Chapter 20 #2
Every contour of her body pressed against mine, every line and curve that seemed designed to drive me mad.
With each step toward the inn's entrance, her touch stoked the fires within me. This night was going to be one hell of a trial.
"Thank you for the roses. They're beautiful," Erin slurred, her voice a melody that played havoc with my self-control.
"Roses? I didn't send any roses." I frowned as we stepped into the dimly lit entrance of the inn.
"Of course you did." She giggled, pointing unsteadily to the coffee table where a bouquet of blood-red roses sat in a crystal vase.
I put her down gently and approached the flowers, picking up the small card nestled among them. My eyes scanned the elegant script, and my gut tightened. It just had her name. Who the hell had sent these?
"Who else might have sent these?" I asked, turning back to her.
She shook her head, her smile fading slightly. "No one. I've never gotten flowers in my life. Until you bought some for me the other day."
Picking her up, I started up the stairs. I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that settled on me like a shroud. The mafia. Could they still be after her?
Dragging my attention away from the mystery of the roses, I focused on getting Erin to her room.
Her fingers clung to my t-shirt as if I were her lifeline, her touch sending jolts of electricity through my body.
I got her inside her room, but breaking free from her grasp was like trying to peel away super glue.
Don't get me wrong. I loved the feel of her in my arms, but the desire and need to possess her was too strong. I would not take advantage of her while she was drunk.
"Okay, you need to rest," I said.
She wasn't listening. With a fluid motion that surprised me in her drunken state, she stripped, leaving her clothes in a heap on the floor.
My breath hitched in my throat. There she stood, bare and utterly breathtaking.
The moonlight streamed through the window, caressing her curves and painting her skin with silver.
It took every ounce of willpower not to respond to the primal urge to touch her, to claim her.
"Beautiful," I whispered, almost choking on the word. I had to remind myself to breathe. She looked at me expectantly, her eyes gleaming with innocence and intoxication. I wanted her, fuck, how I wanted her. Not like this. Not when she couldn't truly want me back.
"Erin, get under the covers," I said hoarsely, averting my gaze and willing my body to obey my command. This was torture of the sweetest kind, and it was all I could do not to succumb to the temptation before me.
Erin's hands reached out, finding mine with a surprising firmness given her inebriated state.
She guided me to touch her bare skin, one hand coming to rest on the soft fullness of her breast, the other pressing against the warmth of her mound.
My entire being screamed to shed my clothes and join her in the most primal way.
But I couldn't, wouldn't cross that line.
This wasn't how I envisioned our first time—stolen in a haze of alcohol where true consent was a murky, distant shore.
"Erin, we can't—" My protest was feeble even to my own ears.
"Please," she said, a plea wrapped in a giggle, and pulled us both into the soft give of the bed. Her fingers tangled in my hair, tugging me down. The restraint I had held onto so tightly frayed as her desire filled my senses.
With a deep breath, I focused on her need, determined to provide some relief without crossing that boundary.
My hands moved over her, learning the shape of her body and drawing soft moans from her lips.
Her body responded to my touch, arching and writhing as I moved my hands over her smooth skin.
I admired the way her body trembled and twitched beneath my touch.
The soft moans escaping her lips were like sweet melodies to my ears.
My fingers trailed across her collarbone, down her flat stomach, and lower still.
.. stopping just short of where she needed me most.
"Ashton," she whispered, her voice thick with desire. "Please..."
I knew exactly what she wanted, but I also knew that this was a line we shouldn't cross.
Still, the heat emanating from her body and the way she arched into my touch made it difficult to resist. With a deep breath, I leaned in and placed a tender kiss on the sensitive spot behind her ear, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her.
"I'm here for you," I said against her skin before moving back slightly.
Her eyes fluttered open, searching mine for reassurance. "I need you," she said, her voice quiet above the soft rustling of the sheets. "So much it nearly hurts."
She was vulnerable before me in a way that made my heart ache.
Swallowing hard, I slid my hands underneath her thighs and lifted them up so that she was opened to me.
I leaned in closer, taking in the sweet scent of her arousal as it wafted upwards.
My lips brushed against the inside of her thigh, sending tingles through my entire body as they contacted her sensitive skin.
"Do you trust me?" I asked hesitantly as I placed small kisses along her inner thigh.
"Yes," she whispered. "Completely."
I nodded softly as I took a deep breath. "Then just relax and let me take care of you," I said, hoarse with emotion.
As I spoke, I pressed my lips to her core, feeling the warmth and wetness that met me.
She was so ready for me, and it both thrilled and terrified me.
Her taste was intoxicating, sweet and salty all at once.
I licked her gently, teasingly, using the soft roughness of my tongue to explore her folds.
Her hips bucked up off the bed in response, her gasps and moans filling the room.
Her scent was intoxicating, an innocence that made my head spin.
I moved my hands up her sides, tracing the delicate lines of her ribcage until they rested on her breasts.
My thumbs rubbed across her hardening nipples as I continued to pleasure her with my mouth.
She tasted even better than I even imagined.
The sound of her heavy breathing filled the room. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she arched her back off the mattress, pushing herself deeper into my mouth. I took more of her into me, lapping at her like a hungry beast.
"Ashton," she said against the sheets, her voice thick and needy. "Please..."
I repositioned myself so I could slip two fingers inside her pussy as I continued to suck and lick at her clit.
She was so tight around my fingers. Fuck.
I loved the sounds she made, the gasps and moans filling the room as I worked my tongue on her clit while my fingers curled inside her, finding her G-spot.
She was so wet my dick twitched in response.
Her skin was softer than I had ever imagined, and her taste was something I craved more and more.
The bed squeaked softly as Erin lifted her hips off the mattress, pushing herself deeper onto my fingers.
Her breathing became ragged, punctuated by tiny whimpers that made me throb with need.
I moved my fingers faster, repeatedly hitting that spot that would send her over the edge while I sucked harder on her clit.
The noises she made grew louder, desperate for release.
"Ashton," she gasped out between moans. "Don't stop."
Her words drove me wild as I started curling my fingers harder and faster, hitting that spot over and over until she cried out in pleasure. Her inner walls clenched involuntarily around my fingers, and she bucked her hips twice as she came.
As she rode her climax, her grip on me tightened before finally relaxing as the waves of pleasure seemed to wash away the fog of drunkenness. She sighed, content and spent, sinking into the pillows.
I pulled the blanket over her, ensuring she was covered and warm.
Watching her chest rise and fall with peaceful breaths, I curled up beside her, tormented by a desire that left me rock hard and aching.
But I'd made my choice, and despite the physical agony, I knew it was the right one.
Sleep claimed her quickly, but I lay there, my eyes wide open, wrestling with the fiercest longing I had ever known.
With one last look at Erin's peaceful face, I finally let exhaustion take over, hoping sleep would offer some reprieve from my aching hard dick.