Ashton diverts his gaze away from me. “It’s getting hot out here, we should go for a swim.”
“Are you avoiding my question, Mr. Barclay?”
He blows out a frustrated breath as he continues to stare off into the distance. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever brought here, Emma.”
His words shock me.
“Why? I’m sure you have a bevy of beauties throwing themselves at your feet.”
He runs his hand through his hair. “Because you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted here. Can we just drop it and go for a swim?”
I don’t want to drop it, I have so many questions. I barely know anything about him. I open my mouth to say something but think better of it when I see the pleading look in his eyes.
“Sure, let’s go for a swim.” The crystal clear water of his infinity pool does look inviting, and I am feeling rather warm and not just from the sun.
He places his glass of wine on the small table that sits between us and stands. After taking mine from me, he extends his hand helping me to my feet.
I eye Duke as we pass. He watches us but doesn’t attempt to move. He seems happy here. I even managed to get some food into him earlier, which is a good sign.
Ashton doesn’t release my hand as we walk back into the house. “There’s a guest bathroom over there where you can change, or you’re welcome to come up to my room with me.”
“Nice try,” I say, scooping up my bag. “The guest bathroom is fine.”
He chuckles. “I thought you’d say that, but you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
I hug my beach bag to my chest as I watch him cross the room heading for the staircase. He takes them two at a time, and I don’t move until he’s out of sight.
If I were a different girl with a different past, I wouldn’t have hesitated to take him up on his offer. But I can’t risk falling for him, I can’t go through that again.
I’m wrapped tightly in my towel, now regretting the skimpy bikini I packed. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I’m sitting on the edge of the chair rubbing sunscreen across my chest and down my arms when he comes bounding back out. I swear I almost swallow my tongue as I take him in. He’s shirtless and in a pair of black swimming shorts that hang low on his hips.
It’s the first time I’m seeing him without a shirt, and holy hell, he looks so good. I want to lick him. I’ve never seen a man ripped like him before. Well, not in real life, anyway. He has strong, broad shoulders, a muscular chest, olive skin, a six-pack of abs, or possibly an eight-pack, I’m not sure because I am trying not to stare. My eyes dart a tad lower to a distinctive ‘V’ that disappears into his shorts. My tongue juts out, running along the seam of my bottom lip.
He’s scrumptious.
Ashton clears his throat, and my eyes snap up to his. “Like what you see, sweet-thing?” He cocks an eyebrow and smirks.
Ugh!
He’s sexy, and he knows it.
I shrug, acting unaffected as I go back to my sunscreen.
“You’re okay, I guess.”
He chuckles as he comes to a stop in front of me. “Need a hand with that?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Hand it over,” he commands, holding out his hand. He’s looming over me, and my face is level with his abdomen. Goddamn, he smells so good, and I’m tempted to dart my tongue out and lick him like I want to. I swallow hard as I crane my neck to look up at him and place the sunscreen in his hands without argument. “Stand.” Again, my body acts on instinct as I do like he asks. What the? We’re so close I can feel the heat radiating off him. He leans forward just a tad. “Lose the towel, Em,” he whispers, and his warm breath on my skin sends tingles shooting down my spine.
My logical brain screams, no, don’t tell me what to do, but my traitorous body has other ideas. Our eyes are locked as my hand moves of its own accord, plucking at the corner of the towel where it’s snuggly tucked in at the side. It falls to the ground, pooling around my feet.
My brain may be sensible, but my body’s an unscrupulous ho.
Ashton takes a step back, and I hold my breath as he drinks me in. His eyes begin a slow descent down while my skin prickles in their wake.
The red string bikini I’m wearing doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
“Jesus Christ, Emma,” he groans, pausing at my chest and the two tiny triangles that barely cover my breasts. My girls are ample size, to say the least, so they’re practically hanging out all over the place.
I’m virtually naked.
I don’t even have to look down to know my nipples are erect—he’s got me all kinds of flustered.
The look on his face alone should be enough to make me feel self-conscious, or at best slightly concerned, but it appears to be having the opposite effect. I’m so turned on right now I swear I could jump his bones. I need to get my raging libido under control before I do something I’m going to regret.
I’m enjoying our friendship, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.
Ashton clears his throat when his eyes meet mine once more. He looks like he’s teetering on the edge as well. The sexual attraction between us is irrefutable. I can almost feel the pheromones wafting in the air.
“Lie down… on your stomach,” he orders, flipping the lid on the sunscreen.
I can do that. There’s no harm in putting a bit of lotion on my back, apart from the fact that his hands will be on me, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to that part. He has magical fingers—my girly parts can testify to that.
A grumble erupts in the back of his throat once I’m sprawled out, face down on the lounge chair. He stands beside me for the longest time, and although I can’t see his face, I can feel his eyes on me.
When he straddles my hips, I squeeze my thighs together. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.
He gathers up my long hair in his hands, draping it over my shoulder. I tense when he plucks at the ties of my bikini top. “Relax,” he says, sensing my uneasiness.
My body quivers when he squirts a line down my spine. Seconds later, his big strong hands are on me. He splays his fingers out across my skin before moving upward in slow, precise movements.
It feels amazing.
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth biting down hard in an attempt to suppress the moan that’s threatening to escape.
His fingers drift upward and over my shoulders, then down my sides, skimming the swell of my breasts as they pass. Goosebumps pebble my skin as liquid heat settles in the pit of my stomach.
Repeating his movements, he follows the same path he just took, albeit a little slower. As his hands skim down my sides again, his fingers dip a little further underneath, grazing the edge of my nipples. I hear his breath catch, and this time I can’t control the whimper that falls from my lips. I’m so turned on if he so much as breathes on me, I’ll orgasm. My heart thunders against my chest when I feel his erection pressing into my backside as he continues to explore every inch of my upper body.
Ashton shimmies down further, his hands now cupping my behind. “This ass,” he groans, giving it a tight squeeze. He leans down, his mouth hovering over my ear. “I’m going to bite those cheeks one day, sweet-thing.”