by Ruby Forrest
Ashlyn felt the farthest a person could possibly be from genuine. If Brandon knew 100% of the thoughts that passed through her brain, he might not use the same word. Ashlyn squeezed Brandon’s hand. “But you don’t have to apologize for kissing me. I. . .well, I really liked it.”
Brandon smiled a full smile, showing his teeth. It made Ashlyn feel happy for being honest with him. “I’m glad to hear that, did you know? I just don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you. Some girls, well, I don’t know. I usually take my time getting to know someone, but then there are some people that are on a super-fast route to I don’t know where. That’s why it surprised me when I seemed to lose control of myself. You’re something else.”
Ashlyn’s breathing was coming quickly. She wondered if Brandon felt as attracted to her as she felt to him. She took a quick glance over at Brandon. He was wearing a muscle shirt and swim shorts, ready for the ocean at any time. His arms were strong, and Ashlyn’s eyes wandered to his stomach area. She wondered if he had abs and what it would feel like to run her fingers over them.
“You’re so honest,” Ashlyn replied bluntly, trying not to let herself be distracted by his body. “In truth, I usually move very slowly, but I really didn’t mind out kiss last night.”
Brandon smiled at Ashlyn. “Good, because I didn’t mind either. Sometimes, with a person, things just click. That’s exactly what happened with us, at least that’s what I thought.”
“I know,” Ashlyn replied. “I don’t know if my job will ever take me back this way, or if it does, if you will still be here. I guess that makes me cautious.”
“Look,” Brandon replied softly. “I can’t make any promises for the future. You know that I don’t have anything planned out. But I do want to enjoy each and every day that you’re here. I want to get to know you better, and then, I guess we’ll make decisions when the time comes.”
Ashlyn nodded, her heart swept away by the idea. Brandon hadn’t said as much, but she took his words to mean that he might be interested in a relationship with her past the short time she would be staying on the beach. But she completely agreed with everything he said. She wanted to learn as much about him as she could.
When they reached the turtle nest, there were no turtles hatching. The same ranger was sitting in a chair next to the hole, and he greeted them. They stayed maybe half an hour before deciding to walk back. As they reached the house where Ashlyn was staying, Ashlyn asked Brandon if he wanted to walk to the turtle nest with her the next night.
“I want to see those turtles hatch,” Brandon replied. “I’m going to walk out to every night to see if there is any action. And I think you would be a good companion.” Ashlyn glowed at Brandon’s words, and they shared a kiss before she went inside. This kiss was not any shorter than the last one, but when they pulled away, Brandon felt no need to apologize.
Chapter Seven
Ashlyn went out with Brandon three nights in a row, looking for turtles each day. They never saw the turtles, but Ashlyn enjoyed getting to know Brandon more and more. The beach was surprisingly quiet during the night, only a couple here or there, and Ashlyn loved her private time with Brayden.
When it came to Ashlyn’s off day, she had hoped to spend the whole day with Brandon, but he didn’t show up until his regular after-dinner time. He only had one more day as an extra, and Ashlyn would miss seeing him on the set.
“The moon is already starting to wane,” Brandon commented as they took yet another hand-in-hand walk down the beach. “If the turtles don’t come out in the next few days, then I wonder if they are going to come out at all.”
“Do you mean that the turtles can just die in their little eggs?”
Brandon nodded. “Any number of things could happen. Maybe the mom buried them too deep, and the little turtles can’t quite dig out. Maybe they simply weren’t fertilized.” Ashlyn nodded, trying to understand the process. But the truth was that she couldn’t think about anything else except Brandon. She had been excited to see the turtles the first night that they had gone out, but then night after night of disappointment caused her to feel like she might never see them. What she did look forward to was the kiss that Brandon always gave her before he left her at the foot of the stairs. Ashlyn’s stomach fluttered. She wanted more than a kiss. She wanted to know Brandon completely.
“Wouldn’t it be terrible if we spent so much time coming down here every night and we never even saw the turtles?” Ashlyn asked.
Brandon didn’t answer for a minute. “Not really. I mean, you always have to work for good things. Rarely do they fall right into your lap.” Brandon smiled at Ashlyn. “I guess it’s not true 100% of the time, though, because you came swimming out to me, and I didn’t have to do anything.”
Ashlyn smiled. She was surprised when Brandon stopped. He pulled her closer to him. “You make me go crazy,” Brandon whispered softly. A shiver that had nothing to do with the weather ran down Ashlyn’s back. She didn’t wait for him to say anything else. She pressed her lips onto his, an urgency pushing her forward. She felt something for him. She didn’t know exactly what, but she knew it was strong.
Ashlyn felt his tongue reach through and dab the tip of hers, stirring a fire in Ashlyn’s stomach. She felt the space between her legs growing warm, and she didn’t want that feeling to go away. She liked that Brandon could turn her on so easily. They kissed and kissed as Ashlyn kept waiting for Brandon’s hands to begin roving her body. Her nerves were standing on edge, sensitive to the slightest touch. Ashlyn pressed her shorts up against the front of Brandon’s, and she felt that she was hard.
She briefly broke off the kiss so that she could breath, and a small space opened between them. Brandon took both of her hands in his and squeezed them. He was breathing hard, and his eyes just searched Ashlyn’s. Ashlyn wanted him, and she tried to tell him that with her eyes. Brandon seemed hesitant as Ashlyn waited for him to initiate the next move. Ashlyn slowly guided his hand up under the edge of her shirt onto her stomach. As soon as his somewhat chilled hand touched her warm stomach, Ashlyn shivered.
“Ashlyn,” Brandon said softly. His hand seemed frozen in place. He looked at the ground. “What- what do you want?”
“I don’t know how to be any more clear,” Ashlyn replied somewhat coyly. “I want you to touch me.” Brandon bit his lower lip and groaned.
“Here?” he asked.
Ashlyn suddenly remembered they were on a public beach and the romantic bubble that she had formed around them melted into reality as she looked around. It was low tide; the beach stretched wide. A lone jogger was jogging along at the water’s edge. They were alone. Ashlyn didn’t want common sense to take over her brain. She wanted to have Brandon right then. But she knew it wouldn’t be wise. This wasn’t the place.
Her breath was coming quickly, and she couldn’t think clearly. “Just touch me,” Ashlyn said. “It doesn’t have to be anything more.”
Brandon slowly moved his hand upward, his eyes focused on Ashlyn’s lips. “I don’t know if I can stop at just touching you,” Brandon said. He gently unhooked Ashlyn’s bra, and she felt it come loose. It felt strange to watch Brandon’s face instead of kissing him as he gently explored her breasts, but it turned her on.
His hand cupped her breast, gently taking it with his fingers. His mouth opened, and he breathed loudly. As his thumb began to circle Ashlyn’s nipple, they let out twin groans. Ashlyn pushed her body up against his, not able to support the desire he was giving her without taking something for herself. She gently reached down and touched the front of Brandon’s pants with her hand.
Brandon groaned, and Ashlyn caught his eyes as he looked up at her. Ashlyn moved forward, and they began to kiss again. This time, it was not a slow, gentle kiss. Their kiss was frenzied and passionate. Ashlyn continued moving her hand up and down his erection, then she slowly bit his lower lip. Brandon groaned and pushed himself into Ashlyn’s hand even harder.
He pull
ed back and let the cool summer night air push its way in between them. “I think we should wait,” Brandon said.
Ashlyn couldn’t hear him very well. She stepped forward. He had said something about waiting. Could he be serious? “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I want you,” Brandon said, gritting his teeth. Ashlyn could see he was struggling. Why was he struggling? Why couldn’t he just let go and give her the satisfaction that she wanted?
“You can have me,” Ashlyn said. She stepped closer and pressed herself into Brandon. He groaned again, and Ashlyn felt a fear fluttering on the edge of her mind as she feared being rejected. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t be rejected. Not by Brandon. Brandon had begun to embody everything she wanted in a man. If he turned her down, then Ashlyn feared she might not ever find another man like him who was interested in her.
Brandon was shaking his head. “I don’t know. Maybe. . .” Ashlyn hated the tears that built up and slid down her cheeks at the same time.
“Fine!” she shouted, louder than necessary. “I see it means nothing to you that I want to. . .” Ashlyn shook her head. It felt dirty saying it out loud, now that Brandon clearly didn’t care what she felt for him.
“Ashlyn,” Brandon said. He reached for her, but Ashlyn took a step back, wiping her own tears. “It is important to me. It means everything to me. That’s why I don’t know if I can just take you, even though everything inside me is telling me to do it. There’s still something inside me that says I shouldn’t.”
“Just do it!” Ashlyn said, trying to be defiant, even though she felt rejected.
Brandon tried to reach for her again, but Ashlyn crossed her arms and refused to melt into him. She stood like a statue as Brandon wrapped his arms around her. Ashlyn didn’t feel turned on anymore. She just wanted to go home and sleep. She wanted to go home to her mom, not her temporary home with these temporary crew mates.
Brandon kissed the side of Ashlyn’s head. He kissed it again, her hair pressing up against his lips. Ashlyn started crying. All of the rejection from previous men assaulted her. She remembered Javon’s interest, purely physical. Now here was Brandon, interested in her for some other reason, and she wasn’t allowing him to treat her like a lady. Ashlyn was broken.
Brandon gently stroked Ashlyn’s hair. Her tears eventually stopped, and she stopped shuddering. Brandon still held her. Then Ashlyn realized. Maybe Brandon didn’t really want her. Maybe he just saw her as a friend. But now, that couldn’t be. He had kissed her. He had held her hand. He was interested in her, even after most of his time working as an extra had ended.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Ashlyn murmured, still buried in Brandon’s shoulder. By this time, her arms were wrapped around him, and her eyes were closed. She felt at peace.
“Don’t apologize for being you,” Brandon gently reprimanded. “Remember, that’s one of the things I like about you. You are always so honest.”
“I don’t think you would like it about me if you were with me for a long time,” Ashlyn replied. “My mother always said that I was too emotional.”
Brandon laughed. He gave a real, from the belly laugh. “Yeah, people have said that about me too.”
Ashlyn pulled back and had to look Brandon full in the face. “What? No way.”
“Yes way! People say that I’m a guy. I’m not supposed to feel anything, but I do.” Brandon shrugged. “You just haven’t seen me get to that point yet.”
Ashlyn sighed. She no longer felt overwhelmed by the need to be needed. She felt overwhelmed with gratitude that some guys didn’t just jump at the chance to have her body. Some guys wanted to know her for who she was first.
Ashlyn looked at the ground as she reached around and re-fastened her bra. Maybe she wouldn’t do it tonight, but someday, if Brandon kept showing her this side of him, Ashlyn felt determined that she wouldn’t have sex with him, a simply physical thing. She would make love to him, something that involved the heart too.
The moment suddenly seemed too tender to do something so bonding. Ashlyn realized that she shouldn’t be so eager to give herself away. “I guess we should go back to the house now,” Ashlyn said as she took his hand. Brandon started pulling her in the other direction.
“Why? We’re already halfway there. We might as well take another trip to look at the hole in the sand.”
Ashlyn smiled. “Okay, I like the sound of that.” She wasn’t quite ready to leave Brandon yet anyway. She wanted to hold on to a little of the magic of the night. Ashlyn held Brandon’s hand tightly, and as they came up to the turtle nest, they saw that the crowd of people was more than double.
Brandon broke into a jog. “Come on! They’ve got to be hatching!”
Ashlyn and Brandon found their way along the edge of the passage so that they could see the little creatures moving.
“I’ve never seen turtles move so fast,” Ashlyn commented, in wonder of the baby turtles that were no bigger than the palm of her hand. There were hundreds of baby sea turtles, all following the passage down to the edge of the ocean. The turtles didn’t take notice of the large humans watching them. They had one goal only.
“How do they know to go toward the water?”
“The moon reflects off the water. They actually want to reach the moon, but the reflection throws them off.” Ashlyn smiled, not taking her eyes off the baby sea turtles. She couldn’t believe that she had finally gotten to see the turtles. The ranger was advising people not to take photos, so Ashlyn just watched. When the last baby turtle had found its way into the ocean, Ashlyn turned and smiled at Brandon.
“I guess we finally found what we are looking for,” Ashlyn replied. “We saw the turtles at last.”
“I wasn’t looking for the turtles,” Brandon said. “I was just looking for a way to spend more time with you.”
Ashlyn giggled, and the two kissed, once again igniting the fire in Ashlyn’s stomach. She knew that she felt something strong for Brandon that wasn’t just based on physical features. She had a friendship with him, just like the friendship she had had with Mark, before he had broken her trust.
The feelings of fear and distrust tumbled back into her thoughts. Could Brandon have a hidden side? How would she know if she knew him completely? Ashlyn sighed. She knew that she would just have to give him more time, more time before she would be able to completely get rid of the distrust she had for men.
THE END
Blue Eyed Daddy
Chapter 1
Anya Sho sighed as she crossed one leg over the other and bent her head forward in concentration. Anya had just turned twenty-one, but instead of celebrating like she wanted to, she had a paper due in a few hours for a history class she was taking in college.
When her best friend Lisa suggested she come over to her house for a study session, Anya had jumped at the chance to escape her dorm, and the weird smells that emanated from it.
Her best friend of four years, Lisa, nearly tripped over her long legs on her way to the bathroom. Anya mumbled apologetically as she stared at her legs and wondered.
She knew that she got her height from her mum’s side of the family. Her mum was a pure Russian with the traditional supermodel good looks, and even though Anya had inherited some of her mother’s genes-the blonde hair and blue eyes- that was where the similarities ended. Instead of being tall and willowy like most Russian women, Anya was simply tall, and what most people called heavy.
She wasn’t exactly on the thin side, and she didn’t mind because most American women were practically starving themselves just to get that elusive skinny supermodel look, but Anya knew that a lot of men actually preferred curvy women. Women with a little more meat on their bones.
Anya’s father, Han always told her that when she was growing up.
A sad smile made its way to her face as she recalled memories of her father. He was a small man from China who had come to America to take over his family’s restaurant. He wa
s a quiet sort of man, not the type you’d notice instantly, unlike her mother whose mere presence demanded attention. They were an odd couple, but evenly matched in ways most people wouldn’t expect.
Which is why it was a surprise when he cheated on her. Anya supposed that in a way, she knew. Her mother worked long hours as a doctor, and her father waited up for her a lot, but doctors didn’t have set schedules, so more often than not, she’d come home late and go straight to sleep. Some days she wouldn’t come home at all.
Anya and her sister Alyona didn’t mind because they loved their mother regardless, but she supposed it was different for her father, who must’ve craved companionship. Anya imagined his small form waiting up day in and day out for a wife who many people viewed as his superior.
It had broken her heart when she found out he had cheated on her mother because in a way, it had felt like he had cheated on his whole family. The divorce had gotten ugly, especially because Anya’s mother wanted nothing more to do with him, and he couldn’t let go of her.
When they finally got their divorce years later, Han had turned into a bitter man who frequently snapped at his daughters whenever they came to visit. He gradually started ignoring them and for a long time only stayed in touch with them just to ask them about their mother. Whenever it seemed like she was unhappy, he would try to weasel his way back in. Whenever she was happy, he cursed her name to the wind.
Alyona had eventually gotten tired of this topsy turvy relationship they had with their dad. She told him that when he was interested in learning about who she was as a woman then he could call her, but until then she wanted nothing more to do with him. With that, she had packed up her things and left. She moved to a quiet street in Boston with her husband and two kids. She had made her peace with the fact that she would probably never have the kind of relationship she wanted with her father, and for that Anya envied her.
Anya wished she was able to do the same, but for some reason, she was unable to.
