bChapter /bb196 /b

    36%

    Briar advanced toward Ashton, sessfully cornering the usually calm andposed Ashton against the door. Today, he wore a ck shirt that coincidentally matched the white one Briar had on–just in a different color. Her unintentional choice made it seem as though she had deliberately worn matching couple shirts to flirt with him.

    As Briar approached, Ashton’s rolled–up sleeves revealed his lean, muscr arms, the veins standing out as he tensed. Watching here closer, he offered a helpless warning, his ivoice /iilow/i: “Babe, don’t y with fire.”

    But his warning fell on deaf ears. Briar stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them to just a fist’s width. Confident it was still broad daylight and that Ashton wouldn’t dare to do anything, she adopted a sweet, innocent

    tone and teased, “Me? When have I ever flirted with you?”

    Ashton closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them again, the heat of desire still burned in his gaze. With her standing so close, he could smell the scent of Briar’s hair–a fragrance he was familiar with, but in that

    moment, it felt like gasoline thrown on the fire of his desire, making it nearly unbearable.

    Because Ashton was so close, he could see the way Briar’s chest rose and fell with every breath–the movement

    was alluring, yful, and utterly captivating. From this distance, he could appreciate every detail of her lovely face

    and those slightly parted, dangerously tempting lips. He had tasted those lips before–soft, sweet, and so

    addictive that he craved them endlessly.

    Typicallyposed Ashton found himselfpletely thrown off his game with the woman he loved standing so close. He struggled to maintain hisposure, his voice strained. “Babe, you can’t do this to me. You know I have things to take care ofter…”

    “Yeah, I am. What, you don’t like it?” Briar tilted her chin up in a yful challenge, her delicate jaw lifting as she closed the distance–her lips, which Ashton was obsessed with, now just a breath away from his. There was a

    mischievous sparkle in Briar’s eyes; she was teasing him on purpose.

    Ashton was entirely at her mercy, all hisposure gone. “I like it. Babe, do whatever you want–I’m all yours.”

    With that, Briar grasped Ashton’s taut, veined arm, rose on her tiptoes, and leaned in. Just when Ashton thought Briar was about to kiss him boldly, she suddenly reached out and effortlessly took the fruit tter from his hand, holding the ss of milk just as steadily as he had. “Ashton, let me hold this for you,” she said, her eyes sparkling with yful mischief.

    Briar shed him a yful grin, released his arm, took a few steps back, and turned to walk away. However, she didn’t get very far, Ashton suddenly grabbed her arm–his grip just right, neither too tight nor too loose- preventing her from pulling away, yet the tter and the milk in her hand remained steady without spilling a drop.

    Ashton wrapped his arms around Briar from behind, pulling her tightly against his chest. He leaned down, his lips brushing her ear as he let out a low, husky chuckle–impossibly alluring. “Babe, you think you can just tease me and run? Do you even realize where you are right now? It is my bedroom. Where do you think you can escape to?”

    Briar’s body tensed for a brief moment before rxing again, but Ashton noticed it immediately. “Babe, I know

    13.25

    Aug

    36%

    you’re using this whole flirting thing to blow off some steam, but don’t you think it’s getting a bit out of hand?”

    The fruit tter found its way back into Ashton’s hands. With one arm holding the tter and the other wrapped around Briar, he led her over to the sofa. After cing the tter down on the low table, he gently lifted her onto hisp, facing him.

    Briar was wearing nothing but an oversized shirt. Seated this way, the shirt barely covered her, leaving her soft, delicate thighspletely exposed to Ashton’s eager gaze. The air was thick with heat and flirtation, as if waves of desire were rippling all around them.

    Briar’s heart raced–she began to panic, attempting to squirm out of Ashton’sp, but hisrge hand held her firmly at the waist. There was no escaping him.

    “What are you trying to escape from? Afraid I’ll consume you?” Ashton grinned as he observed Briar Jennings’s flustered and panicked expression. He purposefully tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed entirely together, leaving no space between them–every inch of her was against him.

    Briar’s eyes widened in shock–she couldn’t believe Ashton was being such a shameless tease, acting like aplete rogue. “You-” Her protest was abruptly silenced as he leaned in.

    Ashton gently grasped Briar’s chin and tilted her face up. Locking eyes with her stunned expression, he pressed his

    lips against hers. As their lips connected, he let out a low, contented sigh–it was just as intoxicating as always.

    The kiss was deep and fervent; Ashton’s movements drew out every shy response from Briar. In the quiet

    bedroom, only the soft sounds of their kisses and Briar’s gentle moans lingered in the air. When they finally broke

    apart, she felt entirely at ease, sinking into Ashton’s arms without resistance.

    Briar’s lips were now red, soft, and kissed–tinged, her cheeks vibrant with color, and her eyes shimmering with

    yful allure. She struggled to catch her breath as she shot him a fierce re. “Ashton, you’re just too much.”

    Ashton lounged back on the sofa, one arm wrapped securely around Briar’s waist to prevent her from slipping

    away, looking rxed andpletely satisfied. His deep eyes were half–closed, glowing with intensity. Just as Briar sensed the impending danger and attempted to escape, he murmured teasingly in a low voice, “Babe, are you going to tease and run? That’s a real heartbreaker move.”

    Briar was utterly speechless. ‘Seriously, who’s teasing who here?‘ she grumbled inwardly. ‘I’m the one who’s been kissed so hard. My legs are jelly and I can’t even sit up straight, and he still has the nerve to say that?‘ she fumed.

    Ashton offered her a knowing smile, embodying the essence of a charming gentleman. “Isn’t that right?”

    Briar’s angry expression froze, and all her righteous fury evaporated instantly. Her eyes darted around as she attempted to avoid the topic. “My clothes are ready. I’m going to change, so please let me go.”

    Ashton had already lured her into his bedroom–there was no way he would let her escape that easily, especially since she was the one who initiated all of this. “Take your time. Drink your milk first.” He took the ss of milk from the low table and brought it to Briar’s lips. “I added some honey to it.”

    36%

    Briar attempted to grasp the ss herself, but Ashton prevented her, insisting on feeding her instead. Eager to escape his hold, Briar gulped down the milk in one swift motion, not pausing for breath. Once finished, she looked up and met Ashton’s gaze. “I’m done.”

    ‘That should mean he’ll let me go now, right?‘ she thought hopefully.

    But the hungry look in Ashton’s eyes only intensified. “Babe, it seems you have some milk on your lips. Let me

    help with that.” To her surprise, he leaned in and captured her lips once more.

    “Ash-” Every bit of Briar’s resistance was swallowed up as Ashton dragged her right back into the endless sea of

    his passion, leaving her utterly powerless to escape. Briar widened her eyes in ast–ditch attempt to make Ashton back off, but he covered her eyes with his hand–and just like that, she surrendered, body and soul, all over again.

    AD