Chapter 4

CHAPTERFOUR

Slate checked the app for what seemed like the four hundredth time that day. He’d set it up so he got notifications when Ashlyn moved after being in one place for more than fifteen minutes. He’d watched as she went through her rounds for the day, delivering food to all her clients.

It was kind of embarrassing how obsessed he was with making sure she got back to Food For All safely.

When Mustang called him out on his distraction during one of their meetings, Slate did his best to pay attention. When he’d gotten the notification that Ashlyn had arrived at her apartment, though, time seemed to slow to a crawl. All he could think about was everything he wanted to do to her once he got to her place.

Finally, Mustang wrapped up their last meeting and they were all free to head home. Without hanging around to chitchat with his teammates, Slate headed down the hall for the exit. It was almost ridiculous how badly he wanted to see Ashlyn. His cock stiffened in his pants, and Slate swore. He was acting like a horny teenager, not a mature man of thirty-three.

He drove too fast, as usual, on the way to her place. His stomach rumbled, but food was the last thing on his mind. He’d gone hungry plenty of times in the past—it wasn’t always easy to stop to eat while on a mission—and he was used to going without when he was in the zone. And Slate definitely felt in the zone right now. He was focused on getting to Ashlyn and picking up where their phone call had left off that morning.

He parked and headed up the stairs to her floor in the apartment building without remembering much about the trip. Then he was there. Knocking on the door he’d gone out of a few days ago feeling more satisfied than he could remember being in a very long time.

The door opened almost immediately, and Slate’s gaze devoured Ashlyn as he stepped inside. She had on a pair of leggings and an oversized long-sleeve shirt. He could tell at a glance that she wasn’t wearing a bra; her nipples were already hard behind the pale pink cotton.

“Hi,” she said as she shut the door behind him, turning the deadbolt.

The second the door was secure, Slate grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, putting her back against the wall.

She stared up at him with huge brown eyes, and he loved the way her breath hitched. Her long, shiny hair was down around her shoulders, brushing the tips of her tits. Her cheeks were flushed, and she immediately lifted her hands to his biceps.

“Hey,” Slate belatedly returned her greeting. “Did you have a good day?” He forced himself to speak before falling on her like a panther in heat.

Her lips twitched. “Yeah. Got the third degree from the others, but they’re cool.”

Slate nodded. “No trouble with your deliveries?”

“Nope. Everyone behaved themselves. There wasn’t an ax murderer in sight all day.”

Slate shook his head in exasperation.

“Did you get the app working okay?” she asked.

“Yup.” He wasn’t about to mention how he’d been tracking her ass all day. Some people might think wanting to see his woman’s every movement was creepy. But after everything that had happened to Carly, and Monica, and all the others, he didn’t want to take any chances. He was sure that, as time passed, he’d get less obsessed with making sure Ashlyn was safe. Maybe.

“Are you hungry? I know you said not to bother with dinner, but I roasted some veggies earlier. I’ve got leftovers. I can heat up some noodles and throw them together, since I know you’d probably explode if you just had vegetables for dinner.”

“Starved,” Slate said.

She looked surprised. “Okay, step back and I’ll go put the water on.”

“Not for food. You,” Slate clarified, running his hands down to her hips. He wasn’t even speaking in full sentences, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of getting his mouth between her legs was making him feel a little Neanderthal-ish.

The small, sexy smile that crossed Ashlyn’s face made him feel a lot better about the slight obsession he was developing with her body.

Her hands tightened for a moment on his arms, then she slid sideways, grabbing his hand and heading for her bedroom.

Slate’s eyes focused on her ass as they walked. She was curvy in all the right places. Her tits were large, but she wasn’t top heavy because her sexy hips balanced everything out. They were perfect for grabbing. Her gorgeous lips were plump, and he couldn’t wait see them wrapped around his cock. Her straight brunette locks were soft and silky, and he could just imagine how the thick mass would feel, tickling his chest as she rode him. Her soulful brown eyes always seemed to sparkle with some sort of emotion…humor, compassion…irritation at his high-handedness.

Yeah, there wasn’t anything about Ashlyn that didn’t turn him way the fuck on. He wasn’t sure why it took him so damn long to ask her out, but he was thrilled he finally had.

She pulled him into her room. After dropping his hand, and without a word, she peeled her shirt up and over her head.

For a moment, Slate was struck dumb. All he could do was stand there and stare at her in awe. Women tended to overthink things when it came to their looks. Men were simple creatures at heart. They liked tits. Period. And Ashlyn’s breasts were perfect.

Slate took a step forward and his hands reached out without conscious thought. He palmed her and ran his thumbs over both nipples, loving how they became even harder under his touch.

“So damn sensitive,” he murmured.

In response, Ashlyn arched her back, encouraging him. As it had the other night, an overwhelming sense of urgency overcame Slate. He needed this woman. It felt as if he didn’t get inside her in the next sixty seconds, he was gonna die.

Taking a deep breath and vowing not to repeat the way he’d come too damn fast last time, without truly appreciating Ashlyn, Slate forced himself to let go of her and take a step back.

“Everything off and get on the bed,” he said in a raspy tone. “Legs spread.”

Ashlyn didn’t comment, merely smiled and leaned over to push her leggings off. Her tits bounced with the action, and once again Slate had to force himself not to pounce on her.

He removed his own clothes in what seemed like record time. He took a second to throw a few condoms on the table next to her bed and stroke himself. His cock jerked at his touch, more than ready to burrow inside Ashlyn’s hot, wet, tight body.

But not yet.

She got on the bed just as he’d ordered and spread her legs, knees bent and feet flat on the mattress. Slate didn’t miss the way her cheeks turned pink as she exposed herself.

He crawled onto the bed, immediately settling between her legs. He leaned in and kissed her slightly rounded belly tenderly. Feeling guilty that he hadn’t said much to her since he’d arrived—hell, he hadn’t even kissed her—Slate looked up and asked, “You good?”

“I’ll be better if you stop fucking around,” she retorted.

Grinning, and relieved that she wanted to get to the good stuff just as fast as he did, Slate licked his lips. Then he scooted down a bit and lowered his head.

From the first taste of her slightly tangy musk, Slate was a goner.

He already couldn’t get enough. The way she sighed, the way her hips tilted up toward him, encouraging him to continue, the way every muscle in her body tightened when he hit a spot she liked…He could spend all fucking night between her legs.

He teased her at first, licking her folds and barely paying attention to her clit. While he was sure what he was doing felt nice, he wasn’t going for nice. He wanted to drive Ashlyn out of her mind with lust.

He put one hand on her belly to hold her still and inserted a finger deep inside her as he latched onto her clit and sucked. As he expected, she jerked under him.

“Slate!” she exclaimed.

Smiling, Slate didn’t lift his mouth from her clit. He could feel her inner muscles tightening around his finger as she squirmed. He lashed the small bundle of nerves with his tongue, and when his finger began to slide more easily in and out of her slick channel, he knew she was getting close.

“Yes, right there! Oh my God, yes! Holy shit, Slate…”

Her words were breathy and he could hear the desperation in them, so he redoubled his efforts, sucking hard on her clit.

And just like that, she exploded. Her orgasm seemed even more intimate with his mouth on her and his finger inside her. She trembled uncontrollably and her thighs slapped against his shoulders when she tried to close her legs…and couldn’t because he was between them.

“Too much, Slate…enough!” she breathed.

But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Lifting his head, Slate used the hand that had been pressing on her belly to manipulate her clit.

Ashlyn shrieked and jerked violently. She made a strangled sound in the back of her throat as she once more flew over the edge. Forcing a woman to orgasm had never been his kink, but there was something so damn satisfying about seeing Ashlyn lost in pleasure at his hands. She was at his mercy—and he fucking loved it.

She was still trembling when he removed his finger from inside her still-spasming channel and greedily sucked it into his mouth. Fuck, she tasted so damn good. He rose to his knees and grabbed a condom off the table. He rolled it down his cock before glancing at Ashlyn’s face.

The dazed look in her eyes made him smile. It was a great look on her. And he’d done that. “You ready?” he asked.

She was still nodding when he lined up his cock between her folds and pushed. He was thick, and the feel of her body yielding to him was enough to make his head explode. But just like the other night, the second he felt her tighten around him, Slate knew he was in trouble. There was no way he was going to last long enough to build her up to another orgasm. She felt too good. Was squeezing him too hard.

“Fuck, woman,” he bit out, as he felt his balls draw up closer to his body in preparation.

She chuckled, and Slate felt the movement around his cock. He’d never fucked someone while laughing before, had no idea how incredible it could feel. “Maybe after I’ve had you a hundred times, I’ll be able to last more than two fucking seconds,” he grumbled, even as he pulled out and thrust back inside her body.

She didn’t respond verbally, just lifted her hands and gripped his biceps, digging her fingernails into his skin as he began to fuck her hard and fast.

It didn’t take long before the pleasure became too much for him to hold back. He pushed deep inside her and groaned, goose bumps breaking out on his arms as he came.

For a moment, shame filled him. Once again, he hadn’t been able to last when he’d gotten inside her. He was a grown-ass man, not a fucking teenager.

But Ashlyn made a contented sound deep in her throat. “That was amazing,” she whispered. “I’ve never gone off that fast before.”

At least he wasn’t alone. Slate lowered himself on top of her, not ready to pull out yet. He knew he needed to take care of the condom, but he couldn’t make himself leave her. “Yeah?” he asked.

She smiled up at him. “Yeah.”

“And once again, I came like that was my first time,” he said in disgust.

“I’m gonna tell you a secret, big man,” Ashlyn said. “When a guy can’t hold back, it’s kind of a compliment.”

“Right,” he said skeptically.

“I mean it. And I’ll go even further and say for a lot of women, thrusting for ten, twenty, or however many minutes, isn’t all that pleasurable. We get to a point where we just want you to get off and be done with it. For me personally, it’s about clit stimulation.”

Surprisingly, Slate felt his cock twitch at her words. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to tell him what she liked. “Noted,” he drawled.

“Am I ever gonna get to have my hands and mouth on you?” she asked.

His cock began to show even more signs of life. He wanted that. Ashlyn on her knees in front of him, or between his legs, giving him a blowjob, was one of his frequent fantasies.

Reaching down, he held on to the condom as he slipped out of her. Ashlyn wrinkled her nose adorably. Slate scooted over so he was sitting on the edge of the mattress, then twisted at the waist to hover over her, leaning on one hand. He kissed her long, deep and easy, kicking himself for not doing it earlier. Then he drew back and just stared.

“Slate?”

“You want my cock, Ash?”

She blushed, but nodded.

“As soon as I can control myself from jumping you the second I see you, you’ll get your chance.”

Predictably, she rolled her eyes. “So, like, never,” she huffed.

Slate burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it. She sounded so put out over the fact that he couldn’t keep his hands off her. “I’ll be back,” he said as he stood to take care of the condom.

“Um…now are you hungry? My offer to whip you up some noodles with veggies still stands.”

Slate considered it for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

She beamed. “Great.”

He couldn’t stop himself from leaning over the bed once more and kissing her forehead before heading for the bathroom, scooping up his uniform on the way, which he’d left in a heap on the floor.

Twenty minutes later, he was sitting at her small table off the kitchen eating a simple meal of penne noodles and some really fucking good vegetables. Whatever she’d seasoned them with when she roasted them was awesome. They had a little bit of heat, and the garlic might’ve been overpowering but the noodles balanced everything out.

“Good?” Ashlyn asked.

“Delicious,” Slate told her. “So, your visits today went well?” he asked.

Ashlyn’s face lit up. “Yeah. There’s this one family who’s working so hard to give their kids everything they need, but they’re young. I can’t imagine having two kids under four and only being twenty-one years old. But Brooklyn is a really good mom, from what I can see. And Curtis and Briar are so damn adorable. Some people would think what I do is depressing…seeing people struggling all the time. But I don’t usually see it that way.”

Of course, she wouldn’t. Ashlyn was definitely a glass-half-full kind of person, another one of the reasons why Slate was attracted to her.

“Yes, the people I see every day are struggling, but aren’t we all? Struggle isn’t always about money. It’s about feeling worthy, about wanting to be loved, about having a chronic illness. There are a million different ways people struggle, and if I can take away just one of those by bringing healthy, free meals to their door, then I feel as if I’d made a difference in their lives, even if it’s a small one.”

Slate nodded. “I’ve seen people so poor they literally have only the clothes on their backs, are sleeping in the dirt, and the only roof over their heads is a couple of boards they scavenged from a junk pile. But they’re quick to offer a space under a threadbare blanket for someone who needs it more than they do. They’ll give away their last piece of bread to someone hungrier, and they’ll greet strangers with a smile. So yeah, I totally understand what you mean. Being poor doesn’t make someone a bad person, just as being rich doesn’t make someone a good person.”

“Exactly.”

Slate couldn’t take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him. For a long time, Ashlyn had been merely a friend of his teammates’ women. The pain in the ass who loved to snipe at him. After spending more time with her, he was surprised the first time he realized bickering and sarcasm were actually signs that she was comfortable with someone. He witnessed the same dry wit and verbal sparring when she was hanging with her friends.

It was around the same time as that revelation when he realized he was physically attracted to her, as well. Now, sitting across from her, eating a meal Ashlyn had gone out of her way to prepare for him, he could admit they were more compatible than he’d first thought.

Slate also never cared about money. Yes, he was glad he had enough to rent his house, to eat, and to buy the few material things he wanted, but he never aspired to have the kind of wealth Aleck had, for instance. Like Ashlyn, he was just as keen to make a difference in people’s lives where he could. And hearing her talk about her clients with such respect made him even more grateful he’d finally gotten up the nerve to ask her out.

Between the way she lit up for him between the sheets and the fact that they could actually have an intelligent conversation, Slate was certain dating Ashlyn would be awesome for however long it lasted.

Just as he finished putting the last forkful of pasta in his mouth, his phone rang.

“Sorry,” he told Ashlyn, reaching for it.

“It’s fine,” she said breezily as she stood and reached for his plate.

“Slate,” he answered, noting it was Mustang.

“Hey. You got time to talk? I was thinking about the North Korean situation, and I had some thoughts that I wanted to run them by someone.”

“Yeah, can you give me ten minutes or so?” Slate asked.

“Of course. It’s not a big deal. I’ll wait till tomorrow if you’re busy.”

“It’s fine. I’m happy to be your sounding board.”

“Great. Call me back when you can.”

“Will do. Later,” Slate said.

“Later.”

As soon as he clicked off the connection, Ashlyn said, “You need to go.”

Slate nodded, standing and joining her in the small kitchen. “Mustang has some things he wants to talk to me about. Work stuff.”

“I get it. No problem.”

Slate studied Ashlyn’s expression carefully for signs that she was annoyed or pissed that he was leaving so soon after eating. He found none. “I appreciate the dinner.”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. You’re feeding me on Friday night, yeah?”

“Yes,” Slate said.

“Can I ask where you’re taking me?”

“No.”

Ashlyn pouted. “But it’s not Hawaiian, right?”

“You like malasadas. They’re Hawaiian,” Slate said with a small smirk.

“Malasadas are basically doughnuts. They’re fried dough covered in sugar. What’s not to like?” she retorted. “Now poi, on the other hand…” She shuddered

Slate chuckled. “I know better than to take you to a Hawaiian restaurant, even if you are missing out. But you’ll like it, promise.”

“Okay.”

“You still want to meet me at my place? I can pick you up.”

“I’ll come to you. I don’t want to inconvenience you to drive me home.”

“All right. But just sayin’, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

Ashlyn shrugged. “Nah, it’s all good.”

Slate nodded. “Guess I’ll be going then.”

“Drive safe.”

“Always.”

Ashlyn rolled her eyes as she walked him to the door. “Right, Mr. Lead Foot.”

“I’m not that bad,” Slate argued.

“Um, yes you are. You can’t stand red lights, traffic jams, or anyone being in front of you for more than two seconds. Your impatience gets ten times worse when you’re behind the wheel of a car.”

He couldn’t really disagree. She was right. So he simply grinned.

She shook her head in return, smiling back. “Go,” she ordered. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Slate liked that she wasn’t pouting that he was leaving. He’d pretty much come over for sex, and she seemed okay with that. He couldn’t be happier that they were on the same page.

He stepped closer and gave her a hug. Then he kissed her forehead and turned to leave. “Lock this after me,” he ordered as he unlocked the deadbolt.

“Duh,” Ashlyn said.

She was still a pain in the ass, but Slate could admit that he liked her snarkiness. “See ya.”

“Bye, Slate.”

It wasn’t until he was halfway home that Slate realized he was still smiling.