Loving Ashley Read online

  “Ready?” I ask, making my way over to him.

  Looking up, he smiles then stands and grabs the towels. We make our way toward the bank of elevators. While we wait for it to come to us, Taylor speaks up. “Do you want to eat downstairs or go somewhere?”

  “Let’s just eat here for today, then tomorrow we will go out.”

  Once the elevator arrives, we head down and make our way to the restaurant in the hotel. We end up sitting outside on the deck. I order a mimosa while he gets coffee.

  “So, what grade do you teach?” he asks once the waitress moves away.

  “First grade.”

  “Have you always wanted to teach?”

  “For as long as I can remember, yes. When I was in high school, I applied to the University of Florida and was accepted.”

  “That’s great. What made you want to go to UF?”

  “My dad went there for law school and he told me how great it was. I know it’s a long way from home, but I was ready for a climate change. What about you?”

  “Well, I got a full ride basketball scholarship to Duke University. But I got injured my senior year and screwed up my chances for the NBA, so I focused on my studies and got my masters in business management. Came down here to help Thomas open up the bar.”

  “Wow, what happened?”

  “I tore my ACL pretty badly and it took a while to recover from, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve torn it.” You can see the disappointment in his eyes as he talks about it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I feel everything happens for a reason. Do you think you will ever move home?”

  Oh boy, I knew this was going to come up, I could lie about it or tell him the truth. I decide the truth is the best route.

  “Well, my original plan was to move home and teach. I had even gotten a job at the local elementary school close to my parents.” Hopefully, he won’t ask any more, but that’s short lived.

  “Then what happened?”

  “I flew home to tell my boyfriend at the time that I had gotten the job and was coming home. Except, little did I know, when I went surprise him, he had one for me. I went to the apartment that was supposed to be ours and when I walked in he had some girl in bed. I’ll save you the details, but I’m sure you can imagine what was going on. It was then I decided to stay and see what Florida had to offer.”

  “Well, all I can say is he is a dumbass.”

  The food comes before we can go any further into the conversation. Which is good for me because I honestly don’t want to talk about it anymore. We eat in comfortable silence and enjoy the weather. Once we finish our breakfast, we head toward the adult only pool. He places his hand at the small of my back and leads the way to two vacant chairs. Once there, I lay my towel out and slip off the dress. Looking over my shoulder, I see Taylor staring intently at me, his eyes roaming my body. Grabbing the sunscreen out of my pack, I turn toward him.

  “Can you rub this on my back?” My voice seems to snap him back to reality.

  “Um, sure, yes,” he stutters. Nice to know I can make a man speechless.

  He squirts some lotion on his hands and begins to rub my back. The feel of his hands roaming my skin is incredible, which makes me moan lightly. His hands land on my hips while his lips graze my earlobe.

  “Keep moaning like that and I will say fuck the pool and take you back to the room.” He bites my ear and pulls away. I miss the contact immediately. His words alone make me shut up. As nice as that sounds, I am not ready to sleep with him. I lie down on my stomach as he removes his shirt.

  Holy fuck, not a good move, buddy. I’m ready to take him up on his offer.

  His body is perfect, not an ounce of fat on him. His chest is nice and broad, followed by his six-pack. I follow that perfect V to where it disappears below his shorts. I want to run my tongue along the small strip of hair from his belly button to where it leads—the bulge in his swimsuit. I slowly rake my eyes back to his face and see a smirk on his lips.

  “Thirsty?”

  “Very.” It almost comes out seductively.

  He winks and begins to walk toward the bar. The backside view is almost just as good as the front. His ass fills out those shorts perfectly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see women staring, even the bartender is falling at his every word. I need to remind myself that he’s not the one-woman type, the looks the ladies are giving him will help remind me of that. I need to get my head back in the game. I know I invited him on the trip, I just thought maybe it would give me time to know him. My mother always said, don’t judge a book by its cover, and now is the perfect example of that.

  “Here,” he says, snapping me back to now.

  “Thank you,” I say as he hands me my strawberry daiquiri.

  “I figured that would be good for out here in the hot sun.”

  “It’s perfect.”

  He lies down on the lounger next to me as I begin to close my eyes. The hot sun feels amazing on my skin with the breeze blowing slightly. Feeling his eyes on me as I lie here causes me to get a warm sensation deep down in my stomach. I try and focus on relaxing but it’s so tempting to look at Taylor next to me wearing only a bathing suit.

  Before I know it, I am jolted awake by a hand slowly running up my belly. I slowly open my eyes to adjust them to the bright sun. I am met face-to-face with him. Shit, he never looks bad. I could stare into his eyes all damn day.

  “Come on, gorgeous, let’s go swim,” he says, grabbing my hand and helping me stand before leading me to the pool. I place my foot in, testing the water. The water feels amazing against my hot skin, immediately cooling me down. I dive under headfirst and resurface a few feet away. Turning my head to where I just came from, I see Taylor standing about waist deep, staring at me.

  “Too cold for the little guy?” I say, winking at him. I can’t help but joke around with him. He throws his head back, laughing, before he dives in after me. I feel him grab my ankle and yank me under the water. I let out a yelp and catch my breath before I submerge under. I feel his lips land on mine in a brief kiss before we come up for air.

  “There is nothing little about me, Ashley,” he says while pushing his hard length into my belly. I know there is nothing small about him because I felt it before, when he had me pinned against the bathroom stall. He moves away and starts to swim over to the deep end where nobody else is. Following him, I slide up next to him and gaze at the view before us. The sand goes on forever and meets with the crystal blue water.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I say as he slides up behind me.

  I feel the heat from his body against my back; his lips graze my ear as he softly speaks, “Not as beautiful as you.” His warm breath causes goose bumps to run across my heated skin. He begins to trail his lips down my neck as his hand caresses my stomach. I tilt my head to the side so he can have better access. Never has a man affected me the way Taylor does. I slowly turn around and meet his eyes—want and desire clearly displayed. Bringing my hand around his neck, I force his lips to meet mine. He pins me against the side of the pool as our tongues dance in sync together.

  Someone around us begins to talk and brings us back to now. We slowly pull apart while continuing to hold each other’s stare.

  “Every time I kiss you, it gets better.” He’s got that smile that shows his dimples, the one that brings me to my knees. I am still speechless as he swims away.

  Damn it, I can feel the walls start to crumble around me. Every day he breaks more and more off, and I don’t want that. While the thought of being with him sounds amazing, I know it’s just temporary for him. Even though I want it so bad. So just maybe I will give in while we are here and when it’s time to go home, we move on like nothing ever happened.

  I swim back over to the stairs and make my way to the lounge chair. I notice Taylor is at the bar getting more drinks. I pull out my phone and notice we have been out here for a good couple of hours. Taylor makes his way back to over to me and hands me my drink.


  “Thank you.”

  “Of course. What do you say we finish these then head back to the room? Get dressed and grab some dinner. We can figure out what to do after that.

  “Sounds like a plan.” I am beginning to get hungry and the sun is wearing me out.

  Around an hour later we make our way toward the room. He has gotten my body all hot and bothered. Ever since that kiss in the pool, I have wanted him more than ever. I don’t want to want him like this, but I can’t help how my heart and body are reacting toward him. Right now, all I can picture is him in bed with me, filling the void I seem to have. If only I could tell my mind to shut up and let me have my fun with him. But for now, I will just keep the thoughts to myself.

  Chapter Eight

  TAYLOR

  I’m in my room taking a shower, washing the hot sun and pool water off my body. So far today has been amazing. If I could see myself with one woman for the rest of my life, it would be with someone like Ashley. But that’s just not in my books. I don’t do love or relationships; I like to keep my options open. But sometimes, just sometimes, I let my mind wander to what it would be like to only be with her. Every kiss, every touch, I feel my resolve breaking down for her. She might just be the game changer, and that scares the shit out of me. I know that’s what she wants, and I’m not worthy of that. I step out of the shower and towel off. I grab my black slacks and a white button-up shirt.

  When I exit the room, Ashley is still in hers getting ready. I pour myself a glass of whiskey and take a seat on the patio. The sun is starting to set, making the sky an orange-yellow color, the breeze is picking up just a tad, but not too bad. I hear her bedroom door open so I stand and slowly turn on my heels. And fuck me does she look incredible. Her pink strapless dress hugs her curves like it was made for her. I am so tempted to say fuck it and drag her to bed, but I know she isn’t ready for that…yet.

  “Hey, you look beautiful.”

  She blushes at my comment.

  “Thank you, you look great, too. I wasn’t sure where we’re going so I didn’t want to dress up too fancy.”

  “You look perfect. Come on, let’s go.”

  I grab her hand and lead her out the door and toward the elevator. When the doors close, you can feel the tension between us. I glance over to Ashley and see her cheeks are pink. She must feel it, too. Once the doors open, I lace our fingers together, expecting her to pull away, but her hand relaxes against mine.

  “So, we have our choice of seafood, steak house, or the Italian place over there,” I tell her as we exit the hotel.

  “How about seafood?”

  I agree with her and lead the way. We get a table on the back patio facing the ocean. There is a slight breeze in the air, making it perfect to sit outside.

  “So tell me more about yourself,” she says, taking a sip of her water.

  “I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have one brother, as you know—Thomas. My parents retired last year and now live in Daytona in a condo on the beach. But they still spend most of their time in North Carolina. And you know the story that brought me to Florida.”

  The waiter brings out our bread and wine while we wait for the main course. I watch her break a piece off and place it in her mouth. Her hair is blowing in the wind, which gives me full view of her neck that I have been itching to kiss since the pool this afternoon. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and that’s a lot coming from me. I’m pulled out of my thoughts when the food is set in front of me.

  “Wow, this looks fabulous,” she says.

  “Yes, it does. Hopefully, it is as good as it looks.”

  I got the blackened grouper and she ordered shrimp scampi. We eat in a comfortable silence.

  “How is your food?” I ask.

  “Amazing, would you like to try a bite?”

  Before I can even answer her, she swirls some on her fork and places it in my mouth. The act seems so innocent but intimate, too. I cut a piece of my fish and let her try a bite. A soft moan escapes her lips as she swallows the food. Holy shit, that sound alone makes me want to drag her ass to bed. After we finish our meal, I refill her glass of wine while we wait for the piece of chocolate cake to come out.

  “So, tell me something about you that no one knows,” I say.

  She sits there for a minute, thinking.

  “Hmmm, that’s a tough one, because Nancy knows just about everything there is to know.”

  “There has to be something she doesn’t know.”

  “Okay, I would love to continue my education, just don’t know what in.”

  Hmm, there has to be something dirtier. I want her to open up to me.

  “Come on, give me something more than that. Something intimate.”

  Her cheeks turn a slight red and she looks around before she speaks. Hmm, this has to be interesting.

  “I have never had a guy go down on me before.”

  I nearly drop my fork when she stops talking. I stare at her—open-mouthed—for I don’t know how long. I open and close my mouth a couple of times before anything comes out. How has this beautiful woman not experienced that kind of pleasure?

  “What? How is that possible?” I finally say.

  “Well, my ex didn’t like it, he thought it was pointless. He just wanted sex. No foreplay or anything. I guess that should have been a sign. And the guy before him that I lost my virginity to, well let’s just say he couldn’t tell his ass from his elbow.”

  “And you never wondered about it?”

  “Of course I have. I mean, I don’t really know what to expect, but I have heard Nancy talk about it. It sounds like it would be amazing. One day I will get to experience it.”

  “Maybe one day, I can be so lucky and give you that pleasure.” Oh there is no one day…it’s a matter of when and where, but I won’t tell her that.

  “We’ll see. So your turn. Same question.”

  Shit, this is hard. I don’t have many secrets.

  “I’ve never had sex in the shower.”

  “Seriously?” She looks dumbfounded.

  “Yes, I don’t normally stick around long enough to shower at their place. In all honesty, it doesn’t sound appealing.” Her face falls when I finish that sentence. Shit, that didn’t sound good. Quickly wanting to change the topic, I do. “Okay, next question. Where is the craziest place you have had sex?”

  “In a car, I guess.”

  “You guess?”

  “Yes, my ex wasn’t that adventurous, as you can tell. What about you?”

  “When I was in college, I hooked up with a girl in the janitor closet between classes.”

  “Wow, you have no shame. Do you?” She sounds somewhat bitter.

  “Of course I do. That was back when I was young and stupid.” Knowing I need to get off this subject completely, I pay for our meal and we head out.

  “So, what would you like to do now? The night is still young.”

  “How about we go to the bar next to the hotel? Sounds like they have music and dancing.”

  I place my hand at the small of her back and escort her over to the bar. The place is twenty-one and up after nine, so we show the bouncer our IDs and push past the people and make it to the bar. I flag down the bartender to get his attention.

  “Hi, guys. What can I get for you?”

  “I’ll take a Bud Light and she will have vodka and Red Bull.”

  Once we have our drinks in hand, we head to the open couch in the corner of the bar. I rest my hand behind her and draw circles on her shoulders with my finger. The place is getting pretty jammed with people as the night goes on. By the time she finishes her third drink, I can tell she is beginning to relax and enjoy the night.

  As the next song begins to blare over the speakers, I recognize it as The Weekend’s “In The Night.” I grab her hand as I stand and place her back to my front. I place my hands on her hips and we begin to grind to the music. Her ass is pressed right into my crotch and damn does it feel good. I move her
hair to one side as the sweat drips down her neck. I lean down and ever so slowly lick it off, tasting the saltiness as it touches my tongue. She shudders when I make contact with her skin, causing her to press her ass farther into me. I bring my lips up to her ear and bite softly.

  “Damn, baby,” is all I manage to say.

  I really should stop this because I know I can’t have sex with her tonight, and I am about ready to bust out of my jeans. The song begins to come to an end and she moves away, to my disappointment.

  “I need to use the restroom.”

  I watch her walk away, telling myself it’s just because I want to make sure she gets there okay. But in all fairness, it’s because I can’t take my eyes off of her. This is the first day of this trip and I can already tell she is changing me, just like that kiss did. Fuck! I don’t know if I am ready for this.

  She comes back a couple of minutes later and stumbles over something on the floor. I quickly grab her and place her on my lap. She grabs her drink and downs the whole thing in one swig. As hot as that was, she needs to slow down.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes, I just tripped over something on the floor.”

  I turn her face to mine but before I can get any words out, her lips land on mine. I run my hand up her back and cup her neck, deepening the kiss. I plunge my tongue inside her mouth, tasting the mixture of Red Bull and vodka. Her taste is addictive; I will never get enough. She moans into my mouth and begins to move her hips slightly, causing me to go as hard as a rock. I know I need to stop this before I do something she will regret. Slowing the kiss down, I pull away, which takes everything in me to do. Her eyes are still closed and her lips are swollen from our kiss.

  “Baby, as much as I would love to continue, we need to slow down before I can’t control myself anymore.”

  “What if I don’t want to stop?”

  Holy shit, I have been wanting to hear those words, but I can’t. She is drunk and it wouldn’t be right.

  “Fuck me, I would love nothing more than to take you back to the room and ravish you, but you have had too much to drink. The first time you feel me inside of you, I want you to be sober.”