Tagged & Ashed (The Sterling Shore Series #2) (10 page)

I don’t hesitate to push my tongue in her mouth, and my hand slides up her leg to find her lacy perfection and slide it aside before my finger finds her wet, tight crevice.

I’m going to savor it though.  I can’t rush this moment. 

She moans as my finger moves, and then my mouth escapes hers as my lips trail down her body to find its place below.

She grips my hair as her legs spread wider, and she moans louder with every flick of my tongue or twist of my finger buried inside her.  I slip in another finger, and the muscles inside her tighten, making my cock throb with envy.

She cries out as she finds her moment, and then I slip my pants down and slide the condom on before burying myself in her with one quick thrust.

Oh damn it.  She feels even better than she did in the pool.

“Tag,” she moans out, making me surge in harder before pulling back just a little.

“Say it again,” I murmur before pumping in harder again.

“Tag,” she says while gasping in ecstasy.

I could tell during our little game earlier that she’s never had an orgasm during sex, but that’s about to change.  I don’t care how long I have to fuck her, she’s going to scream for all the right reasons.

***

Ashiara

He's on a mission, and I pray he succeeds.  The things he’s making my body do are surreal as he thrashes into me with such incredibly perfect force.  The angle he’s using is making my insides tighten with each pulsing thrust.  I’ve never felt like this during sex, and I don’t know if I can ever have sex again unless it feels just like this.

My name is a grunt as he slams into me harder, his body elevating a little as his thumb finds my most sensitive spot.

Oh damn.

My head falls back, and his thumb releases its hold as he uses both hands to support his weight.

I want to feel him even more, so I tilt my hips.  I cry out as he finds an angle I didn’t expect, and then I feel my tears as my body convulses under him.  Wild colors dot the backs of my eyelids, and I start worrying I'm about to blackout when my whole body becomes languid.

He gasps as he pushes himself inside me at the deepest point, and then he holds himself there as his eyes roll back in his head.  A sexy, low groan exudes from his throat, and then he falls to be beside me before pulling me into his arms.

He grins before wiping away my bizarre tears, and then he kisses me softly on the lips.

“First time?” he teases, and I roll my eyes as my leg wraps around his waist.

“Not the last time, I hope,” I murmur as my lips stroll over his strong jaw line.

“Definitely not the last time.  I hope you ate something to sustain you.  It’s going to be a long, long night.”

I smile as his lips press harder against mine, and then I feel his awakened erection as he slips off the condom and drops it in the trashcan beside the bed.  He pulls out another, and I hold back a giggle when he rips it open with his teeth.

“Cheers to long nights,” he murmurs seductively while guiding his covered cock into my opening, and my mouth pops open as he tugs on my bottom lip with his teeth.

I love long nights.

Chapter Five

Running Drama

Tag

Two nights in a row this beautiful girl has slept in my bed, and two mornings in a row I’ve woken up happy she did.  This is irking me more and more.

She looks so peaceful curled up on my chest, her lazy smile barely etched up as she dreams something good.  I’m feeling all the more foolish because I’m hoping it’s me she’s dreaming about.

“What time is it?” she yawns out as she stretches and wraps her arm around me a little better.

Involuntarily, I smile and pull her closer to me as I kiss the top of her head.

“It’s just after eight.  The wedding isn’t until sunset, and we can hide out in here for as long as you want.”

I can’t believe I just essentially asked her to spend the day with me after spending the night with me.

She smiles, and then her perfect lips press lightly against mine as she rises up and straddles me with her bare, glorious body.  I sure as hell can’t think straight now.  Hell, I’m ready to take her home with me as soon as the wedding ends.

Damn those tits.

“Well, I’d love to stay, but I’ve got a car coming at noon to pick me up.  So, I need to go pack my stuff.”

I tilt my head in confusion as I bring her down to meet my lips again.  “You can’t leave.  I need a date to the wedding, and you’re perfect for that.”

She smiles against my lips, and then she shakes her head.

“How about dinner or something tomorrow instead?” she asks curiously, though there’s not a lot of hope in her tone.

This is that crossroads where I have to make a decision.  So many times I’ve delivered a speech with perfect execution, but it’s too hard to do to her.

“How about you stay, and then we’ll discuss dinner when tomorrow comes?”

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“You’re right.  Let’s just enjoy today,” she says a little distantly, confusing me a bit.

“You worried about Bity?” I ask as I run my fingers through her hair, feeling relaxed curls trying to turn straight.

She's still sexy first thing in the morning.

“He’s just pissed right now.  He says stupid shit when he’s pissed.  I’m sure on some level he felt like I betrayed him.”

I scoff, “He’s the last person who has the right to chastise someone over betrayal.”

She rises up, her eyes locking with mine, and then her lips part slightly as she tries to assess what I’m saying.

“What does that mean?”

I pull an arm behind my head while letting my other drape around her deliciously bare body.

“Bity fucked Erica two years ago when we were all in Vegas for the wedding party.”

Ah shit.

There I go again - just blurting things out.

“Erica?  As in Wren’s fiancée?  And… wedding party?”

I exhale heavily while nodding.

“Yeah, they were engaged once before.  They were a few days away from tying the knot in Vegas - not some Elvis sham of a wedding either.  Erica went off with the girls, got wasted outside her head, and then she went to Bity’s room.  He had such a chip on his shoulder about Wren getting married because 'things are just so easy for him,' that he actually fucked her.

“The next morning, I woke up, went to Bity’s room to wake him up, and Erica walked out in his shirt before I could even knock.  I got sick when I saw her holding her dress and shoes in her hands, and she burst into tears when she saw me.”

***

Ashiara

I swallow hard, trying to digest the words that just came out of his mouth.  There’s no way Billy could do such a vile thing to his own brother.

“Are you sure they had sex?” I ask, my voice trembling.

“Positive.  She was drunk, but she remembered it.  When Wren confronted him, he admitted it.  They didn’t speak for about a year, but Wren’s too good and forgiving of a guy to hold a grudge forever.  He finally forgave him, and then he forgave Erica as well.  After a few months, they started dating again, and before you knew it, here we were all over again.”

I’m in shock.  Billy and I have been best friends for years, and I had no clue about all of this.

“Why didn’t he tell me?”

“Because you were the one person he had left that didn’t hate him, I suppose.  After that, Wren has been different toward him.  He had always protected him, stood up for him, and he had been devoutly loyal.  Now, he acknowledges he’s his brother, but he doesn’t feel the same.  Everyone always thought it would be me who fucked one of Wren’s girls, but I wouldn’t do that to him.  No piece of ass is worth losing a brother, and Wren’s the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had.”

It’s amazing he can be so genuine, so full of love for others, but he refuses to be in a relationship.  The mere mention of dinner forced his whole body to tense up.  It’s obvious this can never be more than a fling, but I knew that from the beginning.

It wasn't fair for me to even suggest dinner.  He's Tag Masters.  I have no right to even want to change him.

I wish I didn’t love being in his arms.  It feels so natural to be with him.  There’s nothing forced, and it never feels awkward or uncomfortable.  It’s like we’ve known each other forever, though it’s only been a couple of days.

“Well, I definitely get the whole
best man
thing now.  You deserve it much more.  As for Billy, you’re right about one thing, he had no right to jump my ass.”

He smiles before pulling me closer to him.  He’s so different than how he describes himself.  I’m sure all girls are confused when they’re lying in his arms like this.

“How about coffee?  I can go get us some,” he sweetly offers, and I give him a light smile and a nod as he stands up and pulls on a pair of track pants.

“Please don’t move.  I’ll be right back.”

I force a smile and nod again as he dashes out the door.  I have to move though.  I need to get my stuff packed so I can get out of here by noon.  It’ll be the perfect escape because I heard Erica talking about getting the wedding party together for a cliff-side pose while the sun was so high.

I hate slipping out on Tag, but it’s not like he’ll be devastated.  He might be single, but he’s more unavailable than a married man.  Within a few minutes of my departure, he’ll be in the arms of another girl, and I’ll be a distant memory of some girl he fucked at his best friend’s wedding.

***

Tag

I should have said yes to dinner.  I wanted to.  Now I’m regretting turning it down, but I don’t trust myself not to hurt her.  I wish I was that guy who could change for a girl, but I don’t have such high hopes.

My whole life my bastard father has broken women left and right, making promises he couldn’t keep.  At least I’m honest.  If a girl falls for me after I’ve told them how I am, then it’s on them, not me.

With Ash though, it’s all different.  I’m down here watching a pot of coffee brew so I can hurry back up to her.  I begged her to stay in my bed so she’d be there when I returned.  I’m that caught up in her.

“There’s my best man,” Wren’s voice says from behind me, forcing my thoughts to cease as I turn to face him.

“There’s the man of the hour,” I murmur with a smile.

He grins giddily as he comes to stand beside me, and we both hold a silent spell until the coffee beeps behind us, pronouncing its climax.

“So did you and Ash hook up last night?” he asks with a wry smile as I pull down two large coffee cups.

“Yeah,” I murmur with a goofy grin spreading across my face.

I have to fight hard not to slap myself for such a pathetic reaction.

“And you’re making coffee for two?  She spent the night with you and you’re not dodging her?  I’m impressed.”

“Don’t be.  She knows how I am.  Just because I’m taking her some coffee doesn’t mean too much has changed.”

“Mom says she’s incredible.  She even told me she thought about introducing us after Erica and I called it quits.  I’m glad she didn’t.  I don’t know if I would have ever given her up for Erica,” he says while nudging my elbow.

“She never thought to introduce her to me?” I joke, knowing damn well Melanie loves her too much to subject her to the likes of me.

“Actually, I knew you’d find her on your own one day,” Melanie says from behind as she joins us in the kitchen.

Wren chuckles lightly while hopping up on the counter, and I turn to face the only mother I’ve ever had.

“Is that so?” I playfully muse while drawing the coffee cup to my lips.

“It is so.  By the way, Ashiara likes her coffee with just a touch of cream - nothing else.”

I smirk as she walks over and pulls down a cup of her own.

“You, my boy, need a girl like her to settle you down.  She’s the only one strong enough to handle you, and you’re one of the few I consider good enough for her.  The only others would be Wren or Billy.”

Billy doesn’t even deserve to be friends with her.  Wren, thankfully, has his own girl.  One he hasn’t given up on even though he should have.

“You kissed her in front of everyone last night, or so I heard.  That’s not like you,” Melanie continues while studying me very closely.  “Usually you like to make all the women think you don’t care about anyone in front of them.  I know Ashiara is the one to bring you out of your
funk
.”

“My
funk?
” I muse with a small grin.  “Are you saying you don’t approve of my lifestyle, Melanie?”

Her humor leaves her face as she stares at me with all seriousness and says, “You deserve more.”

Wren stops laughing, and I lower my cup so I can better view the woman I wish really had been my mom.  Maybe then I’d be more like Wren and less like my father.

“I-”

“Hey,” Rene says to interrupt my next, possibly foolish, words.

“Hey,” Wren and Melanie both say as she walks over beside me to pull down a coffee cup of her own.

She pours the remaining bits of the pot into her cup, and then she props up directly beside me, uncomfortably close.

“Why did everyone get quiet when I walked in?” she almost jokes.

Wren’s devious smirk cocks up as he chirps, “We were just talking about what a good couple Ash and Tag make.  Mom thinks she’s the only girl capable of handling Tag.”

Melanie stifles a grin, and I bite back one of my own as Rene puffs.

“I don’t really like her.”

That’s because you’re jealous as hell.

“That’s because you don’t really know her.  It’s easy to feel intimidated, and even a little envious of someone as amazing as Ashiara if you don’t know what a kind and giving person she really is,” Melanie stabs, and I sputter a little of my coffee back into my cup as I fight off the urge to release my laughter when Rene almost growls.

Then my eyes fall on the beauty in a short, dark denim skirt and a white shirt flowing loosely around her shoulders, giving me a peek at her tempting neck.  Her hair is tamed, her makeup is lightly on, and her body is damn near glowing as she walks in.

“Pre-wedding meeting in the kitchen?” Ash asks as she walks in, her steps uneasy as her eyes fall on mine.

“Nah, just chatting,” Wren chimes in, his smile growing as he notices the intense gaze I’m sharing with the dark-haired wonder.

She starts toward me, but then she stops and props up beside Melanie instead.  I can’t stand her being so far away when she’s so close, so - against all my normal training - I start toward her.

I can feel all the eyes on us as I carry her coffee to her, and she smiles appreciatively as I hand it to her.  A few breaths rush out with surprise when I bend over and place a soft, chaste kiss on her lips.

She smiles her beautiful grin, and then she stares down at her coffee as I wrap my arm around her and pull her to me.

“Well,” Wren says with a grin even bigger.  “I’m going to go see if I can break tradition and sneak a peek at my bride-to-be.  See you at noon for the cliff-side pictures.”

Oh damn.  I forgot that shit.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Melanie's smile deepens as she leans over to Ash and kisses her on the cheek.  Then she leaves the room.

Rene squirms uncomfortably for a minute, and then she rushes off to hide out now that the girl who outshines her is in my arms.

“Hey,” I murmur softly.  “Sorry, I got caught up.”

***

Ashiara

I actually hadn’t expected to run into Tag.  I was wanting to talk to Melanie and tell her I’m leaving, but here he is.  He kisses me again, and I put my coffee down so I can pull him in for a deeper one.

“Miss me?” he asks with a smile.

“A little.”  I giggle as he picks me up and puts me on the counter.

“Good.  Now, let’s talk about that dinner you proposed.”