The Arrangement (9 page)

“The marriage is real.”

“I don’t usually say this about white guys, but he’s damn sexy.”

Though she knew Sierra wasn’t interested in Ash and she could trust this cousin to never try to steal her man, Ariadne still felt a prickle of irritation. Good grief, she couldn’t possibly be getting possessive over Asher, could she?
If there was a man less likely to remain with one woman, she’d never met him.

“Oh, dear,” said a soft voice at her side. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting this.”

Ariadne turned to her Aunt Rebecca. She was a soft spoken and kind woman. If Rebecca and her mother didn’t look so much alike, Ariadne would have doubted that the two were siblings. Rebecca was quiet and calm while her mother was just the opposite.
At the moment, her aunt appeared quite upset. Her brow was wrinkled with worry.

“What’s wrong?”

“Janice called and said that there was an issue with their hotel room. Bed bugs I believe. I couldn’t turn her away.”

Sighing, Ariadne hugged her aunt. “It’s fine.” She smiled so that her aunt wouldn’t worry. “It’s just for a night.”

Janice and Daniel arrived a half an hour later with their luggage in tow. A hush fell over the gathered family members as they glanced from Janice to her. Aunt Rebecca rushed to show them where to put their luggage. As they disappeared upstairs, conversation resumed.

“I almost wish I was staying here tonight. This promises to be full of drama,”
her cousin Chris drawled.

Despite Chris’s prediction, there was no drama. Janice and Daniel never came down from their room. By some misfortune, Ariadne and Asher ended up with the bedroom next to theirs. After the family dispersed around midnight, Ariadne took a shower and changed for bed. Knowing she would share a room with Asher, she dressed in an oversized t-shirt and shorts.

The bedroom they had been gi
ven was decorated in pale blue and white. It was quite spacious. All the rooms were. Her aunt’s husband had owned a construction company. He’d died two years ago. Though her aunt had said she would sell the house and move back to North Carolina, Ariadne didn’t think she would do it. She’d built this house with her husband and it was clear that she still loved it.

When she climbed into bed, Asher wasn’t in the room. She thought it possible that he was using one of the other bathrooms in the house. It had been very hot and uncomfortable at the park earlier today. It had been a long day
made longer by the emotional strain. Yawning, she pulled the sheet up to her waist and fluffed the pillow beneath her head. Though the air conditioning was on, it was set on low and the house was warm. Her aunt didn’t like to be cold. Personally, Ariadne liked to keep her house chilly at night. She slept better snuggled beneath her comforter.

She left the light on so that Asher wouldn’t have to stumble about in the dark. She was on the verge of sleep when the sound of the door opening roused her. The rustle of clothing being removed had her eyes popping open.

“Hold on a second there!” She averted her face. “What are you doing?” But it was obvious. He was undressing for bed. H
aving already removed his shirt, his chest was bare. He was unfastening his pants, revealing an intriguing line of hair darting from his hard belly to disappear beneath his waistband. “You can change into your pajamas in the bathroom.”

“
I don’t sleep in pajamas. I prefer sleeping naked.”

Her fist clenched in the sheets. He was trying to give her a heart attack. “Not with me you don’t.”

“I don’t even own pajamas.”

She rolled her eyes. “Then you can sleep in your underwear.” When he simply arched an eyebrow at her, her mouth dropped open. “Oh, my God, you don’t wear underwear?”

Asher
burst out laughing. “You should see your face.”

And she’d had enough of his laughter today to have her on the verge of orgasm. “You know, you’ve got to be the happiest person I’ve ever met,” she snapped. “Do you have to laugh all the time?”

He didn’t look offended by her waspish tone, merely amused.
Typical.
“Is there something wrong with my laugh?”

“It’s just that…” She faltered
, hesitant to mention it in case he didn’t know.

“Yeah?”

“It…well, it sounds like you just finished having
a round of extremely hot sex.”

His eyes widened in surprise and then he laughed again. He placed his hands on the bed and leaned toward her. A wicked grin curled his lips as he said in a husky whisper, “I assure you that when I’m in bed with a woman, there’s nothing for either of us to laugh about.”

She didn’t want to talk about or think about him having sex with other women. Returning to a
slightly safer topic, she asked, “Haven’t you ever noticed the way women react when you laugh?”

He shrugged broad shoulders nonchalantly, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. “Can’t say as I have.”

“Then you’re blind. Look around the next time and you’ll see women crossing their legs, fanning themselves, and trying to hide hard nipples.”

The huge grin was back. “Really? And does it have the same effect on you?”

She sputtered. “We’re not talking about me.”

“We weren’t, but now we are. You’re the only woman I’m interested in turning on. So does it? Does my laugh make your nipples hard and your pussy wet?”

She inhaled so deeply and suddenly that she thought she might pass out.
“Ash, I’m not…We can’t-”

“
Why not? You know, it’s probably even expected of us. After all, they did give us this bedroom together adjacent to your cousin and your ex.”

“Don’t be absurd. Daniel and Janice wouldn’t be so crude as to-” She broke off as the sound of a bedframe hitting the wall in the bedroom next door bled into her consciousness.
But before she could become too upset or disgusted by it, there was a rapid crescendo and then all fell silent.

“Well, he certainly nudged her world,” Ash commented dryly.

Ariadne tightened her lips. No way was she going to encourage him by laughing at that.

“Go on,” he said, devilish delight gleaming in his eyes. “I know you want to.”

She clamped a firm hand over her mouth then picked up a pillow and pressed her face into it but still the giggles escaped. It only grew worse when Ash started chuckling. She collapsed against the pillows and let go.

“You’re so bad,” she gasped some minutes later when she could finally talk. She wiped tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes.

“What do you say we show them how it’s done?”

“What? Oh!” He climbed on top of her and easily
positioned himself between her thighs. A thin satin sheet and their clothing separated them. She stared up into his handsome face in shock.

“Just pretend,” he assured her before he began to slowly jostle the bed. It obligingly squeaked with his movements.

“Is there some reason you have to be on top of me to do this?”

“Authenticity of sound,” he replied as if she should have known this.

She bit her lip as he began to steadily increase his pace. He’d positioned himself so that their groins were not aligned. She might have pushed him off if he had. So it wasn’t as if he were dry humping her.
Still it was arousing to have someone so fit and attractive covering her. She didn’t generally think of Ash as physically imposing because he was generally so laid back. But she couldn’t help notice the muscles bunching in his arms, chest, and stomach as he held himself over her.

Some devil made her say, “You’re not doing it hard enough. The headboard isn’t hitting the wall.”

He grinned down at her. “You’d like it harder?
You’re a naughty girl,” he said, but he sounded delighted. Reaching over her head, he braced a widespread palm on the headboard so that it connected with the wall with each of his thrusts into the mattress. “Sound like you’re enjoying it,” he commanded. Before her inevitable objection, he continued, “My ego and yours demands it.”

“You’ll be joining me in this performance then?”

“Definitely.”

“You first,” she challenged.

His eyes narrowed and his gaze flicked over her face, settling on her mouth before he emitted a groan. It sounded authentic enough to make her swallow.
“Now you,” he said.

“This is so silly. They probably can’t even hear us. We didn’t hear any of these types of noises.”

“That quickly, who’d have the chance to make any? Quit procrastinating and honor our deal.” Throughout their conversation, he’d kept up the pace of his thrusting. She wondered at his stamina.

Wetting her lips, she emitted a low throaty moan. He flashed a quick grin before issuing a grunt. She shook her head at him. The ridiculous situations that sprang up around this man never ceased to amaze her.

“Keep going,” he encouraged. They moaned in unison and then shared mischievous smiles.

“This is probably all for nothing,” she reminded him.

“But it’s fun, isn’t it?”

She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you getting tired?”

“Nope.”

“Shouldn’t you have…I don’t know…increased your speed or something?”

He laughed. The husky sound was like a direct caress over her nipples, they grew so hard. “First you want it harder,” he murmured. “Now you want it faster. I’m beginning to think you might be a demanding lover.”

“You’ll never
know,” she declared, but her voice was shaky.

He gave her a heated look before moving faster. “Moan with me,” he said.

“This is ridiculous.” But she joined him in his act of lunacy. He was doing this for her benefit after all. Matching him moan for moan, she watched his face go from playful, to serious, to aroused. She didn’t know if he could see the same shift in her emotions but she was certainly moved by his amorous display. Faux or not, his deep groans of pleasure were affecting her. Her pussy throbbed and ached for more direct contact. His stomach pressed into her but it wasn’t enough. She almost wished that he would move up her body so that she could feel his arousal. And he was definitely aroused. The darkening of his irises and the rising flush on his cheekbones left her in no doubt of that.

Suddenly, their little game wasn’t funny anymore.
He lowered himself over her so that their chests were touching. He buried his face in the side of her neck. “Time for the crescendo.” He bucked his hips rapidly and then emitted a half groan, half growl.

Ariadne shivered. Had she had the proper friction, she would have come. As it was, she forgot to have her fake O moment.

Asher trailed his lips up the column of her neck. “You didn’t come,” he whispered.

“I…um…forgot.” She braced her hands against his shoulders. “You can, um, get off me now.”

“Do you remember how it was between us, Ari? Because I’ve never been able to forget
having you in my arms.” He drew back until their noses were almost touching. His lids were lowered to half-mast and he was staring at her lips.

“I can’t,” she began only to be cut off by a strangled moan as he shifted
upward so that his hips were aligned with hers. The thick ridge of his erection settled perfectly over her pussy. “We can’t,” she said, but the lament was clear in her voice.

“We
totally
can,” he growled. “We’re adults and we’re
married
.” He wet his lips. Slowly, giving her plenty of opportunity to stop him, he lowered his mouth to hers. He kept eye contact with her as though judging her reaction. It was as close as he’d ever come to asking her for permission for anything. As their lips touched, he groaned and his eyes fluttered closed as they both sank into the kiss.

If anything, it was a thousand times better than the kiss they had shared so many years ago. She’d had enough kisses in between to truly appreciate his expertise. He started slow and soft, increasing the pressure incrementally so that she was eager for each step
on their journey. He nipped her bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth.

When his tongue swept into her mouth, a
sharp burst of pleasure unfurled in her belly. Arching her back, she slid her fingers into his thick hair and kissed him back. Asher groaned as her tongue rubbed against his. When she sucked his tongue, his hips jerked into hers, just once as though he couldn’t help himself. They fed off each other voraciously, each constantly seeking the closest contact. Asher slid a widespread palm behind her back, molding her body to his from chest to groin.

Finally, Asher broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck. “I want you. I’m begging you, Ari.
Please.
”

She had no intention of saying no, but even if she had, hearin
g him beg in that raspy voice of his would have had her changing her mind. She wanted him, too. Maybe she always had. There had always been something volatile between them, but she hadn’t particularly liked him before.

She’d barely completed her nod than he was levering himself off her and sliding his hands beneath her cotton t-shirt. He
had it over her head in one swift motion. She had no time to be shy. In the next second, he was showering her breasts with kisses even as he tossed aside the sheet and shoved her shorts and panties down to her knees.

He circled her nipple with his tongue before suckling. It felt so good, each tug of his lips causing a corresponding pull of pleasure between her thighs. He cupped her other breast in his hand, pinching the tight nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Then he switched sides and started the entire process again.