Page 100 of The First Spark

Ash shakes his head, but his smile never falters. “Incredible observational skills you’ve got there.”

“How did you get in here?”

He points toward the door before leaning back further in the chair as his eyes travel the length of my body.

“Why are you smiling?”

Ash shrugs and bites his lip in that adorable fashion I love and hate in equal measure. “I’m admiring the view.”

I can’t be sure if it’s the cocky glint in his eye or my grumpy disposition regarding the handsome playboy, but I’m done playing coy.

I hold my arms out from my body, ensuring he can drink in every inch of me. “Can I continue changing now?”

“Please do,” he murmurs.

Don’t get me wrong—his intense, fiery gaze is definitely affecting me, but I’ll be damned if I let him know that.

The best way to handle a man like Asher Hammond? Act like his game is nothing I haven’t played before.

“Suit yourself.” With a shrug, I unbutton my pants andwriggle out of them, barely containing my delight as he leans forward, resting his chin on his hand, clearly enjoying the show.

Come on, you’d do the same damn thing.

But when his hand drops below the desk and he adjusts himself with a grunt, I opt to take it up a notch. “You okay over there?” I inquire, my tone light and innocent.

“I love having a front-row seat to this striptease.”

Typical response.

“Nothing you haven’t seen before,” I reply with a careless lift of my shoulders.

Ash gets up and walks around the desk, his boots thudding against the floor in measured steps. “Haven’t seen that bra before. The other one was purple. Fucking nice, too.”

I roll my eyes, desperate to maintain my equilibrium as he closes the distance between us. “Although I’m sure you’ve seen every variety of lingerie known to man, I was referring to what’s underneath.”

He glides his hands along my arms, sending a shot of sparks through me. “I willnevertire of looking at those beauties. Most perfect tits on the face of the planet.”

Again, it’s a compliment of sorts, but I already know I have a nice rack. Besides, it’s surface fluff—an interchangeable line that works on pretty much any woman.

Well, it won’t work on me. Not anymore.

“You would know, Ash. You’ve sampled them all. Can I help you with something?”

He edges closer, leaning down to brush his lips against my ear. “You can help me with a lot of things. Where are you headed, anyway?”

Damn it, but he feels so good, his beard tickling my skin and sending a fresh wave of shivers down my spine.

I need space—desperately—between me and the small-town hottie of the year.

Shirking away from his touch, I grab the sweatshirt from my bag and pull it on. “I’m going out.”

“With Mina?”

I know lying is wrong. Iknowthis. But after this emotional rollercoaster of a week, I’m all about self-preservation. If that means knocking Ash’s ego down a few pegs in the process, so be it.

I shrug, avoiding his gaze. “Nope.”

His expression tightens as he crosses his arms across his muscled chest. “How many dates do you have in one week?”

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