Undeniably Asher (The Colloway Brothers Book 2) (27 page)

“Fucking hell, Alyse. I’ve never felt anything like this. Like you.” His hot, ragged breath brushes against the shell of my ear. The raw hunger I hear in his tone showers a mist of erotic chills down on me.

My slick walls clamp down on a loud, broken sob and Asher’s fingers tighten almost painfully, a guttural “fuck yes” hissing in my ear repeatedly as he joins me in our place of pure, unadulterated ecstasy. It’s a place I can no longer imagine being taken to by anyone but him.

“Alyse…I…wow,” he exhales on a rush, holding me to him tightly. His body still trembles slightly in the aftermath of his powerful climax.
Ditto
, I think, but can’t possibly voice, because all of my muscles are on lockdown. When our bodies sag in sated weakness, I know it’s time.

Asher has let me into his world completely. I need to do the same. I just hope I can figure out how before it’s too late.

Chapter 27

Asher

“Thank you for tonight. For accepting me,” I confess into the darkened room.

Alyse is sprawled over me, her leg pinning me to the bed. The feeling of having her in my arms and in my bed after the night we shared is nothing short of total and complete serenity. I’ve never been more at peace.

“You don’t have to thank me, Asher. I—honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t turned on. I told you I wouldn’t judge and I didn’t. I enjoyed myself, actually.”

“I’m glad.”

“Do you think anyone…saw us?”

I laugh. “Doubtful, given where we were in the club, but it’s the thought that they
could
that drives that need in me the most, I think. I’m not a hard-core exhibitionist. Would you be embarrassed if they did?”

She’s silent for a few beats. I pray she doesn’t have any regrets. That would gut me. “I’m not sure. I don’t want an audience standing there, clapping when we’re done, throwing twenties, but I have to admit, the thought of someone seeing the wicked things you were doing to me from afar turned me on more. When we first came in, I watched this woman giving a guy a blow job and I…”

“You what,” I prod when she goes silent for too long.

“I liked it,” she whispers so low I almost can’t hear.

I hook a finger under her chin, tilting her head up. “Alyse, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone there is either a member or an approved guest and they all have the same preferences.”

“How can you want to share me like that, but you can’t stand the thought of another man even looking at me? I can’t reconcile that.”

I sigh heavily, because I’ve been asking myself that same exact question for weeks. It makes no sense, but I’d repeat tonight again in a fucking heartbeat. It was the single hottest sexual experience of my life.

“I don’t know, Alyse. I don’t know exactly how to explain it. It’s a part of me I never fully understood, just accepted. You may have noticed I took you to the most remote part of the club, so the risk was obviously still there, but the chance of getting a lot of attention was small. Maybe on some subconscious level, I don’t want to share you as much as I thought I did.”

“Do you want to go back?” she asks.

“Do you?”

“Yes,” she whispers and I can’t help but smile. She may have a kinky side, but this isn’t engrained in her like it is me, so I have to think she’ll always be embarrassed about the rush it gives her.

“Then we shall.”

“Do you go there often?”

“No. That was only the third time I’ve been.”

“Did you ever…”

“Have sex?” I finish for her.

She nods.

“No.”

I feel her body relax. “I’m glad.”

“Me too.”

“Do you have sex in other public places?”

“Every chance I get,” I joke and it makes her laugh. I love her laugh.

I love her eyes.

I love her intelligence.

Hell, I love everything about this woman.

My thumb traces the outline of her full, sexy lips and I know this is the right time to say the words bursting inside me.

“You are the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met, Alyse, and not just because of tonight. You’re strong, yet vulnerable. You’re innocent, but wild. You’re like this multifaceted, multilayered puzzle. To get to the next level, I have to find the key to unlocking the first one. I can’t tell you how desperately I want to unlock every single one of your layers until I’m at your very core.”

“Asher—”

“Let me finish, baby. I know it may seem too early to say this, but I know deep in my very being you’re mine. I’m in love with you, Alyse. I’m so fucking in love with you, I can’t think straight. You don’t have to say it back. You don’t have to respond, but I need you to know how deep my feelings for you go and you should know I don’t intend on ever letting you go.”

She shifts, climbing on top of me, her nakedness arousing me all over again. It’s dark and I can barely make out much beyond her shadow, but when she takes my face in her tiny hands, I know she’s looking me in the eyes. “I’m fucked up.” She pauses and her anxiety seeps into me. I slowly run my hands up and down her torso, patiently waiting for her to continue. “Every single person I’ve loved has left me, Asher. Every single one, including Livia. I want to give you every one of my keys, but I don’t even know if I can remember where they’re all hiding anymore.”

“Then we’ll look together until we find them all.”

“Asher, I’m…scared to be hurt again.”

“Me too, but I won’t leave you.” She leans down and I embrace her tightly. “I love you, Alyse. So, so much.”

“I’m terrified of how much I love you, Asher.”

“I’m your steady. I won’t fail you. Ever,” I tell her again, knowing now she needs this reassurance and probably will daily until she truly believes she can count on me to keep my promises.

“How do you know? How can you be sure?”

“My love,” I whisper against the shell of her ear, threading my hand in her hair. “I know because I feel my heart truly beating for the very first time and leaving you is equivalent to ripping it out myself. I literally can’t breathe with the thought of not having you in my life. It’s simply unfathomable. Not even in the realm of possibility.”

She’s quiet for several seconds, before softly pleading with me, “Don’t ruin me in the worst possible way. Please.”

“Only the best, baby. I promise. Only the very best.”

Alyse’s few words have given me so much more insight into the real her than anything she’s said in the last few weeks. She’s been hurt repeatedly. I won’t be one of those people. I know that no matter what happens, I will keep that promise I just made to her.

There is nothing in the world that would cause me to abandon the woman I love more than life itself like everyone else has.

Not a goddamn thing.

Chapter 28

Alyse

“All bills are caught up and I ran payroll today,” Heather’s soft voice carries through the receiver.

“Good. Thanks,” I reply, relieved to have enough money that we don’t have to worry.

“I also received the quote from the web developer this morning on the enhancements you want done. I’ll email that to you when we get off the phone.”

“How much?” I ask, not able to wait.

“Five grand for full redevelopment, less than one for just some basic enhancements.”

Five grand. Damn. When I started last year, I opted for an “almost free” version of a website. Unfortunately, it looks like it. Even with this job, I don’t have an extra five grand to waste on my website, but I know it’s a client’s first impression of your organization’s level of sophistication.

“Looks like we’ll have to hold off on the redevelopment for a while then. Okay, what else?”

“When are you going to be back in the office? I have seven prospective client meetings I need to schedule. We’ve been inundated this week with RFPs.”

“Seven?” What the hell? I haven’t had this much interest in months. While I’m thrilled, I have a niggling feeling in the back of my brain that this can’t be sheer coincidence. No, there’s definitely somebody behind this. I’d bet my firstborn his name starts with the first letter of the alphabet. While I’m grateful for the help, I don’t want Asher out drumming up business, using his influence to help me. I want to succeed on my own. I’ll have to talk to him about this.

I glance at the calendar and realize I’ve been in Chicago for three full weeks now without making it back to Detroit. Tomorrow night is Livia’s bachelorette party and the wedding is next weekend already. I don’t have time to make a trip back, but I simply can’t afford to lose any potential business. If I land all of these clients, I now have a new problem, a good problem, I guess. Staffing.

“Do you think Al could take any of the meetings?”

“Let me check. But one specifically asked for you.”

I blow out a long breath. “Next week is tight with Christmas and the wedding. Can you get them scheduled for Tuesday morning or see who would be willing to have a phone or WebEx discussion? Or maybe they’d be willing to wait until the following week.”

Shit, next week is Christmas already and I’ve done absolutely no shopping. Go me. Now I have the stress of presents to add to my pile.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks.”

“I kinda miss having you here,” Heather admits.

“Really? You aren’t happy to get a break from my neurotic tendencies?” Which she constantly complains about, by the way.

“Well, I admit it was nice for the first two weeks, but now I just miss you.”

“Aw. I’ll take that as a compliment. Miss you too, sweets.” I look at the clock. It’s almost three p.m. I have about three hours of work I want to finish before I call it a day. I was making good headway through the vendor matches. I found one that looks suspicious so far and I need to do a little more digging. Next I’m going to look at the various charities before I get into individual client account billings. “I gotta run. Let me know about those appointments, okay?”

“You got it, boss.”

Boss. I definitely like the sound of that.

______________

Man I
love
my job! As weird as this sounds, when I find the smallest of threads that someone’s tried to bury deep and I know that thread is going to lead to a big, twisted ball of beautiful yarn, that’s almost tantamount to great sex.

Hot anticipation. That lovely little feeling is the one currently flowing rapidly through my body, pumping my adrenaline, fueling my desire.

My gut is screaming that I’m onto something. A new marketing supplier was set up nine months ago and I checked them out. They’re the real deal. They have a valid website, tax identification number, and address, but something is very peculiar about the billing patterns. Marketing tends to be billed on a project or hourly rate, so pricing would vary, but all bills for this marketing company were exactly the same and that definitely feels wrong.

Also, each invoice is just below the amount required for two senior leader signatures, according to the process and procedure documents I reviewed.

I’ve been deep in research, lost track of time, and don’t even hear my door open. Suddenly I have the prickly feeling I am being watched. I look up to see Asher standing in my doorway, leaning against the jam with his arms crossed. A cocky smile turns up one corner of his mouth.

Holy hell, he’s so damn beautiful. Today he’s in a custom-made grey pinstripe suit, his silver Tag watch glittering in the florescent lighting. I have to pinch myself every time I look at him to remind myself this gorgeous man belongs to me,
loves
me. It’s surreal and heady. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully believe it.

As we silently devour each other, the look on his face is one of love and intense longing and instantly, that hot anticipation is no longer about finding a corporate criminal, but how fast I can get him inside of me.

“Hi, baby.” His eyes smolder. His voice is low. Raspy. Sexy as fucking hell.

“Hi,” I reply gruffly, before I stand and walk toward him, never breaking eye contact. I pull him in and shut the door, pushing him against the hard wood. When I pull his lime-green buttoned shirt free from his trousers, his breath catches.

“What are you doing?”

I say nothing while I unbuckle his belt, unbutton his pants, and separate the metal teeth of his zipper. With each brush of my hand, his cock hardens more. By the time I pull his pants and black boxer briefs down, he’s like titanium. When I drop to my knees, taking him inside my mouth for the first time, his head falls hard against the door.

“Fuck, Alyse. Jesus,” he rumbles gruffly.

His hand fists in my hair, making my scalp tingle as he holds me steady, guiding his shaft in and out. I grab the base and begin to twist as I suck, lick, and nip lightly. I’ve never really enjoyed giving a guy oral sex, but I think I could spend the rest of my days between Asher’s legs. His taste is clean, masculine, unique and the salty sweetness that hits my tongue on my first taste makes me want to bring this man to his knees daily with my mouth. I can’t believe I was missing this all this time.