Page 54 of All Right No

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Ash woke in Ginny’s bed the next morning. He attempted to stretch, but the sheer effort of it proved too much. Every muscle he possessed protested the effort all at once. “Christ!” he groaned, as he discovered ten or so muscles he’d been hereto unaware of. Still, the memories of last night made it all worth it. Ginny lay snuggled into the crook of his arm, her soft breaths whispering against his skin. He turned so that he could bury his face in her dark hair.

Best way to wake ever.

Okay, so he was alive and thankfully the most laborious thing he had to accomplish today was a bit of laundry. Well, and whatever tasks Ginny had in mind for him.

He tried that stretch again, and this time managed to tease some of the stiffness from his joints. The movement roused Ginny.

“I hurt,” she groaned. “Don’t move yet, baby.”

“You hurt,” he teased, while attempting to unknot the tension from his body one limb at a time. He had some vague memory of attending a yoga class aeons ago with Spook, or had it been Paul? Yeah, it’d been Paul. He’d had the hots for the excessively curvy instructor. The way they’d been taught how to get rid of their tension during the class was by tensing everything and then gradually relaxing one muscle at a time, starting with their toes and working up to their head. It didn’t entirely unwind him, but he did feel awake by the end of it.

“Breakfast, back rub, or a bath?”

Ginny raised her head and blinked sleepily at him. “Think rubbing stuff was what got me into this state.”

“Yeah, well you’re safe at the moment. I think I’ve strained my dick.”

She smiled silkily. “Need me to rub it?”

“Maybe just give it a gentle kiss better.”

“Hmm, not such a great plan. I’m pretty certain I know where that would lead.”

“Yeah, heaven.”

“Sweet talker.” She rolled over and dropped out of the bed.

“Whoa! Where are you going?”

Ginny sat up rubbing her shoulder. “Dunno. I thought of something I had to do just now, but it’s gone again.”

“I know what it is. Get back into bed.” He lifted the edge of the duvet to make it easy for her dive beneath.

Ginny scampered back under the sheets, but jerked her head up again as soon as it hit the pillow. “I remembered. I owe someone a call.”

Damn her and her phone calls. “Someone can wait a bit. You and I are staying right here for a bit longer yet.” He snuggled against her, so they were pressed together like spoons and nibbled her jawline.

The weird thing about lying here achy and sore was that his hand and arm weren’t giving him any trouble at all. Maybe the real cure for pain was simply more pain elsewhere.

“We should fire up the Jacuzzi,” he said after a while.

Ginny tilted her head back and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Do you not think that’d be a bit weird? No one has used the hot tub since Elspeth attempted to swim into the afterlife there.”

“It’s been professionally cleaned and serviced. You wouldn’t have refused to ever set foot in the lounge again if she’d decided to call time out on life in there, and in any case, she’s still very much alive and breathing. Mad as a box of frogs, but definitely breathing.”

Also, to his relief, out of the band and no longer his concern.

“Come on, I’m sure you can think of naughty exercises for me to do while we’re there. And the warm bubbles will ease away all the aches.”

“So would a massage.”

“Yeah,” he drawled. “I wouldn’t say no to one of those either.”

Ginny rolled over and sat up, her dark hair forming a tangle around her narrow face, but there was a magical gleam in her whisky-gold eyes. “Last one down there has to do the massaging.” She was up, bouncing like a spring lamb and streaking out the door before he’d even put a foot on the floor.

“Fuck.” Ash cast off the covers and bounded after her. The quickest way down to the hot tub was straight through the house, then take a left and a right and jog down the steps cut into the hillside. Ash sprinted as far as the top of the steps before he slowed to a walk. Ginny was way ahead of him, so he’d already lost the race, but the sun was bright and hot, and its rays licked against his naked body, and filled him with a happy glow. In this moment, he could entirely understand Xane’s propensity for walking around in the altogether. He actually felt marginally content. Enough to smile at the sight of the colourful flowering weeds he spotted. He came to a halt, then about turned, a broad smile spreading across his face.