Thankfully, the elevator was empty, and it only took a matter of seconds to arrive on the eighth floor. There was no need for words, because our actions spoke everything we wanted to say. Josh unlocked the door and pulled me inside, and his mouth was on mine as we walked through the apartment to his bedroom.

Somewhere between the living room and his bedroom, I lost my top and bra, and on his bedroom floor my skirt and panties lay in a pile. There was no awkwardness about being naked in front of Josh. He made me feel like a goddess, whether I was naked or wearing my oldest sweats and hoodie. Circling my body, his fingertips traced down my spine, leaving a track of goosebumps in its wake.

“On the bed,” he said in a growl, and tugged his shirt off. I crawled onto the bed and sat back on my feet. A shiver of anticipation hit me as he sat on the edge of the bed, before lying on his back. He pulled me down until I was flush against him, and kissed me until I was breathless. For as long as I lived, I’d never get enough of kissing him. As quickly as it began, he pulled away.

“On my face, Ashlyn,” Josh ordered, and who was I to object. I shifted my naked body until I was hovering over his face, and our eyes locked. In that moment of extreme intimacy, he looked at me with ownership, and a need I had never seen before. “Hold onto the headboard.”

The moment I grabbed hold of the wooden bed head, his hands fell to my thighs and gripped possessively.

My eyes slammed shut, and my gasp filled the bedroom when his hot breath hit my desperate pussy. He didn’t wait for an invitation, because in reality Josh Crawford never needed an invitation. With one, long, slow flick of his tongue, he licked and savored everything I offered him. I knew I was wet—very wet—and his tongue began its assault. My head flew back as he dipped his tongue inside of me for the first time, and my hips took over. My knuckles began to turn white from the grip I had on the headboard, and my hips started to rock against his face. The faster I rocked, the deeper his tongue seemed to go. His fingertips dug into my thighs, and the combination of sensations caused a sea of want to churn within me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him I was in love with him. I wanted to forget about the night ahead and spend it alone with him.

“Oh my god,” I said with a low moan, my breathing coming out in pants as I floated into a world of pleasure.

He flicked his devious tongue over my clit, before pulling it into his mouth and sucking it with unrelenting force. Holy fuck. My body locked up, and I felt like I was going to cry from the overwhelming pleasure soaring through my body, the likes of which I’d never felt before. I was ravenous. I was desperate, and I needed to come. With a loud popping noise, he unleashed my clit and went back to feasting between my legs. I had never been this turned on in my life. The king of finger fucking title had now been joined by the god of tongue fucking. The sound of his tongue and mouth combining with my wetness, was the most erotic sound I’d ever heard, and it enticed me further. I moaned loudly, not caring where I was, and lost all control. My hips moved with wild abandon, and his deep growl and the vibrations against my pussy set me off. I cried out his name in a low moan as pleasure flooded through my veins.

“Come on my tongue when you’re ready.”

His muffled words sent me over the edge. I forced myself to open my eyes, and I watched him devour me like I was his favorite thing in the world. His eyes found mine, and I couldn’t hold on any longer. My body shattered, and a low, satisfied moan of his name filled the space around us, as the most intense orgasm I’ve ever encountered soared through me.

My thighs shook around him as I started to feel like I was close to collapse. He pulled his mouth away, and seeing my release on his lips made me consider begging him to make me come again, but I’d be ruined forever if he did so soon. With gentle movements, Josh brought me down until I was on his chest, and our hearts thundered against each other.

“I’m ruined,” I whispered in brutal honesty.

I shifted my body and curled up against him. His eyes bore into mine, and it was clear he understood what we had just shared—the enormity, the intimacy.

“You hold my heart in those pretty little hands of yours, Ashy. I can’t survive without you.”

I felt my throat begin to close with emotion. “You’ve got me.”

He pulled the blanket up from the bottom of the bed and covered us both. I snuggled against his chest, content that the rest of the night would be spent on our own, in our little cocoon of happiness.

“You and I should have had babies by now, and my ring should have been on your finger forever. We have so much to make up for, Ashy, and I cannot wait to do it with you,” Josh said softly. “My forever girl.”

The finger that was tracing over his stomach froze, and my breath hitched in my throat. I turned my head and rested my chin on his chest, then looked up at him as his words embedded themselves in my thoughts.

“You want that? Babies? Marriage?” I asked, not believing I was having this conversation with him.

“Absolutely. Why? Is that something you don’t want?”

“I, ah . . . a, a . . . um, shit.” I felt myself becoming overwhelmed, and it would seem I was developing a stutter. “It is something that I always thought would be in my life.”

“We’d make pretty fucking cute kids, Ashy. We’d have to have sex a lot. You know, make sure we got it right. Not that I’m saying that we haven’t got sex perfect, but we can still practice a lot.”

“Isn’t it too soon to be talking about that?” I asked, even though I wanted every single thing he had mentioned.

“Ashlyn, I’ve wanted you for five years. I’ve been imaging a life with you since the very beginning, so no, it’s not too soon. There’s no one else for me. Now that I’ve got you, I’m not letting you go. Ever.”

Yep, I was without a doubt, head over heels, in love with Josh Crawford.

THE SOUND OF THE glass door sliding open grabbed Ky’s attention, and he turned to face me. I had left Ashlyn to get ready for the night ahead, and was determined to find Ky for a chat. I handed him a beer and leaned against the rail beside him. I had never seen my brother this content with life before, and it was all thanks to Eden Rivers. It was the kind of contentment I truly didn’t believe existed until I began living it.

“I’m getting married,” he said softly. “To Eden fucking Rivers. I never thought this day would come.”

“I don’t think she did either. You got lucky with her, she is an amazing girl.”

“Eden told me what you did,” he said softly. “I had absolutely no clue. Fuck, Josh.”

I took a long pull on my beer and waited for him to continue.

“This could have been you and Ash. I could have been standing here talking to you about your wedding, teasing you about the fact that you are having a joint bachelor / bachelorette party, and I could be an awesome uncle by now. You and Ash would have made it. I knew from that first morning I met her that she was different, that she got under your skin, so I had no clue why you didn’t claim her. But now I know. ”

“You’re my big brother, my best friend. I couldn’t go through this crazy world without you, so I did what I had to do. I’d do it again if I had to. You fucking scared me though, Ky, so please don’t do that shit again.”

“I’ve got my girl now. I can guarantee you won’t see that man again.”

“Good,” I said, and tipped my bottle to him.

“So, you and Ash are good?”

“I am in so deep with her. I understand your obsession with Eden now, because I am feeling that with Ashlyn. I see no one but her. I could be in a room of 1000 people, and she would be the only person I saw.”