“So fucking beautiful,” he whispered, his lips brushing her forehead as he held her in the water.

Finally feeling safe in his arms once again, Ashlynn relaxed as she caught her breath. Her thoughts drifted to Leyton, and the fact that the man couldn’t seem to stop watching them. Even when he didn’t think she’d noticed.

If only he would give in and join them.

Chapter Seventeen

Voyeurism is so fucking sexy (and frustrating).

After helping Ashlynn out of the tub, Jase jumped in the shower, his mind spinning from what had just happened between them. Not necessarily the fact that he’d gotten Ashlynn off with his fingers while they discussed one of their most popular fantasies, but more so the fact that Leyton had been watching them.

Fucking watching them.

He was almost certain that it was pure fucking luck that he’d noticed. Jase had happened to look up into the mirror while he’d been finger-fucking Ashlynn when he’d caught sight of Leyton, standing in Ashlynn’s bedroom, his eyes locked on their reflection. It hadn’t even occurred to him that Leyton had been there on official business. The fact that he’d sought them out in Ashlynn’s bedroom rather than having someone call for them had been more than he could process at the time.

And like every time before—at Devil’s Playground on Ashlynn’s birthday, in the hallway of Max’s house, and again last night at the penthouse—Leyton had remained where he was, watching the entire encounter. If Jase could’ve convinced the man to join them, he certainly would’ve tried. But he knew better. Whatever Leyton had come to the house for, it hadn’t been to slip into Ashlynn’s bed with them.

“Leyton’s downstairs,” Ashlynn told him when she returned to the bathroom. Her gaze perused his naked body as she tightened her silk robe and secured the tie at her waist.

“I know,” he told her, grabbing the towel from the ledge.

“You saw him, too?”

Jase nodded. “What does he want?” He ran a towel through his hair and then dried his body quickly before grabbing the clothes he’d discarded earlier. He had his own room at Ashlynn’s house, right next to hers, though he spent most of his nights in her bed. That didn’t mean he’d moved into her closet, so he had to go back to his room in order to get clean clothes.

“He said it’s important. For us to come downstairs when we can.”

Ashlynn was watching him, her eyes still reflecting the heat he’d sensed there earlier. He wrapped the towel around his waist, hiding his cock from her view.

Her eyes snapped up to his face and he smiled. “I need to get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“We’ll be in the office.”

“’Kay.”

It only took a few minutes for him to get dressed and meet the two of them downstairs in Ashlynn’s home office. The place looked a lot like Max’s, complete with dark wood walls and bookshelves that contained more knickknacks than books, an expensive desk along with two long black leather sofas and two matching chairs that all faced one another. Like the rest of her house, there wasn’t any clutter, not even on the desk, where only a laptop sat opened on the top.

“So what is it we need to talk about?” Ashlynn inquired when Jase entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Leyton was watching her intently, and Jase didn’t think he’d even heard what she’d said.

“Leyton?” Ashlynn took a seat on the leather sofa, leaned forward, and rested her elbows on her knees, creamy cleavage escaping the black silk robe she wore. Come to think of it, Jase couldn’t actually blame Leyton for being tongue-tied. Though Jase had the pleasure of seeing her in even less than that, he still found himself at a loss for words when he looked at her.

But the truth was, it wasn’t merely Ashlynn’s physical attributes that caught his attention. The thing he noticed about her most was her eyes. The hazel shimmered, but it was what he could see in their depths that drew him. She’d lived through so much, seen so much, and she was, by far, the most remarkably put together woman he’d ever met.

Jase cleared his throat when it was obvious Leyton was lost somewhere in his own thoughts.

“Yeah?” Leyton glanced back and forth between them.

“You said it was important,” Ashlynn said.

“Right.” Leyton broke from his reverie and took a seat in the leather chair across from Ashlynn. “We’ve got a situation,” he told her, then turned to Jase.

“Can I get you somethin’ to drink?” Jase asked before Leyton could get too far into the details.

Leyton waved him off, so Jase took a seat on the sofa beside Ashlynn, making sure to remain close to her.

“What situation?” she asked, subtly leaning into Jase.

“Snarly took care of business tonight.”

Ashlynn nodded. “I’d expected him to. What’s the situation?”

“We’ve got some complications,” Leyton said with a sigh. “Turns out, what we thought was idle bullshit from Tony was something else entirely. You mentioned he’d been working with the Moroso family…” Leyton glanced over at Jase. “Which honestly was news to me … so I did some more digging. You were right, they were workin’ together. When Tony said he was moving up in the organization, he wasn’t talkin’ about ours.”

Jase cocked an eyebrow.

Leyton continued, “Tony wasn’t just working both sides.”

“What does that mean?” Ashlynn inquired.

“It means he was a Moroso. Technically, he’s Marco’s half brother. Was.”

“Really?” Ashlynn didn’t sound as though she believed it. “How the hell did that get past us?”

“I’ve got someone lookin’ into that.”

“I don’t buy it,” Ashlynn added.

“It’s true,” Leyton confirmed. “He was workin’ with his brother in order to get a stronghold on our guns.”

It made sense to Jase, in a way. And he had to hand it to them, it’d been rather brilliant considering no one would’ve ever thought Tony was working with the Moroso Crime Family, much less part of it.

“So what’s the issue?” Jase inquired, sliding his arm over the back of the sofa and pulling Ashlynn toward him. “With Tony outta the way, Ashlynn’ll find someone else to move the inventory, and we’ll move on.” Jase glanced between them. “At least that’s the way I see it.”

Leyton swallowed hard, then leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. Dropping his head into his hands, he ran his fingers through his sandy-blond hair momentarily. He was still wearing the same suit he’d had on earlier in the day, looking good enough to eat though Jase could sense his stress. His hair was slightly mussed, as though he’d been running his hands through it for quite some time now.

“I wish it were that simple. Turns out Marco was very protective of Tony.”

Jase waited for Leyton to go on although he knew exactly the direction they were headed. They could never predict the actions of the people they worked with. In their world, business was based on greed, not necessity. Everyone wanted to be on top, and as Max and Ashlynn could attest, being on top always meant there was someone ready to knock them down.

“What is it, Leyton?” Ashlynn seemed anxious for the news.

“The Moroso family… After they got word of Tony’s death … they contracted a hit.”

Ashlynn’s sharp inhale told Jase he hadn’t been hearing things.

Leyton’s eyes hardened as he stared at Ashlynn. “On you.”

Jase sat up straight, yanking his arm from behind Ashlynn. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about?” A hit? Leyton couldn’t fucking be serious. “Do they know who they’re dealin’ with?”

“I’d say so,” Leyton stated firmly. In the blink of an eye, Leyton pulled himself together, now appearing not at all fazed by this news, and Jase had a difficult time believing that he wasn’t. “It’s a stupid move but not surprising. Marco wants revenge for his brother’s death.”