Six
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Alex woke up the next morning with a hard on to rival all. Morning wood paled in comparison to the steely length of his cock after having dreamt about Ashleigh and the kiss they’d shared.
He contemplated getting in the shower to take care of business, but after looking at the clock, he cursed. Jumping out of bed, rearranging himself so he didn’t cause any harm, he rushed to the closet to change. Within seconds, he was in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of orange juice from the refrigerator and his car keys and wallet from the counter.
He only hoped he wasn’t too late. With a lead foot, he floored it out of his driveway, doing his best to keep to the speed limit until he hit the open road.
This is what he got for not setting his alarm. Had it not been for the dreams, Alex would’ve been up before dawn as was normal for him. Instead, he’d overslept because he’d been thinking about Ashleigh when he finally crawled into bed the night before. Apparently he drifted off somewhere in between remembering the kiss they shared and fantasizing about all of the things he intended to do to that woman.
Damn.
If he kept thinking about her, he’d never find any relief from the ache between his legs. Adding some speed, he entered the highway ramp and headed south. Ten minutes tops. That’s all he needed.
Since the sun was just coming up, he figured he had a few minutes to spare, but he wasn’t willing to risk it. Turning up the volume on the radio, he tried to distract himself with the morning news. It didn’t help much.
Thankfully the cops hadn’t been out, or they had turned a blind eye because Alex was pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to drive away with just one ticket after that. He pulled into the driveway of Ashleigh’s house at the same time she was walking out onto her front porch.
He made it.
Figuring she was confused enough at it was, Alex remained in the truck, lowering the window and waiting for her to come closer. The look on her face was one of shock and awe. The same way he must have looked last night when she had kissed him back.
“Hey,” he smiled when she approached. “Hop in.”
“Umm.” Ashleigh hesitated, glancing up and down her street as though she were expecting someone. “I was about to go for a run.”
“I know. You still are. Get in.” Alex didn’t stop smiling as Ashleigh finally moved in the direction of the passenger door. He leaned over, flipped open the door and pushed. He didn’t get it fully opened, but he was able to at least get it started.
“Where are we going?” She asked, taking in his appearance as she climbed in.
Yes, he was in his running gear. Little did Ashleigh know, but Alex ran as well. Maybe not as much as her, he didn’t know her routine, but he did manage to get in two runs a week, at least.
“White Rock Lake.” He told her as he put the truck in Reverse and backed out of her driveway.
When he got home the night before, he’d researched some of the trails close to her house, and then he picked one he was familiar with. He didn’t frequent this particular trail, but he knew it was an easy one, and being a pleasant morning, they’d get the opportunity to enjoy the view. Not that he would find a view nicer than the one sitting beside him.
“I’ve read about that one.” Ashleigh contributed, buckling her seatbelt and seeming to relax somewhat.
“It’s usually busy, a lot of runners. This early we’ll have some space to ourselves though. Have you found another that you like yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve run the neighborhood a couple of times and one trail close by, but I haven’t had much time to go exploring.”
Alex didn’t know how this would work out, but after last night, he’d thought of nothing but her and seeing her first thing in the morning was worth the physical exertion. If he was lucky, she might just want a running companion on a more frequent basis. He could get accustomed to having more motivation when it came to his weekly exercise regimen.
“I didn’t know you were a runner.” Ashleigh broke the silence a few minutes later as Alex steered the truck onto the highway.
There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Alex thought to himself, but he said, “I try to get out a couple of times a week. Sometimes I’m not as successful as I’d like.”
“I religiously go five times a week, but that’s because I don’t go to a gym.” Ashleigh admitted, still looking out the window, rather than at him.
“How far do you run?” Sneaking glances at her as he drove, Alex let his eyes skim over all of that sleek, smooth skin revealed by her running shorts.
“I’m up to nine. My goal is to get to ten. Since I don’t care about the amount of time it takes, I often don’t push myself as hard as I should.”
Nine miles? Alex suddenly wondered if he’d be able to keep up with her.
He wouldn’t let her know that he only ran five miles at the most, but he did it in under an hour, so he was pretty impressed with his accomplishments. He wasn’t looking to be the fastest, and quite frankly, he was generally impressed that he ran at all. With so many things going on in his life, he found working out one of those things he had to focus on just to keep it at the top of his priority list.
“Well, I’m impressed,” Alex admitted. “I’ll do my best to keep up.”
Ashleigh laughed.
Alex liked the husky sound she made and the smile that tipped her lips was an added bonus. He was well aware that beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but when God created Ashleigh, it was obvious He had a bigger audience in mind.
The woman was classically beautiful, with her high cheekbones, strong jaw, pert little nose and perfect lips, all coming together on a flawless face. Her long dark hair, with its sun kissed highlights, normally hung down past her shoulders but was now pulled up in a ponytail. She was long and lean, with golden skin that tempted him to touch her.
Over the years, Alex had watched her grow from a stunning teenager into a gorgeous woman, and he’d battled his own hormones for every one of those years. When he first met her, she was far too young for him. He’d been twenty nine, she only seventeen and although she’d physically caught his eye, he knew better.
Then she turned eighteen and without the law and his own moral compass interfering, Alex had given it more thought. He’d played it out in his head and realized that at thirty years old, he had nothing in common with an eighteen year old. If he’d only wanted sex from her, that would’ve been one thing.
It wasn’t until about the time that she turned twenty five that Alex seriously considered his infatuation with the woman. She’d grown up significantly, and surprisingly, so had he. That’s about the time that his friends started giving him a hard time about it. Now, all these years later, he was glad he had waited, but feared they’d built a friendship that wouldn’t translate into much more.
But they had come too far for him to turn back now. Considering their history, and her uncanny ability to keep him at a distance, Alex considered this progress.
Twenty minutes later they were pulling into one of the gravel parking lots. At the crack of dawn, only the very determined were out, so they weren’t going to have to worry about finding a place to park. Selecting a spot closer to the trails entrance, Alex pulled in and shut off the engine.
If he didn’t know better, Alex would’ve thought the truck was on fire based on the way Ashleigh bolted. After she took a swig of her water, she set the bottle in the console between them, grabbed her iPod and was out the door.
He followed suit, joining her at the front of the truck where she proceeded to stretch her legs, continuing not to look at him.
He’d never been the type to be self-conscious, and considering he had on a shirt, shorts and shoes, he felt he was presentable. But the way she was avoiding him, he was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with him.
Insecure much?
Instead of wondering what was bothering her, Alex did as he normally did. He asked.
Taking her slender arm in his hand, he turned her so she was forced to look at him. When the tips of her breasts brushed against his chest, he sucked in a breath, realizing how close they were and the image of their kiss from the night before replayed in his mind. Instead of giving her space, he crowded even closer, inhaling her clean, fresh scent. Tipping her head toward him, Alex forced her eyes to meet his.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Nothing.”
He might’ve believed her if she hadn’t been so quick to answer.
Gently cupping the side of her neck with his hand, he enjoyed the soft feel of her skin against his fingertips. The gentle pulse in her neck was faster than he expected, giving him a momentary rush. Despite her attempt to disguise her reaction, Alex knew he affected her.
“Then why won’t you look at me?” Keeping his fingers on her chin, his other hand cupping the back of her neck, Alex fought the urge to kiss her right there in front of God and everyone.
~~*~~
Ashleigh stared back into the greenest eyes she’d ever seen.
Her reaction to him was ridiculous on a grand scale. As though it hadn’t been hard enough to make it through the night without dreaming about his hands on her, or the firm, gentle stroke of his tongue in her mouth, he’d had to go and show up at her house.
During the drive, she’d had to accept that she was pleasantly surprised to see him, and that had pissed her off. She didn’t want to look forward to seeing him, yet here they were and once again, he was touching her.
After the explosive chemistry that ignited between them the night before, she didn’t have any illusions about what would happen between the two of them if she would just give in. The way he stood in front of her now, his body so close, his hands so gentle where they scraped against her skin, she knew that given half a chance, she would probably do just that.
Her first mistake of the day had been agreeing to go with him. Her second... climbing into the small cab of his truck and breathing in the intoxicating scent of the man. With his sinful voice washing over her as they drove, her body had come alive, and for the first time in her adult life, she found herself wanting something she knew she shouldn’t want.
But the whopper of them all was standing here, her body pressed against his, their eyes locked on one another and his presence consuming her.
“I’m just preoccupied.” She lied. She wasn’t looking at him because she wasn’t sure she could control herself if she did.
Clad in a tight black t-shirt and gray running shorts, Ashleigh was gifted with a view of the man she hadn’t had before. Seeing so much of him should be off limits. Between those powerful thighs and his thick, sinewy arms, Ashleigh had wondered briefly if she would even be able to run. Every muscle in her body had turned to gooey noodles, offering her very little support.
She dared to look him in the eye, and the moment she locked onto those glowing emeralds, she knew why. Along with the heat she saw reflected there, she also saw genuine concern and to know that she had caused it didn’t make her feel any better.
“I’m fine. Really.” She said unconvincingly. “It’s just…”
Just what? What was she going to tell him? It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about that kiss? I can’t help but want to touch you. Everywhere.
Ummm… no.
She couldn’t tell him that because Alex would likely play to her weakness and she would find herself in his bed – or hers – only to end up wanting something she could never have. Considering she could never say no to the man, she could in no way give him the impression that she wanted him.
“I’m just excited about the trail.” Wow, even she didn’t buy that one. “You ready?” She pulled away from him.
Breaking the contact was like unplugging from an electrical socket.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered, looking somewhat disappointed.
Forcing her ear buds into her ears, Ashleigh set out at a relaxed pace, needing to get warmed up. Although thanks to Alex’s wicked touch, she was already pretty damn warm.
Later that afternoon, Ashleigh was sitting on her back patio, her laptop in front of her, and her mind drifting to places it shouldn’t be. The morning run had left her invigorated, a restless energy pulsing through her. Alex had allowed her to keep up with him, and although he tried to tell her that it had been the exact opposite, she knew better.
They’d managed the full nine miles in just under two hours, and Ashleigh was so wired, she could have gone another nine. Instead, they had walked for a solid ten minutes before returning to his truck.
When he dropped her off at the house, they still hadn’t done a lot of talking. The energy had been throbbing inside the small confines of the truck, and Ashleigh had been forced to ignore it. And him.
Thankfully, when they reached her house, Alex simply pulled into the driveway, shot her a beaming smile that had her insides quivering, before telling her that he’d see her later. And if she had been at all disappointed, she ignored that too.
Now as she sat in front of her computer screen, desperately trying to keep her focus, her mind kept wandering. The most pressing item on her mind – how Alex had forgotten they had a date.
Although, for all she knew, he could have figured the early morning run counted, but as far as she was concerned, that wasn’t normally how dates went. Ok, so she didn’t have much experience in the dating arena, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t how they normally went. Having gone on her fair share, Ashleigh had had more first dates than follow ups, so she certainly wasn’t an expert.
And it wasn’t as though she were sitting there pining away for the man because she wasn’t. She wasn’t! What did she care if this morning had been their date? It was nice. Fun. Not what she expected, but it was what it was.
Alex was a complex man, she knew that from experience. He was also busy with his company and remarkably few people came before his precious CISS. Not that she blamed him because he’d worked hard to build the company and if it meant to him what her writing meant to her, she guarded it with her life.
So maybe he hadn’t forgotten, maybe he was just busy. She should’ve been too, so what was she sitting around complaining for? Could it be that she was anxious to see him again? That would’ve been the complete opposite from how she felt just a week ago.
Toggling back to her Word document, she tried to focus on the words, tried to get her mind on the story. It took only a few minutes before she was immersed in a new chapter, fingers furiously flying over the keyboard.
So when her cell phone chimed, signifying an incoming text, Ashleigh damn near came out of her chair. Excitement fizzed through her veins as she anticipated who it might be.
Grabbing her phone like it would run away, she used the touch screen buttons to get to the text. Her chest bubbled up with anticipation when she saw the unfamiliar number. Normally it would register the caller based on her address book.
She touched the envelope to open the text.
We still on for our date tonight?
Ok, so maybe he hadn’t forgotten.
I thought this morning counted as our date
Yes, she was playing hard to get. Sue her. She waited impatiently for his response.
Not hardly
Unsure how to respond to that, Ashleigh waited for him to continue.
Dinner sound good?
Yes and no, she thought. Yes, she was hungry. No, she didn’t think she could eat if she were anywhere near Alex. He caused her body to flare up, and her insides to churn which wasn’t conducive to digestion.
Since she couldn’t very well tell him that, she simply answered yes.
Good answer.
His reply made her smile and her insides to riot.
You have two choices.
Not what she expected. Ashleigh didn’t want choices. If he gave her an out, she was likely going to take it because in all honesty, Alex scared the bejesus out of her.
Dinner at my house.
Ashleigh waited patiently for the or. That option certainly wasn’t her first choice.
You get to choose whether you drive over here or I pick you up
Well, hell. What did she say to that? She’d already agreed to dinner, she couldn’t very well say something had come up. Going to his house was definitely not a good idea. Too many temptations.
The only option would be for her to drive herself. At least that way, she would have the opportunity to run out if things got too hot. Which she undoubtedly knew they would.
I’ll drive.
Committing to what she knew would be the biggest mistake of her entire life, Ashleigh waited for him to provide her with his address. She didn’t have to wait long before he gave her the information that would get her there, as well as the time she was expected. An hour.
Damn the man was optimistic.
Although she had showered earlier that day, she had yet to do anything with her hair or makeup. If she was smart, she would throw on a pair of sweats and head over there as is. That would teach him.
But no, she wasn’t smart when it came to Alex, so she snatched up her cell phone and laptop and high tailed it inside. She didn’t have much time.