His brow wrinkled as he frowned. "You do?"
She nodded. "Yes." She did, she really, really did.
And she was scared shitless.
Eight
Lucas studied Ashley's face. She loved him. She. Loved. Him.
He hadn't seen that one coming.
He had hoped that someday, maybe, after much persuasive sex, she could be convinced that they could work out something permanent, and he knew that she cared about him… but in love with him?
That was beyond his greatest expectations.
"Like you love me like a friend, a brother, someone you've known your whole life?" He sought clarity of her statement.
"No, silly." She kissed him, moving her mouth over his softly.
Ashley tasted sweet, warm, and he liked the way she was sliding up against him, hand on his cheek, her touches tender and seeking. She pulled back and smiled.
"I love you like a woman loves a man. I love you in a way that is almost overwhelming, because it's so unexpected."
He kissed her fingertips resting on his lips, happiness crashing over him.
"But it's so strong, it seems to me that maybe somehow it's always been there, I just didn't know it."
Lucas couldn't say the same. "I always knew I loved you."
"Really?" She smiled, sighed, snuggled into his arms. "Why didn't you say something?"
He nearly laughed. "For all the reasons you just outlined. I didn't think you'd be interested in your little brother's geeky friend. Not when you were busy dating every high school football coach on the west side. I've never been into sports."
Ashley squeezed his bicep. "Though you have developed some sexy muscles. Why have you been hiding these from me?"
"I don't think I have been."
"Then I've clearly been an idiot because when I turned tonight and you were standing there with no shirt on, jeans, barefoot, I about had an orgasm just looking at you."
Now that was a sexy little image. And it was good information for future seductions.
"Now just to recap what we've established here, Ash. I love you, you love me, we're sexually compatible, and our personalities are the perfect complement to each other. Right?"
She nodded.
"So we can consider ourselves together. Permanently." He liked to know where he stood.
Her cheeks lost their color. "But Lucas, don't forget I'm older than you. When I'm forty, you'll only be thirty-six."
"But I'll be forty in my heart," he said, with a perfectly straight face, even though he was being sarcastic. He thought a less than four-year age difference between them meant absolutely nothing. Less than nothing. Negative relevance.
She smacked his back. "I'm serious. I'll be all old and haggard at eighty and you'll only be seventy-six."
"I don't think it matters at that point. We'll both have plastic parts and wrinkles." But just the thought of spending his whole life with Ashley made him grin. "Now drop the age thing, Ash. It doesn't mean a damn thing."
"But…"
He cut her off. "I have a tickle-whip, remember? And I'm not afraid to use it."
Her green eyes went wide. "What do you mean?" She licked her lips.
Hot damn. She was so sexy. He patted her ass. "I mean, if you don't stop borrowing trouble and looking for excuses, I'll have to use whatever means necessary to convince you we're perfect for each other."
Breath catching, eyes half closed, she rubbed against him in a way that had him groaning.
"Could you maybe do your convincing in my bedroom? This couch isn't really comfortable, Lucas."
"I can do that." He sat up, pulled her into his lap. "And maybe this time we'll actually make it to a supine position."
"What is that? It sounds kinky." She shivered with delight, the sound hitting his ears at the same time her hot wet center slid against his cock.
Lucas bit back a groan. "It just means lying down on your back, faceup. Which we won't get to if you don't stop doing that."
"Doing what?" she said, even as she lifted her hips and rocked on him again.
"Driving me crazy." Lucas set Ashley firmly away from him and stood up. He shook out his legs, every muscle sore. "Now where are all my purchases?" he said, to tease her. "Let's take them into the bedroom with us, and you can show me how they work."
Not that he didn't already have an idea what to do with them, but it might be fun to play dumb. Let her give him step-by-step instructions.
Ashley's eyebrows rose. "All of your purchases? At one time?"
Lucas thought through what he'd bought. Blindfold, handcuffs… sure, why not? Peachy eating powder stuff, definitely he wanted that. Tickle-whip… yes, yes, and fuck, yes.
She grinned. "Even the cock ring?"
Damn, he'd forgotten about that thing. "Sure," he said reluctantly. Maybe he could kick it under the bed and pretend it was lost. It wouldn't be that difficult to pop it either, he imagined. It was just soft plastic. "And the Ben-Wa balls."
Ashley's grin disappeared, though her breath caught. "We don't need any of that junk, Lucas. All we need is each other."
"True. Very true." He heartily agreed, except for one thing. He took her hand, started walking toward her bedroom, right past the tables of products. Spotting what he was looking for, he paused, turned to pull her into his arms.
"Ashley, I love you." He kissed the side of her jaw, kissed her bottom lip, kissed her nose, knowing there was nothing logical about his feelings for her, but for once in his life not needing the answers.
Ashley pressed her body to his, going up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I love you too, Lucas."
He reached behind him on the table, his fingers closing around what he wanted. Flicking it open, he slapped one ring of the fur-lined handcuffs on her wrist and clicked it shut.
"What is that?" Ashley jerked back in shock, but he was already attaching the other end to his own wrist. "Lucas! You handcuffed us together!"
"That was the plan." He gave a jerk to test them. Ashley's arm flew toward him. The leopard print fur was soft and comfortable against his skin. "I'm going to leave these on until you agree that we're perfect for each other. That we'd be stupid not to go for it."
"Are you calling me stupid?" She flashed him a big smile, showing all her straight, white teeth. They were away from the light and half of her face was in shadows.
Something in his gut told him now was the time. Go for it. Grab for everything he had ever wanted. "I'll think you are if you don't say yes."
"To what?" She put her hands on her hips, which meant his hand had to rest there too.
"To getting married."
"Married?" Her jaw dropped. "Married?"
Ashley slapped her hand over her mouth. Oh, God, he was serious. He was completely and totally serious. He was giving her that look-that intense, expectant look.
"But we just… but we just…" she babbled, not sure what to say. It would be absurdly impulsive to say yes. It would be irresponsible to just leap into something so incredibly important as marriage without thinking it through.
Too bad she wanted to say yes. She wanted to be with Lucas forever. She wanted to make him laugh, and she wanted to feel his hand steady on her back.
And Lucas was logical, to the very depths of his soul. If he thought this made sense, then surely it must.
It was time to trust her own instincts.
"Okay. Yes."
Now he was the one who looked floored. "Really?"
She laughed, joy rising up in her. "You're the one who said we're perfect for each other."
"We are." He wrapped his one arm tighter around her. "But I thought I would have to do some convincing."
Then he brushed her lips with his, and she wanted to cry at the tenderness of it.
"Damn, you've made me so happy." His kiss was full of passion and love, his tongue gliding across hers.
She sighed. "Oh, Lucas, me too."
"I love the way you say my name." Then he shook their hands linked together and grinned. "We can take the cuffs off if you want. Or leave them." He gave her a wicked wink.