RUSH (Montgomery Men Book 1) (11 page)

“I just—”

I leaned in before she could give me another shit excuse, wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, and covered her mouth with mine. She resisted only for a few seconds before brushing her sweet tongue against mine.

I groaned and she whimpered, both of us forgetting where we were. I had imagined what she would taste like, what her lips would feel like against mine, but the illusion was nothing compared to the reality.

Fuck, she felt so good, and I had never in my life tasted anything sweeter.

I nipped at her lower lip and sucked gently as I ground my hips against her, showing her just what she was doing to me. “Stop fighting me,” I whispered before kissing along her jaw. “I want this, I need this. Please don’t deny that you do too.”

“It’s not that simple.” Her voice was laced with desire, a breathy whisper much different from her defiance only moments ago. “I won’t lie and say I’m not attracted to you. But I just. . . .” She lowered her head, hiding her mouth and taking away my ability to distract her.

After a moment she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She pressed her hand against my chest, causing me to step back.

I was losing her.

“I don’t have room in my life for a relationship,” she said as she stood tall and smoothed her shirt, erasing all signs that I’d had her pressed against the wall only seconds ago. “And I’m not the girl you want. I’m just a challenge, and once you’ve conquered it, you’ll move on. I can’t allow myself to be just another one of your many women.”

She moved past me so quickly I was unable to stop her.

And then she was gone.

I waited near the bathroom until I was calm enough to rejoin Nina. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to our table, but I had to settle our bill.

When I exited the hallway, I glanced toward Lex and Kiera’s table and found it was now empty. Panicked, I began scanning the room, and when I didn’t find them, I reached into my jacket to retrieve my phone. I typed a quick message, hit Send, and held my phone tightly in my hand.

Me: Where are you?

By the time Lex responded a few long moments later, I was barely hanging on to my cool.

Lex: In a cab on our way to Kiera’s. Not sure what you did to her in that hallway but she came out and insisted we leave that second. You know how demanding she can be.

As I was reading his first message, another came through.

Lex: Wanted to make sure she made it home safe.

Me: Where is home?

I must have looked like some crazy man, standing there at the end of the hallway staring down at my phone raptly. At the moment it was like my lifeline.

Lex:?

Me: You are not my only form of information. I can find out with one phone call, it would just be easier if you told me now.

All I had to do was call either of my brothers, Knox or Beckett. They both had the ability to search through their computers and tell me where she lived. That was one of the perks of having a PI and a detective for siblings.

Lex: Fine! Walton Ave.

He fired off her building and apartment number, followed by a stream of nasty comments about me abusing my authority and so on.

I didn’t give a shit. He’d get over it.

I needed Kiera to know I didn’t see her as just some quick fuck I’d forget by morning.

For the first time in my life, I wanted so much more.

After I saw a not-so-happy Nina to a cab and covered her fare home, I walked toward the awaiting Mercedes and gave Murray, my driver, the directions to Kiera’s place. My body hummed with the uncontrollable need to put this game of cat and mouse to an end.

I wanted Kiera, and I knew she wanted me too. It was time for her to let go of whatever the fuck was holding her back.

KINSLEY

“ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T
want me to walk you up?” Lex asked as I crawled from the cab.

“No,” I said, looking back over my shoulder at him. “I’m good. Just tired.”

I could tell he knew I was lying, but he didn’t push. Instead he offered a wave as I closed the car door and entered my building. It was quiet, which only gave my mind time to wander as I entered the elevator and hit the button for the sixth floor.

My lips still ached from Ashton’s whiskers brushing against them. That rough, two-day scruff felt even more amazing than I had imagined. And the heat of our kiss only left me wondering just how that roughness would feel on other areas of my body.

That man made my mind race with more dirty thoughts than I’d ever had before.

Why was that? Why could I so easily imagine giving control over to him?

As the elevator arrived at my floor, I mindlessly exited and turned in the direction of my apartment. My mind could not let go of the way Ash made me feel, and my body craved one more taste, one more touch. Each day I resisted him, I became more desperate, even though I knew giving in to my need for him would only leave me vulnerable.

I unlocked my apartment and entered, then walked straight to the kitchen and placed the teakettle under the faucet, let it fill, and returned it to the stove. Tea had a strange way of calming me, and right now I was unsettled and tense.

After changing into my pajamas, I gathered my blanket and had settled on the couch with the controller in hand and a warm cup of tea waiting on the coffee table when a loud knock came from the door.

Fear shot through me.

Only a few people knew where I lived.

I remained frozen, staring at the door, as if ignoring it would make them go away.

Another knock made me jump in surprise again.

“Kiera, open the door.”

The fear rushed from my body and pure shock replaced it. I remained seated on the couch, my mouth hanging open slightly as I thought about torturing Lex. Ashton’s visit had Lexington Russell written all over it.

“I know you’re home, and I’m not leaving until you talk to me,” he said. “So you can make this easy on the both of us and move your stubborn ass, or I can keep you and your neighbors awake all night.”

I rolled my eyes and huffed in irritation as I tossed my blanket to the side and moved toward my door. After unlocking all the locks, which Rig, ever being the fatherly protector had insisted I install, I yanked open the door. Ashton’s hair was tousled, as if he had run his fingers through it multiple times. The tie he had on earlier was now gone, and the top buttons of his shirt were unfastened, revealing a teasing portion of his chest and neck.

He just had to show up looking so fucking good, didn’t he? As if I wasn’t already having the hardest damn time avoiding him.

“Can I come in?” he asked, placing his hands against either side of the doorframe. His large body filled the opening, and I suddenly felt small in his presence. The domineering look he was giving me both frightened and excited me, and I felt my nipples harden. He arched a brow, still waiting for me to respond. His head was tilted to the side in the sexiest way, and the way he watched gave me the chills.

Even though I wanted to say no, against my better judgment I moved to the side, allowing him to enter.

“I’d ask how you found my address, but something tells me a very loose-lipped assistant is the one responsible, so I’ll save my breath.” I closed the door and turned to face him. Allowing Ash into my small apartment where there was no buffer between us was a very bad idea, I knew it.

“I’d have gotten it regardless of Lex,” he assured me. “Both of my brothers are involved in one form of law enforcement or another. If he hadn’t helped me it would have just taken a little longer.”

His gaze roamed over me in slow, appraising perusal, and I suddenly felt exposed. But instead of scaring me, it only heightened my arousal. Ash had a way of making me feel sexy and desired with just one look. Jase always made me feel cheap and dirty, but nothing about the way Ashton looked at me made me have any of those same feelings.

In fact I had never felt so beautiful.

That was one of the reasons he scared me so much.

Suddenly, I remembered I was wearing pajama pants and a thin tank top with nothing beneath it. I crossed my arms over my chest, and Ashton chuckled. As if I was hiding anything he hadn’t already gotten a close look at.

“You are puzzling,” he said, shaking his head.

I felt confused. What about me could be puzzling? He was the puzzling one. Why would a guy that looked like Ashton Montgomery keep wasting his time on someone like me, especially after I told him I had no time for relationships?

He stepped toward me and chuckled again when I stepped back. I wanted nothing more than to roll my eyes at his cocky arrogance. Why had I opened my door again? Oh yeah, because I was insanely attracted to this ass of a man, and deep down I no longer wanted to fight my attraction. I wanted him as badly as he wanted me, if not more.

“You are the most stubborn, indecisive woman I’ve ever met,” Ash began as he continued to move closer. “You frustrate me, piss me off, and turn me on all at the same time.”

I took a deep breath when his chest bumped mine, and I lowered my hands to brace myself against the door behind me.

He never once took his eyes from mine. “I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about pinning you against a wall and fucking you into submission.” My eyes widened at his words, and he smiled. “But I promise that when it comes to you, I’ve thought of so much more than just that over these last few weeks.”

I swallowed past the lump that had formed in my throat. He was being so honest, yet I couldn’t do the same, and that thought made my chest ache.

He deserved more.

“I told you I can’t walk away, and I meant it. Because no matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t get your smile and even your damn attitude out of my head. I want you,” he whispered, his lips now only inches from my own. “And not just for one night.”

I sagged back against the door when his mouth covered mine in a tantalizing kiss. I gave in to my need for him because I honestly had no fight left when it came to this man. I was done trying to push him away. I needed to feel him against me, taking me over and making me forget everything that still haunted me.

When I lifted my hands and wrapped them around his neck, fisting his hair, he groaned and pressed his body to mine more aggressively.

“Do you trust me?” he asked as he pulled back and looked at me. “I need to know you trust me fully. That you know I would never hurt you.”

I wondered why he was asking such a question, then he answered without me having to ask.

“I don’t know your past, but something tells me it includes some asshole that didn’t treat you the way you deserve. I need you to know you don’t have to worry about that with me. Because no matter where we go from here or what may happen between us, I would never intentionally hurt you. You’re safe with me,” he assured me as he looked deep into my eyes. “Always safe, baby.”

My hesitation faded away with his words.

I may have been wrong to give all my power over to this man. After all, I was that naive once before and things hadn’t ended well. But I prayed like hell that men like Jase were one in a million and Ashton was true to his word. Because I couldn’t live the rest of my life judging everyone around me by the things that monster had put me through.

It wasn’t fair. To them or to me.

“I trust you,” I whispered, and relief filled his eyes as he took my hand and led me toward the open door of my bedroom.

Each kiss along my stomach felt like a warm shock to the rest of my body. I couldn’t keep my back from arching off the bed as he moved lower. My entire body shook with pure desire as I imagined what he would do next. I couldn’t look, because I had a feeling if I did that I would fucking shoot through the ceiling with how aroused I would become.

After Ash spent what felt like hours kissing me and caressing me, he began to slowly undress me, kissing each part of my body as he exposed it. It was the most intimate thing I had ever felt.

I was surprised I wasn’t afraid of this man, but he gave me no reason to fear him. The way he touched me made me feel so safe, so treasured. His words were filthy, yet there was something sweet about them too. I’d never had a lover who talked to me the way Ashton did. Then again, I’d been a lot more sheltered than he had.