by McClung, Amy
"We should do this again," I added, hopeful.
"Definitely. I'll see you this weekend, too."
My night with Ashton had me in a fantastic mood. I hated to see the night end and wasn’t sure I'd be able to sleep. At first, I thought about going to see Hudson, but changed my mind. I went to curl up with a good book instead.
Cameron jumped on my bed in the morning. "What up, girl!"
I sat up, rubbing my eyes and yawning. "Dial it down a notch, Cam."
He snickered. "Sorry. I woke up in your house and remembered that you showed up to rescue me with Ashton. How'd that happen? Dish!"
I covered my mouth with one hand, while waving him to follow me with the other. My mouth felt funky. I went to brush my teeth as I told him, "Ashton and Gavin were at the bookstore yesterday."
Cameron nodded. "I know, Gavin told me, but that was earlier in the day."
I bobbed my head up and down. "Yep. He'd asked me what time I got off work and when he realized how late I'd be there, he came back to walk me to my car. We grabbed a bite to eat after that and hung out for bit. He's a lot of fun."
Leaning over, I rinsed my mouth while Cameron continued his interrogation. "Wow. That’s pretty sweet. I'm glad you guys are getting along."
I wiped my mouth and grinned. "Looks like you and Gav were getting along as well."
He jumped excitedly and clapped his hands together. "Girl, let me tell you, I think I'm in love. No joke. He is uber sweet, so hysterically funny and freaking gorgeous. Not to mention, a fantastic kisser. Ok, so that should be mentioned because he is that fantastic."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad. I like him a lot."
My phone was ringing, and Cameron grabbed it for me. He groaned, which told me it was Hudson calling. "Hello?" I said as I snatched it away from him. "No, I'm not busy today. You do? Um, sure. I'll see you in an hour."
Cameron crossed his arms and glared at me. "You need to dump him, Gracie."
I huffed. "Just leave, Cameron. I need to get a shower so I can spend the day with my boyfriend."
He cringed at the term I used for him. "Don't you dare push me away for that scumbag, Gracie."
I wrapped my arms around him. "I love you, Cam. Nothing will change that, no one will come between us, especially not Hudson James."
Hudson didn’t tell me where he wanted to go. He said he wanted to take me on a real date for a change. This sounded promising. I showered and put on a pair of jeans with a red, low cut, sweater to show off the girls a bit, as if Hudson hadn’t seen them before. I slipped on my new shoes with the cherry ribbons.
I heard the doorbell and ran down the stairs hollering out, "I got it!" I opened the door to Hudson, smiling back at me. He was holding a single red rose.
"You look beautiful," he said as he handed it to me.
I pressed it to my nose inhaling the sweet scent. "Thank you, for the compliment and the rose."
Hudson leaned forward and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek.
"Is something different about you?" I wondered aloud.
He held his hand out. "Shall we go?"
I nodded and took his hand. He opened the door for me. When he got in the car, I said, "You’re being really chivalrous, it's pretty hot."
He leaned over and kissed me, sliding his hand down over my thigh. "I'm trying to keep us from going straight home to bed. It's my goal to have a normal date with you for a change, to show you how charming I can be. You look so damn hot though, so don't tempt me to ruin my goal," he said before he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth.
"Mmm, but we do so good in bed," I purred.
He groaned. "You drive me so crazy, Gracie." He grabbed my face, pulling it to his and slid his tongue in my mouth as his hand delved between my legs, rubbing over the top of my jeans.
I gasped at his touch, then pulled back. "No. You're right. Let's do this real date. I want to see what you have planned."
Our first stop was the theater to see the latest romantic comedy, one that I had wanted to see for a while. It was a total chick flick and Hudson didn’t seem like the type of guy that would go to one of these movies. "Are you sure you want to see this?"
He shrugged. "You want to see it, that's what matters."
All through the movie he snored which I actually thought was sweet. He was being unselfish by letting me see this and he paid to come take a nap. I curled up against his arm midway through the movie. He stirred enough to slide his arm over me to cuddle. When it was over, I woke him up with a kiss.
He sat up. "That was pretty good, huh?”
I laughed. "It's okay. It was a good movie, but I know you slept through it."
He grinned guiltily. "Well, it's the thought that counts, right?"
I squeezed his hand. "Definitely."
Next we were going to a late lunch. He took me to one of my favorite restaurants in town. He hadn’t; turned out it was one of his favorites. It was proof that we did have some things in common. It just wasn’t proof that he wanted to learn more about me, exactly. He held the door for me. I stepped inside and told the hostess we had a party of two.
We slid into the booth; he insisted on sitting next to me. Hudson wrapped his arm around me and kissed my cheek. "How's the date so far?"
I grabbed his chin, pulling his face close. "It's perfect." He kissed me softly. It was the sweetest kiss he'd ever given me.
"Everything looks so good. What are you getting?" I asked.
He glanced over the menu. "I think I'll get a big steak. I figure I can work it off with you later," he said, winking at me. It wasn’t surprising that the subject of sex came up with Hudson.
"Tell me about your family, we never talk about them," I said, closing the menu as we waited for the waitress to return.
"I got a mom, a dad, a brother, what's to tell?"
I played with his hair as I said, "Do you get along with them, and what are they like?"
He swatted my hand away. "Why do you need to know?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't need to know, I want to know.”
"Well, my life is a need to know.”
I scowled, "Your girlfriend doesn’t need to know about your life?"
He shrugged. "I'm sorry, babe. My mom is a bitch. She hates me and told me she wished I was never born. My dad is an ass; he's an abusive arrogant dick, who I'd rather not talk about. Can we drop it now?"
I nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn’t know."
He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "It's okay."
The waitress returned to take our orders and drop off our drinks. After we ordered, Hudson excused himself to run to the restroom.
I glanced around the restaurant and my gaze fell on a table of four guys across the room. The two facing me were definitely a couple. The other two had their backs to me; one of them looked like Ashton. He slid his arm around the guy next to him and hugged him. He turned his head to say something, and it was Ash. It made my heart hurt. So much for doubting that he was gay. I felt a pang of jealousy rush through me.
I shook my head and thought, 'Get a grip, Gracie. You're acting like a jealous girlfriend. You barely know the guy.'
Hudson returned and I felt disappointment upon seeing him. Even after the great day he had planned, I still didn’t really want to be with this man.
He pressed against me, leaning down to kiss my neck. My eyes were focused on Ash's table. They received their check and stood up to leave. Ashton put his arm across the guy’s shoulder as they walked. My heart hurt watching the exchange. His eyes met mine as Hudson was nibbling on my neck. His gaze reflected the same jealousy I felt, it seemed.
I pushed Hudson away lightly. "Hey Ash," I said as he approached the table.
"Hey Gracie, it's good to see you. How's it going Hudson?" He held his hand out to shake Hudson's.
They shook and I motioned to the other side of the booth. "You want to join us?"
He glanced back at the guy he was with. "Nah. We were just leaving. I'll see
you this weekend though."
Hudson went back to pawing me. I was ready to leave. I pushed him away again and he huffed, "What is it?"
I scowled, "We're in public at a restaurant, for one. I'm feeling a bit sick though. Can you take me home?" He paid the check and grimaced as we walked outside.
"You coming back to my house?" he asked with lust in his eyes.
"I wanna go to my house…alone."
He sneered. "So I did this whole date for nothing? I can't even get laid tonight?"
Ash was a few cars down from Hudson.
"Why don't you get a ride with your girlfriend over there?" He nodded his head in Ash's direction.
Ash overheard him and yelled out, "Gracie, you need a ride?"
I crossed my arms over my chest angrily. "Thanks for ruining a nice day, Hudson." I turned to leave. Hudson grabbed my arm and pulled me against him, roughly, pressing his lips against mine. I shoved him back.
Ashton's footsteps quickened as I heard him yell out, "Hey!"
I turned to him, "It's ok, Ash. See you later, Hudson." He stomped off, got in his car, and peeled out of the parking lot.
Ashton reached out to me, "You okay, Gracie? Did he hurt you?"
I waved it off. "Hudson's harmless. He kisses me like that a lot; he thinks it’s a turn on."
He slid his arm around me. "Come on, I'll take you home."
I pulled away. "What about your friends?"
He shrugged. "They left a few minutes ago. I was on my way to run some errands."
I grabbed my phone from my purse. "I don’t want to intrude. I'll call Cameron to pick me up."
He took my phone from me. "You're never intrusive. Unless, you don’t want to hang out with me?" He stuck his bottom lip out and gave me puppy dog eyes.
I shoved on his chest. "That's playing dirty."
He grinned. "Please, come with me? I'd like the company."
I reluctantly agreed. Yeah right, there was nothing reluctant about it. Inside I was bouncing up and down, like a giddy teenager meeting her teen idol.
He slipped the helmet over my head. "Hudson is an idiot for passing up time with you. You look beautiful."
Sweet mother of all that was holy. Don't kiss him. Don't kiss him. Don't kiss him. My eyes glanced down. Don't look at his pants, pervert!
Stuttering, I said, "Thank you."
He climbed on; I straddled the bike and settled myself behind him. Was it weird that I wanted to lick the back of his neck? Of course it was weird. I moved my nose across his back, inhaling his scent.
His voice brought me out of my sniffing. "What are you doing back there?"
Smelling you? No, not answering that way. "Sorry, had an itch on my nose. I'm too chicken to move my hands."
He chuckled softly and patted my hand on his stomach. "Keep a firm hold on me, you'll be safer that way."
Oh believe me, I'm keeping the firmest hold possible.
His chest felt so defined. I ran my hand up along the front of his shirt. He moaned into the helmet, then snapped out of it.
"Are you cold or molesting me again?"
I jumped, embarrassed at my actions. I lost my grip on him, for a moment, and he grabbed my hand to steady me. He pulled over on the side of the road.
"You okay?"
I was holding my chest. "That scared the crap out of me."
He exhaled loudly. "Me too." He grabbed my shoulders. "You sure you're okay?"
I nodded.
He pulled me into a hug. I slid my arms around his back and pressed my face into his chest.
He pressed me against the bike, ripped my clothes off, and had his way with me right there on the side of the road. That's what was happening in my head, right now at least.
Stupid moments were plentiful in my life. I pressed up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against Ashton's. His eyes widened in shock. I pulled away, covering my mouth.
He stuttered this time. "Uh, Gracie…"
I covered my face, "Don’t say anything. I'm mortified. I shouldn’t have done that. If you care about me, Ash, don’t say anything."
He didn’t say another word. He dropped me off at the house. He grabbed my arm as I started in, I turned and he pulled me into a hug.
"If you ever need anything, let me know. Don't settle for less than you deserve." He whispered in my ear, "It was nice…the thing we aren’t mentioning."
I blushed.
Waving goodbye, I stepped inside the doorway. Once the door was shut, I jumped up and down excitedly. Angel came out of the kitchen at that moment.
"What are you so excited about, chica?"
I grabbed my chest. "You scared me!" I recovered from my brief heart attack and said, "I kissed Ashton."
Angel's eyes bugged out. "What? What about Hudson?"
I hung my jacket on the coat rack. "Hudson who?" I shrugged. "I'm overdoing it really. I wanted to kiss Ash, and I did, he didn’t react though. In fact, I think I scared him a little. Hudson was a jerk today, and Ash rescued me, then dropped me off."
Angel nodded. "Do you have feelings for Ash, sweetie?"
I sat on the stairs with my elbows on my knees, resting my head on my hands. I sighed deeply, "Yep. I do. Why are the good ones unattainable?"
She sat next to me, wrapping her arm around me and sighed. "I wish I knew that answer myself, girlfriend. Wanna talk about it?"
Nodding, I said, "Yeah, over ice cream?" She grabbed my hand, pulling me to the kitchen. She shoved me into a seat. "Being a little pushy, aren’t you?"
She cackled. "We haven't had girl talk in a long time. I'm excited!" She filled two bowls full of ice cream for us and brought them over. "So how good of a kisser is Ash?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Like I said, he didn’t really react. It was more like I smushed my face against his."
Angel replied sarcastically, "That's hot."
I laughed and nudged her playfully. "I'm mortified."
She patted my shoulder. "What did Ash say?"
I smiled. "He said it was nice."
She stared at me for a moment. "It was nice? That's it?"
I nodded.
She shrugged. "That's positive at least. Better than him saying you kiss like a dead fish or that you slobbered on him."
I raised my hands up. "I get the picture." I sighed dramatically. "Angel…I really, really like Ash. What am I supposed to do?"
She swallowed the bite she had just taken and said, "Tell him how you feel, you never know."
I cringed. "I saw him with his boyfriend today, or at least a guy he looked cozy with. You know it's not like I can make him like women."
She wiggled her body at me. "You can try. Work that body, girl."
I laughed and punched her arm lightly. "Please! Cameron would so kick your butt for even trying to convince me of that. You can't just make people…'not gay'."
She shrugged. "Well, the best way to get over a guy is to fall for another guy. Is Hudson really bad news or is there promise there?"
Hudson wasn't what I wanted, I knew that now. He had shown a romantic side today, for like five minutes.
"He's not abusive. He gets angry a lot though. I'm not sure what to think of him. He's definitely good looking and the sex is good, but is that enough?" My phone beeped, I looked at the text. "Speak of the devil."
Angel peeked over my shoulder. "He's apologizing for being a jerk. That's promising."
She cleared our bowls and came back over to stand beside me. She bumped me with her hip. "Go see him. Get your mind off Ash. If you really think there is no chance for the two of you, then what do you have to lose?"
I thought about it for a moment, then texted to Hudson. Is it too late to come over?
He replied instantly, Never too late.
Chapter Six
The weekend was upon us. Hudson was going out of town for the night to see his favorite band in Atlanta. The girls, Angel and Mary Jane, both had dates. Cameron, Gavin and I were going to play pool downtown. I had invited Ashto
n, but hadn't heard from him since he dropped me off that night after the restaurant rescue
. When I showed up at Cameron's, I had hoped Ashton would be there with them. Gavin opened the door. "Hey hot momma."
It was a chilly night, only in the mid-forties. I had chosen black jeans, my black corset with long sleeves and red ribbons up the front, and my new favorite cherry ribbon shoes.
I also wore Ashton's jacket, though it was a little big on me and didn't offer as much warmth as one my own would have. What can I say, I wanted to look cute and I liked how it felt to wear something of his.
"Hey yourself, handsome." I gave him a kiss on the cheek as I stepped through the door.
Cameron peered up at me and whistled. "I thought you were coming alone?"
I raised my eyebrow. "Huh?"
He pointed at my highly pushed up cleavage. "The girls are making their appearance known tonight."
Of course I wore this in hopes that Ashton would be here. Tight jeans, ample cleavage, high heels, a straight man would show if he liked it. This was my final test to figure him out. Probably would have been much easier if I had asked him outright instead of trial and error.
Deep down, the only reason I hadn’t ask him outright was because I was afraid of the answer. If he was gay, there would never be a chance for us. Then there was the possibility that he wasn't gay and he was just not that into me.
I wanted to pout when I noticed Ash wasn’t here. "Hey, Gavin, I invited Ashton, is he still coming?"
Gavin shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't talk to him today."
Cameron poked my cleavage, "Are these for Ash?"
I scoffed, "What? No. I'm with Hudson, Cam. Ashton and I are friends, and that's all we'll ever be."
Gavin smiled. "Leave her alone, Cam. For what it's worth, Gracie, I know Ashton really enjoys hanging with you."
We all rode together. Gavin agreed to be the designated driver for the night, and I was going to sleep over at Cameron's afterward.
We met up with a few of Gavin's friends. It was mostly me with a bunch of guys. That was fine with me, especially considering they were all gorgeous.
Cameron challenged me to a game of pool as soon as we arrived. No one else would play him so, I caved. He stepped up to break for me. Surprising, no balls went in on his first shot. It was my turn. My pool stick was lined up for the easiest shot I could find. I aimed for the yellow striped ball, but instead, I hit the green solid that was to the right of it.
