He curses softly as he pulls the tights down even more until they come to rest at the middle of my thighs. Then he presses his thumb on my clit, looking up at me to gauge my reaction as he slowly begins moving it in tight little circles. He looks down at what he’s doing again, then back up at me, like he can’t decide which sight is more deserving of his attention. When he slips his middle finger inside me, my eyes flutter closed of their own accord, a steady moan escaping my lips.
“Open your eyes, Allie.” Those are the first words he has spoken since he came to my door and kissed me out of thin air. It’s a soft command, almost whispered as it floods my brain, latching onto the synapses that fire without my consent, forcing my eyes to snap open.
His lips turn up at my obedience, that smug smirk of his taking its place across his mouth. “I want you to watch.”
Watch? Watch wh?—
Before I can finish my thought, he drops down, the thud ofhis knees hitting the hardwood floor echoing throughout the room. Then he’s spreading me open with his thumb as he licks a line straight up from my entrance to my clit. I gasp, my breath getting caught in the back of my throat in the process. It takes me several seconds before I realize that I’m doing exactly what he told me to. Watching him on his knees in front of me, fully clothed, still wearing his coat for God’s sake. Somehow that makes this whole situation even hotter. Like he needed me so badly, he couldn’t be bothered to take it off. Before I can examine that thought any further, he tilts his head and places a single kiss to my clit. My breath hitches. The move is so intimate, so soft, that it takes me completely off guard. It should make me squirm. I don’t do sweet. I don’t do sensual. Sex has always been a means to an end for me. Get off and get out. I should be uncomfortable with this. Not only because he’s my boss or because I hate his guts, but because it feels…too good.
But when he leans back and looks up at me, his lips glistening with my arousal, his eyes conveying a silent request for permission to keep going, I nod. Slow at first and then faster, bobbing my head up and down almost frantically.
He wastes no time, burying his hot mouth between my legs, but this time, he’s not as gentle. He circles my opening with his tongue several times before he plunges it inside me, and I scream out, refusing to call his name. I have to keep some shred of dignity here.
People often think that being on your knees makes you submissive. That the person above you has the power. Sometimes that’s true. It all depends on the dynamics, but right now? I can say with certainty that Ashton has all the power and he knows it. He’s playing me like a fucking fiddle, and I’m loving every second of it.
His tongue darts in and out of my opening, fucking me slowly until I grab his hair. A familiar warmth spreads up frommy belly. He knows I must be close, but instead of increasing his speed, he stops completely, and I whine at the loss of his mouth.
“What the f?—”
Before I can finish, he reaches up and grabs the middle of my tights, ripping them down the center. The shredded fabric pools on the floor and he grips my leg, hauling it over his shoulder to gain better access. Then his mouth is back on me and he’s flicking my clit with his tongue as he slides his middle finger back in. He continues that way, tonguing my clit and pumping his finger until I’m panting, my cheeks hot, sweat starting to bead at my temple, despite the freezing temperature of the house. My fading orgasm returns full force, surging like it’s going to completely wreck me, but it still hovers at the edge.
That’s when Ashton looks up, we lock eyes, he crooks his finger while his thumb rubs my clit, and I shatter. I don’t fall. I’m knocked off a fucking cliff. Waves of ecstasy crash into me and I scream and curse, my legs shaking as I come hard on his tongue. Ashton works me through the aftershocks, not moving his mouth until it becomes too much, and I gently guide his head back.
He lets go of my skirt, righting it so it covers me as he gets up from the floor. He’s completely disheveled now, his clothes wrinkled, hair sticking up in all directions, lips red and swollen. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and smooths out his shirt. I wait for the regret to claw at my back, but it doesn’t. Instead, my ragged breathing starts to even out and I take a tentative step forward, though my legs are still wobbly. Ashton takes a step toward me as well, angling his mouth so it’s close to my ear like he likes to do.
“Didn’t seem like you were faking that time,” he whispers. Then he turns around and walks out the door.
13
ASHTON
“Areyou even listening to what I’m saying?”
I hear Skylar’s voice, but it feels like it’s coming from far away or she’s underwater. It’s muffled, garbled, an echo. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her turn her head in the direction of my gaze. “Oh,” she says, a hint of worry laced in the word. “Ash.”
My name snaps me out of my daze, and my eyes drift to Skylar. Her dark red hair is tied up in a bun, but some of the wavy pieces have escaped the headband she’s wearing. One falls in her face, and she blows it away.
“I’m sorry, Sky. You were saying something about deadline extensions?”
“I think that’s the least of our worries.” She crosses over to the door and gently closes it, effectively blocking my view of the scene I’ve been watching for the past five minutes. The one in which Allie is giggling—fucking giggling—and batting her eyes at that asshole, Craig. He strolled in here like he owned the place to hand in his monthly article. As if he couldn’t have uploaded it to our shared drive. No, he had to come here in person because he knew she would be here. I don’t know Craig well, but Theonever trusted him, which says a lot. Theo is the best judge of character I know. It’s probably why he hired Allie. He saw something most people might not have been able to see. But Craig? He’s a smug prick—I can just tell. And he’s been flirting with Allie since he got here.
“Okay, spill,” Skylar demands as she takes the empty seat across from my desk.
“Spill what?”
“Ashton Henry Tyler, don’t play dumb with me. You know what. Something happened at the inn, didn’t it? You guys were snowed in together and what? You accidentally rolled over and your dick landed inside her?”
Damn, she’s good. That’s not exactly what happened, but it’s also not far off.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sky. Can we get back to the deadlines?”
Skylar’s eyes flare with anger and she lets out a frustrated sigh. “Look, Ashton. I didn’t push it at first because…well because obviously I haven’t told you everything about my past and you’ve always respected that I would when I was ready. So I gave you that same respect. The difference is, she works here and I need to make sure we’re doing what’s best for the paper. Theo deserves that. You know he does.”
“Of course, but?—”
Her glare halts my words.
“I’m not done.”
