Watching Ashton huddled on the small metal seat, trying to stay warm as the rain continued to pelt us, made me feel like the biggest asshole ever. I was zero for two now in the dating game.
A giant shiver rippled through Ashton's delicate frame. I dug into the oars with all my strength, but these damn metal canoes only move so fast through the water. The rain made the oars slippery and my hands quickly became blocks of ice, but I ignored the physical discomfort and drove us forward. I had one goal: Get to the shore so we could get out of the icy rain as soon as possible.
By the time the canoe hit the sandy embankment, the rain was falling in sheets around us, making it hard to see. Our clothes were plastered to our skin, freezing us to the bone. I grabbed Ashton's freezing hand to haul her ashore. We were both shaking uncontrollably from the cold.
Still holding her hand, we raced toward my Range Rover, not taking into consideration the muddy ground that was slick as oil under our feet. One moment I was standing upright with my destination only steps away, and the next I was flat on my back as the rain continued to pelt my face. Ashton, who had been clutching my hand, stood above me shaking with cold and laughter.
"You think this is funny?" I asked, tugging her hand and setting her flat on her ass next to me.
Her eyes were filled with mirth despite the fact that we were both freezing our asses off and covered in mud. "Is this phase three of the date, to make mud pies?" she asked. Before I could answer, she plastered a handful of mud across my face.
"Oh, it's on now, baby," I said, grabbing her ankles as she attempted to scramble away. "Welcome to the spa, madam, your mud bath is ready."
"Gah, no," she laughed and squirmed as I made quick work of covering her. We wrestled around on the wet ground, looking like two pigs covered in slop by the time we were done.
Despite the driving rain and the fact I was freezing my nuts off, I couldn’t help joining in her laughter. We were both soaking wet and covered from head to toe in mud. She looked enticing as hell despite the circumstances. Perhaps it was the fact that she could laugh through it all, but at that moment, I wanted to haul her in my arms and never let go. I was finally forced to act like a sane adult though when her laughter and shivers made it impossible for her to stand up. Without giving her a chance to protest, I swept her up in my arms and hoisted her over my shoulder as I cautiously carried her to the Range Rover. She was still giggling as I deposited her shaking body in the passenger seat before hurrying around to the driver's side. My feet threatened to come out from under me again as I was rounding the back of the vehicle, but I was able to keep myself upright by holding on. I was swearing by the time I climbed behind the steering wheel, which made Ashton laugh harder.
"Chuckle it up. It's not like you were any more graceful," I mock growled. My fingers were doing their best not to cooperate as I fumbled to slide the key into the ignition. Finally, after several attempts, I was able to crank the vehicle over and turn the heat to the highest setting. The air blasted out at us and rose quickly in temperature. We both felt instant relief. I let the vehicle warm up for a few more minutes before finally turning around and driving away from the clearing.
"You better hope we don't get pulled over," Ashton giggled through her knocking teeth as I pulled onto the main road.
I laughed, relieved that she was feeling good enough to joke. "Why?"
"Because they may think we're into some kinky-mud-wrestling thing."
"Mud wrestling? Is that the kind of thing you like?" I teased.
"Oh yeah. No weekend was complete at UCF until I was in some kind of mud pit," she said dryly.
"You, skimpy outfit, mud, that’s something I'd like to see," I said, winking at her.
"Spoken like a true male," she said as I pulled into her driveway. "I think I'll just stay in the car with the heat," she added, not thrilled about going outside again.
"We'll be inside before you know it," I reassured her. "Where are your keys?"
"In my purse," she answered, leaning down to pick it up. Digging around for a few seconds, she finally found them and handed them over.
I reached over after turning off the vehicle and popped the glove compartment to pull out the box I had placed in there earlier.
The wide-eyed look on Ashton's face was hilarious when she saw the box of condoms in my hand. Smiling, I opened my door and almost changed my mind when a freezing gust of wind swept in the vehicle. "Holy shit, it's colder than a witch's tit out here," I complained, grimacing as the rain drove down on me. I continued to curse as I rounded the vehicle only to find Ashton already headed toward her front door.
"I would have carried you," I said as she bounced from one foot to the other.
"It's okay," she said, shivering.
I unlocked the front door as quick as I could and propelled her inside. Unfortunately, it wasn't much warmer in the cottage than it was outside. "Where's the thermostat?" I asked as she stood in the center of the room shaking from head to toe.
"My room."
I bumped up the heat until I heard it kick on, and then dropped the small box on her nightstand before proceeding to the bathroom. I got a hot shower started before going back out to collect Ashton.
She was right where I had left her, still shaking like a leaf on a windy day. "Come on," I said, pulling her toward the bathroom. A wall of steam greeted us when I opened the door. The warmth draped our cold bodies like a blanket. Ashton's eyes were heavy with exhaustion from the night's events. She was leaning heavily against the closed bathroom door and looked ready to drop.
"Take off your clothes," I said as I pulled at my own clothes with numb fingers.
"I'm really not in the mood," she joked. Her lips were a pale blue and her frame was shaking out of control.
"Very funny," I said, reaching out to help her when I saw the cold had rendered her fingers useless. I stripped off her muddy sweater and the long-sleeved t-shirt she had on underneath and then deftly unfastened the button of her jeans.
"I can do it," she said, standing in her bra and jeans in front of me with teeth knocking together.
I pulled off my own muddy jeans as she struggled to remove her own. Finally, after a few false attempts, she stood before me, pale but beautiful in only her delicate lace bra and her barely-there panties. Had we not been frozen and blue from the cold, I could have stared at her forever without ever tiring.
"I knew you were a boxer-brief kind of guy," she said in an exhausted voice as I stood in front of her.
"I'm going to get you in the hot shower to warm you up and then you can sleep," I said, pulling her toward the shower as I followed behind. As we stepped into the shower together, I adjusted the setting so we wouldn't be scalded and then pulled her in my arms under the cascading flow of water. The shaking of her body seemed to intensify for a moment before she sagged against me, sighing as the warmth began to penetrate her freezing limbs. I turned her against me so she could hold on without falling. I lost track of how long we stood under the stream of hot water. Before the temperature of the water could change, I finally forced myself to move. Reaching behind her, I unclasped her bra and pulled back slightly so it could slip off her arms. I willed myself to not to look, but I couldn't help sweeping my eyes down her body, taking in her puckered perky nipples before crushing her back against me. Controlling my body's reaction to holding her topless form was a mammoth task that I was failing at miserably. She was practically asleep on her feet, which made my arousal seem almost dirty. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I finally looked down to see if she was aware of my response. I was shocked to find her looking at me with full awareness. I smiled apologetically. "Sorry," I said, no longer able to hide the evidence of my desire pressed against her.
"For what?" she asked, leaning forward to lick a bead of water off my collarbone.
"For wanting you this badly during a pretty shitty time."
"So we took a boat ride in the rain and froze our asses off. The before and definitely the after make up for it,
" she said as I squeezed soap on the washcloth. Keeping my eyes on hers, I slowly began to wash the last traces of mud from her body.
"I'm not sure those were muddy," she said in a hitched voice when I ran the washcloth over her breasts.
"Just trying to be thorough," I said before dropping a kiss to her shoulder blade.
"Hmmmm, thorough. Well, who am I to argue?" she said, reaching up to link her arms around my neck. The movement brought her breasts flush against my chest. I bent my head and dropped a kiss to her other shoulder.
"The water's starting to cool," I said regretfully, twisting the nozzle until the flow of water stopped. I reached around the curtain and grabbed a large towel off the rack and wrapped it around her. Without breaking eye contact, I hooked my fingers on either side of her panties, pulling them down her hips until they rested at her feet where she was able to step out of them. Her eyes stayed on mine as I pulled off my own boxer-briefs before reaching for a towel. Steamy air crept into the hallway when I opened the bathroom door. The hardwood floors were still cold on bare feet for the walk to her bedroom, but at least the heater had sufficiently warmed up the cottage while we showered. I pulled down the heavy comforter on her bed and turned back to Ashton, who was watching me intently. Our eyes remained locked, neither of us saying a word. I grabbed the towel she held in place around her body and paused. She waited for a moment as the intensity of our stare reached a boiling point before raising her arms, allowing the towel to drop to the floor. I allowed myself the luxury of looking at her fully naked body for the first time. Every inch of her skin begged for my touch, and I was no longer able to help myself. I gently massaged one of her perfectly sculpted breasts before dropping a quick kiss just above her erect nipple.
"That was nice," she said, finally breaking the silence and making me stand on end.
Chapter 15: Finally, a night to remember
Ashton
My body was ready and there would be no stopping this time. Nathan and I stood facing each other as his hands moved gently over my skin, making me tingle. He continued down my arms before lifting my hands to his chest. I matched his movements, using my fingertips to trace the contours of his firm pectorals. We were almost dancing now as I continued down with my fingers to his gloriously chiseled abs. My eyes followed a single drop of water, traveling along the grooves of his muscular stomach and then down to his fully erect member below. Seeing it for the first time only heightened my arousal. The familiar ache between my legs spread quickly from our movements, making me yearn for more. I moved close against him, moaning with delight when he placed his mouth on my neck. He moved along my shoulder with his lips and up to my ear.
"You like that?" he asked, moaning himself from my enthusiastic approval. Turning me slowly around, he continued kissing along my back before pulling me tightly against him. His hands cupped my breasts as he swayed slowly against my ass, sending liquid heat rushing throughout my body.
"God," I moaned, turning around and pulling him toward the bed. "Put it in now. I need you."
"I know, baby. I need you too, but trust me. I'm going to give you the best bike ride ever," he answered, lowering me down to the bed.
He draped himself on top of me, kissing down my chest and using his tongue along my nipple before taking it all in his mouth. I decided instantly I loved being sucked like that and wanted more. With bated breath, I silently begged him to move lower, which of course he obliged.
"You mean, here?" He kissed my stomach. "Or here?" he repeated, going slightly lower.
Passion consumed me. I moved against him, wanting more, but unsure how to convey what I needed. My breath became labored as he moved his hand lower. I parted my legs, allowing his hand access to where I needed it. He rubbed his fingers intimately against me. The sensation was unlike any I had ever felt. My hips rose, almost instinctively on their own, and my movements became frantic as he continued to rub his fingers against me. I felt as if I was reaching the crest of a gigantic wave. As my senses reached the point of eruption, I felt his tongue tickling the spot where his fingers had been, making me buck against him as spasms took over my body.
I was slowly coming back down to earth when he finally spoke.
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" he said, slowly withdrawing before lying on me again.
"And why is that?" I asked when I could speak again.
"Because everything you do is so fucking hot. It was turning me on as much to watch you as it was doing it to you," he answered, running his hand up my torso until it grazed over my breast. He dropped his mouth to mine without saying another word. His desire was apparent as his tongue made love to my mouth, moving in and out and making my body respond again. I could feel him hot and hard against my thigh and I shifted again, hoping he'd get the hint of where I wanted him the most.
"We're getting there, sweetheart," he said, dragging his lips from mine and trailing them down my collarbone until his mouth closed fully around my nipple.
"Give me a second," he said, reaching over for the box he'd left on my table earlier. I shifted against him, ready to feel him inside me as he extracted a condom from its package.
His mouth found my ear as he settled between my legs again. "Tell me what you want," he whispered huskily.
"I want you," I said, unsure how to tell him exactly what I wanted.
"Where?" he breathed, pulling my earlobe into his mouth making me buck beneath him.
"There," I said, lifting my hips for emphasis.
"Here?" he nudged, moving my legs farther apart so he could settle fully against me.
"Yes," I moaned as he slid inside me.
"God, you feel so fucking good," he said, straining as he moved slowly in me.
Unable to take the torture anymore, I raised my hips, taking him fully. My fingers raked hard against his back, pulling him against me. He lost all self-control as our bodies moved together. His lips found mine through labored breathing, and I could feel the wave building as he called out my name.
"Oh, Ashton, fuck," he called, moving faster and faster. My body felt like it would explode until we reached the climax, finishing together.
I felt completely spent with all my limbs like jelly. "Holy crap, is it always like that?" I asked as he rested heavily on top of me.
"It's never been like that," he answered, propping himself on an elbow.
"Really? You're not just trying to make me feel good?"
"Really," he answered, dropping a light kiss on my lips before rising off me and heading for my bathroom.
A few minutes later, Nathan returned and switched off the light before climbing into bed. I tucked myself under his arm, sighing with satisfaction as he stroked my hair. I flushed slightly, remembering how I had responded so completely to his touch. I had been unprepared for how consuming making love was and how everything else of importance melted away. All I could focus on now was how badly I wanted him to keep touching me.
Chapter 16: The Pledge
Nathan
"Sleep," I said, when she shifted her hips in my direction.
"Not likely," she breathed.
"You're exhausted. You'll be asleep before you know it. Just relax," I coaxed.
She shifted again and I tightened my hold on her.
"I'm not all that tired. We could if you wanted," she whispered in the dark. I might have taken her up on it if not for the stifled yawn I heard from her.
"Sweetheart, when we go again, I want you to be completely alert. Now, go to sleep," I encouraged.
I thought she was going to argue more, but she relaxed against me. "Thank you for an unforgettable night," she said.
I chuckled. "Anytime. Thank you for being you."
"Mmm-hmm," she said as sleep dragged her under.
A moment later, her body fell completely relaxed in my arms, letting me know she was out. I was still filled with a little too much adrenaline to sleep. Of course, it wasn't much of a hardship to hold her slender body in my arms, and I didn't mind being a
wake for it. She was equally beautiful in her sleep and by far the most engaging woman I had ever been with, making all others pale in comparison. Her quick wit and honesty on most issues pulled me in, making me want to learn everything about her. I couldn't help wishing she would trust me enough to confide her secrets. Her lies about never having a serious relationship had bothered me more than I had expected. I knew my response had confused her as I had fought to control my anger. The fact that she felt she had to lie made me want to hunt my employer down and beat him to a bloody pulp. What had he done to her to make her want to run away? I lay there for what felt like hours pondering several scenarios through my head, trying to make sense of why she was hiding the truth. Finally, my own exhaustion got the better of me, and I gave up trying to solve the mystery for the night. My last coherent thought before I succumbed to sleep was that it would be a cold day in hell before I allowed anyone to hurt her again.
Chapter 17: The next day
Ashton
I woke the next morning to the sound of my front door opening. Seeing I was alone, I sprang from my bed like someone had set off a firecracker. Everything we did last night was great, but hanging out in my birthday suit in broad daylight was a whole other issue. I hurried to throw on a pair of yoga pants and cream-colored t-shirt when Nathan walked in. As per usual, hurrying never worked out in my favor, as evidenced by my head stuck halfway through one of the sleeves of the shirt and my inside-out and backward yoga pants.
"New fashion statement?" he asked, holding a bag from the bakery in his hand.
I glared at him through the opening of my t-shirt sleeve as I tried in vain to pull the hem of the shirt down to cover my exposed chest.
"Here, let me help," he said, setting the bag down on top of my dresser.
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