She’d not realised how stuck she’d become. How constrained. Why had she let things hold her back for so long? She’d not wanted to see the problematic issues from her upbringing but perhaps he’d been right about that too—that she’d made too many excuses for too long, ignoring the impact on herself. She loved her family and she knew they’d done their best but it hadn’t been easy for her—she’d not been the priority. But now she had absolute freedom and she could live her own life on her own terms. And she wanted to.
‘What are you thinking?’ Ash suddenly asked.
She glanced up at him and smiled.
His hold on her tightened. ‘You’re more luminous than ever.’
She laughed. ‘It’s the lighting in here.’
‘No.’ The question in his beautiful amber eyes was unrelenting. ‘Tell me what you’re thinking.’
How could she resist him anything when he looked at her like that?
‘That I’m happy.’ She blinked back a sudden burn behind her eyes. ‘I’m enjoying the freedom to do what I want. How I want. When and where and with whom I choose.’
And that was with Ash.
She felt the response ripple down his body. He wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t claim to be. He’d been honest—letting her know he had flaws and had made mistakes. And he’d made her appreciate that other people in her life hadn’t been perfect either. Despite her tendency to try to see the best, sometimes it was good to accept an honest assessment.
And honestly? She adored her new jumpsuit. She’d searched online and had it delivered direct to the hotel—living like Ash Castle himself. It had arrived on time and hadn’t even needed alterations. It was comfortable yet sexy and she didn’t regret blowing some of her pay on it. It had been so long since she’d done something for herself.
Aren’t you doing this for him?
Maybe partly—and his reaction? So worth it.
‘Merle?’ he asked again. ‘Why are you chuckling to yourself?’
‘I’m thinking that I don’t care what anyone thinks.’ She smiled, aware of her blossoming sensuality and confidence. ‘Except you. But I know you like my outfit.’
‘Not just your outfit.’
A ripple of sensual awareness skimmed down her spine. The pleasure, the sensations, of this evening? Stepping out with him, teasing him, enjoying every mouthful of that stunning food, the restaurant’s stylish decor and the sexy beats from the live band by the dance floor... Everything had been perfect. It wasn’t an experience she wanted to just remember, but an experience that she wanted again.
Ash Castle had opened up her world. He’d pulled her free of the shroud beneath which she’d hidden for so long—not her coverall, but her tendency to stay safe back in the shadows. He’d given her more than he’d promised. More than the sexuality she felt safe exploring with him, more than the light jokes and games between them. More than the serious conversation too.
But there was another, rarer element curling around all these things, threading them together, forming an unbreakable, undeniable core within her. Something invisible, something strong, had melded to her central framework and become inseparable from her very soul. She gazed up at him, lost in the world of memory and sensation, laughter, spark and sensuality. The world that was totally, utterly Ash.
Ash’s clothes felt too tight. His collar especially. It made breathing difficult. Thinking was simply impossible. That weird protectiveness rearing within tensed all of his muscles. But Merle held him close. She had rhythm. But then, he knew that, didn’t he? She moved so well in his arms. In sync and breathing together, they sensed and anticipated each other’s movements.
He was desperate to be alone with her. Yet he didn’t want to short-change her on the night out he’d promised. But she cupped his jaw. And she tempted him.
‘Shall we continue this dance upstairs?’ she murmured.
She saved him.
As the lift rose, taking them to their hotel suite, his tension scorched. ‘Merle...’
‘Yes?’
Something broke apart within him then. Her simple, sweet response. Affirmative. Listening. Willing.
It was everything he wanted from her. And it terrified him at the same time. He had no idea how he unlocked the hotel room or what he did with the damn key card, just that somehow they were inside the door and alone. Thank heavens.
This wasn’t just superficial desire, but also physical need underpinned by bone-deep longing. A fast release wasn’t going to work. But he was unable to stop himself from trying. The sexiest outfit ever had just become the source of the most insane frustration. Somehow he worked it out and the scarlet shimmered down her body in a slither of sexy colour and then she stood so close to naked, clad only in a tiny bra and thong, in matching scarlet. Ash had never felt as honoured in his life. Not even their first night together compared to this. He was utterly lost for words.
She smiled at him again. ‘Thank you for tonight. It was a lot of fun.’
Fun? He couldn’t stand the compressed sensation inside his chest. It was as if his heart had been clamped by some medieval instrument of torture. He couldn’t bear to look into her beautiful eyes but he couldn’t look away and something once held fast slipped loose inside. In another breath, every last semblance of his control was lost.
He tore the condom wrapper between his teeth. Her eyes widened with humour and arousal. A gorgeous, intoxicating, provocative mix that made him even more desperate to take her. Now. To his eternal gratitude she stepped forward and reached for his belt, intuitively understanding the level of pain he was in right now. Two strokes of her gentle hand up his turgid length was two too many for him to handle. He growled. Her gaze lifted to his. A smoky, sensual pride gleamed in those brown eyes.
He buried his thoughts by kissing her, rejoicing because it wasn’t a response that she gave him, it was an
