When the door closed behind him, I turned to Arthur. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
He glanced over at me. “Because it was your story to tell. I don’t need to protect you from your own story.”
Fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, I asked. “Do you think they’ll be long?”
He shook his head. “Not with Malcolm here. They can’t stand him. They’ll want him out of here sooner rather than later.”
I nodded and went back to playing with anything in reach. With everything out of the way, I was nervous. Would Ashton blame me for what happened? No. Ashton wasn’t like that. Arthur covered my hand and gave me a comforting smile. All of the waiting probably didn’t have much of an effect on him. It was likely standard procedure.
What felt like an eternity later, the door opened.
“Mr. Hawes is free to go.”
Jumping from my seat, I practically ran to the door. A hand landed on my arm and I looked up into the eyes of Detective Lynch. “I know Ashton treats you better than Dominic ever did, and you seem like a wonderful woman, just . . . please be careful.”
Glancing down at his hand on my arm, I said, “I know exactly what I’m getting into.” Stepping around him, I ran down the hallway toward the lobby. Ashton’s blond head caught my attention. His back was turned to me as he talked to his dad and brother. Miller pointed in my direction and Ashton turned slowly, his eyes locking on mine, the green glowing behind the frames of his glasses.
For a split second I froze, waiting to see his reaction. When a slow, sexy smile curved his lips, I took off toward him.
CHAPTER 28
Ashton
Elena came bolting down the hall and right into my arms. She clutched the back of my coat like a lifeline. It felt so right to have her there; her body pressed against mine. I wrapped one arm around her waist and brought the other up to cup her face, watching her eyes as they shimmered with unshed tears.
“Elena, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. This is all my fault.” She sniffled and buried her head against my chest.
“Elena, look at me,” I demanded. Her tear-streaked face met mine. “You are not to blame for what one fucking idiot does.”
My lips descended to hers—who the fuck cared if I was in the middle of a police station? Certainly not me.
She quickly surrendered to the kiss and her body pushed further into mine as I swiped my tongue passed her lips to deepen the kiss. I’d have taken her there and then, but the cat calls echoing around the room told me it was time to pull back. We’d have all the time in the world once we got home.
Her chest rose and fell with each labored breath. “I love you,” she said.
Forgetting myself, I lifted her into my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist. “I’ll call you later,” I said over my shoulder to my dad and Miller. I’d been waiting to hear her say the words and now that she had, I wasn’t ever letting her go.
I stepped out the doors and just like I expected, Lewis was waiting in the lot for us. When we no longer had an audience, I looked into her eyes.
“I love you so much, Elena. Stay with me.” It wasn’t a command, but I wasn’t necessarily asking either.
“Forever. We can talk to Arthur about expediting the process.”
“Later,” I promised, stepping up to the car. Lewis already had the back door open. Setting her on her feet, I hurried her inside. I needed to have her home and in our bed. “Home,” I told Lewis, shutting the door.
Scooping Elena into my arms, I tasted her lips, quickly losing control; by the time we reached the house, my hand had already slipped up inside her top to cup her breast. The car pulled to a stop and I sat up, adjusting her clothes. I didn’t give two shits about being caught, but no one besides me was ever seeing Elena naked again.
Taking her hand, I led her to the house and through the door. It hadn’t even finished closing when I pushed her up against it, capturing her mouth roughly, tasting every inch. Need coursed through me. Simple, hot, rough sex wouldn’t be enough. She was mine and it was time to show her even more.
Breaking the connection of our lips, I placed my hand on her back and guided her up the stairs to the bedroom. The toys were in the drawer, the restraints attached to the bed, but none of that would do. My body craved something more than the normal. Not that most of what I liked was “normal” by most people’s standards.
We reached the bedroom and I knew exactly what I wanted. I took a seat on the bed and watched Elena, trying to decide if she was ready for what I had in mind.
Elena walked up to me, her hips sashaying gracefully with each step. She stood in front of me staring, silently. After a moment, her thigh slipped over mine until she was straddling my erection, which was straining almost painfully against my jeans.