Chapter 28
Gray
Ash and I have barely seen each other the last few weeks, and it’s been excruciating.
It’s like every force on the planet has conspired against us since that text conversation.
First, Ash had a string of away games just after I came back from my conference.
Then I came down with a cold, and after that I was underwater with end-of-semester finals and grading.
Next, we had a freak December snowstorm, then the Christmas holiday hit, and Ash went back up to Canada while I stayed here with my family.
Actually, I nearly dropped the bottle, since, as I confirmed later, it cost more than the Scarecrow he’d gotten me at the restaurant. I tried to get him to take it back, but he refused, so it now sits in a place of honor in my wine cellar. I’m not sure I can bring myself to ever drink it.
I feel guilty that Ash and I have done very little the last few weeks to fix his chirping issue. Our conversations start out on-topic, but they always seem to evolve – or perhaps devolve – from trash talk to dirty talk.
To be clear, I don’t feel guilty for taking Kaladin’s money, although I expect to get a call or email from him any day now asking for a progress report. Ash has been playing a little better, so perhaps it’s been enough to keep Kaladin satisfied for the moment.
It’s more that I feel guilty for not helping Ash because I know how much hockey means to him. On the other hand, he’s usually the one that sends our conversations spiraling off into debauchery, so at least I’m not completely at fault for our lack of progress.
I just don’t try very hard to help keep us focused.
In any case, we made plans earlier in the week to spend a quiet New Year’s Eve at his place. This is the first time we’ve both been free in way too long, and I’m eager to spend some time with him that doesn’t involve navigating around the rest of the team and the coaching staff.
I usually spend New Year’s Eve with Celena, but she gave me her blessing to stand her up this time. Supposedly Ash and I are just going to watch movies until the ball drops, but I’m pretty sure both of us expect the night to end in sex.
Or at least I desperately hope it will. Other than a make out session in a stairwell at the training center on one of my visits before Christmas, Ash and I haven’t been able to do anything more than text-tease each other, and I’m ready to combust. He’s made big promises, but we’ll see if he follows through.
Drew was big on talk as well, so I’m not counting my orgasms before they’re… whatever.
When Ash opens his door that evening, I’m struck dumb by how good he looks. This is the first time I’ve seen him out of a hockey uniform in a while, and the man wears the hell out of a henley and jeans.
The smile Ash gives me is lopsided and shy, just big enough for his dimples to make an appearance. His eyes scan my body, and I’d give anything to know what he’s thinking.
I had no idea what to wear tonight. I wanted to dress up, but watching movies is a casual event, so I opted for a pair of jeans that make my ass look great and a nice sweater.
“Hey, come on in,” Ash says as he steps out of the way to let me pass.
I feel the awkwardness as we head into his living room. I’m sure we’re both wondering if we should actually try to watch a movie or just strip naked and fuck. At least that’s what I’m wondering.
“Any preference on movie?” he asks as he heads into the kitchen. “Comedy? Action? Drama?”
“Surprise me,” I say as he puts a bag of popcorn in the microwave, then pulls two wine glasses out of a cabinet. I walk over to the counter and set down a bottle of rosé I brought from home.
“Popcorn and wine,” Ash says, looking at the bottle. “Nice.”
I pour the wine as the popcorn begins to pop.
When it’s done, Ash puts it in a bowl, and we settle onto the couch as he scrolls through one of the streaming services to see what’s new.
He sits close, one arm across the back of the couch but not touching me, and we decide on an action movie that was just released.
He offered to watch a romcom, but truthfully, I prefer action.
About an hour into the movie, my phone dings with an incoming text, and I pull it out of my purse. I push a breath out through my nose when I see who it’s from.
Drew
Happy New Year.
Ash leans over to look at the screen.
“Drew?” he questions. “Why is he texting you?”
I look at him in alarm. I don’t want him to think I’m back with Drew.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey,” he says.
“It’s fine,” I assure him. “He’s been texting me since we saw him at the club, but I haven’t responded.” I swipe open the screen and show him the string of texts from Drew I’ve left unanswered.
Ash huffs a laugh as he looks through the messages. “He wants you back now that he thinks you’re taken,” he says.
I grunt in agreement as I put the phone down on the coffee table. “Why do men do that? Is it something in your DNA that only makes you see something as valuable when someone else has it?”
Ash chuckles as he pauses the movie. “I think we need a refill on wine and popcorn.”
I agree and get up. My wine glass has been empty for ten minutes, but I didn’t want to move.
I refill our glasses as Ash puts more popcorn in the microwave.
“Hey, can you look in the cabinet in front of you?” he says. “I think there’s some popcorn seasoning I forgot I had.”
I open the upper cabinet and look around. I do see the seasoning, but it’s on the top shelf. I stand on tiptoe, and my fingers graze the container, but I only push it further back into the cabinet. I swear under my breath and try again, but it’s out of reach now.
“Sorry,” Ash says coming up behind me. “I forget not everyone is as tall as me.”
I turn to face him as he presses forward against the counter and reaches up to pluck the container of seasoning off the shelf.
It jumps out of his hand, and we both grab for it on instinct.
The container ends up between us, my hand wrapped around the seasoning, his hand wrapped around mine… our bodies pressed together.
We both freeze, and I can’t tell if my heart is beating fast from the momentary excitement of trying to catch the container or…
Who am I kidding? My heart is pounding because I’m pressed between the counter and Ash’s body, and the look in his eyes says he’s hungry for more than popcorn.
I let out a breathy laugh. “Close call.”
Ash looks down at the seasoning wedged between us and pulls it gently out of my hand to set it on the counter.
“I can’t wait any longer,” he says softly.
“Any longer for what?” I ask. I’m sure I know, but I need to hear him say it to believe it.
Ash doesn’t answer. He snakes one hand up my neck and threads it through my hair as his other arm wraps around me. Then his lips are on mine, and my mind empties of conscious thought as every nerve in my body sparks to life, making it possible only to feel, not to think.
A second later my feet leave the ground, and I find myself sitting on the counter with Ash standing between my legs. He’s kissing me like he’ll die if our lips part, and I have to suck in a deep breath through my nose because I’ve ceded complete control of my mouth to him.
Ash’s lips leave mine only to fasten on my neck, and pleasure shoots all the way down my body. I know I’ve already soaked my panties.
“I’ve been thinking about this for weeks,” Ash says against my throat. “The thought of fucking you has been driving me crazy. Tell me you knew that’s what was going to happen tonight and that you want it as bad as I do, because I’m going to God damn explode if I’m not inside you soon.”
Butterflies are an inadequate description for the chaos that erupts in my chest, and I can only nod before I’m able to push out a breathy, “Yes.”
“Thank fuck,” he says as he bands an arm around my waist, and his other hand grips me under my thigh. I wrap my legs around his hips, and he lifts me off the counter like I’m a pizza box he’s bringing to the couch.
I revel in the feeling of being weightless. Oh, to be a professional athlete and feel the laws of gravity less than everyone else.
He sets a knee on the couch and lays me down before easing on top of me. Then his lips are on mine again, his tongue exploring deep in my mouth as I catch breaths that seem optional right now. I could live on this man’s kisses.
Ash leans back to pull his shirt off, and I’m mesmerized by his sculpted chest and abs. I knew they were under there, but they still take me by surprise.
My three days a week at the gym now seem completely inadequate, and I decide to add three more days, an extra hour per workout, and a personal trainer. I’m relatively fit, but I’m not lean and muscular like an athlete. I have some soft spots, and my hips and thighs are generous.
I take in the ink that covers Ash’s left pec, shoulder, and part of his upper arm. It’s a black and gray realistic tattoo of ornate plated armor, and the detail is astounding. At quick glance, it actually looks like Ash is wearing part of a chest plate and jointed shoulder plate.
Ash smiles as he watches me take in his body. “Like what you see?”
My eyes meet his, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to meet his pride with a snarky remark about being unimpressed or only being able to see five of the abs in his six-pack – not even remotely true – but I can’t give in to the sarcasm. Not when literal perfection is staring me in the face.
“You can touch if you want,” he says as he takes my hand and places it on his stomach.
I run my hand over the ridges of muscle, and I’m almost certain I feel my ovaries twitch. I didn’t think I wanted kids, but Ash’s abs are making me rethink every God damn one of my life choices, and I suddenly wonder if it’s possible to remove an IUD at home. I’ll google it later.