“Can’t be.” Breathlessly accepting every kiss, she gloried in the feelings surging through her. Never in her life had she felt this way. Heat and need surged through every pore. “Nothing this good could be wrong.”
* * *
Ash gave up the fight. Responsibility and clear-minded focus had always been his mainstay. Loyalty, honor, and doing the right thing no matter how difficult had been his beacon in the darkest times. For tonight, just for tonight, he shoved all of that aside and took what he wanted, what he had been craving from the moment he’d met Jules Stone.
Holding her slender body against his, Ash devoured her mouth, relishing the soft, lush sweetness. His tongue plunged into the depths of that sweet heat, dancing, mating with hers. Waves of need rolled through him, and wanting to take Jules with him, he skimmed his hands over her body, taking her clothes along the way. When his fingers reached silken skin, they paused, tested, aroused, then soothed.
“Ash, please…”
The whimper did something to him, destroying any hesitation. Scooping her into his arms, Ash left the kitchen and headed for a bedroom. He stopped at the one Jules was using. With one hand, he opened the door, strode through, and then closed it behind him with a kick. Instead of placing her on the bed, he dropped her feet to the floor. He wanted to see her…all of her.
She was beautiful. Her eyes glittered with need and heat, her face was flushed a light pink, and her mouth curved up into a sensuous invitation. One he couldn’t resist. Lowering his head, he pressed his mouth to that smile, loving the way her lips curved even more.
“Just so you know,” she whispered, “it’s been a long time for me.”
“It’s been a while for me, too. I don’t think anything’s changed, though.”
She laughed softly. “Good to know.”
“You’re absolutely sure about this? We don’t have to if you—”
Her fingers pressed against his mouth. “I can’t think of anything I want more. I feel like I’ve waited a lifetime for this.”
“Then let’s not wait any longer.” He barely remembered taking his clothes off, but he remembered every second of Jules removing hers. When they’d showered together, he had forced himself not to look at her, but now his eyes made up for what he had missed. She was slender without being thin, strength and courage hidden beneath beautiful, silken curves. When he’d first met her, he had thought her body was likely covered in tiny freckles like those on her face and shoulders. He’d been right. Suddenly, he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do than to kiss each one of them.
Holding out his hand, he led her to the bed.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Wrapped in Ash’s arms, warm and safe, Jules couldn’t imagine a more perfect place. Making love with a man like Asher Drake demolished any other sexual pleasure she’d ever experienced. Those other times, few though they were, were like vague, insipid apparitions of the real thing. Both tender and fiercely passionate, Ash had given her the kind of pleasure one only dreams is possible. She had never believed it would be possible for her.
Her brutal experiences years ago had rotted any good thoughts of a healthy physical relationship for a long time. It was only after years of therapy and meditation that she was able to stomach a man’s touch. And when she had reached the point where passion overcame fear, there had been no feelings or emotions behind the actions. It had been a physical release and nothing more. Meaningless.
With Ash…everything was different. Before she had met him, she had admired him greatly. After meeting him, working with him, ge
tting to know him, that admiration had grown a thousandfold. The man, even with his autocratic ways and stubbornness, was the hero of her dreams.
The optimism she’d felt earlier was slowly dwindling beneath the doubts and fears. With so many lies between them, how could there be any hope for a good outcome?
“Hey, what was that heavy sigh for? You bored already?”
She nuzzled his neck, loving his scent, the warmth of his skin. “Never.”
“Sorry about the condom thing. When I was younger, I was never without one. But the last few years, it seemed pointless to carry one around.”
That had been one of the sweetest, funniest moments of the night. In the midst of a need so heated she’d felt as if the world could explode, he’d lifted his head and confessed he had no protection. The look on his face had been both comical and incredibly touching. Even though it would have been painful for him, she’d known without a doubt that he’d been willing to stop.
She had been more than happy to explain that it was not a problem.
“My birth control is sufficient. Besides, I think we were doing quite well without one. You’re very good at improvising.”
“Thanks. I was motivated.”
She laughed softly and then cut her eyes up to look at him. “You said it had been a while for you, too.”
“Yeah.” He grinned down at her. “You could tell?”
She shook her head. “It was perfect in every way.”