Page 31 of Fateful Exposure

I cleared my throat, my gaze darting back to his. His lips formed a slight smirk, letting me know he'd caught me ogling him likemy next meal. I could feel the heat spreading down my neck to the rest of my body.

"Uh…kinda," I replied, returning my gaze to the pool. Being in the cocoon of your home, it was sometimes easy to forget that you had neighbors. Now, I couldn't stop thinking about how Ashton was just a few feet away.

But seeing him this close to me, knowing that our balconies were side by side with only a short stone wall separating them, did nothing to ease my anxiety.

"Want to talk about it?"

There was no derision or hostility in his tone. He sounded genuinely concerned. I looked at him, just to be sure, and yet, there was nothing. Every single reasonable voice in my head screamed at me to tell him to fuck off and walk away. He was half naked, and I was…needy. But just like that first night, almost as if he were a magnet and I was iron, something gravitated me toward him, and the words died on my tongue.

Instead, I bobbed my head softly in an up-and-down motion.

In a quick move, he jumped over the wall, almost crashing into me. I gasped at the sudden proximity, nearly tripping over my feet if not for his hands that circled my waist to steady me.

"Thanks," I breathed, so close to him that I felt the heat of my words hit his face and bounce back to mine.

Even though I was steady, he didn't release me. We stood in that position, my body pressed against him, his arms snaked around my waist, and our heavy breaths mingled. The cold night air ate at my bare arms, but my body never felt so hot.

Ashton’s gaze dropped to my mouth, and I licked my lower lip. The sound that burst out from his throat was somewhere between a grunt and groan, and when I pressed a hand to his chest, he hissed, pulling me even closer to him. So close I felt his arousal digging into my lower stomach.

Heat pooled between my legs. There was no interns or Maria here to stop us. There was only me and him, and common sense seemed to have stepped back from the light.

"Your lips make me wonder what the rest of you would taste like."

"Ashton," I whispered.

"I know." He nodded, his throat working. "We're playing with fire."

I was relieved that he understood my distress. If we continued down this path, a line would be crossed, one that we would never be able to come back from. The first time had been a blind walk, never to be thought of again, but now, we were smarter and a month older, with our eyes wide open.

I'd gotten pregnant then, probably my punishment for having a one-night stand. What on earth would happen this time around?

"But I've always liked the heat," Ashton said just before crushing his lips to mine.

Stunned, I froze against his eager mouth. My heart was thundering so hard in my chest I almost passed out. As an overthinker, every single decision I made was carefully thought out. I learned the hard way that impulsiveness and I did not work very well together.

I had the test results to prove it.

Was this what I wanted?Fuck yes.But was it the right decision? Shouldn't I push him away? Why did something so wrong feel so fucking right? This was my Pandora's box.

It took me approximately ten seconds to decide.

And then I was kissing him back, the glass sipping from my hand and shattering against the tiled floor, the sound reverberating through the quiet balcony.

Consequences be damned.

thirteen

Ashton

A low groan rumbled in my chest the second Selma surrendered against me.

Stars exploded behind my eyes, and I pulled her impossibly close to my body, swallowing her moans. I threaded my hands through her soft hair, and the smell of coconut danced seductively around us.

She ground her hips against my straining cock, drawing a grunt out of me. "I've missed this body, peaches. I dream about touching you every fucking night."

Her moan was low as I dragged my lips away from hers to suck on her neck.

"I've missed yours too," she whimpered.

---