Chapter 11 - Asher
Her hands felt amazing as she massaged my muscles. She was applying the right amount of pressure where I was the most tight and being gentle around my injury. She started on my left side and worked her way to my right side.
“Does that feel better?” she asked, her voice soft in my ear. I nodded, feeling the way my shoulders were starting to relax. I hadn’t even realized I was moving stiffly until she mentioned it.
“Yes, thanks.”
“Good,” she said, her body moving closer. “You should be able to sleep well tonight after this.”
Her words sparked a heat, and I felt my cock suddenly jerk up.
Fuck. Was my body trying to ruin this relationship before it even began?
I tried to shake the feeling off, knowing this was terrible timing.
Hazel was being nice to massage me, and I didn’t need my dick to get in the way of that.
Besides, we were having a rare moment of niceness.
We were still trying to get our footing around each other, and if she saw my dick getting hard like this, she would never go near me again.
I leaned forward, trying to tuck my dick down.
“Stop moving.” Her hands pulled me back, her breast pressing against my back for a moment. “Or I’ll sit on your lap.”
I could picture her doing it, too. I squeezed my eyes shut. This was hell. This was truly hell.
She chuckled. “No comment?”
“I’m just tired,” I lied. “And your hands feel nice.”
I imagined what they would feel like wrapped around my dick. What her fingers were capable of doing to me.
Shit, no! Don’t think about that. Jesus Christ, Asher! Get your mind out of the gutter!
“Does it feel that good?” Her voice was soft, right in my ear now. She giggled. “Maybe I should offer them up more often.”
I nodded. “You should. You’re good at this.”
She leaned back, her fingers hard against my left shoulder now. Her movements were gentle, her thumbs working out my knots I didn’t even know I had.
“There.” Her hands moved freely, and she walked around getting in front of me. “Does that feel better? Roll your shoulders.”
I did, and I could feel that it felt looser now. “I’m impressed. You know your muscle.”
She smiled proudly. “The witches have been helping me. It’s a good option for patients after they have injuries.”
She sat down next to me, looking over the field. “You really should rest, though. That is the best medicine.”
“I will. At least for the rest of today.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. She pulled herself up. “Well, I’m heading back.”
I watched her walk away, my eyes looking at her frame. She walked with ease, a skip in her step. So much had already changed about her entire demeanor in just the past few weeks. She’d seemed happier even. She wasn’t bouncing with joy, but she wasn’t walking afraid of the world.
My eyes lower, landing on her ass. My cock pulsed, and I quickly looked away. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing I shouldn’t have looked down.
Jesus, what was I fifteen again? Did I not learn anything? Had I forgotten what it was like to be a gentleman suddenly?
“Fuck me.”
I stayed at the training ground for a while, just allowing myself to be left in the silence. I didn’t know when I would get it again. It was rare these days. Even when I was alone at night, I never let myself relax. I was always on guard, looking for something.
I headed home for a quick shower and reported to our weekly meeting with the guys. I found Brandon in the meeting room. Papers were splayed out around him, and he was rubbing at his head. He was always working, never seeming to rest.
“Need a hand?” I asked as I stepped inside.
He shook his head. “No, I’m just catching up on some paperwork.” He looked up from his stack. “How are you and Hazel doing?”
“We’re fine.”
He frowned. “I’ve been hearing that word a lot. Have another?”
I sat down. “We’re getting along if that was what you meant to ask. Things are well. She’s adjusted to the new living situation. She seems to be doing well.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“You haven’t voiced anything yourself. You didn’t even protest when I brought up the idea. I would have expected you to question me.”
I shrugged. “You asked me, and you’re my boss. There was no point in arguing.”
He frowned. “How are you handling the adjustment?”
Well, I had to rub one out in the shower when I got home after having her hands on me. “It’s fi…” I paused. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
I have always loved being alone, enjoying the silence.
When my folks moved into my old apartment, I thought I was going to lose my mind.
When Brandon mentioned my marrying Hazel, I feared I’d never regain that freedom.
But it was different with Hazel. Even when she was in a room with me, it was comforting.
We could sit in silence for hours, and neither of us seemed to care.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
Kaleb and Westley arrived a few minutes later.
We discussed that hunt and where we had gone wrong.
We marked up the map we had out, all of us hating the amount of X’s that we were finding.
The more they went out, the more issues seemed to appear.
Their numbers had been growing, and the surrounding towns were becoming barren.
It was clear they were planning something, but we didn’t know what.
The meeting ended, and I headed home. I arrived to find Hazel sitting in the living room flipping through a magic book. I paused as I watched her intently scan it, a notebook next to her where she was scribbling notes.
“Hey.”
She looked up. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“What are you doing?”
“Writing some information down for the witches and myself.” I was tempted to ask if she felt anything. Everyone kept saying that since Gabriella got her magic, she should be as well. But Hazel didn’t seem too sure. She was quick to explain that she knew she never would.
“I was going to start dinner. How do enchiladas sound?”
“Good.” She looked back at the book.
I headed into the kitchen and started dinner.
I kept looking into the living room every few minutes, unable to stop myself.
I was stirring the sauce in a pan when I spotted her getting up.
Hazel turned, bending over to grab the notebook, and my eyes landed on her ass.
Her perfectly formed ass. She was wearing shorts now, and they hiked up as she bent over.
My dick jerked to life.
Shit!
She turned and offered me a smile. “Dinner almost done?”
I blinked, realizing she was wearing a low-cut tank top as well. The fabric was tight around her, and as she held the notebook close, it pressed her breast up.
Why was I being punished? I offered her a home, and now I was being punished for it.
“In a few minutes,” I said, pulling my eyes down to the sauce. It was the only way I was going to survive this.
“It smells amazing,” she said as she walked into the kitchen. She walked over and leaned over to sniff. Her breasts pressed against my arm, and I internally groaned.
Dinner was finished a few minutes later. I let her grab first as I refused to turn from the counter. If I did, she was going to see my cock, which was sitting up. Once she was seated, I moved and grabbed my plate.
I sat down next to her, trying hard to just focus on getting the food into my mouth. I needed a cold shower after this.
I swallowed, glancing over at her. She ate her dinner slowly, offering me a tight smile. I looked back at my plate. I was trying hard to act natural, but I knew it probably wasn’t coming across that way.
“What did you do for the rest of the day?” Hazel asked.
“I had a meeting and just did some other things Brandon needed me to do.”
She nodded. “I went to the healing center for a while. Good news, Chelsey offered me a full-time position there so that I can quit the bar.”
I nodded, unable to look at her now. “That’s good.”
“Yeah,” her voice shifted. “Are you feeling okay? You’re kind of pale.”
“Just tired.” I pulled myself up and took my empty plate to the sink. “I’m going to head to bed.”
I couldn’t look at her again as I slipped out of the kitchen and down the hallway. I stepped into my room and shut my door. I leaned back against it and squeezed my eyes shut.
I knew I was probably cold, and she looked confused about the sudden change. But I needed to keep my distance. My dick apparently had its own mind.
I took a cold shower and headed to bed. I sank into the sheets, knowing it wouldn’t take long before I fell asleep because I was tired. I pulled my pillow close, and I could hear her moving around in the kitchen. I will apologize tomorrow. Say I was tired.
I woke up to the sound of screaming. I sat up and quickly surveyed my room.
But it was empty, and the sound was not from the main floor.
I could tell it was coming from upstairs.
I threw my covers off and hurried out of my bedroom.
I rushed down the hallway, sliding on the floor as I did a U-turn and ran up the stairs.
Her scream continued, and I threw her door open, not sure what I was going to find.
She was in bed, her body looking like it was in utter pain as she screamed. She thrashed on the sheets, and I quickly realized she wasn’t being hurt but rather in the middle of a nightmare.
I moved closer and gently shook her shoulder. “Hazel, wake up. It’s just a bad dream.”
She whimpered, her entire body pale. She had sweat all over her face. I sat down, grabbing both of her shoulders and shaking her a little harder this time. Her whimpering stopped, and her eyes slowly opened. She looked confused as she looked around before her eyes landed on me.
“Hey, it was just a nightmare.” I reached up, placing my hand on her cheek. She felt sticky, and I wondered what she had been dreaming about.
I ran my hand over her hair, trying to soothe her. She sat up slowly, pulling the sheet with her. She rested her head on my chest, and I felt her shiver. “I’m sorry I woke you,” she whispered.
“That’s okay.” I rested my chin on the top of her head. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She remained quiet for a moment, and I thought she didn’t.
But then her voice shifted. “I was out in the woods. It was peaceful, and there was nothing wrong. It was just a beautiful day. But it suddenly shifted. Dark clouds rolled in, and I could feel someone was watching me. I knew it was them. There was whispering all around me. The same word over and over.”
She shook. “Kill her.”
I leaned closer, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re safe here, Hazel. No one is going to hurt you. Not on my watch.”
I could hear her sniffle, and she wiped her nose. “Thanks.”
I hated seeing her like this, all broken and afraid. I hooked her face and pulled her tighter. “I mean it, you’re safe.”
I could see her shoulders relaxed, and her eyes softened. I looked down at her lips, suddenly realizing how close I was to her. I should leave her, let her try to get back to sleep, but that felt impossible. It felt wrong to let go of her right now.
I ran my thumb over her lip, suddenly unable to think about anything but what they tasted like. I wondered if she liked soft kisses or preferred them a little rougher.
Her nose brushed against mine as she leaned up, and I pulled her in, kissing her. I felt her gasp, and her hands froze on my chest. But she didn’t push me away. Her fingers wrapped around my shirt, tugging me down.
I tugged her into my lap, needing more. I ran my hands down to her hips, and suddenly I wasn’t touching fabric anymore.
“Are you not wearing bottoms?” I asked as I glanced down. She was wearing a long t-shirt that pooled around her.
She blushed, shaking her head. “I don’t. I kind of just let myself breathe.”
I felt my cock jerk at that information. I swear, this woman was the death of me.
I knew this was the moment to get up and leave. If I didn’t want to ruin this friendship we had spent so long forming, I needed to go.
But my horny ass couldn’t. I had so many questions filling my head. What did she taste like? What did she sound like when she moaned? How could I turn away when she was what I wanted most?
I slid my hand beneath her shirt and moved it up. I listened as her breath pitched as I cupped her breast. They were large, fitting perfectly in my hand. I rubbed my fingers over her nipples, finding they were already hard.
She swallowed, chewing on her lower lip. She panted softly as I squeezed her breast.
I slid a hand down, trailing it down her neck. I lay her back onto the sheets and inhaled her scent. Vanilla.
I kept moving down until I got between her legs. I watched her eyes roll down, and her breath stopped altogether. Hazel was soaking wet, my finger sliding between her folds easily.
“Oh god,” she moaned, her hands grabbing my shoulders.
“You’re soaking wet,” I growled at her, my cock painful in my pants.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for being turned on, Hazel.” I bit her inner thigh and listened as she moaned a little louder.
I slid a finger into her, feeling her tighten around it. I slid a second one in with ease and moved them slowly. Hazel was shaking at the contact, and I knew she wouldn’t last long. I wouldn’t last long before I would lose control.
I moved my thumb, finding her clit. I watched her squirm. Her chest was rising and falling quickly, and her mouth was forming a perfect O.
I rolled her nipple with my other hand, listening as she started to move her own hips onto my hand. She wanted this just as badly as I did.
I kissed her knee, wanting her to look at me. “Hazel.”
She looked up at me, that beautiful face mixed with lust and want. I loved it. I moved up and kissed her rougher this time, moving my hands quicker. Hazel moaned louder this time.
“Oh god…I’m...I’m going to come.”
“Do,” I growled. Biting onto her lower lip. I wanted her to shatter apart and forget about her nightmare. I wanted me to be the only thing that was on her mind.
I felt her tighten, her body giving away as an orgasm hit her. I felt her pulsing, and her nails digging into my arm.
She sagged back, panting as she tried to catch her breath. “Fuck that was…”
Amazing.