Page 18

CHAPTER 18

V ictoria’s bedroom door clicked shut behind them, sealing out the rest of the world. Victoria caught Ash’s gaze in the twilight and grinned. Yes, she was nervous, and she had no idea if that would come back and bite her. But she had to trust her gut on this. It was usually right.

In this moment, Ash felt every kind of right.

“You are nothing like what I expected, you know that?”

Victoria’s chest burst with warmth. “In a good way?”

Ash closed the distance between them, then gathered Victoria in her arms. It was a gesture Victoria could relive all night. “You’re the most unprincessy princess ever.”

Victoria quirked her mouth. “I might be a pillow princess.”

Ash’s mouth curled in a delicious laugh that made all of Victoria’s nerve endings wilt. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Then Ash’s lips found Victoria’s neck again, her teeth grazing the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

Victoria forgot to breathe.

“I’ve been dreaming about this for weeks,” Ash said, nimble fingers popping the buttons of Victoria’s shirt. “It also didn’t help how you kept looking at me across the island. Like you wanted to eat me.” Her fingers eased back the material, undid Victoria’s bra, then her lips traced the line of Victoria’s collarbone.

Victoria’s response died in her throat as Ash’s thigh pressed between her legs, and her thumb grazed the underside of her breast.

“Do you know,” Ash whispered against her ear, “how many times I’ve imagined undressing you?” Her other hand gripped Victoria’s hip, holding her steady as she rolled her hips forward. “Taking off all your clothes, piece by piece. Sinking into you.”

Victoria’s head fell back as Ash’s mouth found her throat, sucking gently at her pulse point. She was already wet, desperately wanting more friction where Ash’s thigh pressed between her legs, but also wanting this to last forever.

“Sinking into me sounds good.” Victoria grabbed Ash’s wrist, guiding her hand higher. “For now, just touch me.”

Ash cut her off with a searing kiss, finally palming Victoria’s breast as their tongues met. Victoria moaned into her mouth, fingers tangling in Ash’s hair as she rocked against her thigh. The dual sensation – Ash’s skilled fingers teasing her nipple, along with the solid press of muscle between her legs – made her drunk with want.

Moments later, Ash shed her top and bra, then got rid of Victoria’s, too. They both stopped and stared. This was really happening.

“You are simply majestic.” Ash’s words were filled with sincerity, just like her face. She ran her palms over Victoria’s perfect curves, drinking in the sight of her. “I thought you were stunning with clothes on, but without, you’re spectacular.”

Ash’s voice went rough as she traced the constellation of tiny freckles across Victoria’s collarbone, as if memorising each detail. Then she backed Victoria onto the bed and pushed her down. Ash slid off Victoria’s shorts, while Victoria shimmied her hips and pushed down her underwear, too. As she did, she kept her gaze on Ash’s face, eyes wide, cheeks flushed. Then Ash took off her clothes, too, and it was Victoria’s turn to gasp.

But she didn’t speak. She couldn’t. She didn’t want to break the magic in the moment.

Ash slid up Victoria like a tide claiming the shore, and Victoria’s heart clenched at her touch. The feel of Ash’s skin against her own was pure overwhelm, not just desire, but the heady knowledge that this was real, that Ash wanted her just as desperately. When Ash drew level with Victoria, the kiss she laid on her was equal parts tenderness and hunger, and Victoria surrendered completely to the feeling of finally being exactly where she belonged.

Ash’s hands travelled down Victoria’s body, her fingertips dancing across Victoria’s skin the way she’d seen her tease her way past defenders: deliberate, skilled, mesmerising. Each touch sent electric currents racing down Victoria’s spine. The air was thick with anticipation, each movement deliberate. It was just a question of how long Ash was going to take without making her beg. When Ash cupped Victoria’s arse, she pressed her head into the pillow and moaned.

Victoria was wet, ready. Her heart was beating out of time.

Ash’s skilled fingers slid lower, skating up the inside of Victoria’s thighs, tracing maddening circles.

Victoria grasped the back of Ash’s neck and pulled her close, kissing her with rough passion. When she pulled back, Ash’s eyes were dark, curious.

They panted at each other, eyes locked.

Ash’s fingers ghosted over Victoria’s centre. A fleeting promise.

Victoria’s heart thundered beneath her ribs.

“Please, Ash.”

“Please, what?” she whispered, her hot breath slamming into Victoria with all the subtlety of a champagne cork at midnight.

“Touch me.”

Ash placed her lips beside Victoria’s ear. “What was that, Ma’am?”

That word.

Desire soaked her.

“Please, I’m begging you.”

Ash licked her tongue up Victoria’s neck, and then there were no more words, as Ash smothered Victoria’s mouth with her own.

Victoria spread her legs, then locked her gaze with Ash: amber colliding with steel. No titles now, no careful manners. The kind of look that would've gotten them both exiled in another century.

Ash’s fingertips brushed Victoria’s clit. Then, with one fluid motion, she slipped inside.

Victoria’s jaw went tight. She gasped, then reached out, pulling Ash towards her. All the pent-up tension of the past few weeks rippled through her at Ash’s sure touch. Victoria never wanted this to end, but they had all night. There was no way she was letting Ash leave. Not after she’d felt the heat of Ash’s skin against hers, the strength in her muscles as she curled more fingers into Victoria, slow and deliberate. The effect was dizzying, intense.

“This okay?” Ash whispered, her breath hot and explosive.

Victoria could only nod. This was more than okay. This was off-the-scale okay. It shredded the term, made it obsolete.

The world narrowed down to the point of their connection, Ash’s movements rhythmic, with a foggy, dream-like quality. Her fingers slid in, out, and to just where Victoria needed them, driving her to the edge, then holding her there with an exquisite intention that was all-consuming. Victoria shifted her hips, then wrapped her legs around Ash’s hips, pulling her in, wanting more, needing more. Ash’s firmness sent thrills through her as the room filled with the sounds of their bodies finally merging.

When her orgasm hit, it hit hard. Victoria’s back arched off the bed, one hand gripping Ash’s shoulder, the other fisting the sheets. She bit her lip to muffle her cry, her body shuddering as waves of pleasure rolled through her.

Victoria squeezed her eyes shut, drinking in Ash’s scent: all spice and dark promises. After months of wanting, the reality of this moment felt almost too much to grasp. When Ash moved inside her, each touch sent aftershocks rippling through her body. When she claimed her mouth in a bruising kiss and drove Victoria over the edge once more, Victoria could no longer deny how real this was.

The most real thing she’d ever felt.

She tried to bury that thought deep where it couldn’t shatter the careful walls she’d built. But with Ash, those walls were already crumbling. The truth rose up, undeniable: she couldn’t walk away from this feeling. More importantly, she couldn’t walk away from this woman.

When Ash finally withdrew her fingers and rolled onto her side, she traced lazy patterns across Victoria’s flushed skin.

Victoria turned to her with a dazed smile, her world slowly settling back into place.

“That was…” she began, unsure how to convey her feelings.

But Ash seemed to understand. At least, that’s what her smile told Victoria, quickly followed by her words.

“I know.” Her fingertips moved a lock of hair from Victoria’s forehead. “That was delicious. Intense.” She inhaled. “Perfect.” Then something shifted in her face. “But I want you to know, if you want me to leave before morning, I will. It’ll kill me a little, I won’t lie. But I want this to be okay for you, and for both of us.”

Damn, did she have to be so perfect? No woman had ever said this to her before.

For the first time in Victoria’s life, someone saw her. Just her, the woman. Not her job, her life. Just a woman who wanted to be loved.

A lump formed in her throat, but she wasn’t going to cry.

Instead, she shook her head. “You going is the last thing I want.” She leaned in and kissed Ash’s velvet lips, then pulled back. “I want to spend the next couple of hours wrapped in you. Also, in you.” She gave what she hoped was a devilish smile.

In turn, Ash grinned. “That’s a plan I can get down with.”

Energised by the kiss, Victoria rolled on top of Ash, pressing their naked bodies together.

“You feel criminally good.” Then she raised an eyebrow, and slowly moved down the full length of Ash’s body, licking every part of her as she went. She settled between Ash’s legs, nudging them apart with her shoulders.

Ash gasped.

Victoria kissed the top of Ash’s firm thighs, then stared upwards. “Just so you know, I’ve admired your thighs from afar.”

Ash’s gaze locked with hers. “You have?”

Victoria nodded. “I’ve got a thing for footballers’ thighs.”

“Plural? Should I be worried?” She shot Victoria a languid smile.

In response, Victoria licked her way up Ash’s left thigh, then her right, making her squirm deliciously beneath her.

“No, you’re very safe. Singular. These are the only firm thighs my lips intend to touch.” She stared upwards. “Just so we’re clear, I meant what I said. I want you to stay.” She dipped her head, then swept her tongue over Ash’s hot centre.

They both groaned in unison.

“Does that work for you?”

Ash could only nod her agreement.

Victoria licked her lips and got to work.