Landlady: A New Adult Romance (Northbridge Nights Book 1) (17 page)

Who was this new Asher who had the self-restraint of a monk? The old
me would've taken advantage of her a long time ago.

She still wanted me. Thank God she still wanted me. I could tell by
the goosebumps running up and down her arms. And the way she leaned
into me. This wasn't just a one-sided daydream.

After a moment, Sierra pulled away and said, “Thanks, Asher. This
means a lot to me. I'm so glad you came.” She looked over at the
kitchen, apprehensive. Heat rose in her cheeks, and a prickling of
red dots ran along her wrist. “And you're right, I'd be embarrassed
if my parents saw this.”

“Tell me you want to do more than just kiss me,” I said, turning
her to face me.

Sierra looked down at her feet and nodded.

“Tell me you still want me as much as I want you,” I said,
tilting her chin up.

Sierra nodded again. In this rare moment, Sierra and I weren't
bantering or joking around.

We both knew things had gotten more serious. As it should.

Her eyes were sparkling like jewels. And those lashes...they went on
forever.

There were so many things I wanted to do with this woman... She had
no idea. And not just things inside the bedroom either. I wanted to
show her my world. Take her on vacations. Pamper and spoil her and
make her the center of my universe.

But for now, I needed to wait.

“Good, that's all I needed to know. Come on, I smell something good
in the kitchen.”

Over dinner, Sierra's parents asked me about my job and a bit about
my childhood. I told them about my sister, Adele and about growing up
with lawyers for parents. About my mom passing away and how I'd gone
through law school so I could work beside my dad. I didn't think I
would share so much of myself to the Maywoods, but they were such
great listeners I found the flow of conversation natural.

“Sierra hates working with us on the farm,” Ernest said. “Can't
ever get her to visit us.”

“You could learn a thing or two from Asher,” Lillian added. “He's
so close with his family. A good man. Nice man.”

“Mom,” Sierra glared. “Stop it.” She cut through her pork
chop and placed a slice in her mouth.

“This is delicious,” I said, nodding at the succulent pork and
glistening apple sauce. “Honestly. It's better than some of the
best restaurants I've eaten at in Northbridge.”

“Aw shucks, Asher,” Lillian said. “You're such a sweet talker.”

“You're such a suck-up,” Sierra said, kicking me under the table.
“If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to impress my
parents.”

I glanced at Ernest and Lillian. “Well, are you two impressed?”

They nodded. “You're a fine gentleman,” Ernest said. “Thank you
for coming to see our little Sisi.”

After the disastrous fight I'd had with my own father that morning,
Ernest's words helped soothe my hurt ego. “Thanks, Ernest. That
means a lot to me.”

“So when are you two going to stop making eyes at each other and
get serious?” Lillian asked. She reached over and piled more mashed
potatoes on my plate.

“We're not
—
” I started.

“
—
Together,” Sierra finished.

“Why not?” Lillian asked. “You two are great together.”

I shrugged. “Your daughter doesn't seem to think so.”

“That's not fair, and you know it, Asher,” Sierra said, her face
growing red.

“Well, it's true. You said
—
”

“
—
Never mind what I said before,”
Sierra cut in. “Just finish your dinner.”

Was she blushing?

After dinner, I helped Lillian clear the table and offered to do the
dishes. Once inside the kitchen, Lillian said, “Sierra can act
tough sometimes, but she's a huge softie inside.” She started
filling the sink. “And she likes you, I can tell.”

“I like her too, Mrs. Ma
—
Lillian. I
really do,” I admitted. “But she's a bit of a puzzle
sometimes. I wish I knew what she was truly thinking or how she felt
about me.
”

“No one's a mind reader, Asher. But I'll tell you this: she hasn't
had a serious relationship in five years,” Lillian said. “At
least not to my knowledge. She's scared. Nervous. A bit rusty when it
comes to the whole dating scene. Give her some time. She'll come
around.”

“I hope so,” I said.

“I know so.” Lillian beamed.

After we finished the dishes, I brought out my main gift and handed
it to Sierra. “Go ahead, open it.”

It was a long, rectangular box covered in rainbow polka dotted
wrapping paper. My wrapping wasn't the greatest, but it did the job.

Sierra shook it a little. She looked like a child on Christmas
morning, eyes bright. “What is it?”

“Take a look,” I said.

Sierra peeled the tape off one corner and giggled. “Is it the new
Barbie doll I've always wanted?”

“Maybe,” I said.

She peeled the tape off the other corner.

“Oh, just rip it off already,” I said.

“Fine.”

She tore the wrapping paper apart, and her face lit up when she
realized what it was.

“Monopoly! I love this game! I haven't played it since I was a
kid!”

“I thought you might like a board game. This is one of my favorites
too,” I said.

“Why don't we play?” Lillian suggested. “The dining table is
cleared.”

“Sure,” I said, pulling up a chair.

Lillian and I unpacked the box, and they all agreed I should be the
banker. I doled out everyone's cash, and we each picked a playing
piece. I chose the 1930s roadster, one of my favorite cars. I was
planning to go easy on them, but after about half an hour, I realized
there was no need. The three Maywoods were old hands, and they were
trading properties with each other so they could bully me into
surrender. Within the hour, I was near bankruptcy and Sierra owned
half of all the monopolies.

By the time the game ended, it was already eleven. Sierra had won,
obviously. Owned all the oranges, reds, and yellows with at least two
motels on each. She had a smug look on her face that drove me nuts. A
look that made me want to sneak up beside her and kiss the daylights
out of her.

“Would you like to stay the night, Asher?” Lillian asked. “You
can sleep on the couch next to Sierra.” I almost thought I saw her
wink at me.

“Umm...”

“It's already late, and the roads are dark around these parts. I
insist you stay,” Lillian said. “You can leave for work after
breakfast tomorrow.”

I hesitated. “Well, if it's alright with Ernest... and Sierra.”

Ernest grunted. “Yeah, you can stay. No funny business, but you can
stay.”

Sierra shrugged. “If my parents are fine with it, so am I.” She
tried to act casual about it, but I could see her eyes brighten up.

“I guess I'll stay then,” I said.

“We don't have an extra set of blankets, but you can use this
throw,” Lillian said, bring me a hand-made quilt.

“Thank you. It's warm enough tonight, so I'm not worried.” I sank
into the couch. It was a bit lumpy, and I could feel a couple springs
dig into my ass. But it would be so worth it knowing I'd be sleeping
next to Sierra.

“Bathroom is down the hall to the right,” Lillian said. “We
wake up at six. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes. Thank you, Lillian.”

After Sierra's parents turned off the light and disappeared upstairs,
I sat up on the couch. In the darkness, I whispered, “Psst. You
still awake?”

“You think I could've fallen asleep in the two seconds since the
lights went off?” Sierra replied.

Ignoring her sarcasm, I said, “I had fun tonight.”

After a beat, she replied, “Me too. Thanks for coming, Asher. You
made my day.”

“Now I get to have a sleepover!” I said in falsetto. “At Sierra
Maywood's house!”

“I know. How scandalous,” Sierra said, deadpan.

I was shocked by how quiet it was out here on the farm. And how dark.
I could even make out some stars through the living room window. No
light pollution to obscure them. I wondered what it was like growing
up in a place like this, so far from the chaos of the city.

“I bet your parents have never let boys sleep over before,” I
said after a while.

“Never stopped me from sneaking them in anyway,” she replied. If
I could see her face, it'd probably be smirking. Her signature look:
the Sierra Smirk.

“You rebel.”

“In fact, I lost my virginity on that very couch.”

I let out an audible groan. “Really?”

“Yup. Ryan Pratt. Football captain. We'd just turned eighteen.
Parents were out of town for the weekend.”

God, the thought of eighteen-year-old Sierra losing her virginity on
the same couch I was sleeping on gave me the chills. And an instant
boner. Luckily it was pitch dark so she couldn't see the tent in my
pants.

Why did she say shit like that? To mess with me?

“Okay, stop right there. I don't want to hear this,” I said,
sinking down lower on the couch and resting my head on the armrest.
“Some people need to catch a few winks before work tomorrow.”

“He came all over my back,” Sierra said without skipping a beat.

My cock pulsed.

Seriously, Sierra?

Did she really just say that or was it my imagination playing tricks
?

“There was so much
—
”

“
—
Stop it, Sierra.”

I couldn't stop thinking about Sierra now, taking it from behind. Her
back glistening with another man's cum.

“
—
It stained the couch. You can
check tomorrow.” A playful giggle. “Good night, Asher.”

Damn this woman. Damn her!

I wanted to jerk off so bad. Why the hell would she say something
like this? My stiff cock refused to die, no matter what I did. I
loathed her in that instant, for saying something so naughty in the
dark. Something she knew would drive me crazy. She knew I'd react to
it, and she knew I wouldn't be able to relieve myself.

She was a devil woman.

Someone I'd never even made it past first base with! I'd known her
for almost a month now, and I hadn't even graduated past kissing and
light
groping.

Fuck, what the hell did I get myself into?

“You can't do that,” I said.

“Do what?”

“Say something so fucking hot then tell me to go to sleep.” Blood
was whooshing through my head now. I felt dizzy. “That's playing
dirty.”

“Maybe I like to play dirty,” Sierra said. “Should I continue
or are you going to go to sleep now?”

“I want to sleep,” I said. “But I need to do something first.”

“Oh, what's that?”

I sat up and made my way towards her bed. Cupping her cheeks, I took
her mouth into mine. Hard. I threaded my fingers through her curly
mane and tugged. Hard. This wasn't the demure kiss we'd shared
earlier before dinner. This one was heated and desperate. I was a man
on a mission. Both could play at this game. I had to
—

Sierra pushed me away. “My parents are right upstairs, and the
walls are paper thin,” she hissed.

“I need you, Sierra. Bad. So fucking bad.”

“Not here, not now, Asher,” Sierra whispered, rubbing her thumb
along my stubbled chin. “But when the time comes...It'll be
incredible.”

I stood up and pulled down my pants and boxers. The fabric pooled on
the floor. My cock sprang free, hot and heavy in my hand. I took
Sierra's right hand and brought it up against my arousal. “You tell
that to
him
.”

I wished I could see the look on Sierra's face when she touched my
cock for the first time. Was she impressed or shocked by its girth
and length?

“Asher Morgan,” Sierra hissed. “You're insane.”

But she didn't let go. In fact, she began to stroke my length, ever
so slowly.

Within seconds, she'd rolled over, and
both
of her hands were
gripping me. Her soft fingers playing with my hard cock nearly made
me blow my load in less than a minute.

“Keep doing that and you might get an unwanted surprise,” I said
huskily.

“Who says it'll be unwanted?” she teased.

My hips began pistoning against her palms, and I could feel my lower
body tighten, bracing for a climax.

And when she pulled me closer and wrapped her lips around me, I
instantly exploded against the back of her throat. Sierra pulled away
and dragged in a deep breath.

“Holy shit,” I cried. “I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry.”

“You taste so good, though.” She let out a hum.

“You swallowed?”

“Of course, I did. You want a taste?” She giggled as she skimmed
her fingertips down my thighs. Her lips brushed against my inner
thigh, and I twitched.

“You. Are. So. Fucking. Hot.” I pushed my hands through her hair
once more, relishing the smell of her. The heat of her skin so close
to mine. I wanted to say something. Something I'd wanted to say for a
while now, but wasn't sure if she was ready to accept. I wanted to
bare my soul to this woman, but
—

“Good night, Asher. You should get some sleep.”

I nodded in the dark, biting my lower lip. “Good night, Sierra.”

Much as I wanted to do more or say more to her, I knew I needed to
sleep. My confession could wait until another day. After all, we had
all the time in the world.

I had to bring my A-game to work tomorrow. Because tomorrow, we were
presenting the new contracts to the Holdom sisters. If they agreed to
them, we'd be looking at a tidy $10 million profit after Clarisse
Holdom Enterprises merged with Lachantal Corporation. Furthermore, if
they decided to fire their current lawyer, we'd be looking at a
potential $2 million retainer in the next quarter. Even though I
fucked up with the final contracts and Dad passed them on to Klassen,
I was sure that if we succeeded in wooing those two billionaires
moguls, I'd get promoted to senior partner. After all, Mike and I did
most of the legwork. In fact, I'd insist that Mike got promoted too.