Chaste (McCullough Mountain) (18 page)

Eventually
it would have to end, but he didn’t want to think about that now. He tugged her
closer. “Kiss me.”

Her
mouth parted, her soft pink tongue darting past the plump pillow of her lower
lip, moistening it. She leaned in with slow halting movements and he waited,
enjoying her measured progress. So much patience, such a fucking turn on.

His
hands went to her hips, teasing that slice of skin he’d spotted earlier and he
pulled her closer. She gasped and caught her weight on his shoulders, her palms
like two little brands burning through the cotton of his shirt. Every time she
touched him, he caught fire.

He
pressed his tongue past her full lips and caught hers. Always hesitant at
first, he coaxed her mouth with his until she reacted, meeting his thrusts with
gentle swipes of her sweet tongue. “Sit on my lap,” he whispered against her
lush mouth.

Breaking
the kiss, she turned as though to sit with her legs draped to one side.

He
caught her hips. “No, no. Like this.” Pulling his thighs together he directed
her legs on either side until she was straddling him. He pulled her hips to his
lap and her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

“This
is inappropriate,” she said, but her mouth was tight with a sweet smirk telling
him she was feeling the thrill of breaking the rules.

He
bit back a laugh. What adult worried about shit like that? She did. Pulling his
upper lip between his teeth, he cleared his throat. He didn’t want to laugh and
come off disrespectful. Using a slow and calm voice, he said, “Appropriateness
is overrated too. I won’t move my hands. I promise.”

Her
wide eyes dilated, darkening to rich chocolate, as she nodded.

Keeping
his hands firmly on her hips, he pulled her closer and found her lips again.
Soft, slightly swollen, he sealed his mouth to hers and explored her. He kissed
her passionately, aggressively, deeply, but never too fast. His pace remained a
steady beat of temptation warming his blood.

Soft
little moans of surprise and satisfaction escaped her throat. Her body melted
against his. Narrow arms wreathed around his neck as soft keening whimpers
passed her lips. He swallowed every sweet sound.

He
was already late for work, but he didn’t give a shit. He was in heaven.

His
fingers tightened on her narrow hips and he pressed his pelvis into the V of
her thighs. She gasped into his mouth, her throaty voice causing his cock to
twitch and strain. “Kelly…”

“Do
you want me to stop?”
Please say no.

He
ground his bulge against her apex again and she whimpered. “It feels so good.” Her
breathy voice was a soft rasp over his lips.

“This
is only kissing, Ashlynn. There so much more.”

“Oh,
God…”

His
hands tightened, never straying, and he dragged her over the swell of his cock.
She sucked in a breath. Her head lulled back and his mouth worked its way down
her throat.

“What
are you doing to me?” she whispered, her breath stuttering from her lungs as he
continued to torment her.

“Just
making you
feel
.” He repeated the motion and her legs quivered. “Do you
feel me, Ashlynn? That’s what you do to a man, what you do to
me
.”

Her
exhalation was choppy. Mouth parted, her eyes glazed with evident lust. Leaning
forward, he slid his tongue over her lower lip, and sucked it into his mouth.
She moaned as he continued to rock her slowly over her body.

“Feel
me,” he whispered as he took her mouth. She tasted like sun-ripened berries.
“Feel what you do to my body.”

Her
fingers tightened in his shirt and suddenly she took charge, her sweet little
tongue demanding more. She turned into an unrefined flame, burning his body
everywhere she touched. His hips lifted as his hands itched to touch her. “I
want to move my hands.”

She
moaned and reached behind him, never taking her mouth off his as she rode him.
Friction built beneath their clothes as her hand reached back and squeezed his
fingers. “Yes,” she panted and that was his green light.

His
palms roamed over her arching back as her fingers raked through his hair. She
was unrefined, her need demanding and starved. He couldn’t touch her breasts. Earlier,
she’d said no naked. Simply letting his touch roam over her shoulders was
enough and more than he’d ever expected.

He
pulled her down on his lap and took over the kiss. His mouth closed over hers
as his need multiplied. His heart raced as his skin heated.

Little
keening sounds slipped from her throat and suddenly she broke with the sweetest
shivers. It wasn’t a life altering orgasm, but he’d be willing to bet it was
her first. Her face fell onto his shoulder as her arms tightened around his
shoulders, little fingers digging through the fabric of his shirt and pressing
into the muscles of his back.

Soft
pants of breath beat into his shoulder and he waited. Slowly, her head lifted
and she blinked up at him with so many questions in her shimmering eyes. “I
feel…” Her face lowered and she frowned.

“Wet?”

Her
gaze jerked to his, a look of surprise and uncertainty on her face. She nodded.

“That’s
because you came,” he explained. “It’s what happens. It’s how a woman’s body
prepares for a man’s.”

Her
face paled and she scrambled to stand. Her motions were uncoordinated as he
suspected she was still suffering aftershocks and slight quivers. His fingers
tightened on her hips.

“Kelly.”
Her voice was stern, but her chin trembled.

Regret
punched through him. She’d said she was okay with experimenting. “Hey,” he
said, trying to break through her obvious panic. “Please don’t freak out.”

“That
was more than kissing.”

“That
was making out.”

Innocent
eyes blinked back at him. “You knew that would happen?”

“I
hoped. Ashlynn, most girls have experiences like this in their teen years.
You’re twenty-four and I assure you, your chastity’s intact.”

Indecision
wavered on her face. “I don’t know how long that’ll be true if I keep spending
time with you.”

Sudden
dread doused his confidence. He couldn’t walk away. Not yet. He met her gaze,
reaffirming his earlier promise. “I
swear
I won’t cross the line. Trust
me to know where it is.”

She
swallowed and he waited, hoping she wouldn’t end what they had before it even
started. Her virginity was intended for someone else. No matter how good being
inside of her would feel, he didn’t want the guilt of stealing it in a moment
of heated passion that would result in her regret. Protecting her virtue was imperative.
“Please.”

Eventually,
she nodded. “I feel so ignorant,” she confessed in a small voice.

His
hand left her hip and cupped her face. “You’re just inexperienced. Nothing
wrong with that.”

“I
imagine I won’t be for long.”

His
stare drilled into hers. “Your virginity will go to your husband, Ashlynn. You
have my word.”

Small
creases formed behind the lenses of her glasses. “But what of my innocence?”

Chapter Six

Ashlynn
wanted to see Kelly with a desire so fierce it terrified her. So she did the
exact opposite and stayed busy with her work. On Saturday the temptation to go
to him doubled. She found herself constantly thinking about him and his lips
and his hands, his sexy voice, and that oh-so-wicked mouth. Never before had
such corrupt thoughts filled her mind.

He
was dangerous. When he looked into her eyes he awakened parts of her she’d
never acknowledged. Josh called her several times over the week. While she
hadn’t spent nearly as much time thinking about him, she found his company much
more tolerable to Kelly’s.

With
Josh, her control never slipped. He never looked at her with the raw lust she
often found in Kelly’s fiery blue stare. So when Josh asked her to a movie
Saturday night she’d happily agreed.

As
the movie let out he took her hand and walked her back to the car. “Would you
like to get a drink somewhere?”

The
last place she wanted to go was O’Malley’s. It didn’t feel right, kissing one
man one day and accepting a date with another man the next. “Um, I think I’d
like to go home.”

It
was the first time Josh had picked her up so as he drove her home she wondered
if she was making a mistake. She didn’t want him to assume too much, yet she
also didn’t want him to get frustrated with her prudishness.

Josh
was looking for long term, or so his dating profile said. He wanted a family
and had no issues with commitment. Kelly on the other hand was looking for sex.
Ashlynn didn’t have sex, but there was a whole lot of pre-game stuff she wanted
to try with Kelly.

As
Josh parked his car next to her truck, he turned off the engine. She fidgeted
with her bag and waited for him to speak.

“Did
you like the movie?”

She
smiled. See…easy. “Yes. I didn’t expect that twist at the end.”

He
smiled back at her and she sensed he wanted to kiss her. Excitement coursed
through her, because she really liked kissing. Her chest tightened with
anticipation as he leaned in and slowly placed his lips on hers. Her eyes shut
and images of tanned skin, blue eyes, and Gaelic tattoos filled her mind.

Jerking
back, she pressed her fingers to her lips. She wasn’t expecting that to happen
and felt like a harlot.

“Is
something wrong?” Josh asked.

She
was a Jezebel. Guilt twisted her stomach. Although Kelly had claimed not to
care if she carried on her relationship with Josh, she didn’t feel right
keeping Josh in the dark about Kelly. “Josh, what…are we doing?”

His
patient eyes searched her face. “We were kissing.”

“But
what is
this
that we’re doing?” she asked, waving her hand between the
two of them.

He
nodded in understanding. “Do we have to put a label on it this early? I like
you, Ashlynn. I think we get along good, but I don’t want to rush into labeling
it.”

She
nodded slowly, a little relieved. “So we aren’t monogamous?”

“Did
you want to be?”

She
valued monogamy, but her behavior of late told another story. “I think for
right now we should keep it open.”

His
expression blanked. He didn’t appear angry or offended, just curious. “Is there
someone else you’re seeing?”

She
swallowed. Honesty was best. “Someone else asked me out, but I want to be
honest. He knows about you.”

He
sat back seeming to digest this information. “I guess that’s fair.”

“Are…are
you talking to any other women?”

“I
haven’t gone out with anyone else in a few weeks, but I still have my profile
up on the dating site. I’m okay with seeing other people for now. If things get
serious, we’ll adjust accordingly.”

He
kissed her again, nothing like the way Kelly kissed her, but it wasn’t a bad
kiss. When he left she went to bed. The past two nights had been restless and
her body was paying for it.

The following morning she woke
up, took a quick shower, and headed to church an hour before mass started. Her
guilt lingered, regardless of Josh’s acceptance that they were free to see
other people. Maybe she wasn’t the kind of woman who could play the field. The comfort
of praying was something she desperately needed.

As she sat in the empty pew, her
fingers worked over the beads of the rosary and her mouth silently repeated the
words she’d memorized since childhood. She begged God for guidance. It didn’t
feel right to date two men at once, but she didn’t want to choose between them,
because the choice was obvious. One man offered a possible future while the
other limited himself to only the now.

There was no sure thing. Only
time would tell.

But she was certain time would
not change Kelly McCullough into the marrying type.

She’d known the kind of man he
was the moment she set eyes on him, yet some irrational part of her couldn’t
give him up. He’d eventually pulverize her heart and she’d try to move on. That
was the likely outcome. However, there was still that part of her that believed
in miracles.

Ashlynn wasn’t a stupid person.
She had the facts right in front of her. Yet she couldn’t shake the instinct
that Kelly was more than the man he showed the world. He was afraid of
responsibility, afraid of failing. In order for that to be true, he’d have to
care on some level, right?

Yes, she was certain there was
more beneath the careless surface. The rest of their small town may be
convinced he was just some handsome man-child living in the moment, but she
gleaned a bit more of his actual self every time they talked. And that was the
problem. Every time she was with him, her stupid heart gullibly swelled,
tricking her mind into believing she had more than a microscopic shot in hell
of changing the outcome of their relationship.