"I also seem to remember you saying that before, too."
"You know what I mean."
"Do I?"
"Miller, we spent days holed up in a hotel room. This is different."
"That was your choice. I offered to take us out many times, and you declined."
"That's because that wasn't real. But now…" She trails off, looking down again.
I ease her face back to mine. "But now it is real. You're here in my home, and last night we had an actual date that ended up with you in my bed—a bed no other woman has slept in."
"I kinda feel like I owe you an explanation for... things."
"You do owe me an explanation, but in case you haven't picked up on it yet, I'm working on getting to know the genuine Ashlyn Rhodes, not the person you created."
"The real Ashlyn isn't that special."
"I think she's fucking special. And if we're dishing out details, know something else. If you hadn't up and left without a word, this wouldn't be weird for you. Because I would have made sure you would have woken up in my bed wearing my shirt and drinking coffee in my kitchen a hell of a long time ago."
Her breath hitches.
"Yeah, babe. I wasn't ready to let you go. Long-distance fucking sucks, but I'd have made the effort for you."
"Lily was worth the effort."
"They are one and the same to me, and it's time you stop hiding behind that excuse."
"I moved here because of you." Her hand flies to her mouth, and her eyes grow wide with her admission.
My heart speeds, not sure I heard her right.
"I shouldn't have blurted that out." Her voice is muffled behind her fingers.
"You didn't know where I lived. Maybe you should explain."
She drops her hand and looks around nervously before answering. "When my life was spiraling out of control, there was no way I could go back to Atlanta. I am done with big cities. That last night in the hotel, you talked about doing a job in Charleston, and it brought back memories of the few times I visited with my parents and how much we loved it. It made my decision easy. This was where I wanted to be."
"I'm not sure that means you moved here because of me."
"I had no clue you lived here and our paths would cross, but you mentioning it set the wheels in motion."
"It's a far stretch."
"Maybe," she shrugs, "but that weekend with you changed my life in many ways. It's crazy how I uprooted and moved to a city because of a passing conversation with a man I met in a bar and spent the rest of the time in a hotel room. Then I ran away. Doesn't that freak you out?"
"Nope."
"Of course not. You're unshakable."
"Not exactly. I was pretty shaken the morning I found you gone."
She scans my face, her eyes shining bright as she cups my cheek. "I'm usually not this mercurial. I've always been steady and responsible. Two times in my life I've been impulsive. Both have to do with you, and being here this morning," she pauses, tracing her thumb across my bottom lip, "it's surreal."
"It's real, Princess, as real as it gets."
She leans in, brushing her lips over mine. "Thank you for a wonderful evening."
"You already thanked me."
"Thank you for carrying me inside."
"Carrying you is never a problem."
"And giving me something to wear."
"You didn't give me much choice when you ripped it off me."
"Very gentlemanly." Her legs link around my waist, and she closes the space between us. "But if you're cold, I can give it back."
All my blood rushes south, and my dick grows hard against her. "Baby, you shouldn't tease a man like me."
"Who says I'm teasing?"
Ashlyn's phone dings again in her purse where she dropped it last night. "That's probably my mom, texting me again."
"If that's her, she's been blowing up your messages."
"I'll deal with her later."
I groan my approval, slipping my hands under her ass, taking her mouth and lifting her off the counter. She smiles, kissing me lightly and holding on as I make the way back to my room. My phone rings from my jeans on the floor.
"You need to answer that?" she purrs down my throat.
"Not a fucking chance." I crawl up on the bed, laying her gently in the middle and breaking away to kiss along her neck.
She arches up, keeping her legs locked and giving me total access to her throat. Her hands scrub through my hair as she swivels her hips and moans when she grinds on my cock.
"Princess, I promised you we'd take this at your pace, but I need to hear you say it's okay." I suck on the skin at her collarbone and feel her freeze beneath me.
I try to pull away and she locks around me tighter.
"Do you hear that?"
I can't hear anything over the roaring in my ears and the blood pulsing through my veins.
"Is that a dog barking?" she continues.
I strain to listen and hear what she does. But this isn't just a dog barking; it's a familiar dog trying to barge his way into my house.
"Son of a fucking bitch!" I hiss, hoping like hell I am wrong, but knowing I'm not.
"What's happening?"
"We have company." I lower myself to kiss her quickly.
"What do you mean we have company?"
Right then, there’s the unmistakable sound of nails scratching at my back door followed by a loud knocking.
"Someone may die today."
"Oh my God!" Her legs drop, and she wiggles to get free.
"You wait here." My voice comes out a little harsher than expected as I push myself up. "I'll get rid of them."
"I have to get dressed!"
"No," I growl like an animal, "you do not. You stay right here in this bed, in this position, and don't move. I'll be the one to undress you when I get back."
The knocking comes louder this time.
"Miller—"
"Stay."
