Page 23 of Charming
“Katie and I have basically hung around the resort and did some shopping, so I’m open to anything. I liked the suggestions you made this morning.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, they sound fun. Oh, how about renting some wave runners? I saw that in the information they gave us when we checked in. Their other property rents them ocean side. We can call and reserve them.”
“Done,” Asher says. “What else?”
“What do you want to do?” I ask him not wanting to make all the decisions for us.
“I want to spend time with you,” he says automatically.
“I’d like that too,” I tell him.
He reaches toward me and pulls me into his arms, and I go happily. Feeling his body against mine in the water feels erotic. The thin material of our swimsuits the only thing that separates us and I can feel the firmness of his stomach and chest against my own. It feels amazing, and I boldly wrap my legs around his waist and put my arms around his shoulders. Asher sucks a breath in at my actions and he places my back against the pool wall. “There’s one other thing I want to talk about,” he says pressing against me, and this time it’s me that sucks in a breath at the contact.
“What’s that?”
“Am I moving into your room, or you mine?”
My eyes widen and my mouth falls open, “What? Are you serious?”
He places his sunglasses to the top of his head and looks at me directly in the eyes, “I’m completely serious.”
“Well… I… well I guess…”
“How about since mine is bigger, you come to mine?”
“Are you sure about this? I mean, I have a lot of stuff, and I’ll get my makeup and all my hair crap all over your counter, and I’m a mess sometimes.”
“I will love every second of it,” he says sincerely. “I want you there.”
“But-”
Before I can utter another word his mouth is on mine. One of his hands moves to my hair and he tugs it gently as his tongue licks the seam of my lips waiting for me to open. When I do, he plunges his tongue inside, tasting me fiercely. It’s the sexiest kiss I’ve ever had in my life. Hot, wet, and insistent, I moan softly into his mouth eliciting a groan from him in return. I can feel from more than his kiss, just how much he wants me.
When he pulls away, he looks into my eyes without a word. Waiting. I succumb. “I’ll move my stuff over after Katie leaves.”
He smiles and laughs, “Please tell me it will always be that easy to convince you to do things my way.”
“You wish.” I tell him but secretly, I think he could probably do much less and I’d give him whatever he wants. I’m completely captivated by him.
Looking over his shoulder, our friends are all looking our way, but I could care less. Asher is talking about other ideas he has for us this week and I find that I really can’t wait for each and every moment. I do deserve this. And I’m going to make the most of it.
This time, when our lips meet again, it’s me that initiates, and I can feel the doubt fade from my mind, eagerness to live in the moment overcoming everything else.
When Katie left to go back to New York my room felt empty and stagnant. It’s amazing how much life she brings to everything she touches. We enjoyed the rest of the day yesterday at the pool. When Asher and I emerged from the water, she wouldn’t stop smiling at us. She even snuck me a thumbs up when he wasn’t looking. We chatted off and on, light-hearted, easy talk, staying as long as we could until Katie and I left to spend some one-on-one time together before she left the next day. Asher gave me a lingering kiss goodbye and then took off with Hunter and Andy.
After a morning of sleeping in, Katie and I enjoyed lunch the next afternoon, took a walk on the beach, and then went back to the room so we could finish her packing. Receiving several hugs before she caught her shuttle to the airport that evening she made me promise to check in whenever I could. She also quoted me some commandment she made up about spending a week ‘sexing it up’ with Asher – I don’t even remember what it was exactly. She basically said anything and everything she could think of to get me to abandon any reservations I have about the week.
The thing is, there’s no convincing needed. I don’t have many reservations, I’ve already decided to give into the week and let go, but that doesn’t mean my nerves are obeying my internal instructions to calm down. It’s all a bit overwhelming. Sitting on the bed, I’m unsure of how to proceed. Asher asked me to move into his room, and I will, but putting my stuff together and walking over there feels extremely bold. Taking several deep breaths, I do my best to brush off the doubt and begin gathering my things. The whole time I’m mechanically packing, I’m psyching myself up to go over there and knock on the door like it’s no big deal.
A knock at the door interrupts my packing. I told the front desk I was moving into another room, partly to force me to push past my nerves, but also for their convenience. Expecting a housekeeper anxious to get inside my room to begin cleaning, I’m surprised when I open the door and find Asher standing before me with a wide grin.
“Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” It’s hard not to look at his lips and remember our shared kisses.
“Are you all packed and ready?”
