Free The Invitation by Roxy Sloane Page A

my mind
all week, ever since it finally hit me that tonight’s my last
chance with him. Come tomorrow, Ash will be heading back to England
for the summer, and I’ll be working 24/7 trying to prove myself at
the new firm. No more late-night study sessions in the library, or
early-morning greasy pancakes at the diner down the street.
    No more us .
    All the reasons against making a move have
suddenly disappeared into thin air, and there’s no ignoring it
anymore.
    I want him so much I could scream.
    I look back. Ash gives me one of those
panty-melting grins, and I feel a shot of lust go straight between
my thighs. I shift in my seat, already damp through my good-luck
black lace panties.
    He doesn’t know what I’ve got planned for
him yet.
    There’s a beat, then Ash gets up and comes
to slide into the seat right beside me. “You know, JJ, there’s a
1996 cabernet still on the table,” he points out, greeting me with
the nickname only he uses.
    “I’ll take my Bud, thanks.”
    “Philistine,” he teases, his blue eyes
flashing.
    “Rich snob,” I shoot back with a grin. This
is our thing. He’s been trying to school me in fancy wines since
the night we first met, but I’m happy with beer or whiskey. I
decided a long time ago I wasn’t going to waste time pretending to
be someone I’m not.
    “So how does it feel, Miss Future Big-Shot
Lawyer?” Ash asks, lounging back in his seat.
    “Fucking fantastic,” I grin. “My mom is so
proud, she managed to get time off work to come up for
graduation.”
    “That’s great.” Ash replies. “My dad just
left me a voicemail. ‘I hope now that your foolish vacation is
over, you’ll be returning to take care of your duties,’” he mimics
in an upper-crust tone.
    I give his arm a sympathetic squeeze -- and
try not to get distracted by the feel of his bicep. “Like an MBA is
a vacation,” I snort.
    “To my family, it’s like I ran off to join
the circus.” Ash sighs, looking downcast.
    He comes from a rich, aristocratic family in
England, the kind that has estates and companies and is in line to
inherit the throne. If a freak accident wipes out half the royal
family, that is. Other guys would be lording it up around campus
with a background like that, but Ash keeps it under wraps. He’s
under a ton of pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps, when
really he wants to strike out on his own.
    I grew up in a two-room apartment above a
Chinese takeout place, not a castle, but I know how he feels,
wanting to break free from the past. It’s one of the reasons we
understand each other so well.
    “Enough pouting -- not that you don’t have
the cutest little pout,” I add, squeezing his lips together like
I’m petting a baby.
    He laughs, batting my hand away. “Watch it,
woman.”
    “Make me.” I laugh.
    He grabs my wrist. Our eyes catch. Damn . Heat rushes through me at his firm grip, and I swear,
I see the glitter of desire in his eyes. Or maybe it’s just wishful
thinking, because Ash sounds totally casual as he releases me and
gets to his feet.
    “What do you say we blow this joint? The
night is young.”
    “I’m with you,” I say, reaching for my
purse.
    I want him so bad.

TWO
    ASH
    Fuck, she looks good tonight.
    Not that JJ doesn’t always look good, but
tonight she’s gone from smoking hot to burn-the-roof-down sexy. Her
dirty blonde hair is tousled, her brown eyes are filled with
mischief, and she’s wearing this little black dress that makes me
want to eat her alive -- starting between those creamy thighs.
    I hold the door open for her on the way into
the bar. For the millionth time, I wish I could travel back in time
to the night we first met. I should have ditched the dumb date I
was with, taken JJ home and spent the next seventy-two hours in bed
pushing that lush body to the limits until she was begging for
mercy.
    Instead, I took the sucker’s way out. I made
a pact I’ve regretted every damn day for the last two years.
    Just friends?