Page 127 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Have you seen Ashton?” I asked, remembering why I first came to speak with them.

“Oh.” Andrei pursed his lips while looking around. “I think he went to the restroom? I’m not sure. It’s been a while.”

“Thank you.” I squeezed his shoulder before letting go and walking in search of the lavatory.

He wasn’t in the first one I checked, but remembering there was another restroom on the second floor, I went there. Sure enough, Ashton came into view as soon as I pushed the door open. He stood by the sink, and when I came in, he quickly turned around and pretended to clean his nose.

“There you are,” I said, not mentioning a word about his attempt to hide the fact he was crying.

“Y-Yeah.” He sniffed. “Wanted to wash my face.” He tossed the used tissue into the garbage bin before turning to face me. He didn’t meet my stare and instead looked down. I still managed to get a glimpse of his bloodshot eyes, and my heart ached. I wasn’t sure if telling him something would make him feel worse or better, so I kept quiet until he spoke.

“I screwed up, right?” he asked, looking up to meet my stare. Seeing the unshed tears welling in his eyes felt unfair, and if I hated Jones before, now I loathed him.

“Not at all. He played dirty in an attempt to get back at me. It wasn’t about you, darling.”

He snorted, but it was sad and pitiful. “It was only about me. About what a screw-up I am.” He placed his hands on the sink, his head bowed down. “Am I really that worthless?” he asked, voice choked.

“No. You’re priceless.”

He jerked his head up right away, looking at me with wide eyes. I assumed I’d caught him off guard, but it was the truth. I knew that only yesterday, he’d asked me to keep our relationship strictly professional, but at this moment, I couldn’t care less.

I couldn’t care less that his suit didn’t fit him perfectly or that his hair was messy. I couldn’t care less about the tap that kept dripping since I’d entered the room. I couldn’t care less about the inconsistency of the tiles on the wall, nor the dirt on the floor. I didn’t care about anything but him, and before I knew it, I’d closed the distance between us with three large steps.

Cupping his face in my hands, I forced him to look at me while using my thumbs to wipe away his tears.

“You are absolutely priceless, Ashton, and don’t you dare let anyone else say otherwise.”

His breath caught, one tear sliding down his cheek. Still staring into each other’s souls in a moment that dragged on forever, he slowly brought his hand up to cover mine, moving his fingers along my skin. My heart rate increased until it felt like a hammer pounding in my chest. Following my instincts without stopping to think, I leaned down and pulled him closer.

My finger traced along the line of his jaw, which was now covered with soft stubble, and as my lips finally met his, I held in a breath, waiting for him to push me away. And while tears still slid down his cheeks, Ashton didn’t do that but instead moved his hands to my waist. Unable to hold back any longer, I cupped his head and tilted it back, pushing my eager tongue between his parted lips, exploring his mouth with all the passion burning in my chest. Ashton shared my fervent hunger, his tongue aggressive in searching for mine in a battle for who missed the other more. I licked into his mouth, my fingers holding his jaw still. Famished, I sucked on his tongue at the same time I moved him with me until his back hit the wall. He gasped, and I held him closer to breathe him in. Ashton wrapped his arms around me, back arched and body pressed against mine. Ignoring where we were, I pushed my thigh between his legs, feeling the tension building in his slacks, and pressed harder until he cried into my mouth, the sound so sweet and lovely, making me weak in the knees. His desperation matched my own, and while I moved my hands along his body, slipping them underneath his jacket and caressing every spot I could reach, he ran his delicate fingers through my hair, undoubtedly creating a mess.

Not that I cared.

With my racing heart and burning soul, I only yearned to have more of him. No other thought seemed to cross my mind, and if it weren’t for the hand on my chest that suddenly pushed me back, I would have had him naked by now.

“S-Soren, wait,” he panted, pushing me until I had no choice but to stop. “We can’t.” Two words were enough to extinguish the fire he’d just ignited in my heart.

Disappointment washed over me, along with an unbearable chill at his putting an end to this. I pressed my lips together and nodded, my head brushing against his while I did. “Okay,” I whispered hoarsely, then stepped back, giving him room to move.

Ashton wasted no time and was out of the bathroom before I had a chance to say another word. With a groan, I turned to face the mirror. Placing my hands over the cold counter, I dropped my head with a deep sigh as I attempted to release the bundle of nerves in my chest. A moment later, I looked up to meet my reflection. My hair was disheveled, the same as my clothes. I looked like a mess, and that was without mentioning the arousal tenting my slacks, making it incredibly inappropriate to step out like this. And despite my head raging to fix my appearance, I had yet to do so. Desperate to feel Ashton’s touch over my body, I allowed myself to be locked in this moment for a while longer. Brushing my fingers along my lips, I softly pressed the pad of my thumb to where he’d bitten me, the ache nothing but medicine to my broken soul.

Once I was finally ready to go, I left the restroom and went straight to my car. I’d already turned on the engine when I noticed Jones in the parking lot. The low-life creature seemed giddy as he stepped into his car while speaking on the phone. The same rage from earlier struck me at once, combined with the freshly engraved image of Ashton crying over how this bastard humiliated him.

Pulling out my phone, I dialed a number, not surprised when he answered right away.

“There’s something I need you to do for me,” I said, fixing the rearview mirror so I’d stare back into my own vengeful eyes. “But I’ll have to tell you in person.”

Kai

It was the weekend again, and despite Ash promising we’d discuss my suggestion about becoming exclusive, we still hadn’t sat down and talked. Each time I’d tried to bring it up, Ash found a way to avoid it. If it was offering to suck me off or saying he was too tired, both ways worked. Something was bothering him, and I mean something other than the usual trial concerns. Having had enough of it, I finally came up with a plan that would leave Ash with nowhere to escape.

With the guys out of the house for the entire weekend, we had the place all to ourselves. It was a rare occasion that happened once in a blue moon, and I’d planned to take full advantage of it. Ashy thought we were having Mel over for dinner; little did he know that I’d canceled on his mom and, instead, got us a sexy picnic basket filled with his favorites for an even sexier dinner we’d have on the beach.

“Why isn’t the table set?” he naively asked after he joined me in the kitchen. “My mom will probably be here soon—”

“Oh, she had to cancel,” I said, grabbing Ashy’s hand to pull him close before he could say something else. “Which is a good thing because my dinner plans are meant for two.” I lifted the picnic basket with my free hand, enjoying the annoyance growing on his face.

“You blew my mom off?” He frowned.