“You can be on bread duty.”
We worked in silence, me handling the pasta and Ashlyn cutting up the bread, and fell into an easy routine. I switched the burner to simmer, and turned to rest against the kitchen island.
Her entire focus was on cutting the bread, so I took the moment of silence to really look at her. She had the girl-next-door look going on, complete with the braid hanging over her shoulder and a face bare of makeup. My hoodie swam on her, but I’d never seen her look as desirable as she did now. This was the first time I’d ever seen her in my clothes, and I hoped to Christ it wouldn’t be the last. There was something . . . almost a form of ownership that hit you when a woman claimed a piece of your clothing, and I knew, without a doubt, that I’d never wear that hoodie again.
“My hoodie looks good on you.”
Her cheeks flushed briefly, then she twisted around and mimicked my stance. “I was cold, and it was on the couch so I grabbed it. I’ll wash it and give it back.”
“Keep it.”
Ashlyn wrapped her arms tightly around herself and smiled. “I’ve never had this. I mean, a guy cook for me. Usually a guy would buy me pizza, or I’d be the one that had to cook. Or at least he would’ve waited till I woke up, and then I would’ve had to cook.”
As soon as she said he, I felt myself switch on, and anger speared through me. Lachlan fucking Johnson strikes again. I despised the effect he had on her. He didn’t deserve anything but a punch in the face, and for his balls to be ripped clean from his body. The mere mention or thought of him would cause her sass to diminish, the fire in her eyes to snuff out, and the insecurities would fire off her, as they were right now.
“Well he is a complete asshole. He should have treated you like a queen, because you deserve to wear a crown, and he doesn’t deserve a second thought. His loss will be another man’s gain, and whoever that man is needs to make sure he is your happily-ever-after.”
“No guys, Josh. We’ve had this conversation,” she replied with a smile.
“But one day there will be someone.”
“Unless it’s Reese, Max, or Woods, I’m not having any of it.”
What the fuck?
“Those men know how to treat a woman right. If only I could have one night with each of them. Actually, I’d want a day and night—twenty-four hours of pure bliss. Hold up, imagine having them all in one room for a mass orgy. Now that is a woman’s wet dream.” Her voice dropped and she actually sounded breathless.
“Ashlyn, who are you talking about?” I asked in complete confusion.
She sighed. “My dream men. The only men I’ll ever let in my panties.”
“What? Do they live here? Why haven’t I met them? What do they do?”
“One is an accountant, one is a businessman, and the other runs a country club.”
How did I not know about these guys? “What about your new rule of no cock?”
“I’d break all my rules for these men.”
“You confuse the fuck out of me. One minute you are saying no cock, just pussy. And now you are saying you want some accountant who I’ve never heard about. Where did you meet him?”
“Chicago.”
“When the fuck did you go to Chicago?”
“About three months ago.”
I ran my hand over my face as I tried to think back three months. Ashlyn never went to Chicago. Three months ago, Lachlan was in town. What the hell was going on? She stood opposite me, biting her lip and looking like she was reliving every moment with this mystery man.
“I then met him again the week after, but he got married and had a little girl.”
“What the fuck?” I gasped. “You slept with a guy who was getting married and who had a little girl? Holy shit, this is insane.”
I paced the kitchen as I tried to comprehend what she’d just admitted. This wasn’t Ashlyn at all. She wasn’t that girl. She would never be the other woman. She had integrity. She had fucking morals.
“They were the best two books I’ve read.”
I froze and whipped around. Ashlyn smirked, and a devious glint flickered in her eyes.
“He will always be one of my top three book husbands.”
“You did not just make me believe that you took a secret trip to Chicago, where you were screwing an accountant called Reese, who was getting married and had a kid?”
“I didn’t make you do anything. I told you I wasn’t interested in cock, so it was you who made the assumption. As if you wouldn’t know that I went to Chicago.”
I stalked across the kitchen and grabbed her. She squealed as I pulled her against my chest and began tickling her side. She completely played me, and I fell for every word. Her high-pitched squeals filled my apartment, and her fits plummeted into my chest as she desperately attempted to make me stop.
“Stop it! I’m sor—sor—sorry,” she finally managed to get out.
I let her go and she stepped back, completely breathless, with flushed cheeks, crazy hair, and glazed eyes.
“I got you so good,” she said. “Book Husbands for the win.”
“So, what? They go straight to husbands? They don’t even reach boyfriend status?” I scoffed.
“Oh, I have book boyfriends, but those three are book husbands.”
“Christ.” I shook my head as I began grabbing plates and dishing out dinner. “I’m going to read one of these books someday. I need to find out about these book husbands of yours.”
“You almost sound jealous, Joshua.”
“Babe, I’ve got a real-life cock that knows how to please a pussy multiple times, and don’t even get me started on what I can do with my mouth. I am certainly not jealous of a fictional character, but that doesn’t mean I won’t learn some tips from these book husbands of yours. Romance really isn’t my thing, so your number one, Reese, might inspire me to lift my game.”
She grabbed the bowl I handed her, then we moved to the living room and sat on the couch. I switched on the television, and we fell into silence as we ate.
“I’ve seen you be romantic before,” she said softly, and her big greens shot to mine. “You were very romantic with me.”
She placed her empty bowl on the coffee table and tucked her feet under her body. This was a conversation that we always seemed to avoid. Yes, we had spoken about our night together, but it was always in jest, or after too many drinks when we were stumbling down a drunken memory lane. I couldn’t even tell you the last time Ashlyn brought it up, so to say I was shocked was an understatement.
“I know romance when it’s with the right woman, and that would be you.”
A brief smile tinted her lips, before she turned back to the television and absentmindedly began watching one of the reality shows she loved.
“Did he ever give you romance?” I asked. I didn’t want to speak of Lachlan, but my curiosity got the best of me.
“At the beginning, yes, but”—she hesitated and pulled her lip between her teeth—“but it never made me feel like I did that night. That was my first taste of romance.”
Her admission was unexpected, and left me speechless. It seemed that the more I thought I knew about Ashlyn, the more she surprised me. This week had the potential to change everything I assumed and replace it with a whole new understanding. That thought alone sent my pulse racing. The secret of wanting her was mine. It was so deep inside of me that it needed to claw itself out, but I was ready to unleash it onto the world and see where it led me.
Sacrificing my happiness had to stop.
Right fucking now.
SETTING UP A BLOG was intense. There was no way I could have predicted the workload I would encounter. My days and often nights were filled with all things Ashlyn’s Closet, but I absolutely loved it. I’d start as soon as Josh left for work, and still be going when he got home at night and yelled out a “hello.” It was only then that I’d stop and spend a few hours on the couch with him before I did it all over again.