Chapter 9 #2
He’d already changed into a pair of gray pajama bottoms and a black T-shirt. A fire blazed in the hearth, and all the lights had been turned off. He had the bed turned down. On one side, the comforter and sheets had been pulled back. On the other, he had placed a blanket over the comforter.
“I hope the sleeping arrangements are okay,” he said. “I’ll sleep on top. I don’t trust myself to get under the covers with you. Better safe than sorry that way.”
God, she loved the way he stared at her. He had an intensity that would steal her breath every time. Even better, he honored her wishes and had given her space.
“About that—”
“No worries. But if you’re done in there…” He held up his toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Go ahead. I need to find mine.”
He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her alone. She flicked on a light to search her bag for her toiletry kit and noticed one item had been left in the Jeep. She went outside to get his guitar. All day, she’d been dying to hear him play, and before she went to sleep, she wanted a song.
She changed into pink sweats and turned the lights off. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she balanced his guitar case over her lap.
When he exited the bathroom, she asked, “Will you play for me?”
In the flickering light of the fire, his expression was buried in shadows. Gently, he picked the case up and set it on the small table in the kitchen. He turned and breathed out a long, deep sigh. “Not tonight. I’m pretty beat.”
The clock on the wall showed a few minutes past midnight. Had she scared him off with that little freak-out? Maybe he felt trapped with a crazy woman in a cabin in the woods.
She tried not to let her disappointment show, projecting as much cheer into her voice as possible. “Maybe you can play something in the morning while I make breakfast?”
His lips thinned, nearly curved at the corners, but failed to find his signature smile. “Sure, babe. That sounds great. I’m just tired from the drive, and my head hurts.”
She jumped up. “Are you okay?”
Spencer had punched him, and Ash could have a concussion. Her fingers itched to shine a light in his eyes and examine his pupils, but she refrained. Like he’d said, he was probably fatigued from the drive.
Ash put a hand to his temple. “I took some Tylenol, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to call it a night.”
Her eyes followed each languid step of his as he moved in front of the fire. He poked the logs to the back, added a few more, and put the fire screen in place.
“That should keep us warm until morning.” He moved to the bed and stretched out his long form on top of the comforter, pulling the extra blanket over, but his toes poked out at the end.
“Your feet are going to get cold.” A quick search of the cabin, and she found another blanket. After laying it on top of him, she crawled under the covers. “Do you feel okay?”
His eyes pinched with pain. “It’s only a headache.”
He lifted up, leaned over, and pressed his lips against her brow. The velvety-soft touch skimmed across her skin, searing her with his kiss.
“Good night, babe.”
She gripped his shoulder. “Good night, Ash.”
Flickering firelight cast shadows over the ceiling as she clutched the blankets around her neck. All concerns over whether Ash would adhere to his promise settled within moments as he turned his back toward her and faced away. She listened to his breathing, waiting for him to fall asleep.
Thirty minutes later, the telltale glow of a cell phone lit up his side of the bed.
“Ash,” she whispered, “are you awake?”
He rolled over. “Yeah, can’t sleep. Sorry, did I keep you up?”
“Is it your headache?”
“No. I’ve got a song brewing in my head.”
“Oh.”
He lifted the phone. “I’m trying to get it down, so I don’t forget it.”
She sat up. “You won’t bother me if you want to work on it. I’m not sleepy.”
He glanced at her, eyes narrowing. “Earlier, when you…was it me? Did I do something?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. When you were in the bathroom, it felt like I’d done something wrong.”
“You’re going to hate this, but it’s—”
He threw his head back and laughed, interrupting her. “Let me guess. It’s complicated?” His signature smile made a triumphant return.
She put a hand on his arm to reassure him. “You’re getting to know me too well.”
He rolled out of bed. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to work this melody out. When I get a song in my head, I can get crazy if I don’t write it down. Will it bother you? I’ll be quiet.”
“I’d love to hear you play.” She’d never known a composer before. It’d be cool to listen to a song come to life.
“This isn’t so much…playing. It’s more messing around with what’s trying to get out of my head.”
Her belly churned with excitement. She pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll read. You won’t even know I’m here.” She made a shooing motion. “Go. Create. Make music.”
Ash bit at his lower lip, looking a bit uneasy, almost shy about it.
Maybe he wasn’t that good, and having her watch made him self-conscious. The problem with a one-room cabin in the woods was the definite lack of privacy. Nothing she could do about that. If Ash had issues with others listening to his music, he needed to get a new career.
She turned her cell phone on and thumbed to the beginning of a new book. Out of the corner of her eye, she peeked at him pulling his guitar out of the case.
He gave a wink. “She’s not as scary as she looks.”
“She?”
“My baby.”
“I thought your Jeep was your baby.”
He held up the guitar. “This is my baby. I’ve had her since I was fourteen.”
His fingers pressed down on the neck, and his thumb strummed out a tune. The cabin filled with a glorious full-bodied sound. His eyes closed as he picked out a series of notes.
Her jaw dropped. Ash was better than good. Damn amazing was more like it.
She forgot all about her book as he warmed up. He picked out notes and melodies and fingered chords from famous metal bands, but never played an entire song.
He merged with the guitar, the two of them becoming one unified being.
Watching him play transported her to a different world. She had never heard anything so majestic.
Ash was sex and power, all wrapped up in one glorious package, but with that guitar wrapped in his hands, he became a force of beauty. He made her head spin and other parts of her throb.
At some point, the warm-up stopped. Familiar notes and melodies of rock bands ended as new sounds emerged. A gasp escaped her lips. This was all him, and it was brilliant.
His creation developed in stages as he shaped the notes into being, each iteration morphing them into something wonderful. Notes coalesced into melodies as she listened. Chords bridged complexities, becoming a landscape of power, drawing images from her mind.
Wasn’t this what he’d described during their drive?
She closed her eyes, allowing the sound to wash over her, delving into the crevices of her mind, carrying her to an alternate plane.
Dancing in a different world, where anything was possible, she existed in a reality where love took root in her heart, blossomed, and transformed her into something stronger, prouder, indestructible.
It was insane.
It was creative brilliance.
He made her feel like she had the ability to take on the world, and she soared in the grip of a love so intense that nothing could touch her. Nothing could hurt her. She was safe and cherished in the arms of her chosen love.
Forever safe.
His music carried her into a dreamscape of hope and empowerment where Ash’s voice lifted in song.