Ashlyn smiled. “I’m being silly.”
“Nope. You’re in a new relationship. It’s not silly at all. Go.” Lexie winked at her. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Which leaves me wide open to do whatever I want,” Ashlyn retorted.
“Yup.” Lexie hugged her. “Have fun.”
“I will. Thanks.” Ashlyn returned the hug then waved at the others. “See you guys later! I’m outta here.”
“Bye.”
“Say hi to Slate for us.”
“Orgasms are your friend!”
The last came from Kenna, and Ashlyn couldn’t help but laugh. She loved her friends. They were all so very different, but they all wanted the best for her and for each other. Ashlyn had a feeling they were still secretly hoping she and Slate would suddenly fall madly in love, but for now, and for the foreseeable future, she was happy to settle for lots of mind-blowing orgasms.
CHAPTER FOUR
Slate checked the app for what seemed like the four hundredth time that day. He’d set it up so he got notifications when Ashlyn moved after being in one place for more than fifteen minutes. He’d watched as she went through her rounds for the day, delivering food to all her clients.
It was kind of embarrassing how obsessed he was with making sure she got back to Food For All safely.
When Mustang called him out on his distraction during one of their meetings, Slate did his best to pay attention. When he’d gotten the notification that Ashlyn had arrived at her apartment, though, time seemed to slow to a crawl. All he could think about was everything he wanted to do to her once he got to her place.
Finally, Mustang wrapped up their last meeting and they were all free to head home. Without hanging around to chitchat with his teammates, Slate headed down the hall for the exit. It was almost ridiculous how badly he wanted to see Ashlyn. His cock stiffened in his pants, and Slate swore. He was acting like a horny teenager, not a mature man of thirty-three.
He drove too fast, as usual, on the way to her place. His stomach rumbled, but food was the last thing on his mind. He’d gone hungry plenty of times in the past—it wasn’t always easy to stop to eat while on a mission—and he was used to going without when he was in the zone. And Slate definitely felt in the zone right now. He was focused on getting to Ashlyn and picking up where their phone call had left off that morning.
He parked and headed up the stairs to her floor in the apartment building without remembering much about the trip. Then he was there. Knocking on the door he’d gone out of a few days ago feeling more satisfied than he could remember being in a very long time.
The door opened almost immediately, and Slate’s gaze devoured Ashlyn as he stepped inside. She had on a pair of leggings and an oversized long-sleeve shirt. He could tell at a glance that she wasn’t wearing a bra; her nipples were already hard behind the pale pink cotton.
“Hi,” she said as she shut the door behind him, turning the deadbolt.
The second the door was secure, Slate grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, putting her back against the wall.
She stared up at him with huge brown eyes, and he loved the way her breath hitched. Her long, shiny hair was down around her shoulders, brushing the tips of her tits. Her cheeks were flushed, and she immediately lifted her hands to his biceps.
“Hey,” Slate belatedly returned her greeting. “Did you have a good day?” He forced himself to speak before falling on her like a panther in heat.
Her lips twitched. “Yeah. Got the third degree from the others, but they’re cool.”
Slate nodded. “No trouble with your deliveries?”
“Nope. Everyone behaved themselves. There wasn’t an ax murderer in sight all day.”
Slate shook his head in exasperation.
“Did you get the app working okay?” she asked.
“Yup.” He wasn’t about to mention how he’d been tracking her ass all day. Some people might think wanting to see his woman’s every movement was creepy. But after everything that had happened to Carly, and Monica, and all the others, he didn’t want to take any chances. He was sure that, as time passed, he’d get less obsessed with making sure Ashlyn was safe. Maybe.
“Are you hungry? I know you said not to bother with dinner, but I roasted some veggies earlier. I’ve got leftovers. I can heat up some noodles and throw them together, since I know you’d probably explode if you just had vegetables for dinner.”
“Starved,” Slate said.
She looked surprised. “Okay, step back and I’ll go put the water on.”
“Not for food. You,” Slate clarified, running his hands down to her hips. He wasn’t even speaking in full sentences, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of getting his mouth between her legs was making him feel a little Neanderthal-ish.
The small, sexy smile that crossed Ashlyn’s face made him feel a lot better about the slight obsession he was developing with her body.
Her hands tightened for a moment on his arms, then she slid sideways, grabbing his hand and heading for her bedroom.
Slate’s eyes focused on her ass as they walked. She was curvy in all the right places. Her tits were large, but she wasn’t top heavy because her sexy hips balanced everything out. They were perfect for grabbing. Her gorgeous lips were plump, and he couldn’t wait see them wrapped around his cock. Her straight brunette locks were soft and silky, and he could just imagine how the thick mass would feel, tickling his chest as she rode him. Her soulful brown eyes always seemed to sparkle with some sort of emotion…humor, compassion…irritation at his high-handedness.
Yeah, there wasn’t anything about Ashlyn that didn’t turn him way the fuck on. He wasn’t sure why it took him so damn long to ask her out, but he was thrilled he finally had.
She pulled him into her room. After dropping his hand, and without a word, she peeled her shirt up and over her head.
For a moment, Slate was struck dumb. All he could do was stand there and stare at her in awe. Women tended to overthink things when it came to their looks. Men were simple creatures at heart. They liked tits. Period. And Ashlyn’s breasts were perfect.
Slate took a step forward and his hands reached out without conscious thought. He palmed her and ran his thumbs over both nipples, loving how they became even harder under his touch.
“So damn sensitive,” he murmured.
In response, Ashlyn arched her back, encouraging him. As it had the other night, an overwhelming sense of urgency overcame Slate. He needed this woman. It felt as if he didn’t get inside her in the next sixty seconds, he was gonna die.
Taking a deep breath and vowing not to repeat the way he’d come too damn fast last time, without truly appreciating Ashlyn, Slate forced himself to let go of her and take a step back.
“Everything off and get on the bed,” he said in a raspy tone. “Legs spread.”
Ashlyn didn’t comment, merely smiled and leaned over to push her leggings off. Her tits bounced with the action, and once again Slate had to force himself not to pounce on her.
He removed his own clothes in what seemed like record time. He took a second to throw a few condoms on the table next to her bed and stroke himself. His cock jerked at his touch, more than ready to burrow inside Ashlyn’s hot, wet, tight body.