CHAPTER 245: CHAPTER 246 THE CONVERSATION, CONTINUED

Ashton gave a one-shouldered shrug. ‘It’s a holiday.’

He waved off his assistants, opened the door, and nudged me inside.

Once we were on the road, he said, ‘The court’s ruled. Franklin Vance got seven years. Embezzlement, tax fraud, forged records. It’s official.’

I twisted in my seat. ‘You’re serious?’

He nodded. ‘The Vances are scrambling to sell the house just to afford a half-decent appeal lawyer.’

I didn’t know what I felt.

Relieved, maybe.

Glad? Not exactly.

Ashton gave my hand a light squeeze. ‘It’s done. Vance Omnia’s tanking. Caroline’s moving cities. They’re not coming after you again.’

‘Good.’ I turned towards him. ‘Thank you.’

He frowned. ‘How many times do I have to tell you to stop saying that?’

‘Right. Sorry. Forgot.’

I glanced out the window.

The street names didn’t look familiar.

‘This isn’t the way home.’

‘I booked us into a hotel. I’m not staying in that miserable little house Fabrizio set up.’

I opened my mouth to tease him, but he cut in first. ‘I just want a place that’s ours.’

I rolled my eyes and let it go.

The car pulled up outside a tall limestone building with iron balconies and a discreet black awning.

I looked around. ‘Are we lost? This doesn’t look like a hotel.’

‘It’s a private one.’

Ashton handed the keys to a man who might’ve been a valet or just a well-dressed security guard, then took my hand.

The lift carried us to the top floor.

Only one door.

As soon as it shut behind us, Ashton pushed me up against it.

His mouth met mine before I had a chance to breathe.

‘You hung up on me last night,’ he said, teeth grazing my lower lip. ‘Time to finish that conversation.’

He called it a conversation, though I barely managed a word—moans didn’t count.

The faint stubble on his jaw scraped down my cheek, my neck, then the hollow at my throat, leaving behind a trail of heat and something close to desperation.

Some old saying floated through my mind, something about absence making the heart grow fonder.

In Ashton’s case, absence made the heart go feral, apparently.

We’d only been apart three days, but he was acting like it’d been months.

His arms locked tight around my waist as he lifted me easily, my legs wrapping around his hips.

He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

His cheeks were warm against my skin, his breath hot on my neck.

I tilted my head down to meet his gaze.

When Ashton was angry or aroused, his eyes darkened to deep blue, a kind of storm in them.

Today, it was probably both.

‘If I could turn your eyes into gems, they’d be worth more than the Hope Diamond,’ I said before I could stop myself.

Ashton stilled, then let out a low laugh. ‘That’s what’s on your mind right now?’

I nodded. ‘Your eyes are unreal.’

‘Want to know what’s on mine?’

‘Go on.’

He answered with a sharp thrust of his hips.

The hard press of him left no ambiguity.

‘Take your clothes off,’ he murmured.

When his voice dropped like that, resistance was a joke.

‘You’ll have to put me down first,’ I said, licking my lips.

He carried me to the bed and set me down carefully.

He leaned over me, tall enough that his shadow blocked out everything else.

Then he kissed me again, slower this time, but hungrier.

His tongue pushed into my mouth without hesitation.

The faint mint of his toothpaste mixed with the lemon from my drink earlier, sharp and electric.

Heat shot straight to my core, burning away what was left of my self-control.

Part of me wanted him then and there; part of me wanted to draw it out.

He pulled back slightly, eyes locked on mine as he unzipped my dress.

The linen slipped away easily.

My bra followed.

Ashton’s gaze travelled over me, slow and possessive and lust-filled.

I couldn’t sit still anymore.

I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and yanked them apart.

His shirt was next.

A button popped off.

‘You need sturdier buttons,’ I muttered.

‘Noted,’ he said, amused. ‘I’ll send a memo to my tailor.’

He dipped his head and kissed one breast, his hand cupping the other.

Then his tongue flicked over a nipple, sucking lightly.

His hand took hold of the other and rolled it between his fingers.

God, the calluses on his fingers and palm were doing unspeakable things to my nervous system, and I arched instinctively into his touch.

His belt buckle was digging into my stomach.

I undid it quickly, dragging the zip down and pulling at the waistband of his boxers.

His cock sprang free, hot and heavy against my thigh, slick with anticipation.

Before I could reach for him, he drew away, parted my thighs. ‘My turn first.’

His face was flushed, his eyes never leaving mine as he slipped a finger inside me.

I gasped.

His fingers curled just right, hitting the spot that made my hips jerk and my breath catch.

I clenched around him, already drenched.

It was too much and not enough at once.

I fisted his hair, dragging his face up to mine. ‘I—’

He didn’t let me finish.

His mouth replaced his fingers, and I nearly came on the spot.

He licked and sucked, unhurried at first, then faster.

My legs trembled, trying to hold it back.

But the pressure built and snapped in one dizzying wave.

I came hard, thighs shaking, fingers digging into the sheets, breath coming in short, broken bursts.

Ashton disappeared for a moment.

When he came back, he rolled on a condom.

‘Wait,’ I said, voice hoarse.

‘You want me to stop?’

‘Just—give me a second.’ I sucked in air.

He didn’t argue, just brushed his cock along my slick folds, teasing.

I moaned, pulled him closer, hooked my legs around him. ‘Now.’

He thrust into me, and I cried out, pleasure slamming through me like a jolt.

I dug my fingers into the dimples in his lower back.

He tensed, then shuddered, then picked up speed and moved with a new urgency.

His eyes were glazed with heat, a deeper blue than I’d ever seen.

I didn’t recognise the voice that came out of me, but it kept urging him faster, deeper.

When he finally came, I swear I blacked out for a second.

The world blinked out, and stars flickered behind my eyes.

‘I love you, Mira,’ Ashton whispered into my ear.

Did I say it back?

I was too far gone to remember.