Wild Inside

by Artemis Anders

  She and Asher sipped away at their drinks before he dragged her out there again, and they danced into the next band’s set. This time, they threw off their polite distance, his hands exploring her, hers exploring him, his lips meeting hers anytime they felt like it. They were that couple, the ones who couldn’t keep their hands off one another, who others would mutter to “get a room.” Finally, Asher bent over and put his lips near her ear.

  “Wanna get outta here?”

  Diana nodded.

  Asher took her hand and led her out of the dance zone, through the excited crowd, and past their drunk and happy friends, where they made their quiet escape out of the festival grounds and to Asher’s truck.

  Inside his truck cab, Asher grabbed her and kissed her, his mouth hungrily devouring hers. He pulled her to him and she straddled him, kissing him again, her hands on his face as he began yanking off her t-shirt. He buried his face in her breasts, his lips finding their way past the lace of her bra as he kissed each swell. Diana arched her back, gasping as he tickled her nipples with his tongue.

  Asher gripped her behind with his hands, pressing her into him. She felt his hardness beneath her, and soon, both had their pants off. When she grabbed a condom from her purse, Asher snatched it from her and quickly put it on before he pulled her to him and plunged into her.

  Diana cried out at the feel of him inside her, at his hands guiding her hips. He grabbed her face and brought it to his, and their lips crashed together, all tongues and breathing and gasps as she rode him. She pulled away, arching her back and getting fully lost in him, and him in her. All sense of time or place disappeared as Diana murmured in pleasure, feeling his hands forcefully clutching her and his hips thrusting up into hers.

  When everything finally built to a peak, Diana cried out as his hands gripped her, holding her in place as she rode out her orgasm. Asher held on as long as he could until he muttered a curse and came, his entire body tensing and his hands squeezing her until he finally relaxed. They stilled, not moving for several moments, both just exhaling rapid breaths of spent pleasure.

  Finally, Diana began regaining her senses. And when she opened her eyes, she found Asher’s staring into hers, their expression a mixture of starstruck and bewilderment. She imagined hers had a similar expression.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  There was no roguish smile, no flirtation. Just that stare.

  “I missed you too,” she said, brushing away a wild strand of his hair that had come loose.

  She had missed him. More than she realized.

  Dressed and in their own seats again, Asher drove them back to town. And when they arrived, he drove right past Mel’s street and headed to his house.

  Saturday morning, after Asher fed them a gluten- and dairy-free smoothie, Diana dressed herself so she could get back to Mel’s and get ready to go riding.

  “I’m closing up the shop at five,” Asher said as he drank his coffee. “I can meet you at the festival and we can hang out there… or if you feel like a little adventure, I had another idea.”

  “What’s that?” Diana said as she washed their smoothie cups.

  “Are you up for a night hike?”

  Diana smiled. “I could be. Where were you thinking?”

  Asher leaned against the counter, a twinkle in his eyes. “It’s a surprise.”

  Diana’s smiled widened as she dried the big cups off. “I love surprises. But I need to know what to bring.”

  “Wear your hiking gear. Bring a pack with your warm weather gear too… we’ll be out for a while and it gets cold at night this time of year.”

  “What about food and drink?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll take care of all that. Just be ready at five. We’ll have to hustle if we’re going to make it before sunset.” He paused. “Are you sure you’re okay with missing the festival? There are a couple of good bands tonight. It’s just… there’s a place I want to show you, and I want to take you before it gets too cold.”

  “I would love to. I can meet you at the shop if it would save some time…”

  “Good idea.” He rinsed out his coffee cup, then came over and kissed her, his hands on her behind. “Let me drive you home.”

  After Asher dropped her off at Mel’s, Diana went into Mel’s bedroom and shook her awake. Mel rebelled at first, but when Diana reminded her that Annie doesn’t wait for latecomers, she got up and showered while Diana made her coffee. Once Mel finished, Diana did the same.

  As they got dressed, Mel sipped her coffee and gave Diana a smug smile. “Have fun with Ash, did ya?”

  Diana smiled. “I did.”

  “Look at you, loosening up and sleeping with a guy you’ll never marry.”

  Diana groaned. “Don’t say that. You make me feel guilty.”

  Mel sat down next to Diana on the couch. “Don’t you dare feel guilty! You deserve this, D. Ash is the perfect person for you right now. Just don’t fall for him, okay? That’s all I’m saying.”

  Diana rolled her eyes as she zipped up her jersey. “I’m not going to fall for him. I know what I want. That hasn’t changed.”

  As Diana got up to fill her hydration pack, she pushed aside any nagging thoughts, or one thought in particular. That she was already on the precipice, ready to begin the fall.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Just after five, Asher locked up his shop and drove them out of town again. He sang away to the song playing on the country music station and they chatted about their respective days. But when he turned off to enter Arches National Park, Diana smiled, growing more giddy by the moment.

  She loved an adventure, going to a new place she hadn’t been before. She’d been to the local national parks, of course. But she knew Asher wouldn’t take her down some paved path for the masses. No, he would lead her away from the beaten path to someplace amazing. And she couldn’t wait to see what it was.

  The park closed at night, but cars were allowed in certain areas of the park after dark, and many took the opportunity to explore or stargaze away from the lights of Red Rim. Asher drove a while before parking in one of the public lots, where there were only a few cars. They hiked for a while on a broad dirt path, passing a few others with cameras, probably hoping to catch the sunset.

  The trail gave way to a giant slab of slickrock, and they followed others up the rock, staying on what could hardly be called a trail except for the occasional rock cairn indicating which way to go. If Asher hadn’t been there, Diana would have gotten lost. Soon, Asher peeled off the main trail and led her into the red desert wilderness. They hiked past giant boulders and up and over slickrock, reminding Diana of the off-trail ride they’d taken at Wind Tunnel.

  Then, Diana spotted some cliffs up ahead, their rusty sandstone glowing as the sun sank lower in the sky. Asher kept a brisk pace, hoping to beat the sun before it disappeared for the night. Soon, they reached a rock slab that rose high above them, and Asher began scaling it. Diana hesitated.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, seeing her doubt. “Your shoes will stick.”

  “Yeah, but what about coming back down? It’s too steep.”

  Asher smiled. “There’s another way down. This way will save us time if we want to make sunset.”

  Diana hopped onto the slab and scrambled up to where Asher waited for her. Up they climbed for a while, Diana looking down once and getting just a little vertigo at the steep drop below them. Finally, they reached the top of the tall slab. To one side was a sheer cliff, one that led to a rocky canyon hundreds of feet down. But to the other was what Diana realized Asher wanted to show her.

  They came upon a giant red rock bowl with a tall arch on one side. Beyond it was a vast view of the red canyon country and scrubland, the tall LaSal Mountains in the distance. And when Diana turned around to face west, the sun was close to the horizon.

  “Oh my goodness!” Diana exclaimed. “How did you find this place?”

  “Oh, years of exploring off trail. Off season, of course, w
hen the rangers are less likely to bust you.”

  The big rock bowl had a few others in it, sitting in various places along the bowl’s rim, where a wall gave them something to lean against. A couple of them stood with cameras poised on tripods, ready to capture what looked to be a good sunset. Asher led Diana along the wall of the bowl, to a spot that had a flat ledge carved into its side, just big enough for two.

  They got settled onto their ledge, and Asher began fishing around in his pack as Diana took in her surroundings. The rock bowl and walls still held the warmth of the day’s sun, and blocked any wind.

  “Wine?” Asher said.

  Diana looked over, grinning at the bottle of zinfandel Asher pulled from his pack. “Look at you! I’d love some.”

  Asher poured wine into little plastic cups before raising his. “To adventure.”

  “Cheers to that,” Diana said, tapping her cup to his. She sipped her wine, closing her eyes at the full-bodied flavor. “Yum.”

  Asher grinned, pulling out his picnic. Italian meats and cheeses, olives, and gluten-free crackers.

  “My goodness, Ash!” Diana said. “This is quite a spread.”

  “I hope you don’t mind, I brought cheese. I know you aren’t supposed to eat it…”

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  Asher took a piece of the sliced meat and fed it to her. She closed her eyes for a moment as she took in its salty rich flavor. “Oh, that tastes good. Where did you get good sopressata in Red Rim?”

  “There’s a little meat and cheese shop over on the south side of town.” He popped a slice into his mouth.

  “Good to know.”

  Asher’s eyes studied the horizon. “Sunset time,” he said, pulling her closer to him. She snuggled up against him and he put his arm around her as they watched the sun go down. Afterward, Diana pulled out her phone and took a selfie of them. She glanced at it; her face was snuggled against Asher’s handsome face, their eyes gleaming with happiness as the sky glowed behind them. She showed it to Asher.

  “Send me a copy?” Asher said.

  Diana texted it to him before she turned her attention back to the food. They munched as the sunset’s afterglow went from yellow, to orange, to only a faded blue. During that time, a couple of the bowl’s other inhabitants packed up their tripods and left.

  “I can see why you come up there,” she said. “It’s gorgeous. Totally worth that hike and climb.”

  “The sunset’s just the beginning,” he replied, popping a slice of cheese into his mouth.

  As darkness set in, stars began emerging in the sky, one by one. The temperature began to plummet and Diana put on her fleece and tights before snuggling up against Asher’s warmth again. As they watched the stars emerge, Diana couldn’t help but think that Asher went to an awful lot of trouble to show her a good time. After all, he’d gotten what he wanted… multiple times now. But she was learning that that was Asher’s way. It wasn’t about her… he just loved to enjoy life.

  Yet, she also couldn’t help but think that it was a shame. Because underneath the flirting and sexual magnetism was a man who did a lot for others, who would probably make a great father. If he only wanted that. She felt just a wisp of disappointment at that realization, but then shooed such thoughts away.

  “What are you thinking about?” Asher’s eyes studied her, as if suspecting her thoughts were about him.

  “Oh… nothing. Just about how beautiful it is up here, and how I’m having a great time.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  Diana hesitated. But something told her to be honest. “I am.”

  She waited for a joke, a flirty comment, or for Asher to deflect and change the subject, which she would’ve understood and been okay with. But he didn’t. Instead, he eyed her, the darkness making his eyes unreadable. “Me too.”

  Diana stared at him, and he at her, for several moments. A shiver went through her, and it wasn’t because of the chilly air, which had no effect on her while Asher’s heat warmed her. When he picked up his wine glass, she did the same, and both sipped in unison as Diana’s body filled with a strange blend of excitement and fear.

  By then, the sky had turned black and the stars speckled the entire sky, the Milky Way streaking across it all.

  “Wow,” Diana said, staring up until her neck began to get tired. “I can’t believe the stars out here. It’s like being in the mountains.”

  “It helps to get away from city lights. And it’s a new moon, which makes it even better. That’s another reason I wanted to come tonight.”

  “Do you come up here a lot?”

  “Sometimes, mostly to get away from everything and get some time to myself. I’ve even slept out here a few times to see the sunrise. Depending on the time of year, it comes up right behind the arch.”

  “You’ve slept on this hard rock? The rock that hurts my butt despite its significant padding?”

  He glanced down at her behind. “You have a great ass. But yeah, I just bring a Therm-a-Rest and a down sleeping bag. It feels good on my back. There’s nothing like sleeping under the stars.”

  “I know. I’ve slept on a cot in the mountains, listening to the forest sounds and smelling the leftover campfire smoke. There’s something magical about it.”

  He gazed at her. “You really are an outdoors girl, aren’t you? Don’t think I’m a dick, but I just didn’t get that from you when you showed up to ride that day when Mel was sick.”

  She shrugged. “People always think that. If you have big boobs, people automatically assume you can’t possibly be athletic or outdoorsy.”

  Asher pondered that. “Huh. I’ve never thought about it like that, but maybe you’re right. Athletic women, at least the ones I’ve known, tend to be less hourglass than you. But in my defense, it wasn’t just your build. You’re just… different.”

  “Different how?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Different than I expected.”

  “You mean the woman who said she didn’t believe in casual sex and then decided to offer it up?” she teased.

  He scowled at that. “No. You’re just… you amaze me every time I’m with you.”

  She dropped her teasing tone and caressed his face. “So do you.”

  Asher gazed at her for a few moments before he leaned over and kissed her. Warmth ran through Diana as she tasted the wine on his tongue. He pulled back, looking at her, a tiny wrinkle in his brow.

  “Did you know I made J.T. switch with me that weekend we met, so I could go riding with you up Coyote Canyon?”

  “You did not.”

  “I did.”

  Mel had said as much to her once, but she’d assumed Mel was joking. “I’m glad. You made that day even better.”

  Asher kissed her again, before his hand began wandering up her leg and under her shirt. Just as Diana began to grow hot with arousal, he pulled away.

  “Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

  Diana put her hand on Asher’s cheek and turned his face toward her again. “Then don’t.”

  Asher kissed her again, more powerfully this time. His hand found its way into her tights, and Diana leaned against the rock, panting as he stroked her. How good his fingers felt, and how badly she wanted more. But when Ash began urging her pants down, she stopped him.

  “We can’t.”

  Glimmering eyes stared at her. “How come?”

  Diana looked around.

  “There’s no one here,” Asher said quietly, understanding her hesitation. “And even if there is, they can’t see us.”

  That was all it took. Diana stripped off her boots and tights and undies, straddling Asher as the chilly air hit her exposed lower body. His hands gripped her behind as he kissed her, and Diana let out a moan as his hands found their way under her fleece and bra. Asher quickly fumbled with his pants, desperate to get them unbuttoned so he could give her what she wanted most. But he barely got the condom on before Diana flin
ched in pain.

  Asher froze. “What’s wrong? Is your pain back?”

  “No, thank goodness. It’s the rock. It’s murder on my knees.”

  Asher was silent for a moment. He looked around, as if concocting some plan. “How adventurous do you feel tonight?”

  Diana raised her eyebrows at that. “Depends on your definition of adventurous.”

  He stared at her, his eyes aflame. “Trust me? Because once I get started, it’s going to be hard for me to stop.”

  Diana nodded. “I trust you.”

  Diana peeled herself off him. Asher scooted off their ledge and onto the rock below before helping her down too. He kissed her again and she melted into him, uneasy but willing to be part of whatever exploit Asher had in mind. He reached down, stroking the soaked area between her legs. She let out a moan, which reverberated off the rock basin and sounded much louder than she’d intended. Diana clamped her mouth shut in embarrassment and they both snickered. Asher pulled away suddenly, pausing for a moment. Then he turned her around so he stood behind her.

  He held onto her with one hand as he continue stroking her with the other, his increasingly rapid breathing in her ear. She tried to squelch her moans, knowing someone must be somewhere in that bowl. But it was nearly impossible to be quiet, to suppress what she was feeling. She didn’t want to suppress anything anymore.

  Asher removed his hand and she heard him fumbling around with his pants. Diana shuddered, not knowing what was happening, the cold air chilling her bare legs before Asher thrust himself inside her.

  “Holy Christmas,” she breathed.

  Asher pressed himself up against her backside, his body heat warming her. He held her tight, his face pressed next to hers as his stubble tickled her. He thrust again, and she let out another gasp. And then again, and again, each stroke of him more amazing than the last, hitting her in a place she didn’t know existed. Harder he grasped her, feral and almost rough, and it felt so good that she finally let out a cry, no longer caring who heard or saw.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Just like that.”