Maybe someday, p.24
Maybe Someday, page 24
“I know,” Chris murmured back. “You were protecting yourself.”
“And you were protecting me from you.” Ash winked. “But now that we’re on the same page, what do you want to do?”
Chris cocked her head to the side. “I suppose we should go on a proper date.”
“One where you don’t get called away?”
“Right.” Chris frowned. “Katie and I are working on things. Slowly but surely.”
“That’s better than nothing.” Ash ran her hand along the inside of Chris’ arm, holding onto her tightly. She squeezed lightly and leaned in more, resting her head on Chris’ shoulder.
“It is.” Chris kissed Ash’s head. “Where are the girls?”
“My parents’ house for the night. They’ve been taking them every other weekend for one night. I’m getting used to sleeping alone even if I don’t like it.”
Chris hummed, silence filling the air between them, but it was comfortable. Ash didn’t care what they did that night so long as she got to spend some time like this with Chris. She wanted to get to know her again. The start and stop of their relationship had been tough, but here they were, back at the beginning again.
“Do you want to Netflix and chill?”
Ash gurgled with laughter. “Do you even know what that means?”
“Yes!” Chris’ cheeks were a bright red.
Ash kissed her lips lightly. “You’re adorable. Oh! I wanted to give you this.”
Reaching into her pocket, Ash pulled out a flash drive. She held it out for Chris to take, but Chris wouldn’t lift her hand up and instead just stared at the drive like it was some odd object.
“What is it?”
“It’s a book. I don’t know if you have a computer that uses flash drives, I know they’re becoming few and far between, but I didn’t know how else to give it to you.”
“A book?” Chris eyed it carefully and plucked the flash drive up with her free hand. She continued to stare at it.
“I told you that your voice has always been in my head, every time I write.” Ash chuckled a little. “No matter how hard I tried to get you out of my brain, I couldn’t. But I stopped writing when Mari died, reasonably so. But in the last month, I started again.”
“Really?” Chris’ eyes widened, and she clasped the flash drive like it was a precious stone. “So this is the story?”
“The second draft, yes.”
“Are you going to publish it?”
“I don’t know.” Ash gave her a sad smile. “I haven’t decided yet. I thought that part of my life was done and over with. But this…” Ash tapped Chris’ hand “…might just prove that theory wrong.”
“It might.” Chris’ lips curled upward. “So do I get to read it?”
“Yes.”
“Now?”
“Only if you want to.” Excitement coursed through her. “But I might have a better idea of what we can do.”
“What’s that?”
Ash raised up and swung her body around so she straddled Chris’ legs. “I believe Netflix and chill was an option on the table.”
“Really?” Chris looked up at her. “Because I don’t want to rush into anything.”
“I think we’re beyond the rushing portion of our relationship.” She was so fucking happy. Ash bent down, cementing their lips together in a gentle embrace. “Besides, I only get one night every two weeks without the girls. Do you really want to waste that precious time?”
Chris chuckled. “Why do I keep finding you in my lap?”
“Well, it’s a pretty good lap to sit on.” Ash smiled down at her. “So is your face.”
“Ash!”
“What?” Ash blushed, but she was smiling. Happiness coursed through her, and she wanted to ride that wave for as long as possible. “It’s true. I’d sit on your face any time. You’re wicked with your tongue.”
“To be fair, Ash, so are you.”
Ash’s body was on fire. She wanted Chris to touch her everywhere at the same time. Plopping her full weight down on Chris’ legs, Ash bent her head and captured Chris’ lips. Immediately, the kiss deepened. Happiness built in her chest, a warm gentle kind of happiness, the kind that she could easily surrender to if she wanted.
“I love your tongue,” Ash murmured before diving in for another, longer kiss. One where their tongues tangled together, where their lips became moist, where their breathing was a struggle because all they wanted was mouth against mouth.
Every thought of what Chris could do with her tongue on Ash’s body flitted through her mind in a millisecond. And she nearly overloaded from the possible sensations. Chris skimmed one fist and one palm down Ash’s sides to her hips, holding on.
“So what are we doing during this session of Netflix and chill?”
Giggling, Ash pressed kisses down Chris’ neck and over her chest. “You’re going to drop that damn flash drive.”
“I don’t know about that. This is a never read before bona fide Ash Taylor novel. I’m the first to read it. I’m not sure I can give that up.”
“You don’t have to.” Ash kissed her cheek. “It’s all yours.”
“I can’t believe you wrote another book.”
“Me either.” Ash pulled Chris’ shirt up. “But if you’re going to touch me, you’re going to have to put that thing down.”
Chris whined in the back of her throat. “I’m not sure I can.”
“Oh my god. Fangirl much?”
“I won’t lie and say I didn’t go buy every single one of your books as soon as I found out you were publishing.”
Ash paused. She flicked her gaze up to Chris’ eyes. A slow smile bloomed on her lips. “You did?”
“Of course I did. And I read them all.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“So people keep telling me.”
Ash reached for Chris’ hand and took the flash drive from her fingers. She tossed it onto the coffee table and then jerked Chris’ shirt up and over her breasts. She didn’t care if she got it off or not, as soon as she could see Chris’ bra she started feasting. She slid her tongue under the edge of the fabric and swiped her nipple.
This had been what she’d wanted, almost exactly. Chris sucked in a sharp breath and put her hand on the back of Ash’s head, guiding her as she continued to lick and taste and kiss. “That feels good.”
Ash smiled, trailing her tongue across the top of Chris’ breasts. Then she sat back and pulled her shirt off, tossing it onto the floor. “So if we get one night every two weeks, does that mean I don’t have to sleep alone anymore?”
“I guess it does if that’s what you want.”
“It is.” Ash bent down and kissed Chris again. “I also really want to taste you.”
“It’s my pleasure to have your tongue between my legs.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Chris’ mind was blown. She’d never expected Ash to show up tonight. It was almost dream worthy. And if she wasn’t trying to get her pants down her hips and off her body, she would be pinching herself to see if this was real. To have Ash back at her apartment for this? But not just sex, this was so much more. This was what she had dreamed of, dared to hope for, and now it was reality.
Ash got down on her knees as soon as Chris had her pants pushed to her ankles. She skimmed her fingers down Chris’ legs, over the short stubbly hair since it had been a while since she’d shaved. There hadn’t been a reason for it, and since this was unexpected—she didn’t think Ash would care. Chris didn’t care. She just wanted Ash’s promised tongue against her clit as fast as possible.
Holding her pants, Ash looked up and waited for Chris to step out of the circle of the leg of her pants, holding onto Ash’s head for balance while she did it. It was a precarious position for her to be in, but to look down and see Ash’s bright blue eyes shining up at her, like she wanted this. Like she was waiting for Chris to move just enough so that she could get between her legs and pleasure both of them.
“One more,” Ash crooned, helping Chris focus on getting out of her pants completely.
Reaching behind her, Chris flicked the clasp on her bra so she was completely naked standing before a clothed Ash. She’d never done that with anyone before. She’d always thought it was fair for her partners and her to undress at the same time. This stripped her bare of any protections she might have.
And it was damn sexy.
Ash’s fingers trailed up the back of her thighs and down again. Chris wondered if Ash salivated in anticipation. She knew she would be if their situations were reversed. Hesitating only for a moment, Chris reached down and pressed her fingers between her legs. She flicked them over her clit and nearly jolted at how sensitive it was. Her curls were damp.
“Ash,” Chris whispered, a call to the wild she knew was about to come.
They both needed this. They both wanted it desperately. She could see it in Ash’s eyes as they locked on her face, as they dropped down to where Chris’ fingers were, in the dash of Ash’s pink tongue against her lips. She wanted everything in this moment. They both did.
“Touch me already.” Chris dipped her fingers between her legs and then moved them away, wet with her own juices.
Ash snagged her hand and pulled Chris’ fingers to her mouth, covering them with her lips and sucking on them. She twirled her tongue in a circle, cleaning her off. The rough part of Ash’s tongue on the pads of Chris’ fingers sending waves of pleasure straight between her legs. Heat pooled again. Chris could only imagine the flavor, but she knew what Ash tasted like, that sweet mixed with a hint of salt. Dragging in a deep breath, Chris smelled nothing but her own arousal.
This was the sexiest thing on the planet.
“Let me watch you for a second.” Ash’s voice was breathy. She was entranced.
“Ash,” Chris’ voice was a whine. “I want you, not my fingers.”
“You’ll get me. I promise. No way I can resist that.”
Chris frowned, but she moved her hand back between her legs. If this was what Ash wanted, then it’s what she would do. She wetted her fingers again, moving them to her clit. Chris started a slow slide of her fingers, large circles to start. She kept the pressure light because she was still sensitive as fuck. She hadn’t touched herself in so long. She had wanted to stop thinking about Ash every time she wanted something sexual, and when she’d been unable to turn her mind in a different direction, she’d just forced herself to stop all together.
“Ash, I can’t do this for very long.”
Reaching up, Ash gripped the back of Chris’ thighs to help hold her still. “You’ll get my mouth on you in a minute, don’t worry.”
Groaning, Chris closed her eyes. Her entire body became wobbly, and she was unsure of her footing, but with Ash keeping hold of her tightly, Chris knew she wouldn’t fall. Even if she came hard, Ash would catch her. That was why she was there, wasn’t it? Releasing those tensions, Chris focused on the feel of her fingers between her legs, on the sparks of pleasure as they ran through her. If she did this much longer, Ash would have to get second best.
“I’m not sure…” Chris trailed off, having to work overtime to keep herself focused on words. “…I’m going to last much longer.”
“Don’t hold back.” Ash sounded so sure, so confident.
Chris loved when she did that. When she was pure strength in her vulnerabilities.
“Keep going,” Ash encouraged. “Come apart for me.”
Chris clenched her eyes tight. She focused on her body and what it was telling her, which was so different than anything before. She focused only on the sensations coursing through her, on Ash’s hands against her, on the sound of her breathing in the still quiet room, on the scent of her arousal. All of it consumed her. There was nothing else.
Moving swiftly, Chris reached for Ash’s head as her hips jerked with a start. She rolled her fingers around again. The last few pulses of her body were pooling together, and there wouldn’t be an end to it. She tightened her grasp on Ash’s head, clenching her jaw. She didn’t want this. She wanted Ash’s mouth right where her fingers were. She wanted Ash.
But it was too late.
Chris crashed through her orgasm, her body jerking with a start. She released her fingers from her body and cringed as she tried to hold back. Ash pressed her mouth right against Chris’ clit, sucking and twirling her tongue wildly. Chris gasped, heat searing through her. She was up on her toes, holding onto Ash’s head, her shoulders, anywhere she could grasp onto.
Ash didn’t slow down. She dove in, her mouth pressed tightly between Chris’ legs as she teased her. Chris barely had a chance to breathe, her chest so tight from the force of her body trying to tightly control everything about this moment. Chris keened, her voice leaving her lips in a wild cry of pleasure. Still, Ash didn’t stop.
She was going to combust. Chris swore it would happen. Her legs shook, barely holding her up. Ash dug her fingers in tightly because Chris was sure that she was rocking her entire body in some scary way like she’d topple over any moment.
“Ash,” Chris cried, her voice breaking.
Staying true, Ash continued to tease her, suck her, bring her closer. Chris was so screwed. She dug her nails into Ash’s scalp as she careened through another orgasm. Her knees gave out, and Ash jerked quickly, grabbing onto Chris’ hips to help ease her down to the couch. Chris landed with a thud.
She threw her arm over her face. Her heart raced so fast she was worried it’d come out of her chest or cause a heart attack. Chris took deep breaths to slow it down. Her legs were numb—jelly—and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand and support herself again. She giggled. Then she laughed, the full belly sound of it erupting from her chest and through her throat and out her mouth.
“What the hell, Ash?”
“Wicked tongues and all that.” Ash sounded so damn pleased with herself.
Chris didn’t have the wherewithal to move her arm and look Ash in the face, but she imagined the satisfied look. It would be beautiful. Finally Chris moved her arm away and turned her head to find Ash grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“Good?”
“Yes.” Chris nodded, her own lips moving to match Ash’s grin.
“I’d love to try that in your office.”
“Oh my god. No!”
“A girl can dream, can’t she? You might find some of that in there.” Ash pointed at the flash drive on the table. “But you’ll have to wait to read it.”
“It’s not another YA novel?”
“Oh. Now.” Ash’s cheeks flushed.
Chris loved it. She chuckled lowly. She covered her face again, rubbing her hands up and down her cheeks. “Your office might be better.”
“Oh no. That house is never empty.”
“We’re not having sex at work,” Chris reiterated.
“Like I said, a girl can dream. Now.” Ash moved upward and walked her fingers over Chris’ stomach to her breast, flicking her nipple in the process, before landing on Chris’ lips. “Where is the strap?”
“You want the strap-on after that?”
“Oh yes, most definitely.” Ash’s voice sounded so husky, absolutely filled with desire.
Chris wasn’t sure how, but she was ready to go again. Not that she thought she could sit up even. And putting that thing on for Ash was going to be a different story entirely. Ash would have to sit on her. That would be how it’d go.
“Chris…?”
“Top drawer of the nightstand. It’s already cleaned and ready.”
Ash raised an eyebrow at her.
Chris shrugged. “I don’t like dirty toys.”
“Good for us, then.”
“You get it. I’m going to meld myself with this couch for a little longer.”
“Perfect,” Ash purred.
Chris relaxed while Ash disappeared. She couldn’t believe this. Ash actually wanted her. And it wasn’t just because she was convenient like when they’d gone to The Office. Ash had shown up, came and found her, and poured out her heart. Chris couldn’t stop smiling. This was what she had hoped for. This was everything she could have wanted.
“I figured I could just let you lay there, legs spread, and sexy as hell.”
“Huh?” Chris turned her head up to find Ash, naked, with the strap on around her hips, the cock jutting from her. “Fuck.”
“Hmmm.” Ash smirked. “Yes, exactly.”
“D-did you lube that?” Chris stuttered. “Because it’s been a long time since I’ve taken one.”
“Of course. You don’t think I’m a jerk, do you?” Ash moved to kneel between Chris’ legs. “But this way you don’t have to move at all.”
“Fuck,” Chris whispered again. Words had completely left her.
“Exactly,” Ash repeated, laughing lightly.
She bent forward, using her tongue to lick Chris straight up. Chris shivered as she hummed her pleasure. She was completely enthralled with everything Ash did.
“You ready?”
“Not sure I’ll ever be.” But Chris widened her knees and threw her hands over her head. She gripped onto the pillow and waited for Ash to begin.
It was slow at first. Ash would push in and then pull back slightly. She’d push in more and then pull back. As soon as she got the tip in, Chris felt so full, but she knew there was more to come. She raised her hips up to meet Ash’s gentle probing. Instinctively, Chris knew Ash was going slow for her benefit, and she appreciated it. She hadn’t lied when she’d said it had been a while. Andry had never been too fond of it.
Chris groaned, biting her lip as she pushed her shoulders into the couch. This was sensational. Ash leaned over her, kissing her lips before pushing the toy in even more. Chris gasped.
“Is that all right?”
“Yes,” Chris hissed back. “Yes, slow and steady.”
Ash didn’t answer as she moved again. She pressed kisses to Chris’ neck, to the tops of her breasts, then back up her neck to her lips again. Chris deepened the kiss, drawing Ash’s tongue out to tangle with her own.
Pulling back slightly, Chris murmured, “don’t stop” before diving back in for another kiss.
