‘So what are your plans?’ Conor eyes me with obvious trepidation.
‘For the ball?’ I cross my hands over my chest defensively, positive that’s not what he’s referring to.
‘For the future.’ He glares.
Sasha hops down from the counter and inserts herself between us, raising her hands to calm us down. ‘Conor, please.’
‘That’s the beauty of life, isn’t it?’ I meet his stare with one of my own. ‘None of us know what the future will bring. The only thing I’m certain of right now, is that this woman’ – my hands slip round her waist, tugging her back to lean on my chest – ‘is going to be the epicentre of mine.’
Conor scoffs. ‘Just try not to break her heart. Again.’
He turns his back just as Megan waltzes in. Her eyes flick from Sasha, to Conor, to me, and back to Sasha. If she senses the tension, she doesn’t comment.
‘Your cousin and his band have set up in the ballroom. They’re doing a soundcheck whenever you’re ready.’
‘Great.’ Sasha claps her hands together.
‘And the tickets sold out in two minutes once word got out that lover-boy here is the entertainment.’
‘That’s absolutely fantastic.’ Sasha’s tone is infused with genuine joy. I didn’t realise the ball meant so much to her.
‘I emailed Harry everything. Obviously it won’t clear the loan, but combined with the new prices and the fact we’re booked solid for the next two years, even he’s finally optimistic about the future of the castle.’
Sasha shoots Megan a look as if to tell her to shut her mouth. Megan glances in my direction, then back to Sasha, visibly wincing.
I’m missing something here.
Before I can ask any questions, Conor wipes his hands on his chef whites and whips his top over his head revealing his torso.
For fuck’s sake. Could he be any more obvious?
Megan hands him a shirt I didn’t notice she was holding and takes his whites from him. ‘The ballroom. Let’s go. Your cousin awaits.’
I shoot a meaningful look at the pantry, which causes the blush to creep into Sasha’s cheeks once again. Her lower lip catches between her teeth and heat suffuses her bright eyes.
‘We’ll be right behind you,’ I tell them, nudging Sasha in the opposite direction as my dick turns to stone in my trousers.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
SASHA
Not for the first time in my life, I find myself in the pantry with Ryan’s hand underneath my skirt.
With the hand that’s not currently inching up my inner thigh, he flicks the switch inside the door and harsh spotlights illuminate every corner of the room.
‘What are you doing?’ My breath rasps in my throat.
‘I want to watch while I make you come.’ His fingers inch higher. ‘Stockings? Are you trying to fucking kill me, woman?’ Skimming over the lace tops, he groans, drops to his knees and hitches my skirt up around my waist.
He won’t have to wait long. The way his eyes focus intently on mine is enough to get me off alone.
Conor and Megan might be gone but there are plenty of kitchen staff on the other side of this door ready to deal with room service requests, the bar menu and afternoon teas, yet I can’t bring myself to care. Carnal lust is blinding.
Ryan’s wandering hands search inside the lace of my thong.
‘You’re wet.’ He nudges my legs apart, then his hot breath brushes the most sensitive parts of me while his fingers simultaneously deliver maddeningly delicious strokes.
‘You’re surprised?’
