by Sindee Lynn
“That’s because you ask questions faster than I can answer them.”
“Okay I’m done asking questions. Feel free to answer in any order you like.”
Wade looked at her before shaking his head as he continued to move about the room getting his items for his shower. “Can I at least take my shower first?”
“Nope because that means you're trying to buy time to think of something to tell me.”
A deep sigh escaped him. When he turned to gaze at her, she saw the weariness on his face. He looked so tired. Her heart ached seeing him like this.
“Can you give me a break with the question and answer just for tonight? I’m dog tired. I’ve had a really long day and there’s another one in store for me tomorrow.”
Guilt washed over her.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should just be happy you decided to get a job,” she said smiling in spite of her confusion.
Wade gave her a half smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Yeah you and everybody else,” he said softly before turning and heading towards the bathroom.
***
Later after dinner and the final decisions had been made, Wade walked Ashley out to her truck. He tried to stifle a yawn behind his hand as he ushered her out the door.
“You look exhausted,” she said.
He turned his head so his lips grazed her palm and kissed it softly. He was more than exhausted. He was weary down to his bones.
“I’ll be alright. I just need a little sleep is all.” He leaned against the driver’s side door of her truck. He pulled her against him. His arms hung loosely around her waist.
“So I guess this means you won’t be over tonight huh?”
He saw the flames leaping to life in her brown gaze and felt his own body begin to respond.
“Not tonight sweetheart. I have to be up at four in the morning. We’re going to a site in Dallas tomorrow.”
Disappointment crossed her face and he knew how she felt. He’d like nothing more than to lose himself in her soft curves tonight. He didn’t have the energy.
“Any chance of a quickie before I leave?”
Her hot breath against his skin caused his dick to throb against the confines of his zipper. His parts were willing but it was the rest of him he had doubts about. He feared he’d fall asleep on her the instant his head hit the pillow. “As much as I hate to say it Ashley, I’m really pretty beat. I don’t think I’d do you justice tonight.”
“I understand,” she said a soft smile on her face. “I’d better get going then. I have a pretty hectic day ahead of me tomorrow myself.”
He reached for her hands and pulled her back into his embrace.
“I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he said before he took her lips in a kiss that belied his tales of fatigue.
Chapter Twenty-four
Ashley let herself into her home on Wednesday evening and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She’d had another meeting with Torrie regarding the Blaze event and everything was on track.
“Well not everything,” she mumbled turning off her alarm and putting her briefcase down near the steps to take upstairs when she went.
There was still the issue of finding the new face of Blaze. Outside of that things seemed to be finally moving forward at a pace she felt comfortable with. Heading towards the kitchen she released her hair from the clip that had held it in place all day. Shaking it out then running her fingers through it she picked up the phone on the wall and called her voice mail for her cell. She hadn’t heard from Wade today but he’d told her last night when they’d spoken he was going to be in a remote area and he’d call her when he got home about coming over.
“Yeah I agree. It’s been way too long.”
Her cell phone had died on her between four o’clock that afternoon. She checked the clock on the microwave and realized it was a little after eight.
“Hey Ashley I got a call from Mom and she wants to have one more meeting on Saturday to double check everything before checks go out. I know never mind what else we might have had planned. But anyways this should be the last one. Call me when you get in or tomorrow at work,” Heather’s message said.
Ashley jotted that down on the pad she kept on the counter. She’d call Heather in a few. Maybe they could do lunch. She’d call Yvette and Torrie to see if they were free. It had been a while since they’d all gotten together.
“Ashley it’s Maura. You should be home by now. It’s after eight o’clock. You and Heather work way too hard. I just wanted to make sure she’d called to let you know I would like to have one more quick meeting on Saturday about Wade 's party. I’ll have breakfast ready. Call me when you get home. If not I’ll worry. Love you.” Ashley smiled at the end of Maura’s message. She put stars by her message to remind herself to call her as soon as she was done checking her other messages.
“Hey Ashley I’m not sure what’s going on with your cell phone and I know how you hate to check messages so I will probably end up calling you back in a bit. Umm look I know I said I’d try to stop by tonight but I don’t think I’m going to make it. It’s almost seven now and we’re just heading home and I have to be back out here tomorrow at five. Hell I hope I make it home because I can barely keep my eyes open. I promise to make it up to you.”
The smile she’d been wearing when she heard his voice had fallen as soon as she realized he wasn’t coming. He sounded tired. Same as all week. She dialed the main house.
“Hello.”
“Hey Joey.”
“Hi Dumplin’. You had better be glad you called because Maura was about to call in a favor to the police department to make sure you were okay. Are you just getting home?” He laughed.
Warmth spread through her at the concern coming from his end of the phone. “Yeah. My cell died and then my car charger wasn’t working. I’m sorry to have worried you guys.”
“Who’s on the phone?” she heard Maura ask.
“Ashley,” he said. “She’s home.”
“Tell her she works too hard.”
Ashley playfully rolled her eyes as she waited for Joey to relay the message she’d heard all too often.
“Ashley, you need to take better care of yourself and learn to take some time for you,” Joey said.
Ashley was barely able to stifle her laugh. She felt like reminding him it was he who had imbedded in both her and Heather’s young minds that because they were beautiful women they would have to work extra hard to be taken seriously. “I promise I’ll take some time off after the Blaze event is over. I’ll see you guys Saturday morning.”
“Ok I’ll let Maura know. Did you want to speak to Wade? I think I heard him come in.”
“Umm yeah sure.”
“Okay hang on let me get him. I love you Dumplin’ and I’ll see you Saturday.”
“Yep love you too.”
“Hey you.” Wade's weary voice came on the line and Ashley’s heart went out to him.
She found herself wondering over the reasons for his going back to work for Joey. Whether or not it was something he really wanted or if there had been something else that had caused him to make that decision.
“You sound done in.”
“So do you. Long day on both our parts I guess.”
There was a pause on the line.
“Did you get my message?”
“Yeah and I can’t lie I’m a little disappointed.”
Another pause before a deep sigh came across the line.
“Can I call you back when I get to the guest house? I need a shower and I want to talk to you in private. “
“Yeah that’s fine. I’ll talk to you in a little bit.”
“Okay.”
She was about to put the phone back on the hook when she decided to give Heather a call while she was thinking about it. She dialed and waited for an answer.
“Hello.”
“Hey I got your message,” Ashley said still a little distracted from her brief ta
lk with Wade.
“Good. You’re home late. Everything okay?”
“Two words – Austin Blaze.”
Heather’s laughed. “Say no more. I hope you talked to mama already? When she called me she had already tried you a few times and hadn’t been able to get you. You can imagine what that was like.”
Ashley shook her head. Yeah she could imagine.
“Do you want to do lunch tomorrow? I’ll call Yvette and Torrie to see if they are free to join us.”
“Sorry babe I can’t I have a full schedule for the rest of the week. As it looks now I will be pulling some late nights myself. How about Saturday after the meeting? We can have a full on girly day. We haven’t done that in forever.”
“That sounds great.”
They made plans for her to make the appointment at the spa and Heather would call their friends to see who was free to join them. After a few more minutes they hung up and she headed up stairs, briefcase in hand. Might as well get some work done since she wouldn't be getting done tonight. The phone was ringing as she reached her bedroom.
“Hello.”
“Hey. Did you get a chance to get settled yet?”
Ashley plopped down on the side of her bed and kicked off her shoes. “Not exactly. I just got off the phone with your sister.”
She headed for the closet for night clothes. Since Wade wouldn't be coming over she grabbed an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
“Yeah so you haven’t had a chance to get comfortable yet?”
Her hand paused. If he were here with her she’d say it was time for sex and about time her body chimed in. “I’m in the process of doing that now.”
“I’m really sorry about not coming over tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” The concern in his voice caused her to stop what she was doing.
“Nicki I understand. It’s taking some time to get used to it all.”
“I just wanted to make sure we’re still okay.”
Was that all? Wade wanting to speak to her in private had her worried. “More than okay. You go to bed and get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Okay?”
He gave another yawn.
“Okay. Tomorrow. Night Ashley.”
“Good night Nicki.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Wade sat outside Ashley’s house trying to find enough energy to drag his weary body from the car. He’d almost called and told her he wasn’t coming over tonight, but that had been his story for the last two weeks.
His body still ached in places he hadn’t known he had muscles and his back had a slight case of sunburn. When he got home all he wanted to do was shower and go to bed. In a word he was miserable. The thought of leaving home to make the forty-five minute drive to Ashley’s had seemed an impossible feat during the week and even the weekends were filled with work. They were breaking ground on a new job site and his father had taken him for an overnight stay last weekend to Dallas to bring him up to speed and to meet the client. He’d seen the pride reflected in his father’s eyes as he’d made the introductions. It had been awhile since he’d been a source of pride for his parents regardless of what they said to the opposite. That was enough right there for him to get his ass out of bed every morning.
Now he’d just like to find the energy to get out of the car. Taking a deep breath he pulled the key from the ignition and got out. He was about to ring the doorbell when the door was flung open. It seemed like forever since he’d seen her or held her in his arms. His body ached as he drank in the sight of her. She was dressed for a night out. The sundress she had on fell just above her knees, leaving him plenty of long shapely leg to feast his eyes upon. Her large breasts were lifted to perfection and his mouth watered for a taste. Just to see if they still tasted like the ripe berries he remembered.
The few conversations he’d managed to stay awake for and the introduction of phone sex into their relationship had been enough while he was away from her but now that she was within reach his body wanted more.
“Hey I didn’t think you’d ever get out of your car.”
“It took me a minute to find the energy.” He closed the door behind him and leaning against it.
A look of concern crossed her lovely face. She opened her mouth to say something then snapped it shut. Indecision shone brightly in her eyes. Something was coming he could feel it
“I can’t do this,” she declared and threw her hands in the air and walked away.
Desperation like he’d never felt before consumed him. The more he tried to push it away the more it clawed at him. A weight settled in his chest. Pushing away from the door he followed closely behind her.
“Look I know I haven’t been the best boyfriend over the last few weeks,” he said following her into the kitchen where he found her pacing in front of the island lost in her thoughts. “I just need to get used to this crazy schedule and then I’ll be back to the old me. I promise next week will be better. I swear it. I’ll make it over to see you and call and talk for longer than a few minutes.”
She stopped abruptly turning in his direction. He grabbed her to keep them from both toppling to the floor.
“What are you talking about?” she asked genuine confusion on her face.
“I’m trying to tell you, I guess in a not so clear way, that I don’t want you to break up with me. Just give me a little bit longer to get used to this working thing and then I promise things will be back to normal.”
Wade released his grip on her and lowered his head. He could feel her gaze upon him but couldn’t bring himself to look up until soft hands landed against his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.
“Nicki, I have no intentions of breaking up with you,” she said and kissed his lips softly.
The knot in his stomach loosened slightly but not enough for him to breathe freely just yet.
“Then what were you talking about a few minutes ago?”
Though he got the feeling he wasn’t going to like this answer he felt compelled to ask. When she released her grip on his face and put some distance between them it was confirmation.
“For two weeks now I’ve held my tongue. I haven’t pestered you about when and why you decided to go back to work for Joey. Especially since it seems you are unhappy,” she said throwing her hands in the air.
“I tried to just be glad you had a job. You know the whole getting your life on track thing. I guess I just want to make sure the changes you’re making are because you’ve decided you needed a change and it’s not because you feel you’re being forced to make one.”
By force was definitely how he’d describe it but he’d bite off his own damn tongue before he admitted it to her. He was taking an awful lot of heat for wanting to be a better person for her and it was seriously working on his nerves.
“For the last three years all I’ve heard is that I need to grow up. I need to do something with my life. I’m finally listening and attempting to pull it together. Everyone else seems ecstatic over the changes. Why can’t you be happy like everyone else, huh? Why is it I have to endure the third degree about why and when I made the decision? Why can’t you just be happy that I finally did? To think I drove forty-five minutes to endure this crap when all I really wanted to do was take a shower and crawl in the bed.”
The shocked expression on Ashley’s face had him wishing for a hole to open up beneath him or for a time machine to take him back sixty seconds in the. It was their second fight ever and over what? A job he’d taken to try to keep her in his life a little longer. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him.
“Ashley look I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten upset like that. It’s just that I’m still getting used to everything. Trying to balance the job and finding time for us. It’s harder than I thought it would be,” he said forcing himself to maintain eye contact with her.
He watched her closely as she stood deep in thought in the middle of the floor. The look of regret reflected in her brown eyes was almost his undoing. He realized it
would have been better for him to have postponed tonight until he was more himself but hindsight was twenty-twenty.
“No. If anyone should apologize it’s me. I knew you were tired. I could see it when I opened the door. I’m worried about you and I need to know you’re happy with all of this,” she said stepping close and placing both hands to his chest.
Glancing down to where her hands lay, he was certain she could feel how fast his heart was beating. When he finally found the nerve to look into her eyes, the concern showing there had him wanting to scream at the top of his lungs, No! He wasn’t happy with this. He hated getting up before the sun rose and getting in hours after it had set. He hated being outside burning up in the Austin heat all day. Not being with her at night was driving him crazy.
“It’ll just take some getting used to is all. I guess for both of us,” he said before moving his tongue along her bottom lips. “Does it feel so bad with the retainer in?”
She touched the side of his face and leaned up to kiss him again.
“It’ll always feel good as long as it’s you doing it,” she said a soft smile on her face.
Ashley reached for his hand and headed out of the kitchen.
“Wait I thought we were going out,” he said as he watched her lock up the house and turn on the alarm.
“I just realized the only place I’d like you to take me is to bed. Got a problem with that?” she asked looking over her shoulder as she climbed the steps.
“Nope, not a one.”
Wade followed her into her bedroom where he noticed the bed was turned down. The scent of jasmine wafted to his nose.
“I love the smell of jasmine,” he said wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him.
He lowered his head to her neck and sniffed. Hmm, more jasmine.
“I know,” she said.
Ashley pulled the tails of his shirt out of his pants and undid the buttons. She pushed it off his shoulders before running her fingers across his bared chest and squeezed.
“Man there’s something to be said for manual labor,” she whispered as she licked his tanned chest and pulled his nipples into her mouth.