Page 56 of Pulse
Chapter 18
Ren
It seemed we’d gotten past the worst of it.
Ash was getting better, he seemed happier, and me? I felt a lot more at ease about all the things that had happened since he’d come into my life.
The days seemed to fly by and like clockwork I turned up at Ash’s and we trained, talked and did everything but the one thing my body seemed to want to do. We were both physical creatures and when we were together it had always been explosive, in bed and out. Nothing had changed in that regard.
After all the talking and kissing, it was only a matter of time, but Ash was still holding back.
We’d been training all day and I was currently standing in Ash’s bedroom while he showered, staring out the window at the garden below.
The yard was picture perfect with little box hedges and rows of bulb flowers like daffodils and bluebells that thrived in the springtime. Easy care for someone stuck in a house. The high walls gave the place a sense of privacy and paired with all the greenery, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t realize you were smack bang in the middle of Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
The house had been a good choice considering the position he and Violet were in. Privacy was exactly what they needed.
I felt Ash behind me before I heard him.
“It’s a nice yard,” I said, not looking away from the sun-soaked garden.
He grunted, sliding his hands over my waist.I couldn’t not touch him; he was like a bloody magnet, so I leaned back against his chest, careful to make sure that only my shoulder blades sat against the skin of his naked torso. If I hadn’t seen the contents of his closet, I’d totally wonder if he actually owned a shirt since he went topless so much. I seriously doubted that his tattoo worked like under floor heating.
His thumbs began to circle along my waist, tracing the bare skin between my sports bra and my shorts.
“Ren?” he asked and I glanced up at him.
“Hmmm?”
“I love you.”
I froze; my body rigid against his.
“I love you,” he said again. “I have since that first night I found you training at Beat in the middle of the night. I just wish it hadn’t taken all this crap for me to realize it.”
Training at Beat? He must mean the moment he’d rejected me after his erotic shoulder massage. Yeah, it must’ve been then.
“Ren?” Ash stared down at me, looking a little panicked.
“I was just thinking about that night,” I replied, turning so I could face him.
He cocked his head to the side, prodding me to explain.
“You gave me a shoulder massage…” I began, my body humming with the memory.
“I was so fuckin’ hard Spitfire.”
“I know. I felt it.”
He stepped into me, lowering his lips toward mine. “And what do you feel now?”
“Right now?” I whispered, curling my fingers into the hem of his shorts.
