She licked along the side of his shaft, from the tip, past the ridge, down to the end, then back up again. Holding him in her hand, she rolled her tongue over the top, taking up the salty clear fluid hovering there.
His fingers buried in her hair, digging harder and harder into her scalp, encouraged her. Excited her.
Emboldened her.
She closed her mouth around him and took him deep inside. Breath rushed out her nose as she rolled her eyes back in ecstasy. He tasted so damn good. She pulled back, filled her mouth again.
Lucas gripped her head harder, making little low growling sounds in the back of his throat. Desire gripped her in a tight little knot right between her legs as she sucked faster, her lips sliding along the moisture she left behind, her movements losing finesse as she lost control.
"Oh, damn, Ashley." Lucas started moving his hips, meeting her halfway with urgent thrusts.
She closed her eyes, gripped his thigh, letting the taste and sound and scent of him wash over her. Everything was different. Her whole world had shifted today.
Instead of finding a lucrative side job, she had found something she hadn't even known she'd been looking for. Love. With a man who had been right under her nose her entire life.
It felt so right, so wonderful, so passionate to share her future with Lucas.
She let her hand that was cuffed go slack, dangling in the fur and held up by Lucas, so she could concentrate on stroking with her mouth, sucking in her cheeks, and enjoying his body. There was no hesitation on either of their parts, and everything with Lucas was erotic, sensual, safe, comfortable.
And when he exploded in her, she was very, very pleased.
Nine
Ashley woke up feeling extremely satisfied and sore. Lying on her back, a thin sheet pulled over her naked body, Ashley pried her eyes open.
And saw her brother standing in the door of her bedroom looking like he'd been smacked in the face with a two-by-four. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.
"Jason!" She darted a glance to her left, hoping somehow Lucas had miraculously separated himself from her and was in the shower. No such luck. He was still cuffed to her, sprawled out on his stomach, without a stitch on him. The sheet was shoved toward her in a messy heap, leaving him completely bare.
"Umm… sorry." Jason closed his eyes. "I didn't know you, uh, had someone here." Her brother's cheeks were bright red. "I was just looking for Lucas. We were supposed to go golfing this morning and he's not home. Lucas has never stood me up for anything. I was just wondering if you knew where he was."
Ashley clutched the sheet to her chest and gawked at her brother. Jason didn't even realize that was Lucas lying next to her. It was almost funny. "Why didn't you just knock?" she demanded, starting to enjoy her brother's discomfort.
He covered his face with one hand, rubbed vigorously. Jason was wearing a crisp red golf shirt and khaki pants, looking efficient and clipped and confident, like he always did. Except a mug of coffee was shaking just a little in his free hand. She knew that hot pink mug with the funky daisies on it. It had come from her kitchen.
"I used my key because I wanted to see if you had anything to eat, but I didn't want to disturb you if you weren't awake."
"This is what you get for stealing my food."
"Yeah, well, I've lost my appetite now."
She laughed. The shoe was on the other foot now. "I guess we're even then. Hope was at my Pleasure Party last night and trust me, I heard way more than I ever wanted to know about your sex life."
"Hope was here?" Interest crept into Jason's voice. "What did she buy?"
"I can't tell you. That would be violating my customer confidentiality."
"Oh, come on! She's my girlfriend. You're my sister."
Since Jason still had his eyes closed, Ashley leaned over the side of the bed, hoping there might be a stray T-shirt lying around. Unfortunately, she forgot she was connected to Lucas. She yanked his arm a foot before she realized it.
Lucas groaned. "Ash, you just ripped my shoulder out of the socket."
Ashley winced and fell back against her pillow. "Sorry."
Jason's hand fell off his face. "Lucas?" His eyes popped open. Then bugged out. "What the hell am I looking at?"
Lucas lifted his head and shot a bleary glance at Jason. "Oh, hey, Jason."
Ashley twitched the sheet over Lucas's butt and prayed a shark would swallow her whole. This was so embarrassing.
"Umm, well, Lucas and I…" Had hot monkey sex.
"Well, no shit!" Jason said in exasperation. "What I want to know is why my best friend and my big sister are getting it on with each other?"
"That's a stupid question, man." Lucas yawned. "Give me ten minutes to shower and I'll meet you downstairs."
"Lucas, honey?" Ashley cleared her throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She lifted her hand up, and by default his.
"You handcuffed my sister?" Jason set his coffee down on her dresser, his face going from red to an alarming shade of plum purple. "That's it, I am so going to kick your ass."
"No!" Ashley squeaked, ready to fling herself over Lucas if need be.
But Lucas just snorted. "Relax, Jason, we were just goofing around. Can you go look through Ashley's Pleasure Party stuff and find the key? It's probably in the box the handcuffs came in."
"Oh my God. I'm going to be sick." Jason backed out of the room. "You're a dead man, Manning. Here you are, my best friend, and I trusted you to look after my sister for all these years, and this is how you repay me? I'm going to kick your ass the minute the cuffs come off."
"We're getting married," Ashley said.
Her words were smothered under a blanket of testosterone.
"You couldn't kick my ass with the cuffs still on." Lucas rolled onto his back and eyeballed her brother. "And I have looked out for Ashley. More than you have."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Jason's hands curled into fists.
Ashley rolled her eyes. This brotherly concern was touching and all, but they both seemed to be missing the point. "We're getting married."
No one heard her.
"It means that all these years Ashley's been thinking she's the family dumb blonde and you let her think that. You talk down to her and that's not cool."
Oh, that was throwing a big old glob of chicken fat on the fire.
"I don't think of Ashley as a dumb blonde. Do I, Ash?" Jason looked absolutely affronted.
Since he'd been telling blonde jokes just about since he'd started speaking at eight months old, she wasn't sure why he looked so startled. "Well, actually, Jason, you average about three blonde digs a week. You introduce me as your beautiful, but not very bright sister, and at one point suggested I would make a hell of a shampoo girl."
He frowned. "I said that?"
"Yeah." It was burned into her memory. Lucas's hand caressed her back, giving silent comfort.
"Well, that's because you're my sister, I care about you. It's my way of ribbing you, like a brother should. Like when I give you a hard time about shopping. It's because I'm really proud of you. I mean, you're gorgeous, and you always look like you stepped out of a magazine. What guy wouldn't want a sister so classy? But I couldn't let you get an ego about it."
"No chance of that." But her hurt feelings started to ebb, as she realized something for the first time. Jason looked confused, the poor guy. Maybe he wasn't so smart after all. At least she understood people, which was obviously more than she could say for him.