-13-

 

Ash woke surprisingly refreshed the next day, and devoid of the sub-machine gun nerve volleys firing in his arm. That night, they ate on the veranda overlooking the lake after a long day of pampering. Previously, Ash had no idea that girls spent so long on this stuff. One or two of Ginny’s nails even looked good, and he had freshly painted black fingernails of his own now, that Ginny had coated with a sort of metallic sheen. She’d helped him with his mousy brown roots too. Afterwards they lingered on the porch swing sipping no-alcohol punch and cuddling. He’d attempted everything she’d given him today, and while his success rate wasn’t exactly where he’d like it to be, he had to admit, he’d enjoyed the trying. They’d never been able to spend time together like this before, just doing their own thing with no one else around making demands on their time and generally interfering. Actually, he’d never spent this much quality time with someone he wasn’t in a band with since his student days.

“Four stars so far today,” Ginny said. She’d disappeared to the loo and come back wearing a dressing gown. “Want to see if you can make it all the way to five?”

“Hm, maybe. What are you hiding under this?” Ash tugged at the edge of the towelling robe.

“Incentive,” she teased, slapping his hand away.

Unrelenting, Ash tugged her onto his knee and trapped her there by entwining his arms around her waist. “So, what is it I have to do?”

She wriggled around so that she could see his face.

Ash ran his hand over her stocking covered legs. He’d taken extra care when he’d performed that particular task today. There weren’t any snags or twists, just two perfectly framed legs. “You should wear these always.”

“If I did that, you wouldn’t appreciate them.”

“Oh, I’d appreciate them. There’s no risk of that not ever being the case.” His fingers walked under the hem of the robe. “Am I correct in thinking there’s beautiful lingerie hiding underneath this horrid thing?”

Her teeth raked over her red-stained lower lip. “What on earth gives you that idea?”

“Call it male intuition. Is it pretty?”

“It’s magenta.”

“It sounds pretty.”

“It’s probably more sleazy than pretty. If it was pastel pink it’d be pretty.”

“Are there slits over your nipples?”

“No,” she laughed.

“Damn,” he drawled, but he was laughing too. “So, about getting this robe off you.”

“I thought we should give your tongue a work out, like you suggested, seeing how it sometimes gets in a tangle.”

He frowned. Honestly, the issues with his speech weren’t really an issue. They only reared when he got irate about stuff. “As long as we’re not doing tongue twisters.”

“Imagine an imaginary ménage. Imagine managing an imaginary ménage.”

“Ginny,” he groaned.

She grinned and kissed the tip of his nose. “Actually, I was hoping you’d twist your tongue into a place or two.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really! Are you game, or do you have a headache again?”

He waggled a finger at her. Crashing out last night certainly hadn’t been the plan.

“Seriously, you have another headache,” she mock moaned.

Ash cuddled her closer. “No, I’m game.”

 

***

 

“Thank heaven and hell for that!” Ginny was seriously looking forward to this task.

Her exclamation raised a smile from Ash, one that stretched right into his eyes, and lit them up from within. Damn he was pretty, even still hiding behind all that fuzz on his cheeks and chin. He’d mumbled something about shaving it off while she’d had him bent over the sink washing black dye from his hair, but they still had an experiment to conduct before it bit the dust.

“Ginny Bear, am I correct in thinking you’re suggesting I perform oral sex?”

Damn, it gave her a thrill when he got coy. She walked her painted nails down his thigh. “I think I possibly could be.”

“So, my final star for today, the one before I get my super-duper big reward, involves me going down on you?”

“Would you? That’d be awful sweet.”

“Jeez, Ginny, you should know I’m always happy to do that.” He gave her a push so that she slid off his lap. When she turned around, Ash was on his feet. “Let’s take this inside.” He grabbed her hand, and led the way, but stopped them at the door, where he stripped off her dressing gown and threw it across the decking. “Much better.” He did another take. “Fuck, yeah!” That grin he’d already been sporting ate up the whole of his face. “You have the sexiest undies.”

“Yours are pretty sexy too,” she said, slipping her hand into the back of his jeans. “Are you going to come for me later, babes?”

A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “I think there’s a good chance I might come in my pants while I’m sucking you off. It’s been a while. I’m on a hair trigger here.”

She leaned in and teased the shell of his ear with her teeth. “I like the idea of you being that horny for me.”

“I’ll bet you do.”

“You’ve no idea how much I want to see you leant against a wall with your jeans around your thighs stroking it. Mm…mm, I could lick your dirty abs afterwards. Have I mentioned how much I like licking your abs?”

“Not recently.”

“I like licking them.” She licked the side of his throat. “And I like rubbing myself up against you, especially bare. I’m very fond of you bare.” She dragged his T-shirt off and chucked it to one side, then rubbed herself against him. Plenty of good old-fashioned skin on skin contact, that’s what they needed.

Ash certainly didn’t seem to object.

“How about some tongue on skin contact?” He led her through the lounge, but not to the bedroom. Instead, they ended up in the kitchen. Ash lifted her up onto the worktop, so their heads were on a level. “Kiss me, babe,” he drawled exactly like Jim Morrison.

Ginny kissed him like he was the only source of water in the desert, like he was the only means of securing the oxygen she needed to breathe. If she was gasping and wet and crazy horny by the time their tongues stopped tangoing, then that just made his descent down her body all the more natural, as if star charts and targets were no longer a thing, and this was just them doing what came natural.

Hell, it was just them doing exactly that.

 

***

 

Ash had stopped thinking about the whys of how he’d arrived in this position some time ago. The important part was that he was getting his sexy on with the woman he loved. He could still hardly credit his luck that he got to call this much lithe, luscious awesomeness his. He trailed his lips down her body. His goal might be lower down, but that didn’t mean he intended to skimp on the journey. Her breasts were cradled to perfection by her bra. He kissed their fullness, even managed to wriggle his tongue deep inside one cup to secure himself a go at her nipple.

Fuck, nipples were amazing. Ginny’s especially had this way of steepling up and pointing at him like an accusation—you made me all horny, you naughty, naughty man!—She was wearing silk and lace shorts. Ash pulled them down only so far as he needed to expose her sex. She had his favourite piece of jewellery in. It glinted at him in the half-light, catching the rays of the setting sun penetrating the kitchen window.

Ash ducked down and then rose up, securing his head in the space between her silky shorts and the lips of her pussy, while hooking her legs over his shoulders. It pushed her off balance, but the handles of the cupboards above gave her something to cling onto. The scent of her as he grew closer to the apex of her thighs fired up his blood.

Ash focussed on provoking the absolute maximum number of groans from her. Ginny had always been precious, and yeah, the taste of her and the way she shivered against his tongue reminded him just how crazy awesome their relationship was. Not that it was all about sex, but…yeah! The sex part was definitely good.

Ash teased the little jewel decorating her clit, and started flying himself when he heard her gasp in response. Nothing ever got him harder quicker than the purrs a woman made as he sucked her clit. Whether that was through knowing he was the one causing those purrs, or awareness that pleasing his partner eventually guaranteed him a release of his own wasn’t really important. The point was, with Ginny, coming was inevitable. He never stumbled when he was with her. He never found himself stuck in a loop where he was desperate to explode, but couldn’t find the precipice to throw himself off. He didn’t know what it was that made her different, only that when he was with her, it wasn’t like any of the other sex he’d engaged in over the last half dozen years. There was something different and amazing about it, something that ratcheted up the pleasure quotient to astronomical levels.

Ash gave her everything he had. When he felt her tighten and come against his tongue the first time, he kept right on dishing out the thrills. Once was never enough for his lady. Two… three…four times, only then would she be satisfied. She clung tight to his head, her fingers combing through the thick strands of his hair.

“Ash, it’s okay to take a breath.”

But it wasn’t, not to him. He didn’t give in until he’d satisfied his woman. In the past, he would never have had a problem with this. He used to go all night without tiring.

Yeah, but back then, before all the drama, and the shit with Iain he’d been invincible. Now, while in his mind he was game, his body, it wasn’t quite so compliant. His brow was sweaty and the longer strands of his hair were sticking to his skin.

Ash fell back on his haunches. His tongue was numb. “Need a break,” he huffed. “Just stay there. I’ll be right back with you.”

A mixture of saliva and her juices covered his furry chin. He wiped at them with the back of his hand, and realised he wasn’t so keen on the beard. He’d have to get a cloth to clean up properly. Right now, he just needed to be still for a second until his head stopped swimming.

“Reached your limit?”

He knelt up again and gave her pussy one sweeping lick, but it seriously wasn’t happening. “Can’t,” he gasped. “Want to, but I’m done in. I can’t actually feel my tongue anymore.” He stuck it out and pinched it between his fingers just to assure himself it was still there. “Just need a minute.” He flopped against the cupboard opposite.

“Actually, I’ve a better idea. What if we say it’s my turn now?” She slipped off the worktop, as Ash managed to prop himself relatively comfortably. “Are you okay, Ash?” She leaned over him to check.

Ash allowed his head to loll as he dragged his gaze up the length of her legs, to her exposed pussy, to the fringe of tassels on her bra.

“Knackered.” Quite unlike her, that much was plain. And didn’t that fact damn near kill him. There were a couple of things Ash prided himself on doing well. One of them was playing guitar. He’d been shit hot at it, and now he could barely strum the most basic of tunes. The second was the other sort of licking, the kind that drove women wild. He’d been shit hot at that too. Ash couldn’t remember a time in his adult life when he’d gone down on a woman and left her wanting. It simply wasn’t in his nature to short change a girl. It sorely rankled knowing he’d failed.

Being able to satisfy his lady was way more important than say, being able to tie his shoelaces. Who gave a toss about them? He could live without shoelaces. He’d buy shoes with alternative fastenings, or no fastenings. What he couldn’t live without was his ability to make her happy, and while he appreciated that orgasms weren’t the only way of doing that, they sure as hell helped.

He was going to do this.

Yeah right, he lifted his head and tension throbbed behind his eyes, followed by an acute case of motion sickness. “Sorry,” he burbled.

“Ash. It’s okay.” She was down on the tiles next to him, stroking his brow, her eyes swimming with concern. “It’ll get easier, and it’s not like you didn’t get me off.”

Yeah, he wished he had her confidence. “Once isn’t enough for you.”

“If you can’t get me off one way. I bet you can another.”

“Babe, I’m seeing stars.” Brilliant sparkles were twinkling all around her head.

“That’s the plan.” She straddled his outstretched legs on her knees. “Do I need to tuck you into bed, or am I okay to take over?”

He hadn’t had a chance to respond before her hands were on his fly drawing down his zip. “I thought this was only supposed to happen if I earned my stickers.”

“You deserve a reward.”

Ash pushed down on his hands and managed to raise his arms enough for her to drag his jeans down to around his thighs. The floor tiles were cold against his arse, but the rest of him was seriously hot and didn’t give a shit.

“At least this bit isn’t tired.” She wrapped her hand around his shaft, squeezing a squeak from him.

No, that bit wasn’t tired. It was just the rest of him that was fucked. Not that he seemed to be very successfully communicating that fact. And hell, maybe he didn’t want to. It felt good what she was doing. No, it was more than good. It was fucking amazing. Damn yes. Yes, please. It’d been too long, and you know what, maybe there was a little reserve of energy left in him after all.

“I gotcha here, Ash. Don’t sweat it. I’ll always catch you, baby. Always. Now, let’s see what I’ve got here.” She slipped a condom from the cup of her bra, and rolled it over him with her mouth. Ash exhaled slowly. Oh yeah, now that was one terrific combo of visuals and feels. Sadly, Ginny didn’t let him linger in the heat of her mouth for very long. Maybe she figured that’d send him blasting off faster than she’d like. No matter, he was all for what was coming instead.

She straddled him, legs splayed, and spread the lips of her sex open with her fingers as she sunk onto him.

“This is mine. You’re mine. And this is me claiming you, in case you’re in any doubt about what sort of moment we’re having here.”

He wasn’t. He was absolutely clear on that score. “Babe, you can claim me any time you like.” Now and forever, he was hers.

She rolled her hips and stretched her arms up above her head, before steadying herself against the cupboard. Ash held onto her waist. What do you know, all the commotion worked wonders on his vitality. Then again, maybe it was the taste of her lips, or the glow in his chest from knowing he’d found his life mate. He had no doubt that’s who she was. He’d known it almost from the first moment, but acknowledging the fact, letting that truth out to swell and grow and envelope every aspect of his life was another matter. When you’d been hurt, it was hard to believe in magic and fate anymore.

What they had wasn’t like anything that he’d felt for anyone else though, not even Connie.

It occurred to him, with a start, that thinking her name no longer resulted in quite the same stab of pain. She’d been usurped.

“Off.” He caught Ginny beneath the arms and lifted her. It meant a brief parting of ways, but the position wasn’t favouring either of them. He needed this to be something more than a sedate trot.

“Something up?” she asked.

He stood, and she ate him up with her gaze. Ash gave his cock a little fist pump purely for her benefit. “Something is, definitely.” He caught hold of her for a long mesmerising kiss. He’d have kissed her for longer, if the witch didn’t insist on wrapping her hand around his dick. His hips started working of their own accord, slipping him back and forth in the channel she’d made. “Enough. I want inside you again. Let’s do this properly.”

“Were we not fucking properly before?”

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Provoking you.” She turned her back on him and rested her arms against the surface of the worktop so that her pert little arse was stuck up towards him. “Go until my legs give way.”

He didn’t wait for a second invitation. As for her request, he had no problem with hard, doing or being. Maybe his stamina wasn’t quite as sickly as he’d believed a few moments ago. Leastways, slamming into her seemed to hit the right note for both of them.

“Is this the sort of response you were looking for?” He slammed in deep, and drew back slowly. She was so wet, the slide was smooth and easy. “Is it? Tell me now, Ginny?” His hands clawed at her teeny arse, fingers stroked along the straps linking her suspender belt to those fishnets that drove him so demented. Damn things short-circuited his brain. He wrapped the elastic straps around his fist, and used them to control her motion, jerking her back onto his cock as he hammered forward. “Is this the sort of fucking you desire, a deep, hard, pounding?”

“You know it. Harder, Ash. Do it.” Her body arched to accept him. “That’s good…so good…like the first time.”

Well, in so much as that he was doing her from behind, and it was a genuine thing of beauty. There were two key differences between now and then that he was pleased about. Firstly, Ginny was his, and secondly there were none of his friends idling in the vicinity watching. If any of them showed up and got it into their heads to watch them these days, he’d kill ’em, or blind ’em. It was bad enough knowing they’d been hands on in the past. If they’d tried any of that shit now… Nope, nope, he scrubbed those thoughts from his mind.

“Pound me harder. Smack my arse. Dare you to.”

“Fuck, Ginny!”

“Yes, please… please. Fuck Ginny super hard. Smack her naughty bottom too.”

He raised his hand to do as bidden, but failed to bring it down with the appropriate force. This shit just wasn’t him. “I can’t.”

She looked back over her shoulder at him, and then somehow managed to twist herself around so that they were facing. Still joined, but now facing. Her elbows were resting on the countertop, and her legs locked around his waist. The rest of her was floating. “Come here, you.” She reeled him in.

“I can’t hurt you, Ginny. It’s not me.”

“I know, and I love you for it.”

Her whisky-gold eyes were brimming with emotion. “God help me, I’m in love with you.”

“Yeah?” He knew he was giving her a goofy grin, but what the heck.

“Yeah,” she confirmed. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you might feel the same way too, is there, Mr. Rock Star dude?”

“Babe,” he said teasingly, fucking her with a slow grind of his hips. “I love all the women I fuck.”

“Bastard,” she hissed under her breath.

“But there’s only one whom I come for.” And wasn’t that the absolute truth of the matter.

“Aw, baby. Are you going to come for me?”

He tugged her closer, so that her breasts were pressed tight to his chest. “Getting tingles.”

“Don’t come. Not yet.” She fluttered her inner muscles around him.

“Hell’s teeth, Ginny, you don’t make this easy.”

“Make it last.”

That meant slowing to a near standstill.

“I didn’t say you should stop, just that you shouldn’t let go.”

There was no fear of him doing that. “I’m never letting go of you. Not ever.”

“Is that a promise?”

“It’s a fucking oath. You’re in here—” He slapped his chest. “—forever. And you’re fucking killing me. I need to move, Ginny.” He had to.

“Like this?”

Jeezus this woman had muscles of bloody steel. There was no other way she could possibly be doing most of the work in this position. Ash held on tight and went with it. Whatever she wanted. However she wanted it. He was hers to command. Well, so long as he got to give her a lot of orgasms. In his head, he heard them going off. Blam…Blam…Blam! Like a string of dirty bombs that made her teeth rattle and her face get all screwed up as the wow of it all jerked her right out of her friggin’ body.

Okay, yeah actually, he wasn’t standing still. He clasped her arse in his hands, and drove into her, pushing them both to the limits of their endurance.

Ginny came, her muscles fluttering around him, once, twice. That second one nearly did for him, but he held off on tipping over. One more, then he’d genuinely feel he’d satisfied her.

Ash’s brains were melting and in danger of bleeding out of his ears. Something else was building too, the pressure almost too much to bear. Just another stroke, two more… The damn burst. He was spraying rocket fuel everywhere, and burning like he had a thermonuclear device at his core.

Coming seemed to last forever. Yet ended all too quickly.

Drained of every last drop of energy, Ash collapsed against the kitchen cupboards, reseating Ginny on the granite surface. He buried his head against her breasts and licked the sweat from her skin. He was done. Still inside her, but done, but he didn’t want to move. Not yet, not until he absolutely had to. He wanted this connection to last as long as possible.

Ash nudged aside her bra with his cheek so that he could wrap his mouth around her nipple and suck. Oh, yeah! Life wasn’t so grim after all when he could spend it in this position.

“Take me to bed,” she whispered after a moment or two. Yeah, he had no objections to doing that. The thought of cuddling up tight to her sounded pretty heavenly. He did take a moment to whisk a cloth over the countertops before they vacated the kitchen. Spook would kill them if he knew how they’d been mistreating his home. Then again, you’d have thought he’d have anticipated such happenings considering who he’d invited to stay. Xane notoriously got around, even when he was being discreet. Still, he didn’t want to appear to be too terrible a houseguest.

As they went hand in hand to the bedroom, it occurred to Ash that having a future that he could look forward to was a genuine possibility again. He wasn’t sure if Ginny’s methods would actually fix him, but they’d made him feel a darn sight better about himself. For the first time since he’d toppled off the stage, he actually felt like a whole person again.