“Yeah, I have, but I don’t want to stop writing music or singing. It’s a package deal, the fame, and the craziness is part of it, so I just have to deal with it.” He told her, as he picked up her hand, and threaded his fingers through hers.
“You know Crystal would be cursing if she knew that I was sitting here with you. She would fawn over you sickeningly. She blames her lack of fame on me for some completely unknown reason,” Lucy told him with a shake of her head.
“You are too easy a target for her, that’s why.” Ash answered her seriously.
“Yes, it's time to start trying to avoid her again. You really don’t think Rachel would know. She always wants to one up me.” Lucy asked worriedly, making Ash chuckle.
“Even if she did know that it was you, how is she going to use having an awesome, famous celebrity touching your hand against you?” Ash questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Awesome and famous, huh?” Lucy said in her most sarcastic voice.
“Yeah, she should be so jealous.” Ash stated with a comic flick of his hair, making Lucy burst into laughter.
“Hey, don’t go laughing at my very awesomeness! He told her firmly, sending her a fake hurt look.
“Sorry, most awesome of all. Damn and I forgot to bow.” She said dryly, and he poked her in the ribs for her cheekiness.
“Come on, you two. Get in here and eat,” George called out.
They trundled into the room, with Lucy giving Ash a playful shove at the last second, so he almost tripped over a chair. George sent them a stern look to behave, but they just laughed, and sat down at the table. George spent all of breakfast throwing questions at Lucy, who answered without hesitation. When he found out that Crystal was her mother, he shuddered physically and gave Ash a bewildered look.
“She’s not like that,” Ash insisted.
“He has every right to wonder, Ash. Plus if he saw the same video that you did well…” She trailed off, and looked away, while shredding some toast crusts into tiny crumbs.
“What video?” George asked with a loud sigh.
“If I show him, then we have to explain everything to him.” Ash warned her, and Lucy just shrugged uncomfortably.
“It’s probably better that he knows now, anyway.” Lucy answered in a resigned voice, as she ushered them out of the room.
Ash showed the older man the video, and told him everything as briefly as possible. George seemed to soften towards her after that. He at least sent a small smile her way, as they said goodbye, and he walked out into the waiting press.
“So, what now?” Lucy asked with a small smile.
“Now we have about three hours until we have to leave for the airport. Then I leave long before you and Joel,” he explained, as he tugged her into his arms.
“What about the good old superman disguise? You can’t just walk out there like that,” Lucy pointed to him.
“Are you saying that there’s something wrong with me?” He asked cheekily, as he gestured to himself. Lucy just rolled her eyes, and swatted him in the arm.
“I’ll just tuck my hair into a cap, put my contacts in, and nobody will know the difference.” He told her assuredly.
“Alright, at least that won’t take all day like yesterday. What a drama that was.” Lucy teased.
“Are you saying that I didn’t look adequate?” He asked with a saucy grin.
“Wow, talk about fishing for compliments.” Lucy chortled, as she plopped down on the couch.
“That wasn’t a proper answer, Belle.” He grumbled, before tackling her on the couch.
She laughed at his antics, as he tried to tickle her, and failed, as she squirmed out of his grasp. He quickly snatched her back, before she could escape. He flattened his body against hers, as he held her captive against the back of the couch.
“Now, tell me the truth of my complete awesomeness.” He demanded, as he threatened her with his wiggling fingers.
“You want the truth?” She waggled her eyebrows at him.
“Naturally.” He stated blandly.
“You look way hotter just like this.” She whispered.
He let out a groan, all teasing gone, as he kissed her. He had only been joking with her; he had never really expected her to be completely honest. Knowing that she preferred his normal self, just Ash, instead of Martin James, hit him in the chest with such wonderful warmth that he could barely respond to her.
She broke from his kiss breathing hard, and smiled at him. His intoxicating kisses made it so that she could barely think coherently. She linked her hands around his neck to drag him back down for another mind-blowing kiss.
“Your eyes are… they are a lion's eyes, and they take my breath away. I really like this little scar right here,” She placed her finger on the edge of his full bottom lip, and he lightly kissed her fingertip. “Because when you smile, it crinkles just a little bit. It’s things like that, it makes you more real than Martin James will ever be.” She told him softly, making him feel complete and whole.
“I got that scar from Nick. He threw a rock at me when we were having a fight one day. He split my lip open, and I even needed stitches.” Ash explained.
“You know I didn’t notice it yesterday, how did Mark cover it up?” Lucy asked, as she absently rubbed her finger against the scar.
“That is a trade secret.” Ash tapped his nose, which only made her snort with laughter.
“He used concealer, didn’t he? So you did wear make-up?” She teased him, and surprise filled her when his face flushed.
“Not by my choice.” He grouched.
“Aw, poor big celebrity having to wear make-up. You poor baby.” She lowered her voice to a soothing, but rather sarcastic croon, and he just grumbled.
“It’s not my fault, you know,” He protested. “It started with my eyes. My parents always thought they were a bit strange, so they ordered coloured prescription contact lenses. I guess dyeing my hair just followed. The whole superman theory came into play, and George thought it was a good idea, so he encouraged it.” He explained.
“I like that your eyes are different. I really hate those contact lenses. Your glasses make you look more… sophisticated,” she finished, after thinking deeply about it for a while, “I guess that nobody else in your family has your eye colour?”
“No, they all have varying degrees of brown eyes. I’ve always been the one that never quite fit into my family. They all have similar features and colouring. I'm completely different,” he told her with a shrug. “Listen, do you want to watch the movie that we were going to last night?” He changed the subject abruptly, not wanting to talk about his family anymore.
“Sure, do we have enough time? No more importantly do we have any more of that chocolate mousse.”
She smacked her lips together greedily, while he shook his head at her crazy obsession. She tried to push past him to go and explore the fridge, but he wasn’t quite ready to let her go. His arms tightened around her waist, and she sent him a frown.
“Don’t go yet, Belle. This past day has been intense, and today will probably be the same. I just want to hold you for a bit.” He murmured in her ear.
She stopped moving, practically stopped thinking, as his lips traced a path from her ear to her neck, where he kissed her soft skin. His hands brushed through her hair, twirling her curls around his fingers, as he placed his forehead on hers. They laid together for the longest time, until the noise of the outside world greeted them.
“I don’t want to face that just yet, so let’s go check the fridge for that mousse,” Ash spoke, as he looked towards the door leading out to the hordes waiting for him outside.
As soon as he said the words, Lucy was pushing against him again. She tried to clamber over the top of him, which just had him laughing at her. With a fiendish grin, she leaned over to give him a warm kiss. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, surprising and completely distracting him.
She finally broke the kiss when her feet landed on the floor, and
she could quickly dart away from him. His laughter bellowed through the room, as the little sneak named Lucy reached into the fridge for leftovers. Just as she was about to lift the lid on the container, she found it snatched from her hands.
“That was mine. I believe you ate all yours last night,” Ash told her, with a gleam in his eye.
“No, you have that totally wrong,” Lucy insisted innocently.
“Be my girlfriend, and it’s all yours.” Ash's words surprised even him, as he watched Lucy’s jaw drop. She even stopped reaching towards the precious container.
“Don’t make me say yes to something like that for chocolate, Ash.” She told him seriously.
“I didn’t mean to bribe you,” he said softly. “It just came out, and I guess I didn’t want you to say no.” He looked down at his feet.
“You really are a bit idiotic sometimes.” Lucy snorted with laughter.
“What do you mean?”
“Ash, if I didn’t want to be your girlfriend, then I wouldn’t have come to a premiere with you where I could bump into her. I wouldn't have stayed with you in your apartment alone, or slept on the couch next to you all night. Now give me that damn mousse!” Lucy ticked off her points on her fingers, before greedily snatching the chocolate goodness from his rather stunned hands.
“I guess I didn’t think of it that way.” Ash mused to himself, as Lucy grabbed a spoon, and prepared to leave the room with her booty intact.
“Hey! No way, that is my mousse.” He told her sternly, as he snatched her up and deposited her on the kitchen bench. She quickly ate a mouthful, before he could protest.
“Next spoonful is mine.” He warned her, as he tugged on the spoon in her mouth. She sent him her best pout, which had no effect, as he tried to get hold of the cutlery that she still refused to relinquish.
“Fine.” She muttered around the spoon, as she pulled it out of her mouth with a disgruntled expression. She made sure to slobber on it, before putting it in the mousse, and scooping out a spoonful.
“Do you really think that I’m scared of your spit after kissing you earlier?” He asked with a cheeky grin, as he grabbed her hand, and steered it right to his mouth. He savoured the chocolate flavour, and the pout on her face that he had won that round.
“You should always share my sweet, Belle.” He whispered, before leaning down to kiss her.
He tasted like chocolate. Warm, smooth, delicious chocolate. When his tongue licked across her lips, Lucy felt helplessly lost in the two best flavours in the world chocolate and Ash. She couldn’t decide which one tasted better, as she opened her mouth to the intense, overpowering caress of his tongue against hers. Instead, she tugged him closer, wanting the kiss to never end.
"Yum, chocolaty goodness.” Lucy murmured, as his lips detoured, before returning to devoured hers
She let out a sigh, feeling her whole world melting into one where only the two of them existed. She cupped her hands around his cheeks, and kissed him with all the fervour and passion pent up inside of her. His thighs grazed the outside of hers, while his hands roamed over her back, sending sweet shivers through her body.
She had never felt such overwhelming intensity before. She may have only kissed a few guys in the last few years, but it had never been this good.
“By the way, it’s decided that you’re my girlfriend right?” Ash asked breathlessly.
“Of course, so does that include the illustrious Martin James?” Lucy asked, as she rubbed her cheek against his.
“My demons for yours, Belle, remember. So, yes, that includes all of me.” He told her seriously.
“Good.” She murmured, before capturing his lips in another sizzling kiss, and ending the conversation between them.
Chapter 13 – Mothers, brothers and BFFs
Unfortunately, the real world reared its ugly head all too soon. Lucy watched, as Ash drove away through the crowd of reporters and fans. Then it was her turn to leave for the airport, and enjoy her trip on the private jet. They had no alone time, with George wanting to discuss things with Ash the whole time. Even on the drive home, the phone calls from her family were constant, with wanting to know when she would be home
Ash drove along the dusty road to her house, feeling constricted and choked that he would have to say goodbye to her. Yes, the weekend hadn’t been perfect, but things had still turned out fairly well. Just thinking about their kisses, and waking up beside her was enough to get his heart racing.
When he noticed Penny racing out to them, he realised there was no chance of even a private goodbye. He pulled up the car near the front of the house, as Penny ran up to them squealing.
“You met Martin James!” She accused, pointing her finger fiercely at her sister, with the newspaper flapping in her other hand. Lucy let out a sigh, and fished through her handbag for the crumpled piece of paper with Ash's autograph.
“Only to get his autograph for you,” Lucy told her
“He touched you! What was that all about?” Penny demanded. Lucy sent Ash a look as if to say ‘I told you so’.
“If I told you it was by accident, would you even believe me?”
Lucy got out of the car, and handed her sister the piece of paper. Penny squealed with absolute delight. as she squeezed Lucy into a tight hug. She held the piece of paper aloft as though it was a winning lottery ticket.
“That still doesn’t explain that smile that he gave you, or the way he touched your hand,” Penny said with persistence.
“I’m pretty sure he smiled at all the girls like that.” Lucy assured her, and Ash let out a snort, as he got out of the car and greeted Penny.
“Why was he even there? I couldn’t believe it when I saw the picture, and the fact that you saw him. You and not me!” Penny screeched, her voice becoming increasingly shrill.
“Penny, will you calm down! Look, I got this for you as well. Apparently, he wrote some songs for the soundtrack.” Lucy handed her the CD that Ash had given her earlier. Penny let out another squeal, as she quickly scanned the index.
“You’re the best sister ever!” Penny gave her another tight hug, before running into the house.
“Those had better be good songs.” Lucy told Ash, as she turned to him.
“Why?” He asked with a frown.
“Because I will be stuck listening to them, until you release something else of course.” She told him, as she walked around the car to him.
“They are good songs. Actually tell me which one is your favourite, alright,” he mused, as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug.
“So, you two are okay?” A concerned voice asked from behind them. They both turned to see Daz, and Lucy nodded as she took a step back from Ash.
“Do you think she has any idea who you are?” Daz asked Ash seriously, and he knew they were talking about Crystal.
“No, I really don’t think so.” Ash told him.
“Good, because if she does then it won’t be a secret for long. I haven’t mentioned this incident to anyone else.” He told them, before walking off towards his house.
“Thanks, Daz.” Lucy said with relief.
“No problem, little Sis.”
“Hey, you two! Did you have a nice time?” Belinda walked out to greet them cheerily, and Lucy groaned at not having even a single moment to themselves.
“Yeah, Mum, it was great,” Lucy answered.
“Well, whatever you gave Penny is making her crazily giddy,” Belinda mentioned slyly.
“Uh, come on, you saw the newspaper.” Lucy said on a groan.
“Hmmm, yes, that could require quite some explaining.” Belinda answered wryly, while looking directly at Ash, who tried to hide from her knowing expression.
“Um, I have to be going. I’ll call you later.” Ash said quickly, as he made a hasty retreat.
“Mum, what was that for?” Lucy asked with frustration, as she watched Ash drive away without even giving her a goodbye kiss.
“Come with me. We need to talk about
this away from Penny.” Belinda told her decisively.
Lucy felt her stomach drop. This didn’t sound good. She bit her lip, and followed her step-mum over to the stables. It wasn’t often that Belinda had words with her. In fact, it was always Daz that tended to be the lecturing person in her life. The older woman turned to her with a serious expression on her face, and not even the sight of her horse was able to calm Lucy.
“Lucy, is Ash not who he says he is? I’m not going to have a go at you or anything, but that picture. The guy smiling at you…” Belinda left her words hanging, as she looked intently at Lucy, who said nothing. “If you’re not going to answer, then let me tell you what that picture showed me. That guy not only knows you, but he has feelings for you,” Lucy let out a tiny gasp, and looked down at her feet.
“Okay, maybe that wasn’t me in the picture,” Lucy said, grasping for straws.
“Lucy, don’t you ever try to tell me that I wouldn’t know you in a picture.” Belinda replied in exasperation.
“Fine, Ash is Martin James.” Lucy admitted, as she shuffled her feet.
“And when exactly did you intend on telling us that?” Belinda’s voice rose slightly.
“Well, Daz knows. He’s known from before I first knew.” Lucy sent out the accusation.
“I see.” Belinda put on her best schoolteacher voice, and Lucy felt her stomach completely plummet to her toes.
“But he’s the nicest guy, and he treats me so well. I really like him, Mum. He’s sweet and kind and nice…” Lucy trailed off.
“And he’s a celebrity.” Belinda finished abruptly.
“Does this mean we can’t go out?” Lucy whispered, feeling a sadness overwhelm her at not being able to be with Ash.
“I don’t really know. I think you need to ring him, and get him back here to have a chat.”
“He’s already seen my black out last night. Crystal was there.” Lucy gulped in a breath, before blurting out.
“Oh no! Why didn’t you say something earlier, love?” Belinda exclaimed, as she grabbed Lucy in for a hug. “Did she know who he was?”
“No, she thought he was too good for me.” Lucy shivered just thinking about that woman.
I Met Her On the Balcony Page 13