Two nights ago, I had another nightmare. Running into Corey apparently did that to me. Though this dream was different. Instead of Bridgette cheating on me with a no-named guy in my bed, it was Ashtyn and Corey together. The only thing that made me get past that nightmare was waking up next to Ashtyn and knowing that she was with me.

Just like this morning.

She stirred next to me, and I took that to mean that she was waking. Taking my finger, I connected all the freckles on her arm lazily, feeling her soft skin.

“What are you doing?” she asked sleepily.

I smirked and looked up to meet her gaze. “You know.”

Reaching over, I grazed my finger against her hard nipple that was poking through her sleep shirt and twirled it around the peak before moving on to do the same to the other. She shivered next to me, and I took that as my cue to cover her with my body, using her stomach to get me harder. Harder to the point that I could slip in and fuck her a proper good morning.

I pressed my lips to hers. Ashtyn opened and sought my tongue. My tongue worked in her mouth and then I pulled my head back slightly and bit her bottom lip lightly. Every inch of her was sugar to me, and once I had my first taste, I knew I couldn’t stop. Her shirt came off, my boxers next, and then I pulled her panties down and off her body.

We were now both naked, and I ran my tongue down her throat and to the side of her neck until she moaned and tilted her head back. I latched on to her throat with my mouth, feeling her pulse beat against my lips. If I wasn’t careful, she’d need to cover up my mark before going on the air. Or she could let the entire town of Chicago know that she was fucked good morning.

Either way, I was going to do my job.

And well.

Moving slightly to the side, I ran my hand down her chest and didn’t stop until I found the heat I was seeking. Christ. Always fucking ready. She was so ready that I felt her pushing on my chest, and before I knew it, we’d switched places. Ashtyn grinned down at me as she straddled my hips and then took my lips.

I could feel her warmth as she slid against my dick. “Condom,” I croaked. That was the best I could do because if I wasn’t inside of her soon, I would come like a boy the first time he fooled around with a girl.

Ashtyn reached over to my nightstand and pulled one out. I expected her to hand it to me, but instead, she opened it and then did the honors. Her mouth returned to mine, and I guided myself home.

She gasped for air, breaking our kiss as I filled her. “Oh shit. Yeah,” she moaned and continued to do so as I rocked up into her. We were like a well-oiled machine as I thrust into her over and over and over. She’d moan, I’d groan, and just as she was about to come, I latched onto her nipple and sucked hard.

“Fuck!” she hissed as she came.

I wasn’t done.

I stayed inside of her as I rolled her to the side, me going behind her and lifting her leg to spread her open. Her hand reached around my neck as she held on.

“Christ, baby,” I groaned. “Watching your tits bounce from this angle is going to make me come in two seconds.”

“No,” she protested as a moan.

I smiled, still pumping into her. I knew she wanted to come again, and I was going to make that happen. Quickening my pace, we rocked together, and then I sought her clit with my hand and started to create circles in rhythm with my thrusts.

“Rhys,” Ashtyn moaned.

“That’s it, Cupcake.” Good God, hearing my name on her lips as a moan was almost enough to make me lose it.

“Faster,” she panted. My fingers pressed down harder against her clit. “So close.”

I sped up my thrusts, hitting the very end of her until I felt her start to spasm again. This time, instead of sucking her nipple, I bit on her earlobe, and a shiver raced down my spine as I spilled into the latex.

I was spent.

We were both a little sweaty, but I knew she was fucked good.

Ashtyn had started to officially move her stuff into my place. We’d decided to rent her condo first, then find a place to move to before we put mine up as a rental too. Once she found a tenant, we planned to put her stuff into storage. This was another reason why I knew that she was with me and only me.

In the middle of January, the cops told Ashtyn that the investigation with Philip was over. He had definitely stalked and obsessed over Ashtyn for at least a year. The police found hours and hours of footage of her at home, and what looked like a bedroom made for her in his basement. It was something you’d see on TV or some shit. Thankfully, it was over.

“What do you want to do today?” I asked as Ashtyn and I sipped our morning coffee and read the newspaper.

She looked over at me and shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

I thought for a moment, looking out the window at the sun shining above. “How do you feel about heights?”

“Heights?” Ashtyn choked on a sip of her coffee. “Why?”

“I have an idea.”

She folded the newspaper and propped her chin in her hand. “Enlighten me.”

“Let me make a call.” I set the paper down and grabbed my phone as I headed to my office.

“You have to make a call out of the room?” she called out.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.” I made my call and headed back to the kitchen island. “It’s a go.”

“What’s a go?”

“Still a surprise.” Ashtyn groaned, and I laughed as I sat back in my chair next to her. “Payback for Christmas.”

“Yeah, but that was meeting your idol. Am I meeting Channing Tatum?”

“What?” I exclaimed. “Channing Tatum is your idol?”

She laughed. “No, but I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

“What does he have that I don’t?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

She sat up and grinned. “Dance moves for one.”

“I’ve got moves.”

“Show me.”

I grunted. “Okay, I don’t have his moves. What else?”

She thought for a moment. “Nothing I care about.”

“Good.” I smiled.

“So, you going to tell me what you have planned for today?”

“Nope.” I took a final sip of my coffee.

Ashtyn groaned. “Ahhh! I’m not sure I like surprises.”

I stood. “Sure, you do, Cupcake. Everyone likes surprises.”

I was excited to see her face when she figured out what we were doing today. I’d done it before, but not with a girlfriend. It was with Kenny, and I was certain this time would be much better.

“Do I get to know now?”

“Nope,” I replied, popping the P.

“When will I know?”

“When we get there.”

We slid into my car, and I pulled out, heading toward the Chicago Executive Airport. We weren’t joining the mile-high club.

At least not today.

“We’re flying somewhere?” Ashtyn asked as she looked at the control tower in the distance.

“Not exactly.”

“What does that mean? You’re pulling into an airport.”

“Ever flown a plane?”

She snorted. “Can’t say that I have.”

“Well, you will today.”

Her eyes widened as I glanced at her to see her response. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“I’m about to have a heart attack.”

“You better not. You have to fly a plane.”

“How?”

I pulled up to the building they’d told me to go to over the phone. “I know a guy who knows a guy.”

Ashtyn rolled her eyes. “Using my line?”

I laughed. “I do know a guy who knows a guy. Usually, you have to book this three weeks in advance.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” I confirmed, and we opened our doors to exit.

As she waited by the window, looking out at the tarmac, I checked her in. She had to sign some papers and then we met with an FAA certified flight instructor. He covered the ins and outs of the airplane’s mechanics with Ashtyn as I watched. They went over the instruments panel and then did a pre-flight inspection of the small plane. Afterward, the three of us climbed inside the aircraft. Ashtyn and the pilot sat up front with me in the back. I had a smile the entire time as I watched her learn everything she needed to know about flying the plane. I could see the joy radiating from her body as she soaked in everything, and I knew my plan for this Saturday was the right decision. It was a crazy spur of the moment plan, but seeing Ashtyn beam was what I always wanted to see from her.

We buckled into the cockpit of the four passenger, single-engine airplane, and Ashtyn taxied us to the runway. Steering a plane was essentially the same as driving a car, but of course, there were more controls once you actually had to get it to go in the air.

Once we got the all clear for take-off from the control tower, the pilot took over due to the FAA safety regulations. The pilot still had control of the aircraft as we rose to the cruising altitude, and Ashtyn turned her head to look at me.

“This is amazing!” She smiled.

I grinned back, both of us speaking in the headsets we had to wear. “I know.”

“All right, Ashtyn. The controls are all yours,” the pilot said.

Ashtyn turned back around and took over. She didn’t hesitate as the pilot instructed her to do various things. We ascended, descended, did several turns, and once we were close to our destination, Ashtyn radioed to the control tower to see if it was clear for the pilot to land.

We landed at the Grand Geneva Airport where a black town car was waiting for us. “Where are we going?” Ashtyn asked, fluffing her hair.

“Lunch.”

“Lunch?”

We slid into the car. “We’re going to the Grand Geneva Spa and Resort here in Wisconsin for lunch before you fly us home.”

“How is this real life right now?” Ashtyn laughed. “I feel like a celebrity or something.”

“Well, you are a celebrity.”

“Only in Chicago.”

“True, but, technically anyone can book this experience.”

“I had no idea it was possible. Thank you.” She leaned over and pressed her soft lips to mine. “This beats sitting at home and catching up on shows on the DVR.”

I grinned. “Sure does.”

After the car dropped us off at the entrance, we made our way to the Grand Café for lunch.

“Thank you for doing this.” Ashtyn smiled, looking out the window at the lake.

“You’re welcome, but it’s fun to take a little getaway, right?”

“It’s amazing.”

“Speaking of amazing, I found a few houses we should go look at.”

“Yeah?” She smiled.

“Here, I’ll show you a few.” I took my phone out my pocket and pulled up the realtor’s website where I found some houses. I went to the first one and handed Ashtyn my phone. “What do you think of this one?”

She scrolled through the pictures. “There’s no fireplace.”

“But there’s a pool.”

“But we want a fireplace and a pool, right?”

“Okay.” I reached for my phone. “What about this one?”

Ashtyn took the phone back and looked at the pictures of the next one. “I think we should go look because if the closet’s small, it’s an automatic no.”

I chuckled. “Okay. How about I call my realtor and have him set up a few places for us to go see next weekend?”

She leaned across the table and pressed her soft lips to mine. “I’d like that.”

The next Friday, Ashtyn groaned and shut the door behind her after returning home from work.

“Bad day?” I asked, taking a pull of my beer.

“No, I had a great day.” She hung up her coat.

I set my beer on the coffee table. “So, what’s all the groaning about?” I was watching the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild game that had just started. We were playing a doubleheader next against the Sharks to make up for the game that was canceled in October. Doubleheaders usually weren’t a thing in hockey because of how strenuous and exhausting hockey is, but it needed to be done.

“Corey—”

“Corey? What the fuck?”

Ashtyn sighed and plopped down on the couch. “He keeps texting me.”

I stilled, the game on the TV forgotten. “What do you mean he keeps texting you?”

“He keeps sending me texts about random shit.”

“Like what?” I was trying to keep cool, but honestly, hearing that Corey was communicating with Ashtyn was testing my patience to the limit. Who fucking does that? A fucking asshole motherfucker who saw with his own eyes that Ashtyn had moved on, that’s who. What could he possibly have to say or want?

Ashtyn unlocked her phone and began reading them. “Saw you on TV. Your boyfriend get you those seats? You’re too good to text me back now? How was your day? Isn’t today the day we met? I miss you—”

“He what?” I snatched the phone from her grasp and read the rest of the texts.

Corey: I miss you. Call me.

Corey: I love you. I know I said I was lying, but that was a lie.

Corey: Please at least text me back. I made a mistake.

Corey: I can’t stop thinking about you.

Corey: Baby, break up with that loser and marry me. I love you.

“Marry him?” I hissed. “He asked you to marry him?”

“I can’t say that a texted proposal is legit.”

My body was tight as anger radiated through my veins. I was going to kill him. I was going to beat the shit out him like he had to me all those years ago, but I wouldn’t stop until he wasn’t breathing. “I don’t give a shit. Who fucking does this?” I threw the phone on the couch.

“Does it matter? I’ve never texted or called him back.”

“Why haven’t you told me he’s been texting you?”

“Because he just started after New Years.”

“It’s been almost a month,” I hissed.

“I didn’t want you to be mad like you are now.”

I stared at her, processing what she’d said. “I’m mad because he’s only doing this because you’re dating me. Think about it.” I started to pace back and forth in front of the TV.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m with you.”

“You think he’ll stop?”

“I’ll just block his number.”

“Good.” I paced a little more and then yelled slightly, “Wait!”

“Wait?”

I reached out my hand. “Give me your phone.”

“Why?” Ashtyn held it to her chest away from me.

“Because I’m going to call that motherfucker.”

“What? Why?”

I moved to her, my hand still outreached. “Because, Cupcake, he had his chance. He let you go, and I’m never letting you go. He needs to know that.”

“I’ll just block his number, and that will be that.”

I stood in front of her. “Until he shows up at your work or some shit. We’ve already been down that road with a stalker. We don’t need another.”

“If he’s going to stalk me—which he won’t—then he’ll do it even if you call him. Hell, it might make him do it more.”

“I need to do this.”

“Why?”

I ran my hands down my face and sighed. “Because he can’t win.”

“He’s not winning. If anything, you are.” Ashtyn waved her hand in my direction.

“Just let me do this. I need to do this,” I pleaded.

She stared at me for a beat and then handed me the phone. “Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. After finding out that he was your bully, I did some research and read that confronting a bully is good for the bullied. Of course, I was never going to tell you that because of who he is. I thought it would be better to just let it be.”

I didn’t know about that. Having him once again try to ruin my life was the last straw. We weren’t kids anymore.

Before I talked myself out of it, I took the phone from her hand, found his number in her contacts and hit the button to call him. It rang twice before he answered.

“Ashtyn! Thank you—”

“It’s not Ashtyn.”

“Cole.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Stop calling my girlfriend!” I started to pace again. This time around the entire living room because I couldn’t stand still.

“I can call whoever the fuck I want.”

“Dude, she ain’t interested in you anymore.”

“You’re just her rebound.”

“I’m glad you think so, but I know differently.”

“I’ve known her longer, and she was mine first.”

“Why do you even care? You moved on with that blonde.”

He tsked. “I don’t care about her.”

“Okay, well leave Ashtyn alone or—”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Do I need to?”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what? Beat me up like you did in high school? I’m much bigger now, asshole, and like it or not, Ashtyn and I are together.”

“Not for long.”

“Yes, for long. Forever.” My gaze met Ashtyn’s, and she smiled. I tried to smile back, but the laughter in my ear caused me to close my eyes in frustration.

“So she showed you her Pinterest board? You two getting married now?”

“I don’t know about her damn Pinterest board.” Ashtyn rolled her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. “But yes, to answer your other question, if she’ll let me.”

“Not if I stop you.” He hung up, and I took the phone away from my ear. I had no idea what he meant, but it felt as though our little game wasn’t over.