Chapter 18
18
Sienna
It was hard to linger on the fantastic orgasm Asher had given me this morning while two adorable, fluffy white American Eskimo puppies ran amuck in the waiting room.
The owner had gladly let me love on her puppies for a good while before I had to rush back to the front desk to answer the phone. After calming down a panicked dog owner whose pet had been throwing up all night, I’d made them an emergency appointment for later in the afternoon, and then hurried back to the stock room to deal with the bags of special diet pet food that had been delivered an hour ago.
I did this all with a huge smile on my face and a special ache in my hips.
Asher had wrecked me last night. I didn’t know sex could be that way. The limited experience I’d had in that department had been from the jerk I didn’t want to name anymore. Even the backs of my thighs were feeling the strain from being stretched and pressed into my mattress. Sex with the former jerk had been wonderful at first; then it had become an endless battle with war wounds. Sex with Asher had been a full body workout with cardio and life-altering pleasure.
The way he’d stared into my soul while merging our bodies into one had been the part I’d loved the most. All those years ago when I’d had seven-year-old girl dreams about him, none of them included any of what we’d done last night. Well, all accept the kissing part.
I had to pull my scrub top over a few times to hide the hickey he’d put on my collarbone. I felt marked in so many ways, it wasn’t funny. Sitting was even problematic. I thought about texting that to him, but I needed to stop at the store for a new phone first.
That thought was the one that ruined the rest.
Yesterday, I’d been in mid panic for more reasons than just being around men with loaded weapons. Signs were posted everywhere about having to show your I.D. to enter beyond the front lobby. It was a huge relief when Asher had just bypassed all of the check-in points for the general public, but it was a looming detail that had me on edge.
The people here at the veterinary office knew my real name, though they’d all just accepted and gotten used to calling me Sienna.
That was the part that had me on edge. Asher had been so patient with me. So attentive. And the way he’d feasted on me, like he could spend endless days between my legs just making me moan his name, had made the guilt coating me even thicker.
Every avenue to being truthful just seemed to end in disaster. But avoiding him, or never seeing him again, wasn’t an option anymore. Last night, he’d stolen my heart. And before that, he’d given me something I didn’t even realize I’d been missing: confidence.
I hated Diesel for what he’d done to me. I’d been fairly popular in high school, spending most of my time loving art class and hanging with my small but faithful group of friends. I’d spent a year in community college, learning business administration while helping my dad care for my mom. And then I let my anger for Dad wanting to move on with his life lead me on a path of destruction. I’d been on that path for so long, finding an exit felt impossible.
I wondered if asking Asher to take me back to the range sometime would be okay. It had felt like a monumental release to pull that trigger, leaving me craving more of it. Since the day I’d been shot, I’d dreamt about how it would feel to be the one holding the gun. Fantasized even a few times about turning the tables and getting even with Diesel. But to do that, I’d have to come clean with Asher.
I just didn’t know how.
It took longer than expected to replace my old phone. Hiding was no longer an option. Trying to disappear and still keep living was impossible, so I’d given up on anonymity.
It also took a chunk of my salary just to stay in touch with the world. I sat in my car, trying to figure out the new screen. Asher had a similar phone, so I was sure he’d help me figure it out. The guy in the store had been great with helping me get some data off of my old, busted phone, but I’d lost all the pictures. First text I made was to Asher, with a simple message:
New phone in hand. Sorry it took so long. I’m on my way home.
My new phone rang in my hand. I smiled at the number on the screen, feeling my heart flutter hard. “Hey.”
“Hey, babe. You have a good day?”
My smile got wider, just remembering how it had started. “It was okay. Not as good as it was before I got to work, but you kinda raised the bar high this morning. Hard to top that.”
My name came out as a hiss. “You can’t say things like that to me, ’cause now I want to see if I can make your evening even better.”
“Well, I did get to play with puppies this morning, so you may have to work extra hard to beat that.” I’d secretly hoped I’d see him tonight. Still, teasing him was fun.
“You like pizza? I can grab a pie on my way.”
I loved that he was so generous, but I couldn’t keep expecting that. I might be limited with extra cash, but between paying off the old medical bills I’d racked up being without insurance and having to fix my car a few weeks back, things were a bit tight. “I can grab one.”
“I’m pulling into Little Sicily right now. Just get home safe and I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”
My gut fluttered again. He was seeing to my needs, making that ache come back with a vengeance. “Okay, Ash. Hey…”
“What babe?”
My day had been like any other day at work, but he was making it better. He had no idea how much that meant to me, so I decided to tell him. “You just made this Monday the best Monday of them all. Thank you.”
I heard him breathe into his phone. “I like hearing that. I’ll see you soon, babe. Drive carefully.”
So I did just that. I drove carefully.
And smiled the entire way.