Chapter 13
13
Lincoln
This was such a mistake.
Not to mention a risk.
He’d spotted the private investigator tailing him earlier in the day. No doubt hired by Janet, perhaps hoping to catch him in the act of doing something nefarious or maybe even cheating on her the way she was on him. Which, of course, he had, but thankfully she didn’t know that.
She’d probably never imagined he would cheat on her during their daughter’s wedding reception.
Too bad for her that was the only time he’d cheated.
Which made him just as bad as her in some ways, didn’t it? He pushed that out of his mind, needing to focus on the here and now, which included keeping a watch for any other possible tails as well as the meathead he’d just rescued Ashley from.
“I hope you know I can’t drive.”
“I know.” He also knew which car was hers. “I’m going to take you home. If you need a ride back to get it tomorrow, I can find someone to take you.” Taking her back himself would be another risk.
What he needed to do right now was get her to her house, get her inside, then get his ass back home and sneak back into his house... preferably without the investigator seeing him.
“I can get back here myself.” She didn’t argue, though, as he took her to his car and opened the door for her, sighing as she settled into the passenger seat. Looking up at him, her lips quirked. “How do I know that going with you isn’t a big mistake?”
It was the same question he kept asking himself.
Rather than answering, he shut the car door, giving himself some time to think while he went around to the driver’s side. Unfortunately, he didn’t have an answer by the time he got there. Thankfully, she didn’t ask him again or press for an answer when he got in. Humming cheerfully under her breath, she pulled down the sunshade to check her makeup in the mirror.
“Thanks for the rescue. Even though I should maybe be looking for a rescue from you, stalker,” she said as if she was joking.
A muscle in Lincoln’s jaw popped as he clenched it. That was pretty much what he was doing, wasn’t it? Stalking her. Even if he was using an employee to do it.
Just for this week. To make sure she’s okay. It’s for her own good.
The excuses sounded lame, even in his head.
“I’m going to take you home,” he said shortly, his tone harsh even to his ears. Not that it bothered her.
She turned toward him, studying him as she continued to hum under her breath. Lincoln managed to keep his eyes on the road, but he could see her in his peripheral vision.
“Taking me home…” She let her voice trail off for just a moment, a note of flirtatious teasing sliding into her tone. “Then putting me to bed?”
Fuck.
His cock, which he’d managed to keep under control until this moment, started to thicken. She was like a siren, and if he kept going down this road, he was going to end up a wrecked and drowned sailor. Where was his vaunted self-control?
“I am taking you home, and we will be going nowhere near a bed,” he said steadily, gripping the steering wheel tighter and keeping his eyes on the road. Despite his focus, he could see her leaning toward him.
Delicate fingers slid onto his thigh.
“Oh? As I recall, we didn’t need a bed.”
Fuck me sideways.
Lincoln let out a long, shuddering breath. He knew he should reach down and remove her hand, but he was afraid of what he might do instead if he let go of the steering wheel. Besides, deep down, he didn’t really want her hand gone, if he was honest.
His cock had gone from perked up to fully erect at her touch and was aching for more.
“You’re drunk. And I’m sober.” He said it to remind himself as much as to explain to her why what she was suggesting wasn’t going to happen.
“So, you only want me when you’re drunk?”
Fuck. Now she sounded sad.
“I’m not going to take advantage of a drunk young woman half my age. You don’t know what you want.” He took a shuddering breath as her fingers climbed up his thigh, moving closer to his groin and brushing against the bulge in his pants which had grown incredibly tight. “If you were sober, it would be a different story.”
“If I was sober, I wouldn’t be willing to fuck a married man.” She leaned in, and he could feel her hot breath against his cheek, smell the alcohol on it. Instead of turning him off, it just catapulted him back to that night. Back to how she felt in his hands. How she felt on his cock. How she tasted on his tongue.
“And even drunk, I wouldn’t have fucked you if I wasn’t already planning to divorce my wife.”
The hand on his leg stopped moving.
“You are?” Now she sounded younger than before, more uncertain, and fucked-up pervert that he was, his cock throbbed in response.
“I am, but she’s cheating on me with my business partner. I have to wrap some things up at work before I can serve her papers because I need to sever that relationship at the same time.”
“Mmm.” There was a long moment of silence, then her hand slid away, much to his regret. “Did you know she’s trying to catch you cheating?” Thankfully, they had just stopped at a red light.
Lincoln’s head swiveled to look at Ashley—but this time, it was her turn to be looking away. Panic started to rise up inside of him. The only person who knew he had cheated on Janet was her…
“I saw them together at the wedding. Heard what they were saying. She wants to catch you cheating because something about the prenup.”
“So, you decided to help her out?”
“If I was going to do that, I would have already told her about our little… encounter.” Ashley turned to face him. She grinned, a wild, almost feral grin. “I just wanted to fuck you. I mean, okay, I did have the thought before we fucked, but that’s not why I fucked you. That’s not why I want to do it again.”
A horn honked behind him, making both of them jump. He put his foot back on the gas. He hadn’t even noticed the green light. Proof of how much Ashley Vaughn got under his skin.
“Why do you want to do it again?” he asked before he could stop himself.
Ashley just shrugged. Maybe the alcohol was wearing off.
They rode the rest of the way in silence. Ashley’s home was a townhouse, not far from where she’d grown up. Lincoln knew she lived alone but was friendly with her neighbors, at least enough to wave to them. From Rebecca, he also knew she didn’t have many close friends. The two of them had been alike in that respect.
Introverts.
Not that Ashley had been very introverted with him, not when they were alone. Though it might be the alcohol affecting her. It wasn’t as though she’d spent any time with him while she was sober.
“Walk me in?” she asked when he parked. Whatever serious thoughts she’d been having in the car, they seemed to have worn off.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” he said.
She blinked in surprise. Maybe she’d just been teasing him. Maybe she wasn’t serious.
But…
Lincoln walked her to her door, letting her hold his arm, so she could stay steady on her feet. When they reached the door, she turned to look up at him, and he found himself leaning forward, looming over her. Her breath hitched in her throat as he pressed her against the door frame, his hard cock digging into her soft stomach. Fuck, he wanted to be inside her again so bad.
She’s drunk. And I’m not.
“This Saturday, I’ll be at a club downtown. It’s called the Outlands.”
“The bar that closed down?”
“It’s only closed to the public now. Go there Saturday night. Anytime eight o’clock or later. Give them my name at the door and tell them you’re Lincoln Black’s guest. Be sober, and I’ll fuck you all night if that’s what you want.”
“At this club?” Her eyes were wide, round, her breath coming in soft, short pants.
Fuck, the things he wanted to do to her. The ways he wanted to use her.
“At the club. And Ashley, before you come… research what kink is. Because I want to do more than fuck you. You’ve been a very, very naughty girl.”
It took every ounce of willpower he had to pull himself away from her when she was looking up at him like that, aroused and slightly fearful, excited and nervous. Everything he liked to see in a submissive. Everything that had turned him on before marriage to Janet had killed his impulses.
He hadn’t been to the Outlands in years, but he’d kept up his membership in some sort of vain hope that maybe one day, Janet would come around again. Now, he was damn glad he had. Privacy and discretion were bywords at the club. No one was going to let a private investigator in, especially once he gave the owner a heads up.
He would be free to do what he wanted with whoever he wanted.
But the only person he wanted was Ashley.