Shifting Hearts

by Ivy Hayes

  As soon as I do, I feel Ash stiffen in my arms. I woke her up and I have no doubt she can feel my desire, pressed right up against her.

  Naturally, she does the exact opposite of what I expected. I thought she would jump away, or better yet, hit me for having my way with her sleeping form. Instead, she nestles her body closer to mine. At first, I think I am imagining it, but then she looks up at me. Her eyes are heavy with desire. If I wasn’t already sitting, that gaze would have weakened me to my knees.

  I stilled my breath and watched her. I didn’t even blink, for the risk of fouling the moment.

  I was so mesmerized, I am ashamed to admit I didn’t notice she started speaking. I missed the first few words, “What did you just say?”

  Her eyes lit up with laughter, “I said, I am sure this is a dream, no self-respecting man would sneak up on a woman while she was sleeping, and he definitely wouldn’t press something so large against her.” To make her point, she pressed her hip into my cock, just slightly.

  I groaned, “I never said I had self-respect.” I leaned my head towards her. With our breaths mingling. She said in a questioning tone, “And he certainly wouldn’t kiss her, not while she was in such a state of undress?”

  I decided to answer that question with actions, instead of words. I used my free arm to tilt her head towards me. Holding her gaze, I lowered my lips to meet hers. As soon as our lips touched, her eyes closed and her mouth parted open, allowing me to kiss her deeply. I flicked my tongue past her lips where her tongue reached out to meet mine. They touched ever so slightly and I found myself moaning.

  As if my moans encouraged her, Ash rotated around, pressing her front to mine. She deepened the kiss, doing all she could to make me lose my mind.

  I needed to touch her, have my hands all over her body. I moved one hand from under her chin and ran it through her hair. Silky smooth. My other hand moved to wrap around her waist, holding her flush against me. She was impossibly soft pressed up against me.

  She broke away from the kiss, and whispered my name, “Gregory.” Her voice husky and rich with desire.

  She moved again, this time placing herself on my lap, with her legs on either side of me. We still wore our clothes but I burned everywhere she touched, as if she was fire licking my bare skin. She moved her hands slowly up my chest, then reached up and touched the side of my face.

  I need more than this slow tease. My hands make their way to hover over her tits. One hand is positioned over the ripped portion of her dress. She looks down at my hands, then swallowed.

  As soon as she looked back up, her eyes were all the permission I needed. Using a speed that I didn’t know I had, I tore free the top of her dress, fully exposing the material underneath. It’s so thin, I can finally see her nipples. To my surprise, they are already perked up, like plump cherries.

  I ache to touch them, but I can’t stop staring. Every part of Ash’s body is perfect. “Ash, I have been dreaming about cupping your breasts.”

  Her hand grabs mine and guides them to cup her breasts, “So touch them.” I start kneading her breasts and she keeps her hands grasped on mine like she is holding me there. Her breasts are the ideal size, the fit in my hands as if they were made for each other.

  Ash moaned my name again, “Gregory.” I respond with a kiss and she reaches up to run her hands through my hair. Once she has a hold, she encourages me to lower my head. I lean forward, and she arches her back, creating the space to take her nipple in my mouth.

  This is the moment I have been dreaming about. I devour her tits, loving every second my face is buried in her cleavage.

  “Oh god yes, that feels so good. Gregory. Please. Never. Stop.” She starts moving her hips in a slow circle over mine. Moving my mouth off her nipple, just far enough to speak, “Ash, nothing could make me stop.” My voice came out deeper than normal.

  Wanting more of that sweet movement, I continue my assault, running my teeth lightly over her taut nipple. Sucking on it, I alternate between gentle and firm. My mouth is focused on one tit, while the other is being teased by my hand.

  Deciding I want to taste the other, I move my mouth to take the other nipple in. Ash lets out a breathy moan. I use my newly freed hand tug on her ass, pulling her hips closer to mine. She wiggles further on top of me. The only closer we could get is if our clothes were off.

  I ache to hear more of her moans. I burn to hear her scream my name, not just whisper it.

  Not wanting to rush the moment, we stayed like that for some time, me fully focused on her breasts and holding her close; her grinding her hips on top of me, clutching my head.

  Her hips starting to pull away. I was about to object when I was stopped short by the light touch of her fingertips on my cock. That caress was nearly my undoing. Moving my hand from her ass, I was ready to guide her to grab my cock. To stoke it. But we didn’t get that far. We were pulled out of our passion by a loud knocking, then a voice at the door.

  “Gregory, I’m back. Can I come in?”

  I groaned into her chest, “I am going to murder my brother.”

  Ash looked down at me, ashamed and starts to pull herself away, “You should probably answer that, we need to know if they are taken care of.”

  “I can send him away, we can just find out later. You’re safe here either way.”

  “No. He can’t know about this,” she motioned frantically between us, “If you send him away, it’ll be obvious.”

  Biting back sudden anger at her hesitation, “Why can’t he?” Grant knocked again. “Gregory, I know you’re in there, I just ran into Rose.” I ignored him and looked back at Ash. She was looking towards the door, pointedly avoiding me, “Because it would never work between us and it’ll be easier if no one else knows what just happened.” At this, she distanced herself from me entirely.

  She went from being right next to me, to all the way across the bed. From being open to being closed from me and miles away.

  Speaking in a soft, pleading voice, “Please get the door, I will pretend to be asleep again.”

  “Fine. I will give you this, but only because Grant is unlikely to go away and I don’t want him to see you like this,” I motioned to her chest and growled out, “But this is not the end of this conversation.” Wincing, that came out much harsher than I intended.

  The tone of my voice must have sparked irritation in her, she glared daggers at me, “We’ll see. Now go.”

  She had a complete transformation but it doesn’t scare me. Despite what she said, this conversation is far from over.

  I got up and adjusted myself, hiding my erection in the waistband of my pants. Ash watched my movement and I saw her smirk at my obvious discomfort. Closing the curtains, she quickly added, “Make sure you grab me a new dress. As soon as you leave, I will take that bath, so please knock before you come back in.” Then she slammed the curtains closed, well as hard as one could slam curtains.

  I ripped the curtains back open, furious with her nerve, “I will not knock to come back in my own room. If you want to take a bath, that is fine, but know that I might walk in at any second.”

  Ash looked furious and probably would have yelled something back, but I turned to walk towards the door before she had a chance. The fear of Grant finding out shut her up more effectively than arguing ever could have.

  I yanked the door open with a fury, Grant stood there, ready to knock again. I spoke to him in a stern whisper, while my eyes flared with rage, “I was busy and you are going to wake Ash up with all that noise.”

  Grant glances behind me, and seeing the curtains drawn, he speaks up loud enough for his voice to carry through the room, “Oh? She is sleeping? How curious, I could swear I heard some noises coming from inside.”

  He then looks down at my shirt, no doubt seeing the wrinkles from Ash’s grip and grinned, “I see you were busy. I hate to interrupt longer, but you need to go downstairs, the constable wants your statement.”

  “Why?”

  “He ju
st wants to tie up all the strings to ensure these guys aren’t getting out anytime soon. Should only take a couple minutes.”

  “Oh really?” I let go of the door, and cross my arms over my chest, “And I assume I am supposed to say I yanked the first guy off Ash and beat him bloody?”

  Nodding, “If you want our stories to match, yes.”

  I said the next part loud enough, so Ash could hear it, “Why did you lie, in the first place?”

  “Because she asked me to,” he said, with a determined look in his eyes, “She didn’t want any more attention drawn to herself than she would already get. I don’t blame her, it’s hard being new in town. I figured I would help.”

  I spoke more to myself, but it was loud enough for Grant to hear, “Why would it matter, people would be happy she was able to protect herself?”

  He reached over and touched my shoulder, “I do not know, we could always ask her later. For now, let’s just head downstairs and get this over with.”

  “Yeah,” I glance back at the bed, I will ask her later, on top of the other questions I have. Stepping out of the room, I close the door softly.

  TEN – ASH

  I hear the door close. What the hell am I doing? Allowing him to rip the front of my dress effectively trapped me here and now, there is no way I am going to get away without having to answer some questions. The scoundrel is likely going to hold the new dress hostage until I cooperate.

  I had to have known that Grant would tell Gregory about the lie as soon as he arrived. I need to come up with some believable reason, something they won’t see through. I wonder if hiding from an old lover would be good enough.

  Getting off the bed, a plan starts to form and I look around to see what I can work with. With Gregory out of the room, I desperately want a bath. Partly because I need to clean off the evidence of how much he turned me on. The other part, because that bathtub looks far more inviting than the shallow one I use at Nash’s.

  Before I can climb in, I need two things. First, I need to find a way to block the door. I want a chance to gather myself, without Gregory barging back into the room…or seeing me naked in the bathtub. I have no doubt he would try to pick up where we left off if he came into that scene. Second, I need something to wear after I am done. I can’t face him while wearing practically nothing on my chest.

  Examining the door, I see that it opens inward. A stroke of luck! I grab the wooden chair from his desk and prop it under the handle, effectively preventing any inward movement. I am almost giddy, thinking how angry this is going to make him. He likely deserves it, for one reason or another.

  Next, I head to his wardrobe. He is so big, one of his shirts should be enough to cover me up. Opening a drawer, I absentmindedly grab the first one I see. I place it on the back of one of the chairs near the bath, close enough to the fire it will be heated when I get out.

  I reach down to make sure the bath is still warm enough to get in and I am shocked to find it as warm as if it had just been poured. At one end of the tub, there is a shallow trench on the sides and it looks like there are some stones wedged in. They must put those in to keep the water warm, it’s genius. Looking over to the fire, I see there is a pile of stone being warmed as a replacement. Amazing, a person could spend hours in here and never get cold.

  I long to do that, but I doubt I will have the luxury of time. Gregory will be back soon and once he discovers the door jammed, he will likely ruin any peace I was trying to find. Not wanted to waste another second, I strip out of my dress. It slips off easy, given its ruined state. Since there is no salvaging the dress, I leave it crumpled on the floor, no matter if it gets wrinkled.

  And I slide into the tub. Heaven. Despite everything that happened today, this is the best I have felt in weeks.

  I start to think about the situation I am in and the more I think about it, the more I realize I need to leave Cliffden.

  I don’t want to, but because of my feelings towards Gregory, it would not be safe for anyone if I stayed. After what just happened, I doubt he would leave me alone, and I wouldn’t want him to. At best, we would both end up getting our hearts broken, once the truth of my abilities came out. At worst, he would be placed in danger, trying to protect me from the Ridders.

  I can’t let that happen. I need to leave before he gets too attached. Before he starts to imagine his life with me. Right now, I am sure I am just one of many girls. Nothing special and easy to forget. It hurts to think that way, but it is probably the truth. After all, he has only known me for a day. It will take no time at all for him to get over my disappearance.

  I don’t think I will be quite as lucky, I have never felt anything better than I did when I woke in his arms. Somehow, I know I will never forget that.

  I sink lower into the bath and sigh. Maybe I’ll go to Westhaven. It’s big enough, easily as big as Cliffden and only five days of walking. I can’t risk flying and it’s a shame I don’t have a horse, I would get there much faster either of those ways. Walking will have to do. On the bright side, I might hear some news from other travelers I encounter on the road.

  I will leave first thing in the morning. There won’t be enough daylight to make any real distance tonight. Besides, I need to pack up my few possessions and get some supplies for the walk. I only hope Nash won’t be too disappointed, me leaving him right before the rush of the market crowd.

  Content with my decision, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind. I want to enjoy the bath as much as I can, as the next few days are going to be hard.

  After a short time of just soaking, I look around to find the soap. Just as I reach for it, I hear someone try to open the door. Uh oh.

  “Ash, what the hell? Open this door!”

  “Just a second, Gregory. I am washing my body.” I lather up the soap, hmm pine. I like it.

  “I am warning you, open this door. Now.” He yelled from the other side. A second later, something hard slams against the door, I assume it was him. Thankfully, the chair held.

  I can picture him perfectly, he is no doubt red-faced with steam coming out of his ears. “I would get soap everywhere if I got out now, surely you don’t want that to happen?” I finish lathering my arms and chest, then dip in to rinse it all off.

  Not hearing anything else coming from the door, looks like he gave up. “I am almost done, just a second more.”

  Still no noises from the hallway. How interesting, I didn’t take him for being silent in his anger.

  Humming to myself, I finish washing off the rest of body. I stand up to get out of the tub and reach for the shirt I am borrowing. I might as well let him in before his anger gets too bad.

  The shirt is huge on me, it nearly reaches my knees. It’s ridiculous, but it does the trick and I am completely covered. Ready to let him in, I turn to head towards the door and am stopped short. Gregory is already in the room. He is standing near the window, looking at me like he is a starved man and I am his favorite dish.

  Shit. I didn’t think about the window. I didn’t think he was crazy enough to climb up. I glare at him with all the force I could muster, “Did you just see me naked?”

  Instead of answering, he stalks closer to me and says, “Nice trick you did with the chair.” We both look towards the door. “To answer your question, I did see every inch of you. I did warn you that I would not ask permission to get in my own room.” His eyes are filled with desire.

  It will take all my will-power, but I need to diffuse this situation. I need to get out of here so I can prepare to leave town. I backed up, walking closer to the fireplace. “I didn’t think you would sneak in, I only wanted some privacy to take a bath.” I had to stop backing up, I hit one of the chairs. “I was about to let you in, you could be a little bit more patient.” I tried to look as pitiful as I could, hoping it will snap him out of the throngs of desire.

  “I have never been patient,” he says. He is right in front of me.

  “Gregory, I have had such a long day. Please calm down, I
just wanted a bath.” I look up with pleading eyes, “If you calm down, I promise I won’t be mad at you seeing me, without my permission.”

  That seemed to work. He needed a quick reminder of what ‘almost’ happened this afternoon. In truth, those men would not have gotten anywhere near raping me, but he doesn’t need to know that right now. He looks almost stricken and takes a step back, “I am sorry, Ash. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Running a hand through his hair, he sighs, “I keep losing control around you. It was hard enough seeing you stand out the tub, but as soon as you put on my shirt, all I could think about was taking it back off you.”

  I started to respond, but he stopped me with one hand on my arm. “I forget how fragile you looked this afternoon, I don’t want to scare you again. From the second I left the room, all I wanted was to be back in here, with you. I let that take over reason. Of course, you would want privacy.” He let go of my arm and turned around. He added in an almost silent whisper, “Not some man doing whatever he wished with you.”

  His shoulders are sagging forward like he was the one who had tried to rape me today and he can’t support the weight of what he did. His emotions are impossible to be around, but I can’t let him blame himself like this.

  “Gregory, stop, you didn’t do anything compared to what they tried to do. A part of me knew you would force yourself into the room if I was bathing. That didn’t stop me, in fact, it excited me.” Seeing my words were not enough to ease his guilt, I reach forward to turn him back around to face me, “I am not a china doll, you can’t crack me that easily.”

  “Maybe not, if you hadn’t already had such a traumatic day.”

  “Did Grant not tell you what happened? You must know I was pretending to be shaken up earlier?”

  His eyes glistened with questions, “No, he only told me that he lied because you asked him to. We didn’t talk long, I was itching to get back in here. Why did you pretend? How were you not frightened, especially after the second one got his hands on you and ripped your dress?” He glanced down at my hand on his arm, “That is enough to shake up even the strongest of women.”