Page 5 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1

Ivy

I crack my eyes open with a groan, vaguely aware that I'm naked except for my panties, my body covered by a single sheet. My head is pounding, and my mouth tastes like the inside of a sewer.

I move my head gingerly, trying to take in some of my surroundings. I'm lying in a strange bed, the mattress cocooning my body like a cloud of marshmallows.

I'm in a bedroom—a man's judging by the clothes folded neatly on the nearby chair and the items on the dresser.

"What the fuck?" I whisper to myself.

Where am I? And how did I get here? Have I been kidnapped ?

The slamming of a door nearby makes me jump. I lie still, listening intently.

Should I call out? I shiver, exposed and vulnerable.

Footsteps echo on hard flooring, and I hold my breath.

Someone's coming. I pray whoever it is will keep walking.

I need time to figure out where I am and get the hell out of here.

The footsteps come to a halt outside the door.

My breath is still trapped somewhere between my throat and my lungs.

Think, Ivy! What's the last thing you remember?

An image pops into my head as the door begins to open.

The last person I remember is… Ashton! Leaning over me after Brent tried to…

The door opens, and I close my eyes, trying to regulate my breathing. Hopefully, my kidnapper will think I'm still sleeping and leave me alone again.

My heart is beating a staccato against my ribs, and my chest rises and falls rapidly. I'm sure my kidnapper must be able to see the pulse beating at my throat.

"Don't panic, Ivy. You're safe," a deep voice murmurs .

I stiffen, and my eyes pop open along with my mouth. "Ashton?"

He frowns. He hates it when I use his full name, but I'm shocked to see him. No wonder I didn't recognize my surroundings—I’ve never been to his apartment.

"Yes, Ivy. It's Ash," he replies, stating the obvious.

My nipples harden beneath the thin sheet at the sound of his voice. His eyes drop, and I know he's clocked my body's betrayal by the tiny satisfied smile that pulls at his mouth.

"Why am I naked?" I demand. "How did I get here? What's going on?"

He moves to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table along with the ibuprofen he obviously placed there earlier. "Take these, and I'll explain."

I do as he asks, swallowing the pills and draining the glass.

He leans forward, smoothing his hand over my hair, watching with fascination as it sifts through his fingers.

"Your friend, Brent, slipped a little something extra into your drink last night.

He had every intention of forcing himself on you once it took hold," he explains, his face tight with anger.

I look at him in shock. "He—I?—"

"Don't worry. I stopped him. Saw him follow you outside. God knows what the stupid fool thought he was doing, why he thought he’d get away with it.

I took care of him, and your mom and I agreed you should come here while she's in New York.

Your dress was ripped, so I stripped it off you.

Then I left you to sleep off the drugs. I've been checking on you every hour or so since yesterday. "

"Yesterday?" I look at him in disbelief. I pull myself into a sitting position, clutching the sheet to my chest. "How long was I out?

"Fifteen hours, give or take."

"Fifteen hours!" I squeak, trying to keep up.

He nods. "And one other thing. While you were sleeping in my bed, I jacked off in the shower, imagining I was fucking you raw."

My mouth drops open in shock as color runs up my neck and into my face. "I—I don't understand."

"You will. Soon," Ashton says, the deep timber of his voice sending shivers down my spine. "We have things we need to talk about, but I've waited too fucking long to get you naked in my bed. I won't wait any longer, Ivy. "

Ashton moves suddenly, wrapping his hand around the sheet and slowly pulling it down my body.

My eyes snap up to his, widening as I see the glittering intent in his gaze.

This isn't a look I'm familiar with. His blue eyes darken to indigo, sending shivers down my spine and causing goosebumps to erupt across my breasts, tightening my nipples.

My fingers curl into the sheet at my breasts to stop him, but with one hard yank, he whips it away and tosses it onto the floor behind him.

Instinctively, I wrap my arms around myself, trying to cover bountiful flesh with my hands.

I know he won't hurt me, but the threat of his big body has desire and trepidation rushing through my bloodstream in equal amounts.

He drops one hand to my hip, squeezing my rounded flesh firmly enough to make me gasp. The sensation of his fingers biting into my skin sends a heated rush straight to my core, creating a pulse of need between my thighs.

Sweet Jesus, what is he doing to me? It’s sinful. He's barely touched me, and I'm desperate to have him inside me. I think maybe I always have been.

Ashton's eyes drop to my lips as I run my tongue over them. It's like I can't help it. My body is taking over, tempting him, trying to lure him in. I want his kiss so badly, his tongue sliding against mine.

My eyes drink him in. His dark brown hair is now peppered with gray at the temples, but it only makes him even more attractive. Desire washes over me in a fierce wave. I can't breathe. I'm too hot.

He reaches out and runs a finger down my cheek, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. His head starts to dip towards me, and my breath freezes in my lungs.

Oh, God, he's going to give me what I want. He's going to kiss me.

His lips hover a scant inch from mine, but then he turns his head and buries his mouth against my throat. Wet warmth slides up my collarbone to my ear, blazing a trail of fire as he licks me like I'm his favorite dessert.

My whole being clenches as he catches my earlobe between his teeth and bites hard enough to cause a zing of pain. Lust hits me straight in my core. I can already feel my juices coating the tops of my thighs.

"You taste sweeter than anything I've ever had on my tongue," he rasps, his breath tickling my ear and making me shiver. "I know I've shocked you, but I'm done playing games. I'm hungry, Ivy, and you're the starter, main, and dessert. "

My mouth opens, but the words get stuck in my throat. There's no mistaking his intentions. He wants me! I can see it in every line, every micro-expression on his face—a face that features in every one of my R-rated dreams. I hold my breath, wondering if those dreams are about to become a reality.

"You trust me, don't you, Ivy?" Ashton asks, his eyes boring into mine.

I tip my chin up. In for a penny… "I've always trusted you. Always wanted you."

He closes his eyes briefly, and when they open again, they're heavy with pleasure and… relief?

"Good, because you have no idea what the sight of you in my bed does to me. Fuck knows, I've waited a long time for this. I'm going to give you what you want, and I'm going to take what I need."

I'm beginning to get an idea of what he needs based on the intense look in his eyes. Does he feel the way I do? The idea has heat cascading through my body. The pulse between my legs intensifies, throbbing with my heartbeat, and I squeeze my thighs together to try to ease the ache.

"Yeah, you want it too, don't you, Kitten? I can tell by the way you're squeezing those luscious thighs together. Do you need me to ease the ache in that tight little pussy?"

I swallow hard, unable to find my voice, so I nod. His dirty words shock and thrill me simultaneously, and my body reacts viscerally, heart-pounding, nipples tightening. Am I still asleep? Have I slipped into one of my fantasies? Maybe I should pinch myself to see if this is real.

His breath escapes him in a hiss at my consent.

His eyes drop to my body, sliding over me like a caress from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

"Perfect," he murmurs. "I love looking at your body.

You gave me a glimpse in your bedroom that day, didn't you?

Teasing me, showing me what I couldn't have. "

He reaches out and moves my hands down to my sides. Leaning in closer, his mouth hovers an inch from mine. "I'm going to kiss you now, Ivy. And once I do, there's no going back. You'll be mine, understand?"

My breathing is labored as my eyes fix on his mouth. God, I want those lips on mine, taking me, claiming me, branding me his. "I understand."

He closes the remaining inch between us, brushing his mouth over mine before pulling back. I whimper, completely unsatisfied by that slight touch. I lift my hands, bunching them in his shirt. I lick my lips. "More," I demand.

Ashton slides his hands into my hair, pulling it tight in his fists and tilting my head back. "More, what?"

"More… please!" I choke at the mercy of my body.

"Better," he nods.

His mouth hits mine, and I moan in pleasure. He uses the opening to thrust his tongue inside my mouth, sliding it against mine. The kiss is rough and desperate, fueled by years of want and lust. Everything about this is forbidden, naughty—and so very right.

I kiss him back ferociously, wriggling closer so I'm practically in his lap, grinding myself against him. One powerful thigh sits between my legs, and I give in to the temptation to rub myself against him. It’s incredible and electrifying, and my clit throbs as heat builds deep in my core.

"You trying to make me cum in my pants, Kitten? I'd rather cum all over your face and tits, mark you with my seed," he rasps, his hands tightening almost painfully on my hips.

He flips me onto my back with one deft movement, so I'm sprawled in the middle of the bed, completely at his mercy.

"Please!" I beg, unconsciously arching my body.

"Don't worry, Ivy. I'm going to take care of you. Lie still and let me look at you."