“Thank you,” she breathed as she bent her head and kissed me, hard, making my whole body yearn for her.
I brought my hand up to the back of her head and tried to get her closer, moaning in the back of my throat as the desire took over my body. I had the bare minimum of control when she jumped on me like this. Most of the time I could manage to keep in my mind that I couldn’t upset her. If I didn’t love her so much then I wouldn’t even try to stay away from her. It was weird, but because I loved her, I almost didn’t want to be with her, because I couldn’t stand to see her upset afterwards. It was impossible to reconcile, the need to be with her, but yet, at the same time, wanting to stay away.
As she nibbled on my bottom lip, wanting to deepen the kiss, I shook my head which made her whimper with disappointment. The sound nearly killed me inside. I hated myself sometimes, I really did; I was putting her through so much. I twisted and rolled so that she was underneath me, and then kissed her again, taking control this time. When she parted her lips, I kissed her passionately, sucking on her tongue and exploring every inch of her mouth, lighting a fire deep within me.
I had more control of myself when I was on top, I knew when to stop. I pulled out of the kiss as she ran her hands down my back, scratching with her nails, making me moan breathily. I groaned. Everything about her was incredible. She was perfect for me. If I could only get her to see that I was perfect for her too, then we’d be set for life. I looked into her gorgeous brown eyes, almost losing myself. I kissed her nose gently as her breathing slowed down.
“Maddy’s changing the flights and stuff and she’s going to let me know the new details,” I told her, brushing the damp hair from her face where it had escaped the towel.
She looked at me curiously. “How did you manage to do this?”
“I asked your father.”
She gasped. “You asked my dad? And he agreed to this? Seriously?”
“Yep.”
She looked at me proudly, making me feel like I was a hundred feet tall. “He must really like you,” she smiled, her eyes shining with pride and happiness.
“I guess so.” I shrugged dismissively, but her words were hitting me hard. Of course I wanted him to like me; I was in love with his daughter.
She grinned. “Wanna skip school today so we can pack?” she asked excitedly.
I laughed. “Whatever you say, ma’am,” I replied, climbing off her quickly before she grabbed me again. I knew she liked it when I called her that, so I did it occasionally just to tease her. I pulled her to her feet and kissed her forehead, then turned and reached up, grabbing one of the suitcases from on top of the closet. “Want to share one of these?”
She nodded, already digging in her drawers and pulling out underwear and toiletries. “Sure,” she agreed. “What kind of things should I pack? What kind of clothes do girls wear there?”
I smiled at her flustered face as she walked to the closet, opening it and peering in. I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, sighing at just how perfectly she fitted me. “People wear all kinds of different stuff. How you normally look is incredible, so just take what you want. Whatever you wear, I’m sure you’ll be the most beautiful thing in the whole of Los Angeles.” She didn’t need to dress up to look stunning, I’d never seen a girl rock a pair of sweats and a hoodie like she did, whatever she wore she looked beautiful.
She laughed. “Do you get these lines straight out of a how to pick up women book, Ashton?” she asked, elbowing me gently in the stomach.
I chuckled. “Yeah, is it working?”
“Most definitely,” she answered, winking at me playfully.
I grinned. “I’m gonna go make you some more breakfast, seeing as you spilled coffee over the last one,” I scolded playfully. A grin stretched across my face as I stepped away from her quickly. The hormones were raging through my body and demanding that I grab her again, so I needed to get some space to calm myself. I picked up the tray and headed back out to the kitchen, deciding on a fruit salad this time.
About an hour later, Maddy emailed me a new itinerary for the weekend. Everything was different. We still had to go to the Lake House on Friday so that Anna could see her parents for a couple of hours, but then we were to fly to LA from there. It would be a long day, but worth it by the time I got to show her off to my friends.
I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and dialled Nate, my best friend and roommate. “Hey, Taylor, what’s up, bud?” he chirped happily.
I grinned at the sound of his familiar voice. I’d missed the guy like crazy these last couple of months. “Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m coming home for the weekend. I’ll be there tomorrow night, around six-ish, I guess.”
“Yeah? That’s great, bud! We can go out on the hunt. I’ve missed having you as my wingman. Seth’s such a damn player that we always end up going for the same girl,” he laughed.
I smiled. “Actually, I’m bringing my girlfriend with me.”
“WHAT?” he almost screamed down the phone.
“Whoa! Take it down an octave there, Nate,” I joked, laughing at his surprise. Nate knew nothing of my undercover assignment with Anna, as far as he was concerned, I was working in Washington somewhere. I’d told him I met a girl on a night out with the boys.
“You’re really serious about this one? When you kept talking about her, I thought it was just a phase you were going through,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not a phase. I’m crazy about her, so you’d better warn the guys to stay the hell away from her,” I frowned, thinking of Seth hitting on her or trying to touch her, not that she couldn’t set him straight on that.
“Seriously? This is it then? Ashton Taylor, settled down, in a relationship? You’re totally serious? Not bullshitting me or anything?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t believe me.
I laughed. “I’m totally serious. Anna’s incredible, and I guarantee you’ll be in love with her too by the end of the weekend,” I stated confidently. She just had a power over men that made them fall for her. It wasn’t her looks either; she just had something else, an inner beauty – a charm – that you just wanted to be around.
“In love with her too? Are you in love with her?” he cried, sounding shocked again.
I grinned, nodding to myself. “I’m totally in love with her. So tell the guys to keep their distance.”
“Wow, possessive. Must be love then,” he teased, chuckling. I sighed; I didn’t care how much the guys teased me, I was in love with Anna and that was all there was to it.
“Listen, just make sure the apartment looks okay, will ya? Have a bit of a clean-up,” I winced. Nate wasn’t exactly the best housekeeper, I could just imagine the dirty plates in the sink, and the dirty clothes over the floor.
“Taylor, I’m not a freaking maid!” he retorted.
I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “For me? Please? It doesn’t have to be spotless, she won’t care. Just no used condoms down the toilet, or dirty plates in the lounge, that kind of thing,” I suggested.
He sighed dramatically. “Fine, I’ll have a clean-up,” he agreed, somewhat reluctantly. “I won’t be here tomorrow at six though, I’m working until twelve. I’m covering for one of the guys and pulling a double shift.”
“Okay, well I’ll see you Saturday then.” I slid my phone back into my pocket and couldn’t keep the ecstatic grin off my face.
Chapter Twenty-One
Once the plane had touched down and the seatbelt sign had finally been turned off, she twisted in her seat and smiled up at me. “Hey, have a nice sleep?” she teased, reaching up and wiping something from the corner of my eye.
I smiled sheepishly. Admittedly, I had dozed off during the flight. It wasn’t really my fault though; the first class seating was extremely luxurious and comfortable, and it was made even better by the fact that she’d been leaning all over me and snuggling into my side while she read her magazine. Plus, I’d barely slept the night before because I was so excited to take her home with me and show her off to my friends. I’d lain awake most of the night, watching her sleep peacefully in my arms. I couldn’t imagine an angel would look more beautiful than her.
“Yeah I did. Sorry I didn’t talk to you for the whole way,” I winced, hoping she didn’t mind. She was still smiling so I couldn’t have annoyed her too much.
She shrugged casually, shoving the last of her candy wrappers into her inflight bag. “Least you weren’t snoring.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t answer. I didn’t snore, but she was always trying to make me believe that I did.
As soon as we disembarked the aeroplane, we were ushered through the airport like royalty. Dean was with us because there always had to be two guards with her, but Peter had already started his weekend off. The helicopter was waiting for us a short car ride away and half an hour later, we arrived at the lake house.
I raised one eyebrow in awe as I looked up at the building. It looked even bigger than I remembered. Practically as soon as we were out of the chopper, Anna’s parents both hurried out of the house to greet us. In a seemingly unconscious move, she stepped closer to me and my heart leapt in my chest because she obviously needed my support. I smiled reassuringly and put my hand on the small of her back.
As they stopped in front of us, both grinning happily, Anna plastered on what seemed like a fake smile as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother. I watched as her mother’s eyes widened in surprise before her whole body relaxed and she threw her arms around her daughter and hugged her back like she was a long lost child. Anna’s dad was watching them both with his mouth hanging open and tears glistening in his eyes. When she broke the hug and engulfed her father in a hug too, his whole face showed his elation.
As soon as the embrace broke, she stepped back to my side again. I smiled and stuck out my hand towards her father. “It’s nice to see you again, sir.”