Numb

by Lynn Rider

  “YOU’RE SPENDING THE NIGHT at my place,” he declared as we neared his apartment building.

  “Okay …”

  “Sorry, that came out harsher than I’d anticipated. I just want to sleep in my bed. I did some shopping while you were at work last night, so I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow morning before I have to leave.”

  “I didn’t bring any clothes.”

  “You won’t need any clothes.” He waggled his eyebrows in my direction as he pulled into the parking garage.

  His warm lips were on mine as soon as the elevator doors connected. It wasn’t a frenzied kiss, but delicate and sensual. His finger supported my chin softly as his tongue danced gently with mine. With a soft pull on my bottom lip, he pulled away with a slow smile. “I love you,” he whispered softly with intense love in his eyes.

  “I love you too, Ashton. You make me so happy.” I hooked my arms around his neck, drawing him in closer to my lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer as he lifted my body. My legs circled around his lean waist and tightened my grip around his neck, burying my tongue deeper in his mouth.

  The muted ding of the elevator broke our kiss, but not our connection. He walked from the elevator, my body still clinging to his. I giggled when he nuzzled into my neck, gently nipping at the skin with his teeth. The slamming of a door straightened my posture in his arms, but Ashton continued walking.

  “Newlyweds,” Ashton stated with a shrug as an elderly couple passed us. I smiled at his lie when the woman smiled lovingly in our direction and tightened her embrace on the man’s arm.

  “Ashton, either you have a trick you have yet to show me or your phone is vibrating in your pocket,” I teased, feeling the movement against my thigh.

  “It’s my phone, but I am full of tricks.” He smiled mischievously with a waggle of his brows as he reached into his pocket for his keys and opened the door. He carried my tightly clinging body through his doorway, and I felt the vibration start again in his pocket.

  “Ash, you may want to answer that,” I whispered huskily as his mouth sucked in the lobe of my ear. He gave a low groan in agitation.

  “One minute and then you’re mine,” he said roughly as he lowered my body, allowing my feet to plant firmly on the ground before releasing me. His brow furrowed when he looked at the screen. “Hello?” he answered curiously. I watched his face intently as his worried expression slackened and a smile overtook his features.

  “That’s awesome, bro. I’m so proud of you … Fuck yeah, when? … I don’t give a shit. I’ll miss a show if I need to.” He alternated brief comments with silence while maintaining a huge grin on his face. I walked to the kitchen to give him some privacy and get a glass of water.

  “Where were we?” he asked from the doorway with a devious grin. I smiled as he stalked toward me.

  “You look like you’re going to eat me,” I teased with a nervous giggle.

  He laughed, pulling my body close to him. “That can be arranged.” He pushed my hair back and with the hook of his finger under my chin, lifts my face to gain better access. He swiped his tongue with feather-light tenderness over the delicate spot below my ear. “You taste good,” he said in a low voice while he placed faint, open-mouthed kisses down my neck and over my collar bone.

  He gently parted the collar of my shirt, gaining better access. “You’re so beautiful, Meagan. I still can’t believe you’re mine,” he said sweetly as he unbuttoned my shirt. I was overwhelmed with his tenderness.

  “Ashton …”

  He pulled my breast from my bra and sucked my nipple gently between his lips. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, but he didn’t release the gentle sucking.

  “Take me to bed.”

  His hands snaked around my body, lifting me as my limbs wrapped around him once more.

  We lay on the bed together, his body hovering over mine. His mouth locked onto mine kissing me sweetly, reverently. His body shifted slightly, pulling away long enough to tug his shirt over his head before finding his way back to me. His kissed lower, traveling down my body, and unbuttoned my shorts, pulling them down gently as he climbed from my body. He stood, taking in my near-naked form as he unhooked his own shorts and slid them down.

  His dick jutted to attention as he lifted my foot into his hand, gently massaging before traveling up my calf and to my thigh, placing light kisses toward my center. I felt his warm breath hovering over my clit. I snaked my hands through his shaggy hair, guiding him where I so desperately needed his touch. The corners of his mouth turned upward before he lowered his tongue to my tight bud.

  The slow circular pressure felt like pure bliss. Intuitively, my body began rocking to meet his movements. After several minutes, his name slid from deep within my throat as my body fell from the peak that his expert tongue had been holding me on. He lapped up my juices with several light swipes of his tongue before moving over my body, pushing my legs apart wider and entering me slowly. He rested his weight on his elbows, caging my body with his as he rocked in and out of me with slow rhythmic thrusts.

  He didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to. His face and the look of adoration in his eyes said everything I needed to hear. His slow, steady breathing changed when his movements became more purposeful. He buried his head in my neck as his strokes slowed when he came.

  We laid in silence, holding each other for several long minutes before his voice broke through the quiet. “Austin is being released.”

  I sat up on my elbow to look at him. “When?”

  “Not sure yet. He was told by his counselor, but there’s still some issue with a probation officer.”

  I cocked my head to the side, not knowing what he was talking about. Ashton rolled his head to the side to take in my silent question.

  “He got arrested a while back for stealing. That wasn’t his first run-in with the law. James had always managed to get him off in the past, but then he was pulled over while under the influence which was a violation of his probation.” He sighed. “Apparently, you can’t be high while on probation for being high.”

  “So he’ll have to check in every so often?” I asked.

  “Yeah, and submit to drug tests to prove he’s staying clean.”

  “Will he stay in California?”

  “No, I only sent him to California because it’s where the best rehab is. It happened in St. Louis, but he can’t go back there. I want him here with me, so I need to call my attorney tomorrow.”

  “Ashton, you’re an amazing person, taking care of both your brother and your mother.” I brushed his hair from his forehead.

  “This is what I do, Meagan. It’s all I know.” His eyes locked on mine. He twirled an errant lock of my hair and hooked it behind my ear. “I’d like to take care of you too, Meagan,” he said sweetly.

  “I want to take care of you, Ashton,” I softly countered.

  He smiled. “I will take care of you one day. I don’t want to scare you away by asking for too much too soon, but I’m serious. You’re it for me. You’re all I’ve ever wanted and needed and I didn’t even know it until you walked into my life.”

  My heart did a summersault in my chest, as all the possibilities of what our future could be like ran through my head at lightning speed. “I may hold you to that one day, but for now, let me help you. If I can make any calls or pick Austin up or show him around while you finish the last week of your tour, let me. Please.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” He smiled before pulling me down against his body.

  “I can’t wait to meet him, Ashton.”

  His embrace squeezed harder. “I can’t wait for him to meet you either.” He kissed the top of my head.

  I woke to an empty bed and the faint sound of music filtering through the wall. I stared at the ceiling of Ashton’s bedroom for a few minutes as a small smile curled my lips. His tour would be home for the last four shows in just over a week.

  The movement of the door caught my attention, breaking me from my reverie.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said with a smile, carrying in a tray full of food.

  “Good morning.” I sat up to lean against the headboard. I pulled the sheet up to cover my bare chest.

  “You don’t have to cover up on my account. In fact, I’d prefer that you don’t, but if you’d feel more comfortable,” he picked up the T-shirt he’d worn yesterday from the chair and tossed it in my direction, “put this on.” He straddled the tray over my lap as soon as I pulled the shirt over my head.

  “Ashton, this looks amazing.”

  “I cooked it. Did you expect anything other than amazing?” he asked arrogantly with a matching smirk.

  I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed his lips chastely before digging in. We enjoyed breakfast, taking turns feeding one another and going over our schedules for the next week. He would be back a week from Tuesday for his final four shows in New Jersey and then here in the city. He was as sad as I was when I told him my schedule was only going to let me go to the final concert here in New York.

  “Oh! Before I forget …”

  He leaped from the bed and walked out of the bedroom. He was back in a flash carrying a white envelope. I watched him curiously as he took the tray from my lap and placed it on the dresser. He settled back next to me on the bed before opening the flap and pulling out a small piece of paper.

  “This code is the code to the garage gate. It works just like yours, punch it in and the gate lifts.” He pointed to a five digit code written on the paper. He was giving me an odd look that I didn’t quite register.

  “Okay …”

  He pointed to another number. “This is your parking spot number,” he said resolutely before casting another odd glance in my direction. “No one should ever be in this spot. If they are, we can have them towed,” he added with more fortitude than his first comment. “Unfortunately, my parking places are all over the place because I keep buying them as they become available. I’m working on that. But these numbers are the other parking spots I own.” He pointed to four more numbers on the bottom of the page.

  As my eyes latched on his, I figured out what the odd look was; it was uncertainty and it was cute. Ashton was nervous. Giving me a parking place to park when I visited was a big step for him. I smiled and kissed him chastely on the corner of his mouth.

  “Thank you, Ashton. I’m assuming since you’ll be home more we’ll be spending more time here. This makes it so much easier for me,” I said sweetly, reassuring him that I was truly thankful.

  His body relaxed and he smiled as he picked up the envelope once more and pulled out something else. “This is the key to my apartment.”

  Now it was my turn to be nervous. My eyes locked onto his. “Ashton …”

  “Meagan, I told you, you’re it for me. I want you in every part of my life. That includes coming and going as you please here, in my apartment. I want to be able to come home to you here, and sometimes I’ll have to leave you here when you’ve stayed over. I want this, Meagan.”

  “Okay.” I smiled without argument.

  “Okay?”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  He jumped on top of me, wrapping me in his arms. “You make me so happy, Meagan.”

  “It’s just a parking place and a key, Ashton,” I said with playful sarcasm.

  “I know, but next you’ll be moving in and marrying me.”

  My heart and soul were so desperately connected to this man that there was no need in trying to resist it, worrying about it or fighting it. I was looking forward to the ride. I smiled as he slammed his mouth over mine, tackling me to the bed and making me forget about parking codes or keys.

  MY PHONE RANG WITH an unknown number and I thought twice about answering it. Dave looked over at me curiously as I studied the screen.

  “I don’t know who it is.”

  I flashed the screen in his direction. He shrugged, then grabbed the phone and slid his thumb across the glass, answering it before I could process what he was doing.

  “Yeah,” his deep voice rumbled into the phone. “Yeah, she’s here.” He handed the phone back to me with a flash of a smile. “It’s Kelly.”

  “Hey, Kelly.”

  “Hi, Meagan. I hope you don’t mind that I got your number from Ashton, but I wanted to know if you’d like to come up to the house tomorrow for lunch. Ashton said you’re working tomorrow night, so what if we do an early lunch? Say eleven or twelve?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then.”

  I ended the call and sat back against the seat, sighing.

  “What did she want?” Dave asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye.

  “Kelly wants us to come up for lunch tomorrow.”

  “And …”

  “I know it’s so I can meet Austin. I’m nervous.” I admitted bashfully. His laugh doesn’t make it all the way from his mouth, but I saw the slight shake of his large body, telling me it was there. “Are you laughing at me, Dave?”

  He looked my way. “Never,” he insisted, feigning insult. He pulled up to the front of the auditorium and parked along the curb. “Don’t let him make you nervous. You’re great and you’re great for Ashton too.”

  My face couldn’t contain the smile his words erected. “Aww, thanks, Dave. Who knew you had a sweet side.”

  “Yeah, don’t tell anyone. Now get out or put money in that meter before I get a ticket.” He laughed.

  “See you at eleven-thirty.” I smiled as I got out and made my way into the building.

  My phone rang as soon as I was inside, and my heart rate accelerated with excitement when I saw Ashton’s name on the screen.

  “Hey.”

  “Hi, babe. I just got off the phone with Dave. He said you’re nervous about meeting Austin.”

  Damn Dave. “I’ll be okay. I just thought I’d meet him when we were together.”

  “He’s dying to meet you. He’s been in town for two days and he’s probably called me half a dozen times, and each time he asks if he can come see you.”

  “Knowing that isn’t helping, Ashton,” I said dryly.

  He laughed. “Babe, he’s going to love you. And if it sets your mind at ease, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t. I love you and that’s all that matters.”

  I sighed. “Thank you, I love you too. I want Austin and me to like one another.”

  “And that’s one more reason why I love you,” he said softly.

  “Ash, I have to get to the floor. It’s time for rehearsal.”

  “I love you, have a great show.”

  “I love you, and you have a great show too.”

  The nervousness hummed through my entire body as we approached the guard gate to Kelly and Kyle’s neighborhood. The guard made swift work logging our information and the iron-gate parted down the middle as it slowly opened to allow us through.

  “Don’t be nervous, Meagan. You look like you could throw up.”

  I rested my head on the seat and took a deep breath. “I wish Ashton was here with me. I don’t want to meet Austin without him.”

  “It’s a little late for that.” He pointed as we pulled up to the house. Austin was outside with the boys rolling a soccer ball across the front lawn. His attention shifted as Dave’s large SUV slowly creeped up the driveway. His resemblance to Ashton was uncanny; just a younger, less muscular version of him. He gathered the boys’ hands in his own and didn’t let go of them until Dave’s truck rolled to a stop.

  He watched as Dave unfolded his large body from the truck and greeted him with a manly, over the shoulder hug. They murmured a few words to one another as I climbed from the passenger side and made my way around the front of the truck to greet him.

  “Meg!” Chase called out, breaking free of Austin’s leg to run to me. I bent to pick him up and his little arms wrapped around my neck as his little red lips kissed my cheek. “Where’s Unc Ash?” he asked, looking over my shoulder.

  “He’s with your daddy. He’ll come see you af
ter daddy comes home,” I replied with an encouraging smile. He squirmed in my arms and I put him back on the ground, watching as he ran to meet Chance, who was busy playing with the soccer ball again.

  I glanced toward Dave and Austin and notice that Austin’s crooked grin was now formed into a full blown smile. Dave mumbled something that I couldn’t understand in Austin’s direction and Austin nodded in response.

  “Meagan, this is Austin Harris. Austin, this is Meagan Chambers,” Dave introduced us.

  Austin closed the distance and shook my hand. “So good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to relax. “Likewise. I’ve heard great things about you too.”

  “Well, it can’t all be great. You do know I just got out of rehab, right?” he teased.

  “Well, yes, I’ve heard about that.” I smiled. From over Austin’s shoulder, I saw Dave nod. Austin seemed pleased with my response, and his posture seemed to relax a little too.

  “Hey, I didn’t know you were here already,” Kelly said as she walked out the front door.

  “We only just got here. Thank you for having us.”

  “Thank you for coming.” She glanced at the two boys wrestling over the ball. “Austin, fix that,” she demanded with a playful wave of her finger at the two boys before turning on her heel and heading toward the house.

  “Chase gave me a hug and kiss,” I told her, bewildered that after meeting him only one time he was so fond of me.

  “I’m surprised he didn’t ask you to marry him. You’re all he’s talked about since you left here last week. Meg, Meg, Meg. That must have been some bedtime story you read him.” She giggled as I followed her into the house.

  I watched Austin as he interacted with Dave, Kelly and even the boys throughout lunch, and the similarities between he and Ashton were scary. He lacked the size and the powerful confidence, but he managed the same expressions, and every now and then the same cockiness shone through.

  “Meagan, can I talk to you?” Austin asked as I was helping Kelly clear the table after lunch.

  I smiled nervously. Thoughts of a mother asking what my intentions were for her son crossed through my mind. “Sure.”