I pulled back, my face flushing. “Right. You’re right. That was dumb.”
His arm reached out, catching me around the waist. That wide smile was across his face, cocky and charming, and I found myself leaning toward it. “Never dumb,” he said, shaking his head. “Let’s go continue this inside, okay?”
I nodded, eagerly. “Okay.”
We stood up, walking carefully across the truck bed. Ash jumped down and reached up for me. I stuck my tongue out at him but let him help me down. His hand immediately reached for mine, and we crossed the lawn together and went back in the house.
Bert still sat at the table in the kitchen, looking as if nothing had passed in the last hour. The puzzle book was already in his hand again, and his pencil was poised above the open page, a crease of concentration on his forehead. He glanced up as we came inside and said nothing.
“We’ll go,” Ash spoke up for the both of us.
He dipped his head, his eyes returning down to his book. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
Ash nodded in response and pulled me down the hallway, back to the room that we had been in before. He shut the door and turned the lock, and I felt a nervous giggle escape my lips. He raised his eyebrow as he spun around and pressed me up against the locked door. His hands came down below my butt, and he lifted me. My legs automatically wrapped around him, my hands gripping his arms tightly. “Something funny?”
I shook my head, feeling my heart beat rapidly in my chest, threatening to burst out of my ribs.
“Good,” he said, in a low voice. His lips came down on mine, and I found myself eagerly kissing him back, low whimpers escaping my lips in between kisses. My shirt was off and tossed to the ground before I could even protest. Goose bumps rippled across my skin as the soft cotton of his shirt rubbed up against me. He was still hard from before, and he was moving against me, causing me to pant in between kisses.
“Let’s go to the bed,” I suggested under my breath. He grinned and carried me over to the bed. I fell back on the bed, with his body lying next to me. I brought his face back to mine and rolled on top of him, catching him by surprise. His hands came up to my hips and thrust himself upward into me. I gasped in surprise, and a chuckle went through his body. “Something funny?” I parroted his words back to him.
He sat up, propping himself on the pillows, pulling me along with him so that I was straddling his lap. “Never,” he whispered.
I smiled down at him before covering his mouth with mine.
I WOKE WITH A START the next morning with only one word on my lips. “Sanctuary.” I looked over and was unsurprised to find Ash lying awake next to me. He looked over at me and gave me a nervous smile. His hand reached for mine, and I immediately grabbed it.
“You ready to do this?” he asked, his voice full of sleep. He cleared his throat, sitting up. I watched as the blanket fell to his hips, revealing his naked chest, and I felt a deep ache at the sight of him. I placed a palm over his warm chest, right above his heart, and smiled.
“You know, you have got to stop ogling me like this,” he yawned. “I’m starting to think you love me only for my body.”
I shrugged. “Well, at least the truth is out now.”
He laughed. “Are you ready to do this?” he asked again.
I nodded, feeling the anticipation build in my stomach. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
We moved slowly, despite our confident words. I took my time in the shower, reveling in the water that came out of the spout. It wasn’t hot, not like that showers had been back at Sekhmet, but it was warm enough. I felt more comfortable in this shower though. I didn’t have the overwhelming feeling that someone was watching every single move I made. I stayed in the shower, longer than was necessary, wincing at the wrinkles that sprouted across my fingers and toes from being under the water too long. I dried myself off and slipped on a nondescript black shirt and a pair of jeans. I had never asked Bert where he had gotten clothes that had fit the two of us so well, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.
When I returned back to the bedroom, Ash was sitting on the bed, fully dressed, his hands clasped tightly together in his lap. He was staring at them, his brow furrowed, lost in thought. I paused in the doorway to study him. I leaned against the doorway, and the floor creaked underneath my feet. His eyes shot up to meet mine, and the left corner of his mouth tilted up for a minute. He stayed sitting for a long moment before standing up and walking toward me.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me out the door.