Resemblance Read online

  She writhed beneath him. “That’s it, baby. It feels so….”

  He slipped his hands beneath her, gripped her ass as he tasted her juices, swirled his tongue around the sensitive nub and pushed her closer and closer to the edge. Pleasure built, and she couldn’t stand it any longer. He started back up the length of her body, once again possessing her mouth.

  He ended the kiss. Ashley stared up at him. Desire burned in his eyes, and something…else. Something she couldn’t name.

  Nick brushed his lips against hers, and said, “If you want me to stop now, say so, because if we go any further there’ll be no turning back; and once we become one, you’ll belong to me.”

  “I don’t want you to stop, Nick. I don’t think I could stand it if you did.” She kissed him. “Nick, don’t make me wait any longer! I need you inside me now; make me yours.”

  “I need you, too, Ash, more than I thought I did.”

  His manhood pressed against her. She tried to pull him inside her, but he wouldn’t allow it just yet. Claiming her mouth for another drugging kiss, Nick entered her.

  She gasped, and he froze.

  “Ash, honey, did I hurt you?” he asked, concern evident in his voice and in his eyes.

  Quick to reassure him, she shook her head and wrapped her legs tightly around his hips, showing him the only way she knew how. Nick got the hint and impaled himself inside her.

  “Oh, God, Ash, this feels so right; we fit so perfectly together!” he whispered, voice filled with wonder. It had never felt this good with any other woman, not even his ex-fiancée. All thoughts of the past washed away as he thrust deeply inside Ashley, building new beginnings and new memories for the both of them.

  The age-old mating ritual took hold of their bodies. They moved perfectly in time together, as if Mozart himself directed them. Nick couldn’t wait any longer; he teetered just on the edge, holding out to make it last. He reached between them and stroked her sensitive bud, bringing her to a shattering climax that triggered his own. Weak as a newborn baby, vulnerable and exposed, but also so right. Using his arms to support his weight, he stared down at the woman he vowed to make his wife. Unable to resist, Nicholas lowered his mouth to hers.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he kissed her.

  “Yes.” Ashley frowned and stroked the side of his face. “What’s wrong, Nicky?”

  Nicholas had never liked being called Nicky, but coming from her lips it sounded wonderful. Her stroking distracted him. Hell, he couldn’t remember what he’d been thinking about at all. Still joined, Ashley shifted slightly, and a shiver of pure ecstasy coursed through his body. He moaned.

  “Honey, don’t move like that,” Nicholas commanded through gritted teeth.

  “Why not?” she responded innocently.

  Nicholas hardened again and began to withdraw from her, but Ashley ground her hips and pulled him deeper into her warmth.

  He was lost.

  This time their lovemaking proved slow and thorough. Each gave themselves completely, absolutely nothing held back. They both whispered love words, telling each other how they felt, how special the feelings they shared were. There would never be another woman in his life that he would love as much as he loved Ashley. He’d tried to fight it, tried to ignore it, but to no avail. He knew she loved him in return—hell, she’d practically yelled it to him with her first climax!—the proof of it the way she responded to him, and most importantly, from the love shining in her eyes.

  “Love me, Ash,” he whispered against her ear and began to move within her.

  She met him thrust for thrust, Nicholas determined to go slow. Ashley had other plans, and his body agreed. They reached their release one more time. Sated and satisfied, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, still as one.

  Chapter Eight

  Ashley awoke, stretched, and stifled a groan. Her body was sore in places she’d never known existed. She sat on the side of the bed and prepared to rise. Nick’s hand wrapped around her wrist.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his voice still groggy with sleep.

  She grinned. “I thought I’d take a shower and prepare breakfast.”

  “I’ll do it, you need your rest.”

  Ashley smiled and gazed down at him, seeing his eyes were still shut. After making love, they were almost dead to the world, although her son pierced her slumber. Nick had told her to stay put and looked after her bawling boy. His attention to her son made Ashley love Nick all the more.

  “No, you stay and rest a bit. I think you earned it,” Ashley said cheekily. She kissed his forehead and headed for a shower.

  Freshly cleaned, Ashley went downstairs and checked the pantry. She found everything she needed to make some homemade blueberry pancakes and settled deep into her task.

  The phone rang. She answered it, not wanting it to awaken Nick or Marcus.

  “Ashley, hi, it’s me, Nicole.”

  “Hi, honey is something wrong?” she asked, hearing the anxiousness in her niece’s voice.

  “I’m calling because you just received a certified letter.”

  A sinking feeling hit Ashley. Nicole would only call if it were important. Almost afraid to ask who the letter was from, Ashley, for some unexplainable reason, believed that she already knew the answer.

  “It’s from an attorney representing Mrs. Remington.”

  Ashley’s hands shook. She gripped the phone trying desperately to stop them from shaking. “Tell me what it says.”

  Nicole gave her a brief overview.

  “Once I get rid of Jack I’ll be right over to bring it to you.”

  Ashley gave Nicole directions to Nick’s house. Her hands shook so bad she could barely hang up the phone.

  Nick waited until Ashley had hung up the phone before he called Jack on his cell phone. Remington—he said the name over and over in his mind. Why does that name sound so familiar? He waited for Jack to answer.

  “Hey look, Nicole just received a letter for Ashley from someone named Remington. For some reason the name sounds familiar. I believe Nicole’s going to try and ditch you. Offer to give her a lift here. If you have to, just tell Nicole that I know about the letter and that you’ll bring her here. I’ll call Mom and ask her to come over too. Could you call the twins?” Nicholas asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll take care of that, and don’t worry. I’ll bring Nicole with me even if I have to bring her screaming and kicking.”

  “Okay, I have to go. Ash needs me. I’m sure she’s scared out of her mind.” Nick quickly hung up, grabbed his robe, and raced down the stairs. He found Ashley out on the patio in a ball on one of the lounge chairs crying. He scooped her up into his arms.

  “Hush, honey, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of everything,” he promised.

  “You don’t understand,” she cried. “She’s going to try and take him away from me,” she said between sobs.

  “No,” he said, taking her face into his hands. “Look at me, Ash.” When she complied he kissed her tears away. “We’ll fight this together. No one, and I repeat, no one is going to take Marcus away from us.”

  Leaning back, she looked up at him and frowned. “How do you know what’s going on?”

  Nicholas looked sheepish. “When the phone rang I picked it up. When I heard your voice I was about to hang up, but there was something in Nicole’s voice that stopped me. I wasn’t going to eavesdrop, but—”

  “But you did.” She pushed off his lap. “Just because we slept together, it doesn’t give you the right to listen in on my calls,” she fumed.

  “Ashley, you know that’s not what happened. Would you have told me about it when Nicole got here?” he said.

  She hesitated, giving him his answer.

  “Look, let’s get one thing straight right here and right now. There will be no secrets between us. From this moment forward we’ll tell each other everything. Is that clear?” he demanded, voice raised.

  “You don’t
have to shout, Nicholas. Besides, what does it matter?” Ashley shrugged.

  “What in the hell do you mean what does it matter? It matters a hell of lot to me, and I should hope that it would mean a lot to you. What did you think last night was, the beginning of just a booty call every now and then?” Before she could respond, he continued on, “What you had better realize is that what happened between us last night was not something cheap.”

  “I know it wasn’t—”

  “I told you last night that if we went all the way you would belong to me. I wasn’t just talking about last night.”

  “Then what were you talking about, Nicholas?” Her soft-spoken question appeared to break through his haze of anger. Ashley held her breath and waited for his answer.

  Nicholas slowly turned to face her. “Forever.”

  That one word gave her the strength to trust him to help her and Marcus.

  “Oh, Nicky!” She threw herself against his chest.

  Nicholas wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

  “I’ll go and take a shower while you finish breakfast. I told Jack to bring Nicole here and to contact the twins. I’ll call my mom.”

  “Why your mom?” she questioned, frowning.

  “For one, I think it’s time you met her, and secondly, I think she may know something about the Remingtons. For some reason that name sounds too familiar. I just can’t place my finger on it, but maybe my mom can.”

  “I’d better call Nicole and tell her to come peacefully, otherwise she’ll give Jack hell.”

  Nicholas stopped her before she reached the phone. “Let her. It’s about time somebody did.”

  Jack and Nicole arrived before the others. Ashley had gone upstairs to put Marcus down for his nap. Nicole came in, and he asked for the letter.

  “Ashley should see it first.”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “Look Nicole, give me the letter, okay? Jack and I will go over it while you go and get Ashley and bring her down here.” Nicole still hesitated. “Look, either you give it to me, or we’ll all just wait until she comes back down.” Nicole slapped the letter into the palm of his hand.

  Nick told her which room Ashley would be in, and he and Jack headed for the study.

  “So, old grandma wants to take an interest in her grandson all of a sudden. I wonder why?” Jack said as he followed his brother into the study.

  “You know, that’s a good question.”

  Jack chuckled. “Yeah I knew it was when I told the twins to look into it.”

  “Now I know why you were such a damned good detective.”

  Jack stopped laughing and glared at his brother. “All right, you smart ass.”

  “Watch your language, young man.”

  Nicholas and Jack whirled around at the sound of their mother’s voice. Saundra Maxwell stood in the doorway and stared at her two eldest sons, still a strikingly beautiful woman even at the age of fifty-five. Her skin tone, lighter than her son’s, attested that Nicholas had received his dark coloring from his father. With her salt-and-pepper hair cut low and stylish, Saundra always said she’d kept her hair the same way due to raising four boys and never having enough time to worry about it. And with raising four boys, she had to keep herself in shape. To this day she ran at least four miles each morning.

  “What are the two of you waiting for?”

  Walking over, they both bent down and gave her the expected kiss on the cheek.

  “Now that’s better. Nicholas, since you called this party, why don’t you tell me all about what’s going on?”

  “Mom, do you know anyone by the name of Mary Remington?”

  A look of pain crossed Saundra’s face.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” Nick asked, helping her to a chair.

  “Why do you ask about her?”

  Nick handed his mother the letter.

  “Who is Ashley?” Saundra asked.

  Nick knelt next to his mother. “Ashley is someone that is very special to me, and I’m going to do everything in my power to protect her and Marcus.”

  “You love her, don’t you?” Saundra whispered.

  “Yes, Mom, I do. With all my heart.”

  With a deep sigh, Saundra answered his question. “Mary Remington is your grandmother.”

  Nick felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. He staggered to his feet, his mind reeling. Now he knew why the name sounded so familiar. He remembered his mother taking him to his father’s gravesite. The tombstone read: Nicholas Remington. His mother had said he’d gotten all his looks from his father’s side of the family. Lost in thought, he jumped at his mother’s voice bringing him back to the present.

  “Peter Remington is your cousin.”

  “What?” Ashley stood in the doorway, a stricken look on her face. “He’s your cousin?” she asked in a small voice.

  Nick immediately walked over to her. “Honey, I didn’t know. I promise you I had no idea that I was related to that bastard.”

  Ashley frowned. “Nicky, watch your language in front of your mother.”

  He couldn’t believe she’d chastised him! He looked down into her smiling face. Ashley reached up and cupped the side of his. “Nicky, I know you didn’t know. I was just surprised. You two are so totally different. It’s just hard to believe that you’re related to that slime-ball.”

  A great weight lifted off of his shoulders. Unable to stop himself, he claimed her mouth. The clearing of his brother’s throat reminded him that they were not alone.

  “Sorry, I forgot.” Taking Ashley’s hand, he walked her over to his mother. “Mom, I’d like for you to meet Ashley Miller. Ashley, my mom, Saundra Maxwell.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Maxwell.”

  Saundra smiled at the beautiful young black woman standing before her. “Oh, please call me Mom. It only seems fitting since you’re one of the family now.”

  Ashley smiled.

  Jack walked over, took Nicole’s hand, and pulled her to where his mother sat. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Nicole Miller. She’s Ashley’s niece.”

  Saundra looked from Jack to Nicole. Nick caught the look in his mother’s eye and started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Ashley asked.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later.”

  Sounds of the front door opening alerted him to the twins’ arrival. The two blonds walked into the room.

  “You two will be late to your own weddings,” Saundra said.

  “Mom, we keep telling you that we’re not getting married.” Sean bent down and gave her a kiss.

  “Whatever, you two. The right woman will come along and sweep you off your feet. Just ask your brothers.”

  Nick smiled, Jack frowned, and Nick imagined Jack’s thoughts of telling his mom to just cool her comments about him and Nicole for now, just until Nicole was ready to accept their relationship.

  Sean and Patrick looked from Jack to Nick as if knowing something was going on. As always, they knew to wait until they were all alone to voice any questions.

  Nick brought Sean and Patrick up to speed on everything that was going on.

  “Man, this cousin of yours is a real piece of work,” Sean stated.

  “What did you two find out?” Nick asked and pulled Ashley into the protection of his arms.

  “Well, as of last night, Mr. Remington is recuperating in the hospital as a result of his actions. I found out he apparently had a party where he slipped some type of drug into a young girl’s drink, had his way with her. The stuff would put a person in a semi-comatose state, where they would know what was going on but they couldn’t do anything about it,” Sean reported.

  “They couldn’t fight?” Jack asked.

  “No, you can’t,” Ashley whispered. “You’re wide awake and you feel the weight of his body on top of you, you feel as if you can’t breathe and at any moment you’ll suffocate. Then you start to wish that you would do just that.” Everyone turned at the sound of her voice.

  “Hush,
honey it’s over. You don’t ever have to think about that again.”

  “Is that what happened to you?” Saundra asked as she walked over and stood in front of Ashley.

  Ashley nodded, and Saundra wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

  Tears flowed down Ashley’s face. Once everyone had their emotions under control, Nicole asked the question that everyone had possibly been thinking.

  “Whatever happened to the girl?”

  Patrick answered the question. “The next day she was found wandering around town and was admitted to the hospital. After a while she appeared to have gotten better. Well, a couple of months went by, and she went to her parents and told them she was pregnant. Her parents turned their backs on her, and the police think that that’s what caused her to snap. She bought a gun, followed Peter to one of his hangouts, and shot him in the back when he tried to run away from her, then turned the gun on herself.”

  “Shame she didn’t kill him,” Jack sniped.

  “Mr. Remington is apparently paralyzed from the waist down and is confined to a wheelchair. Well, now, his grandmother knows that the hopes of him producing an heir to the Remington throne is shot to hell and is going to go after one of the illegitimate children he fathered. Or should I say may have fathered.”

  “Why do you say may have?” Nick asked, a thought forming that would be an uphill battle with Ash.

  “Word is that he’s had these little secret parties before and she’s paid the women off to go and have an abortion or just to live somewhere else. What Mrs. Remington is having her lawyer do, is go through the years and send the same type of letter to all the women that she’d written checks to, hoping the lure of money will bring them forward.”

  A sound came over the intercom from the baby’s room.

  “Uh-oh, it sounds like someone’s awake. He probably needs to be changed. I’ll bring him down in a moment.” Ashley headed for the stairs.