Chapter 37
Tanner
Present day
“How long’s it gonna be until y’all come back?” Wyatt asks, gravelly as hell because he slept until 2pm today.
We both look up as Aisling makes her way down the stairs. She’s holding her rose in one hand and wearing the only change of clothes that she brought with her for our stop here in Carter Ridge. Denim jeans and a grey fitted long-sleeve shirt, which has me folding my arms over my chest as I watch my brother grin up at her.
Wyatt holds out an arm for her as she reaches the last step so that he can give her a parting side-hug and I stare him out as he gives her a squeeze. I’m not much caring for the smug wink he gives me as he squishes her.
“If you hold my girl any longer, we won’t be coming back, period,” I tell him, only half joking, but he breathes out a laugh and releases Aisling anyway.
Cobe’s tail pounds the hardwood like a jackhammer and he all but purrs when Ash leans down to gently stroke him behind his ears.
She’s still a little anxious about being around such a massive dog but Cobe has been on his best behaviour with her, initial excited pissing aside.
He’s been following her around, giving her his most innocent eyes, and settling down beside her anywhere that she happens to sit. If anything, I think that he can tell that she’s been a little scared, so being gentle while keeping her close is his way of putting her at ease.
And I feel pretty fucking proud of Aisling and Cobe, because it’s ninety-nine percent worked.
Not one to miss out on a little loving, Cookie shoots down the hallway and flies straight into the calf of my jeans before putting herself right and then trotting over to sniff Aisling goodbye.
“Uh, earth to Mace,” Wyatt says, shoving his hard elbow in my side.
I jab the fucker right back before raking a hand through my hair.
“We’re going back to Larch Peak for around a week. We’ve got friends camping up the mountain so, unless they head back down tomorrow, we’ll join them. Otherwise, we’ll be staying at the lake house while Ash waits for her mom to give it its official surveying. And once that’s been dealt with…” I shrug, my chest expanding contentedly. “Then we’re free. Ash’ll be ready to start looking into her next project, God willing, and I’ll be almost about to start NHL training.”
“So as soon as the lake house has been” – Wyatt scratches his stubble, searching for a word – “approved, then y’all will come back here for a bit?” he asks.
I look over at him and smirk. “Why? You missing me already?”
“Not you, asshole,” he grins. “I wanna see Aisling again.”
I humour him with a smile before socking him in the gut.
When Aisling turns around to look at us Wyatt is keeled over and choking, and she flashes me a concerned look which I wave away with a satisfied expression.
“Don’t worry about him,” I tell her, which has Wyatt laughing as he stands back to his full height.
“Yeah, yeah,” he rumbles. Then he gives Ash a wink as I pull her into my side and says, “Good meeting you, Aisling .”
I jerk my chin at him and, joking aside, we clasp our palms together, re-solidifying our brother’s bond.
“We’ll be back soon,” I tell him, those four words laced with so many others: like, I’m glad that you got on so well with Aisling and I’m so proud to call a hero like you my brother .
He nods at me, smile creases crinkling the corners of his eyes, and then I turn to the kitchen doorway to see my mom and my dad.
It’s been good to spend time with them – even better to have Aisling here with me – and as soon as Ash is finished up with her first project it’ll feel good to come back here and make the most of seeing my dad and Wyatt before they go out and deploy again.
“Thank you for having me,” Aisling says, laughing lightly when my mom pulls her in for a hug.
The two most important women in my life, smiling happily and laughing with each other.
It’s a beautiful sight.
“Anytime, Aisling,” my mom says, and even my dad gives her a nod from the doorway, arms folded over his chest as he watches my mom.
His eyes flick over to mine and he tips his chin at me.
“Don’t be gone too long,” he rumbles, and hell if I don’t feel my whole heart fucking burn.
I gently move around Aisling, giving her a squeeze on her waist, before meeting my dad in the middle and embracing him in a hard hug. He slaps his fist on my back and I huff out a laugh, wondering what he just punctured.
“Love you, dad,” I tell him.
He grunts, nods, and says, “Love you too, son.”
*
The drive back to Larch Peak is quiet but fast, with Aisling curled up on the passenger seat and both of her hands wrapped around one of mine. We were blessed with two days of heat but the sky has finally turned overcast, with thick grey clouds blanketing low over the dark tops of the trees.
Doesn’t matter. The SUV is pounding with heat.
We didn’t do anything physical while staying at my parents’ house – one, because everyone would hear everything, and two, because that would be really fucking weird – but now my balls are so heavy that I have to shift on my seat every five seconds.
Aisling glances over, notices, and removes one of her hands from mine so that she can gently caress my quad.
I grunt, shaking my head, silently asking her to stop before I literally come.
“We’re almost at the lake house,” she says in her beautiful husky voice.
“Yeah,” I rasp. I take the right turn that leads to the lake and rumble quietly, “Thank God.”
The cabins come into view and I’m relieved to see that everyone must still be camping up the mountain. I steer us carefully around the head of the lake and then put the car in park the second that we’re beside the lake house porch.
I drop back in my seat, gripping myself before I’ve even released the seatbelt. I hear the sound of Ash unbuckling hers beside me and I release my death-grip from the front of my jeans, smacking open the belt mechanism and yanking the strap from over my chest. Then I’m shifting my quads uncomfortably on my seat as I turn around to face her, immediately hunching low as she pushes up onto her knees, leaning over and reaching for me.
My warm palms encase her waist as I dip low to take her mouth, groaning loudly as she sighs with relief. One of her hands caresses over the muscles of my chest while the other grips at the back of my neck, pulling me down so that she can reach me better.
I try and slip my digits down the waistband of her jeans but my fingers are literally too damn big to shove in.
I grunt and pull back, chest heaving as I look down at her.
“Haven’t been inside of you since I told you that I love you,” I rumble. “I need to fix that, right the fuck now.”
“In your car?” she asks, suddenly gasping as I suck her neck.
“Anywhere you want it,” I tell her. “Probably not enough room in the car.”
I kiss my way back to her mouth, releasing a rough grunt when she parts her lips for my tongue. I lick it gently against hers, my hands fumbling with her zipper, then mine, and then I’m reaching behind my neck so that I can rip my shirt over my head.
I toss my shirt in the back, palms cupping Aisling’s cheeks as she massages my chest.
Can’t deny it, that feels really fucking good.
“You gonna bite ’em again?” I ask her, thinking back to that night in the cabin when she sunk her teeth into my nipple.
She smiles up at me, all taunting dimples and beautiful long lashes.
“Why, did you like it?” she purrs, her hands massaging my abdomen now. My muscles flex under her attention, swelling and thickening as she strokes me gently.
“You know I liked it. I loved it.”
I hunch down and crush a gruff kiss to her smart mouth.
“I love you,” I murmur, groaning through my teeth when she helps ease my jeans down my quads.
Or at least she tries to. They get stuck before they’re even down an inch and I’m wincing with every tug as I try to drag them slowly over my throbbing cock.
“Your thighs are huge,” she rasps, pupils dialled the hell out as she watches me.
I breathe out a nervous laugh.
“That a good thing?” I pant, sighing in relief when the denim is finally just above my knees. The muscles of my quads are thick and swollen, flexing hard with adrenaline and the knowledge of what we’re about to do.
She nods up at me, looking flushed and lightheaded.
“Yeah,” she breathes out. “You have hockey player thighs.”
A half-smile tugs up the corner of my mouth as I pull her up for another kiss. I shove my other hand down the waistband of my boxer briefs, grunting hard as I give myself that first rough pump.
She digs her nails into the sides of my neck, pulling back to watch my hand. Seeing the lust and innocence and need on her face, I quickly fumble down my underwear and grip my shaft in my hand, wanting her to see what I’ve got for her as I stroke myself up and down.
“Take off your shirt,” I rumble. “Let me see you.”
I wrap one hand around her hip and work the other over my cock, chest heaving up and down as Aisling pulls off her shirt. She tosses it in the back with mine and then leans over the stick shift, making me groan as she rubs herself up against me. I steel my jaw and toss my cock harder, looking down at her with heated eyes, groaning as she presses those soft tits right up against the large muscles of my chest.
“This bra,” I rasp, glancing down at the baby pink cups. I clear my throat and rumble out, “It’s… pretty. I like it.”
Then I’m removing my hand from my cock and arching my neck as I try to calm my heavy breathing.
“Shouldn’t be jerking off,” I rasp, wincing as the broad head smacks against Aisling’s jeans. “Just got too hard when I looked at you. Needed some relief.”
I cup her face in my palms and start kissing her long and slow.
“I need to be inside of you,” I murmur, jaw hardening as her fingers trail up my shaft.
I open my eyes and look down at her, my palms caressing her denim-clad ass.
“I’m gonna need you to put that hand away unless you want me to come all over it,” I warn her.
She presses her breasts against me harder and I spank her ass, grunting loudly.
“Aisling,” I rasp, as her hand slides down to cup my sac. “I’m too excited right now. Tug them once more and I’m gonna come on your belly.”
To both my relief and fucking agony Aisling releases her hands from my balls, sliding her fingers slowly up my chest as I splay my palms over her behind.
I meet her in the middle of the SUV so that she doesn’t have to crawl over the centre console and slowly stroke my tongue inside her mouth, winding her dark curls around my fist.
A light pattering of rain thumps gently against the windshield and I pull away breathing heavily. I squint as I glance out of the window, peering up at the silver sky.
“This is my favourite kind of weather,” Aisling whispers, and I look back down at her, pushing her hair back from her cheeks.
“Yeah?” I ask. Though now that I think about it, that makes perfect sense.
Of course Aisling is a summer storm kind of girl.
“It’s romantic,” she whispers softly, “and I find it really grounding. It’s harder to over-think about things when you’re listening to the rain.”
She shrugs gently and I hold her closer.
“And because of that, because it makes me remember that nothing is that deep… it shows me that it’s okay to wear my heart on my sleeve after all. Like, why not? Why not be exactly who I really am?”
She glances down at her heart-shaped freckle and murmurs, “I don’t know. I just think that it’s beautiful.”
I press a gentle kiss against her lips, lost in the warmth of her touch, her softness, her sweet sighs and the thrum of the rain.
“Wanna stay out here?” I murmur, inhaling deeply as she squeezes my biceps.
She shakes her head, a little smile tugging at her mouth.
“You said that there isn’t enough room for what you want to do,” she whispers.
“Yeah, but that was before you told me how much you love the rain,” I rumble, feeling a dimple crease in my cheek as I pull back to smile down at her.
“I do love the rain,” she whispers, “but I love you even more.”
That confession has my heart stumbling in my chest, my shoulders heaving as I stare down at her.
Then I’m winding her hair tighter around my fist and hunching low so that I can take her mouth with mine.
“Get on top of me,” I grunt, grabbing one of her hands and wrapping it around my cock. “Get that pretty pussy on top of me so that I can show you how much I love you.”
But now she’s pulling backwards, her eyes sparkling, and pushing me off of her while I try to pull her closer.
“You’ll have to come and get me,” she whispers, giggling when I groan against her neck.
“The fuck does that mean?” I murmur, desperately trying to shove my digits beneath the zipper of her jeans, the warm feel of her panties enough to make me pre-come halfway up my abs.
I grunt and wipe away the warm moisture with my palm, dead-set on pulling her jeans down her thighs even as she giggles and arches against me.
“What do you think it means?” she whispers, fingers tugging at my hair as I slide my tongue down the cup of her bra. I groan like an animal, gently licking at her peak. I grip my sac with my free hand and get lost in the feel of her as I suck her lovingly into my mouth.
You’ll have to come and get me.
I murmur her words back to myself, trying to make sense of them, trying to figure out what she could possibly mean–
My head snaps up, eyes burning as they shoot straight to hers.
Oh Jesus. I know exactly what she’s saying.
“No,” I order, eyes flicking to her hand on the door handle. “Ash, baby, I’m way too turned on for games right now.”
Eyes on mine, she clicks the door open, biting back her smile. I glance out of the door and pull myself upright so that I’m towering over her.
The rain sounds like a downpour, hammering relentlessly against the silver surface of the lake. I drop my gaze back down to Aisling, catching her adorable baby dimples as she giggles. I let myself take in her sun-kissed skin, her baby pink bra, her fitted denim jeans that are going to look even more sexy when they’re speckled with rain.
Then I flick my eyes back to hers as I push my hair off my forehead.
I clear my throat, my voice like gravel.
“You want me to chase you?” I ask gruffly, already knowing the answer as she scooches another inch backwards.
She gives me a naughty smile. “Only if you think that you can catch me.”
I huff out a pained laugh, watching as she slides one leg out onto the passenger-side step.
“Baby,” I rasp, gripping my cock in my fist. “I’m barely gonna be able to walk, let alone run with this thing.”
She slips her other sandal onto the step, slow-sliding off her seat until she suddenly jumps down onto the dirt. And yeah, I was right: she looks hot as fuck getting showered in rain while she’s half naked.
“Sounds like an excuse to me,” she purrs, palms flat on her seat as she leans inside. Squeezing her tits together to drive me wild. Little fucking tease.
“Ash,” I pant, releasing my cock with a choked sound. “No games right now, baby. Get back in the car.”
She slips her fingers into the tight front pocket of her jeans and my chest heaves up and down as I watch her. After a moment of rubbing she finally frees her hand, holding up a key.
The key to the lake house.
And then she’s off.
My head smacks loudly off the roof of my car as I pull back from over the centre console and I curse like a trucker as I watch her sprint alongside the lake. She tosses a grin at me over her shoulder as I try to wrangle my boxer briefs back over my cock.
I’m groaning in fucking agony as I finally shove my jeans up my quads, eyes on the vixen trying to ram her key in the lock as I grab our shirts from the back of the G-wagon.
I lean over the shift to slam her door closed before swinging mine open, and I hear her squeal with excitement as she manages to push the front of the lake house open.
“ Ash ,” I bark, smacking my door shut as I watch her kick off her sandals and run into the house. I keep our shirts under one of my biceps and grip my other fist over my groin, steeling my jaw as I jog up the porch steps because I’ve never been this hard in my life.
I yank off my boots and socks, and then kick the door open, storming into the rich lake house foyer as rainwater streams down my chest.
I swipe at the water with one of my palms and use the other to toss our shirts into the kitchen.
The second that I lock my eyes on her – standing very fucking precariously on the back of one of the couches – she shot-puts her rolled-up jeans straight at my chest. I grunt as I catch them, the rain-heavy denim smacking hard against my jaw and my pecs, and I throw them in the same direction as our shirts, eyes raking her up and down.
Now she’s left in nothing but her baby pink bra and a pair of matching panties – panties that look way too familiar – and she’s smiling at me all cute and coy as she pushes her curls from her face, sparkling raindrops cascading down her shoulders.
“Get down from there, Ash, right the fuck now.”
“From here?” she asks, sweet and taunting. She does a little twirl that has my heart lurching up my throat.
“Not funny,” I warn her, grabbing my wallet from my pants. I flick it open, not taking my eyes off of her as I slip out two condoms, and then I toss that to the floor too, before shoving my jeans down my quads.
I kick them to the side as I lock the front door.
When I turn back to face her she’s still doing her little dance on the back of the sofa, giggling as I scrape a hand down my jaw.
“Get over here,” I rumble.
“Come and get me,” she teases.
My mouth tugs up at the corner and I thunder right for her.
She yelps with excitement, jumping off the back of the sofa as I move to grab her from the front, and then she’s sprinting up the stairs, screaming as she hears me pounding the wood behind her.
My eyes are locked in on her beautiful behind until she spins around to face me, a low sound rumbling through my chest as I realise what she’s wearing.
“Crotchless?” I growl, eyes flashing up to hers as she fluffs up her dark hair.
“Maybe,” she taunts, giving me another twirl before racing down the corridor.
I hit the top step and put my foot on the accelerator, charging for her as she reaches the bathroom and making her squeal in pleasure as I rush her from behind.
“This what you wanted?” I rumble, stubble scraping against her cheek as I haul her against my chest, forearms wrapped tight around her belly.
She giggles and squirms, gasping when I sink my teeth into the curve of her neck.
“ Yes ,” she gasps, moaning loudly when I grip my palm around her heat. I clutch it tight, over her panties, and inhale deeply against her throat.
“I love that you make me work for it,” I murmur, holding her tighter as I walk us to the master bedroom. She giggles as I roam one palm over her breast, massaging it firmly as I rumble, “My fuckin’ woman.”
Half falling over each other, we manage to get over the bedroom doorway, but then I’m picking her up around the middle, kicking the door closed, and settling us down beside the jamb on the floor. There’s a thick furry rug placed over the hardwood, nestled intimately under the lowest part of the A-frame roof. I pin her carefully underneath me, rolling her onto her back as I position myself between her thighs, and tossing the condoms to the floor so that I can quickly grab one before I push inside of her.
She giggles up at me, cheruby cheeks flushed pink and big eyes sparkling bright. I cage one forearm above her head and squeeze my other palm over her bra.
“You’re the prettiest girl that I’ve ever seen,” I rasp, slipping my digits underneath the sexy cup. “Can we do it here?” I ask, rubbing my hips against hers.
She arches her neck backwards, moaning as I push our bodies together.
“On the floor?” she whispers, laughing quietly as I kiss her neck. “You’re such a caveman,” she whimpers, thighs squeezing around me as I caress her nipple.
“Yeah,” I rumble, sliding my hand around to the back of her bra for the fastening.
Reading my mind she says, “It’s at the front,” and I nod, heaving my body up onto one elbow so that I can get a better look at her bra.
A dent creases between my brow as I fumble between the pretty cups, temples pounding harder and harder as my gaze keeps straying to her tits. They’re pushed up beneath the fabric and their plumpness is driving me insane. I have to pause my fingers for half a minute just so that I can hunch down and press my face between them, hand slipping into my boxers so that I can tug my aching sac.
“Ash,” I rasp, licking relentlessly above her nipple. “Can’t find the clasp.”
She scrapes her fingers through my fade, rough enough to make me buck against her, before tangling them in my rain-slicked fringe, tugging at it to recapture my attention.
“That’s because you were right the first time,” she whispers, “and the clasp actually is at the back.”
A laugh rumbles out of me as I shake my head and grin down at her. Then Aisling sinks her teeth into her gorgeous smile as I grip the back of her bra and yank it backwards.
The bra opens, the straps instantly slip down her shoulders, and then I push them even farther, baring her to me. I cup both of my palms around her breasts, squeezing them together as I hunch down to suck her.
Her back arches off the furry rug and I palm her more roughly, sucking her harder. I release one nipple and move over to the other, working it in my mouth with deep long pulls.
When I finally lift my face back to hers her lashes are fluttering wildly, her breathing uneven. Her nipples are sucked pink and sensitive, making her gasp when they rub against me.
I grab one of the condoms from beside us, bite it open, and spit out the foil.
She watches me in a heated daze, lids heavy, irises on fire.
I free myself of my boxer briefs and hover over her as I roll down the condom. Sheathed to the hilt, I smack my cock against her pussy, her thighs spread wide, baring the crotchless area to me.
“Prettiest chick I’ve ever seen,” I rumble, gripping one hand behind her head and keeping the other tight around my cock. She wraps both of her arms around my shoulders, tugging me closer so that we’re chest to chest.
I nudge my shaft between the lace, grunting roughly as she gasps.
“Can I have you?” I rumble, looking down at her beautiful face.
She nods up at me from beneath my chest, making my shoulders swell as I push myself inside.
I drop my forehead to her neck, a growl tearing up my throat.
“So tight,” I tell her, my hand tightening around the nape of her neck. My other hand roams up to her breasts, squeezing roughly as I withdraw.
She lets out a ball-cinching moan and I roll into her again, vision blurring.
“It’s so thick,” she whimpers, thighs slipping higher up my sides.
I grunt and thrust faster, gripping at her breasts as I up the pace.
“These past few days,” she pants, nails biting into the muscles of my back as I pump my cock between her thighs, “you, uh – at the house – y-you called me your… your girlfriend.”
Satisfaction throbs through my abdomen, making me smirk as I suck her neck. “Yeah.”
Her nails dig into me harder as she whimpers, “We haven’t talked about that yet.”
I lap gently at her throat before moving my mouth back to hers. I press a kiss against her lips, her chest bouncing as I pump her harder.
“Nothing to talk about,” I tell her. “I said what I said. Simple as that.”
When those pretty eyes take on a darker shade, her vixen side coming out, I roll into her deeper, sensing that she’s about to give me some of that attitude.
Her eyes roll into the back of her head as she moans, but even when I grip her chin she refuses to meet my gaze.
Is she serious right now? She’s going to start a fight with me while I’m inside of her?
If anything, that makes me harder, amused disbelief turning into lust.
I jerk my chin at her, gripping her cheeks. “You got a problem with that?” I ask her.
She turns her head to the side, hands tightening on my shoulders as I thrust deeper.
I huff out a laugh, jaw clenching as I groan.
“Ash,” I grunt.
This damn woman.
“We gonna argue about this?” I ask her, lifting my eyebrows when she finally shoots me a little glare.
She whimpers something that I can’t quite catch so I massage her more gently, loosening her up as I slow-thrust between her thighs.
“Didn’t hear you, baby. Talk to me.”
I nudge her nose with mine as she mumbles, “You coulda asked me about it first.”
I mean, she’s got a point. But we did everything else in this relationship out of order, so why start breaking that chain now?
“Shoulda asked you,” I admit.
She cuddles into my neck as she mumbles, “Yeah, you should’ve.”
I laugh and kiss at her cheek.
“You someone else’s girlfriend or something?” I ask teasingly.
She gives me a frosty look before mumbling, “No.”
I grunt and pump harder.
“Wanna be my girlfriend?” I ask, lifting up slightly so that I can gauge her reaction.
I roll my shoulders, waiting for her answer.
“Taking your sweet time there, Ash.”
She looks up at me and whispers, “Ask me nicely.”
You have got to be fucking kidding me right now.
“Aisling,” I rumble, breathing out a laugh as she blinks up at me. “I love you so much, and I’ll do anything for you. Will you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?”
She clutches me closer as she whispers, “Say please.”
I wet my lower lip, voice deep as I say, “Please.”
She involuntarily squeezes tighter and I drop my forehead to hers, groaning loudly.
“Yes,” she pants, “Tanner, yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
“Yeah?” I rasp, letting out a pained laugh.
She nods up at me and I grip her cheeks, kissing her hard.
“You love me?” I ask, chest heaving as she nods again.
“Say it,” I demand.
She shoves playfully at my chest, giggling as she whispers, “ You say it.”
I press a kiss to her cheek and rumble, “Aisling, I love you.”
“How much?” she teases and we both start laughing, brows arched in pleasure-pain.
“Too much,” I pant. “I love you so goddamn much.”
“I love you too,” she whispers, squealing as I change the position. Heaving myself up onto my haunches, spreading my quads, and settling her across my thighs. Pushing her back up against the dark wall beside the door, one hand wrapped protectively around her head and the other keeping her lap positioned firmly over mine. Like missionary but on my knees, with my girl’s soft thighs wrapped around my hips.
I give an experimental upward thrust, pumping her roughly against the wall, and when she gasps against my throat I know that she’ll be able to finish in this position.
I squeeze my palm over her thigh, hold her hips, and thrust again.
“Tanner!” she gasps, arms tightening around my neck.
“I love you so much,” I rasp, my digits tangling in her crotchless panties.
“I’m there,” she whimpers, thighs searching for purchase against me.
I push her harder against the wall, spreading my quads wider so that I can hit it as deep as possible. I grip her hair tighter, arch her neck, and suck her throat as I drive her over the edge.
“My girlfriend,” I grunt, slamming my free palm against the wall as she comes.
She whimpers breathlessly, arms tightening around my shoulders, and I shove myself inside of her as hard as I can.
“I love you so much,” I groan, head feeling heavy as she finishes, my own release shooting upwards and blanking every thought from my mind.
“I l-love you too,” she whispers, and suddenly I can’t take it anymore. I grunt against her throat, hips driving in and out, and then I’m punching my fist against the drywall, biceps rippling as I break through it.
“ God, yeah ,” I grind out, not registering what just happened. I grip my right hand around her hip and ride her hard as I come.
“Tanner!” she whimpers. “Oh my God, did you just–?”
Aisling lets out a squeal and, reading it as pleasure, I spank her ass.
I bury my face in her throat, temples throbbing as I slip it out of her. I press a kiss against her jaw, massaging her hips as I pull back to reach her mouth.
And then I see it.
Next to her flushed, surprised, kind of impressed expression is a fucking hole in the wall that I just punched my fist through.
I blink at it for a moment before looking down at my hand. My bleeding hand. Which I just punched through the wall.
The wall in the lake house that Aisling’s mom is coming to visit in two day’s time.
The lake house that her entire small-town-flipping career is riding on.
My eyes drop back down to hers and she blinks up at me, her shock mirroring mine.
“Oh fuck,” I whisper, watching every emotion possible flash through her irises.
Luckily, the main emotion there is the relief of her orgasm, but I can see that just behind the pink haze of love a kindling of anger is flickering dangerously.
“Ash,” I rumble, my voice hoarse.
Her eyes shoot over to the wall and I slap my palm over the break, making those dazzling irises flash straight back to mine.
“Tanner,” she whimpers nervously.
I shut her up with a kiss.
“Baby, I’m so fuckin’ sorry,” I rasp quickly, cuddling her tightly against my pecs. “I’m so sorry, baby. I swear I’m going to fix this.”
“Tanner! You broke the wall!” she exclaims, but relief instantly surges through my chest as I realise that she’s burst into a fit of laughter. She peeks up at me through her fingers and then slaps her palm playfully against my chest.
“Caveman,” she says, scolding and teasing at the same time.
I’m so fucking grateful that she’s not livid with me right now but I need her to know that I’m still taking this seriously.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her again, pressing her chest against mine as I look down at her. “That was – I didn’t mean to – I was just…” I shake my head, trying to force myself to think straight. “You felt so good. I couldn’t take it.”
I cup a palm around her cheek, my irises burning apologetically as I search her eyes.
“You’re an idiot,” she mumbles, but she is still smiling, even as she drops her eyes to my chest.
“I am,” I growl, “and I’m going to fix this.”
She shakes her head.
“You can’t,” she whispers. “There’s a hole in the wall. Now I’m screwed.”
I squeeze her cheeks gently, silently asking her to meet my eyes.
“I’m going to fix it,” I tell her. “I know someone who works in construction. By the time that your mom comes here, you’ll never know that I just…” I glance at the hole in the wall and clear my throat. “…did that.”
Aisling’s gentle hands stroke up my pecs, nervousness creasing her brow.
This is one thing that she’s been unsure about this whole summer – disappointing her parents, and therefore not getting the role that she’s after in their business – and I’ve just goddamn added to that.
“Aisling.” I drop my forehead to hers. “I love you. And I’m going to fix this.”
She waits a moment before finally nodding her head.
I wrap her waist up with my arms and pick her up, carrying her to the bed.
After I drop her down on the sheets, I move over to the small pile of her fancy luggage bags and start stacking them in front of the hole.
She giggles from the bed, shaking her head at me as I look over my shoulder at her.
Once I’ve covered up the little incident I heave myself down beside her on the sheets. The mattress groans loudly as I settle down, which only makes Aisling cover her face with her palms and laugh even louder.
I wrap my fists around her wrists, tugging them away from her face so that I can watch her giggle.
“Caveman,” she whispers, making me flush as I smile, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur back to her. “And I’ll fix this, baby. I promise.”