“I can hear your brain churning,” Ashton said.
Smiling, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheekbone. “I’m working a cold case that may involve a politician. When Sinclair said Internado is from Richmond…nah, never mind. I have an overactive imagination.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I cannot wait for you to use that imagination on me.”
“Drive faster.” She massaged his corded thigh with anxious fingers.
“Do you want to stop at Hudson’s for dinner?” he asked.
“Only if you do. Are you hungry? Of course, you’re hungry. You’re always hungry.”
He stopped at a light. His eyes darkened with impatient desire. “I am starving. For you.”
When the light turned green, he hit the gas. With an edgy delight, she felt herself go damp. No masks, no kink club, and no role-playing. She couldn’t wait to make love to him.
By the time they got back, the sun had set. Once inside the yacht, she slammed into him, their bodies afire, their mouths greedy. Ravenous, they stripped each other bare and tumbled into bed. She fastened her lips to his, his sexy sounds sending currents jolting through her. His mouth was hot, his hands hotter. His intensity sent flares straight to her center. Their rough kissing yielded to softer pecks and murmurs of love.
As they lay facing each other, his thumb tenderly teased her nipple, while she stroked him beneath the sheet.
“I need a condom.” His husky voice vibrated through her.
“No condom. I use an IUD, plus, my partners gloved up.”
“I’m king of the condoms.” His smile crinkled his eyes in the corners. “I’m clean.”
She guided him to her opening and, in one glorious slide they were connected.
“You’re all mine,” he murmured, “and I want to show you exactly what that means.” He took her slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. With every thrust, her body bowed to his. The rise was slow, decadent. The touch of his hands on her breasts, the feel of his mouth on her skin, exploring and tasting.
His moans rippled through her. She couldn’t stop writhing beneath him, couldn’t stop stroking him, reveling in his hard muscles and strong body. His ravenous kisses stole her thoughts and sent her flying high.
She got close to cresting, but he slowed them down, then built her back up. When he finally propelled her to a crescendo, the orgasm shattered her, shaking her to her soul. He, too, let go, the euphoria enveloping them in layered sensations of ecstasy. They became each other’s world. They were all that mattered.
Without question, she had found her soul mate. They stayed wrapped around each other while they drifted down to earth.
“You’re my angel.” He drew her closer still, dropped a kiss on her heated skin. “I’m going to spend every day making sure you know how much I love you.”
“From the moment you sat next to me at school, I adored you,” she said with a smile.
“And you always will.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, where her lips curved into a smile.
“So cocky.”
“Yes, ma’am. I also know I’m the luckiest guy on earth. So, what’s your answer, Carlyle Stone? Will you be my girl?”
“You have me, Ash.”
He held up his pinky. “That goes double for me.”
She hooked her small finger around his. “Pinky promise.”
“Forever,” he said and pressed his lips to hers.
Maverick woke, his heart pounding out of his chest, the nightmare too fresh in his mind to ignore. He stood alone in a cemetery, staring at a casket that had yet to be buried. While he’d assumed his mother’s body lay in that wooden box, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach gave him every reason to believe he was burying Carly.
In the pre-dawn hour, her rhythmic breathing calmed his palpitating heart. He was spooning her, his arm and leg protecting her like a shield.
She’s okay. Better than okay. She was with him and she was safe. He had no reason to believe anything to the contrary, but the chilling dream had left him unsettled and overly protective.
