It felt good.
He felt his guard dropping, no matter how dangerous he told himself it was.
It felt good to let someone in. To allow himself to be close with someone like her. He closed his eyes and focused on the rhythmic pulsing of her breath. To the beating of her heart against his stomach. To the way her hair smoothed between his fingertips. She nuzzled instinctively into his body and he grinned, enjoying the way it felt to hear her sigh with content against him.
Maybe he didn’t need to earn her trust again.
Maybe all she wanted was an apology. An acknowledgment of what happened to her. Maybe all she needed was someone she didn’t know very well to tell her how fucked up it was that her ex had betrayed her in that fashion.
Just thinking about it made Ash furious.
What kind of man could do such a thing to such a beautiful woman? He wrapped his arms around Kallie’s body and held her closer to him, and he smiled when she pressed even deeper. It was as if her body, in its most vulnerable state, longed to be close to him. Longed to be nearer to him, despite how she tried to push him away.
Despite how Ash tried to push her away.
He closed his eyes and allowed the calm of the moment to sweep him under. Into an endless moment of comfort and relaxation he didn’t want to end. He smoothed his fingers through Kallie’s hair until he fell asleep, his body giving way to what he wanted.
To be close to Kallie.
His Pretty Kallie.
Chapter 16
Kallie
Kallie was in a rowboat, rocking against the gentle waves. Lying down against the smooth wooden floor as she floated along the ocean. She was alone. Trapped in the middle of the swaying ocean as her body rested against the soothing coolness of the wooden rowboat.
She had no oars. No engine. Just her and the endless crystal waters below her.
She sat up in the boat and looked over the side. She smiled at her reflection, in awe of how clear it was. Despite the movement of the waves, her reflection didn’t undulate. Didn’t shiver. Didn’t ripple. She smiled at herself and dipped her fingers into the water, allowing its warmth to trickle up her arm.
She watched the mirror in front of her as something rose behind her. The water reflected a darkened figure, and she was about to dive out of the boat. Away from the fear she felt climbing up her chest. But when the figure appeared over her shoulder, it was Ash’s smiling face.
His cute little freckles.
His thick mahogany hair.
His beautiful, wondrous lips.
Kallie turned to kiss him, but when she moved the face changed. Morphed before her very eyes until she was staring into the glare of her ex-fiancé. James.
“Gold digger.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Come back here!”
Kallie dove into the water and jerked herself awake from her dream. She felt something warm encompass her quickly, tightening around her body. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself pressed against Ash’s warm chest.
Warm like the water she could still feel on the tips of her fingers.
“You okay?” he asked.
She looked up into his half-hooded eyes and the dream quickly faded into the setting sun. Kallie nodded and rested her chin back against his strong form as Ash’s fingers stroked her hair. He sighed heavily, like she had woken him up, and a sense of guilt dripped over her.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she said.
“I was already awake. Just lying here watching the sunset.”