“Hell.”
Yeah, I’m gonna like what she has in mind. But before she gets started, I hurry to clean myself. When I’m done and the water has been shut off, she takes my dick in her tiny hands and places the tip against her lips. My hips jolt forward, shoving inside, and she moans around me. She tries to say something, to tell me what she wants, but her mouth is full of me. Thankfully, I’m adept at interpreting Ashlin’s desires.
“You want me to fuck your mouth?” I ask.
She nods eagerly, granting me permission. When we first met, I worried that I’d be too rough for her, but that doubt vanished quickly. Ashlin has always been my equal in bed, taking what I give her and demanding more. She hums, and pleasure shoots through me. My sack tightens and draws up. Shit, I don’t want this to end too soon. Carefully, I wind my hand around the nape of her neck and take a handful of her hair, baring her throat to me. The movement also dislodges her from my dick.
“You’ll tell me if it’s too much?” I ask.
“Yes.” She eyes me longingly. “Please, Seth. I need this.”
“Okay.” I guide her back, and my entire body jerks when she fastens her mouth around me and sucks. Hard. “Fuck.”
Keeping my hand in her hair, the way she likes it, I thrust my hips forward, sinking deeper into the wet heat of her mouth, bumping against the back of her throat. I growl as a spurt of liquid erupts from my overeager cock, and I tamp down the urge to come. I’d rather draw this out.
“Easy,” I murmur—whether to myself or her, I’m not sure.
She waits for me to set the pace, because she’s fucking perfect like that. I ease into a rhythm, slow enough to drag out the pleasure but fast enough to satiate us both. In and out. She takes it like I knew she would. Happy to entrust me with care of her pleasure. Safe in the knowledge that I’d cut off my dick before hurting her. She tilts back her head, letting me see her blissed-out expression. She takes as much satisfaction from this act as I do, and I know if I were to stop and turn the tables, her pussy would be ready, even though she came only a few minutes ago. The memory of her breaking apart while I watched is enough to send me over the edge. I release her hair, giving her the option to pull back, but she grabs my ass and encourages me to keep going. White sears the fringes of my vision, and I bite into my palm to stop from shouting as I empty into her.
She swallows, and blinks up at me, her eyes glazed with need. In a few swift movements, I reverse our positions and bury my face in her pussy. She cries out, and I hope like hell that nobody else heard her or I might have to kill them.
I was right. She’s wet on my tongue and tastes like she belongs to me. I growl against her and lick once, twice, then she whimpers and gives me a taste of what I’ve been missing.
I love you.
The words are right there on my tongue, but I don’t say them. If I want her to know they’re sincere, they need to come sometime that isn’t on the heels of an epic orgasm.
I hold her until she’s steady enough to stand on her own, then shift away and get to my feet. Instead of professing my love, I kiss her forehead and draw her close, hoping that my actions will tell her what my words don’t.
20
Seth
After we dry off, Ashlin and I head into town while Harley and Devon borrow Mom’s car and go to Cedar Bend Martial Arts to catch up with our former trainer, Don. I wouldn’t mind dusting off the old gloves and getting back to my roots, but I’m mindful that this is Ashlin’s first time in my hometown and there are places I’d like to show her. I’ll drop by and see Don later.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asks as we climb into the rental car and buckle up. “You don’t have to give me the grand tour.”
“I want to,” I assure her. “It’s part of working out the negative energy from this place.”
She giggles, hand flying to her mouth. “Seth Isles, did you just use the phrase ‘negative energy’ in a completely serious context?”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t make too much of it.”
We cruise across the river, into the other side of town. The poor side. Where I grew up. The houses nearest the river aren’t too shabby, but the further we venture, the worse they get, until I stop outside a two-bedroom bungalow that hasn’t seen a new coat of paint in fifty years. The small garden grows wild, and the letterbox has been knocked over—probably by vandals or a drunk driver.
“This is where we lived.” I lower the window to have a better look, but I have no desire to get out. “It looked better then. The landlord—if he’s still alive—has let it go to hell.”
Ashlin gazes around, noting the row of mostly identical houses, and how this one, in its state of disrepair, fits in perfectly. “Did you like it?”
I grunt, not expecting the question. “It was okay. We had shelter. Food. It was freezing in winter, but on the worst days we’d make blanket forts and stay in there with our hot water bottles. We’d play games or Mom would tell stories. At least, that’s what we did when I was young. I was a prick of a teenager. Thought I was too cool for that. So yeah, I guess I didn’t mind it.” I turn to her. “The problem was that it’s on the wrong side of the river. Somehow—it must have been through a child support agreement—Mom managed to send me to a better school. She meant well, but the kids bullied me for being from bad stock. I’d rather have stuck to the public school over here. I think I’d have been happier.”
Ashlin threads our fingers together. “You showed them though, didn’t you? Look at you now. Half the country knows your name, and you could buy this entire street if you wanted.” She leans forward and kisses my cheek. I hold her there, inhaling the scent of her. Like always, it brings comfort. It’s hard to believe she’s actually here with me. After staying away for so many years, I’m back in this godforsaken place, but it’s not so terrible with her at my side. It’s just a place, like any other.
She’s right too. I may not dip into it often, but I have a small fortune in the bank. Crowds have screamed for me. So why do I let this shitty town bring me down?
“Where else would you like to see?” I ask.
She cocks her head. “What was your favorite place?”
