Gotham International Airport: one hour later
Lex -s private jet touched down to a city immersed in chaos. Some form of a riot had broken out on the island, causing the police to pull up the drawbridges. Explosions could be seen and heard for miles. On top of that, something had gone horribly wrong at the asylum. Criminally insane imamates were running loose.
Lex climbed into the waiting limo and answered his ringing cell phone. It was an aide in the Mayor's office who was returning his call. They confirmed that the Wayne Estate was indeed on fire. Most emergency crews were tied up due to the disturbance in downtown. One fire brigade had been dispatched to attempt to quell the blaze. No fatalities had yet been reported due to the fire. Lex demanded to be kept informed as his car moved thru the extreme traffic.
God he hated Gotham.
Quickly the urban sprawl began to dissipate and gave way to the more open suburban communities. Lex gripped his hands in tight fists whishing for his S type jag. If he were driving it, he would be there by now.
Suburbia finally gave over to the wealthy country homes. Now he could see the fire, it reddened the sky an almost bloody shade. The scent of smoke filtered into the car, making him fearful. The long car turned up the twisting driveway to Wayne Manor. A dreadful scene unfolded before him.
The beautiful old mansion was nearly gutted, the fire still raged as the few firefighters the city could spare tried to stifle it. Before the driver had come to a full stop, Lex was out of the car. He ran passed the long trucks to the edge of the safe perimeter.
There were firemen rushing back and forth doing what they could. He looked around searching for the man in charge. He found the most likely subject standing off to one side speaking to an older man in butler's livery.
Lex pushed thru the commotion around him and approached the men. As he got closer, he overheard what they were saying.
"I understand, Mr. Pennyworth, but we have not found her yet. We have not found anyone." The fireman said, yelling to be heard over the rush of hoses and the crashing of timber.
"She will be very frightened, Master Wayne insisted I see to her safety." The butler said in a very anxious voice. The fireman rolled his eyes and grimaced.
"And where is Mr. Wayne, may I ask?" He queried with heavy sarcasm. The butler straightened his spine, smoothing his disheveled clothes.
"Master Bruce was injured earlier and I took him to Hospital myself." The man replied. Lex had reached them and stood for a moment wondering why the man was lying. The harried fireman noticed Lex and sighed.
"Sir, I am going to have to ask you to get back behind the trucks, this is not a safe area." The butler turned to see whom he was addressing. Lex gave the fireman a sharky smile and arched his brow.
"I am here seeking information on the whereabouts of Mr. Wayne and Miss Embers." Lex replied not moving an inch. The butler gasped and rushed forward.
"Mr. Luthor how did you know?" Alfred asked stepping to Lex's side. Hearing the Luthor name the fireman flinched and looked uncomfortable.
"Mr. Luthor, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you in the mess going on." Lex waved it off with irritation and turned to the butler.
"You're Alfred aren't you?" He asked patiently. Alfred was startled but nodded.
"Yes, Mr. Luthor." Lex nodded and placed a hand on the older man's shoulder.
"Did I hear you correctly, Bruce is at the hospital?" Alfred nodded and looked at the burning building.
"Yes, sir. Master Bruce sustained a slight concussion due to a scuffle with a disagreeable party guest." Alfred answered not meeting Lex's eye. Not a bad liar, Lex thought sardonically.
"What about Ashley?" Lex asked hoping he didn't sound desperate. "She called me about an hour and half ago, when it all started." Lex looked from the butler to the fireman. Alfred's shoulders slumped slightly.
"No one has seen her sir." He said in an anguished voice. The three men looked at each other in grim silence for a moment.
"CHAPTAIN! We got a live one here!" A burly fireman yelled running thru the spray and smoke with a bundle in his arms. Lex and Alfred turned and rushed toward the firefighter as he stopped to lay his charge on a gurney.
It was Ashley.
"Oh, thank heavens, is she alright?" Alfred asked the man.
She was unconscious but unharmed, the cell phone still gripped tightly in her hand. The fireman was amazed she had not been badly hurt.
"We came around the southwest side and almost stepped on her laying in the grass. It's a wonder that she wasn't crushed by falling debris." The big man arranged her gently on the stretcher.
"She may have some smoke inhalation, she was only a few yards from the building." He told the EMT who stepped in to examine her.
Lex watched them check her over with a painful heaviness in his chest. She looked so fragile laying there, her lovely emerald dress torn and dirty. He noticed her feet were bare and thought that they must be very cold.
The paramedics determined she was not in immediate danger and packed her into the ambulance. Lex told Alfred to ride with her and he would meet them there.
As the limo pulled out behind the wailing vehicle, Lex saw the last standing pieces of Wayne manor crash to the ground. He sat back in the seat and felt strangely sorrowful.
xxxxxxx
Downtown Gotham City: midnight
The Bat stood on the roof of city hall and assessed the damage. The uni-rail was destroyed, as well as many buildings along the rout. Wayne Tech Industries would be instrumental in rebuilding, the loss of lives however was regrettable. The useless deaths could not be fixed and caused him a deep seated pain.
The rampage of the criminally insane inmates had to be staunched before more bloodshed occurred. Before he could attend to that he had to find out what happened at the manor. Gliding back into the dark, he removed his cowl and turned on his cell phone.
The butler's voice answered immediately.
"Alfred, what's the status?" Bruce asked wearily. The Englishman cleared his throat and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Miss Ashley is unharmed, she went into deep shock and did retain some smoke inhalation, but was not injured." Alfred informed him of the discovery of his cousin on the lawn and Lex Luthor's sudden appearance on the scene.
Bruce was intrigued, Lex had flown from Metropolis instantly, into a city in turmoil to help Ashley. That raised questions in Bruce's mind. What was going on between Lex and his cousin?
"What about the house?" Bruce queried. Alfred gasped in grief.
"I am terribly sorry, sir. Everything is gone." Bruce sighed in torment. His cause had brought the home his family had built to ruin.
Guilt.
Alfred's voice dropped lower.
"Master Bruce, I had to fib and tell them you had retained a concussion due to a scuffle with a rude guest and that I took you to hospital." Alfred explained quickly. Bruce grunted in agreement.
"Good cover, Alfred." He commended. The butler cleared his throat.
"Ah, sir, I am loath to point out that myself, Mr. Luthor and Miss Ashley are all at hospital... right now. And Mr. Luthor is not an obtuse young man." Bruce cursed under his breath.
"I got it. I'm on my way." Bruce hung up and pulled his cowl back on.
Time to do some fancy lying. He hated to do it, but the last thing he needed was Lex Luthor sniffing around asking the hard questions. It was bad enough he had given in and revealed his identity to Rachel. He knew he could trust her to keep his secret, Lex was a whole other story.
Working out his cover story in his head, The Bat descended to the Tumbler and headed back to the cave.
xxxxxxx
Joseph Ember's Home: Early the Next Morning
Bruce sat in his uncle's warm study. The English style décor lent a comfort to the room, giving him a safe place to work from.
Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor faced each other over his uncle's desk. A faux bandage on Bruce's head helped with his cover story, he hated that he needed one.
Really screwed up, brought this too close to my family.
Bruce watched Lex covertly, looking for subtle clues. The younger Luthor sat casually in his chair, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He was so calm and collected it was hard to remember that he was four years younger then Bruce.
"Lex, it was great of you to see after Ashley's safety like you did last night." Bruce began, giving him a fatigued smile. "The whole night was just a hideous affair." He said in a deep voice. Lex watched Bruce as well, looking for a sign of what he was hiding.
He knew Bruce was into something he didn't want anyone to know about. Something he needed his butler to cover for. Something that got his home burned down. The danger this something had posed to Ashley made Lex angry.
"Care to elaborate on what happened, Bruce?" He asked with a slightly sharp tone, one brow raised in a questioning arch. "I mean that was one hell of a birthday bash from what I saw."
Bruce's brown eyes met Lex's gray-blue gaze. With out blinking Bruce wove a tapestry of lies about bad associations made overseas, foreign thugs after his money.
He told Lex they had threatened to hold the party hostage, but Bruce had thwarted them by sending the room packing. Ashley was supposed to wait for him by the stables, she obviously had not minded him.
Lex listened to the tale, unsure what was truth and what was fabrication. Bruce finished his story and leaned across the desk toward Lex.
"I would never knowingly put her in danger. This was not something I could foresee." He said. Lex decided to accept his explanation, for the time being.
"I know that, Bruce." He replied. "When she called me last night she was terrified they had done you harm. It was all I could do to get her to leave the house." He sat up and stretched his back. Bruce's face darkened.
"What do you mean? I made her leave before the guests." He said in confusion. Lex nodded.
"Yes, she told me that she went back in after the guests came out. She was worried about you."
Bruce felt a stab of icy fear. What had Ash over heard? Had she seen the exchange between Ra's Al Ghul and himself?
"I didn't know she had gone back in." He said in a breathy voice, visibly paling. Lex shook his head.
"You more than anyone should know how willful she can be." Lex's voice held amusement and affection. The tone caught Bruce's attention. He remembered the other subject he wanted to discuss with Lex.
"Can I ask you something, Lex? Can I be frank?" He regained his composure. Lex heard the note of warning in Bruce's voice.
"Sure." He said with a passive face.
"Are you sleeping with my teenage cousin?" Bruce asked without breaking eye contact. Lex did not react in any way, except for the subtle tightening of his jaw.
"No." He answered. "Why do you ask?" Lex almost smiled. Bruce felt The Bat working up his spine.
"It's just unusual, everything you have done for her. The fact that you came here last night, in the middle of a riot." Bruce replied. "Not behavior Lex Luthor is known for." Lex took a slow breath and smiled his lazy smile.
"Bruce, the girl has a gift. She deserves the break, I can help her get it." He shrugged heedlessly. "And I seem to remember, I owed you one."
Bruce sat unchanging for a moment. Both young men were masters at not showing emotion, their ability to hide what they felt was impeccable.
"I didn't know you remembered that." Bruce said finally. Lex smiled again.
"I do, and I meant it." He said evenly. Bruce closed his eyes before leaning across the desk once more.
"Be careful, Lex. She is precious to me. I will not have her toyed with." He said, the sharp edge back in his voice. Lex's mouth turned down and he leaned in as well, they were a few inches apart.
"I won't have it either." Lex said with lots of teeth. "She deserves the best of everything. I aim to see she gets it." He stood up and walked out. Bruce watched his retreating back.
Sitting back in his chair, Bruce steepled his hands before his face, his eyes glittered dangerously.
Lex was hiding something.
xxxxxx
The bedroom was quiet when Bruce walked in, Ash was resting but not asleep. Her head turned at his step, she gasped and scrambled from the bed.
"Oh, Bruce!" She wrapped her arms around him and hugged tight. He returned the hug and pushed down the shame he felt at knowing he had to lie to her.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly. She snuggled her face against him.
"I'm sad about the house but so happy to see you." She said pulling back to look up at him. "Are you ok?" She asked fear still hiding in the corners of her eyes.
Bruce smoothed back her hair and nodded, as she reached up to brush the white bandage on his forehead. Bruce smiled, taking her hand and rubbing her fingers.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Ashley studied his face for a moment before the tears began.
"I was so afraid they hurt you. Bruce, who were those men?" She cried stepping back. Bruce put his hands in his pockets and looked at his shoes.
"Ashley, you were not supposed to come back into the house." He said patiently. She glared at him with emerald fire.
"Who was that man you fought with, Bruce? I heard you arguing through the door!" She said anger bubbling up.
He looked into her eyes and suddenly he knew he could not lie to her.
Sighing deeply Bruce closed the door. He made her sit with him on the bed.
"This is going to sound really...crazy." He began. "But please hear me out before you run screaming." He said with a brief smile. She looked back at him with apprehension.
Bruce laid it all out for her, from the beginning. The rage and searching, the lost years learning about his dark side.
He explained the training he had done with The League of Shadows, how he did not know their true nature until the end.
She listened, bug eyed and silent. Bruce explained the use of his own fear to intimidated his foes, and his discovery of the cave.
Once he began to he found he had to tell her everything. She was the closest person to him when they were children and she was the only blood family he had left.
Leaving anything out was not an option. When he had come to the events of the last twenty-four hours, he expressed how he wanted to protect her that was why he lied.
"Can you understand me, Ash?" He took her hand. "Can you forgive my deception?"
Ashley felt cold and hot at the same time. Her ears pounded with the beat of her heart. Her cousin, Bruce Wayne the frivolous playboy was The Batman.
For months now he had been fighting crime and seeking justice on the night streets of Gotham, how had she missed it? How could she, the closest person to him, have bought the act? She tried to focus her attention on his face, he was waiting for her to say something. Ashley gripped his hand and found her voice.
"Bruce...but, why you? She asked. He swallowed and let out the breath he had been holding. His dark eyes were fierce.
"Because, Ash, there is no one else." His tone dipped deep, Ashley felt a shiver run up her back. She looked at his hand in hers and tried to breath slowly.
"What if you get hurt? What if something terrible happens to you?" She queried. Bruce reached out his other hand and cupped her cheek, brushing away her fresh tears.
"It's a chance I have to take, I cannot live my life in oblivious comfort while this city, the city my parents fought so hard to save, dies." Bruce made her look at him.
"Ashley, I have told you this for a few reasons. First because I need you to know that when I tell you to run, I mean it. You must be safe or I cannot do what I need to. Second, because you are my little sister in my heart and I could not keep it from you." His mouth twitched with a small smile as she met his gaze.
"And third because I could not bare you to believe I was that vapid façade I effect. I'm not that man, I am more."
She looked at him for a long time, her head swimming. After she could think again and her heart had stopped thumping against her ribcage, she spoke.
"I understand." She said in a tiny voice. Bruce pulled her close and hugged her ardently, his heart swelled and for the first time in many, many years, Bruce was happy.
He held her for a while and savored the joy while it lasted.
"You cannot tell anyone, Ashley" He said when they had let go. "To reveal this information to anyone would not only put me in danger, but you as well as your father, Rachel, Alfred and anyone else we care about. Do you understand me?" He said soberly. Ashley cocked her head and surveyed him.
"Yes, I understand." She replied. "I know I'm young but I'm not a complete fool." Bruce chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"No you're not."
xxxxx
Metropolis Power House Studios: Two Weeks Later
Ashley had returned to Metro with many confusing things on her mind. The realization that her cousin was putting himself in danger's way every night left her feeling rather frightened.
The added need to keep this monumental secret from Lex made her jumpy as well. She needed to focus her energy on her music, needed to distract her mind from the labyrinth of secrets and misdirection.
Throwing herself into finishing her demo, she avoided Lex's questions about Bruce's dreadful guests. He took note of her withdrawal and the evasion of an explanation.
He kept his thoughts to himself and allowed her the space she required. He knew Bruce was up to something, just what it was he did not know, yet.
The last song Ash had to record was the new one she had written, the one about Lex. She had titled it 'Redemption'. Even though she did not make any direct reference to him or the events of their meeting, she had a feeling anyone who knew her well would know what it was about.
As she listened to the finished product with the techs she smiled brightly, the work they had done was better then she had imagined. The music was excellent and her voice was pitch perfect. Ashley thanked them as the music faded, he heart full of anticipation.
There was a knock on the control room door making her look up, Bruce stepped into the narrow room with a lazy smile on his face.
"Bruce! What are you doing here?" she cried jumping up to hug him. He chuckled and returned her embrace.
"Had some business in Metropolis and thought I'd stop by. See how things are going." he gave the surprised techs one of his Hollywood smiles. Ash waved an excited hand at the closest engineer.
"Play it again, Benny, so my cousin can hear it." She said as she pushed Bruce into a chair. "We just finished it. Your timing is impeccable as always." She laughed and sat next to him. He returned her grin and leaned back casually in the seat.
Bruce listened to the recordings and was quite honestly blown away. Lex was right; she was really gifted and deserved this chance. He was strangely comforted that Ashley was truly good, a secret part of him had been afraid she would be just another chickie singing girly angst. But that was not the case, there was blues and depth in this songwriting, and a voice he could not believe.
He beamed with pride at her as the last song began.
The melody was lovely though slightly dark. The vocals wove in and he listened, with pleasure, to her voice. When the chorus came round Bruce sensed more then she was saying in the lyrics.
He read between the lines and heard the unspoken message. Without showing the knowledge on his face he looked at her, she was turned away from him, making him more sure of his deduction.
This was not just a silly little love song; this was about someone in particular. Bruce had a very good idea who that someone was.
When the music had ended, he praised her and the others highly and congratulated them on a job well done.
xxxxxx
As they left the studio, he continued to play the Bruce Wayne façade, talking of silly society gossip and the new car he'd bought, until Ashley stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk.
"What?" she demanded refusing to move another inch, though he pulled at her hand. "No, I am not going any where till you tell me why you're -acting'." she said irritation plain in her green eyes. Bruce sighed and stepped close to her.
"Ashley, I am worried about you." He said in a low voice. She looked up at him in silence, waiting. Sighing deeper Bruce looked to the gray winter sky as if seeking help.
"I think you may be seeing more in your friendship with Lex then is really there." He said meeting her gaze once more. Her lips pursed and she shook her head.
"I knew it!" she growled and began walking swiftly away. Bruce chased after her and grabbed her arm.
"Hey! Where are you going?" he demanded, his chestnut eyes darkening with anger. She pulled her arm free and spun to face him.
"You and my father! There always has to be an irrational reason I do anything! Impossible for Me to think on My own! Oh no, there must be a silly-little-girl reason for My choices!" She was almost yelling at him, her temper was red hot. How dare he!
Bruce stepped back one step and watched her, this was farther along then he first thought. Damn, she's already fallen for him. Well, there was only one path open for this conversation now. He held up his hands and spoke slowly.
"Ash, honey, please, I was not making that kind of judgment." He said in his true voice. Her face was flushed and her eyes glittered. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle smile.
"I was not saying you had done something stupid." He said suppressing the grin that threatened as she began to pout.
"Please calm down and let me finish." He asked. Ashley looked at the pavement and took a deep slow breath. Why had she gotten so mad? This was kind of freaking her out.
She returned her gaze to him and nodded. Bruce smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, leading her down the street to his new car.
"Now, what I was trying to say was, I get what that last song was about. I just want you to be aware of whom Lex Luthor really is. There is a side to him that you don't truly know, Ash. The side he has shown to most other people, including me." He said in his deep voice, while they stood next to the Mercedes sports car. Ashley listened and tried not to comment until he was done. Bruce lifted her chin and smiled.
"I don't think you're a silly-little-girl for feeling what you do for him, with you Lex is a very different man, a man I think I could really like. And all he has done to help you has been so unusual for him that I think he likes the man he is as well." He paused and arched one brow.
"However, we don't know if this new side is here to stay, Ashley. I just don't want you to get hurt." His voice was slightly raw and painfully honest. Ashley swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Bruce, I'm sorry I yelled. I just...don't..." she trailed off pulling her face from his grasp and hugging her coat tighter. He studied her face as she fought her own feelings, trying to find a single word that expressed what she wanted.
"You don't know what it is, this is an entirely new emotion you are experiencing?" he asked, an understanding tone slipping into his words. Ashley looked up at him her eyes wide.
"Yes." She whispered. Bruce shook his head and opened the car door for her. Turning to her once more, Bruce shrugged.
"You're in love, Ash. That's all it is." He said bemusedly. Ashley bit her bottom lip, twisting her gloves in her hands. He helped her into the car trying not to chuckle too much. When they were both inside, he looked at his cousin with a cautious face once more.
"It's not a bad thing Ashley, love is incredible. All I am saying is, know what you are getting into before you make that jump. Know not just Lex, but his world. The people he associates with, what he does for leisure. Be sure it's Lex you really love and not an idea of him. Jump with your eyes open, Ash." He finished and squeezed her clasped hands.
Ash looked at him and nodded. She felt slight relief in someone else knowing about her frightening new feelings.
"I understand, Bruce. Thank you." She said smiling a miniscule smile.
"Good, now I am going to take you to lunch and we are going to celebrate your first project completed." He said starting the car. She chuckled and smiled very wide.
"I can not believe you really bought this car." She laughed. "In red even."
Bruce giving her a grin, a grin that bore a very close resemblance to the boy she grew up with, they took off from the curb.
xxxxxx
Later that night: The Loft
Lex was not home yet as Ashley paced the great room. She had enjoyed her lunch with Bruce; he had refrained from bringing up her feelings about Lex again. When he brought her to the loft, he had kissed her cheek calmly before driving off in that ridiculous new car of his.
Ashley walked to her room deciding to take a shower. She stripped her clothes off leaving them on her bed she walked into the bathroom naked.
Climbing into the stall, she turned on the hot water. The spray hit her skin in a pleasurable cascade. She didn't hear the front door close as Lex came in.
He crossed the room to his desk and set his things down. On the corner of the desk, he found the CD case with Ash's demo. Picking it up he walked to the hidden sound system and put the CD in. He got a drink and sat on the leather couch. As the music filtered through the speakers, Lex leaned his head back and savored the beautiful sounds.
Ashley crept from her room on bare feet. Her robe clutched around her, wet hair falling in ropes to her shoulders, she could hear the opening strains of 'Redemption'.
She moved almost silently toward Lex, watching him with interest. When she was half way cross the room his head turned. Ash froze in place, not sure why her heart was pounding so hard.
God his eyes are so beautiful.
He looked at her across the dimly lit room, a slow smile formed on his lips. Ashley felt her feet begin to move again, she continued her way to the couch. Sitting next to him, she returned the smile and waited for the song to finish.
"Ashley, that was better then I imagined it would be. You constantly amaze me." Lex said in a low voice. She flushed and played with her damp hair.
"Thank you, but I could not have done it without your help." She looked over at him shyly. They shared a silent moment appraising each other, Lex shifted in his seat.
"Well, I believe this calls for a celebration." He said, his voice bright, making her giggle. He stood up and held out a hand to her.
"I think a libation is in order." He tugged her to her feet and propelled her toward the bar.
He opened the small wine cellar under the counter and removed a dark bottle. He uncorked the wine with practiced ease. Ashley selected some crystal glasses and set them on the bar. Lex turned the bottle to show her the label.
"Château La Fleur Pétrus, Bordeaux 1962." He said smoothly. "A very fine vintage. Just right for this occasion." He set the bottle down to let it breath and sent her back to her room to dress. While she was gone, he reset the CD and tried to get himself under control.
He was having more and more trouble suppressing his reaction to her. The deeply physical way she affected him was staggering. When he saw her standing there in that robe with her wet hair, smelling like sandalwood and lilacs, he had almost vaulted the sofa and taken her, right there on the floor. Her music affected him as well, that voice insinuated its self into his skin.
Taking a deep breath, Lex rubbed his scalp and returned to the bar. He poured two healthy glasses and sat on the stool to wait for her. Shortly she emerged from her room dressed in a linen sundress, her hair tied up in a loose knot. He gave a thin smile and handed her a glass. She took it and breathed in the aroma.
"To the beginning of an outstanding career." He said clinking her glass. They sipped and smiled at each other again.
xxxxxx
Two hours later, they had finished the bottle and played the CD 5 times. Lex was draped over one leather chair in a graceful sprawl, while Ashley lay on the couch giggling. She was rather drunk Lex noted, hoisting himself up. He walked to her, staggering only a little.
"Come on, babe. I think you should go lay down now." He said reaching to pull her up. She slid off the leather sofa and stumbled into him. Lex steadied her and laughed.
"Little sloshed are we?" he asked humorously. She gurgled into his shoulder as he guided her toward her room. Ash blinked a few times and looked up at him, holding one hand on the doorframe.
"Lexsh," she slurred adorably. "Can I ashk you shomething?" His face was open and curious. She placed her free hand on his chest and leaned closer to him.
"Do you think I am shexy enough to be a shtar?" Her eyes were glassy and bright. Lex felt his chest constrict. She waited for him to respond, blinking and swaying a little.
Through the alcohol fog, Lex knew he should step back now, get out of touching range. He found he did not care. Forgetting his control and self-restraint Lex tugged her to him.
"Ashley, you are extremely sexy." He whispered against her lips before he kissed her deeply.
She tasted of Bordeaux and sweetness; he searched her mouth, leaving no part unexplored. Ashley kissed him back, her arms circling his neck as she pressed against him. His hands slid down her back caressing her delicious curves. Her lips were so soft he had to sink his teeth into her bottom lip. She gasped against his mouth, the sound made him kiss her harder.
They stumbled, her back flush to the wall. His mouth left her lips and trailed down her neck. He groaned, breathing her scent and the tangy taste of her skin, fingers weaving into her hair. Her small hands slid up over the top of his head, making him growl into the hollow of her throat.
All pretense of harmless friendship was thrown aside as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, tumbling with her onto the bed. She laughed and allowed him to lie between her legs, his body holding hers down. His mouth explored her throat and collarbone dipping even lower to the beginning of her cleavage.
Her breath escaped in small amounts and she worked her hands beneath the fabric of his pullover, feeling the smooth flesh on his tone back. Her fingers dug into the lanky muscles as his teeth found the sweet spot where her neck met her shoulder.
The bite was firm and covetous, the noise she made gave him fuel to continue. He worked his way up the side of her neck to her tender ear. The heat of his mouth and the chill of his breath made her run both cold and hot.
His left hand cupped her breast feeling the nipple harden under his thumb. The desire to rip the clothing off her bubbled up in his brain, suddenly Lex yanked him self from her. Shifting back rapidly, Lex looked at her with passion-darkened eyes.
"No." he said in a broken voice. "I will not do this to you. Not like this." She looked at him stunned, her stomach dropping like a lead weight. Lex saw the rejection register on her face.
"Ash, that is not how I mean it." He held out a staying hand. "I meant I would not do this while you are intoxicated. I want you." His voice dipped lower. "God, how I want you, but you have never dated a man and I want you to be sure it is what you want."
She took a deep breath sitting up, back against the headboard. Lex climbed backward off the bed and looked at her soberly.
"I do not want you to wake tomorrow and regret what happened. You have become far too important...to me." He looked away unable to share the raw feeling the admission caused in him.
Ashley, chewing her lip, watched him as he turned away for a moment, gauged his body language. Her perception was not it's sharpest at the moment but she could tell that stopping had been difficult for him. He turned back to her and gave her a half-hearted crooked grin.
"Do you understand?" he whispered. Ash nodded looking at the comforter beneath her. Lex moved to the side of her bed and clasped her hand.
"We can see how you feel tomorrow, ok?" He was being so gentle Ashley could not refuse him.
This is a good thing, it means he gives a shit about you, it means Bruce is right; Lex is a better man when he is with you. She smiled a wobbly smile at him, her pupils huge.
"I get it, Lex. Thank you." She said softly. He reached out a long hand and caressed the side of her face.
They looked at each other for a brief moment, want painted unabashedly on their faces. Lex pulled away reluctantly, he stood and walked swiftly from her.
Ashley curled around a pillow and stared at the wall. The desire ebbed in her belly and she sighed a fathomless sigh. Things would be better in the morning; she would still feel this way about Lex.
She knew she had made her choice when she wrote that song. A delicious lick of lust flushed her. Lex wanted her and he cared. As she was unaccustomed to wine, Ash was soon sound asleep.
Lex all but ran up the stairs to his room. He wrenched his clothes off and took another of his icy showers. She had felt so good under his hands, her mouth so willing. He wanted her in the deepest, most primal of ways.
The freezing water spilled over his scalp and back, making the heat in his skin drop. He felt the concentrated lust retreat and his control reasserted it self. Turning off the shower, Lex fumbled for a towel and stepped from the marble stall.
He walked to his bed, drying the moisture from his skin. He jerked the covers back and threw him self, bare, beneath them. Punching the pillows Lex tried to get comfortable.
Sleep was a long time in coming.