Chapter 25
Asher
“I feel amazing, but I really need to pay you back. I went a little crazy,” Sierra told me as we started our flight to Austin the next day.
Nope, that was definitely never going to happen.
There was no damn way I was ever going to take her money.
And she’d spent a ridiculously small amount of money.
Fucking hell!
Sierra was always beautiful, but the confident exterior she was wearing today was seductive.
She seemed different after her shopping trip with Reese yesterday.
Her hair was slightly shorter, but it had been cut in a way that really worked with her curly hair. Those irresistible curls were bouncy, healthy, and adorable.
I’d also noticed the bright-red polish on her nails.
Her outfit was definitely new, a stylish pairing of a colorful wrap front top and ankle pants.
She looked gorgeous, but the most stunning thing was the smile on her face.
She looked happy, confident, and glowing with a newfound part of herself that she’d never discovered before.
“I wish you’d go crazy every damn day,” I grumbled. “Why have you never bought nice clothes or visited the salon if it makes you feel good?”
She sighed and took my hand as my jet took off.
We were belted in, sitting side by side in the leather seats.
Sierra had been overwhelmed during her tour of the jet, but she’d get used to it.
I didn’t really think about the lavish things I owned anymore.
It had always been part of the job and the lifestyle I’d built over the years.
“I think I forgot how good it feels to really take care of myself,” she mused.
“Anything that I didn’t absolutely need has taken a back seat for me for a long time.
I guess I remembered how nice it was when I started to get my hair cut.
Reese talked me into the manicure and pedicure. Like I said, I got a little crazy.”
“It’s not crazy to do what most women do all the time,” I told her.
“I think I forgot what it’s like to be a normal woman, too,” she explained. “I was never really allowed to take care of myself when I was married, and that was most of my adult life. It feels really, really good to feel like I’m my best self. Is that weird?”
“Nope. I’d be happy to help you be your best self every single day.”
If her ex wasn’t dead, I’d definitely kill the bastard.
I wasn’t sure how you could take a bright light like Sierra and try to extinguish that brilliance.
I wanted her to shine and share that light with the rest of the world.
Well, as long as she always came back to me when she was done.
She laughed, and that delighted sound made my chest feel like it was in a vise.
“I definitely bought more than I needed,” she confessed.
“You look beautiful,” I informed her as I turned my head and grinned at her. “Keep the card and use it whenever you need it. I have others. I don’t like the thought of you not having access to plenty of funds if you need them.”
“I think I’ve spent quite enough,” she answered. “But I’ll keep the card if it makes you feel better.”
“It does,” I admitted.
I never wanted to think about her being in trouble and without access to emergency funds.
“I’ll have more money soon,” she added. “I need to get paid for some of my projects, but I won’t be tight forever, especially since I’m not paying rent.”
Screw paying rent! If I had my way, we’d both own the ranch together someday.
I felt the jet level off and I knew the seat belt sign would blink off shortly.
Her grip let up a little on my hand.
She had almost no experience flying, and she’d told me she got nervous during takeoff and landing.
“Okay?” I asked, checking in.
She took a deep breath. “Definitely okay. I’m so excited to get to Austin. And this jet is outrageous. I feel like a very lucky woman right now.”
Christ! The flight and this trip were such little things to me, but it thoroughly delighted my woman.
“I’ll be tied up tomorrow,” I explained. “But we’ll spend the evening together and the next day exploring Austin.”
“Sounds good,” she agreed. “I brought my illustration stuff. I’ll work on a project tomorrow while you’re in your meeting.”
The damn seat belt sign finally turned off, and I unbuckled our seat belts.
“Do you want to finish the tour?” I asked as I stood and held out my hand.
Her eyes widened. “There’s more?”
“There’s a suite in the back,” I told her.
She sent me a sexy smile that had my cock instantly hard. “You want to show me your bedroom?”
Hell, yes, I wanted to show her my bedroom.
We’d been tired by the time we’d eaten and hit the bed last night, and we were short on time this morning.
It had been too damn long since I’d touched her.
She took my hand and let me pull her to her feet.
“That’s an invitation I’d never turn down,” she purred as she leaned into me.
Christ! This woman drove me crazy.
Her fuck-me voice.
Her sweet scent.
The way she fit against my big body like she was always supposed to be close to me.
I grabbed her gorgeous ass, and she hopped up and wrapped her legs around my waist.
I took her mouth with more force than was probably necessary, but I needed some kind of contact with her.
Right here.
Right now.
“Asher,” she sighed when I finally released her lips.
Fuck! That needy sigh got to me every time.
I made it to the bedroom in record time and closed the door behind me.
“Don’t!” she said forcefully as I reached for the blinds to darken the room. “I need to see you, and I want you to see me. I hate my scars, but I don’t want to hide them anymore. I don’t want to have sex in the dark anymore, Asher.”
She wiggled until I put her on her feet.
“Sweetheart,” I said hoarsely. “I guarantee that my scars are a hell of a lot worse than yours.”
She cocked a brow. “Are you ready to compare scars, big guy?”
Actually, I wasn’t quite sure.
She was always going to be beautiful to me, but my scars were everywhere.
“Are you challenging me?” I asked as I watched her start to undo that wraparound top.
“Yes,” she said firmly.
Holy hell! I loved her newfound boldness.
I could tell that she was nervous, but she was determined to bare her body to me.
And yeah, I was all for that.
I was tired of her hiding her gorgeous body in the dark.
However, I wasn’t thrilled about getting naked in the light of day.
“I bought new underwear because I knew I was going to do this today,” she informed me as she dropped her top on the floor. “I bought them myself. I couldn’t let you pay for my lingerie.”
Oh, she could, and she should have let me, but we’d have that discussion later.
My mouth went dry as she pushed her pants down her slender legs.
In seconds, she was standing in front of me in the sexiest matching panties and bra I’d ever seen.
Blush pink and all lace.
She had the body of a goddess.
Sierra was slim, but her hips were curvy, and her gorgeous breasts were ample enough that they were threatening to spill out of that tempting lace bra.
It took me a moment to even register her scars.
I reached out to stroke my fingers over the one near her heart.
The entry wound was small and puckered. It wouldn’t be all that noticeable if it wasn’t for the linear surgical scar that had been needed to remove the bullet.
It wasn’t ugly to me. It was a testament to her strength.
I slid my hand down her body and covered the old wound on her belly.
The surgical scar was much larger there, and it killed me to think about just how much emotional and physical pain this gunshot wound had caused her.
I kissed the scar on her chest and covered the one on her belly protectively. “I was right,” I told her solemnly. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I hate the pain these injuries caused you, but they could never be ugly to me, Sierra.”
Tears filled her eyes as I lifted my head from the scar on her chest.
“I knew you’d make it seem like they’re no big deal. Your turn,” she said as she started to unbutton my shirt.
I grasped her hands reflexively. “I think you need to know a few things before you do that,” I said tightly.
I didn’t want to go over my past, but there were some things Sierra should know.
I didn’t want to hide anything from her anymore.
“My beatings were bad when I was a kid, Sierra. I’m really scarred.
I wanted to fight back, but I almost never did until Cole and I were big enough to defend ourselves.
My father was a monster. I don’t want to rehash everything he did, but I made a deal with him to agree to everything he wanted if he’d leave Cole alone.
There was sexual abuse involved until I was old enough to fight back and win the battle.
When I say I’m scarred everywhere, I mean I’m scarred everywhere.
There were times that he tortured me pretty badly.
But it was worth it because he never touched Cole that way.
I’m not saying my brother got off easily.
He got his share of beatings, but he never had to submit to my father’s depravity. ”
Sierra locked eyes with me, and my gut hurt when I saw the sorrow in her eyes.
She freed her hand from my grasp and lifted her palm to my face to touch the scar there. “Is this a torture scar?”
Fuck! I’d always hated that damn scar. It had always been a reminder I saw every day in the bathroom mirror.
I swallowed hard and nodded. “From one of the rare times I tried to rebel. He smoked cigars. He held that burning cigar to my face until I gave up.”
Strangely, that visible scar didn’t bother me nearly as much as it had months ago.
In fact, I rarely thought about how I’d gotten it anymore.
It had simply become part of my very unpleasant childhood.
She gasped. “It’s so close to your eye,” she said in a horrified voice.
“Don’t cry,” I insisted as she teared up.
She shook her head. “I can’t help it.”
“It was a long time ago, Sierra,” I grumbled as I swiped a tear off her cheek.
“I’m not surprised that you did everything you could to protect Cole,” Sierra said softly. “I don’t care about your scars, Asher. I wish I could cut your father’s balls off for what he did, but you’ll never be anything but a beautiful man to me. Did you ever tell Cole the truth?”
“No!” I said firmly. “And I never will. It’s over and he doesn’t need to know. He doesn’t need that kind of guilt. The fact that my father never molested him is more than enough for me.”
She nodded her agreement as she swiped a tear from her face. “I understand. I’ll never say a word.”
Hell, I knew she’d get it and that she’d keep my secret.
She resumed her previous task of unbuttoning my shirt, moving slowly until every button was open on the button-down garment.
She opened my shirt and slid it over my shoulders.
I held my breath for moment as her eyes skimmed over my chest and my torso.
She didn’t flinch.
Sierra simply let my shirt flutter to the floor as she leaned forward to put her mouth on my scars.
I wasn’t a pretty sight.
My scars were faded, but they were plentiful.
I closed my eyes and took a sharp breath in as she covered my chest with open-mouthed kisses everywhere.
Her touch drove me crazy, but there was something about this particular show of affection that touched my damn soul.
I opened my eyes when she started to undo the buttons on my jeans.
She struggled a little because I was harder than a rock, but she had the button fly open in a relatively short period of time.
She was on her knees before I could stop her and pushing my jeans and my boxer briefs down my legs.
I stepped out of them.
What in the hell else could I do?
“You do have scars everywhere,” she murmured as she stroked her fingers over my cock.
Yeah, I had scars there, too.
“You’re killing me here, Sierra,” I said through a clenched jaw as I looked down at her.
She met my eyes as she continued to stroke my cock. “Let me,” she said in a soft, persuasive voice.
Before I could ask her what she wanted, she took my cock in her mouth.
My body tensed as her tongue and mouth slid over my cock.
The pleasure was intense.
It had been a long time since I’d felt these particular sensations, and it had never felt this damn good.
Not even close.
I threaded my hands into her hair and did exactly what she’d requested.
I let her…
It only took a few moments to realize that she knew exactly what she was doing.
She knew how to make a guy crazy with her mouth, even though that favor had never been returned to her.
“Sierra,” I rasped as I held her head and guided her to the perfect pace.
She moaned, and the vibrations made my balls start to tighten.
I looked down at her, and the sight of her devouring my cock in that sexy lingerie almost made me explode on the spot.
No! Fuck no!
As much as I enjoyed the hell out of having her mouth on me, that wasn’t the way I wanted to come right now.
I tugged on her hair until my cock popped out of her mouth and then lifted her until she was back on her feet.
“I’m on the edge right now, Sierra,” I warned her as I undid her bra with one swift movement. “It’s not going to take much to send me over that edge.”
I really needed to find my way off that edge because I had something in mind that was going to completely test my patience.