Chapter 12
The next morning, Ashleigh woke to the sound of the shower running. She cracked her eyes open and looked around her as memories from last night came flooding back. She'd had sex with Hunter, not just once, but many wonderful times. No talking, no explanations, nothing but sex. Very good sex.
She wanted to be mad at herself for giving in to temptation. Hunter, of all people. But what was done was done, and if she were honest with herself, sex with Hunter was everything she'd imagined it would be, and more. It'd been good—too good. And it had been a very long time since she'd had anything close to good. But it had just been a fling, a one-time thing, she reminded herself.
Ashleigh stretched like a cat and purred with satisfaction, then got out of bed. She walked over to the phone, called room service, and ordered breakfast, then walked into the bathroom.
Hunter was in the shower, his back to her, a bar of soap in his hand, rubbing it across his skin, working up a frothy lather. She watched him. Oh, how badly she wanted to do that for him. To take that bar and rub it all over his body, up and down those strong arms, across those well-defined pecs. That tight ass. Her mouth went dry.
She cleared her throat.
He stilled and turned to her, the soap stopping mid-stroke. She let her eyes roam, following the well-developed lines of his body to feast on what they wanted to see, his very large cock.
God, he was a fine specimen of a man. His cock was still stiff and hard and standing at attention. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
"I was just remembering what we did last night." He gave a pointed look in the direction of his hard-on. "Maybe you want to help me find some relief…"
She couldn't think of anything better to do, and approached.
He smiled, a slow, sexy grin that had her heart tripping in her chest, and the coil in her belly springing to life. He stood there in the spray of the water, waiting like a Greek statue until she stepped into the generously sized shower stall.
Without a word, she wrapped her hand around his stiff cock and dropped to her knees. A sharp intake of air was Hunter's reply, but he didn't stop her. She knew he wouldn't. Watching as he watched her, she put her lips around the tip of his erection and slid down on him, slowly and deliberately. A labored breath came from Hunter, and she noticed how he fisted his hands by his sides as if he had to restrain himself. She felt powerful as she took him into her mouth, tasting him, sucking him, running her tongue over the veined shaft. She tasted the salty fluid that leaked from its tip. Hunter gasped back a moan and suddenly grabbed her shoulders, but he didn't push himself deeper into her, only used her shoulders to steady himself. She smiled and started moving up and down on his hard cock, taking him as deep as she could go, feeling him up against the back of her throat, while she braced herself on his thighs.
"Oh God, Ashleigh. What are you doing to me?" His words were breathy, as if it cost him all his strength to speak.
She didn't answer, only looked up at his face without letting go of his cock. His eyes were so much darker now, full of passion and lust. She loved that. But most of all, she loved the fact that he was hers now. He was surrendering to her. Letting her take the reins.
"I need to be inside you, baby," he murmured, and pulled her up, making his erection slip from her mouth. "Sorry." He kissed her then, long and deep.
A moment later, he was turning her so she faced the tile wall, and he was behind her. Already she was spreading her legs, positioning himself between them, adjusting his cock. Then he plunged inside her, thrusting deeply, and then he started to move hard and fast.
She let out a deep moan as the friction from his movements started to build. So quickly this time, already heading for the edge. In and out. Over and over, until she didn't think she could take it much longer. The tension was building to the breaking point.
She stiffened and started to climax, her body pulsating around him, squeezing his cock.
"That's it, Ashleigh!" he said, his strong arms holding her immobile. Then she felt his hot seed filling her as he exploded inside her. She moaned, letting her head drop back as passion detonated inside her, ricocheting and exploding, again and again, as wave after wave broke over her.
Finally, he stilled behind her and kissed her neck. "God, that was good."
It took a good while before she could move again, before he slipped out of her and began to gently wash her and then himself. She didn't protest when he lifted her out of the shower and toweled her off, then did the same to himself. Like lovers who'd been together forever, they got ready for their day.
She wanted to stay here with him all day. But she knew she couldn't. She had to go back and check on her father. Face her mother.
Just as they had dressed, room service brought breakfast, and they enjoyed it in companionable silence, both knowing that they would have to face the world soon, very soon.
***
After breakfast, Hunter led Ashleigh to the elevator. He'd never felt better. It was like a dream. But it was real. They still had so much to talk about, not the least of which was the fact that he'd broken his one steadfast rule. The one rule he'd never broken before. He hadn't worn a condom when he'd made love to her in the shower. Ashleigh hadn't commented on it, making him wonder whether she was on birth control. Or did she feel secure with him now? Were they beginning to build trust between them? Did it mean that this relationship, this newfound closeness, meant that she would agree to be his forever?
Or was she still holding on to the delusion that what they'd shared had only been a fling?
As they reached the hotel's lobby, Ashleigh pointed to a high-priced boutique. "You mind? I don't want to show up at the hospital in an evening gown."
"You could change at your parents' home," he said.
"And face my mother?" She shook her head. "Not a chance. I feel too good right now. I don't want her to spoil it."
He smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips. "If she spoils your good mood, I'm going to make sure to make you feel better again. Promise."
The appreciative glow in her eyes made his heart skip a beat.
He winked at her. "Now let's do some shopping."
Hunter followed her into the boutique and watched as she pulled an expensive pair of jeans and tee off a rack, grabbed a thong from a bin, and went into the dressing room. A few minutes later, she came out wearing the clothes, carrying the tags in one hand and her dress from the night before in the other. She suddenly looked like a teenager again, like the Ashleigh he'd fallen in love with so many years ago.
After she'd paid for her clothes, she shoved her dress in her overly large purse, then they stopped by the concierge desk and ordered a car.
It didn't take long for a Town Car that would take them back to the Hamptons to pull up. They settled into the back seat and started their journey.
"I'll take you to the hospital," he said. "But after that, I'll have to get some work done."
He was already late to the job site, but he didn't want his time with her to end. Maybe now was a good time to tell her that he wasn't the poor construction worker that she supposed him to be, but no matter how he started, he couldn't bring himself to tell her. Everything was perfect this morning, and he didn't want to rock the boat, so he followed Ashleigh's lead when she started talking about the premiere and the party afterward. "So, I never asked you. What did you think of the movie?"
"You were amazing." He meant it. "And I'm not just saying that because of how… incredible you looked."
She glanced over at him, a small smile on her lips. "Are you saying the movie turned you on?"
"Oh, yes. It definitely did that." He leaned closer and touched his lips to hers for a brief moment, then asked, "So, what about you? Are you happy with how the movie turned out?"
She shrugged. "For the most part. I think it's gotten me a lot of attention. Some good. Some bad. A movie like that one won't win any awards, but it can open a door to roles that will."
"You've already accomplished so much. And while I'll admit there were some really sexy scenes in that movie, you really brought that character and her vulnerabilities to life."
She paused and looked at him, her eyes searching his for the truth. He meant every word.
"Thank you. I appreciate that."
"Your parents can be really proud."
She grimaced. "Yeah, though I'm sure I'm embarrassing my mother with my work."
He chuckled softly. "Oh. You mean she'd rather see you acting in a Shakespearean play than bare all on the screen?"
She laughed. "Imagine what her country club friends must think."
He'd made her laugh about her mother, and that was a start. He wanted to see her laugh more, so he continued to tease her, pay her compliments and tell her anecdotes from his days as a bartender while the car brought them closer and closer to their old life. To the Hamptons, where they'd met.
"How are your parents?" she asked. "I feel like all we've been doing is talking about mine."
He took a deep breath. "My dad died not long after you left for California."
"I didn't know. I'm sorry to hear that."
No, how could she? She'd already gone. "Thank you. Cancer. He fought hard, but in the end, not much could be done." They'd tried everything, even the experimental procedures Ashleigh's mother's money paid for, but she didn't know that. Not yet.
"And your mom?"
"She's good—in fact, she's a nurse at the hospital."
"Really?"
"Yep, so don't be surprised if you run into her. She works with the babies and loves it."
"That's terrific."
"Yeah, you know the saying, life goes on. Though it was tough there for a while. It's why I eventually came back to the Hamptons, to be near her."
They arrived at the hospital.
"I'll walk you to your father's room," Hunter said, then told the driver, "I'll be back ten minutes."
He led Ashleigh into the hospital.
"Wait, you said came back? I didn't know you left the Hamptons," she said as they entered the elevator.
He hesitated. "I moved to Princeton for a while."
"Where I used to live? Why? It wasn't because of me. I never went back there. I went straight to California and never looked back."
"I know." He took a deep breath, contemplating how much to tell her, but after spending the night making love to her, he didn't feel that holding back was an option. Not any longer.
"After my father's death, your dad offered me a job at his company. That's why you found me at his bedside. We became… close."
She froze. "My father asked you to come to work for him?" she asked, sounding confused. "After what you did?"
"Ashleigh, I want to explain it to you. Everything. Can we go to the cafeteria? Or somewhere where we can be alone?"
The elevator doors opened.
"No. I'm here to see my father."
She stepped out of the elevator, her back straight, her armor wrapped tightly back on.
"I couldn't go with you to California, Ashleigh. My father was sick, he needed surgery, and you had a great future ahead of you. I didn't want to hold you back."
She turned back to him. "So you did it for me?"
"Yes… No. In a way."
She just stared at him.
"I loved you. I wanted to go. I just couldn't leave. Not then."
Her eyes closed. She was shutting down. Turning from him.
"Don't leave. We need to talk about this."
"I don't think there's anything to talk about."
"Listen, we have some things to work through, some old history to sort out. I still have feelings for you, strong feelings. And after last night, I'm pretty sure you feel the same way."
Her back stiffened. "After last night? That's pretty presumptuous, don't you think? We had sex. Great sex, but just sex all the same. A fling. We both agreed."
"It could never be just sex. Not with us. Admit it."
"Don't read more into it than there was, Hunter. I don't want to reconnect. There is nothing between us."
The words bit, but he didn't believe them. Not for a minute. "So you used me."
"We used each other, remember? We had a deal."
He almost laughed, but instead wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him. His lips fell over her, and he kissed her deeply, passionately. And the best part was that her stiffness loosened and she kissed him back.
When he let her go, she looked up at him, her lips swollen and slightly parted, her eyes dazed with shock and something else, something he was feeling too—overwhelming desire.
He smiled and leaned down close so only she could hear him. "We're not done yet. I'll see you later. We still have a lot to discuss. Not the least of which is the fact that we didn't use a condom in the shower this morning."