A moment later, I step out onto the patio. The night air is still humid, and I take a moment to turn on the pool's lights so that the water glows a beautiful turquoise. Instead of diving in, I sit on the edge and then silently ease into the cool water. It feels heavenly, and I smile to myself as I leisurely swim around the pool. This is what I needed.
I have no idea how long I've been out here when I hear the patio door open from around the corner of the house. Curious, I look up and watch to see who else happens to be craving a late-night swim. A man's dark shadow approaches, and in the glow from the moon and turquoise water, I recognize Channing. He looks to be wearing jeans and a dark-colored tee. I'd assumed he was sleeping, but evidently, he'd been out with friends. Or a woman. I try to ignore the jealousy tightening my stomach muscles.
Channing approaches the edge of the pool, and his hands slip in the front pockets of his jeans as he gazes down at me. "Why do you have to be so damn tempting?" he asks with frustration.
I stare up at him with confusion. "I'm neck deep in water."
"You're fucking with me," he replies darkly.
His response completely throws me. "Excuse me?"
"The lingerie, the way you danced last night... It's like you know just what to do to get my dick’s attention," he grumbles. He yanks his hands out of his pockets and rakes a hand through his hair. "I just want you out of my goddamn head."
It dawns on me that he's been drinking, because sober Channing wouldn't be coming at me like this. "I didn't ask you to do my laundry. Nor did I approach you last night," I remind lightly.
Channing falls silent, and for a moment, I think he might turn and walk back inside the house. Instead, he stares long and hard at me, and I can feel his burning gaze on my skin even though I'm surrounded by water. "Why didn't you screw him?" he finally asks.
"Remington?"
"Yeah."
"It didn't feel right," I say honestly.
"What does it take to make it feel right?" he asks quietly.
Is he...? No... I have to ask, though. "Are you asking for yourself?"
"I just want you out of my system, Ashton.”
Now I'm the one who falls silent. I don't know what to say, and I'm not certain he'll even remember this conversation in the morning. The thing is, if anyone were to tempt me into exploring sex, it'd be Channing.
"Ever skinny dip?" he asks bluntly, cutting into my thoughts.
"No."
Much to my amazement, he reaches for the hem of his shirt and strips it off, carelessly tossing it aside. My eyes widen as I watch him kick off his shoes and slip off his socks, and my lips part as he unbuttons his jeans and discards them a second later. He’s completely naked, and before I can process what is happening, he cleanly dives into the deep end of the pool.
I stand there in the four-foot section and debate what to do. Channing is definitely not thinking clearly tonight.
He swims towards me, and my breath hitches. Knowing he's naked makes the urge to touch him even stronger. This is such a bad, bad idea. He's drunk, and as tempting as he is, I should climb out of the pool and walk away.
Before I can work up the nerve to put an end to the situation, he's standing directly in front of me, his bare shoulders rising above the water. I can't see his expression since it’s dark and the glow of the water isn’t sufficient lighting, but it doesn't matter. He steps closer, and I feel his hand touch my side, skimming across my bare skin. "Just let it happen, Ashton. Put me out of this misery," he says in a husky voice.
"Channing, you're drunk," I state softly.
He releases a low chuckle that has my lower belly tightening. "Drunk or not, I'll make you come six ways to Sunday," he vows.
My eyes widen, lips parting.
Channing takes full advantage of my shock as his lips capture mine. I have a fleeting thought that I need to push him away, but then his tongue slips between my parted lips and teases mine. Tingles stir deep within me, and it's a sensation I'd never experienced with Hayden. Channing's coaxing me into responding, and I find myself instinctively kissing him back. He tastes like alcohol and something seductive. If seduction could have a flavor, it'd taste like this.
Channing groans into my mouth and pulls me against his body, his hands wrapping around my waist before sliding down to my butt. I gasp into his mouth when I feel his erection probing between my legs. Heat floods down there, and I want to rub myself against him.
Channing pulls his lips from mine, and he rasps, "Say yes. God, say yes," he urges me.
This is far too tempting, and I want to know if Channing can give me what I've been missing when it comes to sex. Tomorrow, everything will go back to normal, and we can hopefully move past this moment of madness. "Yes," I agree.
The second the words leave my lips, Channing's mouth is back on mine, and his hands are everywhere. As he hungrily kisses me, I feel him untying my bikini top, and then I hear it as it lands somewhere on the patio. I'm desperate to touch him, and I reach for his shoulders as his hands cup my breasts. I gasp into his mouth as his palms rub against my distended nipples.
Then, his hands abruptly leave me, and I blink as he tears his mouth from mine, his hands moving to my waist. There's no warning as he lifts me up into his arms, and my legs instinctively wrap around his bare hips. He uses his strength to keep my upper body higher than his, and his mouth claims one of my breasts. My hands clutch the back of his head, and my fingers reflexively tighten in his hair as he rubs his tongue over the tight bud. A soft moan escapes me, and he ruthlessly sucks and flicks it until he turns his attention to the other one. I can feel liquid heat pooling between my legs as arousal floods me. "Channing..." I whimper.
He nibbles the sensitive tip, and I begin to squirm as my core seeks relief. A groan escapes him, and he promptly sets me down before his hands are on my bikini bottoms. He's tugging them down, his mouth back on mine again.
As he tugs the scrap of fabric down my hips, I take full advantage of his distraction to run my hands over the hard ridges of his chest. I wish I could see him, because I know he's sculpted to perfection. As I trail my fingertips down the smooth expanse of his abdomen, I step out of the bikini bottoms and let the water carry them away. The cool water is such a contradiction against his warm skin, and I am fascinated.
Suddenly, his hand slips between my legs, and I go completely still. Channing uses his chest to gently press me backwards, urging me towards the side of the pool. Even as I move with him, his fingers continue brushing against my bare folds as he explores me. "Damn, you're already slick," he says hoarsely.
When my back makes contact with the pool's wall, Channing's lips return to mine with renewed hunger, and his finger slips inside me. I instinctively part my legs and arch my back, enjoying the sensation as my tongue tangles with his. Then, his finger begins to slide in and out of me, and I gasp. His lips curve against mine with a smile of satisfaction as he adds a second finger.
I've given up on trying to kiss him as I moan, and his lips move to the corner of my mouth, resting there as he gently thrusts his fingers in and out of my slick heat. My breathing has quickened, and I am desperate to relieve the tension in my body.
"Part your legs further," he urges.
I do as he asks, and as he continues moving his fingers, I feel his other hand reach down and rub against my clit. My hands grip his biceps tightly, trying to anchor myself to something as a new flood of sensations sweep through me. A sound escapes the back of my throat as my core tingles, and the sensation intensifies. Then, my inner walls constrict as the orgasm takes me over, and Channing covers my mouth with his as I cry out. My hips thrust against his fingers, savoring every last bit of pleasure that I can. As I try to catch my breath, I become aware of Channing trembling, his breathing ragged.
His fingers abruptly leave me. "Ash, I can't go slow anymore," he says with a hint of desperation in his tone.
"It's okay," I say, my voice throaty now. "Condom. We need a condom."
"In my wa
llet. Out you go." His hands have clamped around my waist, and he easily hoists me right up and out of the pool. He then climbs out behind me, and in the dark, he hurries to where he'd discarded his jeans.
I trail after him, more than eager to have him inside me. When I approach him, I hear something tear, and I know he's slipping on a condom. "Lounger. I've been dying to get behind that ass," he grits out.
Without hesitation, I climb onto the nearest lounger and give him my back. My legs brace themselves on either side of it, baring the femininity between my legs to him as I lie down, pressing my breasts against the surface of the lounger.
Behind me, Channing groans. "I wish I could fuckin' see this," he mutters, cursing the darkness as I feel his hands caress my bottom.
"If it were daylight, we wouldn't be doing this," I muse.
He grunts in agreement, and then I feel his hardness probing my entrance as he eases into me. It's been a while, so my body instinctively clutches at him, and my grip on the lounger tightens. "You feel so damn good," he breathes as he pushes himself into me all the way, and I can feel his hips cradling my own. He shudders, and then begins to move.
Now that my body has adjusted to his, every time he thrusts in and out, it causes a delicious friction that has a renewed tension filling my body. I gasp, and Channing groans as I feel him grip the lounger close to my own hands as he drives in and out of me. He's muttering something under his breath as his hips move faster. The lounger creaks ominously beneath us, and I bite my lip and enjoy the pleasure that's building. The lounger could break for all I care. Just as long as Channing keeps moving...
I'm so close...
My body tightens, and I whimper. Then, my inner muscles are convulsing, and I try to muffle my moan while my body explodes with pleasure. My orgasm must trigger Channing's, because his hips slam into mine almost frantically before he releases a low, masculine groan.
After the pleasure fades, I become aware of Channing's body pinning mine in place. We're both still breathing heavily, and he's showing no signs of moving.
"Channing?" I murmur.
"Hmm? Oh. Shit. Sorry," he mumbles as his weight leaves my back.
I carefully rise to my feet, and I find that my knees are wobbly. Channing drops down onto the lounger, and his body sags. The alcohol is catching up with him. "Want some help to your room?" I offer lightly.
"I'm good. Just gonna lie here for a minute," he says, his voice husky and thick.
"Okay, good night.”
When he doesn't respond, I carefully cross the patio and search for my bikini top. After I find it, I slip it on and then gaze at the glowing water. My bottoms are somewhere in there. I spy them in the shallow end, and I ease into the pool to grab them.
When I pass by Channing a minute later, I think he's passed out. I'm tempted to try to get him up to his room, but I tell myself not to. If he'd wanted help, he would have taken me up on my earlier offer.
Fourteen
Channing
Holy fucking hell.
My head is pounding, and I have the mother of all hangovers. I twitch in my bed and can already feel the room spinning. A low groan escapes me. Why the hell did I drink so much last night? I strain my memory and try to recall last night's events.
I'd gone to a party with some friends from campus. That's right, I'd had Ashton on my mind, and it'd pissed me off. I'd tried to find someone I wanted to screw, but I couldn't seem to dredge up any interest in any of the girls that had been there. That had pissed me off further, and I'd began drinking heavily to get her out of my head. Someone had dropped me off last night, but I can't recall who.
Why am I suddenly envisioning Ashton in the pool?
Visions fill my head of my hands touching those incredible breasts and playing with her bare... My dick twitches to life as I recall the feel of her smooth pussy.
No fucking way.
I must've dreamed it, because Ashton wouldn't let me screw her on a lounge chair. But daaaaamn, that dream was so real that I can almost recall the taste of her as we’d kissed.
Figures.
I'm feeling like shit and still thinking about her.
It's enough to force me out of bed, and I stand beside it for a long minute as I wait for the world to settle around me once more. When I’m capable of moving, I pick out fresh clothing from the dresser and hit the shower.
Afterwards, I’m feeling somewhat better, and after downing something for my head, I make my way down to the kitchen. I'm not going to test my stomach yet, but I need to move around and shake off this hangover.
When I enter the kitchen, I find Gabe eating breakfast at the table. I walk over and slump into one of the chairs across from him, not saying anything.
Gabe studies me, and an amused expression passes over his face. "Missing something?"
“Not that I’m aware of.”
He nods to the kitchen island. "Found your wallet on the patio this morning." He smirks. "It was near a used condom beside one of the loungers. Little too much to drink last night?"
I stare at him as his words begin to sink into my foggy mind. Oh fuck. That dream, it was real?
Gabe's smirk fades as he takes in my expression. "What's wrong?"
Instead of responding to his question, my mind races as I lean back in my chair, rubbing my hands across my rough cheeks. The details are somewhat fuzzy in places, but I recall enough of what I thought was a dream to know that I'd gone at her kind of hard. I'd only been thinking with my dick.
"Who was it?" Gabe asks quietly, sensing that this is much bigger than just a brief encounter with a random woman.
"Ashton," I mutter.
Gabe's eyebrows shoot upwards.
"I was drunk when I came home, and she was in the pool," I explain with a frown. I owe her an apology. She's never hinted of any interest in me except when we were dancing Friday night, but even then, I could tell she wasn't looking for sex.
Gabe's silent a moment. "I'm surprised you made a move on her. You usually do everything you can to avoid strings of any kind."
I have nothing to say, because I'm blown away that I'd even gotten myself into this mess. My eyes shift to the clock. I have to be to work within the hour, which gives me the day to figure out how to handle what went down with Ashton.
Fifteen
Ashton
Upon waking, I begin to stretch my body and promptly groan. My arms and shoulders ache from my lesson with Layla. It had been well worth it, because I'd used some of the spins last night in my sets. I'm eager to learn more and had told Layla I would like to pay for more lessons.
As I linger in bed, I recall Channing finding me in the pool last night. My lower belly instantly tightens as I remember how he'd made my body respond so easily to his. Okay, so sex is a lot better than I’d originally thought. It was...amazing, and I'd certainly been missing that spark with Hayden.
Channing, passed out on the lounger, flashes in my mind, and a twinge of regret sweeps over me. I'm hoping he'd woken up and had the sense to go inside before someone saw him. I bite my lip. He was really hammered, and I tell myself that there's a good possibility that he won't recall having sex with me. And even if he does, there won't be any repeats. It was one time, and it can never happen again.
After a brief mental struggle, I manage to shove Channing out of my head and focus on the upcoming day. It's Sunday, and I have the entire day free. I'm low on groceries, so that's on my list of things to do. I also need to pick out more songs for next week's sets. With my mental list building, I climb out of bed and grab fresh clothing before going down the hall to the bathroom. As soon as I cross the threshold, I recognize Channing's cologne. He's already up and about. That's surprising. I'd naturally assumed he’d spend most of the day sleeping off the alcohol from last night.
Since I'd prefer not to run into Channing this morning, I linger in the shower. It's not that I'm embarrassed about last night—far from it. I'm not sure how he'll feel about it, so until then, I'd rather avoid him until
I'm ready to deal with the fallout—if there is one. I know Quinn and Harper probably won’t care, they'd already warned me that if I slept with any of the guys, it wouldn’t mean anything. However, that doesn't mean things can't get messy. I just need to stay in the mindset that it'll never happen again and go back to treating him like the rest of the guys in the house.
Easier said than done.
Thirty minutes later, I enter the kitchen hoping to find it empty. Just in case Channing’s around, I have my purse and keys with me. If he's present, I'll leave with the excuse that I have plans. I know I'm being cowardly, but I've never been in this kind of predicament before. A one-night stand is new to me, so is sex with anyone other than Hayden.
Channing is nowhere to be seen, but Sebastian happens to be in the kitchen, and I blink as I take in the sight before me. He's sitting on the island counter, idly juggling three eggs with a with a look of boredom etched across his handsome features. He's also only wearing a pair of wrinkled jeans. Apparently, he’d climbed out of bed recently, but why is he juggling eggs instead of drinking his usual coffee?
When he notices me, his eyes brighten. "Ashton," he greets.
I stare at him. The man before me is not the one I'm accustomed to seeing in the morning. "Uh...morning."
He stops juggling the eggs and flashes me a devastating grin. "Do me a favor?"
My eyes narrow. I've learned enough during my short time here to know that a favor for the likes of him is going to bring nothing but trouble. "Depends on what it is," I hedge.
Revolving Door Page 10