“Are you okay?” I ask. He hasn’t said anything about the plan. Is it too much for him now? Has he decided that I’m not worth this extra trouble? I guess it’s hard enough for him to share me with Alex, Shane, and Jace. To have to watch me with Ash when he can’t or won’t do anything in public may be pushing him too far.
He suddenly spins and strides toward me like a panther stalking his prey. It’s all I can do not to run from his soul-deep stare when his eyes meet mine. Before I can kick my fight or flight instincts into gear, he gathers me in his arms and kisses me.Hard.A take no prisoners, leave no doubt to how he feels kind of kiss. I become putty in his arms. There’s just something about all of my guys that make me feel safe and secure and comfortable letting them take the lead. For so many years, I’ve led Neighpalm Couture with a single-minded focus, not giving an inch in a professional capacity. Having the complete opposite in my personal life is life changing.
I’m breathless and shuddering when he pulls away. “As long as I have a place somewhere in your life, you could add a hundred men, and I’d support you,” he tells me fiercely.
“Oh no, it’s not like that with Ash. It’s all pretend,” I protest, and he gives me that serene smile of his.
“Of course it is, but if something were to happen with him, I wouldn’t be upset or surprised.”
“Yeah, I’m not so sure Alex would agree. It seems there are some unresolved feelings there, even if they did get some closure. It would probably become messy. Better to be strictly friends with him.” I’m not sure whether I’m telling that to Riku or myself, but I’m sticking to it.
Riku has a disbelieving smirk. “Okay, whatever you say. Come now, climb into your bed and have a nap. I’ll order you some food when you get up.” He tows me into my bedroom by the hand and pulls back the covers on my neatly made bed. I sit down, and he slips off my shoes before dragging my leggings down. I’m left in my panties and the big baggy shirt I’d slipped on to be comfortable during the flight. I reach up and undo my bra, sliding it off through the arm holes, before climbing under the blankets. Riku goes to pull them up, but I put a hand out to stop him.
“Climb in with me?” I ask. “Just hold me while I nap. I always feel so safe in your arms.” The smile slowly slides across his face again, with a hint of pride shining in his eyes, like he’s pleased that’s how he makes me feel. He nudges off his shoes and goes to climb in, but I shake my head. “Strip, I want you to be comfortable too.”
He removes his dress pants and T-shirt, leaving him in a pair of tight boxers, and oh my... Riku is all long and lean with abs for days. I swallow as he slides in next to me, gently rolling me over so he can wrap his arms around me from behind. He pulls the covers up over us, and his body heat instantly makes me feel hot. His hand cups one of my boobs as he gets comfortable.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
“More than okay,” I reply as I close my eyes and revel in the feel of having him in my bed. Apart from the other night with Shane and Alex, I haven’t had a man in my bed in years. Any sex I partook in was one-night flings with me leaving not long after the climax. I hadn’t realized how nice it would be to cuddle.
Riku nuzzles my neck and kisses me just behind my ear as his dick hardens against my ass. Neither of us mention it. We both know it’s a forgone conclusion eventually, but not now. No, when we make love, I want to have enough time to really enjoy him because I’m almost certain Riku is going to blow my mind.
ChapterTwo
Jacinta
The week is a drug and alcohol fueled blur filled with parties and appearances. My only constant is the underlying guilt that stays beneath the surface of my mind. Having to do this, being out in a world that wants nothing from me other than the superficial girl they believe I am, is making me grab that little baggie more than I ever wanted to. It awakens all of that insecurity that I spent years of therapy and thousands of dollars trying to heal. What can I say? Trauma is one determined motherfucker.
I tried to use alcohol as a crutch instead, but it didn’t help. It made me paranoid and jumpy, so I reverted back to the coke usage, helping myself to more from the stash at Willow Castle. Unfortunately, it’s now Thursday night, and I’m finally out. I don’t have time to return to Willow Castle prior to tonight’s outing with Ash.
We’re going to another private party for some random celebrity, but this will be at a private residence. I’m not sure why Cole has us going to this one. Maybe there will be media out front? It’s all superficial and fake, but I’m surprised to admit I’m enjoying Ashton’s company. He’s not as big of a douche as he portrays. I guess, much like me, he has a facade he presents to the public, but when we’re in private, traveling to and from these events, we have had some interesting and insightful conversations. When we started this, I never thought we’d end up friends, but he’s slowly wormed his way under my skin. His love for his sister is obvious when he talks about her, and someone who loves like that can’t be all bad.
“Ash, why the playboy act?” I ask him once we’re firmly entrenched in the back of the limo once more. Riku is riding in the front with the driver tonight, and I’ve poured us both whiskeys on ice. He seems to drink as much as I do at these things, and I’m almost certain he’s been popping pills as well. Seems we may be two peas in a pod, self-medicating to get through life.
“To start with, it was to piss off my grandmother, mostly. I hated her dictating to me, and it was my way of giving her the finger. If I couldn’t embarrass her with my sexuality, then I could embarrass her with my public womanizing. But the stupid old cow is old school, so she expects that kind of attitude from men. And by then, people had come to expect that kind of behavior from me. I was the party boy lord, and I was always invited to things. My popularity and reputation made it so that I could avoid the estate for as long as possible.”
“Oh, that reminds me. If there’s no money left in the estate, how do you afford your lavish lifestyle?” Because there has been no hesitation in splashing his money around. He won’t actually let me pay for anything even though I can definitely afford it. He just picked up my hand and gallantly kissed me on the back of it, saying, “Now, what kind of gentleman would that make me?”
A smug, satisfied smile spreads across his lips, and his eyes light up with mirth. “My money, fair question. Well, my mother was an extremely wealthy woman. It seems the Lavingtons have a habit of encouraging their sons to marry for money. And when she died in childbirth, my grandmother and father were furious to discover she’d changed her will while pregnant with me. I inherited everything that was hers. She had discovered that my father started cheating not long after she revealed that she was pregnant. Her lawyer informed me that she had started divorce proceedings, but she died before she could finalize them.”
“I’m so sorry, Ash. I know what it’s like to have shady relatives.”
“Ah yes, Count Bucataru. I read that story. It was riveting, if somewhat unbelievable.”
“Yeah, but I can assure you it was all true.”
“They really found all those guns and drugs stashed in the house?”
“Yes, there were drugs stashed all over the house, not to mention my grandfather’s body. The house is riddled with secret rooms and passages for staff. We found him in one of those.”
He leans forward, totally absorbed with the story. “But not your father?”
I shake my head. “No, which leaves him as the only remaining loose end. Who knows if we’ll ever find out what happened to him?”
He leans back, taking another sip of his whiskey. “So is that where you’re getting your coke from?”
The mouthful of whiskey that I just swallowed goes down the wrong way when I gasp my surprise, leaving me sputtering and coughing. Ash hands me a napkin before taking my glass from me. I widen my eyes, feigning surprise. “I think you must be mistaken. I don’t…”
