“Why’d you summon us here?” Ashlynn asked, pulling away from Jase as she moved over to the window that overlooked downtown Dallas. “Are you finally ready to give in to your dark side?”

Leyton shook his head as though trying to dislodge his brain. Jase understood what he was going through. More often than not, he felt lost, but that was because he found himself in awe of Ashlynn most of the time.

“I don’t have a dark side,” Leyton stated.

Ashlynn laughed without mirth. “Tell me you don’t really believe that shit.”

Jase couldn’t hide his smile.

“Drink?” Leyton asked him.

Jase declined with a shake of his head. He had to get Ashlynn home in one piece, and since she was three sheets to the wind, he had to remain sober.

“Quit stalling,” Ashlynn demanded, turning around and glaring at Leyton. “You’ve got ten seconds before I get naked.”

Okay, that wasn’t what he’d expected her to say, and clearly Leyton was just as surprised as he was.

Once again, Leyton shook his head. Jase had spent the last couple of hours with Ashlynn, so, honestly, at this point, nothing out of her mouth should surprise him.

“Sit,” Leyton encouraged. When Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at him, he added, “Please.”

Jase took a seat on one of the leather sofas.

“We need to talk about … whatever the two of you seem to be after.”

Wow. Jase was surprised Leyton was so straightforward. He’d actually expected the guy to hem and haw before getting down to the reason they’d been called there.

That got Ashlynn’s attention as well. “I was thinkin’ we needed to chat about your voyeuristic tendencies. They’re gettin’ a little outta hand, if you wanna know the truth.” Ashlynn didn’t bother to sit. She crossed her arms over her chest, making her breasts swell over the top of her strapless dress. If Jase had to guess, she didn’t have anything on beneath that skimpy black dress.

“The same could be said about your public exhibitionism,” Leyton countered, carrying a tumbler of scotch with him when he took a seat on the sofa across from Jase.

“Is that what it’s called when I like to fuck in public?”

Jase knew she was simply being crass, but he watched the interaction between the pair. It was quite possibly the highlight of his evening.

“Ashlynn…” Leyton sounded as though he wanted to reprimand her, but he stopped.

“So, which of us has the problem?” she probed. “You for wanting to watch me fuck Jase, or me for wanting you to watch?”

Leyton’s eyes widened slightly, clearly shocked by her blunt question.

“Do you wanna watch now?” Ashlynn moved toward Jase. “Is that why you beckoned us up here?”

Leyton cleared his throat.

“I think that’s a yes.” Ashlynn smiled at Jase as she stopped directly in front of him.

“That’s not—”

Leyton didn’t get the words out before Ashlynn lifted the hem of her dress, baring her ass for Leyton and giving Jase a remarkable view of her waxed pussy. He’d been right, she didn’t have a stitch on beneath that tiny bit of cloth that had covered the bare necessities.

His mouth suddenly watered with the need to taste her.

She turned to face Leyton, and Jase peered around her to see Leyton’s face. As Jase’s had, Leyton’s eyes slid right to the apex of her thighs.

“You like what you see?” she taunted.

“That’s not it,” Leyton acknowledged, his words raspy, his cock tenting his slacks.

Jase knew then that this was a bad idea. If Leyton thought he’d had any control whatsoever over Ashlynn, she was about to prove him wrong, and Jase was going to have a front-row seat.

Things heated up more when Ashlynn pushed the top of her dress down, freeing her breasts. Jase didn’t bother to move when she eased down onto his lap, still facing Leyton. She leaned back against him, spreading her legs wide while Leyton continued to eye her.

His dick hardened beneath her ass and throbbed as she ground against him while getting situated.

“Did you call me up here to tell me that this is too much temptation for you?” Ashlynn reached for Jase’s hands and placed them over her breasts, moaning when he touched her. “Do you enjoy watching when Jase pinches my nipples? Because I enjoy the fuck out of it.”

For only a moment did Jase consider putting a stop to this. Righting Ashlynn’s dress and carrying her out of there would’ve been simple.

Instead, Jase decided to go all in, pinching her nipples and preparing himself for what was to come.

After all, what the hell did he have to lose?

Chapter Thirteen

He would always be her shield from evil.

Eleven years ago

Ashlynn knew her father would be angry at her for hiding out in her room while everyone else was downstairs celebrating her fifteenth birthday, but she was also hoping they would think she had run away.

Well, one person in particular. Uncle Patrick. Her father’s older brother.

The mere thought of him made her want to puke. After last week, when he’d stopped by to check on her, or so he’d told her father, she didn’t want to be in the same room with him. He creeped her out. He’d always been strange, but it was during that visit that Ashlynn had known there was something seriously wrong with him.

Samuel and Patrick weren’t especially close, but that didn’t stop Patrick from always showing up uninvited. Apparently her uncle was pretty pissed that her dad was in command of the family instead of him, and he enjoyed making sure everyone knew how disgruntled he was.

A knock sounded on her bedroom door, and her eyes flew up, fear churning in her gut.

“Who is it?” she hesitantly called out.

“It’s me, sweetheart. I wanted to check on you.”

Oh, shit. Uncle Patrick.

“I’m not feelin’ well,” she lied. “I’ll be down in a bit.”

There wasn’t a lock on her door, so she knew he could come in if he wanted to, and to her horror, that was exactly what he did, closing the door behind him.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

She’d always known there was something weird about the way he looked at her, even when she’d been too young to understand. But she had no misconceptions now. He was a sick, perverted bastard, and for some disgusting reason, he had set his sights on her.

“Nothing. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” she told him, getting up from her bed and walking over to the vanity table she used to put on her makeup. She didn’t sit down, not wanting to be at a disadvantage with him there.

Her dismissal didn’t seem to faze him one bit. He approached, his slow perusal making her skin crawl.

“Are you sick?” he questioned, crowding her into the corner.

No, but she was going to be if he came any closer.

He lifted his hand and she flinched. When he pressed his clammy fingers to her forehead, bile rose in her throat.

“You don’t feel feverish,” he said in that soothing tone he thought made him sound as though he actually cared. “Is it your tummy?”

Her tummy? Really? He was a grown man and she was fifteen years old; couldn’t he think of a better word? Then again, Patrick had always talked to her like that. Treating her as though she were still a child, always wanting her to sit on his lap so he could hug her. Even tonight, at the party, he’d attempted to do so, but Ashlynn had pretended not to notice him.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to pretend now. He was crowding her, standing so close she could see the dark whiskers shadowing his cheek and smell the whiskey on his breath.

His other hand pressed against her stomach, and Ashlynn jumped back, slamming her shoulder into the wall.