Chapter Five
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Alex was having a hard time concentrating on the words Ashleigh was stringing together. Between the intoxicatingly sweet scent of her hair, and those luscious pink lips, his brain wasn’t functioning because it was suffering from blood loss.
Although his dick wasn’t having any issues paying attention.
That was the problem with being around Ashleigh. Or thinking about her. Or dreaming about her. He was rendered completely useless because his body was on overload. From the sweet scent of her glossy, brown hair, to the gleam in her whiskey brown eyes, to those more than perfect lips, Alex couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to run his tongue over the seam of her lips just to find out if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
He might just get punched for that one.
“I’ve never been horseback riding either.” He offered, hoping they were still on the same topic. “Never has been my thing, I guess.”
“Not a cowboy, Alex?” She teased.
He liked when she teased him. A lot.
Since she usually had her guard up when he was around, being with Ashleigh when she was relaxed and talkative was a first for him.
He’d come upon her in the living room, not expecting her to be there, and he’d been like a moth drawn to a flame.
At the moment in time when he saw her standing there, looking ridiculously hot in a pair of tight, faded jeans and cowboy boots – or were they cowgirl boots? Hell, it didn’t’ matter. She was fucking hot – he hadn’t been able to turn away from her.
When he had taken her hand, her long, slender fingers linking with his, he’d made a point to walk outside, rather than to find the first available room so he could feel those soft hands on other parts of his body.
Not that she would have gone for any of that. Not Ashleigh. She wasn’t the playful type. Or at least not when he was around.
He was suddenly interested in changing all of that.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” He asked, standing suddenly from the restless hunger that surged through him.
“Tomorrow?” She asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes. Saturday. What are you doing on Saturday?” He repeated, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.
“N-nothing.” She stammered. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I sort of need to unpack a few things, and I had planned to go running in the morning.”
“What about tomorrow afternoon?” Since Ashleigh wasn’t deflecting his question, or flat out pretending she didn’t hear him which was usual for her, Alex was going to keep pushing.
“Other than trying to get in some writing, I don’t have any plans.”
“Go out with me.” Alex didn’t phrase it as a question because he wasn’t going to offer her an out.
“Where?”
Alex chuckled – mainly because he was overjoyed that she didn’t flat out tell him no. “It’ll be a surprise.”
Ashleigh kept her eyes locked with his as she seemed to contemplate his invitation. He silently willed her to say yes while praying she wouldn’t say no. This was the most conversation they’d shared in all of the time he had known her, and quite frankly, Alex didn’t want it to end, but he had somewhere he needed to be. He didn’t want to leave her without at least making plans to see her again.
A few seconds turned into an interminably long minute before she finally smiled, and the sweetest word he had ever heard emerged from her lips. “Ok.”
If he wasn’t damn near forty years old and scared he’d freak her out, Alex would’ve fist pumped the air in celebration. Instead, he let his eyes graze her lips. The temptation to kiss her was overwhelming. So much so that Alex couldn’t resist.
With a small measure of hesitance, he leaned down toward her, waiting to see if she would back up or worse, push him away. When she didn’t, he leaned a little closer. “Kiss me, Ashleigh.” He whispered the words and waited patiently to see what her next move would be.
When Ashleigh leaned in, meeting him halfway and pressing her warm, soft lips against his, the world erupted in fireworks and song – although he was pretty sure that was all in his head. He pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers as their lips met briefly. Since he’d already acknowledged patience wasn’t his strong suit, Alex took it one step further.
Using one hand to hold her close, he used the other to cup her chin, tilting her head slightly so he could better the angle and slip his tongue into her mouth. She didn’t immediately react, but once Alex dipped his tongue just a little farther, her lips parted and he took advantage, kissing her with everything he was.
In turn, Ashleigh blew his mind as she kissed him back, her hands going around him, pulling him even closer as she pressed against his erection, making him moan. Fucking hell.
For all the time Alex had fantasized about this moment, he’d never dreamed it would be like this. The woman was sweeter than nectar and so damn soft. With her body crushed up against his, their hips aligned damn near perfectly, as though they had been made to fit together.
Time needed to stand still so Alex could get his fill of this woman in his arms, but, unfortunately, the sound of the door opening behind them had Ashleigh pulling away abruptly, although she used him as a shield to block her from the view of whoever had come out.
Leaning down, knowing he had only seconds before she retreated entirely, Alex whispered in her ear, “We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow, Ash. We have a date, and I’m holding you to it.”
Ashleigh nodded her head but didn’t look at him.
Alex knew he had made ground that night, so he let it be for now. Tomorrow would be another day. And after the chemistry they’d just shared, he would need time to prepare himself for the explosion that would likely rock his world because it was inevitable.
“See you tomorrow.” He kept his voice low, then leaned in and dropped a kiss on her lips before turning to go.