Pardon My Frenchie

28

Are your eyes still closed?”

A mixture of arousal and anticipation skirted down Ashanti’s spine at the sound of Thad’s gruff whisper, his breath warm against her ear. Arousal was the last thing she should be feeling when surrounded by dozens of New Yorkers, but with her eyes closed, the rest of her senses were heightened, amplifying Thad’s every word. His every touch.

His fingertips against the small of her back caused her skin to burn as he guided her to what he assured her was one of the most unique views of the city.

“Yes, my eyes are still closed,” she answered. “I’m putting a lot of trust in you, so this had better be worth it.”

“It will be,” he said. His hands moved to her shoulders as he positioned her against some sort of railing. “Now, tip your head back and open your eyes.”

Ashanti did as he instructed and released a gasp.

“Told you,” Thad said, a satisfied smugness lacing his voice. He earned the right to be smug.

“This is breathtaking,” Ashanti said as she looked up at the inky sky, the tips of several skyscrapers skirting the periphery of the view from the Vessel.

She had never even heard of the Vessel before Thad told her about it. The spiral staircase in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards area looked like a cross between a honeycomb and a hornet’s nest, and the view looking up from on the ground on the inside was just as remarkable.

“The structure is beautiful from the outside, but you were right about this vantage point,” Ashanti admitted.

Dominique had called while they were still at Madison Square Park with news that the Gen Z-er behind the Dog Whisper TikTok account could fit them in for a quick interview, but they would have to get there within a half hour if they wanted to be on the live show. Thankfully, the interview was in Gramercy Park, just a few blocks from where they were at the time.

After the TikTok Live, they’d brought the dogs back to the hotel and headed out with the intention of fitting in as many of the food spots that remained on Ashanti’s list. That’s when Thad had mentioned the one other tourist site she had to see.

“It’s too bad we can’t go to the upper landings,” Ashanti said. “I can only imagine how beautiful the view is from up there.”

“I was able to go to the top before they shut that down. It’s nice, but you can see that view from dozens of buildings around Manhattan. There’s something about this view when you’re looking up. The sky looks different.”

“Gorgeous,” Ashanti said.

She wobbled and caught his arm to steady herself. Before she knew what she was doing, she squeezed his bicep, marveling at the tautness.

“Goodness, you’re solid,” Ashanti said. It shouldn’t have caught her off guard, yet it did. So much about him surprised her.

“Oh, wait!” Ashanti said as something occurred to her. “Am I doing it now?”

“Doing what?” Thad asked.

She took out her phone and opened the camera app. Her eyes didn’t look any different than they usually did.

She blew out an exasperated breath. “I still can’t tell.”

“Ashanti?” His voice was cautious, as if he was afraid of startling her. “What are you talking about?”

“Apparently, during our segment on Leah and Luke, I was… well…”

“You were?” Thad encouraged.

Was she really about to say this?

“Eye-fucking you,” she said. She covered her face in her hands and groaned. “I cannot believe I just said that.”

Thad’s deep chuckle made her face heat even more. “I wasn’t going to bring it up until later,” he said. “But, yes, you were.”

“Oh, God.” She groaned again. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What was I supposed to say? Thank you?”

If the FDNY happened to drive past them right now they would hose her down. She peeked at him through her fingers. His grin was both sexy and understanding, which, for some reason made this even worse.

“You already know the drill,” Ashanti said. “Just ignore it.”

“Yeah, about that,” he said. “No.”

She dropped her hands and jerked her head back. “What?”

“No,” he repeated. “I’ve decided that the only thing I’m ignoring from now on is that agreement we made. This?” He gestured between the two of them. “I’m done ignoring it. No more acting. No more pretending I don’t want you.”

“Thad, don’t.”

“Don’t what? What don’t you want me to do, Ashanti? Acknowledge that you’re the first person I have been even remotely interested in since longer than I can remember? You’re smart. You’re funny. And you made me sort of like my grandmother’s dog, which means you probably have magical powers or something.”

She laughed despite not wanting to encourage him. Ashanti shook her head, wishing things could be different.

She ached with the desire to admit that she felt the same way about him, but then she heard Anita’s voice in her head and remembered why she couldn’t.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“Because I’ve seen too much bad shit in my life to pass up something I believe can be amazing. I have to at least try to see if it could turn into something deeper.”

“But you don’t get to decide that on your own,” she said.

“No, you need to be a willing participant. I’m just letting you know that I’m no longer playing this game where we ignore that we’re into each other,” he said. “I didn’t want to risk messing up our time together in New York, but after last night it’s a risk I’m willing to take, because I don’t want to return to New Orleans and have things be the way they were when we left. I want you to be more to me than just the person who watches my grandmother’s dog.”

“Thad,” she whispered. “I told you already, I can’t be in a relationship with you right now.”

“There is no set way for a relationship to operate,” he said. “We can go slow. At a sloth’s pace, if that’s what you need right now. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, Ashanti.”

She swallowed hard. “I—” she started, but he cut her off.

“Can I show you?” he asked.

“Show me what?”

“This.” He captured her chin between his fingers and tipped her head up. “What I’m about to show you right now? This is how slow we can take it.”

He dipped his head and brushed his lips so softly against hers that she barely felt them. He applied slightly more pressure, but not enough to open her mouth. So Ashanti did it for him, passing her tongue along the seam of his lips as her hand snaked up his back to cradle his head.

He opened his mouth and sucked her tongue inside, and Ashanti nearly forgot where she was.

She was quickly reminded when she heard a child giggling, followed by an irritated voice.

“That’s what hotel rooms are for,” a woman said.

Ashanti and Thad broke apart like two teenagers caught kissing underneath the bleachers. She had no doubt her freckles were the color of chili peppers. Her face felt just as hot.

“You’re going to get us arrested for indecent exposure,” she told Thad.

“You’re the one who added tongue. We were supposed to go slow, remember?”

She flashed him a mean look, then remembered that her mean look was milquetoast.

“Come on,” Thad said. “You said you wanted to go to that brownie place in Chelsea Market.”

They made their way there via the High Line, the parkway that stretched between Hudson Yard and the Chelsea neighborhood. Ashanti bought so much stuff that she was certain she would need to buy another bag in order to get it all home.

By the time they made it back to their hotel, it was nearing midnight. Yet her body was still so wired from that kiss that she knew she would not be falling asleep anytime soon.

Once again, Thad walked her to her door, even though it was only steps away from his.

They stood in the hallway, which hummed with enough electricity to light up every building on this island of millions. Evie’s and Ridley’s advice popped into her head, but Ashanti immediately batted it away. She was not sleeping with this man tonight. Maybe not ever.

No. She wouldn’t say that. She knew better than to try to predict the future, and she loved herself too much to dismiss the idea of ever being with Thad. Would he be willing to wait two years, until losing custody of her sisters was no longer a threat? She couldn’t predict that either.

What she did know was that she was not ready to sleep with him tonight.

Lies.

So maybe her body was ready, but she had never been one to allow her baser needs to call the shots.

“Well, goodnight,” Ashanti said. “The podcast isn’t until the afternoon, so we can take our time in the morning. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sleep in.”

She stared at a tiny stain on the wallpaper because just the thought of looking into Thad’s eyes at the moment made her feel as if she would catch fire. She let herself into the room and closed the door, pressing the back of her head against it like the lead actress in a sappy rom-com.

Maybe that’s what she could do tonight. Take a shower, get into her pjs and watch The Proposal or Two Can Play That Game. At least a dogwalker had taken the pups out.

After giving Duchess the attention she demanded, she showered and threw on her LSU softball T-shirt and a pair of jogger cutoffs and got in bed. But when she reached for the remote, her hand stopped midair.

Ashanti stared at the door that connected her room to Thad’s.

“You are not seriously considering this,” she whispered.

Yes, she was.

She was more than a thousand miles away from home. A thousand miles away from Anita, the daycare, the twins. A thousand miles away from all the other responsibilities that ran her life. She could push them out of her mind for this one night, couldn’t she?

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, remembering the way Thad’s muscle had felt under her hand. Was his entire body that solid? She already knew the answer to that; she could tell just by looking at him.

She peeled away the bedding covering her lower half and scooted off the mattress. Ashanti felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience, as if she were hovering above the room, watching herself walk to the connecting door.

She was sure her heart would bruise her rib cage with the way it pounded against her chest. She gave one last valiant attempt at reminding herself of all the reasons she shouldn’t do this, but her mind wouldn’t allow any of those arguments to take up space. All she could think about was how much she desperately wanted this—wanted him.

If there were any regrets, she would deal with them in the morning. Right now, she was going for what she wanted.

She knocked on the connecting door.

She could hear Thad shuffling just beyond it, as if he was hopping off the bed. A second later, the door opened.

His gray ARMY T-shirt and matching sweatpants had both seen better days, but on him they looked perfect.

“You needed something?” he asked.

“Um, yeah.” She licked her lips. “Duchess was feeling lonely. I think she wants to spend the night. And, uh, I think I want to join her.”

He stared at her and, just like that, Ashanti understood what it meant to be eye-fucked.

He stepped aside and she entered his room.

The moment she crossed the threshold, Thad scooped her into his arms and propped her against the wall.

She knew he would be strong, but not this strong. Ashanti looped one arm around his neck and braced her other hand against his firm chest. It felt like a concrete wall underneath her fingers.

She pulled at his T-shirt, needing it off. She wanted to feel him without the barrier, because while his muscles were hard, she suspected his skin would be soft and silky. She needed to know if her suspicions were accurate.

Thad pinned her against the wall with his pelvis, wedging his hips between her thighs to hold her in place while he used one hand to tug his T-shirt up. Ashanti handled the rest, pulling it over his head.

Better. So, so much better.

He gripped her hips and thrust his tongue into her mouth. His erection was rigid, pressing into her belly and setting her entire body on fire.

“This up-against-the-wall thing looks great in the movies, but I need you on the bed,” Ashanti said.

“I think I can wait that long,” Thad said. “Maybe.” He cradled her bottom with one arm and her back with the other, then turned and carried her the seven or so feet to the bed.

“Made it,” he said. Then he dove for her mouth, plunging his tongue inside and stroking like the Army gave out medals for it. Ashanti remembered their time at the Vessel tonight and closed her eyes so that she could heighten the sensation of his body against hers.

Their mouths remained fused together as she pulled off her shorts. Thad pushed up her shirt and the sports bra she wore to bed—why hadn’t she thought to get rid of it—both bunching at her neck as he roughly explored her nipples with his teeth and tongue.

“We’re one hundred percent certain about this, right?” he asked as he trailed his lips up her neck and along her shoulder, peeling her shirt and bra off the rest of the way.

“One thousand percent.”

“Thank God,” he said, the words leaving his lips in a desperate prayer.

He reached for his wallet on the nightstand and, within moments, had a condom open and rolled onto his intimidatingly thick erection.

Ashanti ground the back of her head into the pillow as Thad splayed his fingers across her thighs and opened them wide. Her back bowed off the bed when he entered her, the shock of sensations she hadn’t felt in so long sending her soaring. She lifted her hips to meet him, thrusting up as he plunged down, her body craving every delicious inch of his.

He returned to her breast, lapping at her nipple and closing his mouth over it as he sank deeper inside of her.

“This is so much better than watching a rom-com,” Ashanti said.

Thad’s head popped up. “What?”

“Ignore me,” she said. “Please, just… just…”

“Say it,” he taunted. He lowered his head and trailed his tongue along her collarbone and up her neck. “Just what?” he whispered against her skin.

“Fuck me,” Ashanti pushed out on an urgent breath. “Please. Just fuck me until I say stop.”

“As long as you promise you won’t say stop for a very long time.”

She locked her hands behind his head and reached up for a kiss, sealing her lips against his.

“Not until the sun comes up.”

She gasped as he pumped his hips.

“Too soon,” Thad said. “Checkout isn’t until eleven.”