Page 55 of Together

“Dad…” I protest, thinking he’s completely full of it.

“Listen to me, Nik, and listen to me good. This is the point where your father gets to dole out his advice and you get to soak it all in. When you find the woman you want to drop everything to dance with. The woman you want to hold hands with wherever you go. The woman who you want to go for a Sunday afternoon drive with or sit on the porch and watch the sun rise. The woman who turns you inside out with a single look. That’s the woman God put on this earth for you, Son. You don’t let her go. And you don’t settle for anyone who doesn’t fit that description.”

Luckily, I’ve driven home enough that I can make it there on auto-pilot because I have no recollection of how I make it home, my mind on other things. I park in the garage and Ashley doesn’t give me the chance to open her door, she’s already hopping out and following me inside.

After we remove our coats and shoes, I flip on the kitchen light, grab the Brita jug of water out of the fridge, pull out two glasses, and fill one for each of us.

“You worried I’m dehydrated?”

Over the rim of my glass I meet her eyes. “After what I have planned for us? Yes.”

“Oh my,” she breathes, setting her glass down on the counter with a trembling hand.

“C’mere, Ash.”

She floats over, not hesitating to wrap her arms around my waist. “You called?”

I waggle my eyebrows and grin down at her. “Could get used to that… you obeying my commands. Should I request that you call me Master, too?”

She struggles against me and playfully hits my chest, trying not to laugh. The corner of my mouth ticks up and I bend down, kissing the tip of her nose. “Just playin’ with you,” I murmur.

“Know that, Nik. You don’t need to treat me with kid gloves. I like being teased. I like being playful. I like that you joke around with me.” She leans up and kisses the shell of my ear then whispers, “I also like it when you boss me around, remember?”

Bending my knees, I let my hands fall to just below her ass and lift her up. She wraps her legs around me and I plant her on the counter.

Growling, I tell her, “Good to know we’re on the same page there.”

“Yes,” she replies.

“Need to tell you something, Ash. These last few weeks have been weird and I know that we need more time to get to know each other. We jumped way ahead of ourselves that night but I’m not sorry. I also don’t want to freak you out by telling you this, but even before I knew about the baby, I hadn’t stopped thinking about you. If you’re feeling it, I want to have a discussion about exploring what it is that’s between us.”

Ashley’s eyes dance when she says, “So you have a crush on me, huh?”

“Fuckin’ smart ass.” I grin before crushing my lips to hers. Whatever we needed to discuss can be said later. Right now, I plan to use other methods to show her how I feel about her. Or, rather, how my body feels.

Right now, the future is on hold.

We’re just two people giving in to our desires.

Only…

That’s not true at all.

Logically, we shouldn’t work. We were both in serious relationships when we met. Heartbroken. Drunk. Angry.

But somehow, none of those things matter because the time I’ve spent with Ashley trump all of the ugliness before.

Our kiss is desperate, aching, possibly dangerous and a bit reckless if we don’t figure out what we are. Maybe that’s why it’s so damn good. Because what comes next doesn’t matter. At least not in this moment.

I lift her off the counter and start walking to my bedroom, stumbling to stay upright as our lips are glued together, neither of us willing to separate.

We’re frantic as we undress each other. My jeans, socks, underwear? They’ve disappeared. My shirt? Tossed in the corner of the room. Her clothing? They meet the same demise. Could be kicked under the bed for all we know. It doesn’t matter.

For what we have planned, clothes aren’t necessary. And I hope she doesn’t have plans tomorrow, either. Possibly into the next day.

We fall to the bed in a tangle of limbs, laughing and moaning when my hardening dick brushes her thigh.

I abandon her lips so I can become reacquainted with the rest of her silky skin. The trip down her neck is especially fun. Though, not as fun as when I get to her favorite spot. I’ve never seen someone as sensitive as she is, but the second my lips wrap around her tip, she practically explodes. The sounds she makes are such a turn-on.

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