Chapter Eighteen
The moment Ashes’ lips brushed against Miranda’s, all organized thought fled her mind.
She was leaning toward believing him. She wanted to trust him, because the more she thought about what she’d seen, the more she realized he wasn’t looking at the woman, he wasn’t engaging in her antics.
It was impossible for her to know what happened before she’d arrived, but from what she’d seen, he hadn’t even acknowledged the other woman after Miranda walked in.
The sharp nip of teeth against her bottom lip made her gasp.
When Ashes used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, Miranda forgot everything but the two of them.
She curled one hand into the muscles of his chest as she leaned closer, eager for more of his touch.
Picking up the hand he wasn’t cradling her head with, Miranda put it on her breast. She ached and he was the only way she knew to quench that ache.
She moved until she sat astride his lap, then leaned down to kiss him again.
She liked the way he felt underneath her.
The hard muscle, the strength of his hands on her.
The thick rod between his legs that hit all the right places as she moved over him.
Ashes groaned, he seemed as lost in sensation as she was. When she tugged her shirt off and tossed it aside, his hands gripped her hips and held her still. It took a moment for the haze to clear her mind enough to realize he was waiting for something.
“What?” Miranda asked, impatient to feel his touch.
“I just want to make sure you’re good with this. I don’t want to be a mistake in the heat of the moment, Tiny Warrior. You need to be sure this is what you want. Because once I sink into the sweet heat of your body, I’m not letting go. We go there, baby and you’re mine.”
“Yours?” Her heart fluttered. What did he mean exactly. “What does that mean? I mean, with the club and all.”
“It means you’re mine and I’m yours. You’ll wear my patch. The brothers will treat you with respect.”
“Patch?” Miranda frowned.
“Have you noticed the cut Winter wears?”
She scowled as she thought about it. “You mean the one that says ‘Property of Bishop’? Is that what you mean by patch?”
“That’s it.” Ashes’ fingers flexed on her hips making her shift them. The movement ground her clit against the hard rod in his jeans. Miranda couldn’t help the whimper of need that escaped her.
“What else?” she asked.
“You’ll be family. You need something, anything, and we’ll all be there for you.”
“But what about the club sluts? If I wear your patch, will you still be screwing around with club ass?”
“Not without you.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?” She put at hand on his chest, ready to climb off his lap and out of the chair if he said the wrong thing.
“I mean that from now on, it’s you and me, Tiny Warrior.
You want something different, come to me, we’ll figure it out.
You want to try batting for the other team, hell, let’s try it.
You want to be the creamy middle-in-a-man sandwich, we’ll figure it out.
I’m open to a lot, but whatever we do, we do it together.
” He moved one hand from her hip, picked up one of hers and wove their fingers together.
“If we trust each other, we can face anything. What do you say?”
He met her gaze, watching her while she stared back at him. After several breaths she dropped her gaze to their joined hands. It felt like there was a steel band around her chest, slowly tightening. The tighter it got, the harder she found each breath.
“Hey there, Tiny Warrior, look at me.” Ashes’ words drew her attention. She lifted her gaze to meet his and the invisible band around her chest loosened minutely. Then a little more. “Is the idea of being mine that scary?”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Shaking her head, Miranda swallowed then tried again.
“Not at all. But it is overwhelming. I’ve been alone for so long.”
Ashes frowned. “I thought your folks died a couple of years ago.”
“They did. Well, my adoptive parents did, and don’t get me wrong, they were great, but they were older.
They did their best and I’m forever grateful for everything they did for me.
I’m not sure I would have made it through high school, much less started college without them, but I miss them.
” She turned away, as if she was looking across the room but all she saw was the mess inside her head.
“You’re not alone anymore. Never again, Tiny Warrior. If you agree, you’ll never be alone like that again.”
He lifted their joined hands so he could kiss the back of hers. “But there’s no rush. If you’re not ready, that’s okay. Take your time and be sure.”
She turned back and watched him for a moment.
A million questions ran through her head, but in the end only a few things stood out.
Ashes had pulled her out of that hole. Ashes wanted her.
Ashes made her feel safe. Add in that he heated her blood to the point she could barely think, and that was all she needed to know.
Miranda leaned in, closing the distance between them, not that there had been much to begin with. Unable to resist the urge, not that she tried, she rolled her hips, grinding her clit against the rough hardness between them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. But I’m not going to fuck you for the first time in a chair. I’m going to take you to bed and we’re going to do this right.”
Miranda wasn’t convinced things hadn’t been right there in the chair but if he wanted to give her more, she wouldn’t complain.
“We’ll talk about kids later and whether or not we want to risk it or prevent them.
For now, we’ll be safe.” Ashes laid her on the bed, then opened a drawer on the nightstand next to where he’d slept the night before and pulled out an unopened box of condoms. He tossed them on the bed next to her, then shrugged out of his cut, folded it, and set it aside before he stripped out of his t-shirt and dropped it where he stood.
Miranda lifted her hips and shimmied them as she shoved her leggings down off her hips, not caring that she took her underwear with them. She wanted him and the faster they got there, the happier she would be.
“Slow down.” Ashes stepped next to the bed and put a hand on her belly, stopping her as she worked the tight pants down past her ass.
“I want this,” Miranda said, meeting his gaze.
“I can tell, but don’t rush, we’ll get there. And it will be more fun if you let me take those off.”
She quirked one brow but relaxed against the bed, content to let him do the work if that’s what he wanted. Instead, she lay back and eyed him, taking in the tattoos he revealed.
“Do they mean something?” she asked, leaning up enough to trail one finger along the edge of one of his tattoos.
“Most of them. A couple were a dare or a drunken decision. They are part of why I don’t drink anymore.”
Miranda tilted her head to one side. “You don’t drink? How have I missed that?”
“You haven’t been here all that long yet, Tiny Warrior.
There are a lot of things you don’t know.
You’ll figure it out in time.” He lay beside her on the bed, propping his head up on one hand so he could look at her while they talked.
“This, though, what’s between us? I think it’s something.
” Ashes smoothed one hand gently over her belly.
He paused then looked up at her eyes again.
“I’m holding onto myself with a thread, baby.
I want you, bad, and I have since I first saw you. ”
Miranda wanted to scoff. There was no way he wanted her when she’d been so filthy and bedraggled, but this wasn’t the time to argue with him. She didn’t want to spoil the mood, so she let it slide. She rolled to face him, then cupped his cheek with one hand.
“You’ve got me. What do you want to do with me now that you have me?” She looked at him through her lashes, hoping he would tell her what he wanted.
“What I want to do and what I’m going to do are two different things, but only because we’ll have time to cover all our bases later.
First, though, I want to see how you taste.
” He leaned in, covering her mouth with his as he pushed her onto her back and moving over her.
His mouth teased and tasted her while he skimmed one hand down her side.
His every touch enflamed her senses until all she cared about was his touch.