Destined (Embracing #3)

by Delisa Lynn

“Why thank you. I am feeling much better. How about we go get some ice cream.” I offer my hand. He grabs it and looks back at Lila, smiling. I see the gleam in Ashton’s eyes as he stands next to the door with his arms crossed.

  “Daddy, Miss Dolce is taking me for ice cream.”

  “Can I go too?” Ashton asks, picking his son up and hugging him.

  “Yeah, I want to buy it, though,” AJ says.

  “Well, I think that’s a great idea. I’ll drive and you buy.” Ashton laughs.

  “Cool,” he says, hugging his dad’s neck. “Miss Dolce, you can have whatever you want. I want chocolate marshmallows.”

  “That sounds yummy.” I smile, closing my car door.

  “Hey, buddy. We want to talk to you.” Ashton turns the radio down and winks. “How would you feel about Miss Dolce being my girlfriend?”

  AJ places his finger on his chin and pretends to think hard about the answer. “I think that’s awesome. She is pretty and smart and she has a cool car.” He laughs.

  “AJ, you can call me Ansley. Just not in class, okay,” I say, patting his leg.

  “’Kay. I like that name. It matches me and dad’s name. We all start with A’s.”

  “Yes, we do.” I smile.

  “How about, after ice cream, we take the dogs for a walk on the beach?” Ashton suggests.

  AJ squeals. “Ansley’s dog is at our house?”

  “Yes, he is. He likes Donatello,” Ashton says, then squeezes my leg.

  ***

  Ansley

  Having ice cream with my guys was wonderful. I love the way Ashton is with his son. I can’t see why his ex-wife would walk away from them. I know we all aren’t perfect, but Ashton…he is close to it. The rest of the day seemed to fly by. It’s Friday and I know that tomorrow is dinner with the family. Ashton has already asked me to attend.

  We just put AJ to bed. Sal sailed on top of the bed with Donatello and hasn’t moved. He’s going to be sad when we go home tomorrow. Ashton is in the shower. I stepped out to answer Nina’s call.

  “I miss you,” I say. “When are you coming to visit?”

  She sighs. “I miss you too. Soon. I can’t seem to get away from work. I ran into Morris and his boy toy last week. I wasn’t going to tell you, but what kind of friend would I be to keep that a secret? I was coming out of Starbucks and was on my phone and ran straight into his man.”

  “Oh wow, did they speak?”

  “Nope, not a word. So…” She pauses. “How is Mr. Tattoo Dad?”

  “Amazing. We are a couple.” I gleam.

  “My girl got some D? Hell yeah!” She cheers.

  “Stop it. Well, not trying to brag, but he has some body jewelry.”

  “It feels wonderful, huh?”

  “It does. Wait, how would you know?”

  “Ben. He has a Jacob’s Ladder.”

  “A what? I’m not sure what his is called. But it’s—”

  “Prince Albert and Dolphin,” Ashton says from behind me.

  “Nina, I gotta go.” I hang up and quickly turn to see Ashton with his arms crossed, leaning against the door.

  “How much did you hear?” I whisper.

  He kisses me and murmurs against my skin. “Not much. Sorry, wasn’t eavesdropping. I could hear you when I walked into the kitchen.”

  “I feel like a fool.” Burrowing my head in his chest, I say, “So, a Dolphin?”

  “Yep. I got a Prince Albert, then, after it healed, I got the Dolphin. They join together.” I feel him laughing.

  “Well, I think I need a closer look. Are our boys asleep?” I ask as I run my fingers along the waist band of his basketball shorts.

  “They are. I just checked on them,” he says against my neck. He picks me up and presses my body to his. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

  “I love you, Ellis,” I say, kissing him. I pull his bottom lip between my teeth. “I think I need a piercing.”

  “Nipple?” he asks before he slides his tongue over my lips.

  I pull my head back and tilt it. “How do you know?”

  “That day you walked into the shop, I knew you wanted that pierced, but there was no way I was touching you there with only my hands.”

  “You know, the night at the bar, I wasn’t drunk; I wanted you, and I was very pissed when you turned me down.”

  “You have me now, always.” He lifts my shirt over my head and buries his head in my chest.

  “Take me to bed.” I grip his shoulder. “I need you.”

  He walks backwards into the bedroom. Then he stops and sits me down. He turns on some music. I smile when I hear the lyrics. It’s “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith. I love that man’s voice. He hoists me up on the bed. I slide back so my back is against the pillows. I watch as he crawls toward me.

  Picking up my leg, he licks all the way up until he reaches my thighs. “I’m going to fuck you so hard. Then I’m going to make love to you, nice and slow.” His words make me wet. He continues to trail his tongue along my inner thigh.

  “Ash, I’m so wet.” I run my hands through his hair. “I need you now.”

  “Tell me. Tell me what you want.” I open my eyes and see that he is leaning back, stroking his length. I lick my lips. “Lay back,” he orders, and I do. “Touch yourself.”

  I do just as he says. I take a pebbled nipple in one hand while the other finds my throbbing clit. I watch as he smirks. He continues to stroke himself. “You, I want you,” I mumble.

  “Who’s pussy are you touching, Ansley?”

  “Yours, only yours.” I say as I dip my finger in and out of my heat.

  “Fuck, I can’t take it anymore.” He growls. “You drive me fucking crazy. Your body, your mouth and your pussy.”

  He slams into me and I scream. I place my hand over my mouth, trying not to make too much noise.

  “You drive me crazy. I love the way you make me feel, the way you make my body come, the way my body reacts to yours. Oh God. Yes, right there.”

  “You like that, shorty? Is that what my girl likes?” he asks as he pushes my leg back further. I swear I look like a pretzel, but the way it feels…Good God, I could stay like this with him buried inside of me forever.

  ***

  “That was amazing. How do you do that?” I breathe into his chest.

  “Do what?” he asks as he rubs my side.

  “I can feel you through my entire body. It’s like a never ending orgasm that rocks my core. I’ve never felt that way, until you.”

  “I’m that good?”

  “Yes, you are that good. Thank you.” I snuggle closer.

  “It’s late. We have Saturday dinner tomorrow, so you better get some rest. My mom will be planning our wedding.”

  “What?” I sit up and give him a questioning look.

  “I’m kidding. Well, just a little.” He pushes my hair back. “Tell me about your brother.”

  I feel tears build up in the corners of my eyes. “I was eight. He was seventeen. My parents had a hard time conceiving me. It took years. That’s why there was such an age difference between the two of us. He was always into sports and he loved football. He was scouted by colleges everywhere. Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Tennessee. He always said he wanted to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He loved Pennsylvania. He’d finally decided on attending Ohio State. He loved the Buckeyes. He was leaving in the fall to start college. He said, after his four years, he knew the Steelers would sign him.” I laugh, remembering how confident he was. Ashton pulls me onto his chest. I snuggle my head against his chest and continue my story.

  “He’d been practicing all day. When he came home, I begged him to play tag with me. I loved when he chased me around the yard. My mom worked part time at the local bank as a teller. She’d just come home and was starting dinner. My dad was a construction worker. He worked long hours, but he made sure we always had what we needed.

  “I went running out the front door. Screaming for Angelo to come and catch me�
�

  “Ansley, you know I’ll catch you, but I’ll give you a head start.” Angelo laughs. “You better go. Here I come.” He runs toward me.

  “You can’t catch me. I’m as fast as lightning,” I say in a sing-song voice. “Come on, slow poke, aren’t you the football star? You should run faster than that, silly.”

  “Hang on, Ansley. I have to rest a second,” my bubby says, falling to the ground.

  “No, catch me. I’m as fast as lightening, bubby,” I sing as I run around him, my ponytail bouncing up and down.

  “Ansley, get mom. Something is wrong,” he says, holding his chest.

  “Mommy, mommy, mommy,” I shout while running toward the house. “Angelo is hurt, mommy. He needs a doctor.”

  “Pumpkin, what’s wrong? Oh dear heavens. Ansley, get in the house. Call your father now, baby. Call 911.”

  “I did as my mom said. The ambulance got there before my dad. They put my brother on a gurney and put him in the ambulance. I still remember my mom standing there, crying, asking them what was wrong. Then she looked at me and said it was my fault because I bugged him to play tag with me.” I feel the wetness on Ashton’s chest from my tears.

  “It wasn’t your fault, sweets. Was it his heart?”

  “Yes, they said he died from natural causes. Then I found out he died from heat exhaustion. He had his entire life planned out. The day he died, my family died. My parents started using drugs. They lost their jobs and their friends and became indebted to Craig. They slipped away. I had to fend for myself. The day I lost my brother, I lost myself.” I felt him tense up at my side just at the mention of Craig’s name.

  “I hate that you had to go through all this alone. Let’s get some sleep. I have a surprise for you tomorrow,” he says, kissing me. “Love you, shorty.”

  “Love you, Ellis.” I drift to sleep in his strong arms.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ashton

  “No, you can’t have him today. We have plans. I don’t care. Do you realize it’s the middle of November and you haven’t wanted to see him for months? Yes, you’ve called, but it was for money, not to see my son.”

  She keeps going on and on about how she misses him. Fuck that. She doesn’t give a flying fuck about him. I slam my phone down just as Kade walks into my office.

  “Hey, what the hell is going on?” he asks as he props his feet on top of my desk.

  “Christa is a fucking cunt. I can’t stand her.”

  “Does she know about Ansley?”

  “Why would that matter? It’s none of her business.”

  “I think you need to get away. Like, away from here.”

  “I know. After Thanksgiving I think I’m going to take Ansley on a mini vacation for the weekend. I’ve been so busy that we haven’t seen each other for two days. We’re going to dinner tonight, though. I’m taking AJ with us. He talks about her all the time.”

  “She’s a good gal. She and Meg hit it off. They went shopping yesterday.”

  “Yeah, they are planning a baby shower for Li.”

  “Look, head on out. I got this. Take your girl to dinner.”

  “Thanks man, appreciate it. Look, this stays between us. I need to find out about Ansley’s parents. She hasn’t spoken to them in over eight years.”

  “Leave the names and I’ll see what I can do. You’re going to tell her, right? I wouldn’t want her upset because you’re digging in her past.”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell her. I know everything. She’s had a rough life. I don’t want to get into it right now, but it was pretty bad.”

  “Man, that’s sad. She’s a sweet lady. Like I said before, Meg adores her.”

  “Yep. Let me know what you find out. Thanks again, brother.”

  I turn my computer off and head toward St. Mary’s to pick up AJ and Ansley. I park and decide to go in and pick them up. It’s November and the weather is amazing. I love this time of the year. Since losing Addison, though, the holidays have been hard. She loved Thanksgiving. That’s when she and Lila would do all of their shopping.

  She would have really liked Ansley. I know they would have been wonderful friends. I smile as I walk toward the classroom. Class isn’t over for another ten minutes. I wait outside the door. I play a poker game on my phone as I wait. I hear the bell ring and see little faces filling the halls.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I say as I walk in and see Ansley locking up her desk.

  “Perfect timing. Your son and I are ready.” She wraps her tiny arms around mine.

  “Dad, where are we going? I’m super hungry,” AJ says, grabbing my hand.

  “Why don’t you pick?” I ask AJ. I smile at the sexy woman by my side.

  “Pizza and wings.” He jerks on my hand. “Slices! Yeah, that’s what I want.”

  “Ansley, you okay with that?” I ask, kissing her temple.

  “Whatever my guys want. I’ll follow you, if that’s okay?”

  “That’s fine, but you’re staying with us tonight,” I whisper in her ear.

  “It’s a school night, Ellis.”

  “Don’t care. I want you in my bed. I’ve missed that sweet ass,” I whisper so only she can hear me. “I’d rather skip dinner and just head straight home and devour you.”

  She clears her throat and says, “I’ll pack a bag. I can just leave my dog at your place tomorrow.”

  “Sounds like a good plan.”

  We reach her car and I open her door. She slides in. AJ is staring at both of us.

  “Can I ride with Ansley? Please, Dad?”

  “Buddy, that’s up to her.” I ruffle his hair.

  “Of course you can, sweetie. Climb in the back.” He smiles and does as she says. “We’ll see you at my place.” She kisses my cheek.

  ***

  Since I’m alone, I want to see if Kade was able to get the information I asked for.

  “Hey, I was just getting ready to call you,” Kade says when he picks up the phone. “I’m not sure if this is good or bad news, but Antonio and Donna Dolce are dead. The records say it was a murder-suicide. She killed the husband, then herself. Seems like they were good people until the son died in 1995.”

  “Shit. I’m not sure if Ansley is aware that they are gone. See if you can find a man named Craig. I can get you a last name later, but that’s all I have right now. He was her parents’ drug supplier.”

  “Sure thing, boss. I’ll keep this between us. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Damn, this sucks. I wanted to confront them, make them pay for what they did to her. Craig will pay. I’m not a violent man, but I love that woman and they hurt her. It may take me a while, but I will figure out a way to make his life as miserable as he made hers.

  I pull into the driveway behind Ansley. She motions for me to come in. AJ is standing next to her, smiling. He’s never been here before. “Dad, I get to see Ansley’s house.”

  “I bet Sal will be happy to see you, little dude.”

  “Yeah, he is a cool dog.”

  We walk in and get greeted by a very excited Sal. Ansley goes into her room and comes back out with a bag.

  “That was quick,” I say, tilting my head.

  “Well, I packed it a few days ago. I was just waiting for you to ask me to stay,” she says meekly.

  I pick her bag up. “Leave your car here and I’ll give you a ride to work tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, that’s the good thing about owning your own business. You can go in when you want.” I laugh.

  “Ass,” she mumbles as she grabs three bottles of water. “You all ready? I want some pizza.” She smiles.

  “Yes, me too,” AJ says, wrapping his arms around Ansley’s waist. This little man is in love with my woman.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ansley

  “She will love that, Meg. I can’t believe she’s having her baby tomorrow. They’re the damn Brady Bunch.” I laugh as I walk through the mall wit
h Meg. We’re shopping for Lila. She’s having her fourth baby.

  “Do you ever think about having kids? I know AJ adores you.”

  “Sometimes.” I’ve never told anyone about my baby other than Nina and Ashton.

  “I feel like I’m getting too old. I’ll never settle down,” she says.

  “What’s the deal with you and Kade? That man would move heaven and earth for you.”

  “I don’t really do the ‘love’ thing. I had a rough life. Moving here from Kansas gave me a fresh start. I really don’t have family. Besides, it’s not like he is ready to be with only me.”

  “I know what you mean. I’ve started over twice.” Sighing, I sit on the bench outside of the baby shoe store. “My parents were awful after my brother died. When I met Morris, I thought we would be together forever, then he left me. I moved here. I never imagined I’d be as happy as I am with Ashton. He is perfect in every way. He’s handsome, lovable, and the things he can do with his mouth…”

  “We’re lucky. I don’t think it gets any better than those Ellis men.”

  I sip my Pepsi. “How’s work? You were swamped last week.”

  “I never imagined that I’d leave my firm, but when this positon fell into my lap, I couldn’t pass it up.”

  “That’s always a plus. I’m ready for Thanksgiving break. I’m a little nervous. I’ve never been to a turkey dinner.”

  “Don’t be. They’re all amazing. Last year was my first year with everyone.”

  “Thank you,” I say as I place my hand on her knee.

  “No thanks needed. You’re a good person. We better get going. Lila will want to pack this and take it with her in the morning.”

  ***

  This big family thing is all new to me. I’m not used to having so many people care about me. Things with Ashton are going great. I’ve been staying at his place more than mine. Sometimes I wish I could just move in with him. He’s asked more than once. I want to wait until the school year is up. I would, of course, have to sell my house. I really like it, but waking up with Ashton every morning would be worth selling it.