by Leddy Harper
He growled when my fingers made their way down his hard stomach to the button on his jeans. Impatience burned within me. It’d started as a spark when we realized we would have an entire week together during spring break. Emma would be at the beach with her dad, and Will had a business trip overseas, so aside from my job, it would only be the two of us—no fear of my daughter seeing him slip out the back door or his dad catching us in his garage. And the closer we got to our week of freedom, that spark had turned into a flame, then a blazing inferno, and now, as we waited for the sun to rise on the first day, I was on the verge of spontaneously combusting.
“Don’t you want to be somewhere a little more comfortable than the front seat of my car?” He struggled to get out every word, his voice strained and gravelly. “Like a bed? Where we won’t have a steering wheel or gearshift in the way?”
“Nope. I want you just like this.” I lowered his zipper as he lifted his bottom off the seat, allowing me enough room to adjust the denim and free his throbbing erection. I’d never seen a prettier dick—not that I’d seen many—however, Ash hated it when I called it pretty, even though it was true.
I met his lips again while stroking his smooth shaft, tightening my grip as I worked my way toward the crown while keeping a slow, relaxed downslide to the base—just the way he liked it. As soon as he started to undulate his hips, I knew I had him right where I wanted. It’d been over a decade since I’d last given road-head, though I didn’t think much had changed over the years. Granted, we weren’t driving, which made this safer, but we were technically in a car, so that counted in my book.
When I pulled my face away from his, preparing myself to bend over the console between us, he slipped his hand next to his door for the controls to recline his seat. But before he could press the button, headlights filled the interior as a car pulled into the driveway behind us.
“Oh my God, Ash…it’s your dad.” I ducked my head and sank onto the floorboard in front of my seat. “I thought you said he was gone. Why is he here?”
“I’ll handle it. Just stay there.” His voice might’ve been calm—though a little raspy—the way he tucked his cock into his boxers and fastened his jeans was anything but. It was so frantic I worried he’d catch himself on the zipper.
Thankfully, he didn’t.
Ash shut off the engine and grabbed his keys. When he opened the door, he swung out his leg, not wasting a single second meeting his dad between both vehicles.
I could hear the deep murmurs of their voices, yet my heart pounded too heavily to decipher the words. It wasn’t until they’d made it to the walkway, on their way to the front door, when I finally understood something that was said: “You going to lock your car?” And then a moment later, the locks engaged. I was trapped inside his car, alone, without the air running.
Panic made it difficult to inhale, in turn, leaving me dizzy and gasping for breath. I was certain I’d suffocate before he returned, which made me hyperventilate even more. I hadn’t wanted Emma to find out that I’d been sleeping with someone from her school, and now, she’d discover that when she learned of my untimely death, and then she’d war between hating me for what I’d done and grieving my loss.
Then there were my parents. I’d gone through all the ways they would be mortified over the news, and by the time I imagined them spitting on my grave, the door unlocked. When it opened, I nearly toppled out, sucking in lungful after lungful of oxygen as though I’d been buried alive.
“What the hell, Ash?” It was the quietest yell I could muster, and ironically, the loudest whisper. “You said he’d be gone. Why’s he here? Did he see—” My words were silenced by his hand over my mouth.
He led us to the closed garage door, where we remained hidden in the shadow of the house. “Apparently, his flight was changed. And stop freaking out. He didn’t see you. But for now, stay here. Let me go inside and pull his attention away from the kitchen window so you can cut across the yard. Wait until the front door closes, and then count to fifteen. Got it?”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware we were playing kick the can.”
“Playing what?”
I huffed and shoved against his chest. “Just go so I can start counting.”
Ash pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead and then rounded the corner to his porch. Once I heard the latch click into place, I began to count, but then I wasn’t sure if it should be normal seconds or Mississippis. Eventually, I compromised with…
One misses.
Two misses.
By fifteen, there was a good chance I’d hung around for a full minute and really started to freak myself out. Not wanting to have waited too long and chance being seen through the kitchen window, I went around the side of Ash’s house to the back and shimmied along the wall of bushes, staying hidden in the dark in the event Will could see me. And as soon as I made it to my yard, I ran to the back door as if I were being chased by a serial killer.
This was too much. And while I wished I could say being with Ash wasn’t worth the trouble, that would’ve been an outright lie. Not just physically, or because of the things he’d done around my house, either. He was worth it on so many levels—many of which I’d refused to give any thought to, afraid of what it would mean.
A hot shower didn’t slow my erratic heart, so I turned the water to cold.
All that did was make my nipples hard.
I even tried a shot of rum…which warmed my insides, though the panic remained.
My last option was to climb into bed and wait for sleep—or death, whichever came first. And less than thirty minutes later when Ash arrived, I found myself praying for death, regardless if it was quicker or not.
“What are you doing here?” I pushed up on my elbow and glared at him. “Wait…how’d you get in my house?”
“You’re not very sly with your key-hiding skills. It’s always the rock, babe.”
Groaning, I tossed myself onto the mattress again. I stared at the ceiling and mentally ran through every possible scenario that had the slightest chance of happening, and then weighed the consequences. In the end, I was left with, “I’m going to be forced to wear a red P on my shirt while they hang me in the center of town.”
“What’s the P for?”
“Pedophile.”
He was quiet for a moment, then broke the silence by asking, “I could be wrong, but doesn’t the fact that I’m eighteen negate that theory?”
“Semantics.” My body vibrated as his soundless laughter shook the bed. And when I rolled my head to the side to see his face, the sight of his smile nearly made me forgot about the noose and townspeople with buckets of stones waiting for my punishment. Nearly being the keyword. “Maybe instead of a P, it’ll be C.”
“Care to share what that stands for?”
“Cougar.” Once upon a time, I would’ve laughed at that. Now, it was just sad.
Without dropping his gaze, Ash reached out and laced his fingers with mine, holding my hand in the sliver of space between our bodies. “What do you get when you cross a cougar and a snowman?” His grin stretched wider when I shrugged. “Frostbite.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better about your dad almost catching us with your dick in my mouth?” Actually, it might have had I not reminded myself of that last part. The joke was lame, but his smile was infectious.
“What does the cougar say to his friends before they go hunting for food?”
“I don’t know, Ash…”
“Let us prey.” Despite the mirth in his dark eyes, the pun was lost on me. After a few seconds of watching me stare at him, he finally decided to put me out of my misery. “Prey…with an E.”
“Yeah, that would’ve been a lot better if I’d gotten the punchline instead of needing to have it explained.” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling again and released a heavy sigh. “Got any others that don’t require a roadmap for senior citizens to understand?”
Rather than rattle off another joke, he shifted onto his side and
held his top half over my body, an arm on either side, eyes intently burning into mine. “Does it really bother you that badly?”
“That we were seconds away from getting caught? Yes. This time was so much worse than that day in the kitchen with Emma. At least then, all I had to do was pull my skirt back in place. Tonight, your dick was out of your pants. Fully erect, might I add. And if that wasn’t the worst part…I was in your car. It was easy to explain to Emma why you were in the house. What would we have told your dad if he’d realized you weren’t alone?”
He shrugged, as if it were no big deal, which pissed me off—though not as much as when he added, “I guess we would’ve told him the truth.”
With my palms flat against his hard, sculpted chest, I held Ash away without completely pushing him off. “Are you out of your mind? He’d come after me until there was nothing left. And then Emma would have to bring her kids to the prison to visit their grandmother. Hell no.”
This time, rather than a shrug, it was a smirk. “I mean, I can’t be positive, but I doubt he’ll go after you. I honestly don’t think it would be that big of a deal.”
“Don’t you dare tell your father, Asher Jenkins.”
He brought one hand to my face and traced my brow with his thumb. “I won’t, babe. I swore to you that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone until we were both on the same page. But you asked what would’ve happened if he had caught us tonight, and I answered. If you don’t like what I have to say, or if you don’t agree with it, that’s all right, but my opinion of how I believe my dad would react doesn’t mean I’m the bad guy here.”
Damn him and his ability to put me in my place.
“But the good news is…he’s actually gone this time. So it’s official—the week is ours to do with as we wish. Well, aside from your job, I mean. But it’s only Friday, which means we have the whole weekend, and then every evening until Emma comes home next Saturday.”
“Oh, good. Then that means you’ll be able to make it to my trial. Maybe they’ll have a guillotine. I bet that’s sure to have heads rolling, right?”
His laughter wafted across my face in breathy waves. They were so effortless they matched the upturned corners of his mouth and the slight crinkles that extended from the sides of his eyes. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise.”
“Why did he come back? And how do you know he won’t show up unannounced again?”
“He forgot his passport at the house, so they had to change his flight. Then he asked if I wanted to go.”
“Why are you here instead of packing? Isn’t he going to Switzerland?”
“Yeah…and I’m here because that’s where you are.” Be still my heart. “I told him I’d taken extra orders to stay busy while he’s gone and school’s out. He can’t argue with that. The more money I make for myself, the less he has to provide.”
“Back up one second. Do you actually have orders to fill?”
“A few. Not many, though. I didn’t want to be stuck in the garage while you’re home.”
“Okay, so let me see if I got this right. Your dad invited you on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and you told him no. You made up a lie about having a lot of work to do while he’s gone, but in reality, you only chose to stay because I’m here? Are you out of your mind? You are aware of where Switzerland is, right? Like you’re not confusing it with the alley behind Tao’s Market?”
He took this opportunity to shift his body completely over mine, making room for his hips between my legs. “I’ve spent damn near close to a year wondering what it would be like to wake up next to you. I don’t care if he invited me to rifle through the treasures of the lost world…nothing would keep me from falling asleep with you by my side.”
“Millennials…you people are insane.”
“Hate to break it to you, babe, but you’re one, too.”
“No one asked you.” I laughed and shook my head, yet it felt good to let go and joke around. I wasn’t sure how he managed to always do that, but I prayed he never stopped. “Did you bring a bag or anything with you to stay the night?”
“What would I need?”
“Uh…clothes? Toothbrush? Deodorant would be nice.”
“We won’t have any need for clothes, my toothbrush is in my back pocket, and I plan to run home in the morning to change once we figure out what we’re going to do with an entire day to ourselves. I can put some on then.”
“You’re wise beyond your years, Ash.”
He lowered his face to mine and captured my lips with deliberate, leisurely caresses.
This was a beautiful start to our week together—providing I didn’t count anything that had taken place prior to Ash coming into my room.
* * *
Hot water rushed through the polished silver spout, filling the deep tub that Ash and I sat in. I fit perfectly between his bent legs with my back to his hard, bare chest while he held me against him with both arms around my middle.
“I don’t want this week to be over.” My voice was nothing more than a lazy murmur, almost drowned out by the running water. But with the back of my head resting on his shoulder and his face lowered to the crook of my neck, there was no way he hadn’t heard me.
For the last seven days, I’d fallen asleep draped over his chest and awoken every morning in a mess of tangled limbs. Emma would be home tomorrow, which meant this was our last night. The thought of climbing into bed without him made me never want to see the sun color the sky again.
He tightened his arms, pulling me closer as if he had the same fears. “We’ll make it work, babe. We’ve managed to get this far; two more months should be a breeze.”
“Part of me wishes we hadn’t done this…spent all week together this like, I mean. It just makes going back to the way things were that much harder. I realize it’s only two months, but it feels like two years.”
“Whenever you’re ready to stop hiding, let me know. You make it sound like we have to go back to the way things were, but really, we don’t. We could have it all starting tomorrow.”
I knew he’d bring that up, make that point, yet it didn’t change anything. “We can’t do anything until I feel it out with Emma. You still have to go to school together, which could cause more problems if she has an issue with us as a couple. Whereas, if we wait until you graduate, that’s one less thing we have to worry about.”
Ash was quiet for a moment, gently circling his fingertips along the sensitive skin below my navel. After releasing a long exhale, he turned his head to bring his lips closer to my ear. “Have you ever been in love?”
It shouldn’t have, but his question caused my heart rate to increase and each beat to become more intense than the last. I had to take a second to control my voice, make sure it didn’t give away how deeply the idea of love had affected me while I was in his arms.
Finally, I shook my head and closed my eyes. “I thought I was with Emma’s dad, but I was young and immature. By the time I found myself in another relationship, I had grown up a lot, which made it easier to understand my feelings.”
“You didn’t love him, either?”
“No. I’m pretty sure I was only with him so I didn’t feel so alone.”
“What’s the difference between that and your reason for being with me?”
I trailed my hands from his forearms to his biceps and held Ash tighter—not because I was scared my response would upset him, but because I hadn’t been able to admit the truth to myself. The idea of confessing it all now freaked me out. Once I accepted my feelings, there would be no going back. I’d never be able to play off the last nine months as simply having fun with a younger guy or lie to myself and say it didn’t mean anything.
“Effort,” was all I could say to explain the difference without giving anything away. “Despite being together for as long as we were, neither of us really put much energy into the relationship. I don’t mean things were easy and uncomplicated. I think it was more of a convenience for us both, and when we reached a poin
t where we had to make decisions—about us, our future, what we both wanted and needed from the other—we weren’t interested in going that extra mile to make things work. He’s the one who technically ended things, but I wasn’t too upset about it.”
“So you’re saying you make an effort to be with me?”
“Yeah…which is ironic because what we have feels so natural.”
Every time his fingers wandered closer to the apex of my thighs, he brought them up again. I could feel his desire against my back, which made his restraint odd. Most of the time, we gave in when we shouldn’t, so holding back when we had the house to ourselves didn’t make much sense.
Until he asked another question.
“If you’d never had Emma, who would Kristy Richards be right now?”
He fought against his physical need in order to learn more about me, which smothered me in conflicting emotions. His desire to understand me on every level filled me with unimaginable contentment, yet at the same time, it reminded me that we had something that went beyond sex. I hadn’t quite come to terms with the backlash that would come from sleeping with him, let alone having feelings for an eighteen-year-old.
However, I closed my eyes, pushed the fears aside, and did what I had to, what I had done for the last seven months—I gave him what he wanted. “I’d be an investment broker. I had always dreamed of working on Wall Street, but that would’ve never happened.”
“Why not?”
I shrugged as much as I could while basically being pinned between his arms. “I’ve never been much of a city girl. In theory, New York sounds amazing and fun, everything moving at such a fast pace, but there’s no way I’d last more than a few months.”
“Life has a funny way of steering us in the right direction, huh?” His soft voice sounded sympathetic when I replayed his words in my head. Yet I had barely heard them over the roaring bath water that continued to fill the tub, so there was no way to know if I’d misunderstood his tone or not.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sure Wall Street would’ve been exciting, but I personally think what you do now is more fulfilling. I imagine it gives you a greater sense of purpose.”