Page 20 of Ashes’ Addiction

“Are you using it in your head? I know you think of him more than you want. It’s understandable. You’ll get past this and if you’ll let me, I’ll be here to help.” He used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the remnants of her tears.

“But, why?”

“I already told you, Tiny Warrior, there’s something about you that calls to me. Now, this isn’t the way I hoped things would go once you got back today.”

“Oh?” Miranda asked arching one brow.

“Yeah, I thought we might pick up where you left off this morning?”

“Where I left off?”

“Yeah, it was somewhere around here...” He trailed off as he closed the distance between them. Ashes kept his movements slow to give her time to stop him if she didn’t want this, but she didn’t stop him. She actually leaned in until their lips met, then she seemed to freeze, as if not sure where to go from there. But Ashes wasn’t nearly so hesitant. He brushed a gentle kiss across her lips at first then nibbled at her lower lip until she gasped and let him in. That one opening was all he needed. He let his tongue sweep into her mouth, tasting, tormenting, and losing himself in her.

Chapter Eighteen

The moment Ashes’ lips brushed against Miranda’s, all organized thought fled her mind.

She was leaning toward believing him. She wanted to trust him, because the more she thought about what she’d seen, the more she realized he wasn’t looking at the woman, he wasn’t engaging in her antics.

It was impossible for her to know what happened before she’d arrived, but from what she’d seen, he hadn’t even acknowledged the other woman after Miranda walked in.

The sharp nip of teeth against her bottom lip made her gasp. When Ashes used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, Miranda forgot everything but the two of them. She curled one hand into the muscles of his chest as she leaned closer, eager for more of his touch. Picking up the hand he wasn’t cradling her head with, Miranda put it on her breast. She ached and he was the only way she knew to quench that ache. She moved until she sat astride his lap, then leaned down to kiss him again. She liked the way he felt underneath her. The hard muscle, the strength of his hands on her. The thick rod between his legs that hit all the right places as she moved over him.

Ashes groaned, he seemed as lost in sensation as she was. When she tugged her shirt off and tossed it aside, his hands gripped her hips and held her still. It took a moment for the haze to clear her mind enough to realize he was waiting for something.

“What?” Miranda asked, impatient to feel his touch.

“I just want to make sure you’re good with this. I don’t want to be a mistake in the heat of the moment, Tiny Warrior. You need to be sure this is what you want. Because once I sink into the sweet heat of your body, I’m not letting go. We go there, baby and you’re mine.”

“Yours?” Her heart fluttered. What did he mean exactly. “What does that mean? I mean, with the club and all.”

“It means you’re mine and I’m yours. You’ll wear my patch. The brothers will treat you with respect.”

“Patch?” Miranda frowned.

“Have you noticed the cut Winter wears?”

She scowled as she thought about it. “You mean the one that says ‘Property of Bishop’? Is that what you mean by patch?”

“That’s it.” Ashes’ fingers flexed on her hips making her shift them. The movement ground her clit against the hard rod in his jeans. Miranda couldn’t help the whimper of need that escaped her.

“What else?” she asked.

“You’ll be family. You need something, anything, and we’ll all be there for you.”

“But what about the club sluts? If I wear your patch, will you still be screwing around with club ass?”

“Not without you.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?” She put at hand on his chest, ready to climb off his lap and out of the chair if he said the wrong thing.

“I mean that from now on, it’s you and me, Tiny Warrior. You want something different, come to me, we’ll figure it out. You want to try batting for the other team, hell, let’s try it. You want to be the creamy middle-in-a-man sandwich, we’ll figure it out. I’m open to a lot, but whatever we do, we do it together.” He moved one hand from her hip, picked up one of hers and wove their fingers together. “If we trust each other, we can face anything. What do you say?”

He met her gaze, watching her while she stared back at him. After several breaths she dropped her gaze to their joined hands. It felt like there was a steel band around her chest, slowly tightening. The tighter it got, the harder she found each breath.

“Hey there, Tiny Warrior, look at me.” Ashes’ words drew her attention. She lifted her gaze to meet his and the invisible band around her chest loosened minutely. Then a little more. “Is the idea of being mine that scary?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Shaking her head, Miranda swallowed then tried again.