IMPORTANT: This chapter includes a sex scene if you have a problem with that then leave now!
Ash came
out to generic music they'd picked out for her on her second Raw
taping. She took her seat next to J.R. and slipped her headphones on.
"Nervous?" He asked. "Not really. I love this shit."
Jim
gave her a lopsided smile. "You know your cue?"
"When Nash
grabs me I scream 'Daddy' for all I'm worth. Not terribly
difficult."
They bantered back and forth for nearly two
hours. Finally The Undertaker and Austin were up. The final match.
Ash pretended to be oblivious to everything but the action in the
ring. When Nash's music hit, they pretended shock, acting like they
thought he'd do damage to one of the competitors. Nash stalked over
to the announce table and pulled Ash up by her hair. Right before he
tore her headset off she screamed. 'Taker turned to see what was
going on, and his face turned red. Nash put a mic to his mouth and
said in a booming voice. "Found a treasure of yours, Deadman. How
far will you go to keep her safe?"
Ash flailed a little and
tried to kick at him. He shoved her to the side and she took a nasty
looking fall to the ramp. 'Taker charged at the big man. They
fought for a bit before Nash made an escape. Just before the cameras
went off the home audience saw The Undertaker cradling a shaken Ash
in his arms and carrying her backstage.
Once back there, Ash
jumped down and did a little dance. "That went well."
"You
made that fall look pretty real." "I scared ya, huh? Didn't
I?"
"A little." Jeff came up to congratulate them. He patted
her on the shoulder. "You did a really great job. You sell better
than Shannon does." "I'm surprised. He should be used to taking
punishment."
"Still not liking Shannon much?" "My feelings
haven't changed in years. Why would they now?" Jeff looked to
Mark. "You haven't told her yet?" "Told me what?" When Jeff
didn't respond she turned to her dad. "Told me what, Dad?"
"While
Nash and I are fighting at the p.p.v. Shannon is supposed to kidnap
you." "To what purpose?"
"Sneak in and steal the glory.
Appeal to The Undertaker's dark side. Show me that he can be sneaky
too. Something like that."
"No."
"Ash…"
"I
refuse." "You can't. You signed a contract."
Ash
opened her mouth, but snapped it shut when she realized she didn't
have an argument. "Is that why he's suddenly inconspicuous?"
Jeff nodded. "He was afraid of what you'd do to him when you
found out."
"Dad, the pay per view is next Sunday."
"I'm
aware." Heather made her way over to them, large camera in tow.
She'd gotten a job a few months back taking candid shots for the
magazine. "You guys ready to go?"
Ash stalked off to the
parking garage to pout. They headed off to the hotel. Ash followed
her sister to their room without saying a word. She walked in to find
her stuff not there. "Uh, where's my shit?"
"Uh, Ash.
Jeff's staying in here with me. I thought you knew that."
"Then
where am I staying? Sara's in Dad's room."
"Only one
person left to room with."
"Absolutely not.""Unless you
wanna sleep in the car, you don't have much choice."
Ash
glared daggers at her sister and stalked to Mark's room. She beat
on the door. She stood there glaring at him too when he answered. She
didn't realize it, but her stance was exactly like The Undertaker's
when getting ready for battle. "What the hell is going on? Why am I
sharing a room with Shannon?"
"Because your sister wanted to
room with Jeff."
"I really don't like any of you right
now."
"Well if that includes Shannon then at least I won't
be a grandfather any time soon." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Gross Dad. It's Shannon. You can't make me stay with him."
"It's just one night." "Fine. But I will make you all regret
it."
He handed her a key card. "It's just down the hall,
sweetheart."
"Bastard." She mumbled under her breath as she
stalked away. She let herself into the air-conditioned room and found
Shannon layed out on the bed, hair still wet from a shower, watching
TV in his boxers. "Can't you wear some clothes?"
"I
have clothes on. All the important parts are covered."
"I hate
you." She went to the sink to wash her face. She felt around on the
counter for a washcloth. After drying off, she reached for her
bathroom bag, but didn't find it. "Hey Shannon, could you run to
Heather's room and grab my bag with my toothbrush in it?" "I'm
in my underwear, Ash."
"It's just two doors down."
"Fine."
He got up and Ash followed him to the door. "It's the black see
through bag." When he was just out the door she stopped him. "Hang
on a sec." She grabbed his long ponytail and acted like she was
studying it. He didn't even think she would do anything awful to
him here. But she smiled and pulled his hair toward her and shut the
door effectively trapping him in the hall. All was silent for a
minute before she heard him through the door. "Ash, my hair's
stuck."
"I know."
"Let me go."
"Uh, let me think
about it. No." She flopped down on the bed and flipped through the
stations.
He didn't want to shout too loud and risk bringing
other people out of their rooms. He rested his head against the door
to relieve some of the pulling on his hair. Finally he heard Mark
coming out of his room. He closed his eyes to avoid meeting the man's
curious stare. "Something wrong, Shannon?" "No, sir."
"Why
are you standing here in your underwear, then?"
"Fresh
air?"
"She locked you out?"
"Yeah."
"Move then.
I'll get her to unlock the door."
"Small problem with that."
Mark got close enough to see Shannon's predicament. A dark look
crossed his face. "Ashley Renee!" She answered in a sweet voice.
"Yes Daddy?"
"Open the door."
"Sure." She pulled it
open and smiled innocently. "Oh, Shannon, how long have you been
waiting. You should've said something. Did you get my bag?" He
brushed past her and angrily threw the blankets aside. "Get your
own damn bag."
She shrugged and walked next door. "Is
something wrong, Daddy?"
"Don't do that again." "Sure."
After
retrieving her bag, she brushed her teeth and got in bed herself.
"Why are you so horrible to me?"
"I don't know." "Yes
you do. There has to be some reason. You've hated me since we were
kids."
"Shouldn't that tell you something, moron. Stop
trying to be nice to me then. I don't like you. You said it
yourself."
He sat up and even in the dark she could tell his
whole demeanor had changed. He lost that Shannyness that was all over
him. Suddenly he was grown up. An aspiring wrestler that had worked
hard to become a WWE Superstar. "Well, whatever it is, you need to
put it aside while we have to work together. I didn't ask for this,
but it could be a big break for me. I know that wrestling doesn't
mean a whole lot to you, but it's my life. This is all I've ever
wanted to do. All I'm asking is that you don't screw it up for
me." "What makes you think I'll fuck it up?" "You have a
tendency to take away or maim everything I want."
Ouch. That one
had hurt. Maybe because it was true. Ash didn't analyze why, she
just turned over and ignored him. She heard him lay back down with a
sigh.
She didn't speak to him the next morning as they got ready
to leave. They'd be going back home for a few days before taping
Smackdown!. She grabbed her bags and met Sara and Mark by their car.
Sara raised a surprised eyebrow. "You're not riding with Jeff and
Heather?" "No." She climbed into the backseat of the SUV and
didn't say much on the three hour drive back home. By the following
Sunday she was actually nervous. She paced around backstage while
waiting to start taping. The monitor showed that Kevin Nash was still
doing his intro. She still had almost 15 minutes to wait. Shannon
placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna do fine.
You don't even have any lines." "I know. Just flail. I've got
it."
"Then what's wrong? Why're you so nervous?"
"I
dunno. Just leave me alone for now."
He gave her puppy
eyes, but did as she asked. The camera crew finally made their way
into position. "Okay," a man dressed in jeans and a WWE crew
t-shirt came up to them. "Do you know your positions?" They
nodded.
"Good. Now let's do this right, 'cause we're
live." He counted down on his fingers then pointed to them. Ash
bent double, acting as though she was checking her shoelaces. She
felt Shannon come up behind her.
"Well, well, well. What have we
here? 'Taker's little girl is all alone. Looks like a perfect
opportunity to show off some Mattitude." He flashed the V1 sign and
wrapped one hand around her mouth and the other around her waist. He
dragged her backwards. She kicked with her legs and was secretly
pleased to actually connect with his shin with one. He turned her
around to toss her over his shoulder. With her mouth now
unobstructed, she shouted for all she was worth. The scream turned
into a surprised shriek when she felt his hand come down on her ass.
She closed her mouth and silently fumed. Shannon was getting way too
into this. The camera followed them out to the parking garage where
he stuffed her into his car and peeled out. Once out of camera shot,
she turned in the seat to glare at him. "What the hell,
Shannon?"
"What?"
"You smacked me." "Consider it
a love tap." He passed the exit to go to the hotel and kept
driving.
"You missed our turn." "No I didn't."
"Yes
you did." "We're not going to the hotel tonight."
"What?"
"We're going somewhere else. I'm kidnapping
you."
"Are you deranged? Turn around right now,
Shannon."
"No." "What about my stuff? You can't just
steal me! Dad's gonna be pissed." "No he's not."
"You
mean he knew about this?"
"Uh-huh."
Ash slammed
herself back in the seat to silently fume. "I knew you were
mentally unstable. Dad just wouldn't listen to me. You've got
problems." "No I don't. And trust me, you won't be so pissed
when we get to where we're going."
"Where ARE we
going?"
"You'll see."
"What about tomorrow's
Raw?"
"We're not due back until next Monday. 'Taker's
going to torture Matt for information on Raw and Smackdown."
"I
want to call Dad."
"No."
All her life, she'd hated
being told not to do something. It just made her want to do it more.
She spied her bags in the backseat and dove for them. Shannon was
expecting it, and caught her around the middle. He maneuvered the car
onto the shoulder of the road and pulled her into his lap. She sat
still in shock and stared at him. "Let me go." "Why? You're
not in danger." His voice was husky with something Ash didn't
want to name. She tried to move, but he held her tighter. "Shannon,
let me off of your lap."
"Don't try to use your cell
phone."
"Fine." "Promise me."
"Okay. I promise,
just let me up." When he released her she darted back to her seat.
She stayed as far away from him as she could. He deftly slipped back
into traffic as if nothing had happened. They drove in silence for
almost two hours. He checked the clock when his stomach rumbled.
Almost midnight.
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes."
Shannon
turned off at an exit that had all night restaurants. "Denny's
okay?"
"Fine. Did you bring my purse?" "No. I didn't
want you getting any ideas about hopping a bus back home." "You're
a bastard." "But a bastard that's going to buy you dinner."
"At
Denny's? Wow, Shannon, you really know how to wine and dine a
girl."
"Give me time, Little Evil. I haven't gotten to that
part yet."
Ash rolled her eyes at the old nickname. She vaguely
wondered if she should make a scene in the restaurant, but decided
against it. She was starved. They got a booth near a window and
ordered. She didn't say much to him while they ate. She jumped when
his cell phone rang. "Hello?" There was a pause. "Yes sir."
Another pause. "We've still got a bit to go. We should be there
by tomorrow. I'm planning on stopping tonight."
"Is that my
dad?" When Shannon ignored her, she figured it was. She yanked the
phone away from him. "Dad how could you let him do this?" "I
didn't let him do anything, dear. He made up his mind, and only
told me so I wouldn't worry."
"You could've beat the shit
out of him."
"Are you hurt?" "No."
"Is he
feeding you?"
"Yes."
"Then you're fine."
"But,
Dad…"
"Goodbye, Ashley. Have fun." He hung up.
Ash
shoved the phone back at Shannon. "I hate you."
Ash woke up when she felt the car slowing down. She looked over at Shannon. He looked tired. His hair was a mess, like he'd been running his hands through it. He'd lost the ponytail holder and let his hair fall around his face. Ash liked the way the black chunks stood out against his features. They made the green in his eyes stand out. She shook her head. She must be tired if she was admiring Shannon's good looks. He pulled up to a Holiday Inn and got out. Ash noticed he left the keys in the ignition. She contemplated leaving him, but she had no clue where they were. Or how to get home from here. He came back a few minutes later and drove around to the side of the building. She pretended to still be asleep, wanting to see what his intentions were. She heard him get out of the car and grab some stuff from the backseat. Watch him leave me in here all night, she thought. But he came back and opened the door on her side. He slipped one arm behind her shoulders and the other under her knees. He carried her into the room and carefully layed her on a bed. She heard him leave again so she cracked her eyelids. The room looked like any other hotel room she'd been in. But at least there were two beds. She heard him fumbling with the lock and slammed her eyes shut again. Shannon came back with the rest of the bags. Ash was still where he'd left her. Making a quick decision he dropped the stuff and headed for her bed. He sat at the end and pulled her feet into his lap. He pushed her pant leg up to unzip the chunky calf length boots. After setting them on the floor, he scooted her to the middle of the bed and got up. He stripped down to his boxers and got into the other bed. He turned off the light and quickly fell asleep.
Ash woke first the next
morning. She rolled over to look at the clock. After ten. They would
have to be getting up soon. Check out was probably at twelve. "Good
morning." She looked over at Shannon. He was disheveled, his face
puffy from sleep, and completely adorable. Something in her stomach
fluttered a little, but she ignored it. "Morning."
"Sleep
well?" She stretched and groaned. "I'm stiff. Probably from
sleeping in jeans."
"I didn't want you to accuse me of
molesting you in your sleep, so I just took your shoes off."
"How
very noble of you." He got up slowly and sat at the edge of the
bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up after a minute.
"When I molest you, I want you to remember every bit of it." He
headed to the shower, laughing at her shocked expression. When she
heard the water cut on, she started getting dressed. She brushed out
her waist length hair and tried to braid it. Finally getting
frustrated, she just let it hang free. Beside her the bathroom door
opened and Shannon emerged wearing only a towel. Her mouth went dry
as she stared at him. Drops of water clung to his eyelashes and lips.
It ran in little rivulets down his smooth chest. His hair was messy
from having the towel ran over it. He looked like sex. He chuckled a
little at her and went to pick up a bag. She turned back to the sink
and grabbed her toothbrush. When she looked in the mirror she could
see a blush staining her cheeks. She looked past herself to Shannon
and felt the blush deepen. He had dropped the towel and was pulling
on a pair of boxers. Her eyes rounded to the size of saucers and she
quickly looked away. She was shaking slightly when she finished. She
went back to the bed and put her shoes on.
Shannon noticed
her reaction to him and smiled a little. He wanted to keep her off
balance. Wanted to stay in control. Leaving his jeans partially
undone, he sat down and brushed his hair. He studied her as he did.
He liked her hair down. It made her look softer, less angry. She wore
a pair of ripped up jeans and a baggy "pain sin-dicate" shirt.
She was still blushing and he guessed that she'd watched him
getting dressed. His lack of shirt also seemed to be bothering her
because she refused to look directly at him. "You didn't braid
your hair." She jumped. "Uh, no. It's too long for me to braid
myself. I have to pull it around to the side, and I don't like the
way it looks when I have to do that. Heather usually does it for me."
"I know how to braid."
"That's okay." She didn't think
she liked the idea of Shannon touching her right now. Her body had
turned traitor and was acting funny around him. Her mind was saying
"Yuck. It's Shannon." And her body was saying "Hello
Shannon!"
"I'm surprised you let it get so long. You've
never been the girlie type."
"I'm not. But I just like long
hair. I cut it all off one time and it looked horrible. I just don't
have the facial structure for short hair. It brings too much
attention to my eyes." "What's wrong with that?"
"How
many people do you know with two different colored eyes, Shannon?"
He looked at her. One blue eye, one green. He'd always liked them.
"Just you." The way he said it made her shiver.
"Exactly."
"There's nothing wrong with being unique." "I
didn't say there was. I just don't want extra attention drawn to
them. I'd rather stand out because I want to."
He didn't
understand, so he dropped it. "We should get going." "Where are
we anyway?"
"Louisiana."
"What's in
Louisiana?"
"New Orleans." "Why are we going
there?"
"Have you ever been?" "No."
"Exactly. We're
going to spend a week in sin city. We should be there in about two
hours." Ash suppressed and excited giggle. She refused to giggle in
front of Shannon, so she just shrugged. "I guess it's better than
being at home." Had he not been watching her closely he'd have
missed the gleam in her multicolored eyes. He threw on a shirt and
shoes and they were off. "Do you want breakfast?" She shook her
head. "I usually just have coffee. I'm not a morning
person."
"Mind if I run through a drive-thru?"
"I guess
not." After stopping at McDonald's they headed toward New
Orleans. Ash tried not to act excited, but she practically had her
nose pressed to the window as they entered the city. They drove
through the main part, and Shannon got back on the highway. "We're
not staying?"Shannon smiled at the disappointment in her voice. "I
have reservations somewhere outside the city." "Oh." "Don't
worry. It's only about ten minutes from everything."
He pulled
up to a small building and stopped the car. "Stay here. I'll be
right back."
Ash looked around in awe. Everything was so green.
At home most things were brown. The climate was hotter even though
the temperature was lower than it would've been in Texas. It was
almost sultry. Shannon came back and drove around behind the office.
Several cabins were situated among the trees. He pulled up to one and
they got out.
Ash gasped as they entered the building. It
was like a little house. A small living room opened up into a
kitchen. She followed the hall to a spacious bedroom with only one
bed. "Shannon, why is there only one bed?" "That's all they
have."
"And you're going to be sleeping where?" He gave
an enigmatic shrug, and she let it go. If she had to she'd argue
with him later tonight. Right now she was drunk with the new
surroundings. "What're we going to do first?"
"I figured
we could rest up today, and maybe hit the zoo tomorrow." "It's
been years since I've been to a zoo."
"The Audubon is
supposed to be really great. It takes all day just to go though
it."
"So we're not doing anything tonight?" "What would
you like to do?"
"I don't know. You've been here before.
What's fun?" "We could go to Bourbon Street. Or they have a
great mall. But if you want to go shopping, the French Quarter is
defiantly worth experiencing." "Either would work."
"Do
you have anything with you besides torn up clothes?" "I didn't
pack with New Orleans in mind."
"So we shop." "You didn't
bring my purse, Shannon. I don't have money."
"I know."
"I'm not letting you buy me things."
"I'm paying for the
room."
"But I didn't have any control over that." "And
you don't have any control over this. Besides, I missed your 21st
birthday. Consider it a late present." Ash stomped her foot in
frustration. She hated that she was completely at Shannon's mercy.
But in a way it was nice. She trusted him. And she knew she could
beat him up if it came down to it. They headed back into the city and
parked at the mall. "Let's get you some clubbing clothes. And
some more comfortable shoes for when we go to the zoo."
As they
were passing the food court, Ash spotted something that caught her
attention. "What's a beignet?"
"We'll get some later,
when we go to the French Quarter."
"Okay." She let Shannon
help her pick out some clothes. They spent a few hours browsing then
went back to the cabin. He let her have the bedroom while he changed
in the living room. She pulled her new purchases out of the bags and
put them on. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror with a
look of disbelief. The tight black leather pants framed her small
hips and ass. They fit all the way down to her knee, where they
flared a bit. Her top was a spandex off the shoulder tank that
stopped just above her pierced belly button. She wore her boots to
make her legs look longer and give her some extra height. Shannon had
insisted on buying her a choker. It was a piece of black leather with
an ankh hanging from it. She put on what little make up she owned,
applying the eyeliner heavily. It drew attention to her eyes, but she
could deal with it for tonight. She brushed her hair until it gleamed
and left it loose. After one last check, she left the bedroom.
Shannon was waiting on the couch. He wore baggy silver pants with
cargo pockets and a white button down dress shirt. He'd left the
bottom half unbuttoned. He'd also left his hair down, letting the
black frame his face. A silver barbell gleamed from his left eyebrow.
He seemed just as caught up in her new appearance as she was in his.
They both said, "Wow" at the same time. Ash gave a nervous laugh.
"You clean up well, Shannon." "As do you. Turn around."
She did a spin for him, smiling to herself at his whistle. He
opened the door for her and they headed for Bourbon Street. They
called a cab to drop them off. He put an arm around her shoulders as
they got out. "Stay close to me." "Why 'cause you look so
tough and macho that no one would mess with us?" "Something like
that."
Ash laughed. "Shannon, you're too pretty to be
macho." "Okay, then stay close to me 'cause I want you to."
She
started to pull away. "See. I knew you would do that. Look. Let's
just have fun. You can go back to hating me when we get home. And I
promise I won't tell anyone if you enjoy yourself or my company.
It's easy to loose yourself and be someone else here. Just go with
it." "We'll see." But she did step closer to him and allowed
him to replace his arm around her. New Orleans at night in late
October wasn't unbearably hot. They went into most of the hokey
touristy shops before getting to a club. Ash started to just walk in,
but Shannon tugged her back. "That's the Oz."
"So?"
"That's a gay club." Ash's face reddened. "Oh."
"We
can check it out if you want. But," he looked down at himself.
"I'll be popular in there."
"Maybe later," Ash mumbled.
"I know a few clubs that you'd probably like. Let's get a
drink."
He led her toward one of the outside vendors selling
hurricane's and alligator on a stick. He bought both. "I'm not
eating that, Shannon." "Just try it." She took a small nibble
and was surprised to find it was good. He ended up buying another
one. "Only one drink?" "Trust me, you don't want to guzzle
one down by yourself. It's got like seven different liquors in it.
And you can't taste any of them." Ash took a cautious sip and let
the fruity mixture roll around on her tongue. "It's really good."
They continued up the street passing the huge cup between them. She
was already starting to feel a good buzz when they came to another
club. She didn't look at the name as Shannon pulled her inside. The
dance floor was packed with people, but he found them enough space to
move. He pulled her close and let the music carry him into a rhythm.
She let him lead her, not sure what to do. He leaned down and spoke
directly in her ear. "Move you hips more." He put his hands on
her waist and guided her. He slipped his leg in between hers so that
her movements looked extremely lewd. She normally would've pulled
away, but remembering what he'd said earlier, decided to just go
with it. She even decided to take it one step further. She slipped
her hands in the open part of his shirt and ripped it open. His eyes
gleamed at her as he gave her a feral grin. She moved up to his neck
and looped her arms around him. She leaned back and pushed her chest
out, while still grinding herself down onto his leg. She could feel
his groin pressing into her stomach. Her little show was not leaving
him unaffected. A shiver ran up her back. If she did anything too
bad, she could always blame it on the alcohol. He braced her with one
hand between her shoulders and leaned down to run his tongue along
the column of her throat. She moaned but it was drowned out by the
music. When the song ended, she blinked as if coming out of a trance.
He kept her close as he led them to the bar. "What do you want to
drink?"She stood on her tiptoes to reach his ear. "Rum and
coke."
He ordered her drink and a beer and they headed
for a set of stairs that opened into a balcony. It was quieter up
there with few people. He led her to a corner overlooking a side
street. "Having fun?" She sipped her drink. "Yeah."
"Good.
I didn't know you could dance." "That wasn't really dancing,
Shannon, it was more like…" "Like what?"
"Nothing."
"No. More like what, Ash?" "Foreplay." She didn't look at
him as she answered. She used the little plastic straw to keep her
drink from settling. "Which is all dancing really is."
"If
you say so." He could tell she was uncomfortable with the line of
conversation. Good. She was still unbalanced. He hadn't expected
her to be so comfortable with him so quickly. He plucked her drink
from her hand and set it and his bottle on the railing. "I do say
so." He leaned back against the wall and pulled her between his
spread legs. His thighs trapped her hips.
"Shannon…"
"Yeah?"What're you doing?" "I'm going to kiss you." He
leaned close but felt her put a hand against his chest.
"I hate
beer." "Excuse me?"
"You smell like beer." "Oh."
He let her go to grab her rum and coke. By the time he'd taken a
swallow, she's slipped away from him. "Did you think it'd be
that easy to steal a kiss from me? It's going to take a lot more
work than that."
"Is that a challenge?" She shrugged and
took her drink back. "Could be. But I wanna dance more." She
drained the glass and walked back downstairs. Shannon noticed a
little more wiggle to her hips than usual. He, too, drained his beer
and followed her. Ash waited at the bottom and watched him. His
ripped shirt flapped open as he walked, showing off his muscled
chest. She gave another little shiver. He certainly had grown up
well. Maybe he wasn't the stupid kid she remembered. When he
reached her he didn't say a word; just looped an arm around her
waist and pulled her into the crush of people. The song was a slow
one, so he moved so close to her that every part of them was
touching. He put one hand on the back of her neck and the other right
above the top of her pants. He buried his face in the other side of
her neck and lightly nipped the sensitive skin behind her ear. She
could feel him smile at her shiver. He laved the spot with his tongue
and tickled her back with his fingers. He nibbled down her neck to
her shoulder to where her shirt was. He slipped his tongue under the
cloth and heard her gasp. She yanked his head up by the hair and
pulled his face down to hers. His body hardened at the arousal in her
eyes. She paused with her lips only a breath from his. She teasingly
darted her tongue out to lick her lips and smiled, then let her head
fall back. With a growl he attacked her again with lips and tongue.
She arched into him, grinding with the tempo. She let her hands roam
over his exposed chest and stomach. It was his turn to shiver when
she scratched down his chest to his abdomen. He was confused when she
suddenly pushed him away.
With a saucy
wink, she sauntered out of the club. He found her waiting just
outside the door. "Tease."
"So glad you noticed." "Am
I going to get anywhere tonight?" "Depends on what your goal
is." He didn't answer right away. He liked this side of Ash. The
devil may care side. Where she wasn't worried about being with him.
Or letting herself have fun. She'd been too wrapped up in trying to
find a career she liked lately. Hopefully she didn't close back up
when they got home. But even if she did, he had this memory. "What
if my goal is just a kiss?"
"Somehow I doubt that." He gave
her a wicked grin. "Okay. How 'bout this. My ultimate goal for
this week is to see you naked and panting beneath me. Or above me.
I'm not picky. I want to hear you screaming when I make you
cum."
Her face flushed with desire. "Oh. At least you're
honest. And will this be before we go to the zoo? Or after?"
"It
doesn't matter." "Well, then. I guess we have plenty of time to
get to your agenda. Plus I get to sight see. Works out great for both
of us." "Does that mean I'll get what I want?" She just
smiled at him.
"That's not an answer." Same smile.
"You
are a tease." "So far. But we'll see if that changes within the
week."
Once they got back to the cabin, Ash flopped down on the
couch with a giggle. "That was great." "I'm glad you enjoyed
yourself. It's getting late. If we're going to the zoo tomorrow,
we should get to bed." "It's already almost five. Maybe we
should put the zoo off for a day when we'll get more sleep."
"Okay. We can go to the Quarter tomorrow."
Ash drug
herself up and headed down the hall. "So we never discussed the
little matter of where you're sleeping tonight."
"It's a
big bed, Ash." "But I have my virtue to think of." "Are you
serious? You're going to make me sleep on the couch?" "It's
comfortable." She opened the door and slipped in. "Goodnight,
Shannon." He braced his hand on the closing door. "I could
insist." "But will you?"
"Not about where I sleep. But I
must insist on getting a goodnight kiss." "What if I don't kiss
on the first date?"
"Well, I do. So I guess you're shit out
of luck. Your virtue be damned." He leaned in and captured her
lips. He was gentle at first, slipping his tongue into her mouth. But
then he turned aggressive. He made her feel possessed and cherished
all with out touching her anywhere but where they were connected. Too
soon he walked back down the hall. She stood there; half tempted to
call him back, but eventually closed the door. When she woke up the
next afternoon she stretched languidly in the huge bed. It really was
too big for just one person. She blushed as a mental image of her and
Shannon filled her mind. She got up and took a shower. She dressed in
a new pair of jeans that actually fit and a white tank top. She put
on her new sneakers and left the room. Shannon was still sleeping.
He'd taken everything but his boxers off last night. The pants and
shirt were crumpled on the floor beside the couch. A sheet was
tangled around his hips; showing more than it covered. She reached
down and lightly tugged on a lock of his hair. "Wake up, sleepy
head."
His eyes opened lazily and he smiled. "I don't want
to." "Too bad. We're going to the French Quarter today,
remember."
"I remember. But it's not going anywhere." He
captured her hand and pulled her down so that she was sprawled across
him. She tried to push herself off, but he held her. She could feel
his body was very much awake. "Are you always this happy in the
morning or is it me?" "Both." "You're shameless."
"Pretty
much." "And depraved."
"Always."
"And hard to
insult."
"You got one part right."
She hated that
he could make her blush so easily. "Stop that." He laughed and
released her. She scrambled up and retreated to a chair by the
window. "You done in the bathroom?"
"Yeah." He grabbed
some clean clothes and went to take a shower.
By the time they
got back to the cabin, Ash was breathless with the new sites. And
Shannon. He'd kept her close all day; finding reasons to touch her.
She'd had a blush almost all day from the not so cleverly disguised
innuendoes he'd been flinging around. To top it all off they'd
been caught in a rain shower that had soaked Ash's white shirt in
no time. She'd finally convinced him to buy her a dry shirt. But
not a white one. On the way back to the hotel he bought a bottle of
Bacardi and said they were going to play a game tonight. Ash grabbed
some dry clothes out of her suitcase and changed quickly. She emerged
from the bedroom wearing loose pajama pants and a large t-shirt.
Shannon too was wearing loose cotton pants, but with no shirt. His
blue boxers peeked from the waistband. "So what's this game you
want to play?"
"It's called 'have you ever?'"
"How
do you play?"
"Pour two shots. One of us asks a question
starting with 'have you ever'. If the answer is yes then you
drink."
"Okay." She sat next to him on the couch. "I'm
game."
"Good. I'll start." After pouring the shots, he sat
back. "Have you ever…been attracted to
Jeff?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Is that so hard to
believe?"
"I guess not. It's just that most of the girls I
know have."
"Well, I haven't. My turn. Have you ever…brought
another girl up here?"
"No. This is only my third trip to New
Orleans." He liked her question. She wanted to be the only one he
did this with. "Let's make this a bit more interesting. Have you
ever…had sex?"
Her eyes went very wide. She nervously licked
her lips.
"You haven't. Have you? I thought that was going to
be a sure fire one to make you drink."
"Well it wasn't."
She snapped. "Don't get mad. There's nothing wrong with
being a virgin. I just didn't think you were."
"Yeah,
well, when would I have had the time to have sex? While I was living
with my crazy momma? Or my overprotective father?"
"You're
not with either one of them now."
"No. But we're playing a
game. Have you ever…had a one night stand?"
He looked at his
shot guiltily and downed it.
"SHANNON!"
"It happens
sometimes. I'm careful when it does."
"When's the last
time."
"A few months ago. Have you ever…wanted to sleep with
me?"
"In what way?"
"You know what way. Have sex."
Ash took a deep breath, contemplating lying. But she tipped her
head back and drank the fiery liquid. Shannon refilled the glass.
"Now this is getting fun."
"I don't wanna play
anymore."
"Too bad. It's your turn."
"Have you ever…"
Deciding to turn the tables on him, she stood up and pulled her shirt
over her head. His gaze went immediately to her bra encased chest.
"Wanted to see me naked?" Of course, he drank. "Have you
ever…wanted me to see you naked?" Not only did she drink, but she
grabbed the bottle and settled herself into his lap. "Have you
ever…wanted to fuck me?" When he grabbed for the bottle, she
moved it out of his reach. She poured some into the valley between
her breasts. "How 'bout a body shot?" He dipped his head to her
chest and licked at the liquid. She pulled him closer to her. "All
of it." He leaned her back and braced her with his arms. He lapped
up as much of it as he could. She groaned when he abandoned her
cleavage and went for a cloth covered nipple. She still had the
bottle in one hand, so she used the other to tangle his hair in her
fingers and keep him where he was. He undid the clasp of her bra and
using his teeth, pulled the material away. She arched into him when
his hot mouth touched bare flesh. Her ears were ringing with the
pleasure of it. He pulled away and she realized she really was
hearing a ringing…phone. He cursed savagely and grabbed at the cell
phone on the coffee table. "WHAT?" After a moment he thrust the
phone at her. "Um, hello?"
"Ash, you sound funny."
"Oh
hey Heather. I'm fine. Just tired."
"Long day?"
"Yeah.
We've been walking pretty much everywhere since we got here."
"You
don't sound like you're having a bad time."
"New Orleans
is great. We need to come down here with Dad sometime." Ash tried
to keep her voice steady as Shannon traced his thumb back and forth
over her nipple. He had leaned back into the couch and pulled her up
with him. Her ass was right over his groin so she wiggled her hips in
retaliation. He groaned quietly. "What was that?" Heather
asked.
"What was what?"
"Sounded like Shannon. Ash, are
you hurting him?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe."
"Ohhhh. I
get it. I really should let you go now. That's why Shannon was so
disgruntled when he answered."
"It's not what you
think."
"Sure, Ash."
"It's really not. I have no
intention of sleeping with him."
Shannon grabbed the
phone. "But I have every intention of trying to change her mind. So
I'll be keeping the phone on silent. We'll call if anything bad
happens. Otherwise don't bother trying to get a hold of us." He
hung up on Heather. "Great, Shannon. Just great. Now everyone will
think we're sleeping together."
"Isn't that where this was
heading?"
"Not necessarily."
"Keep telling yourself
that. But I can feel how hot you are all the way through both of
these pants." Ash slapped his chest and got up. "You're so
vulgar." She grabbed her shirt and slipped it over her head.
"If
you want to see vulgar I'll show you some of the thing's I'd do
to you."
"No thank you. I'm going to bed."
"Me too.
And I'm not sleeping on the couch again."
"You said you
wouldn't insist."
"Last night. But tonight I am." She
glared at him and stalked to the bedroom. "Fine. Have it your way."
Once in there she got in at the edge of the bed with her back to the
other side. Shannon took his pants off and got in. He scooted all the
way over next to her, but not touching. "Is asking for a
goodnight kiss too much?"
"Definitely."
"So I guess
I'll just have to take one." She didn't have time to react
before he flipped her over on top of him. "You seem to like being
lower than me." He rolled over so that she was trapped underneath
him. "You were saying?" Her legs had parted during the shifting
so that his hips were nestled against hers. "I'm not kissing
you."
"Kissing isn't a prerequisite for what I had in
mind."
"Into unwilling females, are we Shannon?"
"Unwilling
huh? What about all that moaning and heavy breathing when I sucked
your nipples. And let's not forget you grinding your ass into my
lap." She blushed again despite the thrill that went through her.
"Why do you have to say that shit."
"Does it embarrass
you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't know. It just
does."
"I guess we shall have to remedy that with
practice."
"Excuse me?"
In answer he
pressed his hips forward and moved to the side a little. She gasped
and jerked up involuntarily. "Do you like that?" She stared up at
him with stubbornness and refused to answer.
"I love a
challenge." He leaned up enough to once again pull her shirt off.
She didn't protest; just kept staring back at him mutely. He'd
been around her long enough to know that she'd accepted his
challenge. He started with the underside of her breast and trailed
the tip of his tongue up to her nipple without touching it. He
circled it several times before flattening his tongue and licking
straight across it. She gasped, but didn't say a word. He gently
bit her, before closing his mouth around it. She started to tunnel
her fingers in his hair, but he captured her hands and pulled them
over her head. She arched up into him, silently asking for more. "You
want me to continue?"
She nodded.
"Then beg me."
She
once again gave him that stubborn look. "Just the answer I was
hoping for." He moved off of her, but returned a second later with
something in his hands. He'd looped the belt around her wrists
before she could move. She started to struggle, but he attached the
other end to the headboard. She wiggled her hands and found the
bindings to be loose. Loose enough that she could pull free if she
chose to. She didn't. He settled down beside her with his obvious
erection pressed against her thigh. He flicked her nipples a few
times and trailed his fingers down her stomach. He toyed with the
waistband of her pants; dipping his fingers just underneath it. She
tried to keep still, but a light tremor shook her body here and
there. He inched into her pants a little at a time, watching her face
as he went. "No panties? Someone was hoping for just this type of
thing, huh?" He ran his fingers down her thigh, bypassing the place
he wanted to touch most. He could feel her muscles clenching as he
made his way back up slowly. Using one finger he traced the outer
edge of her, gratified to hear her gasp. "Tell me what you want me
to do."She refused to answer.
"Stubborn woman." He
parted the folds and just barely inserted his finger into her. She
arched and let out a soft whine. He pulled her pants the rest of the
way off and moved between her legs. She tried to keep her thighs
closed, but he pushed them apart easily. He layed down with his head
propped on her thigh and continued where he'd left off. He could
smell her arousal and it fed his own. He slipped one finger into her
fully; feeling how tight she was. He almost groaned himself at the
thought of burying himself into her. But not tonight. He used his
other hand to lightly manipulate her clit while he worked the other
one in and out of her; never giving her the pressure or pace she
needed to cum. She was writhing on the bed within minutes. "Tell me
what you want, Ash and I can make it happen." She opened her mouth,
but nothing came out. He could feel her getting closer so he placed a
light kiss on her clit. She screamed in frustration and pulled at the
belt. "Shannon, I swear, if you don't…" She bit her lip and
moaned when he slid another finger into her. "Don't what?"
"You
know what!"
"Tell me." He gave her another small, intimate
kiss.She bucked her hips up toward him. "Do you want to cum?"
"YES!"
"Then tell me."
"I…I just…did."
"I
want to hear you say it."
"Sh…Shannon." She moaned again.
"Shannon…please. " "Please what?" She finally pulled her
hands free of the belt and grabbed his head by the hair. "Make me
cum."
He began thrusting his fingers faster immediately.
She fell back to the bed with a hoarse cry. He found her clit with
his lips and sucked it into his mouth. He felt her tighten on his
fingers and she gave a loud groan as she came. He continued to nibble
at her flesh until the spasms finished. He sat back on his heels and
waited until she opened her eyes. Once she was watching him, he
brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked her juices off of them.
She sat up and started tugging on his boxers. He captured her hands.
"We can't have sex tonight, Ash." She looked at him through
blurry eyes. "What?"
"I don't have any condoms. I wasn't
expecting things to move this quickly."
"You mean…you didn't
have any intentions of…"
"My only goal was making you cum. I
think I accomplished that."
"But I…I'm still…"
"Horny?
Me too. But we can't have everything we want, dear." Ash yelled
wordlessly and flopped back against the bed. "I hate you." He
layed down next to her and pulled her to his chest. "No, you
don't."
"Uh-huh. Just because I like what you do to me,
doesn't mean I like you."
"If I pick up some condoms
tomorrow will you like me better?" "Maybe."
He woke her
up early the next morning. When she got a look at what time it was
she groaned and rolled back over. "Too fucking early."
"The
zoo opens at eight, Ash. We need to go early if we're going to see
everything." When she still didn't move he slapped her on the
ass. Ash yelped and bolted upright. She glared into his smiling face
and slid out of bed. He'd laid a pair of shorts and a blue tank top
out for her. She started to protest his assumption that she'd wear
what he wanted her to, but realized that's what she'd have picked
out. After she dressed and brushed her teeth and hair, Shannon held
up a bottle of sunscreen. "We'll be outside all day. Let me put
some on her shoulders." She turned around and felt him move her
ponytail over her shoulder. He squirted the fragrant lotion into his
hands and warmed it up before applying it to her skin. She sighed as
he worked it in, letting the light coconut smell envelope her. He was
done too soon. He held the bottle out to her with a smirk. "Do me
now?"
"You can make anything sound dirty."
"Are we back
to being prudish? Do I have to teach you another lesson?" Ash
thought back to how hard it was to fall asleep last night. "No."
She grabbed the bottle from him and slathered the cream onto the
exposed parts of his shoulders.
They drove down to the River Walk
and bought two tickets to the zoo. When Shannon led her toward the
waiting ferry, Ash faltered. "We're getting on a
boat?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"It'll take us to the
zoo. And bring us back."
"There isn't another way?"
"We
could've drove, but I thought you'd like to go this way." Ash
steeled herself and slowly made her way to the ramp. They took a
picture by a life preserver with S.S. Audubon written on it. Shannon
held her clammy hand as they boarded. "Are you
okay?"
"Uh-huh."
"Are you scared of boats?"
"Not
boats."
"Water?" "Uh-huh."
"Baby, I'm sorry. I
didn't know. Shit, I'm such a bastard."
"Not many people
know, Shannon. It's okay."
"Your dad didn't tell me when I
told him what I was planning."
"He doesn't know. Neither
does Heather."
"Who does?"
"My mother and the emergency
room doctors that had to pump water from my lungs."
They
sat down at a table on the middle deck. Shannon put her back to the
window so she wouldn't have to look out at the water. "What
happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay."
He pointed to the bar.
"Want a drink?"
"Just coke,
please."
"Sure." When he got back she guzzled the drink,
hoping it would settle her stomach. The ride over lasted about thirty
minutes. Shannon made goofy faces at her and kept her talking the
whole time. The dread in the pit of her stomach finally lessened when
her feet were on dry land. She took a few deep breaths and tried to
stop shaking. Shannon looped an arm around her waist. "Let's go
look at some nanimals."
"Nanimals? What are we, like
five?"
"Sure. At least until we can get back to the cabin."
Ash fought the blush, and this time succeeded. They did indeed act
like kids through most of the park. Neither had been there before and
they rediscovered the joys of zoo going together. Ash dragged Shannon
by the hand to several different exhibits. They paused by the leopard
area. She leaned back against Shannon and sighed. "Have you ever
wondered what it'd be like to be one of them?"
"Not
really."
"I have."
"Are you not happy as a
human?"
"It's not that. I've just always wondered what it
would be like to be a predator. A real one. And to be completely
free. Not bound by any obligations or needs. Just an open…uh…where
ever leopards are from."
Shannon smiled down at her. "I
think I know what you mean." He kissed her forehead. "But I'm
fine with all of my obligations. And I'm fine right where I am."
She gave him a puzzled look and they moved on. It was damn near
closing time when they made their way back to the ferry. "How 'bout
a rum and coke on the way back?"
"Sure." She found a seat
while he got them some drinks. "So what's on the agenda for
tonight?"
"A quick stop at a drug store is my first priority.
Past that I don't care."
"What makes you think I still want
to sleep with you?"
He shrugged. "We could always play 'have
you ever' again."
"That's okay."
"You didn't like
the way the last game ended?"
"With my sister calling? Not
really."
"The phone is on silent."
"Which reminds me. I
really do need to call her back."
"You can call her when we
get back to the cabin." After a stop at Wallgreens they headed back
to their temporary home. Ash grabbed the cell phone and went outside,
wanting privacy for just a moment. Heather picked up on the first
ring. "Hello?"
"Sorry about Shannon being so rude last
night."
"It's fine. Did you have fun?"
"Up until a
certain point."
"Hurt?"
"We didn't get that far."
Heather waited for her sister to continue.
"How bad is it
really?"
"A pretty good bit. But it's worth it. And
Shannon's a sweetie. I'm sure he'll be careful."
"I
know."
"Don't be nervous. That'll make it worse."
"Okay.
Relax. Got it."
"Ash, I can't believe I'm giving you a
pre-sex pep talk."
"Yeah. It is kinda fucked up."
"So
I'm gonna let yo go now. Have fun."
"I'll try."
Ash
walked inside to find an empty living room. She heard noise coming
from the bedroom and went down the hall. She found Shannon sprawled
out on the bed in just his jeans watching TV. He looked up at her.
"Hey babe."
"Uh, hi." She perched on the very edge of the
bed. He patted the spot next to him.
She shook her head.
"Come
on. I won't bite. Unless you ask me to." She stiffly scooted up
to where he'd indicated. He pulled her against his side and turned
his attention back to the TV. She relaxed by slow degrees. He ran his
hand lazily up and down her arm. Eventually she moved into a more
comfortable position with her head on his shoulder. "Why don't
you take your shoes off? You'll be more comfortable."
She sat
up and removed her sneakers then lay back down. He curled her against
him again. He traced circles on her side where her shirt had come up
a little bit. She stiffened again when he started further up her
ribcage.
"Freezing up on me all of a sudden?" "No."
"What's
with the jumpy?"
"I don't know." He pulled her on top of
him and sat her up. "Nervous?"
"Maybe."
"I won't
make you do anything you don't want to. We can just watch movies
tonight."
She idly ran her fingers over his chest. "I don't
care."
"Yes you do."
"Shannon, I don't know what I
want. I'm completely out of my element here. But wasn't that your
intention?"
"Originally, yes. But I don't want you to feel
like you have to do anything for me. I didn't know you were a
virgin when I planned this little adventure. The rules have kind of
changed since then."
"How?"
"Now I'm going to let you
control the pace. Before I was going to take charge and force you to
keep up."
"That's reassuring."
"You do what you want
to do. I'll go along with it."
She couldn't resist
the sweet smile he was giving her. She felt her heart start to melt,
but shook it off. She would not let her heart come into this. She
leaned down to kiss him. As he'd said, he let her have complete
control. She explored his mouth with her tongue, finding out what
made him sigh and what made him groan. He was as responsive tonight
as she'd been last night. His hands stayed on her hips the entire
time she played. Eventually she drug herself away from his mouth and
peppered light kisses over his cheeks and eyes. She kissed his
eyebrow ring and then moved to his ear. He groaned again when she
traced the outer shell with her tongue. She pulled at the barbell
through his lobe with her teeth, and then kissed it. She worked her
way down his throat to the little hollow at the base where she licked
inside. His grip on her tightened. She scooted down so she could
reach his chest. She wasn't sure if male nipples were as sensitive
as hers were, but it was worth a shot. Apparently they were, because
he let out a gasp when she bit one. "Did I hurt you?"
"Yeah,
but in a good way." His voice was raspy; his eyes heavy lidded.
He
looked sexy as hell like this. Ash bent her head again, determined to
taste as much of him as she could. She continued her downward path to
the barrier of his pants. She sat up and started to unbuckle them. He
put his hands over hers. "If we're not going to have sex, I'd
rather keep them on. Better self control and all that."
"You've
shown perfect control."
"But with you I could loose it at any
time." She looked him in the eye and finished undoing his pants.
She pulled them down his legs and off. "I trust you."
Shannon
smiled at her words. "She'll never know how much that means to
me." He thought to himself. "That's great." He said out loud.
"But I don't trust myself."
"If I ask you to stop, will
you?"
"Of course." He couldn't say how happy he'd be,
but he'd stop.
"That's all I need to know." She pulled off
her clothes before removing his boxers. She stood before him,
completely naked, and blushed. "You're beautiful."
"That's
the first time anyone's ever accused me of that. I never pictured
it'd be you that said it, Shannon."
"Come here."
She crawled back up his body and lay down beside him again. "I
think I'm going to let you take thing's from here. I'm not
quite sure how to go about things."
"It's not terribly
difficult. You just do what feels good."
"But I don't know
what you like…or what I like for that matter."
"So we play.
For instance, I already know you like it when I do this." He leaned
down and captured her nipple in his lips. "And this." He slid his
hand down past her curls and touched her clit gently. "But past
that I'm stumped."
She reached out for him and closed her hand
around his hard on. She smiled at his almost pained expression. "So
I guess you like that?"
"Most definitely."
She slowly
moved her hand up and down on him. After a few strokes he reluctantly
pulled her hand away. "Too much of that and it'll be over."
She
pouted but took her hand away.
"You can play more next time."
He pushed a finger inside to make it up to her. She gasped and arched
against him. "Just let me know when you're ready."
"Uh-huh.
Don't stop." When he felt her loosening more, he gave her another
finger. She thrashed underneath him and clenched her teeth. This time
he didn't tease her when he felt her nearing the edge. He increased
his rhythm until she came apart. "You more relaxed
now?"
"Mmmm-hmmm."
He'd stopped moving, but didn't
remove his fingers. Are you waiting for permission?"
"Yes."
"You
have it." He rolled to the side and grabbed a condom. He tore into
the foil and carefully covered himself with the latex. When he
positioned himself between her legs he could feel her shaking. He
leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. "I'll be careful. I
promise."
"I know," she said through tight lips.
He
pressed forward a little bit, and she screamed. He stopped
immediately. "Ash, I haven't even started yet."
"Oh,
sorry."
"Baby, please try to calm down."
"I don't
take pain well if I don't know what to expect."
"When you
got your belly button pierced, did you know what to expect?"
"No.
And I screamed bloody murder."
"But was it that bad?"
"No."
"So trust me."
She breathed deeply through her
nose. "Okay. Let's get it over with."
He guided
himself to her tight entrance and slipped in just enough to start
stretching her. She stiffened, but didn't scream. She had her eyes
squeezed shut. He knew he was going to have to hurt her. There was no
getting around it. "I'm just gonna do it."
She nodded, still
not looking at him. He buried his face in her neck and pushed all the
way in. This time she screamed for real. He held her against his
chest, rocking and trying to sooth her. She looked up at him and
tried to blink back the tears. "You stopped."
"I can't
hurt you. I just can't do it."
"Well the damage is done now.
Might as well continue."
He braced himself on his elbows. "Are
you sure?"
"I think so."
He made the smallest move and
watched her flinch. "How bad is it?"
"Not so much
anymore."
"Okay." He retreated a little more and pushed back
in. She didn't flinch this time. "Getting
better?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'll try to make it good for you.
But I don't know if you'll…you know. At least this first
time."
"Shannon, are you playing bashful?"
"I just
don't want to be rough with you right now." He started to move
faster, still watching her face for any sign of pain. He could tell
when it started to feel good. A flush crept up her neck and into her
face. Her breathing sped up and she started to clutch at his
shoulders.
"I think you can go a little faster now."
He
groaned and stopped all together. "When you say that it makes me
want to loose control."
"So do it."
He breathed
heavily into her hair. "Oh God. Don't let me hurt you." He
thrust again, this time harder than before. He heard her moan, but
not in pain. He tried to make it last, tried to let her cum first,
but his body took over. His thrust got shorter, faster, until he was
practically slamming into her. His arms locked at the elbows and he
vaguely felt her writhing under him. When her muscles clamped down he
lost it. He gave another two short savage pumps and came with a
growl. He collapsed on top of her and his breath left him in a
rush.
"Am I still alive?"
He rolled to the side, bringing
her with him. He saw her small flinch and carefully withdrew. "Sorry.
I didn't mean to be so rough."
"Don't you dare apologize.
It got a lot better near the end."
"So I felt."
Ash
blushed much to his amusement. He gave her a lingering kiss. "You're
precious when you blush. Let me get cleaned up and I'll be right
back." When he was done in the bathroom, he slipped back in bed.
She curled into his warmth and was already almost asleep.
"Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Does this change things between
us?"
She looked up at him sleepily. "Like what?"
"Are
you going to go back to hating me when we get home?"
"Some how
I doubt that very much, Shannon."
The
next couple of days flew by in a blur. Before they knew it, it was
time to start home. Ash was reluctant to leave their little cabin and
go back to the real world. She slept most of the way, but about an
hour from home she woke up. "Can't we just turn around and live
in New Orleans?"
Shannon laughed. "If we lived there the
novelty would wear off pretty fast."
"You're probably
right."
"Are you okay?"
"I guess."
"Wanna talk
about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Yeah
there is. Like how things are going to be now."
"Nothing's
really changed Shannon. I said I don't hate you. I never really did
but I think you know that."
"Things are going to change,
Ash."
"They don't have to."
"Yes they do. Did you
think that I planned all this just to get you into bed?"
"Don't."
"I
have to. You know I've had strong feelings for you since we were
kids."
"A crush, Shannon. You had a crush."
"For this
many years? It started out as a crush. Spending all this time with
you just made me realize that it's more than that now." She
wished he'd stop talking. Wished he'd change the subject. "My
goals haven't changed."
"What are your goals exactly?"
"Number one is to find out who I am."
"I can tell you
that."
"That's the problem. My whole life I've had people
telling me who I am. I want to find out for myself. I'm The
Undertaker's daughter. I'm Heather's sister. I was even The She
Bitch's punching bag. But I wasn't me. I can't add Shannon's
lover to that too."
"You know you'd be more than just my
lover."
"So what're we going to do? I'd move in with you.
We'd spend all of our time together and probably get sick of each
other. Possibly get married or some shit. And I still wouldn't know
who I am."
"So you can't be yourself and be with me?"
She took a long time to answer. "Not right now, I
can't."
"When?"
"I don't know, Shannon. I don't
have all the fucking answers. Why can't you just let whatever
happens happen?"
"Because the only way I got anywhere with you
was to MAKE it happen."
"Well, some thing's you can't
force."
"And some things are just too damn important to let
slip through your fingers. Ash, I love…"
"Shannon, please
don't say it." He shook his head vehemently. "I love you. I
don't care if you can't say it back. I love you whether or not
you love me. If you don't want to be together I can handle
that."
"I'm not saying never. Just not now."
"Fine.
You go find yourself. And if the road leads back to me, I'll be
waiting."
Yes i know that was a very long chapter, Probably the longest one to the whole story, Please review,sorry about the sex scene but it is very important to the story!
