“But it’s because of all that’s inside you too. I swear, it goes way beyond the physical.”
“If I weren’t, you’d have taken me up on my proposal last summer.”
He didn’t answer as he pulled her tightly to him. All of her. Their arms and legs intertwined and their heads rested on each other’s shoulders. He rubbed her naked back, butt and upper thighs and she did the same to him. Sighing, Asher felt more contented than he ever did before. He never craved affection. It wasn’t lacking in his life. Growing up with a loving, much older grandma, Asher didn’t require a lot of physical touching to know he was loved. By the time he came to AJ and Kate, he was a bit old to need very much hugging or touching. Never kissing. So, touching someone else’s body without sex never became a habit in his life.
Then he realized how Daisy often mentioned it. He didn’t share much before but that might be something new that was okay to do.
He pulled back just enough to see her face. “I’ve never really done this before.”
“What? Had sex against a wall? In that case, your learning curve is phenomenal.”
“No, not that. But kudos to us since it’s not an easy feat to accomplish and if I’d thought it out beforehand, I’d probably be deterred by the logistics alone.”
Oh, that made her laugh. Her smile and eyes were shining as if he were the best stand-up comedian she ever heard. She was so easy to be around. “That’s true. It’s amazing it all works.”
“It does more than work.” Moving quickly, he pinned her under him, nearly growling as he nuzzled her neck.
She giggled again and the sound lifted his heart. Pushing him back, she asked, “What were you referring to that you’ve never done before?”
He sighed and dropped back beside her. “Being like this. Openly discussing my thoughts with someone. Saying all the things I think. Not anything I’m used to. The way you share yourself with me and laugh so openly. The affection you show me. I never craved it. Not at all. I didn’t exactly shun it either. But hell, no. Having never sought it out, I had no idea what it felt like. I was too old when I met my adopted parents, and before that, it wasn’t something I used to feel comfortable about.”
“If it’s too much for you we can do it less often.”
See? Even that. She offered to do whatever he felt more comfortable doing. It wasn’t all about her. No woman ever sacrificed anything for him. “I’m not even used to that.”
“What?” She smiled, encouraging him to explain and be honest.
“If I didn’t like the affection as much as you do, we could adjust it. You have to understand that I’ve never had a relationship that worked before.”
“I’ve had a few… mostly casual ones. None that mattered to me. So we can learn together. And you’re nothing if not a fast, sharp learner. There’s still hope for you.”
She kissed him long and deep, using her tongue to do a slow, sensual dance that was as hot as their urgent need for each other. Releasing him, she slid on top of him. As slowly and sensually as she kissed him, her body slid beside his. Breasts pressing against him, her wet core was more than ready for him. Asher let out a long sigh. She leaned over him and used the same long, circuitous foreplay with her lips and tongue. Then she said, “Now let’s try all that on a bed, slow and torturous. I want to know what every inch of you tastes like and I want you to do the same to me…”
Her deep, sexy voice and words, while licking his ear, elicited another moan of eager agreement. “I definitely can learn to do that…”
That was the start. Three nights and most of their days were spent either in his bed, touching, talking, having incredible sex or going out and about the town together. Eating lunch or dinner. Watching movies. Sleeping. Lounging. He worked, of course, but the rest of the time? He spent with Daisy.
His girlfriend.
That was a new word for him. It gave him a new status. One that formerly scared and intimidated him. But to his surprise, it took only hours for him to like how it sounded. It was clear now what Asher was to Daisy and she to him. The rules were well-defined and solid. He doubted he’d like that part. But his analytical mind required it, so maybe it did make sense. Now that they had a label, he knew what was expected from him and how to act. He understood what he meant to her and it was no longer a mystery.
In the past, Asher’s experience with sex was undefined and casual. Sometimes he had a repeat performance but he never knew how to treat the women after it was over. As a friend? Do you call a fuck-buddy when you don’t want to fuck them? Just to talk and kid around with? He never asked anything personal or offered anything personal about himself.
But with Daisy, his girlfriend, he had to treat her much more special. She was his friend that he could kid and laugh with as long as he told her the truth. He began to speak about what he might feel or think and he also checked on her to learn how she might feel. He knew how to have sex with her, but he quickly learned how much she liked to hold hands, for at least five minutes before her mind wandered and she used her hands to punctuate her points in the conversation. She snuggled next to him and then pulled away only to come back and snuggle.
Asher started to know her better; he could read her now and respond accordingly. At times, she got annoyed or pissed off when he was busy. Once when he ignored her for three days, she quickly taught him don’t do that. He was sharp so he swiftly picked up on her cues and signals. They were loud and clear because she was always clear. That helped Asher a lot. He loved having a defined relationship. The emotions he once found confusing and messy, like when she first admitted her feelings for him, now had substantial context that made sense to him.
The only thing to take her attention away from the two of them was her family. She spent a lot of her spare time with Violet. Although Violet was no longer catatonic, her former personality had vanished and few people, if any, got any interaction from her. The once loud, fun, vivacious, eager-to-perform girl disappeared entirely and Violet was no more than a shell of her former self.
Seeing Asher seemed to remind Violet of that day, when Preston died in front of everyone. Asher was loath to admit it, but visiting Violet was traumatic for him too. Naturally, he wasn’t as emotionally stripped away from the victim as she was. Asher understood why Violet acted the way she did toward him and didn’t take any offense at all.
For that reason, among others, Daisy and Asher did not announce their change in relationship status. They agreed to keep it quiet. Only her parents knew, so they wouldn’t worry where she went so often. They knew Daisy was not trying to hide it because she felt ashamed, but simply to spare Violet. It also spared Asher a lot of turmoil. He had more time to adjust to this new Daisy, as a girlfriend without public scrutiny or any need for explanation.
As time slipped by, Asher realized how much he liked being in a relationship with Daisy.
From that moment, it was much easier for them to be together. “Show me your ranch.”
“In the snow? Are you sure? You’ll run away screaming to the east coast and never return.”
She smiled and replied, “I’m very sure. Now that you own it, I want to see all the progress you’ve made since we were there last time. You spent the whole fall there, right?”