Fall for Me (Wilson Creek Book 2)

by Reese, K. R.

  What the hell?

  Ten minutes later, Michael was walking down the aisle with Ashlee on his arm. When this was over, they were going to talk. Thinking about Ashlee and what she’d gone through in the past, and not knowing what secrets she held, was grinding on his nerves.

  Maybe they weren’t so different from each other.

  He just needed to show her that she could trust him.

  Chapter Three

  Ashlee stood along the side wall, worrying the trim on her dress that she wanted to get rid of, and watched Ella and Trevor begin their first dance.

  “You should hook up with Michael tonight.”

  Brianne’s voice broke through her reverie, her gray eyes staring. She was standing close enough that Ashlee could reach out and touch. Instead, she looked away. “Seriously?”

  “Why not? I think you need to have some fun. I mean, it’s obvious you like him, or at least like his looks. He’s sexy and willing to give you what you want.”

  Ashlee scoffed and choked on her wine. “I’m sure he’s had every girl in this room, Brianne. I have fun,” she paused. “Ella keeps me busy, so does Abby and Will.”

  Brianne laughs. “Just think about it. If you change your mind, I’m sure he’d be up for it. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you.” She winks and walks away. Ashlee continues drinking her wine until the glass is empty, sitting it on the table. It’s time to go.

  Finding Ella on the other side of the hall, she makes her way over. “I’m going to head home, Ella. I’m tired, it’s been a long day. Have a nice honeymoon, and don’t worry about Abby and Will. I’m going to pick them up tomorrow morning and take them to the zoo.”

  A smile lights up Ella’s face. “You sure you’re alright to drive home?” Ashlee nods, giving her a hug and walking outside, unlocking the car on the way.

  Michael watches as Ashlee gave Ella a hug and walked out the doors. She had downed a pretty good bit of wine in the past few hours and he hoped she wasn’t driving home. A frown knitted his eyebrows together. His gaze wandered to the doors again, contemplating on going outside. If something happens to her, it’ll be your fault. He sighs. Damn it.

  He’d known there was a reason he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since the reception had started. Stepping outside the doors, the sound of an engine firing to life caught his attention. It was around the back of the building. He watched as the black Jeep pulled out, almost clipping Trevor’s truck bumper. He cringed. Stepping into the middle of the parking lot, she had no choice but to stop or run him over. A resounding thud made Michael’s head whip up and focus on the Jeep again. Ashlee had backed into the guardrail. Rushing over to her door, he pulled it open, bright eyes meeting his instantly.

  “What are you doing, Michael?”

  He smirked a little because she didn’t realize that her words were slightly slurred and he could pick up a hint of southern accent in it. The pink of her cheeks told him all he needed to know. “Looks like I’m driving you home, Ashlee. I’ll catch a cab back to my hotel afterward. Come on, scoot over.”

  Her lips tilted up at the corners, but she unbuckled and climbed over the center console. The dress she had worn all night hugged her curves perfectly, and when she climbed over, it tightened around every inch of her body. Michael almost groaned out loud. When she started to sit down, the outline of her panties was visible through the thin fabric. He’d died and gone to heaven.

  Suddenly Ashlee’s eyes lifted and she was staring straight at him. He swallowed hard, his gaze drawn to the V in the neckline of her dress. A small smile curved her mouth and he had to force himself to blink. Something primal inside of him made him think of sexy, dirty ways that they could mess up his clean sheets back at the hotel.

  Michael had to look away and take a deep breath. His imagination refused to shut down, though, and the adrenaline was running hard through his system. He knew this night couldn’t head in that direction, as much as he wanted it, too.

  He hadn’t intended to have a hook up during this trip home. Hadn’t intended on staying either. Michael had been pondering on whether the pretty little brunette in the passenger seat had anything to do with those last-minute plans. By the time they pulled onto the main street, he had a hard-on that he doubted he’d be able to fix himself. He shifted uncomfortably in the driver seat and kept his eyes on the road ahead. Peaking at Ashlee out of the corner of his eye, he noticed she didn’t look so good.

  “You alright, Ashlee?”

  Rather than answering, she shook her head and placed her hand over her mouth. Michael pulled over to the side of the road, not stopping completely before she swung her door open, doubling over. He jumped out quickly, leaving his door open and rushing to her side. He held her hair up and away from her face, reaching into his jacket pocket for a napkin.

  “You didn’t have to hold my hair. Thank you though.”

  He laughed a little. “I did need to hold your hair. You were going to vomit all over your pretty little self, and I couldn’t stand by and let that happen.” He helped her back into the car and walked around to the other side, pulling away from the side of the road. Michael kept an eye on her for the rest of the ride, pulling over in front of his hotel.

  “Where are we, Michael?”

  Turning to face her, he maintained eye contact. “Well, the entire ride you didn’t tell me where you lived. Instead of driving aimlessly, I drove to my hotel. Now, if you want to give me your address, I’ll gladly take you home. Or…” He left the sentence open-ended, letting her make up her own mind. She looked away, out toward the road before turning back to him.

  “I think I need to eat something before I go any further in a moving vehicle. My stomach isn’t handling it very well.” With that, she hopped out of the Jeep and waited on the sidewalk for him.

  Oh, hell, what did he just do?

  Ashlee was nibbling on her bottom lip from the moment they stood in front of the elevator doors. When the ding signaled its arrival, her nerves ricocheted off the charts. What was she thinking, going up to his hotel room?

  Michael was standing there with his hand on the door for her, she knew that, but she couldn’t force her feet to move. His hand was wound through hers, pulling her into the elevator with him. The zap of electricity running through her fingertips and up her arm was static in the air around them; while the rest of her body felt numb, Michael was everywhere. He hadn’t let go of her hand once the doors closed and Ashlee tried to stay calm, but her heart rate was spiking and she knew her breathing was uneven.

  “Fuck.” She vaguely heard Michael mumble under her breath, but her mind was foggy. “Ashlee, we..” He paused to clear his throat. “We can’t do this.”

  She kept her eyes down and didn’t say anything. When the doors opened to his floor, he finally released her hand to step out first. Ashlee followed behind silently, trying to think of a reason why they should do this. Why the hell was she trying to find a reason? She didn’t do this!

  Michael stopped at a door, put in his key card and unlocked it. When they stepped through, she grabbed his hand again. He looked over his shoulder quickly, eyebrows raised. “I don’t do this, Michael. Hook-ups haven’t ever been my thing. I just… I don’t know what it is about you that’s pulling me in.”

  She watched his face, waiting for some sign that he was going to push her away. Instead, he turned and pushed her against the door, holding both of her hands above her head. Michael was staring straight into her eyes, the blue turning slightly darker with need.

  “Are you sure about this, Ashlee? God, please tell me you’re sure.”

  She didn’t answer, standing on her tip-toes and slowly biting at the corner of his mouth. He didn’t let her pull away, smashing his lips on hers.

  Oh my, the taste of him.

  Ashlee thought the zap of electricity was strong when he had held her hand in the elevator. Michael kissing her was completely out of this world, bringing every nerve ending in her body to life. How long had it been? When the though
t entered her mind, she pushed on Michael’s chest, putting some distance between them.

  “I’m sorry, Michael. I… I can’t do this.”

  He released her hands, standing there for a minute. When he reached for her hand, she hesitantly took it and let him lead her to the sofa in the middle of the room.

  “Let’s order some room service and watch a movie. Sound good?”

  Ashlee let out the breath she’d been holding. The thought of Michael hating her, or worse, shoving her away, scared the hell out of her for reasons she didn’t know. She could only nod, watching him walk over to the phone on the end table.

  “I know I don’t have any clothes, but would it be alright if I took a shower? I feel really horrible right now.”

  “Sure, the bathroom is through the bedroom; towels and stuff are in the closet behind the door. What would you like to eat first, though?”

  Walking towards the bedroom door, she shrugged. “Anything works. I’m not picky.” Ashlee didn’t give him a chance to answer, disappearing into the room and closing the door behind her.

  Why did you stop him? Oh, right, because you aren’t ready for this.

  Chapter Four

  What the fuck just happened?

  Michael thought he had made it clear in the elevator that they couldn’t do this. As much as he wanted to, his father’s warning before the wedding made him hesitate. Something had stopped Ashlee just now and he was determined to find out exactly what that was. Even if it took him a while.

  He had his secrets, too. Things that even his family didn’t know. He wasn’t ready to open up about those just yet, but it was bound to happen this time around. If he stayed long enough in Wilson Creek, all his secrets would be revealed. Then it was likely that everyone, including Ashlee, would hate him in the end of it. Maybe not hate him, just resent him for some time.

  The bell rang for room service and Michael sat the cart by the table. Pacing the room expectantly, he could still hear the shower running through his bedroom door. It was taking a lot of willpower to not join her. Fucking damn it.

  He grabbed his phone and shot off a text message to Trevor. His parents had Abby and Will tonight, but Ashlee was supposed to pick them up in the morning. It was shaping up to be a very long night, so he was giving them a head up that she may not be too early. If Michael was being smart, he’d feed her and then drive her home. But, he wasn’t being smart and that wasn’t what he wanted to do.

  His thoughts all reverted to naughty, sexy fantasies of Ashlee when his bedroom door opened. There she was with her hair wet and tousled, wearing nothing but a robe. He cleared his throat. “Room service delivered food if you’re hungry. I sat it at the table.”

  Michael had to move his eyes in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, other pieces of his anatomy had other ideas and there was nothing he could do to hide it. His only option was to throw caution to the wind and hope it all turned out well. Sneaking a glance at Ashlee, the blush in her cheeks was wonderful, beautiful even.

  “I didn’t mean to take so long in the shower. I was a bit more…”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Michael interjected. He smiled in an attempt at making her feel more comfortable. “This room is paid for until tomorrow evening at least. The waters included. You could’ve stayed there until the hot water ran out for all it mattered to me.” Except then he would’ve been tempted to join her.

  He studied her reaction for a second before he stood and offered his hand. She stared at him before she reached out and took it. He didn’t pull her closer, just held tight for a second and let go.

  “I’m sorry about, um, earlier.”

  Sorry! He made sure the shock didn’t register in his face. He’s the one who should be sorry! Michael could see the hurt on her face, sadness etched with some regret. There was a strong urge to comfort her, but he wasn’t sure how that would be accepted. Both obviously had a past, but where his was of his own doing, Ashlee’s seemed to run much deeper than that. Either way, it didn’t matter to him. Now that she was here, maybe they could talk a bit, he could get some information.

  Don’t push it.

  His father’s words echoed through his mind. Grinding his teeth together, he guided her over to the table and started setting food out. Michael pulled her chair out for her and she sat down. “You need to eat something. You’ve been busy with wedding stuff all day, have you even had a chance?”

  When he looked up, she was already eating. “I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday around three, I think. I haven’t had time to.”

  He shook his head. “That’s… unhealthy.”

  This isn’t right.

  After a moment, all the confusion of the day cleared away and she began to put the situation into perspective. She’d survived losing her best friend, her lover, her heart; it was hell and she still wasn’t over it, but balancing between good and bad wasn’t an option either. Ashlee had fought every moment to get away from the town where bad memories were and defeat this emptiness she constantly felt inside her chest. She’d lost faith in her life for a while, but she was beginning to get that back. Nathan had wanted her to move on, find someone to love her and treat her right, but there were days where she wanted to take the easy way out. Some days were easier than others, but she kept fighting. So, why couldn’t she let Michael through the barrier, even a little?

  “You know, I can practically hear you overthinking things from all the way across the table. Why not just eat your food and then we can talk about it if you want?”

  She stared at her plate now. The memory of the day in the hospital floating through her mind-where had the time gone? Why hadn’t she gotten over this? Something happened when she stood in that hospital room and watched the love of her life fade out of this world; little things reminded Ashlee of it every day. Trying to forget as she went through her days was supposed to be helping her become stronger and finally feeling as though she was ready for another relationship.

  She took a deep breath to clear her head and drank the cup of orange juice he had poured. Then, without letting the fear strangle her, she walked over to Michael and straddled his lap. He kept his hands to himself, staring at her expectantly, waiting. “Please, Michael. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want this.”

  “You don’t like talking to me?” He was still holding his hands at his sides, and she could see the strength it was taking him to hold back; she could barely keep herself together, so she understood. “I want you, Ashlee. But, I’m not sure if you’re…”

  She kissed him. What was he going to say?

  Chapter Five

  “Would you tell Abby and Will that Ashlee will be there to pick them up in about two hours?” Michael asked his mother on the phone. He rolled his eyes as her voice came through the speakers. His mother, Sue, only referred to him by his full name when she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He couldn’t tell whether she was shocked or angry, and all things considered, it was better than being scolded by his father. Even if he deserved it.

  After a shitty morning crammed with over-thinking the situation and talking himself out of leaving Wilson Creek, Michael’s brain was fried.

  “How do you know when Ashlee is coming,” Sue paused. “You aren’t with her right now, are you, Michael?” Looking out the double doors that led to the balcony, he scanned the hillside and watched the fog slowly fade away.

  “We’ll talk later, mom. See you soon.”

  “Michael, she’s a nice girl. Please don’t break her heart with your shenanigans that you’re always up to.”

  Hanging up the phone, he turned back to the bedroom door. His fingers tightened around his phone. The tension was starting to seize every muscle in his body. He didn’t need this shit. He was already beating himself up over what happened last night, he didn’t need his parents on his ass, too.

  In the four years since Michael had left home after graduation, he never wanted to stay in Wilson Creek more than now. His parents voiced their displeasure a
bout him moving all over the country every time he spoke to them. Trevor interfered with ideas all the time, too. Only a select few outside of the family knew the truth of Michael’s violence and his current lawsuit. He intended for it to stay that way.

  Michael shook his head and finished his coffee before going into the bedroom to wake Ashlee. When she wasn’t in bed, he froze. She was there this morning when he had gotten up. The sound of water running in the bathroom caught his attention, as well as the distinct noise of someone throwing up.

  “Fuck,” he sighed. Michael walked over to the door and knocked. “Ashlee, you okay in there?”

  No answer. Opening the door slightly, he saw her sitting on the floor holding her head.

  “I probably shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach,” she murmured. “You think I’d learn from that mistake, but I do it repeatedly. I’ll figure it out sometime.” She laughed a little.

  After ten more minutes of hanging her head over the toilet bowl, she slowly stood up. Michael was ready with a bottle of water and a towel.

  “You know, there is a way for you to drink just as much without this result. You just have to pace yourself.”

  She smirked. “Listen to you. If I recall from my fuzzy brain, I didn’t see you have anything to drink last night mister.”

  If Michael hadn’t been listening clearly, the eruption in his ears might have blocked that last part out. He didn’t know why, but when she called him mister it stirred a deep primal need inside of him. Oh, fuck.

  Wrapping his hands around her waist and backing her against the wall, Michael watched as her eyes flared with lust. You shouldn’t do this. As much as his mind kept telling him that, he couldn’t help himself. Kissing her slowly took every bit of willpower he had. Ashlee was the first one to initiate more, increasing the intimacy of the kiss.

  “Ashlee,” he mumbled out.