Wild Inside (Four Corners Book 2)

by Artemis Anders

  “How about I take you to the Wind Tunnel Trail… it’s a beautiful ride and it’s easy.”

  Diana perked up. “I’d love to! I’ve never done that trail, either.” Her smile faded. “But I’d feel bad leaving Mel. I already ditched her tonight…”

  Asher shrugged. “She can come too.”

  “Perfect. I’ll ask her.” Diana paused as she found her purse. “You don’t have to work tomorrow?”

  He waved her off. “Don’t worry about that.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Diana opened her eyes. She glanced at the time; it was just a few minutes before her alarm was about to go off.

  She sat up, amazed. No pain. At all.

  And she was going to ride with Asher today. She’d invited Mel when Mel stumbled in around two and woke her up last night, but Mel said to go on without her, that she was going to sleep in and would see her after the ride.

  Diana tiptoed as she got ready, gathered her gear, and filled her hydration pack. When Asher came to the door, she put her finger to her lips and Asher quietly lugged her bike down the stairs and secured it in the bed of his truck.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked her as they headed out of town.

  “Pain free. I still can’t believe it. Even if it’s just a placebo effect, I’ll take it.”

  “I doubt it’s just a placebo effect, but I’m glad to hear it.”

  As Asher drove them past town and into red rock country, he sang along with the Garth Brooks tune on the radio. Diana glanced at him occasionally, trying not to stare. His streaked brown hair was just wild enough to be different. His cycling jersey showed off lean, bronzed arms with ink that probably told lots of interesting stories. He exuded a confident free-spiritedness, like he could easily cast aside whatever shackles life handed him. As strange as it sounded, Diana sort of understood why he avoided the commitments of family and conventional life. Such things might tame that wild part of him, and that would be tragic.

  When they finally reached the trailhead and got on their bikes, Asher let Diana lead, so she could ride at the pace that felt right for her body. The trail was as easy as Asher had suggested; it wasn’t that steep and it wasn’t technical at all. Diana could have done more, but she didn’t want to tempt her luck.

  The trail was gorgeous, with tall rock walls on either side of them, the passage so narrow that two bikes could barely pass each other without clipping handlebars. Asher told her that during the afternoons, the wind would cruise through the passage and create interesting sounds. He also said the trail was dangerous during flash flood season, where the narrow passage could fill very quickly with water.

  After a while, the trail widened and the sun finally hit them, and both stopped to peel off their layers.

  “I’m surprised it’s so quiet out here,” she said, rolling up her jacket and securing it alongside her hydration pack. “Easy trails are always packed where I come from.”

  Asher sipped his water tube. “Give it an hour. There will be a shitload of people here, which is why I wanted to get here early. Which brings me to a question. How long do you feel like riding?”

  Diana shrugged. “I feel fine, so as long as I can. Why?”

  Asher glanced into the distance. “If you want to get away from the crowds and see some cool stuff, I know a place we can go. It’s a little secret, off the trail. But it means being out here an extra two or three hours.”

  Diana cocked her head. “You don’t have to get to work?”

  He smiled. “Nope.”

  “I thought the weekends were crazy, especially at this time of year.”

  “They are.”

  “Oh, I see. You sent your minions to work, didn’t you, Boss?”

  “Nope. I closed up the shop and gave them all the day off.”

  Diana’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t!”

  Asher looked up at the blue sky, an intense blue like one only saw in late September. “I’m not missing riding on a gorgeous day like this. Besides, this is Utah. You can close up on any given Sunday and people can’t say shit… because it’s Utah. I needed a day off, and people can learn to fix their own fucking bikes for once.”

  Diana burst out laughing at that. She couldn’t imagine closing up shop on a busy weekend in high season, but she admired that Asher could. She wondered briefly if he did it for her, but she immediately vetoed that thought. He’d been working his ass off and needed an escape, and she was lucky enough that he was spending it showing her something new and exciting. She loved discovering new trails, especially with someone who knew the lay of the land.

  They rode on, and Asher led Diana past the usual turnaround and through the slickrock. Diana got completely disoriented, but trusted that Asher knew where he was going. Finally, after more than an hour of riding up and over slickrock, they reached an overlook, and what appeared to be the end of their journey. They stopped and leaned their bikes against the rock.

  Diana took off her helmet and hydration pack, hanging both from her handlebar. She walked toward the edge of the cliff, and when she got there, she was rewarded with a stellar view. She could see miles of red rock canyons, unspoiled and untamed. In the distance, the mountains stood, not yet capped with snow. And far below was the Colorado River, a pale greenish color as it carved its way through the deep red canyon and disappeared into the wilds of Utah.

  “Wow,” Diana breathed. “What a view.”

  “I’ve got a better one.”

  When Diana turned around, Asher stood leaning against the rock, his eyes fixed on her. A rush of heat coursed through her at the bold comment. It reminded her of when she’d hugged him that time, at West Rim. But it was far stronger now. And this time, she felt no need to resist it.

  “You’re bad,” she said.

  “I know.” He said it unapologetically, and without embarrassment. “Are you hungry?”

  Was she hungry? Oh, for food. For lunch. “I’ve got a couple things with me… apparently they have gluten-free energy bars. Who knew?”

  Asher smiled and grabbed his pack, joining her near the lookout. They sat down on the slickrock and Asher spread out the food he’d brought: roasted almonds, his homemade beef jerky, and… a bar of dark chocolate.

  She gasped. “You brought chocolate!”

  “Gluten free.” And before Diana could do anything but smile, Asher broke off a piece of the chocolate and fed it to her.

  The chocolate was high quality and delicious, and only slightly softened from the warm day. “Oh my goodness, that’s good. Do you always bring chocolate on your rides?”

  He shrugged, popping a piece into his mouth. “It doesn’t usually survive the heat. But it’s not that hot today, and I thought you might like it.”

  “I do,” she said, smiling.

  He broke off another piece for her. Diana ate the decadent morsel, hardly believing that she was sitting in the middle of nowhere with the guy she’d labeled as a player, letting him feed her chocolate. Maybe she was Venus after all.

  “Pretty nice ride, huh?” he said, stretching his bronzed legs out in front of him. “Worth the extra miles?”

  “Definitely.” She watched Asher bite off a piece of jerky and take in the beautiful view of Utah canyon country, perfectly at ease. And she was perfectly at ease with him, and she had no idea why. “Thank you, Asher.” When he turned to look at her, she added, “For bringing me here.”

  She wanted to say more. Thank you for rescuing her from the pits of pain hell, for dinner last night, for this private tour, for being the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. But she couldn’t gush like that. Not because she didn’t gush—she was totally the gushing type—but because she was afraid of what would happen if she did.

  “You’re welcome,” Asher said.

  There was a long moment of silence, neither talking but both aware they weren’t talking. Diana felt hot all of a sudden, and she didn’t know if it was the Utah sun beating down on her or the effect Asher seemed to have on her when
ever he grew quiet like that.

  “The sun’s high right now, but there might be a shady spot around the corner,” he said.

  She nodded, and they collected their food and headed to the other side of the rock, where there was in fact a tiny sliver of shade. They set their things down again, and while doing so, bumped into one another. Diana felt a zing from the contact with Asher’s warm skin, and then realized he was standing close to her. Really close. So close she could smell his smell, the blend of sunscreen and maleness. It was intoxicating. And as if reading her intoxication, Asher stepped closer to her, shoving his sunglasses to the top of his head and staring down at her with darkened eyes, as if daring her to push him away.

  She didn’t. And she looked at him in a way that made it clear she wouldn’t.

  With that, Asher kissed her. That’s all it took, that contact between his lips and hers, and whatever barriers or boundaries Diana had erected around herself disappeared. She grabbed him by the face and crushed her lips to his, and he pushed her against the cool rock as she tasted his warm tongue on hers. A fire spread through her as Asher pinned her there. There was something about the way he kissed, like Asher’s passion for life was contagious and transmitted to her the moment their lips met. And she couldn’t get enough of it.

  Their breathing grew more labored as Asher’s hands began to wander. To her shoulders, down to the small of her back and to her backside, then up through her hips until both found their place on the swell of her breasts. He caressed them softly and Diana felt her nipples harden under his touch. Diana, wanting to really feel his hands on her, pulled away for a moment, unzipped her jersey, and took it off. Her sports bra followed.

  Asher smiled, just a little, as he gazed at her full breasts with appreciative eyes. He reached for her, putting his hands on her waist, sliding them up and cupping her breasts in his hands as he buried his face in her cleavage and began teasing her nipple with his tongue.

  It drove Diana crazy, and she let out a few moans of appreciation. When she pulled him to her again, she felt his hardness press against her, and suddenly she wanted that too. She wanted to feel all of him. Before she knew it, her hands had wandered into his shorts, where she grasped his firm ass and then reached into the front of his shorts to grasp his hardness. Asher let out a groan of pleasure.

  Then, without warning, he pulled back, his eyes ablaze and his breathing heavy. “We can’t.”

  Diana stared at him, the suddenness of his withdrawal sobering her. “Why not?”

  “We don’t have protection.”

  Diana, relieved that was all that worried him, went to shake her head. She had protection. She’d always kept it in her purse in case Matthew forgot to stock up. But then she realized.

  Her purse was in Asher’s truck. And they were in the middle of nowhere, miles from any drugstore.

  “Shit,” she muttered, frustrated.

  Asher chuckled at that. But she could tell by his face that he was as frustrated as she was.

  “There are other things we can do,” she offered. It wasn’t what she wanted, but given the circumstances…

  Asher shook his head. “You said you don’t do half-assed with cooking. Well, I don’t do half-assed with this.”

  Diana giggled at that. “Fine,” she said with a mock sigh. “I guess I’ll put my clothes back on.”

  Before she could reach for her jersey and bra, Asher pulled her close and kissed her again. “Just for now,” he said as he kissed her ear and sent goosebumps down her arms. “Just wait and see what I’m going to do to you when we get back.”

  “Promise?” she breathed.

  “Oh yeah.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Clothes back on and their libidos finally cooled off a little, Diana and Asher settled back into normal conversation as they got on their bikes and headed back the way they’d come. They talked about their favorite rides, Asher’s past racing adventures, and their work as Diana followed Asher back to the trail, past numerous other riders, and through the windy canyon, which did offer some whistling for them as the breeze cruised through it.

  By the time they got back to Asher’s truck, Diana felt a little tired and was glad to just rest while Asher drove them back to town. She hadn’t gotten more than a couple of mild reminders of her pain, though, a fact that still amazed her.

  When a Foo Fighters song came on and Asher sang along, she listened, smiling at how natural he sounded, how comfortable he was just singing away like that. He glanced over at her and did a double take, probably because he saw her smiling.

  “What? You don’t like the Foo Fighters?”

  “I do like them. But I like you singing. You have a nice voice.”

  He laughed. “Thanks. I didn’t even realize I was singing.”

  But as they drew closer to Asher’s house, worry set in. Was she insane? Getting caught up in the moment at the lookout was one thing, but going into his house with the intention of having sex? Casual sex? Her?

  Seriously?

  And what was she thinking back there, stripping down like that in the middle of nowhere? She wasn’t thinking. She was feeling, feeling a year and a half’s worth of sexual frustration. Apparently, all it took was a kiss and she was ready to have sex with a man she barely knew!

  She could still back out. Asher would be disappointed, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t get some with someone else if he really wanted to. But as he pulled into town, the thought of him dropping her off at Mel’s and leaving it at that seemed… wrong. So she kept her doubts to herself and let him drive to his place without a word.

  As they went inside, Diana realized how nervous she was. She’d never had casual sex before. She didn’t believe in it. She set down her purse and took off her shoes, hoping her silence didn’t give her nervousness away. But when she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist from behind, then begin loosening her dark hair from its ponytail, Diana smiled, and her concerns melted away.

  She turned around, and Asher looked down at her, intent in his eyes. His lips met hers as he pulled her against him again, kissing her with such a ferocity that she thought he might devour her. And that’s what she wanted, to be devoured by him.

  Within moments, Diana was free of her sweaty clothing. She was covered in sweat and salt and sunscreen, but she didn’t care as Asher kissed her neck, his hand reaching between her legs. She gasped, gripping him as he stroked her wetness. Before she could touch him where she wanted to, Asher grabbed her waist and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his lean body, burying her hands in his hair, now loose from its ponytail. She kissed him deeply, tasting him and encircling him like she would never let go.

  Next thing she knew they were on Asher’s bed, him perched above her, staring at her with eyes that were dark with passion. Asher stripped off his jersey and Diana tugged at his shorts, wanting no part in anything that barricaded her from feeling all of him, every bit of his heat and every hard inch of that bronzed form. Asher kicked his shorts away, leaving him naked above her as she drank in his fit body. She pulled him to her, unable to stand it any longer. And moments later, Asher had protection on and thrust himself inside her.

  Diana gasped with pleasure, grateful he didn’t make her wait. She wrapped her body around him as he thrust, feeling his smooth skin and his demanding mouth and his taut muscles as her excitement built on itself. She panted with every thrust, grabbing him and pulling at him, encouraging him to go harder and harder until it all came to its inevitable peak and exploded.

  For what seemed like minutes, she was lost, blinded by what Asher was doing to her, by the passion she’d craved, quenching the thirst that had plagued her for so long. She wanted it to last forever—all of it, the feeling and the scents and the man who somehow knew what she needed and offered it to her in abundance.

  Somewhere in her blind fog she heard Asher gasp with the finality of his own release, his skin almost burning hot. After he went still, Diana opened her eyes. Asher was resting on his hands, stari
ng at her as he caught his breath, his eyes still dark but with the look of a man who had spent himself. She smiled, brushing a curl behind his ear. He kissed her again, his body moist with sweat as his chest pressed against her breasts. He rolled onto his side next to her, propping his head on his hand as he caressed her with his fingers.

  “See?” he said. “Told you.”

  “Told me what?”

  “You’re Venus. Goddess of passion.”

  She giggled. “I am not.”

  “Yes, you are. You’re like a volcano.” His eyes travelled down her body, lightly dragging his fingers along her curves. “And look at you. You’re built like a goddess.”

  She rolled her eyes. “How is a goddess built?”

  “Like you.” Diana laughed at that. Asher’s expression changed. “Yeah, I didn’t mean for that to end so… quickly. I had big plans, you know. I blame you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. The goddess of passion made me lose my usual control.”

  She shook her head. “It was perfect. Besides, we aren’t finished, are we?”

  He scoffed. “We’re just getting started, sweetheart.” He paused, his face turning serious again. “You aren’t experiencing any pain, are you?”

  “No. But I’ll need to check in with Mel at some point.”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  “And… I do have to get home.”

  He eyed her. “Yeah… that’s not going to happen. Not tonight, anyway.”

  Diana laughed at that. “I have a job, you know.”

  “I know. So do I. But here’s what I’m thinking: I’ll make you dinner, we’ll have our adventures, you can get some sleep in a real bed and not on Mel’s crappy couch, and then you can head home in the morning. Can you live with that?”

  She nodded. The truth was, she didn’t want to go anywhere. She only wanted to be in that moment, with Asher, with no thought given to her endo, her failed relationship, or her rule about casual sex.

  “Let me take care of this,” he said, referring to the condom. “Can I get you anything while I’m up?”