She’d never touched herself in front of anyone before, and while she might have been embarrassed, the way Grant watched her chased away those feelings before they could take hold.
The heat in his eyes, her fingers on her bundle of nerves, and him thrusting inside her all combined to have pleasure building quickly. When Grant took her mouth in a hungry kiss that was all it took, and she combusted into a fiery inferno of ecstasy.
He followed her into pleasure, and as she clung to him, Ashlyn realized it was going to be a whole lot harder to walk away this time than it had been last time.
Chapter
Six
May 9th
5:16 P.M.
Holding her like this, buried inside her, her cheeks flushed with her pleasure, Grant knew one thing for certain. He didn't want to let Ashlyn go.
Which meant they needed to talk. If all their night together had meant to her was one night of fun, then he’d walk away with no regrets. If all this moment in the foyer of her penthouse meant was gratefulness and joy at being alive, then he’d walk away with no regrets.
But if she wanted more …
Please let her want more.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice muffled because she’d pressed her face against his neck.
“Don’t thank me for saving your life, honey,” he rebuked gently. He would have saved anyone he’d stumbled across being kidnapped today, it just so happened that it was her, the woman he couldn’t get out of his head.
When he went to pull out of her so she could go and clean up, and then they could talk, she tightened her legs around his hips, keeping him deep inside her. It was obvious she was deeply affected, but by them having sex or what could have happened to her?
He’d heard her statement, the man who had held a knife to her throat had planned to rape her once he robbed her. Whether he would have let her go or not afterward they’d never know, but even if she’d lived, Ashlyn would never have been the same. Even now, she’d have scars from her ordeal, and he wasn't talking about the small wound on her neck.
Carrying her through the foyer and into a living room, he sat down on an overstuffed armchair and settled her in his lap. She sighed contentedly and snuggled closer, seemingly pleased to still have him inside her.
“I'm so glad it was you there today,” she admitted, her face once again pressed to his neck.
“Me too, honey. Me too.” Should he just admit that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her? Was that appropriate given what she’d been through today? Maybe he should hold on to that particular piece of information until she wasn't so emotionally raw.
Now he had her number, and they’d reconnected today, he could quite easily stay in touch under the guise of checking up on her, and then maybe in a few weeks or months he could broach the topic of dating.
If it wasn't for the almost kidnapping, he’d just be honest with her. Grant had always been the kind of guy who told things like they were, but in the most compassionate way he could, and now that he was in his forties, he had even less interest in beating around the bush. But he also didn't want to overload Ashlyn when she was already vulnerable.
Lifting her head from his shoulder, she chewed on her bottom lip in a way that made it pretty hard to resist running his tongue along it to soothe away the teeth marks. Conflicting emotions raged in her pretty blue eyes, and he had to wonder if she was trying to think about how to let him down gently.
His chest tightened uncomfortably at the thought. Of course, he would never push her into a relationship she didn't want, and if she truly wasn't interested in him, he’d walk away, but he hoped that wasn't the case.
“I can't stop thinking about you.”
“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head,” Ashlyn said at the exact same time.
Both their eyes widened at their simultaneous confessions, and then a huge grin curled his lips into a smile. She did feel the same way he did. Thank goodness, because he was pretty sure he was kidding himself when he thought he could walk away without regrets. There would have been none about sex with Ashlyn, she was beautiful inside and out, but he would have regretted not getting a chance with her.
“Really?” she asked, with just a hint of suspicion. “You're not just saying that because … of what happened today? If you're not interested, I can take it, you don’t have to coddle me or anything. I'm stronger than I look.”
“No coddling,” he promised. “I swear, Ashlyn, I can't stop thinking about you. I … kept your panties from that night,” he admitted. “I still have them, and they haven’t just sat in a drawer these last few months.”
At his confession, her cheeks pinked, but she looked pretty pleased at his revelation. “I wanted to ask for your number so many times these last few months, but I know you still love your wife.”
“Oh, honey.” Lifting his hands to frame her face, he let his fingertips feather gentle caresses on her temples. “I will alwayslove Lara, but she’s gone and she’s not coming back. She would want me to move on, to try to find someone else to share my life with, and there has been no one before you. You were the first woman to make me think I could actually do that. Actually build a new life.”
“Really?”
