“Come on, let’s go get some breakfast,” I say, helping her stand up.
I lean down and place a kiss on her lips before leading her inside. Heading to my room, I take a quick shower and throw the basketball shorts back on with a T-shirt. I pack up everything else so when we have to leave I am ready to go. I meet her back in the living room.
“Ready, beautiful?”
That smile melts my world.
Chapter Eleven
ASHLEY
I am two hours into my eight-hour drive to my parents. For once I am happy for the silence. There is so much on my mind right now, I don’t know what to do. The flight home was uneventful. I mostly slept the whole time and awoke with my head on Taylor’s shoulder. Apparently, even in my sleep I am attracted to him.
Sex with him was something that is hard to describe. I mean not only was it the best but there is also this connection we have that I just can’t explain. And that scares the shit out of me. I am not looking for a man or any kind of relationship, I just want to focus on my career and have a good time. I crack the window and the mountain air flows through my car. I need to figure out what it is about him that I am so drawn to. Could it be the good looks? Or maybe it’s the way I saw him in the Bahamas. Without a care in the world and all his attention on me. But so what, say I do give into it, how long will it take him to become bored and find another willing female? At this rate, I will be safer to just let him go and go my own way. It will be hard since we work together but I can manage.
As if he can read my mind, my phone starts to ring with his name on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey, gorgeous. How’s the drive?”
“So far so good, about six hours left.”
“Listen, I have been doing some thinking. Go out with me?”
“Go out with you? Like a date?” I’m confused.
“No, be my girlfriend.”
I almost drive off the side of the road. Is he serious right now? Why the sudden change of heart, maybe he started drinking early.
“Ashley, you there?”
“Yes, sorry. Can I think about it?”
“If you want to. Well, I am about to head into work, call me when you get there, okay?”
I can hear the disappointment in his voice. Great, now I feel bad.
“Err, okay.”
We say our good-byes and hang up. My thoughts immediately go to what he said. Can I date him? I don’t see how a playboy can change his ways from just one trip. I don’t know if my heart can take another breakup. I have a feeling if I give my heart to him, he will destroy it when he walks away. Of course my heart screams, yes, date him. But my mind won’t shut up, for once I just don’t know what to do. I plan to use these next couple of days to relax and spend time with my family. I haven’t seen them since Christmas; I miss them terribly. My sister is dragging me out tonight to some club that opened last year. While I’m excited to get some alone time with her, I kind of wish we could just stay in. I am beat from all the traveling that I have done this week. I crank the music up and finish out the last leg of the drive.
Later that afternoon, I pull into my parents’ driveway. When I step out, the warm air hits my skin, I glance around at the mountains surrounding my parents’ house and revel in how beautiful it really is.
“There’s my baby girl.” I turn around and see my mom bound down the stairs and rush to me. I automatically throw my arms around her. There is just something about being in your mother’s arms.
“Hey, Momma,” I whisper.
“Let me look at you. I have missed you so much.” She stands back, keeping her hands on my arms while her eyes travel up and down.
“You look so beautiful, honey. Something is different about you though.”
“Nothing is different, Mom, I am still the same daughter.”
Before she can reply, my dad comes out and wraps me in one of his bear hugs.
“Hey, Daddy.”
“Princess, it has been too long. What do you say we go inside and get caught up.” He releases me and grabs my bags from the truck as we make our way inside.
Walking inside my family home, I see not much has changed since my last visit. The entry is still lined with pictures on the small table to the left. I lay my keys on the table and make my way into the living room that is now housing new suede couches. I walk over to the loveseat and practically throw myself down. Before I forget, I pull my phone out and text Taylor and Nancy.
Me: Made it safely.
It doesn’t take long for either of them to reply.
Nancy: Have fun, miss you, girl.
Taylor: Enjoy your time with family, beautiful.
I ignore his text but can’t help the smile that takes over my face, I go back to catching up with my mom and dad.
“What’s got you smiling over there?” my mom asks.
“Nothing,” I answer all too quickly.
She doesn’t believe me but also doesn’t pressure me into answering her. We hang around for a little while longer, before I excuse myself and go lie down. I want to be rested by the time my sister comes to get me. As soon as my head hits my pillow, I am out like a light. With all the traveling I have done in the last forty-eight hours, I am pooped.
I awake to my alarm going off a few hours later. I reach over to turn my phone off and realize I missed a few text messages from my sister telling me to wake my ass up and not bail on her tonight. As much as I want to just sleep, I am looking forward to some girl time with her. Dragging my ass out of bed, I make my way to the shower and let the hot water run down my skin. When I close my eyes, I can still feel Taylor’s hands running over my skin and his body moving over me.
My cell rings in the distance and my eyes snap open, out of my daydream. Damn, just when things could have gotten good. Just as I’m drying off, my cell phone goes off again, but this time it’s Taylor.
“Hello.”
“Hey, you. What are you doing?”
God, his voice is so sexy.
“Just got out of the shower.” I want to leave him guessing more.
“Oh yeah? If I were there, I would have you bent over the bathroom counter, screaming my name.”
Holy shit, I almost drop my phone. When I don’t answer him, he speaks again.
“Ash, baby, you there?”
“Ye—Yes, I’m here.”
“You sound sexy when you’re flustered. Anyway, what are you up to tonight?”
“Getting ready to go out with my sister to some new club that opened up.”
“Who all is going?” Wow, he sounds pissed.
“Umm, just us and a couple of girlfriends from high school.”
“Guy friends?”
“Some guys, some girls, you know, friends from high school.”
“Did you think any more about what I asked you?”
“I have, but I just don’t know. You kind of caught me out of left field.”
“I want you, baby. I need to know you’re mine.”
“You sound jealous.”
“Fuck yes, I am. I’m not there and you are going to a club, with guys, you don’t know how gorgeous you are.”
“We’re friends, Taylor. That’s all. It’s a small town and you don’t need to worry.”
“Listen, I need to go open the bar, but you need to know that I’m always going to worry. Text me when you get there, when you get home, just….be safe, babe.”
“All right, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, gorgeous.”
I sit on my bed and let the butterflies in my stomach settle down. I can’t let myself get involved with a player like him, no matter how bad I want to. I need to focus on my career and that’s it. I’m just going to ignore him for the rest of my vacation and get my head back on straight. Glancing at the clock, I notice that she will be here in about forty-five minutes.
By the time she arrives, I am dressed in dark denim jeans and an off-the-shoulder white tank top with my black cowgirl boots on. I mak
e my way downstairs where I hear them talking. I spot my sister right away and wrap my arms around her from the back.
“Gosh, I have missed you, Liz.”
She turns around and returns the hug.
“Damn, Ash, you look hot now. What have you been doing?”
“Nothing, it’s that Florida sun.”
We hang out with our parents for a couple minutes longer, before making our way toward town.
“What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Well the gang is meeting us at Skinners for dinner, then we are going to Club Blue for the rest of the night.”
“Sounds like fun. It’s been awhile since I have had a girls’ night.” I think the last girls’ night I had was with Nancy, when I met Taylor. I am long overdue for one.
On the ride there, I tell her all about the trip to the Bahamas. Leaving out the fact that I slept with him. I just don’t want anyone to know. Not that I’m ashamed of it, I just need to figure out what all this means to me first. By the time we pull into the restaurant, I am ready for a beer. All the questions she asked about Taylor have left me frazzled. I don’t want to think about him, I just want to have a good night out with the girls.
The restaurant is packed for a Saturday night but Liz reserved us a table in the back corner. Some of the others are already sitting at the table, awaiting our arrival. It feels like it’s been ten years since we’ve seen each other, but in reality it’s only been about one.
“So, how’s Florida treating you?” Ready to move home?” my friend, Stacy, asks.
“It’s amazing. Extremely hot, but I have grown to love it. And no, I don’t think I’ll be moving back anytime soon.”
The rest of the group joins us and we all catch up on the town gossip and our lives. Thankfully, no one asks about my trip or Taylor, but I don’t think they know about it. I immediately order a beer to start the night and help calm my nerves. It feels good to be back with the girls from high school. I have missed the closeness of having girlfriends, even though I have Nancy, but these girls—we all grew up together.
“Hey, Brittany, how are you and Joe doing?” They started dating right out of college.
“We actually broke up not that long ago. I caught him making out with Sierra.”
“Sierra Harris?” I question.
“Yep, you know her?”
Oh yeah, I do.
“Of course, she was the slut I caught John with that night.” Fucking bitch just loves to ruin lives.
“Wow, yeah, he wants to get back together, but I am not ready to jump back into a relationship with him. We are talking again though—what can I say, I love the guy.”
I don’t want this to ruin our girls’ night, so I change the topic. Thankfully, our food arrives shortly after. After another drink and once we’ve all paid up, we make our way to the club.
Chapter Twelve
TAYLOR
As I sit here in my office trying to do the nightly paperwork, all I can think about is Ashley. Fuck, I can’t get her out of my head. Every time I close my eyes I see her, smell her, and still feel the silky skin of those fucking legs of hers wrapped around my hips. I can’t concentrate on anything tonight. This is so unlike me; I don’t get hooked on women. I have my fun and move on to the next one. But the more time I spend with her, the more I want to know her…and not just in bed. Shit, if my brother could hear me now, he would call me a pussy.
Two hours later, I have not gotten a single thing done and it’s pissing me off. Maybe I need a drink to get my mind off of things. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s half past ten. I decide to give into temptation and call her one last time tonight, just to make sure she is safe. Picking up my office phone, I dial her number.
“Hello,” she slurs.
“Are you drunk?”
“Taylor?”
“Who else would it be?”
“Oh, I’ve had a couple.” Her voice echoes, she must be in the corner or something.
“Who are you with?”
“The gang, like I told you.”
Before I can ask her another question, I hear a male voice in the background. “Ash, baby, come on. Dance with me.”
Who the fuck is that?
“I said no,” I vaguely hear her whisper.
“Who the fuck is that, Ashley?”
“Umm.”
“Fucking tell me!” I practically yell at her.
“John.”
“John, as in your ex, John?”
“Err, yes. Look, I gotta go. We will talk later.”
“Don’t you dare fucking hang up on me, Ashley.”
I hear the dial tone in my ear and slam the phone back in the cradle. Shoving my seat back as I stand, it hits the wall then bounces back. My blood is boiling hot. I rake my hands through my hair, pulling it as I do. I can’t fucking believe this, and there is not a damn thing I can do about this. I need a fucking drink, but before I do that I pick my cell phone up and shoot her a quick text.
Me: This conversation isn’t fucking over.
Throwing my phone back on the desk, I stalk out of the office and head straight to the bar and order a beer and a shot of Patrón. After I down the shot, I turn toward the dance floor and watch the crowd move around me. I can see Thomas staring at me from the corner of my eye; he knows something is up. I never drink on working nights. But tonight, I could fucking care less. I can feel myself itching for a fight, and I know I can’t do that at work. I need to go home and clear my head. As I am about to leave the bar, I feel a small hand on my shoulder.
“You look lonely, handsome.”
Tilting my head down, I see a gorgeous blonde, who I bet would be willing to do anything I ask. Except, I just don’t feel it. Normally, I wouldn’t think twice and take her back to her place, but not now.
“Sorry, but not interested.” Even though she is gorgeous, she holds no candle to Ashley.
As I walk away and back toward my office, Thomas raises his eyebrow at me. Questioning why I didn’t take her up on the offer. I don’t owe him an explanation. Grabbing my keys and cell phone, I shoot Thomas a text and tell him I’m heading out. I feel bad leaving him on his own again, since I just got back, but it’s for the best that I’m not there. I will make it up to him, I always do. I escape out the back entrance and head to my car. Slamming my door shut, I head home. It takes all of ten minutes until I pull into my parking spot. Once I’ve walked into my house, I head straight for the beer in the fridge.
Popping the top off, I chug the first one and throw the bottle away. Grabbing another one, I head to the couch and throw my phone on the table. She has yet to answer me, but what did I expect? Her to drop everything and call me? By now, she’s probably dancing all up on his ass and not giving a fuck about anything else. I get more pissed the more I think about it. Fuck this, I need something stronger than beer. I head to the liquor cabinet and pull out the bottle of vodka. Twisting the top off, I take a swig, letting it burn down my throat. This will help me forget and take the edge off. The last thing I remember is dragging my ass to bed and passing out on top of the covers, still in my work clothes.
*
The sun blares through the crack between my curtains, causing me to throw the blanket over my head. Shit, I must have forgotten to close them when I came to bed. My head feels like it’s going to explode, while my mouth feels like I ate a cotton ball. How much did I drink last night? I drag myself to the shower and turn it on as hot as I can stand it. Leaning against the cold shower wall, the night starts to slowly come back to play. The phone call with Ashley and hearing her ex in the background asking her to dance. Her hanging up on me, when I told her not to. If she were here, I would take her over my knee for pulling a stunt like that.
Maybe today I can have a rational conversation with her and not get pissed off, but first I have to think about what I want to say and what I want out of her. I thought I was ready to date again, but I don’t think I am. I still have no answers when I emerge from the shower. I see my phon
e blinking in the other room, alerting me that I have a missed text message. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I walk over to my phone and see a missed text from Ashley at two thirty this morning.
Ashley: Maybe we shouldn’t see each other any more. Let’s just keep our relationship business only.
What the fuck is this? I don’t believe this for a second. Now, I am even more pissed than last night. If I am a little honest, I’m hurt. I really liked—no, like her. I should call her and give her an earful, I know she is lying. But a guy like me doesn’t call and beg a girl to be with me. If she doesn’t want me, then fine, we can be friends. I’ll show her without words that she belongs to me and one day she will realize it. Maybe it was a bad idea to ask her out over the phone. I should have waited until she came back. Fuck, I need another drink and it’s only ten a.m. If I didn’t have to go to work at the bar tonight, I would start drinking now, but I owe it to Thomas. He needs a night off. I make my way out to the kitchen area and find Thomas sitting at the bar, eating breakfast. Shit, guess I’ll now be explaining last night to him.
“Hey, bro,” he mumbles with food in his mouth.
“Morning.”
“So, are you going to explain what happened last night?”
“I called Ashley to talk and she was out with her friends, I heard a guy whisper in her ear, asking her to dance. Come to find out the guy is her ex. She hung up on me, and I received a text this morning telling me that we need to keep things strictly business only.”
“You like her, don’t you?”
No shit.
“I do, I swore I would never fall for another girl after what happened in college.”
“Not everyone is her, Taylor. You have to learn to trust and love again. Do you plan on being alone for the rest of your life?”
It is way too early for this conversation.
“I never really thought about it.”
“Well, you need to have a long conversation with yourself about what you want. Until then, nothing is going to work out.”
Loving Ashley Page 6
