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He pushes down his shorts and rolls on a condom.
“Wait,” I say, urging him onto his back. “You need the full ‘under the stars’ experience.” I lift my dress, straddle him, then let it fall back down, the hem surely tickling his abs and thighs with every bounce of my body.
He grips my hips, guiding me up and down at his desired pace. It doesn’t take long to get him there. His face contorts and he bucks up into me as he erupts with pleasure.
And it’s not lost on me that here we are, on this amazing beach surrounded by beautiful palm trees, salty night air, and what I can only describe as the most exquisite night sky I’ve ever seen. Yet Asher’s eyes never once stray from mine as he rides out the waves of his orgasm. The moon reflects in them as he looks up at me. And although it’s dark outside, I swear I can read more in his gaze than I ever have before.
What I’m reading excites me. What I’m reading terrifies me. But most of all, what I’m reading fucking envelops me like a warm blanket on a snowy day.
Chapter Nine
Asher
If I wasn’t sure of my feelings before tonight, I am now. I’m one hundred percent in love with Allie Montana. Locked and loaded. Head-over-fucking-heels. And I’m a goddamn dead man walking if I find out she doesn’t feel the same.
Which is why I don’t ask. And it’s why I won’t tell her.
Better to live in naïve bliss than be tortured by the knowledge of loving someone who doesn’t love you in return.
She hasn’t been with other men. But for how long? Months? A year? What does ‘recently’ mean. Since we first hooked up sixteen months ago?
The champagne is long gone. The moon is much lower on the horizon. Gentle waves crash upon the beach. We’ve been here for hours and not another living soul has wandered by.
I rise on an elbow and watch Allie watch the sky. This truly is paradise.
“There!” She grabs my arm. “Asher! Do you see it?”
I look up to see a faint white streak darting across the sky. A shooting star. If that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.
She releases me. “Did you know shooting stars aren’t even stars at all?”
I chuckle. “Thanks for ruining the moment, Al.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize we were having one,” she says playfully. “We did have a lot ofothermoments tonight, however.”
I pinch my chin. “Let’s see, if I remember correctly, you had four moments and I had three.” I swipe a piece of hair off her face. “Okay, Ms. Smartypants, tell me about shooting stars.”
“They are actually meteors burning up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere.”
“How have I gone over forty years without knowing that?”
She shakes her head. “Sometimes I forget how old you are. And it kind of makes me feel smart to know one thing you don’t.”
I let the ‘how old you are’ comment roll off me. As a rule, I try not to think about our age difference. I’m pretty sure it’s the main reason I’m keeping my feelings to myself. I’ve had a wife. A family. I have a teenage daughter. Hell, I worry about things like how much I’m saving for retirement and Bug’s wedding. Things Allie has probably never even given a second thought to. I feel like I’m on a trajectory to the end of my life while hers is just beginning. She has so much ahead of her.
“Youaresmart,” I say. “You know a lot of things I don’t. Especially about wine. Do you know I’m always worried whenever I order wine around you?” I motion to the empty bottle. “I hesitate to tell you how long I mulled over which bottle to buy tonight. But honestly, the hotel shop only had three kinds of champagne, so it wasn’t too terribly painful. What did you think of it?”
“Fortunately for you, I’m not a wine snob like Lucas,” she says. “He’s the worst. Blake and Dallas aren’t so bad. I couldn’t care less. I mean, yeah, I want people to buy from us, and I do like a great glass of wine, but I’ll never complain about what you choose to bring. And, for the record, it was really good. Brut has always been my favorite.”
“Duly noted.”
“Noted for what?”
I hop up and extend my hand to pull her to her feet. “Future encounters under small pieces of space rock.”
“I didn’t sayallstars were space rocks, just shooting stars.”
“Flexing your space knowledge again?” I say as she grips my hand and I use her momentum to hoist her over my shoulder.