“Not used to the Texas heat, huh?” Tyler asks.
“You can say that again. I thought Miami was hot, but Dallas brings a whole new meaning to the word humid.”
“It sure is hot, but you get used to it after a while.”
Ashton smiles down at me, swiping away a strand of hair that is stuck to my forehead with glistening sweat. “We’ll just have to find ways to cool you down.” He leans in closer and whispers, “Preferably with ice.” I gulp hard as he takes a step back, his devilish eyes sparkling with mischief. The hot scene from Fifty Shades of Grey comes to mind and I suddenly want him to go all Christian on me. Imagining all the ways Ashton could pleasure me with ice, my insides tingle at the thought of his mouth gliding down my body with an ice chip in his mouth, overwhelming every one of my senses until my body turns into a sexually heightened maniac screaming out his name.
I don’t even realize we’ve come to a stop at Tyler’s extended cab truck until I feel a hand squeeze my ass cheek. I feel Ashton’s mouth on my ear, the one single move bringing me out in chills, even in this suppressed heat. “You’re such a naughty girl.” I blink through my haze and look up at him, his eyes gleaming with a sexy humor, his mouth tilting with his customary smile, a smile that I always feel down to my bones. This man owns me in every single way. Every. Single. Way. I love how he knows exactly what I was thinking, but according to Ashton I have obvious tell-tale signs when I’m turned on. Shaking my head with a smile, I gently push him away and head to the back of the truck. He opens the passenger side and gestures towards the open door with his hand.
“I’ll sit in the back. You sit up front with your brother.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I can sit in the back too.” He raises his eyebrow suggestively and I bark out a laugh, knowing exactly what would happen if I let him sit in the back with me. I’m sure his brother doesn’t want a live sex show happening in the back of his truck.
“Just get in the front!” Smiling, I shove his six-foot frame towards the passenger side before I get in the back and buckle myself in. Tyler starts the truck, and almost immediately a sigh of relief exhales from my lips as I feel the coolness of the air-conditioning soothe my hot and sticky skin. It feels incredible. Thank the Lord for air-conditioning.
As we set off, I remember the offensive nicknames Ashton and Tyler greeted each other with in the airport. Shifting forward slightly, I say, “What’s with the nicknames?” Ashton looks back at me with a smile as Tyler sniggers softly. “They’re just nicknames we used to call each other to rile each other up. So, growing up I was always dickweed, Ash was asshat … and Christopher was bitch-tits. Although Chris hated that nickname,” Tyler says. I smile at the mention of Christopher. Christopher was their brother who died in the war five years ago. He was an Army Medic and was one of the youngest serving men to become a general surgeon. Ashton told me that he was an academic genius, so much so that Christopher graduated high school at sixteen, graduated college at eighteen, and just before his nineteenth birthday he was enrolled on the U.S. Army Health Professions Scholarship program. Ashton said medical schools all over the country were fighting over him, but they never stood a chance, as it had always been Christopher’s dream to serve his country as a U.S. Army doctor. Fast forward to seven years later and he was being deployed on his first tour in Afghanistan as a full-fledged surgeon. Tragically, he never made it out alive.
Blinking through my thoughts, I sit back in my seat and listen to Ashton and Tyler as they reminisce about their teenage years, laughing along at the stupid crap they got up to. The closeness I see between them makes me smile, but a part of me—a small part—makes me feel resentful of the family I was given. I don’t have memories like Ashton’s … all of my memories are tainted with bad times, recollections that until very recently plagued my every thought. But that is all in the past now. I have so many more things to look forward to, things that include my daughter and the beautiful man sat in the passenger seat, who’s husky laugh is filling the truck, laughing at something Tyler said. I have my own family now. A new family.
After a twenty-five minute journey we finally pull up at Ashton’s parents’ place. We all get out of the truck into the oppressive heat, and I look up and admire the house with squinted eyes, shielding the sun with my hand. It’s a western ranch-style house and I love how the rich stone and wooden beams make it stand out amongst the other nearby houses. Just standing here in the open driveway gives it a homely feel. It’s inviting. My eyes travel towards the porch and I see Ashton’s mom bounding down to us with a huge smile on her face, her arms wide open.
“There’s my baby boy! Come and give your momma some sugar!” Ashton laughs as she engulfs herself in his arms, pressing motherly kisses against his face. “I’ve missed you, my beautiful boy.”
“Mom,” he complains with humor. I see Tyler walk past rolling our suitcase behind him, and murmurs, “Momma’s boy,” before walking in the direction of the front door.
“I heard that, dickweed!” Ashton shouts to Tyler’s retreating back.
Once Ashton’s mom has had her fill, she turns away and fixes her eyes on me, eyes that are full of pure affection. “Ava, it’s about time I got to meet you in the flesh. How are you, doll?” Heat envelops me as she pulls me into an embrace.
“I’m good thanks … hot as hell though.”
“Don’t I know that,” Ashton pipes up from behind his mom, winking at me.
Ashton’s mom pulls away, laughing at her flirtatious son. “Let’s get you out of this heat. It’s the hottest during this time of day.”
Ashton puts his arm around me and we make our way towards the porch steps. As we continue towards the front door, Ashton’s mom turns to us with a slight frown creasing along her forehead.
“Where’s Lily-Mai?”
“Oh, she’s at Disneyland with her dad,” I say.
“That’s a shame; I was looking forward to finally meeting her. She’s such an adorable little thing,” she says as she walks through the door. I smile at the thought of my baby girl. I miss her terribly already and it’s only been twenty-four hours since I dropped her off at Sebastian’s. I’m tempted to call him to check on her, but I’m determined to make it through the entire weekend without dialling his number. I can spend the weekend away from my daughter … I can …
“You want to call Sebastian don’t you?” Ashton’s words halt me in my steps. I look at him and notice the shit-eating grin on his face.
“No …” I’m lying and he knows it. It’s taking everything in me not to take my cell out from my purse and call him. I’ve become the mother I never wanted to be—the irrational and overprotective kind. But I can’t help it. Lily-Mai came into this world fighting for her life, and it’s made me somewhat extra protective of her. Even after almost two years, I still panic at the slightest sign of sniffles. Thankfully, I’m engaged to a doctor, so he’s usually able to reassure me when I let my irrational side get the better of me.
“Baby, just call him. You won’t be able to enjoy the weekend until you do.”
“And you don’t think I’m being irrational if I call him?”
He smirks, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. “I never said that.” He briefly looks down at his watch. “But, you should call him, preferably in the next ten minutes.”
My eyes furrow with a frown as I scrutinize him. “And why should I call him within the next ten minutes, huh?” I fold my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling suspicious.
He shrugs nonchalantly. “No reason.”
“Ashton,” I reprimand, not buying his casual demeanor. His smirk explodes into a grin.