“You keep clenching my cock like that and I’m coming inside your pussy.”

No man had ever come inside of me, and the thought of Josh being the first sent me into an uncontrollable spin. It would be the first step in giving him my complete trust; something I knew he deserved.

I moved my lips to his ear and, with broken breath, whispered, “First man to fuck me, and now the first man to come inside of me. Claim me, Josh. Mark me forever.”

There was nothing in the world that turned me on more than seeing Josh’s eyes turn dark and intense with need. My words were exactly what he wanted to hear, and his body reacted immediately. All I cared about was Josh, and living in the here and now. His name fell from my lips in pure ecstasy as I begged him to go harder and deeper. He never disappointed. My body clenched around him as a billion stars fired behind my eyes. I came undone with a scream of his name and, within seconds, his face was buried in my neck as he spilled all of him deep within me.

He retreated from my neck, and soon our foreheads rested together while our breathing collided into a perfect melody.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he whispered so delicately that my already-screaming heart thundered in extra delight within my chest. We moved as one through the apartment, my quivering legs wrapped tightly around his hips. He was still planted deep inside of me, so with every step he took, my body felt like I was headed for another life-altering orgasm. My eyes never left his, and the contentment that gazed back at me cemented the reality of what we had just done. His eyes fired possession, ownership, and commitment, and there was nothing I wanted to see more.

Gently, he lowered me onto his bed. When he pulled out, I felt the loss immediately. He stood beside the bed and allowed his eyes to roam over me. I had never felt so wanted in my life. I inhaled sharply as his fingertips grazed my hip and unzipped my skirt, then he pulled it over my thighs, along with my panties. His stare landed between my thighs, and a searing heat shot through me.

“I can see myself spilling out of you, and it’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he said in a low, growl-like voice. Tonight he had claimed me like a king choosing a virgin to warm his bed.

I watched eagerly as he leaned over, and in one torturously slow movement, slid a finger through my pussy. I shivered under the sensation, and gasped loudly into the still air. He lifted his finger, which was covered in his own release, to my mouth, and placed it between my lips. I sucked it with enthusiasm, while his eyes locked with mine. As I swirled my tongue around his finger, his eyes closed, and I felt my chest swell with pride.

“You have ruined me, Ashlyn Hart. Absolutely ruined me.” He groaned as I released his finger. “I’ll go grab a cloth.”

He disappeared into his bathroom and returned with a warm cloth, then proceeded to clean my still-sensitive sex, before pulling a pair of his sweats up my legs and dressing me in one of his tees.

“Are you spending the night?” he whispered, climbing on the bed beside me and rolling to his side to face me.

Gazing back at him, I took a moment to enjoy his features through sleepy eyes. He was a stunning man. He had eyes so dark I felt like I was looking at melted chocolate, yet so expressive that they told you everything he was thinking, with a perfectly pink set of lips, and a strong jaw line that looked like it had been chiseled by the gods. He was almost too handsome.

“Yep.”

“You are what I want, Ashy, and I know I’m what you want. I feel it in the lightness of your touch. I see it in the intimacy of your gaze, and I taste it in the sweetness of your kiss. My role as a man is to give my woman what she has always wanted. I will give you your happily-ever-after, Ashy, and it will be my greatest accomplishment. Your bruises and hurt are mine to heal, and I will protect you for the rest of my life. You have my word. You’re mine, Ashy, and what’s mine is mine forever.”

God damn it, he was going to make me die from swoon overload.

The last twenty-four hours were my eye-opener, and it made me realize that one moment can open your eyes to exactly what you had been too blind to see. It was my first step to a new beginning. Today it was my time to take the reins and show him and the world that I was indeed his.

I walked down the hall of Beats and Bangs with an extra swing of determination in my step. I felt good. I felt confident. I was ready for this, whatever the hell it would mean, and if there was fall out, I’d face that too. We would face it. Together.

“I need to talk to you,” I announced, walking into Ky’s office with a sense of purpose, not bothering to knock. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath before I turned to face him.

Ky looked up from his laptop in shock at my intrusion, and his eyes narrowed in worry. “What’s wrong?”

“I can talk to you about anything, right?” I asked as I took a seat in the visitor’s seat opposite him, then placed my phone on the top of the desk and my bag on the floor.

“Of course,” he replied immediately and closed his laptop. Then he took the phone of the hook so we wouldn’t be interrupted. Seriously, could he be a better best friend?

I took a deep breath and sorted through my options. Ky sat behind his desk, his complete attention on me, and suddenly I felt like I was in the principal’s office, waiting to admit my misdemeanors. How was I meant to say this? I tapped my nails on the desk as I tried to formulate the words that wouldn’t leave him ripping his hair out and potentially flipping his desk.

Your brother is the best lay of my life and he has ruined me.

Downstairs is only open to your brother from now on.

I’m infatuated and falling head over heels for your brother.

“Ash, what’s going on?” Ky pushed, and I met finally his eyes.

“I’ve been with Josh.”

There. I said it. Suddenly, relief fired through me, and I began to relax. Last night everything shifted within me. I saw Josh for everything he was. What I wanted was reignited. Lachlan hadn’t destroyed me, and I wouldn’t allow him that power. The look that flashed through Josh’s eyes when Lachlan spat his hurtful taunt about being second choice had made me sick. Josh was never second choice, but knowing that thought had sliced through him caused me to step up. I couldn’t let him think that. He was always number one, but I had been too scared to tell him. My stupid fears made the man that ruined me for all other men question where he stood with me.

“I know, Ash. You stayed at his apartment, so of course you were with him,” he replied with a non-understanding smile.

I looked inquisitively at my best friend. Shit, he had no clue what I was talking about.

“I’m seeing him, Ky,” I said with emphasis to make it clearer, rather than coming straight out and telling him that I was sleeping with his brother.

I watched in fascination as he attempted to understand what I just said. Suddenly realization and shock flashed over his face. “You two are fucking?” he bellowed, causing me to jump.

My eyes shot wide at his declaration. “Jesus! Would you lower your voice? I don’t need England to hear about my sex life.” Ahh, London, I guess now you will only be a vacation spot.

“So, you are? Shit,” he said, rubbing his hands over his face. “Since when? And why am I only hearing about this now?”

Okay, his reaction was not what I expected. This was going better than planned.

“After deciding I didn’t want anything to do with men, I did what any woman wanting to abstain from men shouldn’t do; I moved in with Josh. Then I started randomly making out with your brother, amongst other things, and while I assumed it would be casual, your brother got the great idea to make me fall for him, and he achieved it.”