Music of the Heart (34 page)

I stand back with a shocked expression on my face and just shake my head.  He leans down and kisses my cheek and heads over to his table.

Dinner is coming to a close and just like last year, music and dancing will be next and a dessert buffet will be set up for after.  Merritt’s assistant, Peyton, walks over to me.

“Hey Ashleigh, are you ready to go warm your voice up?  You’re first up to sing tonight.”

“Yeah.  I’ll be right there.”

I take a sip of my wine and wipe my mouth.  I take a deep breath.  I never get nervous about singing but tonight, I am.  This is the first time I have sung in front of my family and friends again since my break and I just want to do good for Elizabeth.

As I stand up, Cross looks at me and gives a small smile.  I walk away to warm my voice up and fix my lipstick.  After a few minutes, I hear a familiar voice introducing me.

“… I am so pleased to welcome back this amazing young lady to our stage tonight.  In the past year, I have grown to love her like she is my own daughter.  Ladies and gentlemen… Ashleigh Kennedy.”

CROSS

              God, she is beautiful and she is all mine.  I just need to remind her why we fell for each other to begin with and win her back for good tonight. It’s been a crazy year of ups and downs and I’m hoping she will take me back.  I thought of this plan to get her back and enlisted the help of everyone including our parents and all of our friends.  I’m leaning against the back wall just watching her when she looks at me and our eyes lock.  I give her my signature smirk and I have flashbacks of a year ago when we were in this exact spot.

              As she finishes up her songs, I’m waiting off the side of the stage for her. 

              “Ashleigh, you were amazing.  How do you feel?”

              “Thank you.  Actually, I’m feeling great.”

              “Will you dance with me?  Please?”

              She hesitates but then takes my hand I held out for her.  I walk her out on to the dance floor just as a slow song comes on.  I pull her into my arms and hold her tight.  She lays her head down on my shoulder and I savor this moment hoping this is the start of better things to come.

              “So, you and Keith Rivers?”

              “Oh dear Lord!  I feel like I’m having déjà vu.  You asked me that last year too.  It seems that almost every detail from last year is also happening this year.  It’s crazy.”

              I start laughing and just stare at her dumbfounded look on her face.

              “What the hell is so funny Cross?”

              “All these details that keep happening from last year… I made them happen again.  I asked our parents and friends to help me recreate the night we met last year.  I thought if we could start over tonight, things could go back to how they were.  I miss us Ashleigh.  God, I sound like such a girl right now.”

              “Cross.  Can I admit something to you?”

              I just shake my head in response to her question.  I’m afraid of what she is going to tell me. 

              “I miss us too.  I would love if everything went back to how it was.  Funny thing – when I got back from the beach, I was headed straight to your office to tell you something but the girls told me you were out of town for the next month.”

              “What were you coming to tell me?”

              I knew from the look on her face exactly what she wanted to tell me and my heart was about to bust through my chest to finally hear her say it.  She was hesitating though.  I’m not sure if she is nervous or worried what I’ll say.

              “Cross… God, I’m like a blubbering idiot right now.  Cross, I… I love you.”

              My smile could probably be seen across the entire building.  I held her even tighter and was ready to kiss her senseless but she wasn’t done talking.

              “Damn, that felt good to finally say to you.  I love you Cross.  More than you know.  I have for a while but I had so much to figure out and think about when the break from work happened.  Funny thing is I completely understand why you did what you did but I could not get over it for a while.  If I’m being honest, I acted like a child half the time towards you and I’m so sorry.  I do love you and I want us back to how we were.  You are mine and I am yours.”

              “Hell yes, you’re mine and don’t ever forget it.  My heart belongs to you, forever.”

              With that, I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her senseless.  Before I knew it, I heard a round of hoots and hollers and we both looked up to see our five sets of friends cheering and clapping causing both Ashleigh and I to laugh.

              After the dance, we head back to the table for dessert.  Between our parents and friends, everyone seems elated that we were back together.  As we’re eating dessert, I lean over to whisper in Ashleigh’s ear.

              “Don’t get too full on this dessert.  I have something better for you at home later.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

ASHLEIGH

              Dessert flew by and unfortunately, we could not leave yet.  Elizabeth had asked me to announce the silent auction winners and there was still fifteen minutes left to make bids.  Cross was not overly thrilled having to stay.  According to him, he was ready to get me home and have more dessert.

              The girls wanted to go and look at the silent auction items one last time to see if we needed to make any last minute bids.  Cross didn’t want me going without him but let me go anyways. He told me he had just gotten me back and he wanted me next to him every minute of the night.  He kept a hand somewhere on my throughout dessert also.  Whether it was on my hand, my thigh, my arm, around my shoulders… it didn’t matter but he was constantly touching me.  He’s a very overprotective, domineering man to begin with.

              Merritt and I are walking around looking at the bid lists and I see a few things that peek my interest. 

              “Hmmm… spa days always sound nice.  And there’s two of them.  Maybe we should bid on both of them so we can go together.  Oh and look, a trip to Tahiti.  I love any tropical island but this is one I’ve always wanted to go to but never had the chance.  Not sure I can outbid these people though.  It’s getting a little high for me.”

              We get through the rest of the night and the minute I’m done announcing the winners, Cross practically drags me off the stage, grabs my purse and quickly tells everyone good-bye.  We get outside and Thomas is waiting for us.

              “Hey Thomas.  How are you?”

              “Doing well Ashleigh.  It’s nice to see you again.”

              The ride is quick and before I know it, we are at Cross’s condo.  One of the perks of having money, he has his own private elevator that leads up to his condo.  The doors close and as the elevator begins going up to the penthouse floor, he is all over me.  He kisses me like he’s never kissed me before.  Hands are everywhere and somehow he manages to rip my panties off of me in the elevator.

              “Cross!  What are you doing?  What if someone sees us on the cameras?”

              “Relax.  The cameras for this elevator go directly to my security room.  I’m the only one who will see it.”

              We finally make it into the condo and he picks me up and carries me to kitchen.

              “Cross, why are we in the kitchen?”

              “Baby, I’ve been without you for six months.  We have a lot of sex to make up for.  So, we’re starting in the kitchen and we’ll see how many places we can make love tonight and tomorrow and maybe the next day.  I plan on keeping you here all weekend and not letting you out of my sight.  When do you go back on the road?”

              “I have the next month off.  So I’m yours for as long as you want me.”

              “Baby, you are mine forever.  That will never change again.”

              He sets me down on my feet and slowly begins undoing my top and skirt.  Before I know it, I’m standing in my bra and heels since he already stripped my panties off in the elevator.  He picks me up and sets me on the counter. 

              “Shit, that is cold Cross.  I still have my bra and heels on though.”

              He reaches behind me and pops my bra off with one hand. 

              “There, now I can see your perfect breasts that are all mine.  But you’re keeping the heels on.  They’re too sexy and I want to fuck you with them on.”

              “Okay.  Whatever you want Cross but now it’s time to get rid of some of your clothes.”

              I start to undo his tie and shirt to reveal that perfectly sculpted chest and abs he has.  I reach for his belt but he stops me.

              “No Ashleigh.  Right now, I want to finish my dessert and then you can have me all to yourself later.”

              At first, I don’t understand what he means.  He gives me a scorching hot kiss that about makes me come right on the spot.  He turns to get something from the refrigerator and looks back at me.  He’s holding a can of whipped cream and I just laugh.  He sprays it on my nipples and goes crazy licking and biting them.  After spending a lot of attention on them, he pushes me onto my back and I hear the whipped cream can being shaken again and before I know it, he has sprayed whipped cream up my legs, across my stomach and right on my mound.  He begins his journey of licking it all up my legs and then my stomach.  He reaches my center and with the first swipe of his tongue, I almost come undone.  He feasts on me like I am his last meal.  He takes my clit into his mouth and sucks so hard, I start to feel my orgasm coming hard.  Deciding to pay attention elsewhere, he takes his tongue and runs it right between my folds and I swear I can feel it up in my stomach.  At that moment, I lose all control I have and my orgasm comes on strong. 

              “Oh my God, Cross!  More please!  Oh my, oh my, oh my!  That feels so good.”

              It’s at that moment, he takes my clit between his teeth and bites down and I see stars in my eyes. 

              “Holy shit Cross!”

              He slows down and laps up my sex with his tongue with a few more gentle strokes.  As I’m coming down from my high, he looks up at me with a sneaky grin on his face.

              “Feel good baby?”

              “You have no idea how good I feel right now.   Now, it’s your turn.”

              I hop off the counter but he stops me.  I give him a hurt and confused look.

              “Baby, I would love nothing more than for you to finish your dessert but first, I want to take a shower with you.”

              He picks me up and we head into his bathroom.  He sets me on the counter while he turns on the shower water.  As it’s warming up, he strips out of his pants and boxer briefs and I finally get to see what I’ve been missing.  I lick my lips in anticipation and as I look up, Cross is staring at me.