Chapter 3—
Em
Mine is the only one on the ground floor, and of course he gave me an earful the first night he walked me home about how careless of a choice that is for a single woman.
“Be right out,” I tell him through the intercom.
I put on my shoes, then grab my phone and keys to meet him at the door. I notice how clammy my hands are as I shove both into my back pockets. My heart patters in an unnatural rhythm. I haven’t felt this excited since getting into my car to make the long drive here.
Excited in a good way, of course. Being chased by a psycho doesn’t count.
Ash’s smile is a match, igniting a flame in my core. His eyes sparkle wickedly, and a tingling reaches all the way to my toes.
He shaved for our date. His chiseled dimples greet me. “Hey!”
“Hey!” I echo in a clipped breath .
Despite the West Coast’s mild climate, he’s wearing a hoodie, and when I glance over his shoulder toward the curb, I see why.
“Ever been on a bike?”
My jaw goes lax, and I simply stare at him, too stunned to form words. I’ve never even seen one up close.
“You wanted a thrill, didn’t you?”
I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “I sure did.”
I’m terrified, but I’m not going to chicken out now. His proposition is enticing, and I know I can handle it. I’m ready to push my limits to new heights with him.
Ash gives me a nod. “You should probably grab an extra layer, though.”
“Right! Gimme one minute,” I say already on the move.
I’m in and out of my apartment in less than that, clutching a hoodie that I pull on as I walk up to him already seated.
His motorcycle is all black except for a white Japanese kanji painted onto the front fender. I gesture toward the symbol. “What does that mean?”
“Falcon.” He chuckles, handing me a helmet.
“Interesting choice. Does that mean it goes fast?”
His chuckle turns a shade darker. “Oh yeah.”
I slide the helmet on and mount the bike behind him. There’s a whole lot of touching going on, from my arms around his chest to my boobs pressing against his back.
And don’t get me started on my thighs.
If the draft from the ride won’t give me goosebumps, my contours molded to his sure will.
“Hold tight,” is the last thing I hear before he cranks the ignition .
My body vibrates as the engine roars. I feel the power between my thighs. The ripples chase up my spread legs through my core, and I hug Ash tighter on reflex.
This is going to be so much fun.
—
Fast is an understatement. We haul through the city at lightning speed. How he weaves around traffic, keeping control of this beast of a machine, is beyond incredible.
I’m utterly aroused.
We stop to grab a bite to eat from a taco truck he swears by. His voice is muffled, but I catch every word. “You’ll love it,” he shouts through the helmet as he slows.
I’m not even surprised when we roll up. The choice is on point with what I’ve seen of his personality so far. Quirky. Casual. Easy.
And he’s not wrong. I do love it.
I’m almost a little disappointed when he puts his helmet back on, hiding his face. He even looks hot when he eats, and the whole time, my eyes were glued to his hands and mouth.
Street food really was a genius move. I could’ve watched him lick his fingers clean all night long.
After that, Ash takes us out of town. We leave the bright city lights behind as we gain elevation and make our way into the mountains.
The highway has a steep drop down one side. I know I’ll have to face it on our way back, but the view is breathtaking .
We climb higher, chasing one sharp turn after another while he feeds the throttle.
The friction between us is maddening.
Leaning the bike into the winding road, my body matches his. Each fast turn we take brings us closer.
I want him.
I want his weight on top of me. I want him to bend me until I break. I’ve never felt so alive. I feel invincible.
We reach the mountain top. Ash pulls into the parking lot that has signs for hiking trails. I also see several picnic tables. It must be a popular spot during the day.
Or maybe…
“Is this the local lovers lane?” I joke, removing my helmet.
Ash’s laugh bellows through his own before he pulls it off.
“Maybe.” He offers me a sly grin, his hair falling over his eyes in all his roguish splendor.
He holds my stare, doing that thing with his lip again, and I can see him playing with his tongue as his teeth bite into the flesh.
God, I want to bite that lip for him.
I dismount first while he tugs the leather gloves off his hands.
I put my helmet down on the seat I vacated and shrug out of my hoodie to leave it with the bike. The light breeze up here doesn’t warrant an extra layer.
Turning my back on him, I amble toward the mountain drop. It’s quite the romantic lookout over the city lights below .
It’s quiet, too. Crickets chirp and wind rustles through the trees, but there’s not a soul here besides us.
Ash comes up on me from behind, his hands encircling my waist.
He’s no longer wearing his hoodie either. His arms are bare as they wrap around me, and the friction of his skin sears me through my tank top.
“I thought it’s only fair since you got to do all the touching,” he murmurs, his husky voice right by my ear.
The hum of his timber ripples down my spine where my back presses against his chest, and I suddenly feel too hot, even in this. His hands remain on top of my shirt, but the hem rides up my stomach, exposing more skin to the elements.
It’s exhilarating.
The thought of being out in the open where someone might see us is awakening dark desires in me I didn’t know I had.
The tip of his nose brushes down my neck, and I moan, dropping my head back onto his shoulder.
I melt into his touch. My hand comes up to rove through his hair as my body arches, encouraging him to explore me further. I want his mouth to devour me.
His warm breath lingers at the base of my throat, riding the growing anticipation in me. I throb all over.
I feel his lips part, and when his tongue licks up the side of my neck, something hard registers in the slick drag against my skin.
My breath hitches. “Holy shit! Your tongue is pierced?”
How did I not notice ?
His chuckle returns to the shell of my ear, the edge to his voice darker than before. “Among other things.”
OH. MY. GOD! Does he mean —
I don’t get to finish the thought. Ash whirls me around, and the look in his eyes is my answer.
His mouth crushes against mine, his firm hand at the back of my neck guiding me, and my lips part for him. I let his tongue in—let him tease me in the most exquisite way.
Our moans mix while Ash explores me, sliding further with each skilled flick. I feel him everywhere from the roots of my hair to my fingertips and toes. The primal need in his kiss is inescapable. It consumes me. It’s a taste of what sex with him will be like. Fierce. Deep. Unrelenting.
My fingers clutch the front of his shirt, and he eases up enough to grant me a breath.
We both pant as his lips linger over mine. His hands drift, caressing my curves and mapping a path to the hem of my shirt.
He slides underneath it.
I don’t stop him. My arms wind around his neck to give him free reign. My skin buzzes under his touch. It’s addictive.
Ash inches higher. The breeze dances around my waist as he raises my shirt in the process, exposing me, and I know he won’t stop at my bra.
My teeth nip at his bottom lip to give a little tug. I want to feel his hands on me, and I don’t want him to be gentle.
“Fuck, Emily,” he groans when I release him. “You’re going to make me come playing rough like that.”
I’m so wet for him already, but his ragged voice sends a fresh wave of lust through me. The hard length of his cock prodding me through his jeans is a promise that he can destroy me in a single thrust.
Ash lets out another curse, then breaches the constraints of my bra, pushing it up over my breasts along with my top.
My nipples are hard and sensitive when the pads of his thumbs roll over them.
He strokes me roughly.
His hands squeeze me without apology.
He feels so good I’m ready to mount him right here. A car could drive up, hikers could return from the trail, someone could be watching us from the shadows… but I don’t care.
Ash answers my body’s need. His hands drop, palms rounding my ass to pick me up by the back of my thighs.
Hanging on, I lock my legs at his back. He moves us a few paces, and then there’s a picnic table under me.
I know I’m about to do something very, very stupid. I’m about to have unprotected sex with this man I only met days ago.
I’m still on birth control, but I’m fully aware of the other risk I’m taking. No doubt, Ash has plenty of participants eager to jump him.
His mouth breaks from mine, dipping to the crook below my jaw with a ravenous desire that chases a fresh surge of heat up my spine. It’s a kiss full of sin. A kiss that burns my very soul. Like he’s the devil himself, and he’s come to collect.
There’s no other explanation for the hold he has on me. With my thighs spread around him, I yield as he nudges me backward onto the table .
Bent over me, Ash’s lips trace the front of my throat before skipping lower.
I grip his shoulders and suck in a sharp breath when he latches onto my right breast. His tongue is hot, swirling in wet circles around my nipple while his diligent fingers work the front of my jeans.
Looking up at me, he flicks his piercing over the pebbled tip of my breast in a taunt.
My pussy throbs with need. His green eyes are striking at night. Like something unnatural that wants to devour me.
Pinning me with his stare, he eases his hand past the zipper into my fly.
His eyelashes flutter. His knuckles stroke my clit over my panties, and I know they’re soaking wet to his touch.
With a muffled moan around my breast, he pulls the material aside and slides across my bare flesh.
I whimper. I’m so close my muscles tremble.
Ash flicks my nipple with his piercing again. “Fuck me, baby girl,” his voice implores me. “I want to feel you come around my fingers.” And then he pushes two into me in a slick glide.
The tingling races toward my core, adding to the pressure my body struggles to contain. It’s too much too fast.
Ash moves his fingers in and out of me, his thumb pressing down on my clit, and my orgasm explodes.
I convulse. My hips buck under him as I grind against his hand, his fingers still pumping in and out of me in a quick rhythm .
My walls clench around him in a steady beat with my pulse when I hear a cracking of branches. My eyes flick to the side and what I see makes the rushing blood in my veins run cold.
The glowing blue stitches rendering a face.
A scream ruptures in my throat. I push at Ash’s shoulders to make him move, but he doesn’t catch on.
“It’s him. He’s here!” I shove him harder, as my bare tits retain his attention.
“Who?”
“The guy with the mask,” I reply, struggling to adjust my bra and shirt with him still on top of me. “The one who’s been chasing me downtown.”
Ash straightens, his eyes scanning the shadows by the trees.
After a long moment, he turns back to me, shaking his head with a skeptical expression. “I don’t see anyone.”
I feel a drop in my stomach. I’m starting to believe I’m imagining him too. How would he have tracked us all the way out here on that rocket of a bike?