Ashley flinched as the door slammed behind Craig, and she stared after him for a moment as the new situation sank in. The pounding of her heart slowly settled, and she moved to the end of the bed to look down at Lance. He gazed up at her, his expression blank. He was helpless, sitting on the floor while tied to the foot of the bed. Her smile was genuine, a contrast to the sarcastic smile he returned as he cocked an eyebrow at her.
"At least we're together." His tone was bitter, but Ashley busted out laughing. Her body still tingled, but the heat of the earlier moment had been doused, and she felt the need for a little revenge after what he had put her through. This seemed harmless and fitting.
"I think it serves you right. You knew who I was at the general store. You didn't have to put me... us, through that." As she spoke, she straddled his legs and sat down on him, yet the hard bulge that had been there before had withdrawn. Her eyes couldn't look away from his perfect lips, and she watched a small smile grow.
"I was in a bit of a shock running into you like that. I'd searched half the states for you, and then you literally fall into my arms out of nowhere. All I had to go by were a couple of faded old pictures, and those don't do you justice. I was stunned." Ashley turned her face away, trying to hide a blush. She was not accustomed to hearing complements. Lance smiled again, and her eyes drifted back to his. "The next time I saw you, you were with that big beast of a man. I figured I could find a better time to talk to you, although I never dreamed it would turn out the way it did. I'd say I was sorry, but I enjoyed watching that bastard cop get kicked in the face."
"Speaking of, I have a souvenir. I'm sure he won't miss it... much." She pulled the pilfered wallet from her back pocket and opened it. Both of their heads swiveled down as she riffled through it, pulling out a faded picture of a blonde, overweight woman, a social security card, two credit cards, twenty dollars in cash, and a small key that was hidden behind his driver's license. Lance's eyes looked back into hers.
"I think he might miss that," he said thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. Ashley shrugged and tossed it on the bed, no longer caring about her find.
She watched him smile again, intrigued by his lips. The memory of how they felt on hers was enticing. She wanted to relive the moment. Touch them, feel them, taste them. The need to do so was almost overwhelming, and the next time she met his eyes, the smoldering passion was there again. Anticipation shot through her, filling her stomach with butterflies. She had to force herself to speak, but she needed to know now, before the pounding of her heart sent her over the edge.
"Why did you do it?"
Her voice was soft, yet probing. Why would he have done it? Why would he sacrifice a good part of his life for her without ever knowing her? They had shared hundreds of emails and talked over the phone late at night, - oh, how those late night phone calls had been such a comfort - but this was crazy. He had been a fantasy, the perfect fantasy and a promise of a life she could never have. Her eyes trailed over his handsome face, and she found herself falling into those beautiful, green eyes. Her fantasy stared back at her. A fantasy, yet he was flesh and blood. He was real, and he had found her.
Ashley waited for his answer, but the question faded from her mind as the fervor began to build inside her. She watched his eyes rove over her; her lips, the smooth skin of her neck, the tanned swell of her breast. Self-consciously, she caught her bottom lip in her teeth as she watched the longing creep into his eyes. It was so powerful it was almost tangible. The air turned to molasses, and her chest heaved as she remembered to breath. Chills ran over her body as the desire cascaded through her. Her question that seemed so important a second ago vanished as she watched Lance's head fall back against the bed. He swallowed hard.
"Kiss me, Ash." It was a command. It was a plea. She couldn't deny him any more than she could stop breathing. Her hands gripped the fabric of his shirt as she moved to him. Her lips brushed his, soft at first until her teeth pulled at his bottom lip and he reacted, savagely taking what control he could. His kiss was hungry and desperate. She moved her hips against him, finding his passion once again inflamed. Breathlessly, her head fell back, and she moaned softly, and his mouth was instantly against her neck, nibbling and sucking softly. Her fingers traced his chest, feeling the hard muscles flexed underneath, and she moved her head to his shoulder to taste his skin.
Suddenly, his body jolted and the bed jerked. "Dammit!" His outburst startled her, and she pulled back to stare at the angry expression on his face. As her chest heaved, she felt a small satisfaction in seeing that he was breathing hard too. "You're not going to untie me, are you?"
A coy smile played over her lips as her hands moved to untie her halter top, and her words were practically a purr. "I think I like you like this."
Lance didn't respond. His eyes were glued to her fingers, and a flush rose over her body as she slowly removed the halter top to reveal a small, lacy bra. He was mesmerized as he watched her fingers probe the middle of her bra, and she produced a small sheath that contained a razor blade. She smiled as his eyes widen in surprise. "It's not really a weapon, but a girl's gotta be prepared."
Ashley reached around him and dropped the sheath into the palm of his hand. He gave her a half grin. "Is this supposed to help?"
"I think you would have done well enough without it." She smiled back and stood. It ached to leave him, but she wanted to wash the sweat and dirt from her body while she had the chance. She wanted to be clean when she gave herself to him. His eyes drank her in, trailing over her before finally looking up to meet her gaze.
"I'm going to take a shower," she said, turning away quickly before his pull dragged her back to him.
Before she shut the bathroom door, she heard him say, "I'll be here when you get out."
Chapter 8 – Night