Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (31 page)

“I bet, but
thanks to you she has a plan and is being smart about things.”

“I hope so. I’d
better get to my emails. I’ll let you get some sleep.” He kissed me quickly and
made his way downstairs to his office.

I tried not to
let the fact that he wanted to be alone bother me. After showering, I waited up
for him in bed awhile but finally fell asleep. Feeling him crawl in beside me later,
I curled into him. When he didn’t make a move to touch me after a few minutes, I
propped up on my elbow.

Huh. He was
already fast asleep. That was a first. Lying in a bed with Brian and no sex. I
was annoyed with myself for expecting it. It had been a long, emotional day. Looking
over at his sleeping face, I appreciated what type of man he was to ensure his
friend was well cared for.

Deciding I
wasn’t going to get back to sleep anytime soon, I padded into the bathroom. It
seemed that I stood there frozen in front of the mirror for an eternity before
I realized there were tears streaming down my face. Before I registered what it
meant, the dam started to break. The terrible things Juliette had facing her.
The meeting with Vanessa that had turned into a personal attack. And lastly,
although I didn’t want to it to hurt, the death of my biological mother.

I grabbed a hand
towel, trying to muffle the sound of my sob that sounded strange even to my own
ears. I didn’t hear Brian come in but felt his strong arms come around me.
Turning, I buried my face in his shoulder, unable to control it any longer.

He didn’t say
anything, only stroked my back and let me cry it out.

Finally trusting
my voice, I pulled back and murmured, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

He put a finger
to my lips. “You have nothing to apologize for.” He fixed his mouth over mine
in a gentle kiss, only pulling away to tuck my hair behind my ears.

“The last thing
you need right now is to have to comfort yet another person.” I took a deep
breath. “I’m okay. It’s only a stupid moment of weakness.” I was hesitant for
him to see even a glimpse of my vulnerability for fear it would expose so much
more.

He frowned. “You
view needing someone, even for a moment, as a weakness, whereas I see it as a
privilege to be that person for you. Would it help to hear that I needed to
come home to you tonight? Needed to see your face and hear your voice?”

The tears slid
down my face at his confession. “I’m not used to having someone to rely on like
that. It scares me.”

He smiled and
held my face between his hands. “Then let’s be scared together because I’m not
letting go.”

He kissed me
deeply, and I could feel his fingers hook into the side of my panties, sliding
them downward. I wasn’t confident my emotional state could handle alpha Brian
at the moment, however, and wavered.

He picked up on
my hesitation. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

I pulled back,
and my eyes locked with his. “I have something to ask you.”

“Okay, ask me,
honey.”

I swallowed
hard. “Would you make love to me?”

His eyes widened
and reflected surprise, followed by something I couldn’t identify. “Sasha, I—”

I didn’t let him
finish, putting a finger to his lips. “I know your whole theory on making love and
having to be in love, but for tonight could you please fake it?”

His hand stroked
the side of my face, and a shiver ran through me. He wiped the last tear that
had slipped down my cheek.

I held my breath
when he carefully lifted the T-shirt over my head. His fingers slid my panties
down the rest of the way slowly, with his face lowering with the motion,
trailing kisses from my hips to my knees.

There were no
orders of getting on the bed or fast fingers this time around. Instead, he
lifted me gently and placed me in the middle of his sheets. I watched,
transfixed, while he took off his boxers as if in slow motion. He climbed up on
the mattress and covered my body with his, settling between my legs but not
entering me. His heat seeped into mine, our hands linking, and when he kissed
me, the tension of the day melted away instantly.

Kissing my neck
with soft nibbles, he slid down to my breasts. He teased them one by one,
sucking gently. Back up the curve of my shoulder and over my collarbone, he moved
up, kissing my lips reverently. “You are so beautiful.”

For the first
time, I was raw and vulnerable and didn’t mind him seeing me as such. “You make
me feel that way.”

“Touch me,” he
invited.

Eager for the
rare opportunity to explore him with unhurried touches, I glided my hands down
his back, squeezing him tightly to me in a lover’s embrace. My fingers ran
through his hair, enjoying the silken feel of it. I smiled when he captured one
of my hands and set it on the side of his face after kissing my palm.

His erection
settled against my thigh, but still he made no move to fill me. Reaching down,
I stroked him with my hand, enjoying the long sigh of pleasure that escaped his
lips when I gripped his velvety softness.

He shifted his
hips allowing me more access. “That feels like heaven.”

Rubbing the crown
of his hard length against my swollen clit, I moved him in small circles, then
between my lips, coating him with my arousal.

“Your touch
feels amazing.” His seductive voice lulled me into this serenity that I’d never
felt with anyone. The connection was almost overwhelming, and he wasn’t even inside
of me yet.

I traced his
biceps with my fingers and then ran my hands slowly over his shoulders and down
his back. Since he complimented me so frequently, I wanted him to know how very
much I was attracted to him, too. “You’re so sexy, so strong.”

His lips settled
over mine, and he kissed me now with tender urgency, stroking my tongue with
his. He sucked in my breath until we were breathing like one.

I exhaled, so unbelievably
consumed by his kiss that I swear I almost could’ve climaxed from the power of
it alone.

His hand reached
out and brushed my hair from my temple. He traced my lips with his tongue, then
sucked on my bottom lip.

I shifted,
aligning him with my slick entrance and letting him know I needed him now.

“Look at me,” he
quietly demanded.

My eyes locked
on his, viewing such raw emotion in the depths that I was completely lost in
the moment.

He entered me
one delicious inch at a time, the whole while holding my gaze, emphasizing that
this was making love.

I wrapped my
legs around his waist and held him there, buried deep inside of me, for what
seemed like eternity.

“You were made
for me, Sash—”

Shifting my hips,
I felt him harden even further inside of me. “Oh, God,” I gasped.

We moved
rhythmically as one with his hands lifting my hips up to the perfect angle,
hitting my most sensitive spot. My eyes rolled back in my head in ecstasy even
while trying to maintain contact with his. His breathing became erratic and his
strokes faster. My climax came swift and hard, taking him over the edge with
me.

***

Lying in his
arms and listening to the rain come down, I knew something had shifted, but I
didn’t want to analyze it. The look in his eyes while he’d tenderly made love
to me convinced me that I wasn’t alone in experiencing mixed emotions. I knew
this went against what he was comfortable with, what we had agreed on, and what
we had ever done, yet I wouldn’t have taken it back.

“The meeting
with Vanessa didn’t go very well, did it?” he whispered in the dark.

I sighed. “It
could’ve gone better, but she signed anyways. I had to tell her that it was
your idea.” It was tempting to tell him about her personal comment, but I was a
big girl and didn’t need to lay one more thing on him.

He stroked my
hip. “I’m sorry it had to be that way. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You had enough
on your plate today, and it wasn’t anything new with her. Besides, it wasn’t
the worst thing that happened today.”

“What was?”

I hesitated. “If
I tell you, you need to promise not to try to fix it, not to offer advice, or
analyze my feelings. I can admit to needing you tonight, but I don’t want this
to turn into you trying to solve my problems.”

“Okay, but now
you have me concerned.”

I shook my head.
“Nothing to worry about. I, uh, received a call today via Nancy that my birth
mom died yesterday. I don’t have the details, only the number of an attorney who’s
been calling the last couple of weeks, probably trying to get money for rehab
or maybe to get me to come see her. I don’t know if it would have made a
difference. It was a shock, but I’m okay.” I swallowed down the guilt.

Brian held me
tighter. “I want to believe you.”

I bit my lip.
Sasha-B-Fierce was supposed to be able to handle anything. “Then do.”

The next
morning, I had an early flight to catch in order to get back to the New York
office to meet with another client about their newest campaign vision this
afternoon. Packing my bag kept me too busy to analyze what had happened with us
the night before. I’d needed Brian to be tender and sweet. He’d faked it well
enough, but it had only been pretend and didn’t change anything. With a little
separation, I knew we’d be back to our previous arrangement and rid of any
weirdness.

He carried my
suitcase out to my rental car. “It’s strange not having you spend the weekend
and not dropping you off at the airport.”

“It is.” Even if
I’d wanted to stay, Brian was off to California for his sister’s graduation
this weekend.

“I’m flying to
Virginia next Friday morning. You’re still coming in for McKenzie’s celebration,
right?”

I wavered, not
realizing her party was already the weekend after next. Where was the month of
May going?

“Unless you’ve changed
your mind?” His voice had an edge.

He had misinterpreted
my hesitancy. “No, I haven’t. I was only thinking in my head that I couldn’t
believe it was already the end of May.”

He reached out,
cupping my face. “I’ll only say this once to keep my promise, but if you need
anything…”

I held a finger
up to his lips, knowing he was referring to the death of my birth mother. “I’ll
tell you.”

“Good. I’ll
email you the hotel information for next weekend. And don’t be anxious about my
mom and sister-in-law. I’ll make sure they’re on good behavior. Of course, I can’t
say the same for me.”

He tilted his
head down for a kiss, and I tried not to think about the irony of him telling
me not to be anxious.

It was Friday
afternoon when I boarded the flight to Virginia for Kenzie’s graduation party.
Work had been hectic, but at least tension with Vanessa was manageable for the
moment. Phase two was well under way with the Tryon Pharmaceuticals commercial set
for filming next Thursday.

Several times
I’d attempted to pick up the phone to call the attorney about my birth mother. But
I’d never gotten through dialing the full number. Was I going to plan a funeral
for a woman whose only redeeming quality was to give me up for the right amount
of money? Did I want to know how she died? Why should I feel guilty? Putting most
of it aside, I was ready for the distraction of a weekend with Brian.

After I landed
in Dulles airport, I strode toward the exit, searching for the transportation
signs. I’d take a cab to the hotel and hopefully see him later.

When I walked
out of the security doors, however, I heard my name and glanced over to see him
standing there, looking handsome as ever. Moving faster, I felt my heart fill
with emotion. Somehow everything was better just seeing him.

“Hi,” I
breathed.

“Hi, gorgeous,”
he greeted, clearly not bothered by giving a public display of affection since
he lifted me off of my feet and kissed me soundly.

I giggled, and
when he pulled back, my breath caught. The way the man looked at me made me
feel like I was the only woman in the room. “Tell me this means you’re taking
me to the hotel and we have some, uh, time.”

He grinned,
taking my suitcase and leading me out to his parked car. “Time for what, pray
tell?”

I took out my
work phone, turning on the wireless. “Hmm, if you have to ask, then perhaps
I’ve lost my touch in inspiring it.”

In the car, he
gave me a sideways glance. “Do you think by any chance you can put your work
phone away? The hotel is twelve minutes away, and I’ve already checked us in,
which means I plan to be deep inside of you in thirteen.” His hand reached over,
unzipping my slacks and sliding his fingers into my panties.

Well, then. I
shifted my hips to allow for better access and dropped my phone into my purse.
Work was already forgotten.

***

It turned out to
be fifteen minutes before we were in the room and he was inside of me, but who
was counting?

“Christ, I
missed you,” Brian murmured.

We were fast and
furious, not even bothering with our clothes being all the way off before he buried
himself deep inside of me.

His eyes flashed
when I didn’t respond, being too caught up in the feel of him.

I wondered if
he’d wanted me to say that I’d missed him, too. But that thought was lost the
moment my orgasm took over.

We lay there
afterward for a few minutes before he kissed my forehead and walked into the
bathroom.

The sound of the
shower motivated me to get up. I tracked his movements, while leaning against
the doorframe as he adjusted the temperature of the water. “Mind if I join
you?”

He crossed over to
take my hand. “Only if we put an adorable shower cap on you because we don’t
have much time before dinner. Can’t get your hair wet.”

Kenzie’s party
wasn’t until tomorrow afternoon. I hadn’t known we had plans tonight. “Uh, what
are we doing?”

“Dinner. The two
of us. I want to take you out to a restaurant that was one of my favorites
while growing up.”

“Oh.” I smiled,
relieved that I didn’t have to see his mother or Rebecca this evening. I
swallowed past the lump of emotion when I thought about him taking me out to a
place that was meaningful to him. He tucked my hair up under the hotel shower
cap and kissed me tenderly.

“Don’t worry,
there will be plenty of the wolves tomorrow, but for tonight, I’d like to spend
it with you and forget about the rest of the world.”

“That sounds
nice.” I noticed the look of worry on his face. “Is everything okay, Bri? Is
something going on with Juliette?” It felt like there was something he wasn’t
telling me. If it wasn’t her, there had to be something else causing his
expression.

“Juliette is
okay. She’s heading back up on Sunday. Can I ask a favor for this weekend,
though?”

“Sure, what is
it?”

“Do you think we
can turn off work completely until Monday, put our business phones and laptops
away?”

His question was
a strange one to ask. Did he think I’d be on my phone during Kenzie’s party
tomorrow? “Do I get to ask why?”

He sighed.
“Because after working the last couple of weeks nonstop, the last thing I want
to do is talk about work or even think about it. Between the big NASCAR pitch I’m
doing on Monday and helping Juliette, I’m burned out. Haven’t you ever needed
to turn it off for a while?”

I’d needed to
turn off my personal life plenty, but never work. However, in looking at his
weary face, I could see the burden in his eyes. The NASCAR account was huge. Coupled
with the stress of helping Juliette, that most likely put him at his max. Nancy
had my personal phone number, and she’d call me if there were any emergencies.

Reaching out, I
touched his cheek. “Of course, we can do that.”

He instantly looked
relieved and kissed my wrist. “Thank you.”

We washed
quickly. While he dressed, I touched up my makeup and slipped on a dress.

“You’re flying
to Raleigh on Sunday?” NASCAR headquarters were located there.

“Yeah, pitch on
Monday morning first thing. Then I’m flying back up to New York for a meeting
with Josh.” The last part was said with a sigh.

I turned,
knowing something was definitely off by the resigned tone he’d used about
meeting with Josh. “Do you want to talk about it? You sound down and…” I was
about to say it was freaking me out, but wasn’t the guy allowed to have a rough
day? He’d been dealing with a full plate lately. “I’m here to listen if you
want to talk about it.” I wanted to be there for him for a change.

His eyes
softened, and he turned me back around so that he stood behind me, both of us
facing the mirror. “It’ll all be better hopefully after Monday. And everything
that I need is here.” His hands splayed on my waist, and he leaned down,
inhaling the scent of my hair. “Come on, let’s go before I have other ideas.”

I met his eyes
in the mirror. “What if I’m into the other ideas?”

For the first
time since I’d seen him in the airport, a genuine smile reached his eyes. “We’d
have to make it quick because I have every intention of taking you out for a
romantic dinner.”

I pushed back,
feeling him hard already. “Then you’d better get started.”

Turned out we
were late for our reservation. But we’d needed the extra time to ground us back
into the here and now and let the week fade into the background. Now, if only
it would stay there.

***

We had an
amazing date last night. True to his word, Brian put our work phones away, even
going so far as to lock them up in the hotel safe. We hadn’t looked at them
since. I didn’t regret a little downtime from the job, especially since his
mood lifted almost immediately. But without the distraction of the job, my mind
was fully focused on the upcoming party instead.

“Are you
positive you want me to go to this thing with your whole family?” We were in
the shower getting ready the morning of when I voiced my worry. I didn’t need a
crystal ball to tell me that his mother was going to be none too happy to see
me there today.

“Have you
changed your mind?”

His voice
sounded disappointed, and I instantly felt bad, especially after he’d come to
my parents’ anniversary party. “No, I want to go, but you know how I get with
meeting new people. I’m just nervous.”

He took my hands
in his. “Don’t be. We’ll be there for Kenzie, and everyone will be on their
best behavior.”

Oh, sure,
don’t
be
. Such a guy’s response. “What will we tell everyone, though?” This was
the question that I kept asking myself. Unlike the situation at my family’s
event, there was plenty of crossover between our personal and professional
lives at the celebration today. As Brian predicted, Josh was up in New York
with Haylee, not wanting to travel this close to the baby’s due date. But Josh’s
mother would be there for certain.

He grinned.
“Hmm, let’s go through the scenarios, shall we?” He pooled shower gel in his
hands and began to wash me intimately.

“God—not the
advertising strategy again,” I groaned. But with one touch, I was ready to show
up naked if it meant he wouldn’t stop. My resolve needed a stern talking-to if
ever I could locate it again.

“Option one is
that we tell them that we’ve been having incredible sex the last few months,
and we thought we’d announce to everyone that we’re friends with benefits.”

I managed a swat
as he pinned my hips against the wall and started massaging my breasts.

“Option two is
that we tell them we’re only friends while you remember how I’m caressing you
and pretend not to want to touch me during the party. I should warn you, though,
that I’ll have an old high school flame there, so you may see someone flirting
with me the entire time.” He moved me away from the wall and ran his hands over
my backside, squeezing before running a hand between my legs again.

My breath
hissed.

He leaned back,
smiling, allowing me to rinse and catch my breath.

I didn’t like
either scenario. “Are those my only two options?”

The amusement
that sparked in his eyes told me that he’d been hoping for my question.
“There’s one more choice.” He turned off the water, moved me against the wall,
and knelt down, eye level with my quickly-becoming-wet sex. He glanced up with
a wicked grin. “Option three is we tell them that you’re my girlfriend.” His
mouth descended on me quickly, zeroing in on my clit. Then he stopped suddenly.
“Which option do you choose, Sasha?” For good measure, he reached out with his
tongue and stroked the length of my slit.

“Why do I feel
like you’re stacking the deck towards option three?” I croaked out.

He chuckled.
“Because your pussy gets a vote, and right now it’s telling you to be my
girlfriend so that I can bury my face in it.”

His hot breath
blew on my pulsating center, and my knees felt weak. Was I seriously standing
in a shower against a wall, letting him use sex to get his way? Uh, yes. Yes, I
was. Because evidently I’d been outvoted by the power of pussy. Terrific, now
he had me calling it that. “Yes, option three.”

Twenty minutes
and two orgasms later, we were on our way to the party with Brian looking very
pleased with himself.

***

I started to
fidget during the short car ride, feeling my anxiety grow over attending this
party as Brian’s girlfriend. I hated that I couldn’t control my irrational
thinking especially knowing it was
irrational
.

“Stop panicking.
Everything will be good,” Brian reiterated. We pulled up in front of his
childhood house, and he squeezed my hand.

It was a
beautiful home, set back with a private drive and gate. We stepped out, Brian
handed over the keys to a valet, and then we walked toward the front door.

“Maybe we should
wait. Today is about Kenzie, and I don’t want to take any attention off of
her,” I reasoned, turning toward him before we made our entrance.

His fingers
threaded with mine and he tugged me over to the side of the house. Framing my
face in his hands, he met my eyes. “She’ll be thrilled you’re here. And you
already agreed.”

“I didn’t agree.
My treacherous pussy did. I may be your girlfriend, but to tell your mom, who
knows Josh’s mom... Is that what we’re doing now?”

“Sasha Jayne
Brooks, did you just say the word
pussy
?” he drawled.

Heat flooded my
face. “That would be what you picked up from that entire sentence. And you’re
missing—Wait, what are you doing?” My eyes shifted down where he was using me
as a shield to adjust himself.

“We need to stop
talking about that particular word or anything having to do with it unless you
want to greet my mother with me sporting an erection.”

“Mother and
erection probably shouldn’t go into the same sentence,” I pointed out dryly.

He laughed.
“You’re right and, poof, the problem has taken care of itself. Now, back to you
panicking. What if I tell Josh on Monday?”

My breath left
me. “That idea is only increasing my anxiety, Bri. It’s a big step.”

His gaze locked
on mine. “I know it is. And this party is a small one towards that. I’m asking
you to take it with me.”

My stomach
knotted with trepidation. I was moving forward in a relationship for the first
time with the one man who I’d always trusted. “Okay, I’ll try.”

His eyes lit up,
and he kissed me, not caring who might witness. Pulling back, he grinned and
took me by the hand into the house.