CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“You’re getting the hang of it,” said Jonathan, a twenty-six-year old ski instructor as he dug his boots into the snow on a man-made hill at Winter in Serenity. He had thick blonde hair, cute dimples, and emerald eyes that promised more than a bit of adventurous fun in and out bed. “You’ll be a pro soon enough.”
Ashley had wrapped herself in a heavy winter jacket and jeans, and a thick, wool cap. She closed the skis so that the blades in front of her feet formed a triangle.
“Did anyone ever say you look like that actress from that television show—”
“The horror show?” Ashley asked, trying not to be too obvious but shocked that yet another person recognized her. Perhaps Los Angelenos only acknowledged the biggest Hollywood stars, whereas outside of LA, others recognized second-tiered “celebrities.”
“Yeah,” he said with a full-throated chuckle. “I can’t stand that show.” He made his way over to her, pressing his chest against her back.
It made her realize how long it’d been since a man, other than Scott, had gotten this close to her, which added to her disappointment. Here she stood, bundled up for a skiing lesson, and she very much enjoyed the attention of a hot young guy who obviously found her attractive, based on the thick bulge that pressed against her bottom. Yet, she had to pay him to get this close to her. How pathetic!
“That actress has a great smile,” he said. “That’s why you remind me of her.”
Ashley didn’t know how to respond to that. She didn’t want to lie. “That’s… well, getting back to skiing. When I get to the bottom of the hill, what do I do?”
“You’ll want to do this.” Looking at her askance while placing his hands on her hips, he didn’t finish his instruction but instead said, “You’ll walk back to the ski lift, get a lift, and make your way back here. I’ll be waiting to meet you for some coffee.” He revealed a smile that should have graced billboards.
Given that his eyes strayed to every woman within walking distance, she doubted that he’d be interested in a monogamous relationship. But she appreciated the attention, especially from a younger man.
Within moments, Ashley’s attention once more diverted to Scott. Something about him held sway over her. Maybe it was the way he sang and commanded the audience, or maybe it was because he looked incredibly hot while playing guitar. But more than anything, they had a connection, and based on the time they’d spent together lately, that magnetic pull hadn’t dissipated. If anything, the time away from each other strengthened that unspoken bond.
Fifteen years may have passed, but he still had that same confident presence that made her skin tingle whenever he stood near and made her hyper-aware of everything he said and did. It didn’t hurt that those gloriously ripped abs were strung as tight as the strings on his guitar. In fact, his chest and arms looked as tightly coiled as a tiger ready to pounce on its prey. And despite trying to do otherwise, Ashley couldn’t help but wish that Scott would pounce on her.
Of course, she couldn’t get over that. In an age when half of all married couples broke up, she’d actually met a man who refused to let her go. Granted, they’d never gotten married, but barring misinterpretations, she would have married him whether they eloped in Las Vegas or if they’d prepared a grand wedding with hundreds of guests. How they tied the knot wouldn’t have mattered, only that they’d inextricably linked their futures. But since that didn’t happen…
“What do you say?” Jonathan asked with an egotistical grin. “Once you get off… the ski lift, want to meet me for coffee?”
“She’s not into that sort of thing.”
The voice startled Ashley. She turned to find Scott Mettle making his way toward her as one ski-bladed foot after another clomped into the snow. As ridiculous as it seemed, even without wearing shining armor, she envisioned him as her white knight coming to save her from another man who had no interest in a long-term commitment. And she couldn’t help but hope that Scott had become the man she’d seen flashes of so many years ago: honest, sincere, loving.
With a severe frown on his face, Scott met Jonathan’s gaze, challenging him to hit on Ashley once more.
“Are you in my Noon group?” asked Jonathan with a scowl, letting it be known that he disapproved of the interruption. “Because that’s like forty-five minutes from now.”
“And I’m forty-five seconds from knocking you into tomorrow. So get your hands off her or they’ll soon be touching the bruises that’ll wind up on your face.” For a fraction of a second, Scott looked shocked to hear the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. But afterwards, based on the intense expression on his face, he appeared ready to back up his threat.
“What?” Jonathan asked with an uncertain grin.
“Lesson’s over. She’s not interested. She’s coming with me.”
“Is that right?” Jonathan stammered, indicating that he didn’t know what he might get himself into.
“You look like a semi-smart guy,” Scott said. “Emphasis on semi because if you were smart you would have walked away the moment I said, ‘She’s not interested.’”
Ashley felt conflicted by Scott’s response. On the one hand, she was touched that he cared enough to claim ownership over her. But at the same time, it pissed her off that Scott, who’d only seen her a few times lately, felt he could dictate her romantic life. And given that last aspect, she wanted to find out his intentions.
“I’m coming with you?” Ashley said, using the double entendre to make a point. “I don’t think I’ve ever come with you.” In truth, she hadn’t, but she’d imagined that she had countless times since the day they met.
Over the years, Ashley had spent so much time and energy trying to hate him for cheating on her, that it shocked her to think that, within a couple days of seeing him, she found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him once more, to feel those strong arms around her again to once more become a great couple.
“Hell yeah, you’re coming with me,” Scott said, looking offended that she thought otherwise.
“What makes you think I’d want to go with you?”
“Because that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You and me. For eternity.”
“Wait a minute,” she said, anger striking her tone as she came to a halt. “One minute you’re pushing me away, the next you’re pulling me toward you. What’s going on here?”
He searched her eyes. “You want the truth? Fine! Here it is: you scare me.”
Ashley looked skeptical.
“You know why? You were afraid then. And you’re still afraid.”
“Of what?”
“That someone could care for you. Love you. You haven’t changed.”
“And you have? I saw you checking out some woman during your set.”
“You don’t get it. That woman? That’s the only reason I love being on stage. She was feeling the music. She let herself go. Every concert, I look for at least one person I can reach out to. One person who makes me feel like we’re making a connection. Music is alive, Ashley. It moves us. It transforms us. It binds us. I was singing cover songs, for Christ’s sake, not my own music, and she was into it. It helped me deepen my performance, helped me give back to the audience.”
At a loss for words, Ashley kept her mouth shut.
Scott shook his head. “After all these years, I finally have the truth: that you were afraid of loving someone and getting hurt. So you hurt yourself… by believing a lie.”
She just stared at him, trying to determine if what he said could possibly be true.
“We could have had something great,” he said, looking her over, his expression softening. “We could have been forever.” He let his gaze fall to the ground. “But you gave up on us. And that means you never felt like we’d make it in the first place.”
“Are you kidding? That’s all I thought about. That’s all I hoped for. You were supposed to be the one.”
“And I was. I’m the one whose heart you broke.”
He stepped closer now, only inches separating them. “Make no mistake, Ashley. I was yours. Totally. Completely. Yours. And you made the decision for both of us. You got scared. You ran away!”
Overcome by the intensity of his words and his closeness, Ashley felt her body go slack, felt the words that she’d expected to say falter before they could escape her mouth. She just looked up at Scott, all but stunned into submission. He’d confessed his love, just as he’d done in song after song, and she couldn’t have expected more.
Still, for reasons that eluded her, she wanted to hear more, needed to understand the depth of his love because, despite the massive misunderstanding that had wrecked their relationship, she needed validation that, if they got back together, they wouldn’t break-up once again.
“And what the hell—since we’re being honest with our feelings, here’s a newsflash for you: no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, and I tried day after day, year after year, I never stopped loving you.”
At those words, Ashley lost her breath. She felt tears working their way behind her eyes, but she was determined to let their presence be known.
“Nothing to say to that?” he asked, sadness entering his tone. He shook his head at her for a long moment and then turned around and trudged away.
She watched him go, too frozen in place by the weight of his feelings to stop him.
“That was pretty crazy,” Jonathan said from behind her.
Ashley forgot that he’d been standing there, witnessing their entire conversation. Humiliated, she lowered her gaze and walked away, hoping not to hear his voice. And she didn’t. After all, she now only wanted to hear one man’s voice.
But Scott had turned his back on her. Just as she’d let him go… all those years ago.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Scott sat on a stool at the bar inside a lounge at Winter in Serenity, analyzing every moment of the conversation he’d had with Ashley, while staring at an untouched shot of Southern Comfort. He’d never before had the urge to drink, but he wanted some relief from the warring factions in his mind. Trust her: you’re both older and wiser now. She won’t make the same mistake twice. Don’t trust her: she hasn’t changed. She’ll never feel truly loved. She’ll always be looking for a reason to run.
Of course, as a teenager, it had crossed his mind that Ashley might have seen Gayle kissing him. After all, she’d vanished the next day. But he never suspected that she would believe he’d cheat on her. Although they’d been together for only a month at that time, he would have never jeopardized ruining what they had together.
“Thought I’d find you here,” said Damon, slipping onto the stool beside him. He motioned to the bartender and ordered a Miller Lite. “What’s going on?”
“Hey, what’re you doing here?”
“Kelsey is dead-set on you and Ashley getting together. I’m in between novels, so I’ve been assigned to find out what’s going on between you two.” He pointed to the shot glass. “Ashley drive you to that?”
“Not yet.”
“Good.” He grabbed the glass, took the shot, and chased it with a sip of beer. He clapped Scott’s shoulder. “Thanks, bro. I really needed that.”
“You and me, both.”
“So what’s on your mind?”
All of the feelings that Scott harbored during that last month of high school with Ashley came rushing back: comfort, trust, lust, and yes, love.
“You still care,” Damon said. “It’s okay, man. I’ve been there. Time may pass, but that doesn’t mean feelings do.”
“Something about her won’t let me stop caring. It’s part of who I am. But I’m not sure I can trust her… because she can’t trust me.”
“But she misread the situation, am I right? I mean, yeah, she made a mistake. But we all make mistakes, some worse than others. So you have a choice. You can either be scared that she won’t love you back, which will give her reason to bolt, or you can get over yourself and follow your heart.”
Scott turned his gaze upon his new friend with a partial smirk. “You even sound like a romance novelist when you talk.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“But I did follow my heart. I told her how I felt.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “She didn’t say a word.”
“Maybe she was shocked,” Damon said. “Maybe she’d wanted to hear that and, when she finally did, she was so overcome with emotion that she didn’t know what to say or do.”
Scott hadn’t considered it that way. “Okay. I can see her reacting that way.”
“Turns out Ashley left Kelsey’s place, which is another reason why my girlfriend’s worried.”
He felt his heart pounding, fearful that she’d taken a flight back to LA.
“But if you think she doesn’t care, I have to disagree.” Damon removed a piece of paper from his front pocket and placed it on the counter between them.
Scott read the scribbled writing: Room 113. “She’s here?”
Damon smiled. “All right, you’ve already told her how you feel. And you’ve given her some time to think about what you said. So I’ve only got one more question for you: what are you going to do about it?”
Scott patted his friend’s back, hopped off his seat, and headed in the opposite direction, walking with purpose.
* * *
Ashley flicked off the television. She had no idea why she’d booked a room apart from Kelsey, except for the fact that she took comfort in an otherwise empty hotel room. After all, whenever she filmed on location, the producer or production company footed the bill. So when had “comfort” become synonymous with “lonely?”
Then again, she had numerous hotel options in the Chicagoland area. So why had she chosen the same one her ex stayed in?
She’d slipped into a red sweater and put on a black skirt, which wasn’t really winter attire, but wearing skirts always made her feel classy. More than that, they made her feel sexy especially when she felt anything but, which explained why she now wore one.
There was a knock on the door.
Ashley hadn’t ordered room service, and she just hoped that a fan hadn’t gotten her room number from a staff member. It didn’t happen often, but whenever someone invaded her personal space without warning, she got jumpy, regardless if they wanted an autograph or a picture. With more than a bit of hesitation, she made her way across the room and looked through the peephole.
Scott stood in the hall, looking at her with an expression she couldn’t identify.
A flurry of excitement whipped through her. She jumped into the bathroom and looked herself over in the mirror, working to steady her pounding heartbeat.
He knocked again.
Satisfied with her appearance, Ashley returned to the door and opened it a crack. “What do you—”
He spread the door opened wide and within moments, he’d made his way over to her, taking hold of her waist and pressing his lips to hers.
Although surprised by the immediacy of his movements and set aflame by his touch, Ashley allowed her body to react as though she’d expected this stealth mission of seduction, or more accurately, hoped for it. So she gave in to it, loving the feel of Scott’s muscular arms locking tight around her back and pulling her against him.
“I’ve waited so long,” he said, whispering between kisses. “It was unbearable.” He pressed his soft lips to her neck with urgency, making his way to her shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” she said, eyes closed, enjoying every exquisite moment that came over her. “It was stupid. I was scared.”
“Are you scared now?” he asked, placing his lips against her collarbone.
“Oh, God, no!” Her entire body reacted, still recalling the familiar touch that made its way across her skin. She lowered her lips to meet his.
He tugged her against his firm body, feeling the heat of his erection, matching the same temperature that flamed between her legs. She felt him grabbing her sweater, lifting it over her head in one swift
stroke that turned her on more than she thought possible, leaving her in just a bra.
“So perfect.” Scott stared at her breasts for a long moment before setting his eyes on hers with a lust-filled gaze. He lowered his head while lifting his hands, cupping the undersides of her breasts toward his mouth. Dipping his lips to her cleavage, he slid his tongue inside her bra, at the outer regions of her areola, which made her arch her back into him, wanting more, needing that sensation more than anything.
Scott straightened, wrapped his arms around her hips, and pressed her back against the door, shutting it behind them, without removing his gaze from her eyes.
She read his expression. He had waited too long for this moment, and he wouldn’t leave until he got what he came for. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, trusting that voice but unable to yield do it.
Scott slid one hand around her back, unhooking her bra, watching in rapt attention as the straps slipped down her arms, the cups barely loosening from her breasts. He bit his lip, eliciting a primal groan from deep in his throat. Then he set his mouth to her breasts, lapping her skin, while placing his hands against her hips, holding her steady with an iron clad grip.
The power of his grasp made Ashley quiver with delight, made her want nothing more than to give in to his every whim, made her eager for what he might do next. Then his lips met hers, giving her the full effect of his passion.
Just as he slipped his tongue across her lower lip, driving the breath from her chest, she felt him slide his hands up her thighs, under her skirt, locking his hands on either side of her panties. At this, she met his groan with one of her own, unable to contain how much she craved his every touch.
Scott took his time lowering her panties, casting his head downward the further he went until his mouth pressed against her nipples, eliciting a weak sigh of capitulation from her. And every second, he slid her panties one notch at a time, making her hold her breath, unable to believe that such delight could wash over her.
One More Chance (A Bedford Falls Novel Book 3) Page 19
