Page 17 of Dirty Desires
Lila jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow. “It’ll probably take another year before you two actually kiss. But way to hang in there, girl.”
It was all fun and games until she said that. Even Julia could see that Lila had gone too far.
My finger began wagging at Lila as if it had a mind of its own. “Now you listen to me, Lila Cofield,” I chided. “That man has suffered things that we can’t even imagine. And I won’t sit idly by and let anyone, not even a very good friend of mine, say anything negative about him.”
Lila’s blue eyes were as big as saucers as she shook her head. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I swear, Nina. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m so sorry. You’re right. He has lived through a lot. I can’t imagine if that had happened to me. If I’d lost Duke before we even really got started, well, that might’ve just killed me.”
“You’re damn right, it would’ve,” I let her know. “Okay, apology accepted. Just watch what you say about him from now on.”
“I will,” she said with her eyes downcast. “I am sorry. You know I would never say anything to hurt him intentionally—he’s my friend too.”
Julia got up and came to put her hands on my shoulders as she stood behind me. “Seems like you already have Ashton’s back, Nina. I think that’s a good sign that things will work out for you two.”
I patted her hand that rested on my shoulder. “I wish I had the kind of confidence that you do, Julia. You’re so sure about things.”
Lila smiled at me, then got up. “I think we should go break up the poker game. Then Julia and I will take our men to bed, and you and Ashton can have some time alone. To talk. Or whatever you want to do.” With a wink, she headed out.
I got up and followed Julia as we left the room. The men could be heard laughing and teasing each other before we got to the room that Artimus had dubbed the poker room. Artimus called out, “Aces high, boys. Read ’em and weep.”
I heard Ashton groan, “Aw, man. You win again.”
Duke said with a chuckle, “And the rich only get richer.”
Julia led the way, pushing open the door. “Good. Your game is over, I hear.”
“Over?” Artimus asked with confusion. “Not hardly.”
“I beg to differ,” Julia said as she went to her husband. “I need your help, hubby.”
Artimus looked at me then Lila. “Can’t your friends help you, baby?”
“Not for what I need you for.” She ran her hands over his shoulders seductively before leaning in to whisper some choice words for him alone. But from the glow that began to radiate from Artimus’ face, we all assumed the words she said were rather dirty.
Duke was quick to get up and grab his wife, gazing deeply into Lila’s eyes. “You have anything you need me to do, honey?”
“Now that you mention it, yes,” Lila said.
The couples left Ashton and me alone. I smiled as I took a seat. “I can play you. If you want,” I told him.
With a deep sexy chuckle, he said, “Only if we use our clothes to bet instead of chips.” He must have been recalling the outcome of the strip poker game the night before.
There my finger went again, wagging away at the naughty man. “Ashton, you are one naughty boy, aren’t you?”
“Not normally,” he said with a sexy grin. “But I’m starting to get there.”
There was a twinkle in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. And that twinkle sent sparks shooting all through me. It also sent something else through me—a feeling that I needed to let him know that he could trust me implicitly.
With that in mind, I decided that I wanted to make our relationship a lot deeper with this weekend excursion. And not just sexually, either. I would let that sit in the background for now. What was more important was letting Ashton know that I wanted him for him, and nothing else.
“You know what?” I asked him.
“What?”
Winking at him, I went on, “I’m kind of glad I got to see you with your face messed up.”
Even with swollen eyes, his brows rose up high. “What?”
Nodding, I added, “No, really. I’m glad I got to see you this way. It’s helped me learn a lot more about how I really feel.”
