Chapter 38Ash

Chapter 38

Ash

I didn't utter one single lie when I told Goldie I was thinking about the roof. 'Cept I left out the important element that had my stomach spinning as fast as my thoughts—fixing the roof isn't good enough. We need to replace it. Make it brand-new.

What I actually thought, truth be told, is this—can't put out Goldie's firecracker spark with something as dumb as a leaky roof.

But see, I know the look in her eye when she glances around the cabin and takes in our unconventional way of livin'—she likes everything perfect, and that is something we just ain't and will never be. No amount of cleaning she does will change that. But if I can get at least the roof right, and maybe get my brothers to help me turn our place into something she might consider just right before the storms hit…she might want to stay longer.

She's thrown my senses off like nothing I've ever experienced before, so I'm not sure exactly when the storms will be coming, but I don't want any leaks to drive her back where she came from. She handled it like a trooper the other night, with all the mopping and buckets, but I know that didn't make her happy. It couldn't have. A woman like Goldie deserves better. I want her to be happy, and I want that to be with us.

I spread the blanket over the dewy grass, smoothing out the wrinkles before Goldie and I settle onto it.

"Look," she says, pointing. "Look at all the stars. It's beautiful up here."

"It sure as hell is," I say. But I'm looking at her, and only her.

I take her tiny hand in my large one. "Now that we're out here, I can't help thinking…" I whisper, giving her fingers a squeeze. "It's kind of romantic, huh?"

"It is," she replies, as a shooting star skates across the night sky.

"You want me to make love to you underneath all these stars, firecracker?" I ask. It's all I can do not to flat out beg.

"Yes, I want you to make love to me, Ash," she says. "Very much yes."

The night sky stretches above us, a vast expanse of twinkling lights against inky darkness. I point out constellations, tracing patterns with my finger on her skin.

"There's Ursa Major," I say. "And over there is Cassiopeia."

But Goldie's not looking at the stars anymore. Her eyes are fixed on me, glimmering with a different kind of light. Our eyes lock, and suddenly the stars seem dim compared to the universe I see in her gaze. Without a word, our lips meet, soft at first, then with growing urgency. My hands tangle in her hair and hers in mine as she presses that soft, sweet body against me.

Our kisses deepen, growing more passionate with each passing moment. I trail my lips down her neck, savoring the little gasps and sighs she makes. Clothes are shed, tossed carelessly aside, and I slip on the condom I grabbed from the side table drawer just before our bodies come together as one. Goldie's skin glows in the moonlight, smooth and inviting. I trace every curve, committing it to memory. We kiss every inch of each other. Our lovemaking is tender, unhurried—a slow burn.

Afterward, we lie tangled together, breathless and sated. But as I gaze at Goldie, flushed and tousled, a renewed hunger stirs within me. I can see the same desire reflected in her eyes.

"Again?" I growl, my voice husky with want.

"God, yes," she breathes.

Goldie's answer is to flip onto her hands and knees, presenting herself to me in a way that makes my mouth go dry. The moonlight caresses the curves of her body, casting shadows that beg to be explored. I run a finger down her spine, then trace the split of that gorgeous ass. I want to spread those cheeks wide and take her in one hole, then the other. But we'll need to work up to that, can't be hasty about it.

And right now, there's no time for working up to anything. There's no gentleness. Raw, primal need consumes us both. I position myself behind her, running my hands along her sides, reveling in the way she shivers at my touch. I grab onto her hips and she arches her back. With one swift motion, I drive into her dripping cunt with a primal intensity, her gasps and moans spurring me on. My fingers dig into her hips as I pound into her. Goldie meets me thrust for thrust, pushing back against me with need that matches my own.

How the hell did I get so damn lucky?

The night air is filled with the sounds of our passion—skin slapping against skin, panting, cries of pleasure, and low, guttural groans. I lean forward, trailing open-mouthed kisses along her spine. My teeth graze her shoulder and she shudders, clenching around me deliciously.

I gently grasp a fistful of her hair, tugging just enough to arch her back further. The new angle has Goldie keening with pleasure. Her fingers dig into the blanket, knuckles white as she braces herself against my thrusts.

"Harder," Goldie demands, her voice a hoarse whisper.

I comply eagerly, bucking my hips with renewed vigor. I'll give this woman anything she wants, anytime she asks.

"Ash!" she screams my name and I pause.

"Did I hurt you, firecracker?" I ask, breath ragged.

"No! Keep going. Don't you dare come right now. I'll kill you. Harder, baby, please. I love it. I love you. Oh, sweet Lord, I love you, Ash Bj?rnsson!"

As she breathlessly shouts out those last words, I hope to God she isn't serious about killing me if I come. Because that sweet voice saying I love you, even though she can't possibly mean it, it's enough to make me lose it, spurting what feels like a never-ending load of my cum into the condom I wish to hell wasn't between us. I want to be coming directly in her, filling her to the brim with my seed. It's a primordial urge I can't deny, an undeniable instinct to want to see this mating through to breeding.

As her hot cunt begins to spasm around my cock, I glance up and see Ranger. And he does not look happy.

Fuck.

Ranger's eyes bore into us, his jaw clenched tight. The moonlight catches the glint of hurt in his gaze as he takes in the scene before him—Goldie and me tangled together on the blanket, our bodies still joined.

I slowly pull out of her, wincing at the loss of contact. She gasps softly, her eyes wide as she sees Ranger, realizes what he's heard. I reach for the blanket, draping it over her naked form as I stand to face my brother.

"It's not what you think," I start, but Ranger cuts me off with a bitter laugh.

"Not what I think? I heard her, Ash. She said she loves you."

Even in the dimness of the night, I can see Goldie's face flush crimson. "Ranger, I—"

"Don't," he says. He shakes his head. The moonlight illuminates the betrayal etched across his face. My heart plummets as I realize the magnitude of what he thinks he's just witnessed. "Please just don't."

"Ranger," I start, but my voice catches in my throat. Goldie's still trembling beneath me, coming down from her high.

He takes a step back, shaking his head again. "I heard what she said, Ash. Don't try to explain it away."

"Ranger, I…" she tries, but her voice trails off too, clearly at a loss for words.

I hastily tug on my jeans, my heart pounding. This is exactly the kind of situation we all agreed to avoid. Our arrangement was supposed to be simple—friendship and sex, no strings attached. But the look on Ranger's face tells me he's feeling anything but detached right now.

"It's not what you think," I say, holding up my hands in a placating gesture. "She didn't mean it, man. It was just heat of the moment stuff."

Ranger's eyes narrow. "Really? Because it sounded pretty damn sincere to me."

I can feel Goldie trembling beside me, and I resist the urge to pull her close. That would only make things worse. I want to protect her. To shield her from any consequences, to take them all myself.

"Look," I say, trying to keep my voice calm and reasonable. "This is about sex and friendship, nothing more. You can't get jealous and mess this up for all of us."

Ranger laughs, but it's a harsh, bitter sound. "Jealousy? You think this is about jealousy? Jealousy would be gettin' upset because she told me she would give me oral sex the night before last, like she gave you, and she didn't, yet she's back out here, giving you more. That would be jealousy. And I ain't that petty. But I heard her say she loves you, Ash. That changes everything."

I shake my head vehemently. Ranger can't hold back the truth. He'll be telling everyone what he's heard. And this will all be over. "No, it doesn't. It doesn't change anything. It was just pillow talk, man. You know how it is—people say all kinds of crazy shit when they're getting their rocks off."

But even as the words leave my mouth, I can see Ranger isn't buying it. His gaze shifts to Goldie, who's been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this exchange.

"Is that true?" he asks her, his voice softer now. "Did you not mean it? Do you not love Ash? Because Goldie…"

Goldie opens her mouth, then closes it again. She looks from Ranger to me and back again, conflict clear in her eyes. And in that moment, I realize with a sinking feeling that maybe she did mean it. Maybe this has become more than just sex and friendship for her too.

"I…I don't know," she finally whispers, and I can see Ranger's face crumple, an expression I've never seen on him, not since Pa died.

He turns to leave, but I call out, desperate to salvage the situation. "Ranger, wait! We can talk about this. We can figure it out."

But Ranger just shakes his head and starts walking away, not even glancing back to look at us.