One Night of Misbehavior (10 page)

“He obviously came good,” Charlotte said in a small voice. Had she brought the right clothes? She’d gone with smart casual, but her wardrobe choices weren’t exactly limitless.

Mature oak trees lined the drive up to the house and gave way to a huge gravel area. As Ash pulled up in front of the house, a woman appeared at the top of a flight of steps. While the house might have been traditional, the woman wouldn’t have looked out of place at an Auckland society party. Her white-blonde hair was cut in a structured bob. She wore a tight black skirt that struck her at mid-thigh and had teamed it with a matching black-and-white silky top. A pair of spiky black boots completed the look.

“Who is that?”

“Nicola Matheson.” Ash’s toneless voice dragged her attention to him.

Charlotte’s brows rose. “Oh?”

“The woman is a barracuda. Make sure you protect me.”

“What? Auckland’s premier bad boy is frightened of a woman?”

“Barracuda,” he repeated tersely. “She has a twin brother called David. I haven’t met him, but he’s meant to be here this weekend.”

Charlotte climbed from the car and waited for Ash to introduce her. He slipped an arm around Charlotte’s waist and pasted a smile on his face—a charming one, but she noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. She was coming to know his expressions.

“Hello, Nicola. This is my girlfriend Charlotte Dixon. Charlotte, Nicola Matheson.”

“Ah, the mystery redhead,” Cassandra drawled. “You have the gossip sheets humming with rumors and speculation.”

Ash didn’t comment, merely turning to the older couple who appeared at the top of the steps.

“Come in,” the man boomed in a hearty voice. “Leave your bags. Nicola will organize someone to deliver them to your rooms.”

Rooms? Charlotte had thought they were sharing.

Nicola must have caught her look. “Daddy is a bit old-fashioned. Don’t worry. We have oodles of guests this weekend. I’m sure the passage will be full of sneaking men and women in the small hours of the morning.”

Ash took care of the introductions. “Keith, Margaret, this is Charlotte Dixon. Charlotte this is Keith and Margaret Matheson.”

“You have a beautiful house,” Charlotte said to Margaret as they were ushered inside.

“It’s a money pit,” Keith boomed. “But it’s home.”

Charlotte spent the afternoon exploring the gardens and having afternoon tea with Margaret and some of the other female guests while Ash and Keith secluded themselves in the study and took care of their business. The women were mostly older than her, but they were pleasant and went out of their way to include her in the conversation.

“Do you have your outfit organized for tonight, dear?” one of the women asked.

“I do. Ash and I went shopping when we arrived.”

“A man who doesn’t mind shopping? Snap him up, my dear,” the woman said. “When are you getting married?”

Charlotte smiled and shook her head. “We’re just friends.”

“Oh, I thought—” She cast a quick glance at Margaret. “Ash has gone out of his way to keep you from the press. We thought it meant he was serious. He certainly has the signs of a besotted man.”

He did? “We haven’t known each other long.”

“Where did you meet?”

Charlotte hesitated, not enjoying being under the conversational spotlight.
Tell them you had a one-night stand with Zorro
,
Ms. Feisty suggested. Charlotte choked back a laugh then aware they were staring at her expectantly, she said, “We met at a recent charity ball. Our grandmothers are…were old friends, although Ash and I didn’t realize that then.” A sharp pang pierced her as she thought of Gran and her matchmaking. Who knew Gran’s pile of correspondence held such scheming. Charlotte had posted and collected the regular letters, never suspecting a thing.

Thankfully, new arrivals interrupted the interrogation, and Charlotte escaped to her room and solitude.

Ash tapped on her door half an hour later. “Come and see my room,” he said. “You’ll need to know where to find me later tonight.”

“Are we going to share a bed?”

Ash turned to her, expression serious. “Try and stop me.”

“My dress is in your bag anyway. I might as well dress for dinner in your room.”

“I have a large en suite,” he said. “We’ll save water and shower together.”

Charlotte grabbed her makeup bag, fresh underwear and shoes before walking hand in hand with Ash to his bedroom. “Wow, you lucked out in the bedroom stakes,” she said.

“As long as we’re discreet, there’s no reason we can’t share.” He unfastened the top button of her blouse.

A surge of anticipation zapped south, frisking every pleasure point on the way. Her breath caught, and she stared at him wide-eyed. “Are we having that shower now?”

He checked his watch. “It’d pay to multi-task.”

They undressed each other, hands and partially removed clothes getting in the way. Her nipples pebbled in the air-conditioned room, heat stabbing her core as her excitement rose.

Ash dragged her into the en suite and turned on the shower. He squashed her against the tiled wall and she yelped at the blast of frigid water.

“Cold,” she squeaked, squirming to escape his grasp.

“I’ll warm you up.” He sank to his knees, wedging her legs apart with his hand. His stubble grazed the tender skin of her inner thighs before he parted her folds and licked firmly across her clit.

“Oh. Wow,” she said in patent understatement. Her hands moved restlessly across his shoulders before threading through his short, dark hair. Jolts of pleasurable excitement struck her with each rake of his tongue. One long finger pushed inside her, curling to stroke across a sweet spot. Hard and fast, desire whipped her, pushing and pulling her in every direction at once. The pleasure drove her high then dropped her abruptly as she shattered.

Ash surged to his feet and grabbed the condom he’d set on the soap dish. Seconds later he was sheathed, and he lifted her, pushing inside her sensitized body, his lips seeking hers. She tasted her tartness on his tongue, felt the contrasting hardness of teeth. All she could do was hold on while Ash took, demanded more from her. Her heart leaped, pounded as he pushed deep. Her nerve endings vibrated as she clamped her thighs around his waist. He came with a long, low groan, holding her tightly for a moment before he released her and let her slide down his body. Gasping, they pressed their foreheads together.

“That was hot,” she said.

“I want to do that every day. It’s energizing.” His blue eyes were bright as he lowered his head and kissed her, a slow, tender kiss that made her heart twist with alarm.

Temporary. This weekend with Ash was about fun and celebration. Gran would approve and Ms. Feisty sure as hell did, judging by her inner whooping, but there were no promises made between them, and she couldn’t expect them.

“I guess we’d better get ready for dinner,” Charlotte said.

“Yeah. Maybe we can sneak off early.”

“How did the business go?”

“Good. Everything is sorted. I’m glad I brought you with me,” he added. “I get the feeling Keith wouldn’t mind even closer ties between our families.”

“
Uh-oh
.”

“Yeah,” he said, grabbing the soap. “Turn around, and I’ll scrub your back for you.”

The dinner and entertainment following were fun. Everyone dressed for the occasion and standing inside the ballroom was like stepping back into the roaring twenties with flapper costumes, feathers, white suits and slicked-back hair.

“Have I told you how sexy you are in that dress?” Ash whispered against her ear. The warmth of his breath sent a pleasurable shudder through her and all she could think of was touching him again.

“Can we dance?”

“Can you do the Charleston?”

“Nope,” she said. “But I bet you can, and I’m okay with making a fool of myself. I like to learn new things.”

“You’re on,” Ash said, leading her onto the dance floor. He kept his polite grin intact while inside he was screaming in frustration. The odd remark from her made it clear she considered their relationship temporary. Damn it, he didn’t intend to let Charlotte walk away. Somehow, he had to prove they were good together—a matching pair. “What did you think of David?”

“Is he gay?”

“I don’t know, but he gives off that vibe.”

“Maybe not,” Charlotte murmured, pointing with the tilt of her chin. “He’s smooching with the girl who sat next to him for dinner.”

Ash showed her the steps and she picked it up quickly, laughing in delight whenever she messed up. After their dance, they both moved on to other partners. Charlotte danced with everyone, from bumbling teenagers to portly grandfathers, just as she had at the charity ball where he’d first met her.

“She’s a lovely girl,” Margaret said when she caught him watching Charlotte. “Does she know you love her?”

“Am I that obvious?”

“Only to me. I was hoping you’d hit it off with my daughter, but she informs me she made a pass at you during your last visit and you politely brushed her off.” Margaret’s tone was wry, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. “I could have told her subtle would work best with you.”

Ash barked out a laugh. “I do prefer to do my own hunting.”

“Your parents must be very proud of you.”

“There’s just my father, but he is pleased with the way I turned out. And I’d have to say he deserves the credit.”

Margaret smiled warmly again. “I hope you’ll bring Charlotte to visit again, once you’re married.”

“Maybe,” Ash said, knowing he’d have to persuade Charlotte first. Hell, he wasn’t sure why she thought he was only interested in a fling. Maybe it was his track record. He’d made a point of telling his girlfriends he wasn’t looking for a wife, but a couple of them had thought otherwise, hearing what they wanted to hear. With Charlotte—he didn’t know. All he could do was silently pursue her and let her realize that together they were a great team.

Just after midnight, Ash sought Charlotte out, folding her in his arms and moving slowly to a waltz. “Are you almost ready to call it a night?”

“Margaret said they intended to have supper soon. Perhaps we could sneak off then and no one would notice.”

Almost as soon as she’d spoken the words, the song ended and the lead musician announced a supper break.

“A mind reader,” Ash marveled, loving the way the grin spread from her lips and echoed in her eyes. Even better, it was all for him. She genuinely enjoyed his company, she was always happy to indulge him sexually, so why the hell was she running scared when he hinted at permanent? “Let’s pretend we’re going to wander around the gardens.”

“You want to snatch a kiss or two in the dark.”

“Of course, but we’ll wait for the good stuff until we reach my bedroom.”

Keith Matheson intercepted them before they reached the door, and Ash swore under his breath. “Fate conspires against us.”

“Why don’t I meet you in your room?”

“Good idea.”

She slipped into the garden, her apricot dress a slash of pale color against the dark background.

Ash played nice, chatted with the gentlemen Keith wanted to introduce him to and offered a charming smile to the two women in the group when all he wanted to do was run after Charlotte. The women twittered like birds, their hands waving in illustration of their gushing. Their gazes flitted to his scars and away, eyes lowering until they ended up flirting with his chest. After half an hour of frustrating social chitchat, he managed to extract himself and made his way upstairs. As he turned the corner into the passage, he saw someone entering his room.

Charlotte must have gone to her room first. His steps lengthened, eager to get to her and do some more subtle wooing. It was no hardship caressing her body and capturing her moans with his mouth. He opened the door, surprised to find the room in darkness.

A feminine squeak of shock suddenly echoed through the air, followed swiftly by a male shout. Ash switched on the light, flooding the room with illumination.

Charlotte sat up in the king-size bed, clutching the pale blue sheet to her naked chest. David Matheson, Keith’s son—also naked—stood by the bed, a pillow held in front of him to maintain his modesty.

“Is this an exclusive party or can anyone join?” Ash asked.

“I thought…I came… What is she doing in your room?” David asked, his voice gaining in strength with each word he spoke.

Ash leaned against the doorjamb. “I invited her. What are you doing here?”

“You’re gay. Nicola told me,” David said, searching Ash’s face and edging farther away from Charlotte. Ash lifted his brows and David’s face crumpled. “She lied to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Ash said. “Your sister has been pulling your leg.”

“You’re really not gay?” Obviously David wanted to believe he still had a chance.

“No, I’m sorry.” Ash speared a glance at Charlotte before turning back to David. “Do you need a robe?”

Scarlet flooded his cheeks. “I have one on the floor somewhere.”

Ash saw a silky pile of tartan fabric and plucked it off the carpet, handing it to the young man. David awkwardly juggled the pillow while trying to cover himself.

“Charlotte, shut your eyes,” Ash said. “David, I’m closing my eyes too. Put on your robe. Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t listen to your sister again,” Ash said, ushering the young man out of the room. He closed the door behind him and turned to survey Charlotte. “Are you okay?”

“Speechless, more than anything,” Charlotte said. “He’d just arrived. I thought it was you. When I reached out to touch him, he didn’t feel the same.”

“Good to know,” Ash said, studying her sheet-draped form. “Do you have anything on under that sheet?”

“Not a thing.” Her saucy tone raised a smile in him.

“Did he touch you?” Ash held still, uncharacteristic jealousy surging through him. The unusual emotion made him realize how hard he’d fallen, how much he cared for Charlotte.

“Nope, I was the impatient one.” She fluttered her lashes at him. “After all, it is a dirty weekend and that should involve touching.”

Ash laughed. He dragged the armchair that sat in front of the window and placed it hard up against the bedroom door. “That should stop any further nocturnal visitors,” he said and started to strip off. “We can be as dirty as you want.”