Finally getting to her feet, Ashlynn placed her cell phone back on the nightstand and pulled the blankets back on her bed. She was tired. So damn tired. Part of her had hoped Jase and Leyton would join her, but after hanging up with Aidan, she’d stared up at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, and no one had ever showed. Now, she was ready to crash.

She allowed her robe to slide from her shoulders before placing it on the upholstered chair that sat in the corner, then, after switching off the lamp on the bedside table, she crawled into bed. It was almost two in the morning and she was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t shut down. She wondered what Leyton and Jase were doing. Were they talking about what had happened? Doubtful. If she knew Leyton, he was pretending it hadn’t. And Jase would be acting as though it hadn’t affected him as much as it had.

She had no idea how long she’d been lying there when her bedroom door opened. Less than a minute later, the mattress shifted when Jase climbed in, his warm, naked body spooning behind her as his arm eased over her, one rough hand cupping her naked breast firmly.

“You okay?” he asked, obviously knowing she was still awake.

“Yeah,” she lied. “Where’s Leyton?”

“I told him he could sleep in my room.”

“Oh.” She had hoped he would take her up on her invitation, but she should’ve known better.

“I left your door open,” he informed her.

Ashlynn twisted in his arms so that she could face him. “And what’s that gonna do for us?” She couldn’t hide her smile.

“He’s wrestling with his demons,” Jase told her, pressing his lips to hers softly. “He wants this, but he’s not sure how to go about it.”

“Because Max warned him away?” Ashlynn knew her brother could be overprotective, and he had been many times in her life. She respected him, and she owed him so much, but when it came to Leyton, she was angry that Max had interfered. Leyton was fiercely loyal to Max, and she understood that, but she hated that Max had played his hand, attempting to control them.

“Probably,” Jase agreed. “Which is why I thought we could entice him. Come here.”

She allowed him to pull her into his arms. When he rolled to his back, she straddled his hips.

“Let me make love to you,” he whispered.

Her heart pinched in her chest. Jase could be a heart-wrenchingly gentle lover when he wanted to be, and it was during those times that she was confused. Sex was sex. She didn’t confuse it with love. And she cared about Jase, no doubt there. But making love… She didn’t know what that meant.

Shifting so that he could reach between them and guide his cock against her entrance, Ashlynn sighed as he pushed into her. They’d stopped using condoms almost six months ago, and he was the first man she’d ever been with without one. They’d surpassed that point where they trusted one another, and since Ashlynn had been on birth control since she was a teenager—something her mother had insisted on, though Ashlynn hadn’t initially known why—they didn’t have to worry about that, either.

“Oh, fuck. You feel so good,” Jase whispered. “Ride me slow, Ash.”

Lying atop him, Ashlynn rocked her hips at a pace that matched his, enjoying the delicious friction of him inside her. Lifting her head, she peered down at his face, admiring him in the shadows. Jase slid her hair behind her ear and cupped her face in his big hand. When he was sweet like this, her heart melted a little more. Although she was completely happy with him, she knew deep down that there was still something missing for both of them. Someone, to be exact.

“Don’t think,” Jase whispered. “Just feel me.”

Leaning down so that she could kiss him, Ashlynn gave herself over to him. He fucked her so perfectly. As the room heated around them, the sensations sending her higher and higher, Jase rolled them so that she was beneath him, the blankets falling away. She dug her fingernails into his back, wrapped her legs around his waist, holding on as he began to thrust his hips, going deeper, deeper still.

“Ash. Baby.”

“Look at me,” she instructed, keeping her voice low. She didn’t want to close her eyes, didn’t want to lose sight of him. Jase meant everything to her, more than she’d ever anticipated, and sometimes the guilt ate at her. She wanted Leyton, now more than ever. And she knew Jase did as well.

But did Leyton want them? Both of them?

It had seemed as though that were the case, but Ashlynn feared he was battling with his conscience, trying to determine right from wrong. As far as she was concerned, there was no wrong. Not in this scenario.

Jase rolled his hips forward, lodging himself to the hilt, making her inner muscles lock as her orgasm crested. She tightened her legs around him, crying out as she came.

“So fucking beautiful,” he said as he came inside her, his mouth seeking hers.

Shortly after they were finished, Jase slipped out of the bed. When he flipped on the bathroom light and turned on the shower, Ashlynn glanced at her bedroom door. There, once again watching them, was Leyton. He was shirtless, but his body was hidden in the shadows, his hand gripping the doorjamb, his eyes locked with hers.

“He’s right,” Leyton said softly. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

Before she could say anything—if she would’ve known what to say at all—Leyton turned and walked away, leaving her staring at the empty space. Jase returned with a washcloth, then proceeded to clean her tenderly. Ashlynn didn’t know if Jase had seen Leyton, but she figured he had. The fact that he didn’t say anything, merely met her eyes, told her he was battling the same emotions—confusion, frustration, disappointment—that she was.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower. Be right back,” he said with a quick kiss on her forehead.

Once he joined her in bed again, wrapping her in his arms while she rested her head on his chest, Ashlynn finally gave in to her exhaustion, Leyton’s words still lingering in her mind as she tried to figure out whether or not approaching Max was the right thing to do.

She wasn’t sure. What she did know was that she couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Give me this.

Saturday, November 7 th

Present day

Jase had been watching the clock for the past hour while holding Ashlynn in his arms, listening to the soft sound of her breathing. Tossing and turning wasn’t an option since she was covering part of his body, so he’d settled on listening for any sound coming from his bedroom, where Leyton was currently sleeping.

Or was he? Could it be possible that Leyton was restless, unable to sleep, as well?

Getting up and going in there was sounding better and better with each passing second, but Jase had yet to force himself to move. He was tempted, though. So fucking tempted.

For the past hour, Jase had replayed the conversation they’d had in the game room over and over in his head. He was still shocked by the topic Leyton had broached.

You pretend it’s all about sex, but with you, I sense there’s more to it.

I don’t love you.

No. I didn’t think you did. But could you?

Is that what you want? For me to love you before you finally give in?

No. But I want to know if it’s a possibility. Otherwise, this’ll go nowhere fast.

Yeah, I could love you.

Good. That’s all I needed to know.

At the sound of the water running when the shower came on, he couldn’t resist any longer. He managed to shift Ashlynn over and ease out of the bed before tiptoeing naked into his own bedroom, closing the door silently. As he’d expected, Leyton was in the shower, so Jase crawled into the bed, leaving the lights off.