“Be my guest.” He stood up, again gazing at her naked form. He shook his head. “Damn, girl.”
Diana peeled her sweaty but satisfied body off Asher’s bed, put her hair in a knot, and stepped into his shower. As the warm water rinsed the salt, sweat, and sticky from her, she smiled. Never had dirty felt so… good. Then there was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” she sing-songed.
Asher poked his head in. “Want company?”
Diana giggled. “Come on in, sweetie.”
Asher stuffed his hair into a makeshift bun before he hopped into the shower. He gazed up and down her wet form before he took his turn under the shower head and rinsed himself. Diana went for the bottle of liquid soap, but Asher got there first. He pumped his hands full of it and smoothed it over her, washing her back and chest, taking extra time with her breasts. The bathroom filled with whatever masculine scent came from his soap, the intoxicating smell she’d detected on him before. Asher sudsed himself next and Diana watched him, hardly believing she was in the shower with this tanned, tatted-up god. Who was, by the way, already hard again.
Asher pulled the curtain aside and jumped out. “Don’t take too long. I have plans for you.”
Diana laughed and finished showering. Once she dried off, she let down her long dark hair, borrowing one of Asher’s brushes to comb through it. When she emerged from the bathroom, Asher was in the kitchen.
“Wine?” he called out.
“Yes! Please.”
Asher poured her a glass and opened a bottle of beer for himself. He came over and handed her the wine glass, and then yanked the towel off her. Diana sipped her wine casually, blatantly ignoring that she was standing there naked, that he was still naked. And still hard.
And after a few sips and Asher gently nudging her to his bedroom, the drinks got put aside and Asher’s lips were on hers again. They tumbled to his bed and Asher pulled her on top of him. Diana straddled him, kissing him some more before Asher’s hands grasped her behind and his lips found their way to her breasts. He kissed and licked them, her nipples hardening once more. She felt him hard against her too, and Diana felt her arousal began to skyrocket again.
Asher paused in his exploration of her breasts, and pulled her hips forward. Diana scooted up a little, not sure what he wanted.
“Keep going,” he said. He then gave her a half-smile—the kind of smile that meant he had something in mind.
Diana scooted up again. “Where am I going?” she finally asked.
“You’re going all the way, Venus.”
Diana let out a surprised laugh. “You want me to sit on your face?”
He nodded, giving her a light smack on her behind for encouragement.
Holy shit, she thought as she straddled Asher’s face. She’d never done this before. Well, a man had gone down on her before, but she’d never pinned a man’s face down with her lady parts. She had no idea what the hell to expect, until she felt his tongue on her.
She gasped and closed her eyes, the sensation of a man’s tongue between her legs one she hadn’t felt in a long time. Matthew wasn’t against oral sex per se, giving or receiving it, but his conservative upbringing meant it wasn’t something he ordered from the menu very often.
Asher’s hands explored her breasts before migrating to her round behind. Diana grasped his headboard to steady herself as a wave of intense pleasure tore through her. She felt his tongue explore her, his light stubble adding another layer of pleasurable stimulation that about drove her crazy. She muttered and moaned, the urge to say God’s name in vain almost overwhelming her. Oh my God, yes.
Finally, unable to hold off any longer, Diana cried out as she reached her peak, squeezing Asher’s headboard as he finished her off. She started to laugh, not because anything was funny, but out of joy at the notion that she had just gotten off while sitting on some unbelievably hot guy’s face. She peeled herself off him, catching a glimpse of his face, which showed a grin like no other.
“That’s quite a shit-eating grin you have there,” she teased.
“That’s not a shit-eating grin, Venus. That’s a pussy-eating grin, and believe me, it tastes good.”
Diana put her hand to her mouth, partly out of shock and partly to squelch her laugh. Not that it worked.
“When I die someday,” he went on, “that’s how I want to go.”
“You’re bad.”
“I know.” He still smiled at her.
Diana glanced at his hard-on, stroking it a couple of times. Wanting to return the gift, she said, “It’s your turn now. Tell me what you want.”
Asher’s grin grew a little bigger. He nudged her toward him, pulling her on top of him again. She straddled him like before, lightly gyrating her hips over his hardness, watching his eyes darken. His hands cupped her breasts, and he played with them as she stroked his hardness with her wet parts.
Asher reached over to grab a condom, and she backed away so he could put it on. “Now,” he said. “Turn and face the other way.”
Diana raised her eyebrows. Face the other way?
Asher smiled again. “I want you from every angle, Venus.”
Diana stared at him. “You want to stare at my rear end?”
“Um, yeah. And your hips, and your waist, and your back, and that long hair.”
“Dirty boy,” she cooed.
He gave a self-satisfied grin. Diana did as she was told, reversing her position so she straddled Asher’s body and faced the other direction. She wondered about Asher having such a close-up view of her behind, feeling a little self-conscious about it. She’d gotten over her embarrassment about the junk in her trunk during her college years, but practically putting it in his face?
But after she took him inside her and heard his groan of approval, she forgot to care about that. She rode him, immersing herself in the strange sensations of a position she’d never tried before. It was a whole new experience, stimulating areas inside her that she never new existed.
Asher, one hand on each hip, guided her, encouraging her and letting her know in no uncertain terms that she was giving him exactly what he wanted. And that brought her satisfaction. She wanted to give him what he wanted, to make him feel as indulged and gratified as he made her feel, to drive him as crazy as he’d driven her. She’d had hers, but she would enjoy this crazy ride, for as long as Asher wanted it.
But when he reached around and his fingers found her pleasure center, Diana gasped, and suddenly her plateau turned into a mountain that she climbed quickly. She rode him harder, the pressure of the angle and Asher’s insistent hands on her growing more intense. Finally, Diana’s rising pleasure peaked and crashed all around her.
Somewhere, she heard Asher grunt loudly as his hands dug into her and he thrust for the last time.
Chapter Thirteen
Diana lay facing Asher, tracing one of his arm tattoos with her finger. She continued to his chest, where he had a few more, including a portrait of a woman in profile.
“A past love?” she said.
“A current one.” When Diana raised her eyebrows, he smiled. “My mom.”
Diana’s heart melted. “Are you close?”
“As close as we can be, now that I’ve left the LDS fold and moved down here.”
“Is she a strict Mormon?”
He shook his head. “She’s still with the church, but I wouldn’t say strict. My dad was the zealot. Divorcing him was a nightmare, but at least she got rid of the asshole. My brother and I try to look after her. He still lives near her, thank God.”
“She’s in Ogden?”
He nodded. “Her, my brother and his wife, and my four nieces and nephews. They’re all I’ve got, family-wise. I feel like a prodigal son sometimes, being down here, but I can’t live there. I love it too much here.”
Diana shrugged. “You’re still close by. And it’s important for children to go their own way and become who they are, rather than inherit everything their family gave them.”
> Asher smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “What about you? You grew up religious too, right?”
“I did. Church every Sunday, Bible study, the rest… and my parents are still very traditional. I stopped going to church once I went to college. It’s not for me. Although I do go with my mom from time to time, to make her happy.”
“So your folks are in Junction…”
“Orchard Hills, about an hour away, up in the mountains.”
Asher nodded. “It’s pretty up there.”
A chime sounded. After a moment, Diana realized it was her phone. She had a text message. She rolled off the bed and strolled into the living room, grabbing her purse and digging for her phone. She had a message from Mel. Diana cringed.
Busted.
MK: Where are you?
DF: Ash’s house. Sorry I didn’t call!
MK: Am I interrupting you guys doing the nasty??
Diana felt her face heat up.
DF: No. We’re just talking.
It wasn’t a lie, really.
MK: Whatever you say, liar. :-P
DF: ;) I’ll be by soon to say hello.
Diana put her phone away. Good gravy. She’d been so tangled up in a sex haze with Asher that she’d completely forgotten about her friend. What was happening to her?
She returned to Ash’s bedroom. “Mel,” she replied to Asher’s questioning look. He nodded in understanding. “I feel bad. I barely saw her this weekend.”
“Trust me, she’ll understand.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she knows I was hoping to spend time with you. Why do you think she didn’t ride with us this morning?” He grinned.
Diana’s jaw dropped. “You told her not to come?” she cried.
“She offered!”
Diana grabbed a pillow and went to hit him with it. Asher saw it coming and guarded himself, laughing as the pillow smacked him before he snatched it away from her and pulled her onto the bed. Diana squealed as she tried to get the pillow back so she could pummel him again, but Asher held her tightly as they collapsed in laughter.
Finally, Asher’s face grew more serious. “You don’t regret it, do you?”
Diana smiled, tracing his tattoos with her finger again. “Of course not, sweetie.”
They talked some more, until Diana got up and dressed herself. She needed to go to Mel’s and get the rest of her things. Asher told her he’d grab some groceries and start cooking—something without gluten or dairy—and would wait for her to get back.
After Asher dropped her off at Mel’s, Diana gave Mel a look. “You volunteered to not ride with us? On purpose?” She wasn’t angry, of course, but she did feel a little embarrassed that Mel knew she’d fall right into Asher’s lair, that she would do the very thing she’d said she wouldn’t do.
Mel gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry.”
“You are not!”
Mel grinned, jumping up and down and laughing in smug glee. “You’re right! I’m not. You finally got laid by a real man.”
Diana gave her another look. “Matthew was a ‘real man.’ What do you have against him, exactly? He’s a good guy.”
Mel shrugged. “I’m sure he is. But he’s not for you, D.”
“And you think someone like Asher is?” Diana asked, her tone skeptical.
“For this weekend, yeah.”
Diana laughed. She sat down and chatted with Mel for a while before Asher texted her and told her dinner was almost ready.
Then Diana got her own sheepish look. “I still feel bad that I barely saw you this weekend, sweetie.”
Mel gave her a squeeze. “Don’t. Ash took good care of you. I mean, look at you. You haven’t been in pain since yesterday morning. And besides, you deserve some fun in your life.”
“Thank you for being so understanding. I’ll call you when I get home.”
When Diana got back to Asher’s house, the smell of garlic and grilling meat made her realize how hungry she was. She went out to the back patio, where Asher was manning chicken and sausages next to a grill basket filled with veggies. He grinned at the sight of her.
“That smells amazing,” she said.
“Well, it’s nothing fancy, but it gets the job done and doesn’t have gluten in it.”
“Perfect.”
They sat down to dinner and Diana dug into her spicy sausage. “This feels strange. Usually I’m the one doing all the cooking.”
Asher shrugged, taking a sip of wine. “You’re the better cook here, but I do like my grill.”
They ate their dinner, then enjoyed their wine, watching the sun dip behind the rock cliffs until the stars came out. Asher told her stories of some of his former bike racing adventures, and they talked about trails and other places they wanted to ride. Diana sat there, completely relaxed, wondering what it was about this place that made her feel so at peace.
And later, they took to Asher’s bed, playing until each was sweaty and spent, and Diana fell asleep in Asher’s arms.
When a beep sounded, then again, Diana opened her eyes, realizing it was her alarm. She grabbed it and turned it off. She looked around, feeling momentarily confused in the darkness of the early morning.
Asher’s house. Asher’s bed.
She got up, took a quick shower, and dressed herself.
“You heading out?” came a groggy voice in the darkness. Asher was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.
“I am, sweetie. Duty calls.”
“I’ll walk you out.” He flipped the covers back.
Diana went over and nudged him back down again, tucking the covers over him. “Stay in bed.” When Asher tried to sit up again, she held him down, leaning over to kiss him on the lips, his body heat radiating from him and warming her face.
He stroked her hair. “Don’t you want coffee? Oh wait, you don’t drink coffee…”
Diana smiled. “I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”
And with that, Diana grabbed her bag and left.
When the first light came, Diana was still a half hour from home. The sky began to lighten, and soon the horizon turned yellow, then gold, and then for a few brilliant moments, bright pink as the sunrise lit up the Rocky Mountains.
Diana’s drive felt much like her weekend—it began shrouded in darkness, and then grew progressively more beautiful and filled with light.
How did all that happen? The somber mood, then the horrible pain, Asher coming to get her, Mariah’s treatment, her cooking for him, their beautiful ride up Wind Tunnel Trail, followed by an afternoon and evening of passion. What happened to no casual sex, a rule she’d always lived by and one she’d made clear to Asher the moment he set lascivious eyes on her?
Yet… wow. Wow.
True, her sexual frustrations with Matthew had certainly set her bar low, but she knew it was more than that. She’d never had sex like that before—not with Matthew, not with her ex-husband, not with anyone. And even those times it had been really good, it was with a man she loved, not one she barely knew.
A half-aroused, half-embarrassed tingle ran through her. Stripping down in the middle of the desert? Sitting on his face? Her riding him backward like that? Was there even a name for that? There probably was, but she didn’t know it.
Seriously, what had gotten into her? Had Mariah’s treatment secretly turned her into some kind of wild woman?
But the closer Diana got to Junction, the more doubt began to creep in. She remembered Matthew, and a streak of guilt ran through her. But why should she feel guilty? They were broken up. Maybe it was because she had two missed calls from him over the weekend, which she’d discovered last night. But there was nothing to be done about that. That was over.
Was she stupid to sleep with Asher? She didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, he’d been the one who came back for her, who took care of her when she was at her worst, who made her go see Mariah. He’d sacrificed time on his bike and with his friends to sit in some incense-laden office and listen to he
r talk about her periods and surgeries. And she’d had fun with him. Genuine fun, where she’d forgotten about everything that worried her.
But on the other hand… she had no future with Asher, or any man like him.
Diana sighed. Maybe she was overthinking this. Maybe their weekend together was nothing more than two people who could meet one another’s needs at the right time. After more than a year of frustration with Matthew, maybe she needed the fulfillment of a man like Asher, who oozed uninhibited sexuality, who’d put aside his religious upbringing to live his life according to his own values. And maybe Asher had needed to sleep with her too, to pleasure her six ways to Sunday, in order to quench his own longing and continue the adventurous lifestyle he coveted so much.
Yes, that was it. She’d gotten her fill, and he his. And it was done now.
Chapter Fourteen
Diana sat down with Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull. Diana could usually tell from the moment she laid eyes on a child’s parents what it was going to be like working with them. And the Turnbulls were going to be difficult.
“Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull, thank you for meeting with me. I know you’ve been concerned about David’s grades, especially in English.”
“Concerned is putting it lightly,” Mr. Turnbull said, tight-lipped. “He’s failing English and his other grades aren’t good. And I know it’s just middle school and not Harvard, but if he can’t cut it now, what chance does he have for any kind of future?”
“Struggling in school doesn’t mean David’s future is in jeopardy, Mr. Turnbull. Some kids struggle in school and go on to do great things.”
“What kids?” he said. “Name one.”
“Albert Einstein. Winston Churchill. And Richard Branson, for starters.”
He rolled his eyes. “Geniuses. David’s no genius, that’s for sure. He can’t even make his bed in the morning.”
Diana took a deep breath to control her rising irritation. “A lot of the reason kids with learning disabilities struggle isn’t because they aren’t good in school, it’s because they’re made to feel stupid. David isn’t stupid. He just hasn’t found his place yet.”
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