Filed to story: Swallow Me Whole (Sadie & Ashton) Book Free
I untangle my fingers from his. “For these friend dates to work, we have to follow the rules.”
“Friend dates, huh? Did Mandy come up with that?”
“No, I did. And don’t mock me, Ash. We were friends long before we fucked it up with too much…” I trail off, unable to find the right words.
Because there are no right words—none without sexual connotation.
“I’m listening,” Ashton says, breaking into my mental tangent. “We fucked it up with too much of what?”
“With wanting more.”
He shifts onto his side, and his chest comes into contact with my arm. “Is that such a bad thing?”
“No,” I whisper, going breathless because his hot breath is at my ear. “But I need to know that our friendship is still solid.”
“It’s solid. If you need me to keep my lips and hands off of you to prove it, then I’ll do it.”
I draw in a shaky breath then let it out. “I don’t want to keep you at arms-length, but…”
“You need to,” he murmurs. “I get it. Our chemistry is explosive.” His voice drops to a raspy timber. “It simmers the blood, rushes heat to the groin. Makes the heart pound, the brain delirious.” He traces the edge of my ear with his nose.
“Ashton,” I warn, though my voice is barely there, stolen by his sensual stanza.
“I’m smelling you. That’s not against the rules.”
“You have a way of breaking rules.”
“Guilty as charged. But I keep my promises. Your virtue’s safe with me.”
“My virtue?” I can’t help it—a giggle escapes me. “I might be a virgin, but thanks to you, I’m far from virtuous.”
“Thank God for small favors.”
His breath is still a blast of heat to my ear, and I shiver from the chill of night trying to seep in through the sleeping bag.
“Are you warm enough?” he asks.
“Yes,” I lie.
“You’re shivering.”
“I’m okay.” Another star streaks across the sky. “Can we just watch the meteor shower?”
“This is bullshit, Sadie. Let me hold you.” He doesn’t give me a choice. Winding an arm under the back of my shoulders, he pulls me into him, my ass to his groin, and rests his hand on my belly. We settle into a partial spooning position that allows a good angle for skywatching.
“Better?” he asks, nuzzling my jawline.
“Mmm-hmm.” This feels too good, and I know he’s experiencing it too. His burgeoning erection is evidence enough.
“Have you made any wishes yet, Sawyer?”
“No.”
“Well get on it. This show only comes around once a year.”
I glance up in time to witness the brightest meteor yet, its tail spanning the sky in a brushstroke of cosmic artistry.
“Make a wish,” he whispers into my ear.
I wish for the strength to resist him, to give us a foundation that’s built on more than the physical. When it comes to Ashton, I want it all with him.
Ashton
As birthday celebrations go, it’s a small gathering. Just Bryce and a couple of friends from work. And Brett and the brother.
The date.
I’m in the kitchen with Bryce and the guys, bullshitting about work and women over beer and pizza, but I’m only half interested. I can’t keep my attention from wandering to the living room, where Sadie is trying her damnedest not to look at me. She’s failing miserably.
She and my sister are standing in a small group of friends…and Brett and the brother.
The date.
Fuck, it digs under my skin that this guy is anywhere near my girl. Logically, I have no reason to harbor such jealousy—she told me as much herself the last time we went on one of our “friend dates.” But logic and assurances does jack shit from stopping me from wanting to stalk over there and claim her as mine in front of everyone.
We’ve kept our budding relationship on the down low, and Mandy and Bryce are the only ones who have an inkling of what’s going on. By the end of the night, if my plans play out like I’m hoping, Sadie and I will no longer be a secret.
We’ll no longer be stuck in limbo hell, trapped in the constraints of Sadie’s unbendable rules.
And it’s about time. For weeks now, I’ve barely managed to keep my hands and lips to myself, and it’s been absolute torture.
Laughter filters through the living room, and I find Sadie piercing me with her green eyes from where she stands as she chats with one of Mandy’s friends from the club.
I know the brunette…intimately. I can’t recall her name, but I remember her colorful ink of butterflies and barbed wire that circle her wrists. She says something that makes Sadie laugh.
Beautiful laughter as melodious as the finest symphony.
The brunette happens to catch my gaze, and there’s no mistaking the inviting design of her smile. Sadie picks up on it and falls silent.
Shit.
I’ve fucked half of the female population in Douglas Falls, so keeping Sadie away from my past conquests is an impossibility. She knows my sordid history better than most, but now that things have shifted between us, I’m not sure how she’ll handle the inevitable run-ins with the girls I’ve hooked up with.
Hopefully, after tonight, it won’t matter. There will be no more doubt, no more insecurities. No more running from something that is scary and a huge step but so fucking worth it.
No more waiting.
The brunette’s attention is lured away by Brett, and Sadie takes a sip of her cocktail, meeting my gaze above the rim of her glass. Those jade eyes narrow on me, darkening with a hint of jealousy and a whole lot of awareness. I swear she knows what I’m thinking.
Tonight is the night I’m going to bust through the last of her walls, and she’s going to let me. Everyone around us might as well fade away because Sadie and I fall into intense moments of longing, surrendering to the connection that not even a room full of people can shatter. We’re going to cross the line tonight. It doesn’t even need to be spoken.