Chapter 3
Chapter Three
T he following morning, Paige had shaken off any bad feelings about her encounter with Asher at the café and was wearing the biggest smile on her face as she walked down Main Street. She was heading toward the commercial space which would become her brand-new bookstore.
As she approached the corner store—her tote full with her tablet, measuring tape, and various paint, carpet, and wood samples she wanted to test out in the space—she could see the lights were already on, which meant the realtor had arrived ahead of her. Like a little kid outside a toy store, Paige couldn’t help but press her nose against the window to peek inside.
What she saw wiped any trace of a smile off her face.
The realtor, a fifty-something-year-old blonde woman, was escorting none other than Asher fucking Stone around Paige’s store. He was dressed as though going to a business meeting: black dress pants and shoes, and a crisp shirt the same gorgeous blue as his eyes. Her mouth fell open. What in the actual fuck? She was there to sign the contract!
Throwing the door open, Paige stepped into the store and headed straight over to where her enemy stood with the realtor, Margaret. “What’s going on here?” Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at them both.
Margaret appeared uneasy, shifting from foot to foot. “Ms. Ellis, it’s nice to see you.”
“Why is Asher Stone being shown around my shop?” Paige knew she was being rude, but she couldn’t stop herself. The realtor had no right to be showing anyone around the shop she was about to sign the lease for, let alone him .
“Calm down, Freckles,” an amused voice told her.
She narrowed her eyes at the gorgeous man standing in front of her, unwillingly focusing on his soft, full lips. “Mind your own business, Stone. You have no right to be in here. This is my store!”
“You haven’t signed the contract yet.”
“I’m here to do that right now,” she snapped back in the frostiest tone she could muster. What was it about this man that could get her heated up so quickly? Part of her wondered what it would be like if he wasn’t aggravating her but instead using that sinful mouth to bring her pleasure instead.
Liquid fire burst through her veins at the sudden thought of being naked with him, and her face flushed. And when the corners of Asher’s mouth turned up, as though he knew exactly what she was thinking, her cheeks started to burn much like her blood was.
“I asked Margaret if I could have another look around and she was kind enough to oblige.”
“Mrs. Martin has already agreed to lease the property to me, so nobody should be looking anywhere. You need to leave. Right now.” Paige pointed to the door.
Asher held up his hands. “What are you getting so worked up about, Paige? I never said I was here to steal your store, but I can’t lie. I am interested in the space.”
“Mrs. Martin said?—”
“It doesn’t matter what Mrs. Martin said. Until you sign the lease—which I’d like to point out you have not at this time—this space is fair game. And I’m considering making Mrs. Martin a very generous offer.”
Paige felt her mouth fall open as a lock of red hair fell loose from her ponytail. “You…you what ?”
“I’m considering this space for my new business.”
“You….” Rage like she’d never known it washed over her, and she exploded in a rare fit of temper which had been building for a year. Ever since she’d moved to Firelight Mountain and met Asher fucking Stone. She then said something which would have made her mother very disappointed in her. “You motherfucker.”
Margaret gasped loudly, although whether it was because of the curse word in particular or whether it was because it was directed at the town’s golden boy, Paige wasn’t sure. Asher merely raised his eyebrows, and Paige must have been seeing things because surely the corners of his mouth weren’t curved up ever so slightly.
“Ms. Ellis, that’s highly inappropriate.”
“No, Margaret, what’s inappropriate is you showing someone else around the space I’m here to sign the lease for! If Mrs. Martin is even so much as entertaining the possibility of other offers, you had an obligation to inform me immediately.”
Asher glanced over at the bewildered older woman. “She’s right, you know.”
Margaret shook her head and looked at Paige imploringly. “This is the first I’ve heard about this.”
Asher turned his gaze back to Paige. “She’s right, you know,” he echoed. “It’s my fault completely. Don’t be mad at Margaret, she’s done nothing wrong.”
“Oh, shut up!” Paige wailed. “Why do you hate me so much? You do everything you can to make my life miserable, and I don’t know why.” To her horror, tears welled and began to spill down her cheeks. She swiped them away angrily.
Asher’s face softened as he gazed at her, his blue eyes troubled. “I don’t hate you, Freckles. Far from it.”
Margaret shuffled back in short steps, clearly eager to get away. “I think it would be best if I left the two of you alone to discuss this further.”
“Thanks, Margaret.” Asher gave her a smile. “I’m sure Paige and I will be able to work something out. We’ll call you later.”
The realtor nodded and made a snappy exit, leaving Paige alone with the man who made her feel so many things, she barely knew where to start processing them.
He took a step closer to her, and she automatically took a step back. “I don’t hate you, Paige Ellis.” A warm hand landed on her arm, his fingers stroking her skin softly. “I think you’re amazing. Beautiful, intelligent, caring. I know everyone in this town thinks the world of you.” This time, when he took another step closer, Paige stood her ground. When his hands came up to frame her face, all she could do was tip her head back and meet his gaze. “Nobody more than me.”
He gave her enough time to remove herself from his grasp, but Paige was suddenly so tired of fighting with the man. Of fighting her attraction to him, one she’d kept hidden deep inside but was there all the same, no matter how much she didn’t want it to be.
He lowered his mouth until it was nearly touching hers, then hovered there. She let out a frustrated cry, gripping his tee in her hands. “Are you going to kiss me or not, Stone?”
“Yes, Freckles.” He gave her a grin that warmed her all over. “I’m going to do a lot more than kiss you.”
When his lips touched hers, electricity buzzed through her. They were as warm and soft as she’d imagined. He pressed them against hers gently, and while she’d expected him to ravish her mouth, she thought she liked this better. When he lifted his lips from hers, she mewled, but it was back soon enough and this time Asher fucking Stone was sliding his tongue inside her mouth, exploring and stroking until she was wet and practically squirming with need.
When Paige couldn’t take it anymore, she pushed him away and looked over her shoulder. They were right in the middle of the store, where anyone could peer in the window and see them, but toward the back were a few booths, remnants of the diner which had once operated there. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the last one, a large booth shaped like a horseshoe. The seats were still covered in peeling red vinyl and the tabletop was made of Formica, which was chipped and discolored in places.
Shoving him against the table, she looked toward the street again, and once she was satisfied nobody could see them, she got down on her knees in front of him. Gazing up at him, she unzipped his pants slowly, teasing him and marveling at how hard he was already after only a few kisses. She then pulled them and his briefs down over his hips just far enough to free his cock, and as she stared at it, lust overwhelmed her.
His cock was just as gorgeous as the rest of him. It jutted out proudly from a nest of dark blond curls, hard and ready for her mouth. Wrapping a hand around the base firmly, she lifted it up and licked up the vein on the underside from his balls to the head, then swirled her tongue around the tip, lapping up his pre-come.
“Fuck.” Asher was leaning on the table for support, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. “Suck it, honey. Show me how good that mouth of yours really is.”
Oh, she’d show him, all right. Wrapping her lips around the head of his cock, she began to suck, allowing his hot, hard length to slip between her lips and into her mouth. She used her tongue to lick it as she sucked him deeper, and she didn’t even mind it when his fingers slid through her hair and grasped the strands gently.
His low, deep moans were music to her ears. She alternated between sucking and licking until his cock suddenly slid out of her mouth.
“Enough.” He held out his hand and she took it, rising back up to her feet. Asher gave her a hot, hard kiss. “Strip for me, Paige. Let me see that beautiful body of yours.”
He began to undo the buttons of his shirt while he kicked his shoes off, and soon there was a mad scramble of clothes flying everywhere. Her breasts were soon bare and aching for his touch, and she was sure she’d spontaneously combust the moment he touched her pussy, which was already slick and ready for him.
When she put her thumbs in the sides of her panties to push them down, however, he stopped her with a gentle hand. “Leave those on.” She did, curious as to what was coming next.
Hopefully, it would be her.
Once he was naked, she took a few moments to run her gaze up and down appreciatively. God, what a sight. The man was utter perfection from head to toe, and his cock was still hard, albeit now wet from her mouth. He lifted her up to sit on the table in front of him, then coaxed her into lifting her hips. Ever so slowly, he pulled her panties down and off her body. Once she was as naked as him, he pushed her legs open to his view.
Licking his lips, he looked his fill. “Beautiful.” His voice was hoarse. “You’re gorgeous, Freckles.”
Paige wasn’t sure she agreed with him, but she basked in his praise anyway. She knew what he could see; round, firm breasts tipped in pink, wide hips and ass, and a plump pussy topped with a neat patch of dark red curls. “You going to stand there and look, or actually do something?”
His fingers trailed up her leg, causing goosebumps. “Oh, I’m going to do something, all right.” He sat down in the booth and pulled her to the edge of the table in front of him so her ass was hanging over it.
She let out a long cry at the feel of his tongue swiping up through her pussy as he licked her from entrance to clit. Circling the sensitive nub with the tip of his tongue, he teased and tormented her until her thighs began to shake. She was braced on her arms, leaning back slightly, and when he wrapped his lips around her clit she let her head fall back and closed her eyes.
“Asher!” She was breathless, lost in the sensations this man’s sinful mouth evoked. “So good.”
He lifted his head and gazed up at her, his mouth glistening. “You taste amazing, Freckles. I could eat you out all night.” He didn’t wait for a response, feasting upon her once more and adding fingers to the mix.
Paige briefly thought she should be a little embarrassed at how quickly she came on his tongue, but she felt too good to care. The man was obviously talented both in and out of the bedroom.
Not that they were in a bed, of course. She liked the idea of them fucking on the table, where there was an admittedly small possibility of them being caught.
But she was too far gone now to care. All she could think about, all she wanted, was having Asher deep inside her. The man in question abruptly stood up, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, before positioning himself between her legs. “Are we doing this?”
Paige nodded. “Yes, please.”
“You want me to get a condom? I have one in my wallet.”
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m on birth control. I want you to take me bare.”
His eyes dilated, lust obvious in his expression. He placed his hands on her thighs, lined the head of his cock up with her entrance, and began to push slowly.
She gasped as he carefully slid inside her, stopping every inch or so to let her body adjust to the intrusion. “Holy fuck,” he murmured. “Your pussy is so fucking tight, Freckles. You’re going to make me come in no time at all.”
She reached down and rubbed her clit in slow circles, relaxing her body to take him deeper. “Your dick is big.”
“You want me to stop?”
“You’d better fucking not, Stone, or you’ll regret it.”
He placed a kiss on her knee before pushing forward, and eventually he was fully seated inside her. Once he’d bottomed out, they both panted for air. Paige sat up a little straighter to meet his lips with hers, and they kissed over and over as he began to move, slow, easy strokes that gave her time to get used to the feel of him.
It was glorious. Better than she’d ever dreamed about. His hips surged forward again and again, and soon enough another orgasm was building from deep in her belly, pleasure spreading throughout her body and making her tingle.
“Make me come, Ash,” she begged as he began to slam into her, his cock sliding so deep it was all she could feel. When the head bumped up against that sweet spot inside her, she cried out so loudly she was sure the whole town could hear her as her orgasm crashed over her like a tidal wave.
He stopped moving as her body trembled and her chest heaved, bending down to suck on one nipple until it was hard and aching. He then kissed his way across her chest to the other, leaving the first one cooling in the air.
Once she’d stopped trembling, he withdrew and sat down in the booth, stroking his hard cock, which glistened from her arousal. “Come sit on my cock, honey. Make me come deep inside your sweet pussy.”
Paige nodded eagerly and hopped off the table onto shaky legs before straddling Asher’s lap. She gave him a kiss, then with his encouragement wrapped her hand around his cock to hold it steady and sank back down onto it. His hands cradled her ass, fingers digging in as she began to ride him enthusiastically.
She moved up and down, her breasts bouncing in Asher’s face. Using his tongue, he toyed with her nipples, making her shiver. He was so deep inside her, the pleasure was almost overwhelming, and it wasn’t long before she felt another orgasm building.
“Are you going to come again, Paige?” She could only nod as he slid one hand down her body, lightly caressing her skin, until his questing fingers reached her clit. She cried out as he rubbed the sensitive bundle of nerves, and when he started to moan, his hips jerking up shakily, she knew he was about to come with her.
Suddenly, Asher tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his face a picture of ecstasy as he came inside her. She followed him over the edge, crying out loudly, her entire body sensitive as pleasure flowed through her so intensely she almost blacked out.
Resting her head on his shoulder, she gasped for breath, her hands on his chest. She then felt the kisses he placed on her temple and lifted her head so she could gaze into his eyes. Wrapping her arms around his neck while he was still buried inside her, she rubbed her nose against his affectionately. “Hi.” Her voice was soft, almost shy, and suddenly she felt unsure of herself. Of them. Of what had happened, and what would.
“Hi, honey.” His grin warmed her all over. “Told you we’d be the perfect fit.” She relished in the soft, slow kiss he then gave her. His hands came up to frame her face. “No matter where we go from here, I need you to know something.”
Her heart began to thump hard. “What’s that?”
“I wasn’t trying to steal your store, Paige. I would never do that.” His tone was sincere and it was evident from his expression that he was telling the truth. “I was never going to call Mrs. Martin to make a better offer. I don’t even know why I said that. I was just trying to get a rise out of you. You make me fucking crazy.”
“I know you’d never do that. You make me crazy too, Asher fucking Stone, and I don’t know why.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth. “You were determined to fight your attraction to me from the moment you saw me when you moved here.”
Paige couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face, even as she smacked his chest. “You’re so arrogant! I was not attracted to you the moment I saw you.”
“You sure about that?”
In order to avoid answering him, she kissed him, and for more than a few moments they exchanged kisses, just enjoying the feel of their lips pressed together. When they finally pulled apart, she ran her fingers over his chest. “This space is pretty big, you know.”
“I did notice that, yep.”
“If I’m being honest, I don’t need all this space for my bookstore.” She paused, gathering up some courage to say what was on her mind at that moment. “We could maybe…share it?”
Asher’s eyes widened, and he squeezed her ass before kissing her jaw. “You mean that, Freckles? You’re not just saying that because I made you come three times?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, but it didn’t last long. “Of course not!” she scoffed. “I’m telling the truth when I say I don’t need all this space, and I know you’ve been looking for a place for your whatever it is as long as I have.”
“Speakeasy.”
“Huh?”
“I want to open a speakeasy. A bar that specializes in high quality, expensive liquor from around the world. And splitting this place in two would be perfect.” He looked around the room they were in. “You could have your bookstore at the front here, with the entrance on Main Street, and I could put the speakeasy at the back, with the entrance behind the building. That would work much better anyway, so the entrance would be a little more discreet.”
Paige could see it. They could put a secret entrance between the two businesses for them and their staff to move in between, so if she wanted to have a drink and hang out with Asher after she closed the bookstore she could simply go through the connecting door. “I like that idea.”
She was rewarded with an enthusiastic kiss. “If you really mean it…”
Pressing her lips to his cheek, she smiled. “I really mean it, Asher Stone. I’ll share my store space with you on one condition.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
Pulling back far enough to see him, she framed his face with her hands. “I’ll share with you, as long as you promise to continue sharing this amazing dick of yours with me. But only me.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a deal, Freckles.”
She kissed him once more, then gingerly rose up off his cock and stood. Muscles she didn’t even know existed were hurting, but it was a good hurt and she couldn’t wait to have more fantastic sex with Asher fucking Stone in as many places and positions as she could think of.