Page 64 of The First Spark

“Lucky for me, I possess insider information.”

“On what?”

“On you.” He brushes his nose along my jaw before nipping at my earlobe, the sensation sending a jolt of electricity through me.

I duck my head, desperate to keep my wits about me. “That tickles.”

“That’s the idea.” Another chuckle rumbles from his chest, reverberating through me. Ash is savoring every second of undoing me.

Seems he doesn’t mind an audience. Come to think of it, neither do I, at least not where Asher Hammond is concerned, and I’m sure as hell not telling him to stop. At this point, every word is a struggle against the illicit battle he’s waging.

Although his movements hide beneath the fabric of my coat, one look at my face will tell people all they need to know about our current activity. Thank God for the dim lighting and dark velvet drapes.

Ash continues his covert exploration as he slides his hand beneath the waist of my pants, tracing along the edge of my g-string. Then he dips lower, dancing his fingersacross my clit as his talented digits beckon me out to play. “Fuck, Oriana Thorne, the feel of you. You are pure temptation.”

Will I have sex here in the far corner of the tent? At this moment, it’s a definite option. I’ll deal with any public relations nightmare another day.

Right now, my body is driven by nothing but desire.

“Want to go inside?” Ash murmurs, his voice a low growl in my ear.

Before I can respond in the affirmative and drag him to our basement hideaway, someone clears their throat next to us, cutting off our stolen moment.

Glancing to my left, I spy Braden, a knowing smile quirking the corners of his mouth. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal my brother.”

I expect Ash to release me immediately, now that his brother—and the rest of the patrons in the tent—are fully aware of our ministrations.

But I’m wrong. Ash cocks a brow at Braden, but his hand remains splayed against my abdomen. “I’m a little busy. What do you need?”

Braden shakes his head with a laugh. “I can see that, but we’re about to pick the raffle winner, and since you’re the artist laying the ink, that job falls to you.”

Then he turns and walks away, no doubt enjoying a silent snicker for catching us with our pants almost down—again.

Ash drops his head to my shoulder with a grunt. “Perfect timing, as always.”

“Duty calls.”

He slips his hand from beneath my coat, and my skinimmediately misses the warmth of his caress. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

I spin around and offer a cheeky smile as I catch Ash adjusting himself. Glad to know I have some effect on the man. “Don’t go too far. A bodyguard is always on duty.”

He glances down at me, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Thought you said I couldn’t afford you?”

I trace the rim of my wine glass and shrug. “Eh, we’ll work out a payment schedule. I’m certain you can come up with something to satisfy my demands.”

“Satisfying your demands might become my full-time job,” he says, his voice a low rumble as he slides a finger along my jaw.

“Worse ways to go.”

Ash chortles, running a hand along the back of his neck. “Damn straight.”

Do I want to delay the end of our flirtation? Of course, but I see Braden out of the corner of my eye, jerking his chin toward the waiting crowd at the far end of the tent.

I give Ash a playful shove. “Go on. I’m heading down the street to grab some food.”

Ash gestures behind him. “The guys are ordering pizza. You’re welcome to a slice.”

There’s something about his current demeanor that is so endearing. Even if he plays the part of the big, tough heartbreaker, I can tell he’s reluctant to leave my side.

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