Finding Solace (45 page)

 
"Yeah?"

 
"Walk
in front of me. Just in case you fall, so I can catch you this time."

 
I just threw
my hands up and walked back to Kaleb and Lindsay.

 
"Were
you seriously mad about that? We were just having fun." Lindsey wasn’t
going to let this go.

 
"No
Lindsey, I wasn't mad. Do you guys want a drink?"

 
"Sure.
What are you having?"

 
I was about
to answer when I heard, "Ash, did it not work out with Cindy?" It was
Kaleb this time.

 
"Lindsey,
I'm going to have a Red bull and vodka, you?"

 
Then Ash
answered, "No, it sure didn't."

 
"How
did you and Sadie end up together though? I don't get it?" I wanted to
answer for Ash, but I didn’t want them to know I was listening.

 
"I’ll
have the same thing as you, girl."

 
"What?'

 
"To
drink, I will have the same thing as you."

 
"Oh,
okay."

 
I was trying
to hear Ash’s answer but all I got was, "She's special."

 
And that was
all I needed to hear. I leaned over the bar and ordered a couple of beers for
the guys and Lindsey and my drinks. We sat around talking until it was almost
last call. Ash had switched to water after the last beer I gave him so he could
drive us back to his place. We all said goodbye and decided that we would get
together and go out again soon. When I got in to Ash’s car, I realized how
exhausted I was. He promised to give me a massage when we got back to his
place. I thought that sounded great and was about to tell him when my phone
went off with a notification. It was a text from Tony.

 
Tony: JUST
THOUGHT U SHOULD KNOW HE LEFT EARLY. HE IS GONE. IF U
NEED
ME CALL ANYTIME.

 
It shocked
me a little, but not like I thought it would. I was just going to call Tony
back later and went to put my phone away when Ash asked, "Everything
alright?"

 
I had to
think about how to answer that but finally I settled with, "Yeah, I really
think it’s going to be."

 
He grabbed
my hand and we rode that way until I fell asleep.

 
When we got
to Ash's I was still asleep until I felt him try to lift me out of the car. I
started to wake up, so I said, "You don't have to carry me. I can
walk."

 
"
Shhh
, I like taking care of you. Let me."

 
I grabbed
him around the neck and he carried me through the house, up the stairs and into
his bedroom, where he softly placed me in bed. Ash slowly took off my shoes
trying not to wake me. Then he covered me with the blanket. I did start to fall
back asleep until Ash climbed into bed with me. He pulled me close to him and
then kissed my forehead.

 
"You
truly are amazing. Thank you for tonight."

 
I didn't
move to look at him but I did manage to say," I'm so proud of you"
before I did surrender to sleep.

 
It was the
day of Dave’s party and it felt weird knowing Colt wouldn’t be there. I have
not heard from him yet. I say yet because I couldn’t accept that I would never
hear his voice again. Tony and I talked the other night and he told me that
Colt had met the requirements already to graduate, so there was no need for him
to take the finals. He chose to move immediately for reasons no one knew. Maybe
there were too many memories he was ready to leave behind. The thought that I
might have fallen in that category still hurts. Then add the fact that I
haven’t heard a thing from
him,
it made it feel all
the more possible.

 
Angie did
end up calling me, but only to tell me she had it all covered. I wanted to do
something to contribute so I asked if I could at least pick up the keg. She
willingly handed that part over to me, of course, since it is heavy as hell.

 
Ash finally
agreed to come with me after a lot of begging on my part. I understood his
point when he explained that he wouldn’t know anyone other than Bryan and Dave.
But I told him that the only way he could possibly get to know them was to come
today and meet them. I was on my way to his house when my phone rang. It was
Tony, so I answered.

 
"Hey you."

 
"What's
up, girly? What are you doing?"

 
"I'm on
my way to meet Ash, what about you?"

 
"I'm
sitting at the liquor store waiting on them to bring out the keg you so kindly
made my responsibility."

 
"I said
please and now I can say thank you. Don't act like it's hard. You have bigger
muscles than me."

 
 
"That I do. So, are you going to be okay
today? I know it is going to be hard saying goodbye, but please don't turn into
a cry baby."

 
"Why
would you say something so mean? I'm not a cry baby."

 
"If you say so.
Hey, I
gotta
go. They're finally ready to load this."

 
"Alright,
see you soon."

 
I pulled
into Ash's driveway and saw a car I didn’t recognize. I got out and went to the
front door for the first time since I met him. We have always gone in through
the garage but for some reason, doing it now seemed wrong. I rang the doorbell
and waited for Ash to answer. The longer I waited the more uncomfortable I got.
After way too long, Ash came to the door in a towel. What a sight to see. His
body will never get old. He opened the door and greeted me with a kiss. In His
Towel! I wanted to rip it off of him right there on the spot.

 
"You
look sexy as hell, Sadie."

 
"Me?
You’re in a damn towel."

 
"Well
that's because you’re early. You like what you see?"

 
"That's
a stupid question. I'm not going to say what I would like to do to that towel
standing on your front porch."

 
"Come
in then. I would love to find out what it is you would like to do. Why did you
come through the front door anyway?"

 
I walked in
and said, "There is a car in the driveway. I didn't know if you had
company?"

 
"No.
Just Kate."

 
"Your
sister is here?"

 
"That
would be me. Hi, I'm Kate. It's nice to meet you."

 
I turned to
see a stunning brunette with crystal clear blue eyes. She was taller than me
but not by much. Freckles sprinkled over her nose too. Beautiful was an
understatement.

 
"Hi,
I'm Sadie. It’s nice to meet you also."

 
"It is
nice to put a face to the name I've been hearing a lot of lately. You’re very
pretty."

 
How
embarrassing.

 
"Thank
you. So are you."

 
"Okay,
hello? So I'm still standing here in a towel and Sadie, you need to come show
me what your plans were?"

 
Now I'm
mortified! Did he really just say that?

 
"What
are you taking about?"

 
"On
that note, I think it's my time to leave."

 
"Kate,
please don't leave. I have no intention of touching your brother, more or less
what he's insinuating."

 
"That's
not what you said two seconds ago."

 
"Ash,
shut up!"

 
"
It’s
okay, Sadie. I heard you also. Go have fun you guys and
I will call you later Ash."

 
"Is
that when you want the details?"

 
"Oh my God!"
I wanted to kill him!!!

 
"It’s
fine. He's my little brother. I am used to it. See
ya
later. Sadie, it was very nice meeting you."

 
"You too."

 
She walked
out the door and I turned to Ash fuming mad.

 
"Are
you fucking kidding me? I meet your sister for the first time and you make me
look like some slut you mess around with."

 
He dropped
his towel.
DROPPED THE TOWEL, GUYS.

 
"Are
you still mad, because I find it sexy as hell?"

 
My jaw would
not move back in place. He was standing at attention, if you know what I mean.
He moved closer to me and I stuck my arms out to stop him but he kept advancing
on me. When he moved closer, my hands ended up pressed against his hip bones,
right above his protruding member.

 
"This doesn't
change anything."

 
"Sadie,
this changes everything."

 
He slowly
dropped his head taking his lips and pressing them to mine. He was being so
careful and sensual it had me stunned. Ash slowly started to release one button
at a time on my blouse until he could push it off my shoulders, leaving me
exposed in my bra only. He never broke his connection with my lips when he
reached for my hands and laid them down at my sides. I hated losing my
connection but then his arms moved up so his hands could travel to my back to
unclasp my bra. They then traveled further up my back, moving to my shoulders,
where he placed his fingers under the strap on each side. He slid them back
down my arms until they fell from my wrists, leaving me completely exposed. Ash
took a step back and said, "Magnificent."

 
He took the
step forward again this time letting the front of his hands enter my waist band
so he could use his thumbs to unbutton my pants. When he pulled them over my
hips and began to slide them down my legs, I was enamored by how erotic this
felt. I stepped out of the pants and then my panties. Ash stood back up but as
he rose his fingertips grazed my legs, then stomach, ending at my neck. He took
my lips and kissed me one last time before he spoke again.

 
"Sadie,
you have no idea how much I want you right now, but you know my
conditions."

 
Speaking
didn’t seem natural at this moment. I had to force the words to come out and
even then I could only manage two.

 
"I
agree."

 
The look of
shock on his face was priceless but then it was gone and replaced by lust.

 
"I have
never loved two words as much as I now love those."

 
He came at
me like a completely different man than before. He was on a mission. We were
still standing in his foyer for goodness sake. He was now down on his knees
with his arms wrapped around my waist kissing my stomach and climbing higher. I
rested my hands on his head and it felt so good to let him guide them with his
mouth moving up until it wrapped around one of my nipples. I let my head fall back
and a moan came from my soul. This was not like the other times we have been
together. Every part felt different, better. When he pulled back from one he
moved to the other. This was such a sensitive part of my body and his tongue
knew just what to do to bring it to its full potential of sensation. He
released me and then came back up to my mouth. I could stand right here until
the test of time came but Ash had a different idea in mind.

 
"I
can't believe this is real. You are really going to be mine and no one else's.
Sadie, I would love to stop right here and tell you our first time is going to
be so romantic. That I'm going to fly us to a private island and I will have
the whole room showered in flowers and candles. But I can't wait that long. Are
you sure you’re okay with us being here?"

 
"Ash, I
would take having you anywhere. I don't care about where we are. It’s the fact
that it’s us that matters."

 
Ash picked
me up like he was carrying me over a threshold and proceeded up the stairs. In
a way I was crossing a threshold. Into one of
monogamy .
I have not committed to one man in years. I was ready if it was going to be
Ash. He deserved me to give my all and I planned to try. Colt was gone.

 
We reached
his bedroom and he placed me on the bed. He climbed onto me and began kissing
me again. It is crazy how I felt like I could kiss him forever considering I
knew what was coming. My body was ready that’s for sure. Ash’s hands descended
between my legs and even though we were still kissing, I could tell that when
he was where he wanted to be, he smiled.