Perfect For You
Page 1
PERFECT FOR YOU
Ashelyn Drake
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.
Copyright © 2014 by Kelly Hashway
PERFECT FOR YOU by Ashelyn Drake
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Swoon Romance. Swoon Romance and its related logo are registered trademarks of Georgia McBride Media Group, LLC.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Published by Swoon Romance
Cover designed by Anita B. Carol
Cover Copyright © 2014 by Swoon Romance
To first loves, because there are few better things in this world.
PERFECT FOR YOU
Ashelyn Drake
Chapter One
As the sun lowers in the sky, I lie back on the tennis court and think about Ash. After five months, my stomach still gets butterflies every time I see him. His touch makes me want to smother his lips with mine, and he has a way of making me feel like I’m the only girl in the world—at least to him. He’s perfect in just about every way.
“You’re tense, Flannigan. I can tell,” Noah says, his head mere inches from mine. He turns to give me one of his killer one-dimple smiles and I melt, the way I have since I first laid eyes on him two years ago.
Why did he have to wait until now to show an interest in me? I’m falling in love with Ash. I know I am. But Noah…
“Am I making you nervous?” Noah invades my personal space, something he’s made a habit of doing over the past week. He’s the best player on the guy’s tennis team, and he’s helping me improve my game. We get along really well because we have a lot in common, but we’re just friends. That’s all, because that’s all we can be. He leans forward, and I forget to breathe as our faces get closer and closer. Is he going to kiss me? He reaches one hand behind my back and lifts me closer to him. He is going to kiss me! Holy crap! I can’t do this.
“Noah, I—”
Before I can finish, he’s pushing me back down again, and I feel a tennis ball under my shoulder blade.
“Now lie still for a few minutes, relaxing the muscles around the ball. It should get rid of that tension. You’ve probably got a knot from all the extra practice you’ve been putting in.”
Yeah, but it’s not the knot in my shoulder I’m worried about. It’s the one in my stomach. The one that formed when I thought Noah was going to kiss me, and I didn’t really want to stop him.
This is bad. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be in a situation where I think a guy might kiss me. Where I think I might let him. Ash doesn’t deserve this.
“I should go.” I sit up abruptly, smacking my head into Noah’s. “Ow!” I fall back down, but he puts his hand under my head before it cracks into the hard court.
“Easy! If you get a concussion or a cracked skull, Coach Moyers will hunt me down and use me as target practice for the JV team.”
“Sorry. Did I hurt you?” I rub my forehead and am thankful there isn’t a huge lump.
“Thick head. At least that’s what my dad tells me.” He’s still cradling my head in his hands.
“Hey,” Ash’s voice calls from the gate.
Oh, God! Ash! What time is it? He’s done with practice already? I sit up too quickly and wobble a little.
“Seriously, take it easy,” Noah says, helping to steady me.
Ash runs over and crouches down next to me. “Are you okay? I thought—” His eyes go to Noah and back to me. “Are you all right, Meg?”
“I’m okay. I hit my head.” I leave off the part about hitting it against Noah’s head. “Noah stopped me from bashing my skull into the court, thankfully.”
Ash turns to Noah. “Thanks, man. I’ve got her from here.”
Noah’s gaze is back on me. “Tomorrow?”
I nod, cringing at the throbbing in my head.
“Take it easy.” He smiles at me and grabs his bag. I don’t watch him leave. Not with Ash staring at me the way he is, like I’ve betrayed him.
“What was that about? Why was he here with you? I thought you were practicing with Grayson.”
I lean my hands behind me for support. “I was. She left around seven, after Noah showed up. Coach asked him to help me get ready for the first match. Kendall Mercer is my toughest competition this season.” I hate lying but seeing the look on Ash’s face right now, I know he’ll freak out if I tell him the truth. He won’t understand me wanting to be friends with someone like Noah. He’s the guy every girl at Treemont High wants to date. And his actions—the way he always finds a reason to touch me—make me wonder if he’s into me. I’m so screwed.
“Oh.” Ash sighs. “When I walked down here, it looked like…like he was kissing you.” He stands up and runs his hands through his hair. “It’s stupid. I never should’ve thought that. I know you’d never do something like that to me.” He reaches for my hands and gently pulls me to my feet. “Do you forgive me?”
Forgive him? Now I feel like a major jerk. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m the one hanging out with another guy, one I’d totally date if I wasn’t with Ash.
“I’m sorry things looked that way to you.” It’s not the apology I want to make, but it’s the one that won’t hurt him.
He shakes his head like he’s trying to erase the image from his mind. “It’s been a long day. I’m tired. The heat is getting to me, and I missed you like crazy.”
I reach up on my toes and kiss him. He pulls me close and places his hand on the small of my back, making sure I don’t try to get away, not that I plan to. He deepens the kiss as I bury my fingers in his hair. My body is pressed up against his, and I stay that way until my lungs are aching for air.
“Wow,” he says when we finally pull apart. “If that’s what apologizing gets me, I’ll have to think of more things to apologize for.” His hands are on my waist, and I wrap my arms around him, laying my cheek against his chest. I can feel his heart thumping, and I smile knowing I’m the one who sent it into such a frenzy.
“Hey, did I say something wrong?” Ash pulls me back so he can stare into my eyes.
“Not at all. Why?” How do I keep making him feel like he did something wrong? He’s perfect.
“You got really quiet.”
“I was listening to your heart. It’s beating really fast.” I smile at him. “It sort of made me forget my head hurts.”
“It was probably the kissing that did that.” His cheeks flush a little in the cutest way. “Lack of oxygen to the brain and all.”
“Kissing you could probably cure just about anything.”
“Probably?” he asks, faking a hurt tone in his voice.
I reach up and kiss him again, but his watch beeps. I pull away and grab his wrist. Nine thirty. “Damn it! I told my parents I’d be home by nine thirty. How did it get so late?” It doesn’t seem like we’ve been kissing that long.
“My practice ran late. I rushed down here because I wasn’t sure I’d still catch you. I was kind of surprised to still see you here, and then you were with Noah.” His voice is soft, questioning.
“I was waiting around for you,” I lie.
“So, you got my text then.” He relaxes a little. “Good. When you didn’t respond, I thought it meant you were already driving home.”
“Sorry I didn’t text you back. I figured you’d be in the shower and wouldn’t get it anyway. I should’ve told you I would hang around while you finished up.”
“That’s okay. I’m just glad you waited.”
“I should text my mom and let her know I’m on my way before she starts worrying.” I walk to my bag, keeping two steps in front of Ash so he can’t see the new message alert on my screen. I don’t want him to know I lied. I quickly text Mom.
Meg: Practice ran late. On my way.
I shut my phone and grab my bag. “Ready?”
He puts his arm around my shoulders as we walk to our cars. “Remember when we actually got to hang out this summer?”
“Vaguely.” I scrunch up my face, pretending to search for a distant memory.
He leans down and kisses me again. “Any chance your parents will let you stay out a little later? It’s still pretty early.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“How about a swim?” His in-ground kidney-shaped pool. Pure heaven.
“I’ll text my mom.” Before I can take my phone out, his lips are on mine again. He looks deep into my eyes, and I wonder if he’s going to say it. The big it.
“Sorry,” he says. “Go ahead.” He steps back. Why does he keep chickening out? This is the third time this week I thought he was going to say the L-word. What’s stopping him?
Without thinking, I dial my home number instead of texting Mom.
“Meg? I thought you were on your way. Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m fine. I ran into Ash after practice, and I wanted to let you know we’re going for a swim. I’ll be home around eleven thirty?” With Mom, it’s best to use the tell-her-what-I’m-going-to-do-but-end-it-as-a-question method.
She laughs into the phone. “I knew you two couldn’t go the entire day without seeing each other. Tell Ash I said hi.”
“Will do. Thanks!” I hang up and smile at Ash. “Mom says hi.”
He wraps one arm around my waist and pulls me in for another kiss. He can’t keep his hands off me, and I can’t help wondering if seeing me with Noah has something to do with it. Whatever the reason, I certainly don’t mind.
We separate long enough to drive the seven miles to his house. I’m here so much that I keep a spare bathing suit in his closet. After his parents caught me swimming in my sports bra and underwear, we thought it was best to always have a spare suit here. I definitely don’t want to relive that embarrassment.
We race up to his room. Ash grabs his swim trunks and heads to the bathroom. It may be his room, but he always lets me change in here. I pull off my sweaty clothes and get into the two-piece hanging in his closet. Taking a look in the mirror, I decide to let my hair down and use my fingers to brush it back into place. Putting on a little lip gloss I carry in my gym bag, because you never know when you’re going to need it, I take one last look in the mirror and open the door to find Ash standing there waiting for me.
He eyes me and smiles. “I love that suit. The yellow makes your blonde hair shine.”
Yeah, I’m sure it’s the color of the suit that he likes. Not how revealing it is. I smirk and nuzzle into him, breathing in his scent. I take his hand and lead him back downstairs and out the deck door. The Davidsons aren’t hurting for money. They have the kind of backyard most people dream about. The deck is huge, and it tiers down to the in-ground pool, which has a Jacuzzi at one end. The downside is that Ash’s parents are never around—not that I mind right now, but I like having my parents around for meals and stuff. Ash doesn’t have that, which is why he usually spends dinners at my house—at least he did before the football team started practicing twice a day.
I lower myself into the pool because I don’t like to shock my system. Ash is the opposite. He dives right in, and as I turn to find him, he swims up in front of me. The second his face pierces the surface, I cup his cheeks in my hands and kiss him. My legs wrap around his waist, and we sink below the water. Ash’s hands pull me closer. Our eyes meet, and we stare at each other for a few seconds before resurfacing for air. I wish I could stay under the water with him like that forever. Just the two of us. That’s the way I like it. The rest of the world sort of stops existing when Ash and I are alone.
Ash wipes water droplets from my cheek. My limbs are still wrapped around him. I feel at home in his arms and have no intention of letting go any time soon. Should I tell him I love him? I really don’t want to be the first one to say it, but who does? Maybe he’s as nervous about saying it as I am. And I know I feel it. I do love him.
As I’m working up the courage, my eyes stray to the stars in the sky. There’s not a cloud in sight, and the bright pinpoints of light seem like they’re shining just for us. I look at Ash again. His face is partially bathed in the pool lights. He set them on dim to give us some privacy, while still making it possible to see. You don’t get moments much better than this one.
“What are you thinking?” I ask, combing my fingers through his hair. Part of me hates that I’m taking the girly way out of saying what’s on my mind.
“That you’re beautiful.”
I smile. “It’s the lighting. Really, I look hideous lately. That’s why I only allow you to see me at night. The darkness shields you from—”
He presses his lips to mine again. Normally, he loves when I go off on my wild tangents like this, but he clearly has other things on his mind right now. When he finally pulls away, he stares into my eyes. “You could never be hideous.” He runs his fingers over my shoulder, and I realize I have goose bumps. “Are you cold?” he asks. “Do you want to go in?”
I shake my head. “No, not yet. I like it right here.” I tighten my legs around his waist.
“I like it here, too.” He’s giving me that look again, and I can barely stand it. Does he really think I won’t say it back? Does he not know how I feel?
“Ash—”
“I love you, Meg.”
My goose bumps spread, and I forget how to breathe. He said it. He loves me. My pulse races, but Ash’s expression is one of worry. I haven’t said a word. I swallow hard, willing my body to start working again, to react.
“I love you, too.”
Relief washes over him, quickly followed by the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face. He kisses me again, and we don’t get out of the water until we’re both well past pruney.
Chapter Two
I stay in bed through lunchtime, happily dreaming of Ash. I even wake up with a smile on my face, and that smile widens when I grab my cell from the nightstand to find a text from Ash.
Ash: Miss you. See you 2night.
Even though the message is simple, and it doesn’t mention the L-word at all, I’m happier than a circus clown. Nothing can bring me down right now. Ash loves me. I love him. Everything is right in my world.
I hop in the shower and sing this old sappy love song Mom likes to belt out while she’s vacuuming. I’ve always laughed at her for liking the song, but today it seems like the perfect thing to sing. I’m different today. I’m the girl Ash is in love with.
Still smiling, I go downstairs and grab some coffee, which is cold from sitting for hours. Mom and Dad left for work a long time ago. I toss a few ice cubes in my mug and decide to go for iced coffee. Why fight it? My cell rings while I’m pouring myself a bowl of cereal. A quick glance at the screen tells me it’s my best friend Grayson calling.
“Hey, Gray!” Yes, I’m Little Miss Sunshine this morning.
“Well, someone woke up on the right side of the bed. Should I ask if Ash was in that bed?”
“No! But I do have news.” My voice is so bubbly I barely recognize it. “Ash told me he loves me.”
> “No way! He said the L-word?”
“Yup!”
“When? Where? Tell me everything.”
I melt into the stool at the counter and tell her everything. The pool, the stars, the amazing make-out session, and of course Ash saying he loves me. When I finish she’s silent. “Gray? Did I lose you?” I pull the phone away from my ear and check the connection. Seems fine. “Gray?”
“I’m here.” Her voice is small, not happy at all.
“Why aren’t you jumping up and down with me? You’re my best friend. You’re supposed to be almost as excited about this as I am.”
“Did you say it back?”
“What? Yes, of course. Would I be this happy if I didn’t?” Something’s up. “What’s going on?”
I can practically hear her shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just confused. I mean, you’re hanging out with Noah behind Ash’s back. I kind of thought…Do you even know what you want?”
“You thought what? That I’m into Noah? That just because he started talking to me, I’d break up with Ash?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
How can she say that? “Noah and I are just friends. We both play tennis, we think alike…” I’m not sure how much to tell her without making her more suspicious.
“That’s all?” she presses. “I know you better, Meg.”
“Fine. So, maybe at first I was excited he was paying attention to me. I’ve liked him for a long time. But I love Ash. Noah talking to me doesn’t change that.”
“Okay. If you say that’s all it is, then I believe you.”
“Do you? Because it would really suck if my best friend didn’t trust me.”
“I said I believe you. What more do you want?”
I shake my head. She’s totally killing my good mood. “I gotta go. I haven’t even eaten yet.”
“Meet you at the courts at three?”
“Sure. See you there.” I hang up and immediately text Ash.