“Here we are.” I step inside and wave my arm at my childhood room. The queen-sized bed is made with its same emerald comforter, the woodwork throughout the room is polished, but still shows signs of scratches and dings, and my same old furniture sits where it always has, holding my trophies, collectibles, and childhood photos.
“It’s like a little king’s room,” Ella muses.
“A little king’s room?”
“Yes. It’s large enough to have its own sitting room, and you have an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The bedroom I grew up in was a fraction of this size and had a tiny closet. But then you are theheir, so a little king’s room is apt.” She winks at me and continues her perusal. Then she suddenly whirls to face me with a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Did you ever sneak a girl in here?”
“A few times when my parents were away.”
“Why only a few times?”
“It was hard to get them past Harold. And I had to bribe and threaten Declan and Sterling within an inch of my life to keep it secret.”
She laughs. “Were you a ladies’ man, even back then?”
“It was hard not to be when women and girls started throwing themselves at me by the time I was fifteen.”
“Women?”
I nod. “Women. Money and power can blur many lines of propriety.”
“Fucking hell. And did you . . . I mean, were you with any women when you were a boy?”
“No. I was sorely tempted a couple of times, but my bodyguards put a stop to it.”
“Thank god for that.”
She runs her hand along the dresser and shelves, taking inall my embarrassing photos and trophies. “I could never have snuck a boy into my bedroom at home,” she says, absentmindedly. “It was too close to my parents’ room. They would have heard everything, and I would have been grounded until college.”
“So, no trysts at home for you?”
“No. Not for me. No trysts until I was an adult and in college.”
“Now that we’re speaking of trysts, you have my mind working in wicked ways, Ms. Hale.”
She stops and turns to look at me again, one brow lifted. “And just what do you mean by that?”
I take three steps and lock the bedroom door, then prowl toward her. “I mean that when I was an idiot teen, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing with girls. My efforts in this room were laughable at best. And you know how much I hate to perform below anything but exceptional standards. I think it’s time I remedied that.”
“Your parents and brother are downstairs.”
“Yes, and they’ll stay there. As you said, this is a mansion with plenty of space. No one will hear.”
“Asher . . .”
“Ella . . .” I mimic. “Since I’ve done so well with our games of truth or dare, I would like to start another one.”
She bites her lip to hide her smile.
“I gave you a truth. You asked if I brought girls here, and I told you yes. So, it’s my turn. And I choose dare. I dare you to hop up on my dresser.”
Her breaths quicken, and I know she wants to, but propriety is warring in her mind. Perhaps I’ll just help her make up her mind.
I walk toward her, and she steps backward until she bumps into the dresser. Two of my old trophies and a picture tip over, clattering against the wood surface. Ella yelps as I lift her andset her on the dresser, hiking her dress up near her hips. Her green eyes burn with lust, but I can still see the war of indecision in them. I slide my hands up her dress, my palms grazing over her inner thighs. She sucks in a breath when I run my thumb along her center.
I bend down to whisper in her ear. “I dare you to open your legs for me, baby.” A beat later, I almost purr with satisfaction when she does. “Good girl. Now lift your hips for me.”
She leans back on her hands and lifts her hips, and I slip my hands back beneath her dress and grab her panties. I slide them down her legs, and when I bend down to slip them off her heels, I get the perfect view of her spread legs beneath her dress. I stop for a moment and just enjoy the view. Her pretty pussy is already wet for me. Fuck, yes.
