning me and offering up tidbits about him. Now I’m staring at a stranger.

  Nodding, I pick up my purse. “I’m ready.” My voice is small, and the slight tremble in words causes me to chastise myself. I hate sounding weak. It’s one of the things I’ve trained myself not to do. When Isobel first found me, I was nothing more than a meek mouse. But she told me the first thing I needed to learn was not to let shit get to me.

  Her motto is walk in, money up-front, and make them want more.

  And it’s worked. />
  Until now.

  Until Ash. If that’s actually his real name.

  He has no reason to lie to me. I know I’ll never see him again, and that’s okay with me. As the lie presents itself in my mind, I know I’ll want to seek him out.

  I should focus on my end goal, not on the man who’s made me feel something. I can walk away from someone who could potentially hurt me. He’s given me a boost to get out of the pit I’m in. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to forget him anytime soon. I know I’ll have to.

  He guides me to the door and opens it, and we step out into the hallway. Once the click sounds behind me, I don’t turn. Instead, I make a beeline for the elevator with Ash hot on my heels. The silence is deafening, but I’m unsure of what to say.

  It doesn’t take us long to get to the garage where a slew of expensive cars are parked, waiting for their owners to slip into the driver’s seats and take them away. I wish I owned one of those. One day, I promise myself. The money Ash gave me will see me through to next week, but after that, I’m back to square one.

  Ash pulls open the door to a sleek, onyx-colored Maserati. The windows are blacked out so once I’m in the expensive leather seat, nobody can see me. He joins me a second later, perched behind the steering wheel. Still, he doesn’t utter a word.

  As we pull out onto the road, he finally asks, “What’s your address?”

  I recall it in a whisper and watch him press buttons on the screen console. The woman’s voice comes through the speakers, informing him to turn right, then drive for a couple of miles before turning left.

  I know the city like the back of my hand, and if he took a wrong turn, I’d recognize it immediately. But he doesn’t. My prince doesn’t steal me away. Instead, he takes me back to the house on the hill which overlooks the lit-up city of Portland. Even though I don’t have my own place yet, I’m thankful the view is beautiful from my bedroom window.

  “This is me,” I tell him, pointing at the exposed-brick double-story house. The flaking red door beckons me, and before he can say anything, I exit his car, not wanting to linger. The scent of leather sticks to my skin. I don’t want to wash it off. Fuck it. I don’t want to forget about what just happened. I don’t want to forget Ash.

  All my clients become faceless strangers, but I know now there’s no way I can allow that to happen to him. He’s far too beautiful for that. Handsome, yet the keeper holding dark secrets that he hides behind his pretty blue eyes. He didn’t say it in so many words, but it’s there, concealed beneath his polished exterior.

  I don’t look back as I make my way to the house. Opening my purse, I close my eyes, willing him to drive away. He doesn’t. Instead, I hear the car door slam, and soon his body is behind me, the heat of him cocooning me.

  “Tomorrow night. Meet me at the bar at eight,” he murmurs so low, I hardly hear him.

  Turning to face him, I take him in for a moment before frowning in confusion at his request. “I thought you said—”

  “Fuck what I said. Obey me, and I’ll pay you another ten grand,” he commands in a husky tone. For a young man, he seems far older.

  “Okay.” I nod.

  He doesn’t wait for anything more. Turning on his heel, he rushes to his car, and I watch as it peels down the street with a squeal of tires. The engine reminds me of a lion, hungry and ready to feed, and I wonder why he wants to see me again.

  He said it was one night. I was certain he was of the mindset he’d made a mistake. And as much as I know I should first check in with Maria, I can’t deny how much my heart wants to see Ash again.

  That’s going to be a problem.

  My heart isn’t supposed to get involved.

  Ember

  Stalking back and forth, I can’t bring myself to look at Ashton.

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” My voice is tight with anxiety. Of all the things my brother has done, this has got to be the most idiotic of all. He had one job: watch over her. Not take her to his fucking hotel room and make her come.

  He doesn’t respond, but I know he’s not joking. This wasn’t the plan, and now I’m having second thoughts. It can only bring pain to all of us. It’s a dangerous game, and I know Ash is never going to stop, not until we’re all lying in a pile of debris.

  I’ve been in two minds since we set this in motion. But when Ash told me about finding her, I knew there was no way we could walk away. My father always said I was the logical one, the son with his head screwed on right, but now, I feel out of my depth.

  I’m still in shock when I meet his gaze. “It took our PI’s almost two years to find her. She was lost in the system all this time, and all you do is walk into the damn hotel and—”

  “Listen to me.” Ash sighs, causing me to halt my pacing and finally meet those familiar eyes. “She’s perfect and beautiful, and she’s a woman now, but she needs us. Her life has been fucked up for too long, and we can help her.” He places the photo on the desk, but I don’t look at it. I don’t need to see what he did in the hotel room. I don’t know if it’s anger or jealousy, or perhaps a mixture of both, but my body is vibrating with emotion.

  For years, I looked out for Ashton. I kept him safe from pain, from heartache, by not telling him the things our father used to do. When he went out, fucked whores, and came home drunk. He’d fall around the house as if he had lost us all when our mother died. But he had two sons he just didn’t want to love.

  Yes, on his good days, he was a great father. But it was on those dark days, those nights when he was a broken man that tore our family apart. I see so much of him in Ashton, and it scares me. I want my brother to be happy. To find love. And I wonder if Katerina is the way there. “Do you think toying with her is going to make our guilt go away?”

  Pain flashes in my brother’s eyes, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head—he’s feeling guilty because of what our father did. We need to do this, though. Offer her the assistance she needs to live a normal life. Can any of us ever have that? Perhaps she’ll take us up on the agreement that Ash wants to set out for her. She’d be stupid not to accept. But how am I going to tell my brother the one secret I’ve been hiding for the past year when he’s finally happy?

  Even though I’ve dreaded this day for a while, I never could’ve expected that what happened the night of our birthday would come back to haunt us both. I see the pain in Ash’s gaze, and I want to take it away. I want to see his blue eyes glitter with happiness.

  The day our lives changed was meant to be a celebration, but our twenty-fourth birthday was a nightmare that still haunts me to this day. Even our father didn’t know how to make things right. He tried. He did all he could, but it wasn’t enough.

  “I think it will ease the hurt that we’ve all suffered, brother.” He spits the words angrily. It’s his thing. When he’s upset by my prodding his ego, he laces the word with frustration, with rage, and that’s typically when I step aside and let him do whatever it is he has planned. But this is far beyond what I ever expected him to want.

  My chest aches with guilt, shame, and anger. I don’t want her to learn about us. To bring her into our lives and give her the honesty she deserves will break us both. But I can no longer be selfish. If my brother has a chance at some form of forgiveness, I shouldn’t deny him that opportunity.

  “You really think you can heal a wounded kitten?” My question stills him for a moment, no doubt reminding him of the time when we were just ten years old. Children. Ash and I were playing in the garden. Our mother had been sitting out in the sunshine, watching us run around the grounds when Ash found a cat that had clearly been left to its demise. Wounded and bleeding, he took it in his hands and attempted to comfort it, only for the animal to hiss at him. In his rage, he dropped it on the hard surface of our patio, inadvertently injuring it further and killing it. To this day, we’ve both never forgotten it.

  “I’m not a fucking child anymore, Ember,” he bites out. “This was meant to be our project, our game. Once we find he
r, we give her all she needs, and then we beg for forgiveness.” He implores me with wide eyes, waiting for me to refuse him, but I can’t. He’s my brother—the only family I have left. And I can’t see him walk into this alone. No matter how wrong, I think, he is for toying with her. I can’t deny I’m intrigued by the girl as well. “Fine.”

  A smile cracks on his face. It lights his eyes, causing them to shine like jewels. When he’s happy, there’s a different side to him. But when he’s angry, I’ve seen pure darkness in my brother and at times, it’s scared me more than I care to admit.

  I wonder if this girl will be the spark that he needs to really change him from the rage-filled person I’ve lived with all my life into a man who can love.

  “I set up a board meeting last night with Fred. He’s an asshole, and I want to get rid of him, but for now, I think we’ll leave him hanging.”

  “Was that after you watched her come or before?” I quip, offering Ash a playful smile which he returns. He seems different today, less stressed, which is good. I need to go out later, and I wonder if I should meander by the pretty girl’s house. When Ash told me she was living not far outside the main strip, I couldn’t help wondering if I should orchestrate bumping into her.

  “Smart-ass,” he retorts, rolling his eyes. “Before.”

  The banter between us lightens the mood, and I can't help but chuckle.

  “Anyway, I had to tell you, he’s worried we’re going to fire him,” he informs me. Our father’s best friend has been trying to take Addington Corporation away from us since the Will was read.

  “If he’s not careful, he’ll be demoted to a fucking admin clerk,” I tell Ash, settling in a chair which overlooks our vast gardens, the same lush green lawn I ran across as a child. When our father died, I wanted to leave, to move out of Addington Hall, but it was Ash who kept me here.

  Our mother had passed away years before, leaving us with our father. I miss her every day, but it’s my father who taught us how to be the shrewd businessmen we are. Deep down, I yearn for the nurturing love of a woman. I wonder if we would’ve turned out differently had she lived. Sadness lances my chest, but I push it aside.