Chapter 17
Erin
I grabbed my purse and slipped on a small bottle of bug spray inside before heading downstairs.
Ashton was lounging on the couch, his eyes lifting from the phone screen to meet mine.
The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile as he took in my outfit, and I returned the grin when I saw his attire. Our plaid shirts were nearly identical.
"Looks like we got the memo," I said.
"Great minds." He chuckled. He stood up, holding out his arm gallantly. I linked mine through his, feeling the warmth of his body even through the fabric of our matching shirts.
Ashton led me outside, the evening air fresh against my skin. He stopped just short of his sleek motorcycle parked at the curb, its chrome gleaming under the streetlights. Turning to me, his expression was a mix of excitement and curiosity.
"So, how do you feel about motorcycles?" he asked. "We can get closer to our destination on this than we could in a car."
I hesitated for a fraction of a second. Motorcycles meant danger.
They meant risk. Looking at Ashton, with that half-smile and adventurous glint in his eye, an unfamiliar thrill ran through me.
If I was totally honest, it made me a bit wet.
The idea of wrapping my arms around him while the world blurred past.
"Doesn't bother me." I feigned nonchalance as I met his gaze. "Let's ride." Hmm. How convincing was that?
Ashton handed me a helmet, the exterior as sleek and well-tended as the motorcycle itself, so it must've been convincing enough. I took it from him, turning it over in my hands like a foreign object. He swung a leg over the bike, settling himself with a practiced ease that had my pulse quickening.
"Ever been on one of these before?" he asked, his voice casual as he glanced back at me. A twitch of his lips told me he knew the answer already.
"Can't say that I have," I said, though I tried to keep any hint of nervousness from creeping into my tone.
"Nothing to it," he said with a calm smile.
"Just climb on behind me." He pointed to a spot where I could put my foot.
I did, so glad I hadn't worn sandals and anything but graceful as I hoisted myself onto the seat behind him.
My hands hovered over his torso until he caught them, pulling them firmly around his waist. His touch was warm, solid, anchoring.
Holy crap. His body was hard. Why was that so hot?
"Okay, hold on tight," Ashton said, and something about the way he said it, steady and confident, had anticipation zipping through me.
When the engine roared to life beneath us, the vibrations sent a shiver up my, well, let's just say my spine.
Then we were moving, accelerating so quickly that the world blurred into streaks of color and light.
The wind whipped past, tugging at my hair and clothes, and I clung to Ashton, my body pressed close to his.
The sensation was nothing short of exhilarating.
The earlier hint of arousal flared into something more insistent, and I pressed my thighs tighter against the sides of the motorcycle, seeking friction.
My hands, gripping his waist, slid inadvertently lower, brushing against the hard ridge of his erection straining beneath his jeans.
A jolt, hot and electric, shot through me, and I sucked in a sharp breath, my core clenching in immediate response, and I pulled my hands away, hoping against hope he hadn’t noticed my hands traveling.
We sped toward the mountains, the scenery shifting from urban landscapes to open roads bordered by forests. Ashton maneuvered the bike with a precision that spoke of years of experience. He leaned into the turns, and I moved with him instinctively, as if we were two parts of the same whole.
At one bend in the road, he slowed just enough to turn his head slightly, his voice carrying over the roar of the engine. "This is my family's land," he yelled back to me.
The revelation didn't surprise me. If anything, it made sense—the same way his presence felt like coming home, even though we had been strangers not long ago.
The road gave way to a trail, narrower and rougher. We jostled over bumps and dips, the tires kicking up dust and gravel. It should've been frightening, this untamed ride through nature, but with Ashton, fear didn't stand a chance.
Somehow, in the midst of the wild and unpredictable, I'd never felt safer. It wasn't logical, but then, neither was the fierce protectiveness I sensed in him—a promise without words that he'd never let harm come my way.
I closed my eyes, letting go of everything but the sensation of being with Ashton, on this bike, on this trail. It was a freedom I hadn't known I craved, a surrender to the moment that I'd never allowed myself before. With him, I wanted to stay lost forever.
The bike slowed, and the engine cut off, breaking the spell of motion and noise that had enveloped us.
Ashton's hands steadied me as I slid from the bike, my legs wobbling like a newborn fawn's.
His thumbs brushed the sensitive skin under my top, a familiar heat blossoming in their wake and spreading outward, a delicious wave through my core.
For a moment, all I could do was lean into his touch, my senses overwhelmed by the lingering thrill of the ride and the sudden, intense awareness of him.
I took a step away from him, immediately missing the closeness of him
"Is this it?" I asked, scanning the clearing circled by trees, half-expecting to see something more.
"Not quite," he said with a grin that told me he relished the anticipation in my eyes. He took my hand, a solid, reassuring grip, and led me where the motorcycle couldn't go: a narrow trail, barely visible beneath the underbrush.
"A deer path." Ashton nodded toward the ground. "Whitetails come through here to drink from the stream."
My sneakers crunched over fallen leaves and twigs, and I marveled at how Ashton navigated the terrain with such ease, as if every rock and root was familiar to him.
We passed the stream he mentioned, its waters whispering secrets as they flowed over smooth stones, the surface catching glimmers of light filtering through the canopy.
Then, without warning, the forest receded, and the world fell away into a vast open sky.
The edge of a cliff greeted us, revealing the Smoky Mountains spread out like a tapestry of green and blue hues, ridges fading into the horizon.
My breath hitched, caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.
For a moment, there was nothing else, no past worries or future uncertainties, just the mountains stretching endlessly before us, ancient and immutable.
"Whoa. I really couldn't have picked a better place to live." The expanse of beauty rendered each word inadequate.
He chuckled, a sound that blended with the rustling leaves around us. "I'm glad you think so. My family has been tied to this land since the seventeen hundreds." There was a hint of pride in his voice that made me look at him anew.
"Really?" I asked, surprised. The history in his eyes spoke of deep roots and a connection to the earth that my city life had never granted me.
"Yep, they were among the first settlers in this area. They helped shape what it is today." He swept his hand across the view as if presenting me with a gift passed down through generations.
As I absorbed this new piece of Ashton's past, something else caught my eye.
I turned around and my gaze landed on a picnic laid out with meticulous care.
A blanket spread over the grass, with a basket sitting open and plates neatly arranged beside it.
He must have come here earlier to set it all up, then returned for me.
It was an effort that warmed me from the inside out.
For a moment, the thought of wandering back through the dark woods flickered in my mind like a shadow. It dissipated almost instantly, quelled by the trust I felt in Ashton's presence. He wouldn't let anything happen to me; of that, I was certain.
Ashton's hand enveloped mine, warm and steady, as he guided me to the blanket.
We settled onto the soft grass, and he reached into the open basket, revealing a treasure trove of neatly wrapped sandwiches.
"Turkey, ham, or pimento cheese?" he asked, his eyes crinkling with a smile that said he knew I'd be pleased.
"Can I...?" I eyed both the ham and pimento cheese. Without waiting for an answer, I took one of each, peeled back the layers, and combined them into one hearty sandwich. Ashton watched, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Never seen anyone do that before," he said, clearly amused.
I shrugged, biting into my custom creation. "Just a little something I came up with. My favorite."
He laughed and followed suit, building his own hybrid sandwich. After taking a generous bite, his expression shifted from curiosity to genuine satisfaction. "I love it." He sounded almost shocked that this strange combination could taste so good.
We ate in contented silence for a while, devouring sandwiches and reaching for chips, cookies, and the colorful array of fruit, hummus, and veggies Ashton had thought to pack. He really had considered every detail.
"Wow, did you bring the complete kitchen with you?" I watched him uncover a second basket, which turned out to be a cooler filled with an assortment of drinks.
"Always be prepared," he said with a wink, offering me a choice between water, tea, sodas, and wine.
"Definitely the wine." I opted for the indulgence now that the immediate danger that had dogged my heels was behind me. "I've never been much of a drinker, but I think I could get used to it." Especially since I didn't need to live on the run anymore.