Page 12 of So Wrong, It's Wright
He laughs and tosses the dress to the side. But when his eyes land back on me, it’s obvious that he likes what he sees—gray sweatpants and all that…
“I should get you a shirt to wear,” he says quickly, averting his gaze as he swallows hard and turns away. His hand goes to the back of his head, then he takes one step toward the exit before stopping and turning back, clicking his fingers like he just realized where he left his suitcase. I also can’t help but notice the way he tries to adjust himself without me seeing, and I get a surge of lusty power just knowing I was capable of doing that to him. I’ve spent all night wanting him and hoping he wanted me back. Seeing the evidence of that want makes me want to tempt him even more. So, with a nervous intake of breath, I reach my hands behind my back and unclasp my bra.
“It’ll be huge on you. But this’ll have to do until we can get you back to your room,” he says as he walks out of the bathroom, his head down as he focuses on the shirt in his hand. I let my bra fall to the floor, and the sound of it on the carpet causes him to lift his gaze and freeze. “Ahhh…” He’s staring at my breasts with wide eyes—wide,hungryeyes—and there’s no amount of adjusting that can hide just how hard he is for me now.
“I don’t want to go back to my room,” I whisper, pulling my shoulders back as his tongue snakes out to wet his lips and a pool of heat settles between my thighs. I want him to use that tongue on me.
“Er…OK. You can… You can…” He forces his eyes down, focusing on the shirt again as he works it between his fingers, opening the neck out as he moves toward me. “You can take the bed.” He drops the shirt over my head. “I have to leave at seven, anyway. I’ve got an early flight.”
Disappointment blooms in my chest, then falls as a pit in my stomach when he turns away. “I thought you wanted me?” I blurt, a childish accusation in my voice, because rejection stings. Something I know because I’ve experienced it far more times that I care to admit. My choices in men have been horrible and messy, but I honestly thought that Ash was different. I thought there was a real connection here.
“Oh, sweet girl,” he whispers, turning back around. “I do. More than you know. You’re like my birthday and Christmas all wrapped up in one tiny, beautiful package. But I like to keep my gifts, and this…” He pauses and looks around the hotel room. “This isn’t me. I have exactly one hour and eighteen minutes before I have to fly out of here and go back to my life in Atlanta.”
“Which is exactly why we shouldn’t be wasting time.”
His expression softens, and he steps a little closer, hooking his finger underneath my chin and tilting my face up so my gaze meets his. “For what I want from you, Tahlia,” he whispers, his warm breath tickling against my skin. “There’s notenoughtime.” And with that, he presses his mouth to mine. It’s soft at first, like he’s kissing me goodbye, but then he teases my mouth open with his, and I wonder if I’ve ever truly been kissed before.
One of his big, meaty hands slides up to cup the back of my head, his other hand resting on my collarbone as his thumb glides against the sensitive skin on my neck. And as his tongue probes every recess of my mouth, I feel thoroughly possessed and completely wanted.
I let out a whimper, my hands lifting to his chest and my fingers curling into the fabric of his sweatshirt. I want to feel him everywhere, have his skin against my skin, savoring every tiny moment we have together. But when my hands glide down to his waist, my fingers brushing lightly beneath the hem of sweatshirt, he sucks in his belly and pulls back.
“I should go,” he says in a rush, putting a good yard of distance between us as he blows out a breath and rubs his hand back and forth through his hair. “Yeah. I have to go.”
“But it’s not even seven yet,” I say, glancing at the hotel clock on the nightstand as he starts rushing around the room.
“Yeah, but… traffic,” he says, clearly agitated.
“At six am on a Sunday?”
“Yeah. I just don’t wanna risk it. I can’t miss my flight.”
“Why? Oh god. You have a girlfriend, don’t you?” I cover my mouth with my hands.I knew this guy had to be too good to be true!
“What? No. There’s no one. I’m single. In fact, I’ve been single so long, you could almost class me as a virgin again,” he says with an awkward laugh that’s followed by a wince. “Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“Ash,” I call after him when he disappears into the bathroom and comes out with a carryon suitcase, muttering to himself about making a fool of himself and whether he has everything. Oddly, I find this entire nervous freak out rather adorable. So far, Ash is a bit of a paradox. He’s awkward yet manly, dominant yet respectful, closed off yet open, carnal yet cool. And all I really know for sure is that I want more. I’ve never met anyone quite like him. He sets my mindandmy body on fire.
“OK. I’m good,” he says, finally meeting my eyes.
“What about your shirt?” I say, running my fingers along the hem. It’s big enough that it touches my knees, so I have to lift it a little and show off a bit of thigh. I’m fairly certain I’m rewarded with a growl coming out of his chest, but he shakes it off.
“Keep it,” he grunts, a furrow crossing his brow as he tears his eyes away from me and heads for the door.
“Ash, wait,” I say, spotting his phone still charging on the nightstand.
“Tahlia,” he growls, a warning tone in his voice thatreallyturns me on. “I need to go.”
“You forgot your cell.” I practically leap across the bed to get it for him.
I hear the shuffle of his feet moving before he reappears at the end of the hall that leads to the door. Finding me stretched across the bed. His eyes turn so dark, tortured and needy that my heart kicks up to a gallop in my chest. I hold his phone out to him.
“You know, this is how you ended up in here?” he says as he takes it. “We have the same cellphone and case. They got mixed up along with our room keys.”
“Great minds think alike and all that, huh?” I say, smiling up at him from the bed as I lean on my elbow.
His eyes move all the way along my body, from the tip of my head to the bottom of my toes then all the way back up again. It feels …sensual. “Yeah,” he says with a nod and a heavy swallow. “Anyway. I should go.”
“OK. Safe flight.”
