Page 84 of Love is Strange
I’m sure he can see me caving, and I'm kicking myself internally for once again being sucked in by his magnetic eyes and warm husky voice. Casey knows me better than anyone, and if she told him to get me something so thoughtful, then I don’t want to hurt her feelings by rejecting it, even if it really is too much.
I suck in a breath, look up at him, and say quietly, “No, I don’t want that.”
Ash murmurs his response, but his eyes flash with the victory, “Good girl, now that wasn’t so hard was it?”
“Ash, can you let go now?” I stutter, embarrassment sweeping over me at how naked he is with just a pair of jeans slung low on his hips.
With his arms still around me, I'm pressed up against his front, and I suddenly feel too hot, realizing just how intimately we are standing. Burning all over, I’m all too aware of Ash, and his erection digging into my stomach.
He shakes his head, and his nose lightly touches mine. I gasp when his tongue sweeps over my lips, seeking entry, and then he’s kissing me. I can feel the pressure of his lips on mine and the slight bite of his lip rings digging into my mouth.
All too soon he breaks the kiss, leaving me breathless, dizzy, and staring up at him in confusion. I’m swaying like I'm drunk, but his next words send a strange skittering through my body.
Ash’s lips ghost over my mouth, and I feel them when he says, “I don’t want to let go, but I have to. Happy birthday, Ember.”
Chapter Ten
ASH
She’s seventeen.She’s seventeen. She’s seventeen. I repeat it over and over in my head like a mantra, but I can’t seem to pull away from her. I know she’s turning eighteen tomorrow, but I still can’t act on my desire for her just yet. We are trapped in our little bubble, neither moving closer or further apart, and the desire building in me is making it hard not to take her right now.
I’m about to snap when we hear, “Em, where are you? The popcorn is ready.”
I grit my teeth and stepping back, I turn away from her, but not before seeing her slightly swollen lips and pink cheeks as she darts from the bedroom.
I hear her flustered voice call out, “Coming, Case!”
I. Fucking. Wish.
I throw myself down on the bed and cover my face with my hands, fucking hell that was intense. I adjust myself in my pants and groan because I’d literally just taken care of that in the shower, but Ember is far too fucking tempting for her own good and has no idea what she does to me,
I see the box still sitting on the bed and take it back to Casey’s room where I place it next to Ember’s bag once more. This time I don’t pick her bag up; the last thing I need is for her or Casey to walk in and see me snooping again. I back slowly out of the room, and because, apparently, I love to torture myself, head quietly downstairs to get a drink and to see if I can catch another glimpse of her.
As I inch slowly down the staircase, I hear their muffled voices carrying from the living room, but can’t quite make out what they’re saying. Thankfully, I don’t need to go past them to get to the kitchen. Once there, I stand just out of sight, listening to their conversation.
“Em, I know you like Ash but please don’t go there. I love him to pieces, but he's an asshole. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” I hear Casey say, and I clench my teeth.
I know that if I did hurt Ember, then Casey would make my life miserable. She's so damn protective of Ember. Despite all the taunts and jokes she makes about me to her, she cares a lot about her friend.
“Nothing is going on between us, Case, and there won’t be,” Ember replies.
Ember’s words sting because that isn’t what she was saying with her body and mouth, ten minutes ago, when she was pressed up against me and practically grinding against my cock as I kissed her. I want to spank her ass for telling lies, but not where Casey can hear. When I finally have her, she will be begging me for more, and I will deliver until she's a screaming mess and ready to be mine in every way possible.
I start the tap running, needing the coldness of a glass of water to cool the heat burning through my veins, which is a mix of desire and anger at her dismissal. The voices from the other room abruptly stop, and Casey comes to the door to glare at me.
“How much did you hear?” she asks, and her voice is low and worried.
I walk over to her and grin while messing up her hair, “Nothing, little sister, why? Were you talking about me?”
She shakes her head, shoving my hand away and turns to go back to the couch where Ember is sitting. With her back turned, Casey can’t see the look on my face as I glare at Ember. When I catch sight of my reflection in the hallway mirror, I can still see the promise to own her lingering in my eyes. Ember quivers under my gaze, and when Casey catches sight of her reaction to me, she turns and gives me a look, threatening bodily harm.
“Big brother, kindly fuck off. This is a girls’ night,” she says sweetly, and I hear Ember giggle at Casey’s words.
I laugh and can’t resist teasing her, knowing how much it winds her up. “Fine, but don’t let Mom hear you cussing at me; she’ll shove a bar of soap in your mouth.”
Ember can deny our connection all she wants, but in the end, she will be eating her words, and hopefully other things too. With that thought, I smirk and head back up the stairs toward some kind of sanity. She must realize that I'm not going to let her run very far from me. If she tries to escape, then I will catch her and drag her back to me. No matter how hard she fights this, wewillbe together.
Chapter Eleven
