14. Ashton
It’d taken every single inch of control in my body not to blow Jade through the fucking window of her husband’s nightclub. Every ounce of willpower had had my body trembling with rage.
I’d wanted to take my gun out and kill her.
I wanted revenge for Abby’s murder. I wanted revenge for my nieces. The blood in my bones had cried out for vengeance.
In the end, I didn’t go through with it. I’d waited like a snake in the grass because killing her in the middle of a club wouldn’t be the smart thing. She had no idea that I was on to her and that I knew about her involvement with Abby.
She came on to me in the office, strongly admitting things as she draped her arms over my shoulders. “I’ve wanted you ever since I was a young foolish girl at boarding school.”
Playing along, the desire to break her neck swiftly and without remorse caused my fingertips to itch. “We’re both married, Jade.”
She hissed. “I know but I won’t be for much longer.”
Jade was a woman who knew how to keep your interest piqued. “Why’s that?”
She offered a shrug before moving away from me and sitting behind her desk. “Ken’s been in a coma for six months. Brain dead from a stroke he had months ago.
The look on my face told me that she’d helped her husband to an early grave. Of course, she wasn’t going to admit that to me.
“I’m sorry to hear that…”
Jade reached into her desk and my heart began to race, only relaxing when she pulled out a metal cigarette case. She pulled out a joint instead and lit it up.
“No you’re not,” she shrugged. “My husband is one of your family’s enemies.”
“He is …or was,” I began to look around, wondering how many guards she had in this place.
She stood up then and came back over to me handing me the pre-roll. I accepted it and pulled the smoke into my lungs, coughing just a little bit.
“I’m running shit now,” Jade replied. “These stupid fucks back in Japan….especially Ken’s brother. Doesn’t think a woman can run this but I’ve got things on fucking lock here in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. The pill game is where it’s at.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
She grinned as I handed her the joint back. “Fuck all the family drama, Ashton. I say we combine our empires. Tanaka and Nakamura…we would be untouchable.”
“What’s the catch?”
She shrugged. “You’ll need to get rid of the black bitch.”
I couldn’t help myself.
My hand slid around Jade’s neck in an instant as my tone turned dangerous. “Watch how you talk about my fucking wife. Don’t ever mention her in that tone to me ever again.”
Jade’s sick ass leaned into my grip and I knew she was liking it way too much. “It’s only been a few months. Get rid of her and we can combine everything. Business and pleasure.”
Choke the fucking life out of her…
Finally, my hand dropped to my side and I stepped away from her. I was at the door when I heard her sigh. “At least think about Ashton. I’m going to New York in a week or so when I get back let’s meet up. And just to let you know, no hole is off limits.”
Not even bothering to look back, I let myself out of the office and rounded up the remaining guards. The tension inside of my body melted away the moment I was outside and breathing the air.
A homeless man was pissing nearby and grinned at me, showing he was missing teeth. Atlanta could get strange as fuck after a certain time of night. Reaching into my wallet, I offered the man a hundred dollars and he looked at me like I’d grown a new head.
I arrived home just a few minutes after midnight. I could hear the television on in the living room and knew that Halo must’ve been waiting up for me.
She looked up the moment I entered before a frown etched itself onto her face. “You don’t smell so good.”
Sniffing at myself, I offered her a weak smile. “I’ll shower soon.”
“Ashton, what were you doing at the club? Did you need to show me who the boss is?”
I sighed because there wasn’t a real answer that I could give her that wouldn’t expose me. Turning away from her, I took off the leather jacket I’d been wearing and draped it over the kitchen chair.
There was a mini liquor cabinet kept stocked and a key on the very top shelf, hidden and out of sight. There was a teenager in the house, and I would’ve been stupid to tempt Luna. Opening the oak doors, I found myself looking for the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon that came in over a thousand dollars a bottle.
After I found the bottle I looked up from the amber-colored contents to find Halo standing and biting at her lips pensively.
“Hey, can you talk to me?”
Ice slammed into a glass before I placed it on the table and poured the liquor into it. Halo wasn’t going to go away and I could feel her staring a hole into my back.
Turning to face her, I sipped my drink. “Talk about what?”
She rocked back and forth on her heels for just a moment, and her face betrayed that she was unsure of what she should say. The moment she worked up the courage, I could tell because she swallowed a deep breath, narrowed her eyes, and stared me down.
“Let’s start with why you smell like another woman.”
I took another sip, coughing only slightly. “What does that matter?”
She came in closer. “I saw you with that Jade, lady. She made a big show of letting me know she owned that club and that Maggie and Luna go to the same school as her kids. Ashton if you’re fucking her, be a man and say it. I get it. I’m not worth much.”
The bourbon cut a warm path down my throat before settling into my stomach. “Stop!”
Halo’s eyebrows raised, her features turning into a puzzled look. “What?”
“Don’t talk about my wife that way…”
Walking over to Halo, I walked slowly. She was so beautiful and humble that she actually thought she deserved less. I’d never be sure of why but I wanted her to have nothing but the very best.
I tucked my fingers under her chin.
“It’s true,” she murmured. “I’m not like Jade or probably any of the women you’re used to.”
I smirked. “And who says that’s what I want.”
She looked away. “Ashton, don’t play with me. You smell like her and it”s making me want to vomit.”
“Do you know that you drive me crazy, Halo?”
Her head whipped back to me, studying my face probably to see if I was lying. I wanted to come clean to my wife now about every fucking thing.
Tell her all of it,the little voice urged me.
“What do you mean?”
Stepping away, I knew I needed more liquid courage than I thought. Picking up the glass bottle that sparkled just a bit under the light, I poured more into the empty glass.
It went down even smoother than the last time. “I want you, day and fucking night. From the moment I saw your photograph on my phone, I was determined to have you in my orbit. Of course, I could never show you that, Halo. A man like me can’t have too many weaknesses.”
“What are you saying?”
Another sip of bourbon and I was sitting the glass down again and striding towards my wife. I pulled her into my arms. “You know what I’m trying to say.”
She shook her head, her mouth parting slightly. Instantly, I was hard. “Tell me.”
“I crave you, Halo. To the point, every atom in my body longs for your touch. The only time I am truly satisfied is when I’m inside of your body. I want you day and night. I want to command your heart and your attention. I would burn the world down for you…kill for you. And all you would have to do is ask it.”
My wife’s face curved up into a dizzying smile. “I need you to shower. You smell like a funeral home.”
I dropped a kiss on her forehead but grabbed the bottle of bourbon from the counter. “Be waiting in my bedroom when I’m finished, Halo.”
Leaving her standing in the kitchen was the hardest thing I’d done in a long time. I wanted her on the kitchen floor, but I needed to wash Jade’s perfume off me.
I took long pulls from the bottle before getting into the shower. Turning the silver knob, scalding hot water began to cascade over my body directly from the shower head that was attached to the ceiling. Steam began to flood the bathroom, enveloping me and as I scrubbed at every inch of my body.
When I finally felt clean enough, I turned the water off and reached for a clean towel. Wrapping it around my waist, I stepped up to the mirror and ran my hand over the foggy mirror. I stared at my reflection my mind beginning to race with thoughts of killing Jade.
She needs to pay, that intrusive thought whisper.
Stepping away, I padded out into my bedroom and found that Halo was waiting for me wearing an oversized gray Atlanta Hawks t-shirt. Her gaze seemed to be intense, and she didn’t even wait for me to come to her. Instead, she closed the distance between us, her fingers becoming tangled up in my damp hair as she pulled her mouth towards my own.
“I have to ask again,” she breathed.
“What?” I whispered already easing her towards the bed.
“Nothing is going on with Jade…”
I didn’t even blink. “Nothing is going on with that crazy bitch, I promise you Halo. I haven’t been with anyone since we got married.”
My hand reached down and pulled Halo’s ass cheeks into my hands. It felt like palm two basketballs in my hands. We began to kiss again until we finally tumbled onto the bed with her below me.
Her legs wrapped around me instinctively and I knew I should have gotten up to find a condom. They were right there in the nightstand, all I had to do was pull one out and put it on. My dick had gone hard the moment I saw her and all I wanted was to be inside of her.
Reaching between the two of us, I slipped Halo’s panties to the side. With ease, I entered a finger into her body. Watching as her lips parted and her breath became labored, I smiled down at my wife. Halo began to arch against my hand.
Slowly I moved my finger around until I decided to add another digit and finally, she let out a moan so sensual it caused me to slow my movement.
“Don’t,” she breathed her hand grabbing at the sheet. “Don’t stop, please.”
“I won’t Sakura…”
I wasn’t going to stop. I never planned to stop fucking this woman that had become my wife. Her response was to moan loudly again while bucking even harder against my hand. Halo’s hazel eyes locked on to my own and I knew she was trusting me then. Trusting me to give her what she needed to feel desired by me.
“You’re so tight, Sakura,” I pulled out my finger, licking at her juices before replacing them.
Another moan filled the air, and Halo’s breathing became even more erratic. I’d never tried to give a woman an orgasm by fingering her before.
I’d never wanted to.
The way her pussy grabbed at my fingers as if it were a lifeline and she was being carried out to sea, a desperate strength behind it. Inch by inch, I slid out of her before pushing them inside again. My Sakura was sopping wet and drenched and I yearned to slurp up her juices.
More moaning and sheet gripping told me that she was nearly there as I watched her going nearly over the edge.
“That’s it, Sakura,” I whispered. “Take your pleasure. Fuck my hand.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
I smiled. “Don’t be, I’m right here Sakura. Take your pleasure like I said. Fuck my fingers.”
The heat of Halo’s core against my fingers was so intense it felt as if I were back in the shower again. Our eyes remained locked, but the moment found her peak, she snatched them closed.
“Fuck, I’m there…I’m coming!!!”
Her body lifted and she slammed against my fingers that I’d never stopped riding. My pretty Sakura had taken her pleasure from me as I demanded. Slowly, she came back down from her orgasm her face looking flushed and blissed out. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as I leaned over and kissed her soft lips.
Padding I walked into the bathroom grabbed a damp wash cloth and came back to clean her up. When I was done, I started looking for a pair of sweats.
Halo sat up in the middle of the bed. “Aren’t we going to you know….have sex?”
I grinned. “We could but you need to rest. There’s no need to overdo it in a night.”
She pouted and was about to bound off the bed. “I’ll leave then.”
Grabbing her quickly by the arm, I stopped her. “Stay with me tonight.”
Halo smiled softly before nodding and the two of us slipped under the covers. I pulled her against me and she snuggled in against my bare chest. We lay that way for a few moments and I enjoyed the sound of her breathing.
She sighed making me wonder if something were wrong.
“Sakura/”
She eased back and stared into my face. “What?”
“Something wrong?”
Curls danced around as she shook her hair. “I feel safe.”
“Have you not always felt safe?”
There was a very pregnant pause and I waited for her to answer.
“Sakura?”
She eased up onto her elbow and rested her head on her hand. “Not always. But six months ago, Ms. May changed my life by bringing us together. The second I married you I felt safer than I have in a long time.”
“What about when you were a little girl?” My fingers danced over her full lips. “Did you feel safe when you were a little girl?”
Her curls danced again, springing around and her voice cracked and trembled slightly as she tried to get her words out. “When my mother was alive yes, but she started to get sick. Cancer ate up her body, made her so sick…”
Before Halo could finish going through her story, a sound cut through the house. Shrill and piercing, the alarm system had kicked on causing me to jolt out of the bed immediately. Panic had sat in and I reached into my nightstand to grab the spare gun I kept there. The condoms stared back at me.
“Stay here,” I whispered to Halo whose eyes were wide.
By the time I got into the hallway, and onto the second floor, Maggie and Luna were up looking around and alert.
“Stay in your room,” I told them going past.
The alarm system continued to blare until I was down in the living room and whipping the door open. Guards were already swarming the place.
Hitting the code to turn the alarm off, one of the guards hollered for me.
“Sir! Sir! We’ve got him!”
Immediately I was out and onto the lawn barefoot coming face to face with some fool in a fucking bear mask. My men tossed him in front of my feet and I saw some light flickering on in a few of the houses nearby.
Same mask,I thought before ripping it off his head.
The face that stared back at me was unrecognizable. His glare showed only coldness, and no trace of emotion.
It was like staring into the void and finding nothing there.
I heard a noise behind me and turned to find Halo dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. Shock was on her face as she recognized the man on his feet in front of me.
His name tumbled from her lips, barely a whisper but I heard his name anyway.
“Jacob…”