by Tia Siren
“You will. I know it,” I promised him.
“I’ll go with you, Grandpa,” Jasper assured him.
“Good. I couldn’t imagine doing it without you.”
“Dad, can you watch Jasper tonight?”
He looked up at me. “Do you have plans?”
I grinned. “I do.”
“With a certain young man?” He winked.
I fought back a giggle at Brock being called a young man. I guessed in my dad’s eyes Brock was young.
“Yes, Dad. So, will you?”
“Of course. Jasper and I will kick back and watch some television and maybe have some popcorn.”
“Okay. I’m going to go take a shower. I didn’t have time to get one this morning.”
After hurrying inside, I showered and then dug into my closet to try to find something to wear for my date tonight. Brock had only seen me in jeans or cutoffs. I wanted to show him I was a grown woman and not the youthful teenage girl he used to know. It was strange, but this was our first date. This was our chance to get a fresh start. After tonight, I would know whether or not we could make a real go at a relationship.
I was extremely nervous and excited at the same time. I refused to even consider the idea that he wouldn’t show up. He better show up. He was the one who had pushed me to go out with him. Now that I’d agreed, he damn well better show.
Chapter 36
Brock
I pretended I had a choice in the matter, but I knew damn well I was going to pick her up. I wanted to deny her just to prove I could, but I couldn’t. Part of me wanted to show her I could live without her. It was a silly notion. I shaved, applied some cologne, and pulled on a collared shirt. I didn’t want to overdo it, but I wanted to look different than I normally did at work.
I drove out to the farm and wasn’t surprised to see Jasper and Tanner out on the porch.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
“Hi, Dad,” Jasper said, coming down the steps. “Mom looks real pretty.”
I smiled. “I bet she does.”
Tanner was grinning like a fool. “It’s about time,” he said, still smiling.
I had to smile back. “Is she inside?”
He nodded and I headed inside.
“Ashley, I’m here, as ordered,” I called out.
I heard footsteps, no, clacking sounds coming down the hall. She was wearing heels. My mouth hung open, but I couldn’t seem to close it. When she appeared in the living room, my breath hitched.
Wow. I knew she was beautiful, but seeing her wearing a short skirt, a pair of black heels, and a flowing top with spaghetti straps literally took my breath away. She was absolutely stunning. That rebellious little pink streak in her blonde hair always made me smile. Ashley always had to have her own personal touch that set her apart from the rest in everything she did.
“Hi,” she said in a husky voice.
“Hi.”
I wanted to say more, but my mouth had gone dry.
“Ready?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Are you okay?” she asked with real concern.
“You are gorgeous,” I murmured. “Absolutely stunning.”
She blushed a bit and looked down at her body. “Thank you.”
“I’m ready. I was thinking maybe dinner and a movie. Does that work for you?”
“Absolutely.”
We headed out to the porch. Tanner was still grinning from ear to ear.
“You two have a good time. Don’t hurry home,” he instructed.
Ashley leaned down and kissed Jasper on the cheek. “Be good for Grandpa. And keep an eye on him,” she teased.
“Bye, Jasper,” I told him as we headed down the porch.
When we got to the only real dinner restaurant in town, we were greeted with open stares. Ashley ignored the whispers and I followed suit. I figured they better get used to seeing us together. They could gossip all they wanted. Their opinions didn’t matter.
“This should keep them busy for a while,” she said as she released a deep sigh. “I don’t know why I expected anything different.”
“I’m sorry. I would say try to ignore them, but I know that is going to be tough. I think the only option is to go out every day and night so they get used to seeing us. Then it won’t be a big deal.”
She laughed. “Good plan.”
We managed to get through dinner without too much drama. We chatted about the old times and what each of us had been doing in the last six years. While it had only been six years, it felt like a lifetime. We had both grown and matured so much. We were different people.
“Ready?” I asked. “The movie starts at nine.”
“Yes. Let’s go. It better not be some gory film, and I don’t do vampires.”
“It’s a comedy,” I assured her. “I wouldn’t take you to anything violent. I remember watching the Kill Bill movies with you. I won’t make that mistake again,” I teased.
She laughed. “There is just no need for violence. That was a horrible movie, and I will never forgive you for making me sit through not one, but two.”
I drove to the small theater in town. As it turned out, the movie wasn’t quite as funny as the previews.
“Want to get out of here?” I whispered in her ear.
“Yes!” she hissed enthusiastically.
We made our way out of the theater, but neither one of us was ready to call it a night.
“How about a walk?” I asked her.
“That sounds good. It’s nice out tonight.”
I took her hand in mine, half expecting her to pull away. She didn’t. We took our time strolling through the park that was lit by solar lights. There was a gazebo up ahead that had been decorated with clear twinkling lights.
We talked about the future and what both of us wanted.
“Do you see me in your future?” I asked her, wanting to know if I was wasting my time and risking my heart.
“I honestly don’t know. I mean, I feel like I’ve spent six years running from you. It feels very weird to be running to you now.”
“Stop running, Ashley. Let it happen. I’m here and I want to be with you,” I told her before stopping our walk and kissing her.
She pulled away. “Let’s go back to your place,” she whispered.
I wasn’t going to make her ask me twice. I turned around and led her back to my truck and then drove straight home.
I unlocked the door, and before I was quite inside, she pushed herself against me. Her mouth was on mine, greedily kissing me. I walked backward, pulling her inside with me and using one hand to slam the door shut behind her.
Her hands were on my shirt, pulling it up. I lifted my arms and pulled it off. She kicked off her heels and started working on my slacks. My hands went behind her and unzipped her skirt before pushing it down her hips. My pants were undone and I quickly took over removing them. She was frantically running her hands over my arms and chest. The moment I stood up, her hand dropped to my dick and cupped my balls.
I yanked her shirt up and off before quickly removing her bra.
“Bedroom,” I said.
She didn’t take her mouth away from mine. I could feel her desperation and realized the woman needed release now. I dropped a hand between her legs and found her to be soaking wet. I ran a finger over her clit. Her hips jerked against me, pressing closer as her mouth plundered mine.
I pushed my finger in and let her ride it. I felt the orgasm coming. I pushed in deeper with the single finger. Her body was glued to mine. Her breasts were pressed against my chest. I pulled my mouth away from hers and went to her neck, sucking and nibbling until I felt her bucking against my hand.
With the edge taken off, she seemed to relax a bit. I grabbed her hand and led her to my bedroom. She stepped out of her thong as she walked to my bed and crawled on top. It was a sight that would be burned into my brain forever.
I sprang forward, kissing her before pushing her back onto the bed and lavishing her breasts wit
h kisses. My tongue ran circles around her nipples before I gently nibbled and tugged. Her hands were in my hair, pulling and pushing at the same time.
I slid down her body and used my hands to spread her legs. I bent her knees and pushed them apart, making room for my head and shoulders before I put my mouth against her wet pussy. I gently kissed her, tasting her first orgasm. It was too good not to lap up. I began sucking and licking, finding that hard nub with my tongue and forcefully pressing against it.
Her body jerked each time I sucked on the nub. I brought a hand up to open her lips while I plunged my tongue in as deep as it would go. Her hands pressed my head hard between her legs. I slid a finger inside her while I worked her clit with my tongue.
A quiet scream erupted from her as another climax washed over her. My dick was leaking and I was on the verge of a climax. I ran my tongue up her stomach, swirling around her naval before moving to her breasts. She pulled my body up, her legs around my waist. She used her heels to pull me closer.
My mouth found hers. I sucked on her bottom lip before plunging my tongue into her mouth at the same time I pushed into her. Her legs opened wider and I pushed in deeper. I rotated my hips in a circle, pulling a gasp from her. I pushed in a fraction deeper until I couldn’t get any further in. Her pussy tightened around my dick with little spasms. My body was tingling, but I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I wanted to fuck her hard until she came again.
I pushed myself up on my arms, positioning myself over her, and pulled out before slamming back in. Her body slid up the bed. I thrust in again, pulling a groan from her. I pulled out and then fucked her fast and hard, slamming the headboard against the wall in a rapid beat.
“Brock!” she screamed out. I stopped moving, stopping my own climax as her pussy pulsed around me. “Brock,” she moaned again.
I dropped my body against hers. Taking slow, deep breaths, I fought back my orgasm before rolling onto my back and bringing her to sit on top of me.
She wiggled her hips and seated herself firmly on my dick. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks were flushed. I could see a red mark on her neck from where I had kissed and sucked. I loved seeing the look of sex on her. It was sexy and erotic.
Her hips rolled forward as her hands moved over my chest. She dug her short fingernails in as she pushed back, taking me deep inside her.
“Ride me, Ashley.”
She moaned low in her throat, her head dropping back as she rocked back and forth. She moved her hands behind her, resting them on my thighs. She rose up a little and rotated her hips.
I grunted and bit my bottom lip to keep from thrusting up and deep. I let her continue to work my dick, taking her pleasure anyway she liked it. When I felt the spiral of my own climax building up, I grabbed her hips and began jerking upward hard and deep.
I burst into what felt like a million pieces, jerking in a series of spasms as I came deep inside her. I felt her orgasm pour over my dick. She rocked forward a few times, her thighs squeezing my own before she collapsed against my chest. Her heart was racing. I could feel it beating against my own.
She laid like that for several long minutes. I didn’t want her to move—ever.
She rolled to the side and stretched her body before curling into me.
“Should we be using protection?” I blurted out, realizing it was probably a question I should have asked before we’d had sex.
“Little late for that, don’t you think?” she joked. “But I have it covered.”
“Okay.” I breathed a little sigh of relief. “You have to go home.”
She jerked away from me, but I used my arm to bring her right back against me.
“I meant I don’t want to explain to Jasper about boy-girl sleepovers. Not yet anyway.”
She heaved a big sigh. “You’re right. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
“I wish you could sleep next to me all night,” I whispered against the top of her head.
“Me too.”
We got up and dressed before I took her home. At the farm, I gave her a long kiss good night that only served to get both of us fired up again.
“Dammit. Maybe we can take a walk to the barn,” I moaned, my erection pushing against her.
She laughed. “Oh, because that wouldn’t raise any questions at all.”
“You’re killing me,” I grunted as she pulled away.
“I’ll call you,” she said before heading up the steps and inside the house. I watched as the only light in the living room went out before pulling away.
Chapter 37
Ashley
I stretched leisurely, happy to have been able to sleep in this morning. Brock had worked my body over quite well last night, leaving me feeling relaxed and satiated. I had slept like a baby. Although I would have preferred sleeping in his arms, I knew it would have been wrong and understood why he had said I needed to go home.
“Ash?”
My dad knocking on my door snapped me out of my little reverie about last night.
“Come in, Dad,” I called out. I threw the covers back and sat up. I had learned a long time ago that sleeping in the nude or anything skimpy when you were a mom was never a good idea. Kids either climbed into bed or demanded you attend to them in their own beds in the middle of the night, and there was no waiting a second while you got decent.
He pushed the door open and I stood there in my shorts and T-shirt. “What is that?” I asked, pointing to the trunk he was kicking into my room.
“It’s your hope chest.”
I laughed. “Dad, I haven’t seen that thing in forever. I don’t think I used it how it was intended. It was filled with pictures and yearbooks and other silly items.”
“And something else,” he said with a smile.
I raised an eyebrow but was intrigued. I dropped to my knees to open it. When I opened the lid, I gasped.
“Dad!”
He was grinning like a little kid on Christmas morning. “I figured you may want that.”
I pulled out my wedding dress. It had clearly been dry-cleaned based on the plastic bag it was stored in. I ran a hand over the beadwork on the bodice. I remembered picking out the gown. It was a little risqué, but I’d insisted it was perfect for me. The deep V in the back nearly hit the crack of my butt, but I’d had it fitted to a T to preserve my modesty—or as much modesty as the dress allowed.
“I don’t think I’ll be walking down any aisles anytime soon,” I told him.
He shrugged. “Well, in case you do, I figured I could save you some money.”
“I can’t believe you held on to this.”
I remembered pulling the dress off and leaving it in a heap on my bedroom floor. It had been fitted so tightly, I’d nearly ripped the seams trying to get it off in a hurry. The last thing I remembered about day was seeing my beautiful wedding gown that I had saved for months to buy lying in a heap of satin and lace on the floor of my bedroom before I crawled out the window.
Thinking of that day made me shake my head. I had been so young and reckless, and extremely immature.
“I think you should hold on to this and think real hard about it. You’re a stubborn woman, Ashley Parks, which is usually a good thing, but in this situation, it could leave you unhappy. I think you need to stop fighting so hard and accept what is.”
“And what is that, Dad?”
“He loves you and you love him.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s enough.”
“Oh, Ash, it is. You keep reaching and going in search of something better. You’ve got something great right in front of you. You don’t have to keep looking. Ever heard that saying about not seeing the forest for the trees? Well that’s you. You are looking at a future you think you want, but it’s empty. Trust me, you want people who love you beside you, not a big fat pillow and a healthy bank account,” he lectured.
He turned and left the room, leaving me alone with my past. I gently placed the dress on my bed and dropped to my knees to
see what other treasures I would find inside the trunk. I pulled out one thing after another, each reminding me of a time with Brock: the first movie we had ever gone to, the first time we’d had sex, the first time he asked me to be his girlfriend. The more I dug through the trunk, I realized everything involved Brock.
I sighed, realizing how important he had been in my life. He had been there through all the good times and the bad. He was the only real constant I had in my life. I couldn’t believe I had thought I could run away from him.
“Mom!” Jasper called out before stepping into my room. “Grandpa says your phone is ringing.”
Looking at my nightstand where my phone usually sat, I saw nothing. I must have left it in the kitchen last night. I followed Jasper to the kitchen, checked the missed call log, and saw it had been Hank.
I hadn’t talked to Hank since the big blowout a week ago and wasn’t looking forward to it now.
Calling him back, I braced myself for him to bitch at me for something or other.
“What’s up?” I asked when he answered. If this was going to be one of those calls, I wanted to go in on the offensive.
“Teresa is getting promoted to chief. The hospital is throwing a big party for her and some of the other people who are moving up in the ranks. It’s a fancy event and I would like you to go.”
I hesitated but figured I needed to support the family. We were family, even if they didn’t approve of Brock.
“Okay. I’ll go,” I agreed.
“Great. And bring Brock.”
“What?” I asked, certain I couldn’t have heard him right. I remembered what he had said at the disastrous Friday night dinner. He had not been kind.
“Bring Brock. It’s cool. From what I hear, you two are a thing now. I may as well get used to him hanging around.”
I laughed. “Oh, Hank. Have you been listening to the town gossip?”
“I may have heard a few things. Dad has done nothing but talk about how great Brock is and how the two of you have been spending a lot of time together.”
“It was one date!”
He laughed. “I didn’t know about a date, but I think we all know it’s inevitable. Seems like it’s only you two who don’t know.”