Kings of Chaos (Dirty Broken Savages #1)(105)

Ash’s jaw clenches, his eyes sparking like fire. “Maybe it’s not about protecting you. Did you think of that? Maybe it’s about recognizing that you’re worth more than that cunt out there saw in you. Maybe that’s important.”

“Why?” I snap. “Why the fuck would I care? Why do you?”

“I just do!” he argues back, taking a step forward. “These people think they’re better than everyone. They look down on anyone who doesn’t fit into their little mold, and at the same time, they won’t hesitate to use them. It’s disgusting, and I didn’t want her to think she could get away with talking about you like that.”

I make a frustrated noise, hands clenched into fists at my side. “So you humiliated her out there. What did that achieve? You think she’s going to think twice before she makes another shitty comment about someone else? You think that’s how this works?”

“No,” he mutters, glancing away.

“Then what was the fucking point, Ash?”

“I already told you the point,” he retorts. “She just needed to know.”

Tension builds between us, escalating as we argue. We’re not full-on shouting, but our voices echo in the bathroom, and anyone close enough to the door could probably hear us if they tried.

I take a step closer to him, the distance between us disappearing as we keep moving toward each other.

“Why do you care?” I ask him again. “If you think I’m worth so much, then why, out of all your friends, are you the only one who didn’t fuck me while I was living with you?”

Ash looks startled by that question, so I keep pressing, wanting answers.

“I know Priest can’t for whatever reason, but I know your reputation. I’ve heard the others talking, and I’ve seen it with my own damn eyes. My first couple of days at the house, you had women coming and going from your room, and I walked in on you getting your dick sucked in the damn living room. You’ll fuck anything. So why not me?”

I’m breathing harder when I finish my little rant, and now this is about more than just him going after that stuck-up bitch. The question has been weighing on me since the first time he rejected me, and I want to hear the answer.

He sighs but doesn’t look away. There’s something firm in his gaze, visible even with the light reflecting off his glasses the way it is. He stands there, all model pretty and dressed to the nines, and I can’t decide if I want to hit him or kiss him.

“I’ve been fucking anything and everything since I was goddamn teenager,” he says, and it comes out bitter and with an edge. “I don’t want to fuck you like you’re one of hundreds. You’re worth more than that. I want…” He trails off, then draws in a breath. “I want more.”

I just about manage to keep myself from jerking back in surprise when he says that. The thing is, I can tell he means it. It’s not just some line he’s feeding me to get me to spread my legs for him. Hell, I’ve been trying to do that already, so there’s no point.

He has to mean it. The conviction of it is in his eyes, and I forget to breathe for just a moment.

It scares the fuck out of me to hear that.

I don’t like the idea of this being anything real. That’s not who I am. I don’t do attachments and commitment and all that jazz. I can’t do it. I’m still fucked up from everything that happened to me, and killing Ivan didn’t change that. I’ve never tried to change it, and I don’t even want to. I am who I am. I use people to get what I want, and then I move onto the next thing. I’ve never needed or wanted anything different, and I don’t plan to start now.

But Ash is looking at me in a way that makes me feel like my whole world could crumble apart.

I can feel the connection between us, tugging at my heart.

It has to be broken. I have to fucking stop this before it gets out of hand.

So I do the only thing I can think of and throw myself at him. My arms go around his neck, and I drag him into a deep, messy kiss.

There’s a beat where Ash goes stiff with surprise, but then he groans and wraps his arms around me, kissing me back. His mouth is hot and intense, and I can feel the attraction between us, the way it always is. Strong and potent, building higher and higher as we kiss and grope at each other.

Ash’s hands roam down my back, gripping my ass and hauling me closer. He bites down on my lower lip, and I groan into his mouth, hitching my hips forward to try to grind against him.

It’s a bad angle for it, since I can’t exactly move like I want to in this dress. I pull away for just a second, gasping for breath, and plant both hands on his chest, pushing back.

He stumbles a bit, but the chair behind him catches him, and he ends up right where I want him. I hike my dress up enough that I can crawl onto his lap and straddle him.

That’s so much better, and I can feel how hard he is through his pants. I grind down against that hot bulge, and the low groan he makes in response is like music to my fucking ears.

His hands go to my waist, and he draws me forward into another deep kiss.

Our tongues slide together, slow and hot, and the kiss turns even deeper. I rock my hips over the bulge in his pants, grinding down on it and feeling the answering flare of heat in my body. My pussy throbs with need, and I want him inside me, but I don’t make a move for that yet.