Always(Time for Love Book 4)

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

Brenna tried to stifle a moan as Ash’s hot lips moved to her throat. She was already panting out loud, and he’d hardly done anything to her yet. Embarrassment at her lusty reaction threatened to surface, but she shooed it away. This was Ash, and she wanted to fully immerse herself in their first time.

 

Ash cupped a breast, gently kneading it, before he dipped his head to take the nipple in his mouth.

 

“Ash!” she cried softly, pleasure bolts zinging through her.

 

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” he murmured, flicking his tongue on her bud before laving its twin with the same enthusiasm. When he pinched her nipple lightly, while licking the other one, she arched her back to him, eager for more.

 

“Do you know what else I’ve dreamed about?” Ash murmured, his eyes blazing with desire as he glanced up her face.

 

“Show me,” she whispered.

 

“With pleasure,” he answered with a carnal smile. He resumed his journey southwards, leaving a trail of hot kisses on her belly, her hips, her upper thighs.

 

With a hint of shyness, she spread her legs, giving him room to settle in between them. When Ash parted her with his fingers and ran his tongue on her sensitised c-lit, her loud moan was shameless. Oh God, it had never felt this good before. Ash seemed to know exactly how she wanted it. The little groaning noises he made while he licked and sucked on her swollen nub told her he was enjoying what he was doing to her just as much as she was.

 

“You’re so wet, sweetheart,” she heard him say, before she felt his finger probe her slit and push in.

 

“Ash,” she gasped, forcing herself not to give in to the need to move her hips and ride his finger.

 

Then his tongue got busy again, drawing circles on her c-lit while he added an extra digit in her pu-ssy.

 

She fisted her hands on the sheets as she tried to contain the delicious pressure building inside her. Ash was relentless in his ministrations, and before long, her legs started to quiver. Sensing she was close, Ash increased the speed of his fingers and the flicking of his tongue. When his mouth closed on her nub and sucked lightly, her body rose from the bed. Trembling violently, she cried out her release.

 

Her body was still contracting when Ash positioned himself on top of her.

 

Reaching between their bodies, she found his erection and positioned it on her soaked entrance.

 

“Wait,” he rasped, his face contorted with desire. “Condom.”

 

She smiled. “I’m on the pill.” And she trusted Ash with her life.

 

“Oh, baby,” he growled, devouring her mouth desperately before driving in, filling her with his hardness.

 

She ran her hands through his hair, then caressed his arms and his back, touching him anywhere she could. She wanted him to get the same pleasure he’d given her earlier, and judging by his grunts and urgent thrusts, she guessed it wouldn’t take him long.

 

“This... is the one thing... I’ve really wanted... to do to you... for so long... Brenna Ward,” Ash gasped as he moved in and out of her.

 

“Oh, Ash.” It was so hot seeing him—and feeling him—so aroused. She bent her knees further to give him even greater access.

 

Ash moaned, pushing his length inside her up to the root... then out... then in... then out... gasping in pleasure.

 

Her eyes widened as she felt the stirring of another orgasm. Whoa. She wasn’t expecting herself to be able to come again so soon after her mind-blowing climax of just a few minutes ago. What was more, she could count on her hands the number of times she’d orgasmed from penetration alone. She’d always been a ‘c-lit girl’.

 

But, oh, she was building again. And fast. Ash was hitting that spot inside of her with unerring precision.

 

“Ash... oh God,” she breathed, looking into his eyes with awe.

 

Ash kissed her lips urgently, before rearing again to watch her, his movements getting faster.

 

“I’m coming again,” she moaned, her body tensing.

 

“Yesss. Come with me, baby,” Ash hissed through gritted teeth.

 

“Ahh!!” she cried, her body clamping his thrusting cock over and over.

 

Within seconds Ash shouted her name, joining her in ecstasy as he emptied himself inside her.

 

*

 

Brenna stroked Ash’s head, which was buried in her neck. He was still on top of her—and still inside her—while he caught his breath.

 

“Can I stay here?” Ash asked, not moving.

 

She smiled. “Of course.”

 

“I mean, in here, inside you,” he said teasingly.

 

She giggled. “Much as I would love for you to stay in me all night, I think I’ll need to stretch my legs soon.”

 

“Shame. I love being in here,” he said, pulling out of her. He lay on his side, facing her.

 

“You can go back in anytime, though,” she said softly, shifting so they were face to face.

 

“Anytime? Promise?” he asked with a happy grin.

 

“Well, of course, you have to be nice to me first,” she said with a laugh.

 

“I think I can do that,” he said.

 

“Yes. I know you can do that. That was... um... great.”

 

Ash smiled at her tenderly. “It was amazing,” he murmured, sliding a caressing hand up and down her arm.

 

“You really knew how to... arouse and pleasure me,” she said shyly, wanting to share with him how deep of an experience their first time had been for her.

 

“I’m glad, sweetheart,” he said huskily.

 

“I didn’t think I could come so soon after the first time,” she continued, running her fingers on his chest.

 

“No?” he asked, a grin and a heated look forming on his face.

 

She shook her head. Geez, even the memory of it was making her hot. Ash had a body made for sex.

 

“Well,” Ash said, gathering her close and nuzzling her neck. “Maybe we should find out how soon you could come again after two back-to-back orgasms.”

 

Ooh, she wouldn’t say no to that.

 

*****

 

Brenna waved to Amanda and Sarah from a corner table in the Thai restaurant where they’d agreed to meet. She hadn’t seen any of her best friends since she’d started her temp role in Ash’s clinic.

 

She appreciated them giving her and Ash the time and space for those two weeks. They’d refrained from calling her to check up on what was happening. But since her two-week temp stint had ended yesterday, she’d suggested a girls’ night out. She was sure they were all dying to hear about her news, especially Amanda. Even Rebecca had requested they call her in London—where she and Zach were enjoying the last leg of their honeymoon.

 

“Hey, Bren,” the two greeted, kissing her.

 

“Hi, girls. Gemma’s running about ten minutes late. She said we could order. By the time the food’s served, she should be here.”

 

They quickly chose and ordered their favourite dishes, then Amanda looked at her with impatience and excitement.

 

“What have you done to my brother?” Amanda asked with a grin.

 

“What do you mean?” Brenna asked innocently.

 

“You know Ash—always telling me not to be a snoop, although he’s the biggest one around. But he couldn’t hide his happy face from me. So, is it because things went so well at the clinic while you were there, or...”

 

“Or...?” Brenna hedged.

 

“Or has something happened between the two of you?” Amanda said, her eyes narrowed.

 

Brenna wasn’t surprised that Ash hadn’t been open with Amanda about their relationship. Ash had always been a closed book when it came to his love life. Plus, even she and Ash hadn’t exactly discussed their status yet. This last week had all been about the two of them getting to know each other in a romantic sense—simply going with the flow and staying in their little bubble.

 

“We’ve gone out to dinner most nights in the last two weeks,” she revealed.

 

“Really?” Sarah asked.

 

“Well, Ash said he felt guilty that I was working for him during my leave, and that he should have paid me more. But because we wanted to avoid office politics, he took me out to nice dinners instead of raising my pay above receptionist rates.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Amanda said, obviously not finding that news interesting enough.

 

“And we also had lunches together.”

 

Still no major reaction from the girls.

 

“And we’ve—” She paused when she saw Gemma walk in. “Here’s Gem,” she said.

 

Gemma sat on her chair, telling them about the burst water main at the end of her street that had caused a bit of chaos.

 

Amanda looked impatient.

 

“What’s up, Amanda?” Gemma asked.

 

“Sorry. It’s not that I’m not interested in what you’re saying, but Bren was telling us about her and Ash.”

 

“What about Bren and Ash?” Gemma asked eagerly. “What have I missed?”

 

Brenna chuckled. “So far, I’ve said that Ash and I have had lunches and dinners together in the two weeks that I worked in his clinic.”

 

“Right,” Gemma said. “Get to the juicy bits, Bren.”

 

Brenna laughed out loud. “Okay, okay. We kissed.”

 

“What?” the three asked in unison.

 

“When? Where? How?” Amanda asked.

 

“How? Surely you know how people kiss, Amanda.”

 

Amanda rolled her eyes. “What I mean is, was it toe-curling, or was it just a quick peck on the lips?”

 

Brenna sighed. “Toe-curling.”

 

Repressed squeals came out of the three.

 

“Finally!” Sarah exclaimed.

 

“So when and where?” Gemma prompted.

 

“Geez, there are multiple answers to that question,” Brenna said.

 

“Tell us about the first time.”

 

Brenna smiled. “Our first real kiss was at the botanic gardens, amongst the roses, when we went there for lunch.”

 

“Aww. How sweet,” said the girls.

 

“Yeah. We ate sushi and read this magazine with pictures of you and you on the cover,” she said, pointing to Sarah and Gemma. “By the way, Gem, have any reporters or paparazzi harassed you yet?”

 

“You won’t believe this,” Gemma said, leaning forward on the table. “But some woman in her fifties stopped me on the street yesterday after I finished giving piano lessons to one of my students. She had this intense look on her face and point blank asked me if I was Greg Carmichael’s girlfriend. I said no, and then she said that was good, because her daughter was Greg’s true love and that I shouldn’t stand in their way.”

 

“Wow. That’s kinda stalkerish,” Amanda said.

 

“I know. She did spook me a bit, so I walked away as fast as I could. Fortunately, she didn’t follow me.”

 

“Have you told anyone else about this?” Sarah asked, frowning.

 

“No. I’m not quite sure if I should make a big deal out of it.”

 

“It might not be anything to worry about, but Jeff always tells me it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Sarah answered. “They’ve had weird people hound them in the past. If it’s concerning enough, they’d get their security or the police to deal with it.”

 

“Okay, I might tell Greg,” Gemma said. “Anyway, sorry to derail the conversation. Let’s get back to you and Ash, Bren. Are you guys officially together?”

 

“I guess you could say that. We haven’t really discussed telling other people yet. But of course, you guys are not other people, so I’m telling you.”

 

“Well, at least you’ve told us,” Amanda said. “My own brother’s staying mum about it.”

 

“Are you going to tell him I’ve told you?” Brenna asked.

 

“Are you going to tell him you’ve told us?” Amanda returned.

 

“Yeah. I can’t see why not.”

 

“Good. ‘Cause I can’t wait to tease him about it.”

 

“So...” Sarah said. “Has anyone said the L word yet?”

 

Brenna chuckled. “Goodness, no. Isn’t it too early for that? We’ve only been going out for a week.”

 

“And they’ve only just kissed,” Amanda quipped. “Give them time, Sarah.”

 

Brenna couldn’t help the redness that spread to her face and neck. She fiddled with her serviette to hide her reaction. Unfortunately, it only served to draw her best friends’ attention back to her.

 

“Oh. My. God,” Amanda whispered. “You’ve already slept with Ash.”

 

Brenna smiled her confirmation.

 

Amanda placed a hand over her mouth, looking at her with round eyes. “My best friend and my brother are sleeping together.”

 

“What? You think it’s too soon? You don’t approve?” she asked worriedly.

 

“Oh, honey. Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I approve,” Amanda said, shaking her head as if to clear it. “Something hit me then. And suddenly I can’t wait until the two of you get to the permanent commitment stage.”

 

She laughed. “Patience, Amanda. This is still all too new.”

 

“I know,” Amanda said quietly. “It’s just that if you guys ever break up, I don’t think I can bear it. If one of you gets hurt because of the other, it would be so hard to watch. I’d want to protect you both, and I might not be able to.”

 

“Hey, why are you thinking like that, Amanda?” Gemma said in a censuring tone. “You should look forward to the development of their relationship rather than worrying about them breaking up.”

 

“I know. I’m sorry,” Amanda said with the sigh. “I can’t help it. I’ve watched Ash suffer in silence in the past. But there’s something different about the pain of pining for someone who doesn’t feel the same, compared to the pain of finally having that person, then losing her. That would be a killer. I never want it to happen.”

 

“Oh, Amanda,” Brenna said, squeezing her friend’s hand. “I understand what you’re saying. I don’t know what the future holds, but if it were up to me, Ash and I would have a happily-ever-after.”

 

Amanda grinned. “Phew. That makes me feel so much better. It wasn’t that long ago when you didn’t even notice that Ash has feelings for you, you know?”

 

“Yeah, I know. I think I shocked him when he learnt I’m into him now, too. But please don’t tell him about the happily-ever-after bit,” Brenna warned. “Regardless of our feelings for each other, I still think it’s too early to be talking about that.” It took her around seven months of dating before she’d said I love you to Darren. And she’d never said it to Lance.

 

“No, I won’t tell him that bit. Although you guys can take a leaf out of Sarah and Jeff’s book. Talk about fast!”

 

Sarah chuckled. “As my future grandmother-in-law would say, when it comes to love, time is not a factor.”

 

Brenna inhaled deeply, her heart dancing with joyful anticipation. After her blissful week with Ash, she couldn’t see anything going wrong.

 

She felt her phone vibrate in her handbag, which was sitting on the floor against her leg. She pulled it out to check it, thinking it might be Rebecca asking for her update. She frowned as she read the message. It was from Darren.

 

Hi. I was wondering if we could meet? It’s important. Please.

 

She replaced the phone in her bag, choosing to ignore the message for now.

 

One thing for sure, Ash wouldn't be happy if she met up with Darren. The two never did get along. Ash, especially, had always been at pains to avoid Darren. And now she knew why.

 

Darren's text intrigued her, though. Why did he want to meet up? What was so important?