Taking her hand in mine, I laced our fingers together, watching her closely as she began to close down before my eyes. “I can only guess why you look like you did something wrong. If you feel like this is cheating, it’s not. First, your husband gave you permission, and as wrong as that is, it’s still permission. Second, you deserve a million times better than him.” I bent down to whisper in her ear. “Third, never doubt that I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you.”
Her face softened, but didn’t relax. “Thank you for everything, Ashton.” She stepped away from me. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She practically ran up the stairs and while it was disappointing to watch her leave, if she’d stayed then it would have pushed my control to its limits. I’d never force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. If she wanted to go there, we’d do it at her pace. Not that I wouldn’t try to persuade her; hope she could handle what I had in store for her. Bearing in mind what I knew of her husband, it wasn’t conceited of me to say I could show her pleasure she never imagined, and probably never felt before.
Taking my phone from my pocket, I walked to my room to call Alan and arrange her audition. After that, I needed a long cold shower. I was beginning to feel like a polar bear, but I had to utilize what I could to help to take the edge off, and I most definitely did not need a severe case of blue balls all night. And even though tonight had not ended in the way perhaps I’d hoped, it had been successful in a different way. If I’d figured out anything tonight it was that, however long it took, Elena would be worth the wait.
CHAPTER 10
Elena
My lips tingled, my fingers touching the swollen skin as I climbed the stairs to my room. How Ashton read me so well, I didn’t know, but he’d hit the nail on the head: a small part of me did feel like I was cheating on Dominic. While I didn’t care so much about that, it worried me how easily I could ignore the fact I was married and fall into another man’s arms.
Stripping out of the dress, I remembered what Ashton’s touch felt like. It was a touch that I’d never once felt before, and likely would never feel again. It wasn’t just the attraction either. His arms around me felt warm. Comforting.
As I got ready for bed, I let everything Veronica had said play through my head. To think she’d been in the same situation as me was amazing. She seemed so strong, and I wondered if someday I might, too, have that same strength. The more I thought about it, the more I was starting to see how right she’d been. Dominic didn’t deserve me. He just wanted me to look after him.
The way Ashton touched me was so far removed for Dominic’s touch that it felt like I was experiencing everything for the first time. For one, he kissed me. Dominic had avoided kissing me for years, simply using my body for his own pleasure. Kissing took too much time, too much effort. Since Dominic knew how much I loved kissing, to do it would mean that he was thinking about my pleasure as well as his own, and that wouldn’t even cross his mind. My chest swelled when I thought about Ashton kissing me. For him¸ it wasn’t just about the lips; he caressed my face and my body, making sensations run rife through every nerve ending until I had no choice but to lose myself completely. His kiss wasn’t just a kiss. It was an experience; one I would love to repeat. And when he spoke to me he was so kind. From the time I’d spent with him, I knew Ashton was not a man to give throwaway compliments. When he said something he was direct about it, and he meant whatever he said; which is what had made it so easy to believe that he thought our kiss in the car was a mistake.
But he was gentle. If I misunderstood him he didn’t get angry or cross. He took the time to explain what he meant, and didn’t make me feel stupid. The whole evening had left me feeling bewildered. On one hand, I’d experienced possibly one of the best kisses of my entire life. On the other, I was beginning to realize just how much I’d missed out on during my years with Dominic. And that thought was depressing, to say the least.
I slid beneath the cool sheets and, thoroughly exhausted after the turmoil of the evening, I closed my eyes and welcomed the drowsy feeling that overtook me. It had hurt to talk about Dominic, but I felt better afterward, and that had to be a step in the right direction.
I was just about to drop off when Ashton’s words ran through my head. Tomorrow? Something about a big day tomorrow. I had no idea what he might be talking about. Too tired to figure it out, I decided to ask him again in the morning and fell asleep, letting dreams of Ashton and all the things I’d hoped he do to me float through my head.