Page 95 of Wildest Dreams

“Can I sneak around the lake when everyone heads to bed and cuddle up with you?” I murmur, leashing one of my forearms around her lower back so that I can press her right up against me.

“People will see,” she whispers.

I shake my head, kissing her harder. “I’ll go through the woods. No-one’ll know.”

“But Connell–”

Okay, I’ll admit it, I kind of like Connell. Mainly because he’s as easygoing as I am and, if I didn’t have such a heartless reputation, I think that he wouldn’t mind me dating Aisling. But as it is, he probably doesn’t love the idea of my campus-renowned dick going anywhere near his baby sister.

Probably a good job that he doesn’t know it already has.

I squeeze my palms gently down her throat.

“Okay. But if you change your mind you can text me back for the first time in four years, and I’ll climb your fucking balcony just to get my arms around you.”

She ducks her head and smiles, pretty as hell. I hunch lower so that I can take in the full force of it.

“You’re the prettiest girl ever, you know that?” I tell her, pressing a kiss against her cheek as she preens and shimmers with happiness. “I gotta go see the guys, okay? Find out if they’re planning on renting out the rink again for the rest of the weekend.”

Aisling nods, fingers still toying tentatively with my drawstring. I smirk and shove a hand through my hair.

Go on, baby. Take a peek.

But she resists her feelings and places her hands back over my shoulders.

“I’ll help you finish this place up,” I tell her when she meets my eyes again. I mean, I’m pretty sure that she’s just ordered another five-figure bed that she could use a helping hand with.

“No way,” she breathes, but I just give her a knowing smile.

I’m going to be doing a hell of a lot of screwing inside those walls pretty soon.

“Sure,” I laugh, giving her a final rough kiss, before pulling away from her and stepping back.

I glance over my shoulder, taking in the porch railing behind me. If I jump that thing then I can walk through the edge of the larch forest to make my way back to the cabins, meaning that the guys currently over there won’t know that I was just over here – keeping what’s happening between Aisling and me a secret for now.

I trudge to the railing and lay my hands flat over the wood, heaving my body upwards so that I can get my legs over the panel and jump the drop.

Aisling rushes forward with a squeak as I thud quietly to the forest floor.

“Jesus,” I mumble, feeling about seven million twigs impale the soles of my feet. When I look up into her panicked eyes as she leans over the edge of the porch rim, I flash her an easy grin and reach up to squeeze her hands with mine.

“If I head to the rink with the guys tomorrow will you come?” I ask her, lacing our fingers together. Her brow arches, overwhelmed and unsure.

“Uh, maybe,” she says, “but I still need to–”

“There’s plenty time to get the interior job done, Ash,” I assure her, before giving her another squeeze and finally letting go of her cool fingers. I run my palm over my hair, pushing it back off my forehead as the rain thumps heavily down on me from the deep green canopy.

“I’ll come and get you in the morning,” I tell her, smiling even as she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “And secret or not,” I say as I walk backwards, away from the lake house and into the forest, “if I get you on the ice, there’s no goddamn way that I’m not skating with you tomorrow.”

She rests her chin on her palms and tries to hide her smile with her fingers.

“See you, big shot,” she whispers, giggling when that name makes me smirk and raise my eyebrows.

I shake the rain from my hair and give her a once-over.

“See you, Ash.”

Chapter 24

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