by Stacy Borel
He didn’t say anything, but the resounding yes floated in the air.
“I’m still sorting through everything.”
It was true to an extent, but the only thing I was sorting through was my personal issues and the massive six-foot-plus hurdle who clearly didn’t want me near his daughter. I wanted Ashton like I wanted my next breath. She brought me peace even when she made my dick solid as a rock.
His mouth thinned into a line, and he spoke candidly. “Look, Crew, I like you a lot. I think you’re a good guy. But Ashton has been through some shit. She’s not like the girls I fuck around with who are pump and dumps, and you’re on to the next. I’ve spent years fighting with buddies, teammates, and random assholes who’ve wanted nothing more than to get in her pants. She’s a good one. The kind you keep for the long haul. And I’m not just saying that because she’s family. The last relationship she had they hurt her pretty deeply.” He sighed and looked at the TV. “If you’ve ever seen those fucking commercials with the dogs and goddamn Sarah McLaughlin, that was her. Sad broken eyes and all. If she was asking anybody for money, believe me, she would have collected it all. It was pathetic and hard to witness, and I don’t want to see her like that again. We all worked hard to see the light in her eyes again.”
I wanted him to stop. I understood what he was saying, and he didn’t need to elaborate. “I don’t plan on hurting her, Foster. And I won’t use her and leave her.”
He considered me for a moment before he reached forward to pick up his bowl that only had a few pieces floating around in the milk. “Good. ’Cause I really don’t want to look for another fucking roommate.”
Noted.
As if we whispered her name into the universe and summoned her, the door opened, and like an angel, in Ashton walked. A sweet peach scent blanketed the room with her entrance. Her brown hair floated in waves around her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes beamed when she saw me. She was wearing a fitted long-sleeved camo shirt and a pair of gray leggings. She had on a pair of tan-colored UGGS, and I almost chuckled, but Foster beat me to the cliché.
“You look like every white girl on the planet. Want me to get you a pumpkin spice latte to top off your outfit so you can post it on social media?”
She shot daggers through her eyes at him. “Do you always enjoy being an ass?”
“If the UGG fits.” He smiled at her.
She tried not to crack. Their lighthearted banter was refreshing. “I hate you.”
“That’s okay, you’ll love me again in a few minutes.” He stood and ruffled her hair while she tried to dodge him.
Heading back to his room, Foster left me alone with her. “Hey.”
“Hey back.” Coming over to me, she sat down on the couch and folded her legs under her tiny frame.
“How was school today?”
“It was the usual. Cramming in the last bit we’ll have to know before our finals.”
I gave half a smile. “I sure don’t miss the stress of studying.”
“I can’t wait till it’s over.” There was an airiness to her that was refreshing. “How was your day?”
I laid my head back on the couch, recalling my phone conversation and the stress of taking a day to find out. I knew most people in their right minds would have probably picked up and left right then, but I didn’t want to go back just yet. Savannah held sadness and contempt. My life halted after my grandparents’ funerals, and I finally felt like I was gaining a little momentum with Ashton.
“Busy but good,” I deflected. “I slept in, stretched, fell back asleep, ate breakfast, stretched some more, called my parents, watched a movie …” It was only partially untrue. I didn’t know how much I wanted to let her know. “My schedule was crammed.”
She chortled, slapping my arm. “I’m envious.”
Reaching out, I caught her forearm and gently tugged her over to me. Tucking her into my side, I pressed my nose to her hair and inhaled. A man could go delirious breathing her scent in. “Nothing to be envious of. I was listening to Foster chew his food like a cow, and I was bored to tears before you got here.”
She peered up at me, innocent blue eyes twinkling in the small sliver of sun that peeped through the blinds. “You give me too much credit.”
“I’m not giving you enough.”
Her cheeks pinked. “You gave me more than enough the other day.”
The mere mention of her naked body writhing under mine made my dick perk to life. “I could always do more.”
“Yeah?”
I gave her a heated stare. Was she testing me? I had no qualms about carrying her off to my bed right now and showing her every ounce of sexual knowledge I had and then some. Just call me Teacher.
“One time or a million …” I brushed my fingers across her cheek. Her breath caught, and I loved that I affected her so easily. “I’d be inside you any chance you give me.”
Her eyes widened, pupils growing large. She chewed on her bottom lip, and I wanted to suck on it till it was bruised. Her little hand came up to rest on my chest. My breathing was even and calm, but hers sounded erratic and nervous. How was she still so uncertain of me? In the beginning, I knew she didn’t know how to navigate how I made her feel, but now, after I made damn sure she knew what she did to me, there should be a newfound confidence in her touch.
If she wanted me, she could have me.
“Do you want to … you know? I mean, it’s fine if you don’t. We can sit here and watch TV, or I can cook an early dinner.”
Ashton’s nervous innocence was so endearing I wanted to bottle it up and blanket it over the rest of the female population. Women were so aggressive anymore, not hiding that they wanted to ride my dick, running their fake fingernails down my tattooed arm, and whispering grotesque bullshit about giving me pleasure I’d never had before. Blah, blah, blah. Too bad none of them were capable of remembering what it was like before their first time. I’d have fallen a long time ago.
I pressed my mouth to hers and tried to satiate my craving for her. My tongue moved along the seam of her lips, and she instantly parted them, shifting her body to face mine. I dived in, tasting every inch of her mouth, leaving nothing unexplored. She sighed and melted into me, grasping my shirt with her hands to pull me closer.
“Is this all I have to do to remind you that I’m yours for the taking?”
“Whenever I want?”
I chuckled. “Anytime, anyplace.”
She pulled back with a playful gleam crossed her face. “What about at the movies?”
“As long as it’s in the back and nobody else is near us.”
“What about in the bathroom at the coffee shop?”
“Sex and a latte sound incredible.”
Ashton pondered. “What about at a hotel when the curtains are open, and anybody walking by could watch? I read that in a book once.”
I growled. “Yeah, no. I’m not willing to let anybody else see what’s mine. Not naked and not sharing.”
“Oh, I’m yours?”
I glared at her. She grinned widely, displaying her teeth that were likely made perfect by braces at some point in her life. “Don’t lie to yourself and say that you didn’t want me from the moment you walked in on me.”
Ashton exuded happiness, and that shit was contagious. My morning was slowly fading from the forefront of my mind, and the only thing that mattered was keeping a smile on this perfect woman’s face. She made something in my chest crack open. It was like an achy need that hadn’t been there before, but it pulled me to her.
I kissed her forehead, then down to her nose. When I made it to her lips, I knew we’d be heading off to the bedroom, and I didn’t give a single fuck if Foster saw us. I made a move to stand, and she stood with me. We walked down the hall, and as soon as I shut my door, the deal was done, and the girl was mine.
Ashton
“Here’s your change, ma’am.” I reached across my counter to dump two quarters into a young girl’s hand.
I was a
t the tail end of my shift, and I was buzzing with excitement. Crew had just gotten off work and was heading over here to pick me up. He said he wanted to take me somewhere. He was being aloof and would only say it was a secret place he’d found. Twenty bucks said I’d been wherever it was, but I’d still give him the satisfaction. I’d go anywhere with him as long as he was near.
Yesterday morning, my mom stopped me in the kitchen before I headed to school and asked me what was new. She noticed that I seemed happier over the past few weeks and that I hadn’t been home much. My mom was someone who I trusted. Not that Crew was a secret because I couldn’t care less if my dad found out I was seeing him. I just didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of a lecture that wouldn’t change things. I’d lied to him once when I said I was going to Foster’s, but I actually went to the movies with Crew. Mom, on the other hand, seemed to like him, and she was even more delighted that he made me happy. I had the support I needed from Foster, Mom, and Holly. My dad would have to jump on board the “this is Ashton’s life” express at some point.
Crew stirred butterflies in my stomach from just hearing his voice or seeing him even if it had been less than twenty-four hours since I saw him last. I was completely smitten. This was nothing like my relationship with Cooper. This was grown-up, mature, and smelled like a new car. I didn’t care that he was a mechanic, and I even adored that he seemed a little lost at times. I wasn’t interested in fixing him. I was fascinated by the potential of our possibility.
As the last customer walked out the door, I set the alarm, shut off the lights, and locked the storefront. Crew had finally gotten his car fixed and was parked next to the curb. When he saw me, he got out and opened my door. A month ago, if you would have asked me if I thought this man came packing with manners, I would have laughed and said no. He was the tall, dark, and rugged type. The kind who whispered dirty thoughts into your ears and expected you to pick up your half of the check at dinner. Okay, maybe he told me deliciously sexy things, but everything else about him was old-fashioned charm.
“Hey, you.” I grinned as I climbed inside, only to startle when he slapped my ass before I got past him.
I said he was a gentleman, not a prude.
“Hello,” he said on a chuckle. After closing my door, he rounded the car and got in.
“How was your day?”
He shrugged. “It was work. Mac, cars I need instructions on how to fix, and people who expect me to change their oil like I’m some sort of Jiffy Lube 10-minute quick change.”
I felt bad for even asking. “People are assholes.”
“Usually.”
He pushed on down the road, hitting a two-lane highway I rarely took that headed out of town.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
His eyes darted to mine, then back to the road. “You’ll see.”
While I was in a jovial mood and wanted to be playful, I noticed something was off. He was dressed in dark wash jeans that I’d never seen before, and he had a black T-shirt on with a black thermal underneath. He finished the elusive nearly all-black outfit off with a dark gray beanie, which made him sexier than I’d ever seen him. It was seriously unfair how attractive he was. Move over Justin Timberlake and Ryan Reynolds, I had a new front man to drool over.
It was the last day of November. The air was crisp, and the wind had a bite. Winters in the South were unpredictable at best. You could have freezing temps, then the air conditioning turned on all in the same week. Tonight wasn’t too bad, but it was cold enough to need a heavy sweater or coat. It wasn’t long till we exchanged rooftops for treetops. Just outside of town was a forest. Not thick like the Pacific Northwest or Edward Cullen living denseness but not so sparse that you could see between each tree. I’d been out here before, but I never had any reason to come out this way. For the most part, it was how I remembered it.
When he slowed, only twenty minutes away from home, I peered curiously out the windshield as he turned off the road onto a gravel drive. Directly in front of us was an old runway that small planes and charters had used at one point in time. A ten- to twelve-foot high chain link fence went around the edges with barbed wire across the top. Crew had veered off the gravel and onto the dead grass and wild brush. His car bounced around the uneven surface, and I gripped the door handle.
He knew his Camaro wasn’t an off-road vehicle, right?
I hadn’t noticed the gap in the fencing before he drove through a small opening barely big enough for his car to fit through. I held my breath, thinking we’d scrape the sides, but he squeezed through like a champ. On the other side, we were in an open field overgrown with tall grass and weeds. Crew seemed to be aiming for a particular spot in this vast area, and I wondered how many times he had come here before now to know it so well. He parked us almost directly across from what used to be a hangar. Its sheet metal hung haphazardly from the roof as if one good gust of wind would blow it off. It had been vandalized, and spray paint marred the once tan sides.
Crew parked the car, and then he reached behind him, pulling out a fleece buffalo red and black checked blanket. He also had a leather jacket that I assumed was his, in which he handed me. I already had on a purple tunic and tan leggings with my caramel-colored UGGS.
“Might want to put that on. It’s a little colder out here in the open than it is in town,” he instructed.
I nodded and slid my arms into the oversized sleeves. The whole thing engulfed me while the material crackled when it moved. It was very cozy, and naturally, I tried to discreetly bury my nose in the collar. The mix of worn leather and his cologne was enough to make me weak in the knees. Why hadn’t they bottled this scent so girls like me could douse their pillows at night and have sweet dreams?
Crew got out, and I watched as he walked to the front and tossed the blanket across the hood. Now, this was a date I’d never been on. If you could call it that. Lying underneath the stars, chatting and keeping each other warm, sounded like the perfect ending to my evening. I got out and joined him.
Grabbing me on either side of my waist, he said, “Up you go.”
With a firm grip, he lifted me and put me in the middle of the hood. He did it so gracefully you would’ve thought I was no heavier than a feather, instead of my size-eight-wearing butt.
“Thank you.” I blushed.
He chuckled. “Even after sleeping together, you are still so damn responsive.” He brushed my left cheek with his knuckle.
I sat there and watched as he climbed atop his car and sat down next to me. The metal groaned under his weight, but I’d expect no less. Fortunately for both of us, these older cars were sturdy and perfectly capable of holding us both.
“It’s peaceful here,” I stated quietly.
He laid back, holding out his arm to give me a spot to curl into his side with my head resting in the crook of his shoulder. A thrill went through me. I was so comfortable and would hand over my entire savings account if I could stay right here forever.
“If you close your eyes, you can hear the animals moving in the trees.” His voice rumbled under my ear.
He was right. I’d lived here my entire life and had never spent time here. I knew it existed and had passed it a few times on my way somewhere else, but who would’ve thought it was a place to come and listen to the world. Honestly, if I had given it any thought, I would have come out here years ago.
Crew’s fingertips caressed a small patch of exposed skin where my top had ridden up. Goose bumps traveled across my lower back but not because I was cold. We’d slept together more times than I could count on both hands and more times than I had in my history with Cooper, but this was all still very new to me. The desire and need that built when you were this attracted to someone. He was teaching me so many things. He’d given me my first orgasm not by my own hand. It broke alive a monster in me that was quickly becoming insatiable. If I had it my way, I’d drag him inside the car and have my way with him.
“Do you ever wonder if you’re living th
e life you’re supposed to?”
His question was shockingly deep. He already knew that I struggled to live a life that was mine versus the one laid out by my parents. Still, I hadn’t expected to have a conversation about this at this moment. I turned my head to look at him, and he was staring up at the almost black sky. The moon was barely shining, but the stars were getting brighter by the minute. I looked up in the same direction he was and tried to think of an educated response.
“I suppose we all live in a way that is expected of us, but we twist it to fit who we are. Why do you ask?”
I felt him shrug. “Sometimes I think it’s just me. This isn’t where I saw myself even just a year ago.”
On a personal level, I knew very little about Crew. When I’d ask about his family, he would get a pained expression on his face, and I’d quickly change the subject. I didn’t know why it seemed hurtful, but it was. What I did know about were the ridges of his abs, the bow of his lips, that he had a freckle on his right hip, and his glorious smile right after he made me come like he’d climbed and conquered Mount Fuji. He couldn’t stand his uncle, and I knew he missed his family without him having to say the words. I saw the envy in his eyes when he watched the banter between Foster and me. But I wanted to know more. I wanted to soak up every little detail he was willing to share.
“Isn’t that how it always is, though? We come to the end of one year, and we reflect on what we’ve done? Sometimes we are proud of it, and sometimes we aren’t.”
Crew shifted me so I was still propped on his arm, but we were facing each other. “Sure, but not always.”
“What do you mean?”
He seemed so pensive, upset, and within his own head. “I was raised in a good home, you know. Two parents who loved me and a carefree childhood without a worry in the world. You seem close to your grandparents, so I think you’ll understand this. Mine were everything. They lived less than a mile away. I’d spend long days at their house while my parents worked evening shifts. My grandfather would take me through the peach orchards where my grandma used to work when she was in her twenties. He’d tell me stories of how he met her at a football game here in Athens. He would say, ‘She’s the prettiest girl I ever laid eyes on, and if you ever find a girl who makes you feel like your feet aren’t touching the ground when you look at her, then you need to do everything you can to make her yours.’ He’d tell me that his whole life changed when he stepped foot in this town. Dreams came true here.
