My hand comes up, wrapping around the front of his throat as I shift us so his back is against the cabinet the record player sits on. My grip isn’t tight, but it’s enough to have his eyes widening. Bringing my lips to his ear, I ask in a low tone, “Do you really believe a word you just said? Or do you just not want to admit you’ve been avoiding me?”
His pulse races under my touch, breath coming out in harsh pants. “Why does it matter?” he finally asks after a long, quiet moment.
“Because you’re drivin’ me crazy,” I growl, pulling back enough to look into his eyes. “And I want to know.”
The air around us is thick with tension, and I can feel how hard his heart is beating. It matches my own. He doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t have to; he’s saying everything he needs to with his eyes. I’m driving him just as wild. The time we shared the other day is on his mind too, and I’m willing to bet he enjoyed it as much as I did. So, why is he avoiding me?
I couldn’t say who moves first, but one minute we’re gazing at each other silently, and the next our lips are fused together, moving in synchrony. Our tongues clash as the kiss quickly consumes me. Ash’s hands find the front of my shirt, clinging to it with two tight fists, and the hand I’ve got wrapped around his neck snakes around to the back, holding him in place as I deepen the kiss.
The blood in my body rushes south, my cock swelling with every swipe of his tongue against mine. The kiss is messy. It’s needy. It’s dripping with a raw type of passion I haven’t experienced with anybody else before.
And it’s over way too soon.
Ash shoves me back, eyes flashing with anger. “Stop. We can’t fucking do this.”
“Why not?” My brows dip in confusion. “Violet and I aren’t together anymore.”
Laughing dryly, he drags his fingers through his hair. “Nice of you to finally tell me that.”
“You knew?”
“Yeah, asshole,” he scoffs. “My sister told me. But my question is, why didn’t you tell me?”
I fold my arms over my chest. “Well, I haven’t exactly had the chance since you’ve been avoidin’ me.”
“You could’ve told me before you got into bed with me, Finn, and you know it.”
Swallowing my pride, I say, “You’re right. I should’ve told you before anything happened between us. I’m sorry.”
A puzzled expression passes over his face, like he wasn’t expecting me to own up to it. But as quickly as it’s there, it’s gone, and his features harden. Stepping to the side so as to not be boxed in by me anymore, he mutters, “I appreciate that, but it doesn’t change anything.” My stomach bottoms out, disappointment filling me in a way I didn’t expect. “Violet’s mysister, and she’d be hurt if she knew about any of this. I can’t do that to her. Besides, you’re my boss, and it’s probably smart for us to not muddle that line any more than we already have. We need to pump the brakes.”
I hate this. A bitter taste fills my mouth as I try to think of what I can say to change his mind. Ash has been flirting with me—subtly and not—for weeks, and when I finally figure out I want to pursue something, he wants topump the brakes?
“I don’t want to pump the damn brakes,” I spit out. “It’s not like Violet and I were together for that long. We weren’t serious; I highly doubt she’d care all that much.”
“To you,” he counters.
“What?”
“It may not have been seriousto you,”he explains. “But it was for her, and she’s quite upset over the breakup. I’m not doing that to her, Finn. It was a mistake on my part. One that can’t happen again.”
A mistake.Ouch.
Watching Ash, with his shoulders rolled back and his face free of any emotion, I can see his resolve. He means what he says, and he’s clearly shut down. I doubt anything I say will make a difference, and I meant what I said before—I don’t beg.
Nodding once, I take a step back, ignoring the sting that comes with putting distance between us. “Okay.”
His brows crease as he repeats slowly, “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. She’s your sister, and I respect your decision, even if I don’t agree with it.”
He swallows, nodding as well. “And this won’t affect my job here?”
I hate that he feels like he has to ask that, that he must think so little of me that he assumes I can’t separate the two. “Course not, Ash.”
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he peers over at me for a moment like there’s more he wants to say. “Okay, thank you.” He hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “Think I’ll head to bed. It’s late.”
“Yup.” I nod as my stomach clenches. “Night.”
