Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(44)

Ash kicked his bedroom door open, slammed the door behind us and pushed my back against it. His hands slipped up my thighs to gently push my dress up a few inches. This evoked a purr from deep within my chest.

Against my lips, Ash spoke. “Did you just purr?” I laughed, and pressed my breasts against his chest. I held onto him, chaining him to the fervor, forcing him to succumb. The rhythm of my heart beat faster to match his. I didn't want anything between us; I just wanted him.

Tearing at Ash's shirt, the buttons scattered across the floor. His shirt soon followed. His lips moved away from mine, but before I could protest the lost contact, he rained kissed down my neck to my shoulder. He slipped the strap down and held it to reveal my milky skin.

I felt overwhelmed and pulled him back to my lips. My hands skimmed across his chest to lay flat against his firm abdomen. He groaned, while I nibbled on his lower lip. My hands lowered to unbutton his jeans, but he pulled away. I grabbed his neck to pull him back, but he took my hands to pry them away with a determined intensity. “Maye will be home any minute.” He took my left hand and kissed the palm before putting more space between us.

I stood still, trying to understand what had just happened, and failing to dispel the energy surging through me. Ash's face was flushed and his chest gleaned from our efforts. I had an urge to lick the moisture that trailed down the planes of his stomach.

“What did Liam do?” I shook my head to beat out the sexual thoughts and focused entirely on his words.

“Ugh, I don’t want to talk about it.” I walked to the adjoining bathroom, but he pulled me back against his chest.

Whispering in my ear, he said “If you don’t tell me what he did, I am going to assume the worst and hunt him down. The way I promised him I would if he hurt you.”

“Fine!" I jerked my body away from Ash. "He was dating me, because his mother ordered him to. They wanted me to join their coven.” My voice caught on the last word. Ash spun me to face him, with a concerned expression on his face.

“It’s their loss. You wouldn’t really have left us, would you?”

“Of course I wouldn’t. I just feel so stupid.” I covered my face with my palms, as though hiding my embarrassment, but I knew it was futile.

Ash leaned forward to gently kiss the tip of my nose. “Don’t. They’re the stupid ones. Besides, it’s going to be nice not seeing Liam anywhere near you.” His right side of his mouth quirked up in satisfaction.

I smacked his shoulder and danced into my bedroom. I didn’t hurt anymore. Ash had healed the crater Liam had left in my heart. It merely took a frenzied make out session to erase the emotional decay that had eaten at me earlier.

I was beginning to feel fickle, but the truth is that even when I was with Liam, I had wanted Ash. Now that Liam was out of the picture, I ached marginally, but Ash bared me from any further pain.

It wasn’t long before Maye came home to find me lying on my bed. I remained on my back with my gaze fixated on the ceiling. At least, that is what it would look like to everyone else. I was actually sorting through Kit’s memories. It was interesting to look at the world through the eyes of a cat. They processed their memories differently and relied heavily on senses rather than emotions. Emotions were developed over time, but once they had grown, they remained firmly in place. A feline could love with an intensity that humans couldn't match.

“Darling, how was your date with Liam?”

I turned onto my side and propped my head up with my hand. “Let’s just put it this way, you were right… he’s bad news. I should have taken Josephine’s vision more seriously.” I allowed my head to plop back onto my pillow with a vengeance.

“I take it that means you won’t be seeing him anymore?” Her voice sounded annoyingly optimistic.

“You guessed right. Please, just don’t ask for more details.”

“Alright, child. If you decide you need to talk, you know where to find me.” Instead of leaving my room, as I expected, Maye came forward to sit on my bed. “Is there something going on between you and Ash?”

I sat up straight and scooted as far from her as possible. I racked my brain for the right thing to say, but the truth was that I didn’t really know what was going on between me and Ash. We hadn’t defined the changed between us or what it meant for the future. How could I answer Maye’s question, when even I didn’t know the answer?

“I don’t know.” I said, decisively.

“You don’t know or you don’t want to say?” I remained silent, because it was a little of both. “Child, I love you and Ash. I’ve watched your relationship grow. If you have feelings for one another don’t worry about my acceptance. I want the best for both of you. Now, give me a kiss. I’m going to bed.” I kissed her cheek and she laughed, as she exited the room.

“Well, that’s a relief.” I was shocked, when Ash pushed the door open.

“You were eavesdropping?” My pillow hit him square in the chest.

“The door was open and sound carries in this house. You expect me to ignore your conversation when I am the subject of it?”

“Yes, no, I don’t know! It’s just rude! What if we were having a private conversation?” Ash could be so frustrating sometimes, but he was also strangely adorable.

“Well, if that were the case, I would recommend closing the door and talking in a whisper. Otherwise, it’s impossible for it to be private.” He laughed and moved forward. “So, what is going on between us?”