by KT Shears
‘That total prick,’ Asher said, clicking on the link. Felipe had come over to stand behind him.
‘Is that him?’ he asked, pointing over Asher’s shoulder.
Asher nodded as he read the caption.
‘Yeah.’ He looked at Shay Donnelly’s smug face and then closed the laptop down.
‘I’m nothing like that prick,’ he said, furiously. ‘How can she think that?’
‘Woah, man,’ Felipe said. ‘She probably not thinking straight if he broke her heart, huh?’
Asher didn’t reply for a second, and then stood up.
‘Fucking hell, Felipe. I’m a total mess. I told her I loved her on the phone. I didn’t even mean to.’
Felipe let out a whistle.
‘And do you?’
‘No,’ Asher said, but he knew he had replied too quickly.
Felipe laughed uproariously.
‘You are worst liar ever, man,’ he said, and took another glug of champagne.
***
Time was going so slowly, Ava wondered if she had fallen into some sort of Stat Trek-esque wormhole. Surely this wasn’t normal. She picked up her phone and dialled Elise’s number.
‘Is Felipe back yet?’ she asked, when Elise answered.
‘He just texted me,’ Elise told her. ‘They just landed so he won’t be long. Are you nervous about seeing Asher?’
‘Incredibly,’ Ava said. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’
‘You’re following your heart,’ Elise said, simply.
After they hung up, Ava checked her hair and make-up in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time. She wandered about the apartment, rearranging cushions on the sofa, and moving things on her desk around. She turned on the television and flicked through the channels, and then turned it off again.
She had been thinking about what he had said on the phone the other night, but had convinced herself she had misheard. And even if he had said it, he obviously didn’t mean it. Not at all.
There was a knock at the door. Her heart thumping, she went across the room and opened it.
Asher was standing there, holding a bunch of flowers. They were beautiful – Irises were her favourite. She hadn’t ever told him that, so he must have guessed. He was beautiful too – unshaven, and his hair slightly damp, he smelled like he had just come straight from the shower. The happiness she felt at seeing him drowned out any thought of telling him off for the flowers – he clearly hadn’t been listening when she’d told him the rules of their ‘relationship’. But then, what they had seemed to be shifting from what they had agreed.
‘Wow, these are beautiful,’ she said, taking the flowers he held out. She hovered for a second, wondering if she should kiss him, but he took the decision-making away. Bending down, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed them gently, his tongue just lightly skirting her lips.
‘Not as beautiful as you,’ he said, and laughed as Ava rolled her eyes at him.
‘That is totally corny. I bet you use that on all the girls.’
‘Well, yeah. But I only mean it with you,’ he said, sounding slightly apologetic.
Ava laughed, standing back and letting him enter the apartment. He followed her as she went into the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers.
‘How was your flight?’
‘Awful,’ Asher said, coming up behind her and running his hands over her shoulders and upper back. She shivered at the sensation and found it difficult to concentrate on filling the vase with water.
‘How come?’
‘Felipe sat beside me the whole way talking non-stop. For 24 hours. I think he broke some kind of world record.’
Ava laughed and then gasped slightly as she felt Asher’s lips on her neck. When he flicked out his tongue and caught her earlobe, she dropped the vase in the sink, and water splashed all up her front.
‘Look what you’ve done,’ she said reprovingly, but Asher whipped her round to face him.
‘I like you wet,’ he whispered, and lowered his head to kiss her.
Ava had to admit, being sopping wet and pressed against Asher was pretty arousing. Within a few seconds of kissing, her hands started roaming over his body, tracing his tight muscles through his t-shirt. She could feel him hard beneath his jeans as he pressed her against the kitchen cabinets, and she moaned as he dipped a hand inside her top and bra and gently tweaked one of her nipples.
‘Did you miss me?’ he murmured into her ear, as he rolled her nipple gently between his fingers.
Ava nodded, her own hands moving downwards to slip inside the waistband of his jeans.
‘So much,’ she said, arching her back to press herself against him.
‘I missed you,’ Asher said, and groaned slightly as Ava’s hand grazed the tip of his cock. ‘I miss your hands touching me like this. You drive me crazy.’
Ava gasped as Asher suddenly lifted her onto the kitchen table, so she was sitting, her legs swinging.
‘Do you want it fast or slow?’ he asked, his lips touching Ava’s ear.
‘Fast.’ Ava had waited long enough for this.
In an instant, Asher had whipped off the shorts she was wearing, and her underwear with them, too. He pulled his jeans and boxers down, not even bothering to take them off properly. He started to unwrap a condom he held in his hand but Ava held out a hand.
‘I’m on the pill,’ she said.
‘Are you sure?’ Asher’s voice sounded strained.
Ava wrapped her legs round him to pull him closer. She heard the condom drop to the floor.
‘Fuck,’ Asher said, and she felt the tip of him graze her wetness. ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to last.’
‘I don’t care.’
Ava felt Asher push inside her, and he let out a loud moan as he slid inside. Ava’s body tensed around him. It felt good to have him inside her, with no barrier between them.
‘Jesus Christ.’ Asher was breathing heavily. ‘This feels fucking amazing. I’m scared to move in case I come.’
‘I don’t care if you do.’ Ava starting moving her hips slightly, and Asher gripped onto her.
‘Seriously,’ he said, gasping. ‘I’m trying so hard not to.’
Ava wiggled so her clit was rubbing against the base of his penis. She knew she would’t take long either. As she rubbed herself, Asher’s breathing became ragged.
‘Fuck Ava, I’m going to come.’
‘Just hold on,’ she said, rubbing herself harder and harder. She felt Asher’s cock throbbing and heard his strained breathing. Then she felt the waves of her orgasm beginning to hit.
‘I’m coming,’ she said, moaning. Asher suddenly thrust inside her, as deep as he could. He shouted her name and she felt his hot seed spilling inside her. Her own orgasm was intense and she moaned and thrashed. Asher kept pumping into her, groaning loudly and burying his face in her neck.
As the aftershocks of her orgasm throbbed, she felt Asher kiss her neck gently. She lifted her hand to his face and stroked his stubble.
‘That was amazing,’ Asher said, and he gently withdrew himself from inside her. ‘Honestly, it was incredible. I’ve never felt…like that before.’
Ava hadn’t either. It had never felt as good as that with Shay, and they hadn’t used contraception for most of their relationship. She’d had to get tested after to make sure he hadn’t given her any nasties.
‘Me neither,’ she said. Her thighs were damp with him, and she quite enjoyed the sensation.
‘I really did miss you, you know,’ Asher said, suddenly, looking at her. ‘Not just the sex, although, yeah, I missed that. But I missed just seeing you. Do you know what I mean? I’m not explaining it very well.’
Ava smiled at him and kissed him gently on the nose.
‘I do know what you mean,’ she said. ‘I missed you too. I really tried not to, but I did.’
Chapter fifteen
Asher felt like he was on cloud nine. He’d spent the last couple of weeks seeing Ava and staying over
– and she was letting ghim spend the whole night, too. No kicking him out, or blowing hot and cold on him. She hadn’t mentioned the L-word thing, and he hoped maybe she had forgotten all about it. Maybe she had already hung up before he said it, anyway. It amazed him how the more they slept together, the more he wanted her. And he didn’t just want her body – he loved just watching TV with her, eating the delicious meals she had started cooking for him after training, just snugging together on the sofa.
‘Hey man, anyone in there?’ Felipe prodded Asher on the shoulder.
‘What?’
‘You thinking of your girl eh?’ Felipe asked, laughing.
Asher shrugged, grinning.
‘Maybe a bit.’ He didn’t know if Ava was really his girl, but he sure liked to think of her like that. They hadn’t had that discussion yet – and he didn’t want to be the one to broach it and scare her off.
‘You should have her come to Monaco race, yes? As your girlfriend. Elise is coming.’
‘I dunno, man. It might be a bit heavy for her.’ Asher thought of what Felipe had told him about that bastard of a hockey player, Shay Donnelly. He didn’t want Ava to put walls up again.
Felipe shrugged.
‘You should ask,’ he said, walking away and leaving Asher standing in the garage beside his car.
Asher knew he was right. The thought of Ava watching him race made his heart sing. He felt with her there, he could do anything. It was still a month away – he had Germany to go first – but he should ask her.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. The number was unfamiliar, and he answered, warily.
‘Asher?’
The voice was familiar but he couldn’t quite place it.
‘Yeah, who’s this?’
‘It’s Flick…Felicity. Devlin’s wife.’
‘Flick! Of course, sorry. How are you?’ Asher was surprised – she was the last person he expected to hear from.
‘I hope you don’t mind me calling,’ she said. ‘I found your number in the house.’
‘It’s fine, Flick. Really. What can I do for you?’
‘Do you know where Devlin is? I need to talk to him about stuff and I can’t get hold of him. It’s like he hasn’t been at the house in weeks.’
Asher felt sick suddenly. Shit, no one had told Flick about Devlin.
‘Um.’ He didn’t know what to say. ‘Look, Flick. I’m sorry, I should have called you at the time, but stuff was really crazy…’
‘What’s happened?’ She sounded concerned.
‘He’s in rehab, Flick. He was drinking and then it all came to a head one night and I had to go pick him up from the floor of a nightclub. He was a mess.’
He heard Felicity gasp down the line.
‘Rehab? Oh my God.’
‘Look, are you in Monaco still? Do you want to meet? It’s hard to explain over the phone.’
‘Come to the house,’ she said, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. ‘I’ll be here.’
‘I’m on my way,’ Asher said, and hung up, feeling terrible. How could he have forgotten to tell Flick? Separated or not, she had a right to know.
When he arrived at the house, Flick was waiting at the door. Her lovely face was streaked with tears, and she smiled weakly at him as he came up the drive. He took her in his arms and hugged her. When would Devlin stop causing her pain?
‘How are you, Flick?’
She shrugged, turning to lead him inside the house. It was lavishly decorated inside – Asher was sure Devlin hadn’t been involved one bit. The place screamed Felicity.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, sitting on a large sofa and indicating to Asher that he should do likewise. ‘I feel like I’m just floating, and have no idea where I should be going.’
Asher wasn’t sure what he should say to this. From the limited conversations he had had with Flick, he had never really pegged her as someone who had deep thoughts like this. He realised, with a sudden pang, that he had also never really bothered to properly speak to her.
‘I’m really sorry I didn’t call you about Devlin,’ he said, finally.
‘It’s okay.’ She waved a hand. ‘I know it wasn’t unkindly meant. But I don’t know how I feel about it all. Tell me what happened.’
Asher relayed the tale of what had happened at the Cinnamon Club. He saw Flick’s face reflect back his own feelings on that night – the surprise, the horror, and then the relief, as she realised rehab was really the best place for her husband, estranged or otherwise.
‘I think he’d love to hear from you,’ Asher said, at last. He wasn’t entirely sure this was the case, but he thought Devlin needed someone – and he certainly wasn’t willing or able to take on some role as his brother’s confidante.
‘He hurt me, Asher.’ Flick’s voice was steady but Asher could see the tears in her eyes. ‘The drinking, the women… Did he tell you about the baby?’
Asher looked at her, puzzled.
‘Whose baby?’
‘Ours.’ A tear trickled down Flick’s face and she wiped it away hastily. ‘I had a miscarriage about 18 months ago.’
Asher didn’t have a clue what to say. What could you say to something like this? He reached over and took her hand.
‘Oh God, Flick. I’m really sorry. Devlin never said…’
‘I couldn’t get hold of him,’ Flick said, the words turning into a sob. ‘He was off God knows where, with God knows who, and I couldn’t get through to him. I needed him, it was the only time I’d ever really needed him, and he wasn’t there.’
Asher shook his head, his anger at Devlin rising up again. He had known his brother had treated her bad, but this? This was unbelievable.
‘And then when he did find out, and came to the hospital, he was drunk. I should have known it was over then. It just went downhill from then. He was so angry all the time. I wanted to grieve for the baby but he told me I was being stupid.’
Asher thought of Devlin sitting, snivelling on the floor in the nightclub, like a child. Surely he couldn’t be completely heartless. He wondered if the drinking had been to help him forget the pain of losing a child.
‘Talk to him, Flick. I know he’s treated you badly, but at least talk to him and get some closure.’
She nodded, smiling through her tears.
‘Thanks, Asher.’ They were silent for a second. ‘Who’s Ava?’ she asked, suddenly.
Asher was surprised, then realised he had mentioned her when he was telling Flick what had happened to Devlin. It was a simply question, he knew, but who was she? For some reason, calling her his girlfriend made him uncomfortable – like she was going to appear from behind the sofa with an alarm blaring.
‘A girl I’ve been seeing,’ he said, carefully.
Flick looked at him intently, and he got the feeling his thoughts were plain on his face.
‘I see,’ she said, thoughtfully. After a second, she got to her feet. ‘I’ve probably taken up way too much of your day already. Thank you so much for coming over.’
Asher stood up too, glad he was about to escape. Flick was nice enough, but he felt weird being in this house and talking to her, when Devlin was in rehab. And the baby stuff had been tough to hear.
‘Call him, Flick,’ he said, as she led him to the door. ‘And let me know how it goes.’
Flick smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
‘I will. Thank you. And safe driving.’
Then the door closed and she was gone.
Chapter sixteen
Ava hummed happily as she plumped up the pillows on the sofa. She checked her watch; Asher would be here soon. She still wasn’t sure what was going on between them. They saw each other most nights, and she loved being with him, but he hadn’t broached the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to. She was still feeling pretty wary about the whole thing.
The doorbell rang, jerking her from her thoughts. She frowned and checked her watch again. Asher was ear
ly, which was unusual. She skipped across to the door and opened it.
‘You’re early,’ she said, and then stopped, staring at the man standing on her doorstep.
It was Shay Donnelly.
Her heart pounded and she felt sick. She’d had dreams – or had they been nightmares? – like this before, and she was sure she had fallen asleep on the sofa. Or perhaps she was hallucinating. She reached out a hand and prodded the dream Shay.
‘Um, Ava?’
Oh crap. He was real. What the hell was he doing here? She couldn’t even think straight; she felt like she was about to faint.
‘What are you doing here?’ She managed to croak the words out.
‘I’ve come to see you,’ Shay said, sounding as though this should be patently obvious. ‘Can I come in?’
Ava nodded, and then instantly regretted it. She didn’t want Shay Donnelly in her house. She didn’t want him in her life anymore. Seeing him brought back all the horrible memories she had spent the last year of her life trying to forget. She swung the door shut and stood, hands on hips, suddenly starting to feel angry.
‘What the hell, Shay? Is this some kind of sick joke?’
He looked puzzled.
‘What? Why would it be a joke? I need to speak to you.’
Ava threw up her hands in disbelief.
‘And you couldn’t pick up the phone, write an e-mail, send a text, hell, rent a plane and draw a message in the sky? This was the only way you could think of to relay whatever clearly vital message you have for me?’
Shay shook his head.
‘It was too important to write or call.’
He crossed the room and took hold of Ava’s hands. She was so shocked, she just stood there, letting him guide her onto the sofa and sit her down.
‘I miss you, Ava. I miss you like I never thought possible.’
Ava laughed. Now this had to be a joke.
‘Are you crazy? You miss me? Did you miss me when you were banging those sluts every time you went to an away game?’
‘That was a mistake, Ava. I realise that now – that’s not who I am now. I was stupid and I lost the only woman I’ve ever loved.’
