“Just so I understand your . . . expectations . . . you basically want me here when you are. Or where you are. And you want me to tell you where I’m going and when and where. And you want me to check in with you frequently.”
It didn’t sound that demanding to her. It sounded reasonable. She didn’t want him worrying about her. Didn’t want to be a distraction for him. If he worried—and it was obvious he did—she wanted to do whatever she could to alleviate that stress.
“Yes,” he said, his eyes growing more intent. “But, Josie, you need to understand. You make it sound light. It’s not. I will be pissed if you flake. This isn’t an ‘oh sorry I completely forgot to tell you where I was going’ thing and laugh it off. I expect you to tell me everything.”
“Okay, Ash,” she said quietly. “I get it.”
He nodded. “Now, there are things you need to know about me. I don’t want this shit coming up later and surprising you or making you feel awkward. It’s better if you know everything from the start so you can deal and it doesn’t become an issue down the road.”
She lifted an eyebrow. He sounded so serious. Like he was about to drop some earth-shattering bomb on her. She wanted to joke and ask him if he was about to admit to being an ax murderer, but he was too serious and he wouldn’t appreciate her attempt at levity. So she remained silent, waiting for what he had to say.
He shifted upward, grimaced a moment and then leaned forward so he could shove a cushion between his back and the arm of the sofa. She sat forward so he had room but then he promptly snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her solidly back to him so she was once more nestled against his body.
“Any serious conversation we have is going to be with you in my arms so I’m touching you,” he said. “Never you across the room from me. That is not going to make me happy. Warning you now that if you get pissed and we’re having a discussion, you won’t be putting distance between us.”
She smiled against his chest and nodded. That sounded fine to her. One of the things she had disliked the most about Michael was his aloofness when it came to her. The distance—emotional distance—between them. Michael was more of a sit-down-across-the-room-from-each-other-and-discuss guy. For that matter, the only time he ever touched her was when they were having sex. He wasn’t demonstrative or affectionate. And Ash couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her for two seconds. She liked that. She liked it a lot.
“Is this going to be a serious discussion?” she asked, no longer able to keep the teasing note from her voice.
There was no doubt that Ash radiated seriousness today. And it was starting to feel suffocating. She needed to lighten the moment, even if for a brief second. It wasn’t in her nature to take everything so seriously. And Ash was an intense guy. Maybe he’d eventually lighten up around her, or maybe he’d always be this . . . broody . . . when it came to her.
His hold tightened around her. “Yeah. It’s serious. Everything about me and you is serious. I get that this seems heavy, especially today when we hash it all out. It won’t always be this . . . intense. But today, yeah. Need to get whatever out that has the potential to hurt you, because that I will not allow going forward.”
Her brow furrowed again and she pushed up so she could see his eyes. So serious and intent. On her. Watching her every reaction.
“What is it, Ash?” she asked. “What is it you think is going to hurt me?”
He sighed. “Don’t know if it will or not, but it could. If you don’t understand it from the start. I just don’t want you blindsided. If you’re prepared and you know everything, then it doesn’t have the power to catch you off guard.”
She reached up to touch his jaw, running her fingertips over the slight stubble. He hadn’t shaved this morning, and the dark blond formed a shadow on his jaw.
“Then tell me. I’ll understand.”
He caught her hand and kissed it, pressing his mouth into her palm.
“Jace Crestwell is my best friend. He and Gabe Hamilton. But Jace . . . We share a bond. Gabe is my best friend, no doubt. But Jace and I have always had a closer friendship. He’s my brother in every sense of the word. I trust him. He has my back and I have his. Always. We used to share everything, and by that I mean women. I’ve had a lot of threesomes over the years with Jace.”
Her brow crinkled, her eyebrows bunching as she stared into his eyes. And to think she’d been worried that she’d be expected to share him with other women. This she hadn’t expected. She couldn’t imagine as possessive as Ash had been with her so far that he’d want her to have sex with another man while he watched or participated. Furthermore, it wasn’t something she wanted.
“Is that something . . . I mean, is that what you’ll want to do with me? Share me with another man?”
“Fuck no.”
The denial was explosive, the words rushing from his mouth in a puff of air she felt on her chin. Relief hit her hard and she relaxed, waiting for him to continue.
“I didn’t get it then,” he muttered. “How Jace was with Bethany. I didn’t understand it. But I do now.”
“You’re losing me,” she said patiently. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“As I said, Jace is my best friend. He’s involved with Bethany. They’re engaged. We’ll see them a lot. I’ll want to share you with them. Their friendship I mean. They’re important to me and you’re important to me. So we’ll spend time with them. And what you need to know is that in the beginning, the first night that Jace and Bethany were together, I was with them.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you . . . do you still have . . . threesomes . . . with them?”
Ash shook his head. “Hell no. Jace didn’t want it the first time. I didn’t know it at the time. It’s f**ked up and complicated, but what you need to know is that I’ve had sex with Bethany. And you’ll see her. And Jace. And I don’t want it to be awkward for you. It was awkward as hell the first few times we were all together after that night. But we’re cool with it now. Bethany’s cool with it and so is Jace. It’s not something that gets brought up. But it’s there. And I don’t want it to hurt you when you look at her and know that I’ve had sex with her. Because there’s nothing there, Josie. Nothing but deep friendship. Bethany’s a great woman. I think you’ll like her. But she is no threat to you.”
“I understand,” she said quietly. “I appreciate you telling me. Being up front with me about it. I can see how it would be awkward, especially if I didn’t know and somehow put my foot in my mouth in front of them.”
His gaze focused on her, studying her intently. “Is that going to be a problem with you? Spending time with a woman I’ve f**ked and that I care a great deal about?”
“Not if you tell me it shouldn’t be a problem for me.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not a problem. Like I said, I didn’t get where Jace was coming from then. His possessiveness where Bethany was concerned. We’d never had a woman come between us like that. There’d never been one who mattered. But I get it now because I know I don’t want to share you with anyone, and especially not my best friend, even if he was single and not in a relationship. And as for other men, that is not something you ever have to worry about. I’ve had threesomes with Jace and another woman. A hell of a lot of times. I won’t lie. We’ve f**ked our way through countless women over the years. It’s not something I’m proud of but it’s not something I lose sleep over either. It is what it is. But there will be no threesomes with you, Josie. It’s only going to be you and me. I’m going to be the only man making love to you from now on.”
It all sounded so final, and yet she knew they were just words. How could they be anything else? They’d known each other such a short time. They’d only had sex once. And he was talking like this was a done deal. That they were permanent and in a committed relationship long-term.
While she didn’t doubt his commitment, or even her own, there was no way she could look down the road with any authority. There were too many what-ifs.
“Now tell me what you’re thinking,” he prompted.
She smiled. “I’m not sure how you expected me to react, Ash. Did you think I’d change my mind because you’ve had kinky sex with a bunch of women? You’re what, thirty-five? Thirty-six? It’s not realistic to think you hadn’t had affairs.”
“I’m thirty-eight. Almost thirty-nine,” he corrected.
“Okay, well, so you’re thirty-eight. I’ve just told you that I had a relationship—and sex—with a man as recently as a few weeks ago. I can hardly condemn you for having similar relationships.”
“But we won’t be seeing the man you f**ked,” Ash pointed out.
She sighed. “I won’t say it’ll be fun to look at her and mentally compare our performance, or even imagine you and your friend both making love to her. But I’ll deal, Ash. And if she’s as nice as you say she is, then I’ll like her and hopefully we can be friends. I’ll just have to not torture myself by visualizing you in bed with her.”
“It was only one time,” he said gruffly. “Don’t want you thinking about it at all when we get together. Because know this, Josie, no matter who was in the past, you’re my present and my future. And those women have nothing on you.”
A smile curved her lips and she leaned in, pressing her forehead to his. “I’ll do my best not to think about it at all, then.”
“Good. Now, it’s almost lunchtime and we still need to sort out your apartment. Want to go grab a bite to eat and then swing by your apartment so you can get all your art supplies? If you make a list of stuff while we’re there, I’ll have someone go over and get it all packed for you. Don’t want you worrying about anything other than settling into my place.”
“That sounds fine to me,” she said.
He kissed her hungrily. “We’ll see the others in time. But for now, I want you all to myself. I’m tempted to call in to work Monday and spend the week with you.”
Her heart fluttered. It was a tempting visual. An entire week in Ash’s bed. In his arms.
“Unfortunately, with Gabe on his honeymoon and the deals we have working, Jace and I can’t miss.”
“I understand,” she said easily. “I have work to do too.”
“Like the idea of you working in my space,” he murmured. “When I’m at the office, you’ll be here. I like that image. And then you here when I get home. Wearing nothing, Josie. I’ll call you when I’m on my way home each day, and when I get here, I want you naked and waiting. Unless I tell you different, that’s the way I want it.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Chapter fourteen
Jace was waiting for Ash when Ash got into his office Monday morning. Not that Ash had any doubt his friend would be chomping at the bit to pick his brain after Ash’s late-night phone call Saturday night.
Jace was sitting in Ash’s office when Ash walked in. Jace’s worried gaze found him.
“You get everything sorted out?” Jace asked, not even giving Ash time to sit down.
Ash tossed his briefcase onto his desk and then flopped down into his chair, glancing over at his friend whose eyes were dark with concern.
“I’m working on it,” Ash murmured. “Made a few calls on my way into work. Need to get a man on the ass**le, monitor his movements, figure out the best time to strike.”
“Jesus,” Jace muttered. “You’re serious about this.”
Ash’s eyebrow went up. There was a stack of notes on Ash’s desk. Missed calls that needed returning. Documents that needed his signature. But he left them untouched, leaning back in his chair as he calmly surveyed Jace across his desk.
“Have I given you any reason to believe I’m anything but dead serious? He hurt her, Jace. He put bruises on her face. No way in f**k I’m letting it go. She was too scared and shocked to report it. But I’m glad she didn’t because I can make the bastard suffer far more. He would have been out of jail in two seconds, and it’s doubtful anything would have come of it. You know how this kind of shit gets brushed underneath the rug. Especially when you have the money and connections to make it go away.”
“He has all that?” Jace asked.
“Some, yeah. No match for me, though. I’m going to make damn sure he gets the message. Josie is mine and if he ever f**ks with her again, he’s a dead man.”
“How is Josie taking all of this?” Jace asked quietly.
Ash paused. “Okay I think. I didn’t really give her time to process much. When I hit her apartment after bailing on dinner Friday night, I didn’t give her any options. I packed her shit up and told her she was moving in with me. It was an ass**le move. She needed gentle handling, but I knew if I gave her space she might never come to me. So I pressed my advantage when she was overwhelmed and shaken and I moved in quick.”
A smile quirked the corners of Jace’s mouth. “You? Asshole moves? Aren’t you supposed to be the charming, nice guy? Thought being an ass**le was mine and Gabe’s job.”
Ash grimaced. “Why the f**k does everyone think I’m such a laid-back pansy?”
Jace snorted. “Never said that, man. But you’re usually Mr. Polished when it comes to women. Never known you to be off your game.”