Page 76 of A Little More Hope

“Oh, I’ll absolutely remember, all right,” Ash answered. Slipping his arms around my waist, he drew me close, our bodies lined up, perfectly slotting together. “I love you, Mason Wilder,” he whispered, his words making my heart soar.

“I love you too, Ashton Michaels.”

Michaels! His last name is Michaels. Oh, thank God.

Our mouths were tantalizingly close, but if I gave in to my baser needs and kissed him here, we’d never make the rest of the journey back to the house. I’d take him right here, against a tree or on the damn sidewalk if we weren’t careful.

Moving us apart, I gripped his hand and pulled him along behind me. “Home. We need to get home.” His answering laugh came out low and sensual. The man knew exactly what he was doing to me.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that,” I warned him.

“I’m counting on it,” he replied seductively.

Digging my hands into my pocket I pulled out the key and then unlocked the door, for once going through the front of the beach house and not via the rear deck, so we’d be closer to my room. Bundling him through the entrance and straight into my bedroom, I slammed the door shut and had him pinned against the wooden surface in a second.

“It’s like déjà vu,” he panted, “but this time, I get to keep you.”

Grinding my hips against his, my hardening cock brushed up against his own. “You do”—I gave another grind—“get to keep me”—and another grind—“for as long as you want.”

“Promise?” The slight catch in his voice stopped my movement when I instantly comprehended the extreme importance of his question as he revealed all his hopes and fears in that single, solitary word. He’d had a dream of forever dangled in front of him in the past, only for that dream to be cruelly ripped out from under him time and again. He needed confirmation I wouldn’t do the same and that I’d be different.

I cradled his face with my hands, and locking eyes with his, I answered him with total honesty. “I promise you, Ash. I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t leave you. Not ever. Do you hear me? Ever.”

His lower lip trembled, but he managed to control himself as he waited for my reply. His almost imperceptible nod confirmed his acknowledgement of my commitment to him.

“Now—” I circled my hips over his, watching his eyes drift shut, his head lolling back against the door. “—where were we? Oh, yeah, I need to kiss you.” His beautiful eyes reopened, glistening with unshed tears, and making the moss-green of his irises vivid and clear. “Hey,” I said gently.

He shook his head. “It’s a lot to take in. I hoped, really hoped for so long I’d find you.” A tear spilled over and down his cheek as he whispered, “I can’t believe I’m so lucky.”

Raising my hand, I gently wiped the tear tracks away. “Me too, Ash. Me too.” No longer able to wait another second, I lowered my head and took his lips with mine, our kiss full of sweetness and love. He trembled under my mouth, and the contented sigh he released nearly drove me to my knees.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I husked, annoyed that the dark-green shirt clinging to his lean frame kept me away from his skin. “This shirt—” My hands fought to undo the buttons quick enough, and he didn’t have that many done up in the first place. “I wanted to rip the damn thing off the moment I saw you in it.” Pulling the shirttails out of his chinos, the last button free, my hands finally got to touch all his hot, smooth skin. His answering groan, so needy and desperate, made my cock ache to be inside him. “Naked. We need to get naked.”

The situation was so reminiscent of the last time we were together it was uncanny. This time, I had no qualms whatsoever about what we were about to do. Grabbing hold of the shirt, I eased the material over his shoulders and down his arms, the cuffs catching at his wrists, securing his hands behind his back. He was exactly where I wanted him.

Holding firm with one hand, I went to work on his chinos. “And these,” I grumbled. “Your ass in these. So round, so tight. Fuck, Ash.” He chuckled at me indulgently. “You wore them on purpose to drive me crazy.”

He gave a sexy smile. “I did.”

“Well, it worked.” With my mouth again on his, my tongue tracing his lips, I demanded entry. His decadent moan set my pulse racing. My tongue delved inside, meeting his. Fireworks exploded in my brain with each lick, each caress of his along mine. His face, smooth tonight, clean-shaven, felt soft against my lips, but I much preferred him with a day’s worth of stubble, so each time we kissed, I’d know exactly who I was with.

He twisted in my hold, trying to get his hands free, his actions becoming more desperate the longer he struggled. “Need to touch you.”

“Soon.”

He let out an adorably frustrated whine.

Keeping one hand wrapped in the shirt, I undid his belt, popped the snap and the fly, and slipped my hand between them and his briefs, cupping him, massaging the solid cock currently held hostage behind the thin material. “Mase,” he pleaded.

“Soon,” I repeated. His body, already covered in a light sheen of perspiration, had become my latest addiction. His sweat was a clear indicator I turned him on and made him burn from the inside out.

Locking eyes, I lowered my head until my mouth was level with his nipple. Exhaling slowly, the sensitive flesh peaked to a hard nub. Tracing my tongue lazily around the perimeter, close but not touching, prompted a shudder to rack his whole body.

“Mase, please, fuck.”

I gave in and flicked my tongue rapidly over the tight bud, making him tremble like a leaf. My teeth grazed over the very tip, not offering anywhere near enough pleasure to quench his thirst.

“Bite it.”

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