"We're getting there, sweetheart," he said, dragging his lips from mine and trailing them down my collarbone until his mouth closed fully around my nipple.

"Give me a second," he said, reaching over for the box he'd left on my table earlier. I shifted against him, ready to feel him inside me as he extracted a condom from its package.

His mouth found my ear as he settled between my legs again. "Tell me what you want," he whispered huskily.

"I want you," I said, unsure how to tell him exactly what I wanted.

"Where?" he breathed, pulling my earlobe into his mouth making me buck beneath him.

"There," I said, lifting my hips for emphasis.

"Here?" he nudged, moving my legs farther apart so he could settle fully against me.

"Yes," I moaned as he slid inside me.

"God, you feel so fucking good," he said, straining as he moved slowly in me.

Unable to take the torture anymore, I raised my hips, taking him fully. My fingers raked hard against his back, pulling him against me. He lost all self-control as our bodies moved together. His lips found mine through labored breathing, and I could feel the wave building as he called out my name.

"Oh, Ashton, fuck," he called, moving faster and faster. My body felt like it would explode until we reached the climax, finishing together.

I felt completely spent with all my limbs like jelly. "Holy crap, is it always like that?" I asked as he rested heavily on top of me.

"It's never been like that," he answered, propping himself on an elbow.

"Really? You're not just trying to make me feel good?"

"Really," he answered, dropping a light kiss on my lips before rising off me and heading for my bathroom.

A few minutes later, Nathan returned and switched off the light before climbing into bed. I tucked myself under his arm, sighing with satisfaction as he stroked my hair. I flushed slightly, remembering how I had responded so completely to his touch. I had been unprepared for how consuming making love was and how everything else of importance melted away. All I could focus on now was how badly I wanted him to keep touching me.

Chapter 16: The Pledge

Nathan

"Sleep," I said, when she shifted her hips in my direction.

"Not likely," she breathed.

"You're exhausted. You'll be asleep before you know it. Just relax," I coaxed.

She shifted again and I tightened my hold on her.

"I'm not all that tired. We could if you wanted," she whispered in the dark. I might have taken her up on it if not for the stifled yawn I heard from her.

"Sweetheart, when we go again, I want you to be completely alert. Now, go to sleep," I encouraged.

I thought she was going to argue more, but she relaxed against me. "Thank you for an unforgettable night," she said.

I chuckled. "Anytime. Thank you for being you."

"Mmm-hmm," she said as sleep dragged her under.

A moment later, her body fell completely relaxed in my arms, letting me know she was out. I was still filled with a little too much adrenaline to sleep. Of course, it wasn't much of a hardship to hold her slender body in my arms, and I didn't mind being awake for it. She was equally beautiful in her sleep and by far the most engaging woman I had ever been with, making all others pale in comparison. Her quick wit and honesty on most issues pulled me in, making me want to learn everything about her. I couldn't help wishing she would trust me enough to confide her secrets. Her lies about never having a serious relationship had bothered me more than I had expected. I knew my response had confused her as I had fought to control my anger. The fact that she felt she had to lie made me want to hunt my employer down and beat him to a bloody pulp. What had he done to her to make her want to run away? I lay there for what felt like hours pondering several scenarios through my head, trying to make sense of why she was hiding the truth. Finally, my own exhaustion got the better of me, and I gave up trying to solve the mystery for the night. My last coherent thought before I succumbed to sleep was that it would be a cold day in hell before I allowed anyone to hurt her again.

Chapter 17: The next day

Ashton

I woke the next morning to the sound of my front door opening. Seeing I was alone, I sprang from my bed like someone had set off a firecracker. Everything we did last night was great, but hanging out in my birthday suit in broad daylight was a whole other issue. I hurried to throw on a pair of yoga pants and cream-colored t-shirt when Nathan walked in. As per usual, hurrying never worked out in my favor, as evidenced by my head stuck halfway through one of the sleeves of the shirt and my inside-out and backward yoga pants.

"New fashion statement?" he asked, holding a bag from the bakery in his hand.

I glared at him through the opening of my t-shirt sleeve as I tried in vain to pull the hem of the shirt down to cover my exposed chest.

"Here, let me help," he said, setting the bag down on top of my dresser.

"I got it," I said, backing away in embarrassment, but of course I misjudged the distance between my bed and me and wound up falling backward onto my bed in an unceremonious heap. Well, at least it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Ironically, I'd never been a klutz prior to meeting him. It was as if my brain didn't transmit the appropriate messages to my limbs when he was around.

"You sure?" he asked, suppressing a laugh. "You know, darling, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," he added, sitting on the bed beside me. "If it helps, last night was one of the most erotic nights of my life," he said, running a hand over my bare stomach.

"It was?" I squeaked out, finally finding the neck of my shirt.

"Was it for you?" he asked seriously, letting his fingers trail up over my ribcage.

"Of course," I answered eagerly without hesitation. Although, I'm sure I should be acting like it was no big deal. "It was nice," I added lamely.

"Nice?" he asked, bending over to kiss my stomach.

"Really nice," I murmured as his lips skimmed over my belly button before dipping lower.

"Not erotic?" he asked, running his tongue along the skin just above the top of my pants.

"Yes, it was erotic," I gasped as his tongue found its way beneath my pants.

"The most erotic?" he coaxed, pulling my pants down slightly.

"The most," I agreed as he ran his tongue up the length of my torso.

"Fantastic," he said, hiking up my pants and hauling me to my feet in one fluid movement. "We'll have to explore that later. I have plans for us today," he said, giving my bottom a slight shove toward my bathroom. "Get ready, daylight's a wasting," he added.

"What?" I sputtered, confused how in the span of a moment, we'd gone from a talk about what was erotic to being hauled to my feet and being told to get ready.

"You told me you'd spend a few weeks with me, so I've made some plans," he said with a devilish grin.

"How do you know I don't have to work?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"I checked with Fran when I dropped off her picnic basket. She was kind enough to tell me your days off."

"Her picnic basket?" I asked. "I'm not surprised. That explains her behavior yesterday. She looked like she'd swallowed a canary most of the day," I added.

"She's been extremely helpful."

"I bet. Where else did you go this morning?"

"I went to get the stuff we left after our late-night picnic. I figured I'd beat Mr. James to his property so he wouldn't see the mess we left behind."

"Did you beat him?" I asked in a small voice, just imaging what conclusions someone would jump to when they saw the remains of our evening.

"Funny enough, I didn't know that Mr. James likes to fish on his property every morning. According to him, 'the early bird gets the worm.'"

"Oh, god," I mumbled. "Well, everyone knows now," I said, sagging against the bathroom doorway.

"And that's bad?" he asked, approaching me and placing his hands on my hips.

"People will talk," I said.

"Most people do. That's why we have tongues," he teased. "Does it bother you that it's with me, or just that people will know we had sex?"

"The sex," I said, trying not to blush. "For fuck's sake. I'm twenty-two and acting like 'sex' is a bad word."

"Honey, we're two consenting adults. They can say whatever they want," he said, dropping a kiss on my jaw. "Now, hurry and get ready," he bossed, shooing me through the bathroom door.

"You're not the boss of me," I muttered, closing the door in his face. "I'll take as long as I want," I called through the door for good measure. I could hear him chuckling as he headed out of my room. Despite my arguments, I hurried through my morning rituals. My hair was thrown up on top of my head in a messy bun and my make-up was kept to a minimum with just eyeliner and a light layer of foundation. The only task I didn't rush through was brushing my teeth. Brushing them once didn't seem sufficient, so I proceeded to brush them again after I had flossed and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash. Running my tongue over my squeaky-clean teeth, I smiled in satisfaction before smoothing on a layer of lip gloss.

Five minutes later, I left my room dressed in another heavy sweater and a pair of skinny jeans.

Nathan was in the process of taking a sip of coffee when I entered the living room. He froze with the cup halfway to his lips, studying me intensely.

"What?" I asked, doing a quick check to make sure my zipper was up and that my hair wasn't suddenly standing on end.

He didn't answer, but instead walked over to where I stood.

"You didn't say where we were going, so I figured casual was the best route…" I trailed off as he cupped a hand around my neck and dragged my mouth to his. I opened my mouth to his demands, not sure what the kiss meant. If it was possible, the kiss felt different than the others we had shared. It felt raw and almost primal as he assaulted my mouth. My body's response was quick and instantaneous.

"What was that?" I asked when he finally pulled back, breathing heavily.

"That was my way of telling you that you look positively edible dressed like that."

"Not that I'm complaining, but you've seen me in jeans and a sweater before," I pointed out.

"Not with your hair pulled up and glistening lips that would tempt anyone to sample them," he said.

"It's just a messy bun," I practically purred as his lips moved to my ear, making goose bumps pop up on my arms.

"Trust me, it's hot as hell," he said.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, and thanks for getting me all hot and bothered now too with your assault on my mouth," I said as he stepped up behind me.

"Say it again," he whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around my stomach to pull me flush against him.

"I'm glad you like it?" I asked, smiling at him through the mirror.

"What? No. Got you all hot and bothered," he clarified.

"You need an ego stroke?" I teased.

"It strokes something, sweetheart, just not my ego," he stated. "Which, at the moment, will have to be put on hold because I have plans for us."

"Am I dressed warm enough?"

"Yeah, it doesn't feel nearly as cold as it was yesterday. All the locals I talked with today claim this is the last warm day before winter sneaks in. I guess a cold front is moving in this evening, and after that, summer and even fall will be forgotten. I'm not entirely sure how they can be so adamant about it, but I guess if you've lived here all your life, you'd know the weather better than a couple Southerners. I figured we better seize the opportunity while we had it," he said, guiding me out the front door.

The sun was shining bright when we stepped outside. I relished the warmth of it, and after the bone chilling rain from the previous evening, the heat felt heavenly. There was still a slight breeze, but it didn't cut through you like yesterday. These were the days we lived for back home, but they were far and few between. Humidity and heat indexes made up eighty percent of the climate in Florida.

"So what do you think?" he asked, indicating the rack with two mountain bikes strapped to the back of his Range Rover.

"We're going on a bike ride?" I whispered, slowly walking toward the mounted bicycles. I was confused how he had figured out another kink in my armor. It could just be a coincidence. No one here knew about the last bike ride I had ever taken. It was the one memory that belonged to me alone.

"I know you have that whole 'no exercise' thing going on, but I figured a leisurely bike ride wouldn't fall under that rule?" he asked, looking uncertain. "I just thought it would be funny after all the joking if we really did take a bike ride together," he added with a crooked grin.

"It's fine. It's just been a long time since I've ridden a bike," I said as memories of my last bike ride assaulted my senses. Pictures filled my head of my mom and me peddling our pink-and-purple beach cruisers. She looked breathtakingly beautiful. It was a Sunday ritual for us to ride our bikes to the beach. We'd wheel them down the wooden steps to the sand below and ride along the water's edge while the wind blew through our hair. Afterward, we would stop at the ice cream stand near the peer. We'd both get chocolate cones dipped in cherry hard shell. The memories were poignant, which is why I rarely visited them. Most of the time they were just too painful.

"Hey, you okay?" Nathan asked, dragging me away from my memories.

"Sure," I answered, pasting a smile on my face.

"When your smile doesn't quite reach your eyes, I know you're just feeding me a line," he remarked, studying me intently.

"Really, it's nothing," I managed to say, although I was unsettled by his intensity and uncanny knack of being able to read me so well.

"I wish you would trust me," he muttered, opening the vehicle door for me.

"There's nothing to trust. I'm not hiding anything," I said, climbing in.

Nathan was still frowning as he climbed into the vehicle beside me.

"Are you expecting a jealous ex-boyfriend to suddenly show up and slash your tires?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Just put it this way, I wouldn't be surprised," he remarked, pulling his Range Rover onto the main road.

"Seriously, you need to relax and trust me when I say that some psycho will not be slashing your tires. So where are we going?"

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