Chapter Eight
Artimus
“There’s a balcony off my bedroom,” Nina said, with a sexy little smile curving her pink lips. “I noticed that your room didn’t have one when I walked out on mine earlier today.”
I had the idea that she wanted to get me into her bedroom, and that sat pretty well with me. “You noticed that, did ya?”
“I did,” she nodded, “and I thought you might like to come up to my bedroom and hang out on it with me. The stars are sure to be shining bright tonight.”
Unsure if I was really ready for what was about to happen, I got up and reached out for her hand anyway. “Sure, let’s go do a little stargazing, Nina.”
“Good.” She came along right behind me as I led her up to her room.
I opened her door, finding the room dark. The thought crossed my mind to pull her inside with me, close the door, and pin her against it. Our breaths would mingle in a warm cloud, then our lips would touch, and it would be one of the most magical things I had ever felt.
I knew that without a doubt.
But she foiled my plan when she reached in and pushed the switch to turn on the overhead lights. Silently, I padded toward the balcony doors and thought that I might give the kissing idea a try once we got under the stars.
Pulling the doors open, I felt her hand leave mine. “Go on out there. I’ve got to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
Foiled again!
Watching her walk away from me, I admired her round backside as I leaned on the doorframe. “Not bad at all,” I whispered.
She closed the door behind her, and I turned to check out the balcony. Two chairs were on either side of a small table. Glancing over my shoulder to make sure she wasn’t out yet, I hurried to move the chairs away from the table. Placing them side by side, I took a seat and waited for her to join me.
The stars were bright, the night air was cool, and I was up for something different tonight. It was time to make some changes in my life, and this would be the turning point.
Pepping myself up, I told myself that Nina was perfect for me. She had all the qualities I admired in people. She was honest, nice, polite, and it didn’t hurt that she was one of the most beautiful young woman I’d ever met.
Knowing that there was no such thing as a perfect person, I tried to think of anything I didn’t like about Nina.
Leaning back in my chair, I tapped my chin with my forefinger and thought as hard as I could. “Nope, nothing.”
“Who are you talking to, Ashton?” Nina came out and took the seat next to me with a silly grin on her face.
“Um … Uh …” I’d been caught. “No one.”
With a sweet light laugh that sent me into a daze, she said, “They say only highly intelligent people talk to themselves. Did you know that?”
“I must have. Since I must be highly intelligent.” With a chuckle, I put my hands behind my head and leaned back to look up at the night sky. “It’s a beautiful night. You were right; sitting out here is a good idea.”
Leaning back in her chair, she agreed, “I think so too.” She took in a deep breath of the fresh air then turned her head to look at me. “Ashton, what kind of future do you see for yourself?”
So, right to the hard questions, I see.
“Oh, I don’t know, Nina.” I really didn’t. I hadn’t thought about my future—well, since the accident. I cut my eyes off to the side as that thought filled my head, the images coming back to the forefront of my mind.
Flames, screams, sirens.
Her hand touched mine, bringing me back to reality. “Ashton. I know you probably haven’t let yourself think about the future for a while. Before that terrible thing happened, what kind of future did you see for yourself?”
Looking into her green eyes, I had to ask, “Can you read my mind? I know I’ve asked you that before, but you’re just so spot on, Nina.”
“It’s in your eyes, Ashton.” The pad of her thumb ran back and forth over the top of my hand, making me feel comfortable and relaxed. “And your body language too. So, what were your ideas for the future?”
“A nice home, a wife, and a family.” I turned the question back on her. “And what about you, Nina?”
The way she smiled at me made my heart speed up. It was so open and honest. “I’ve always wanted kids. And who doesn’t want a nice home? To be honest, though, I have never given much thought to having a husband.”
“I know this isn’t a question you’re supposed to ask a woman,” I was treading into deep water with her, “but how many boyfriends are in your past?”
“You want to know how many men I’ve had sex with? That’s what you’re really asking me, right?” She laughed a little awkwardly before continuing. “And that’s okay. Understandable, even.” She held up one hand. “Less than the fingers on this one hand, if you must know.”
Relief filled me with her answer, no matter how illogical I knew that to be. I wasn’t a prude, but I couldn’t help feeling jealous at the thought of Nina with many other men. “That’s not bad at all.”
Her brows raised. “And now it’s your turn, Ashton.”
Oh, no!
Explaining my past hadn’t been easy when I’d had to tell Natalia about it. And it wasn’t any easier now to tell Nina. “Okay, first of all, you need to know that I am not the same man I was when I was in high school and college. That’s the first thing you have to keep in mind when I tell you my answer.”
She looked a little stunned. “Dear God. How many women have you been with?”
Now I really don’t want to come clean with her. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this right now. Maybe now is a bad time to be doing this.” I did have some intention of trying to get her into bed, after all. Sometime in the near future, even—if things all worked out.
But then she reached out and took my hand again, giving me a reassuring look. “Ashton, you can be honest with me. I won’t judge you for anything you tell me.”
A part of me wanted to fudge the numbers at least a little. But that purely honest expression she wore would make me feel like a jackass if I lied to her.
So I went for the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “I was a player in high school and college. I never had one single relationship. I stayed away from commitments at all costs. That’s why what I felt for Natalia took me by complete surprise. My number is—get ready for it.” I closed my eyes, so I wouldn’t have to see her reaction and have that etched in my memory bank forever. “Thirty-seven.”
The silence had me opening my eyes to look at her. What I found was her smiling face. “Thank you, Ashton.”
There wasn’t a clue in my mind as to why she would thank me for telling her that number. “Thank you?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes. Thank you. I’m not going to judge you for something that’s so natural—and I remember being in high school too. All the hormones raging around, needing an outlet—I found my outlet in volleyball and physical activity. But I know a lot of people—especially males—who found a much more intimate outlet.”
“So you’re saying you think I was just a normal male then?” I had kind of thought—later on in life, of course—that I was a horn-dog who would stick my cock into any chick that would let me.
“Completely,” she assured me. “You were one of the males who wanted to feel it all, not merely your own palm. And may I be so bold as to go even further?”
“Sure.” I was dying to know what else she had to add to that bit of information.
She winked at me with a sly grin. “You probably learned a lot from all those women. Each one taught you a little something that you didn’t know before. You catalogued all of this information for future use. For a time when it would be just you and one woman for the rest of your life. You wanted knowledge that would keep things spicy in the bedroom for years and years.”
I was shocked and amazed. “Come on! You can read my mind, can’t you?”
She shook her head as she laughed. “It’s just psychology, really.” With a slap on my shoulder, she went on, “Young men who become sexual extroverts usually start off just trying to get it into someone, anyone really.”
I nodded. “Yep. You’re right about that.” I had never told a single soul what I was about to tell Nina. “I’ve never told anyone about my first time.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “God! She was hideous, wasn’t she?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Very young?” she asked, and now she did wear a judgmental expression.
“Not at all.” I had to tell her before she came up with any more bad ideas. “She was my sophomore English teacher.”
She gasped, “No!”
“Yes. And I never told a single soul about that.” It felt freeing to admit that after all these years. “I found her crying in the parking lot of one of the local grocery stores. I had just gotten my driver’s license and was driving the family car to the store to pick up a few things for my mother. I saw Mrs. Kingston with her head on the steering wheel of her car.”
Nina looked thoroughly puzzled. “And that got you the invitation to have sex with her?”
“She had just caught her husband with another woman.” I leaned in as if it was some big secret and whispered the rest, “She asked me to follow her home after she told me about everything. She told me that all she could think about was getting back at him for what he’d done. And she told me I could help her do that. Only I couldn’t ever tell a soul about it.”
“That was very wrong of her, Ashton.” Nina shook her head as her eyes went big. “So not right.”
“Right or wrong, I didn’t care. Without even trying, I’d scored my first piece of ass. Once I had that initial sexual act over with, I was ready to move on to better things. Things like picking up my game to score more tail.” Suddenly I felt like that little jackass I was back then, and I didn’t like it at all. “I was an ass. I know I was. After I met Natalia, all that went away. That attitude disappeared like magic. And it has never returned.”
And as I looked at Nina, I was positive that it never would.