“I am not going to stop until you tell me why you think my room is so funny,” he said as he continued to torment me with his free hand.
“Okay, okay,” I managed to say when I finally stopped laughing long enough to catch my breath.
Ash stopped tickling me at my surrender but kept my body restrained under his. His mesmerizing eyes penetrated mine as he waited for my answer. For the first time I noticed a light sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Dimples and freckles… my two weaknesses - I was starting to wonder if he wasn’t made just for me. He was close enough that his scent, a mixture of clean refreshing soap and minty fresh toothpaste, flooded my nostrils and I clenched my legs together hoping to relieve the growing ache in my sex. His nearness made me lose complete control of my thoughts and physical reactions.
“I wasn’t laughing at your room,” I admitted. “I wasn’t really laughing at anything. It just struck me as comical that here I am, eighteen years old, starting college in a couple of days, and this is the first guy’s room I’ve ever been inside except for my brother’s. You’ve probably had more girls in here than… well, I don’t have any idea how many, but…” I turned my head away from him humiliated again at my inexperience.
“Hey, please don’t turn away from me,” Ash said softly as he used his hand to turn my chin so I was looking in his eyes once again. I willed my tears back as they threatened to pool in my eyes; I was NOT going to cry. What in the hell was wrong with me? I went from laughing hysterically one minute to crying the next.
“There’s no reason for you to be embarrassed,” he continued. His hand moved from beneath my chin to my cheek where he gently stroked back and forth with his thumb.
“You are breathtakingly beautiful, incredibly talented, obviously intelligent, and when I look into your eyes I see the most pure, untainted soul of anyone I have ever met. Your innocence and inexperience only increases your sexiness and sensuality. You, Scarlett Alexandria MacGregor, truly are an enigma.”
The thumb that had been caressing my cheek moved to my bottom lip and I instinctively opened my mouth. I flicked my tongue over the tip of his thumb, tasting his sweet flesh, before drawing it into my mouth and sucking on it. Ash inhaled deeply and his eyes darkened to a stormy blue. He broke our stare and shifted his desire-filled gaze to my mouth, watching me provocatively play with his thumb ~ licking, sucking, biting.
Without removing his hand from my mouth, Ash leaned his face to mine and seared my lips with his. His lips were neither soft nor rough, they were just perfect, there was no other way to describe it. Our lips fit together as if they were made for one another, our tongues danced as if they had been partners for years. For what seemed like forever, we kissed and licked and nipped at each other’s mouths, exploring and devouring . His hands tangled in my dark hair and every so often he would lightly tug on it, forcing me to tilt my head back so he could kiss across my jawline and down my neck. He pulled my hair with more force and I experienced a stimulating mixture of pain and pleasure, which caused a moan to escape from the back of my throat. I hadn’t been kissed many times in my life, but I knew instantly that nothing would ever compare to this first kiss that I shared with Ash.
Disappointment washed over me as I felt him withdraw from my mouth. He rolled over so he was no longer on top of me but instead sitting next to me on the bed. Immediately, my body craved to be pressed up against his again.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he ran his hands through his hair. I noticed he did that often when he was either frustrated or at a loss for words.
“I swore that I wouldn’t do that, and look at me - we haven’t even been in here ten minutes and I’m already breaking that promise.” He looked over at me guiltily.
“It’s okay. Please don’t say you’re sorry,” I confessed with a sheepish smile. “It’s not like I wasn’t a willing participant. I wanted that as much as you did.” Probably even more so, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Come over here,” he said, returning my smile as he pulled me into his arms. “Let’s lay down. It’s after 4:00 in the morning and I’m keeping you from getting any sleep. We will have other nights to talk.”
He positioned us so that we were in the spooning position, my back tucked up snugly against his chest and his right arm draped across my middle. He peppered kisses up and down my neck, from my earlobe to my shoulder and then back again. I forced myself to stop overanalyzing the situation, overwhelmed at the onslaught of emotions, and enjoyed the moment for what it was.
“So soft, so sweet. My little butterfly. My beautiful Psyche.” Ash murmured as he nuzzled his face in the nape of my neck. I had found heaven. I didn’t really know what he was talking about or what he had called me, but nothing could ruin my perfect night. That was the last thought I remembered having before I drifted into a blissful sleep.
Chapter 6
I woke up the following morning feeling happier than I could remember being ~ ever. Ash’s arms were still tightly wrapped around my waist, our legs tangled together, and I could feel his morning-induced erection pressed against my back. I rolled over so that I was facing him, hoping he stayed in his vulnerable state of sleep so that I could better study him, but his eyes were wide open and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips when I looked at him.
“Good afternoon, butterfly,” he whispered, brushing my hair back from my face.
“Good afternoon?” I asked still ignoring the nickname.
“Yeah, it’s a little after 2:00. I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so comfortable, so peaceful.”
“Mmmm… thank you. I did sleep quite well.”