RUSH (Montgomery Men Book 1) (25 page)

“What do you mean?” I said, finally feeling hopeful.

“I’ve got a few connections myself. And I can assure you that Mr. Hellman and his father are not in the clear,” Knoxville said. “But, Ash, you gotta know that your girl isn’t off their radar.”

“What do you mean?” My anger from earlier flared up again.

“He hasn’t given up on finding her,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “He’s got men on his dime out daily searching for her. He isn’t the kind of man who likes to lose, and to him, Kinsley is just something to be conquered and won.”

KINSLEY

WHEN I WOKE, IT WAS
dark outside the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the east side of the bedroom, and I was alone. Immediately I felt empty. I’d fallen asleep in Ashton’s arms as he held me close and whispered over and over that he loved and would keep me safe, giving me the security I needed.

I never said I loved him too.

Even though I wanted to shout it, I couldn’t form the words.

But in that moment I knew I needed to tell him. I wanted him to know that what he’d given me, and continued to give me after everything we’d been through, meant more than I could ever express.

I got out of bed and quietly walked toward the hallway in search of Ashton. As I approached the great room, I could hear the soothing, soft sounds of a relaxing melody. The voice of the woman singing was alluring, yet sad. The room was dark, which allowed me to hide in the shadows of the hallway as I took in the scene before me. Ashton stood in front of the large windows with his back to the room. He held a small glass of something in his hand, and the lights that shown in from the city beyond highlighted his face. I took a few moments to just stand back and appreciate his beauty.

Ashton Montgomery was such a force of nature. He dominated every space he stood in, making everyone around him feel inferior. It was truly one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen and so different than anything I’d ever experienced.

No longer able to hold back, I moved into the room, and he turned to face me as if he felt my presence. The smile pulling at the edges of his lips filled me with calm as I stepped up to him and placed my hand against his chest.

“How did you sleep?” he asked as he caressed my cheek with his warm palm.

“Thank you,” I said without answering his question.

“For what?” He lowered his hand to my hip and looked at me with questioning eyes.

“For everything.” I was suddenly overflowing with gratitude and didn’t truly know where to begin. “For being so pushy in the beginning and giving me no choice but to accept there was something between us that we couldn’t ignore. For taking my sass and seeing it as another reason to love me.”

He smiled, but I didn’t pause long enough to allow him to say anything in return. I had to get this out.

“For being such an amazing man, even though you can be frustrating at times. You’ve given me confidence I didn’t know I had. And even though I lied and almost ruined everything between us, you still chose to love me. And that means more to me than I could ever express.” I was on the verge of breaking, but I held back my tears and pushed forward just as I always had.

“But you—”

I placed my finger to his lips. “Earlier today you told me you loved me.” He nodded. “I need you to know I’m so deeply in love with you that it terrifies me to think of my life without you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he spoke against my finger, and I couldn’t help but smile. He wrapped his hand around my wrist, and just before pulling my hand away from his mouth he kissed my fingertip.

“I’m in this with you, no matter what,” he assured me. “We’ll get through this, and in the end I can assure you that you will be free from that asshole.”

I wished Ashton had that power. Life would be so much simpler if he could bring down Jase and Bruce. But instead of arguing I left that thought alone.

“Nothing and no one will tear us apart, Kinsley,” he whispered as he leaned in a little closer. “It’s you and me, baby.”

I could see the seriousness in his eyes. He believed his words, and it was hard not to begin to believe them myself. Even if this was only another fantasy I was creating in my mind, I chose to live it. I wanted to feel as if Jase no longer had power over me.

The moment Ashton’s lips touched mine, I leaned into him for support. I could taste the scotch that lingered on his lips, and the touch of his tongue against mine made my knees weak.

From the beginning of our relationship, he’d been very physical, and we’d been apart for days. The lack of intimacy was affecting us both, and in this moment I knew we just needed to feel each other.

I moved with him as he stepped forward, leading me backward to the couch.

The clink of his glass against the glass tabletop was the only sound I heard before he knelt just enough to pick me up. We didn’t break our kiss as he sat down on the couch and I straddled him. The touch of his hands along my sides, my waist, and even my stomach as he reached just beneath the hem of my shirt made my body feel as if it were on fire. I took control of the moment and reached down to lift my shirt up and over my head.

Ashton’s eyes widened as he focused on my now-bare breasts. I’d removed my bra earlier when I lay down. He placed one large hand on either side of my waist as he leaned in and began to trail kisses along my cleavage. The moment his tongue traced the contour of my breast, I whimpered and thrust my chest out, begging for more. And he instantly gave me what I craved. Sucking softly on my nipple, he teased it with the tip of his tongue just before biting lightly.

“Yes,” I moaned as he continued to please me. My hips began to rock against him almost of their own accord and I closed my eyes tightly and tipped my head back.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against my breastbone as he moved his head my other breast, where he teased and taunted me with gentle flips of his tongue.

Everything about this moment felt so erotic as he built me up with slow, tantalizing touches and dirty words of encouragement. The man played me like a fine-tuned instrument and knew just what I needed and how.

By the time Ashton flipped me over and knelt before me, my entire body was humming as a single word repeated in my mind.
More
.

He gave me more, and even then it wasn’t enough. I wanted him so much. I needed him close.

When he positioned his hips between my thighs and slowly began to enter me, I wrapped my legs around his waist and clawed at his arms.

“Please,” I begged.

He tilted his head down and focused on my pussy as he pulled back and then pushed in once more.

“So fucking beautiful,” he praised as he watched me take him over and over with a glazed look in his eyes. He was so lost in the moment that I don’t know if anything would have reached him as he continued to move inside me. And even though he felt amazing, I think I was most affected by the pleasure written all over his face.

“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE
going?” Ashton asked as I stepped into the kitchen wearing one of the dresses I’d left here weeks ago. I was worried about what I would wear today before I found it hanging in the closet. He must have had it dry cleaned.

“Work,” I said as I looked down at my outfit, checking over my appearance once again. I thought it looked okay, but maybe I was wrong.

“No you’re not,” he said as he stood from the table and made his way toward the sink.

I remained in the entryway staring at him as if he had grown another head. “Excuse me?”

Over the last couple days he had held me captive in his penthouse. Okay, so I wasn’t about to complain about our time together. In fact I had quite enjoyed being able to reconnect with him. But now I needed to get back to reality.

“I said ‘no you’re not,’” he stated as he turned to face me. I searched his gorgeous features for even an ounce of humor but came up empty.

“I have a job to do,” I said as I placed my hands on my hips defiantly. “I can’t just hide out here in your penthouse and neglect my responsibilities.”

“You no longer work for Stockman and Wright,” he said. Once again no smile, no smirk, no fucking sign that this insane man before me was in any way joking. “You can glare at me, hell you can even yell if you want, but I can guarantee you aren’t leaving this penthouse unless I’m at your side. And as far as your job goes, they’ve been notified of your unexpected, yet remorseful departure.” He remained completely unaffected by this mortifying display of power.

“Are you high? Drunk?” I asked, completely blown away by his behavior. I took in a deep breath when he just kept standing there without answering me. “Oh my God, what is wrong with you?” I threw my hands up in the air. “Where in the world do you get off telling my place of employment I won’t be returning? I have bills to pay, you asshole.”

That got his attention, but only for a moment. He actually fucking smiled.

“So if I call you an asshole that gets a rise out of you?” I took a step toward him, fully intending to give him more of my sass.

“Baby, I told you this is your home. Everything I have is now yours. And you’ll never be able to be Kinsley at Stockman and Wright. I won’t let you hide anymore.” He placed his hand on my cheek. “I want you here, with me, every night. I want to share this home with you. If you want a job, then you can work at Montgomery Enterprises, but only as Kinsley.”

And just like that, all my anger faded away. “I can’t,” I whispered as my stomach tightened. “It will only give him the power to find me.” I would never be able to be Kinsley again. Not the way I wanted to be.

“You can and you will.” He placed his finger beneath my chin and forced me to look up at him. “I won’t let you hide the woman I love.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand more than you think I do.” Ashton gripped my face in his hands and forced me to continue looking at him. “I know what kind of man Jase Hellman is. In fact I know every dirty detail of his life. I know where he lives, where he works. I know exactly where he was last night and who he went home with. Sweetheart, I can even tell you if he had steak or seafood at the Stratford Benefit which was held at the Regency Hotel last night.

“When I told you that your safety now lies in my hands, I meant every word,” he said. “I know you think I’m just some man that hides behind a desk and has more money than he knows what to do with. But, sweetheart, I can assure you that I am more than capable of keeping you safe.”

I stared at Ashton, wondering with each word he spoke if I had truly given him enough credit. I was beginning to question my earlier conclusions about his abilities.

“But you have to trust me,” he said just before he pressed his lips to mine. “Can you do that?” I nodded and looked deeply into his eyes. “Good,” he whispered and smiled, and I could tell by the look on his face that he had more to say. “The movers will be here this afternoon with all the things from your apartment,” he said before I could ask, then pressed a wet, sloppy kiss to my lips and pulled away, creating a loud, overexaggerated pop.

The ass winked when he saw the exasperated look on my face.

“I’ve got a few meetings this morning, but if you need anything, Lex has been directed to interrupt me.” I stood there staring at him as if he had completely lost his damn mind. “A man named Kevin will be here while the delivery men bring up your things. He works with Murray, so you can feel safe knowing he’s here.”

I shook my head, trying to clear the haze caused by this whirlwind of a morning. For a moment I thought this was just another dream and eventually I’d wake up and Ashton would be sane again.

“You’re not dreaming, baby.” I looked up just as Ashton walked toward to elevator and tapped the Down button, and realized I’d spoken my thoughts aloud. “It’s all real. And I’ll see you in a few hours.” He tossed me that signature grin of his, and without waiting for me to respond, he stepped inside the elevator and the doors closed behind him.

Yep, he’d definitely lost his mind.